March 2007 Energy Update

Great Forest’s Energy Update is a monthly compilation of news clips related to the energy matters for commercial end-users.  For more information about Great Forest’s Energy or other Sustainability Services please reach out to Michael Sanfilippo.

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Short-Term Energy Outlook

March 6, 2007 Release (Next Update: April 10, 2007)

Highlights

·         World oil markets tightened in recent weeks in response to production cuts by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the return of cold winter weather in North America.  February’s cold weather and higher demand for heating fuels reduced petroleum inventories (both crude and product) more than expected and raised spot prices for crude oil and natural gas, which had fallen in January.

·         Average monthly motor gasoline prices are expected to increase by nearly 40 cents per gallon from February ($2.28 per gallon) through June, peaking at $2.67 per gallon.  Rising crude oil prices and seasonal demand are the principal drivers for this expected increase.   The projected average of about $2.60 per gallon for the upcoming driving season (April-September) would be about 20 cents per gallon less than last year’s driving season average.  Next month, the outlook for motor fuels will be updated and examined in detail in the Summer Fuels Outlook.

·         Projections of U.S. heating fuel expenditures for the winter of 2006-07 have increased to $898 compared with $862 in the last Outlook, due to February’s unusual cold weather (Heating Fuel Expenditures).  Nevertheless, this amount still represents a decline from $948 last winter.

DOE Praises NRC Approval of the First US Nuclear Plant Site in Over 30 Years March 8, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today commended the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to approve the first-ever Early Site Permit (ESP) for the Exelon Generation Company's Clinton site, in central Illinois.  This decision marks a major milestone in the President’s plan to expand the use of safe and clean nuclear power.  As part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative - which seeks to change the way we power this nation – nuclear power will play an increasingly important role as the demand for electricity grows worldwide. 

FERC OKs lowering NY power reserve margin Wed Mar 7, 2007 4:25pm ET

NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a request from the New York State Reliability Council to cut the reserve margin in New York from 18 percent to 16.5 percent effective March 1, federal officials said Wednesday.

This ruling requires load serving entities such as utilities and energy-service companies to buy less capacity, which should ultimately save consumers money.

In a competitive market, generators make money only if their plants operate, so they have an incentive to keep the generation available for service.

Before deregulation, if a plant did not operate, the utilities would buy or generate the power elsewhere and simply pass on those higher costs to customers.

The new rules, which FERC approved in a decision on March 5, will take effect before the New York Independent System Operator's March 29 summer capacity auction.

The ruling does not affect the requirement that 80 percent of the capacity in New York City be physically located in the city or that 99 percent of the capacity on Long Island be located on the Island.

 

Energy Concerns Push Clocks Forward this Weekend by Nell Boyce March 9

The annual ritual of resetting our clocks to spring forward one hour usually starts on the first Sunday in April. This year, daylight-saving time starts three weeks early. It's a change that could affect everything from computer systems to golf courses. So why do it?

"The bottom line is that it's going to save energy," says Fred Upton, a Republican congressman from Michigan who pushed the change. "For every single day that we extend daylight-saving time, we would save the energy equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil."

Those numbers come from the experience in the 1970s, when the nation extended daylight-saving time because of the energy crisis. Saving energy has long been the main argument for resetting our clocks; it's why Benjamin Franklin argued for the practice, which he said would save on candles.

DOE Selects 13 Solar Energy Projects for up to $168 Million in Funding March 8, 2007
First funding awards for Solar America Initiative to make solar technology cost-competitive by 2015

LOWELL, MA - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced the selection of 13 industry-led solar technology development projects for negotiation for up to $168 million (FY’07-’09) in funding, subject to appropriation from Congress.  These projects will help significantly reduce the cost of producing and distributing solar energy.  As part of the cost-shared agreements, the industry-led teams will contribute more than 50 percent of the funding for these projects for a total value of up to $357 million over three years.  These cooperative agreements, to be negotiated, will be the first made available as part of President Bush’s Solar America Initiative (SAI), a component of his Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI), announced in his 2006 State of the Union Address.  Secretary Bodman made today’s announcement while visiting Konarka Global Headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts, one of the selected solar energy project sponsors.

A Call for Action on Climate Change

By Jonas Hagen

"Unlike many reports from scientists, this report gives very clear recommendations for what the international community and nations themselves must do to mitigate and adapt to climate change", said Peter Raven, a leading expert in biodiversity and former President of Sigma Xi, a 60,000-member scientific research society. “Confronting Climate Change: Avoiding the Unmanageable, Managing the Unavoidable” was released by the Scientific Expert Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development at a panel discussion organized by the United Nations Foundation and Sigma Xi at UN Headquarters on 27 February 2007, where the co-authors outlined the sweeping changes needed to deal with climate change.

 

EU sticks out neck in global climate change battle

09.03.2007 - 15:30 CET | By Andrew Rettman
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Member states on Friday legally bound the EU to use 20 percent renewable energy and cut CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020 in the hope the US and China will follow, but nobody knows how Europe will make the new "industrial revolution" into reality or who will pay for it, with years of complex negotiations ahead.

"I'm getting the feeling that not only in the US but in the industrialising countries as well, there's growing sensitivity when it comes to realising the importance of these issues," German chancellor and EU president Angela Merkel said. "The member states have said 'Yes. We want to go down this road.' We are proud to hoist our colours to the mast [on climate change]."

EVENT LISTING:

 

YOUR BUILDING MAY BE CLOSER TO LEED THAN YOU THINK

March 14^th 3:30 - 5:30 pm: Club 101 - 101 Park Avenue at 40th Street http://www.bomany.org/

“the goals, requirements and evaluation involved in LEED EB certification, a representative from the first certified LEED EB building in New York City - The New York Mercantile Exchange, plus their consultant who guided them through the application and certification process.”

 

How Can NYC Ensure Reliability, While Reducing Price for Ratepayers and Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

March 19^th 8:30 – 10:30 am NYU’s Kimmel Center 60 Washington Sq South

The panel will include Douglas Durst, John Gilbert, Steve Hammer, and David Manning and will be moderated by Ashok Gupta. RSVP to info@planyc.nyc.gov  

 

7th annual National Facilities Management and Technology Conference and Exposition (NFMT)

March 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center www.nfmt.com

Improve operating performance and lower energy costs by attending the free educational sessions at NFMT.  Choose from more than 90 free educational sessions and create your own customized training program.

 

THE 2007 NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MARKET TRANSFORMATION

"Accelerating the Pace: Deepening and Broadening Efficiency Efforts" http://aceee.org/conf/mt07/mt07annc.htm

March 19–21, 2007 The Omni Shoreham Hotel Washington, D.C.

 

New York and New Jersey Energy Incentive Programs Workshop

March 27 2007 - New York, NY 1Bowling Green http://www.eere.energy.gov/states/events_detail.cfm/events_id=2561

Hear about energy efficiency, renewable energy, and demand response program opportunities from representatives of NYSERDA, NJBPU, LIPA, FEMP, and GSA. Financial incentives and technical assistance are available to help support implementation of energy efficiency, load management, distributed generation, and renewable projects at your respective facilities. For more information see the workshop agenda (PDF 72 KB).

 

NYSERDA and Con Edison Demand Management Workshop

March 29th Con Edison, 4 Irving Place, New York

Power-Saving Partners Presentation - the event will give an overview of NYSERDA's Systemwide Energy and Demand Reduction Programs and Con Edison's Targeted programs for the New York Metropolitan area for the summer (2007). Lee Smith is the contact for this event. Time of the event TBD. Lee Smith, NYSERDA, 1-866-NYSERDA ext. 3313, email lls@nyserda.org.

 

Best Practices to Improve the Energy Performance of Office Buildings

March 29, 2007 11:30 – 1:30 : WEBEX Dr. Sharon L. Levin

Registration    https://energystar.webex.com/energystar/mywebex/default.php?Rnd5590=0.8012747873536234  

Learn how EPA's Portfolio Manager can help you evaluate the energy performance of facilities you own, manage, or hold for investment. This training will cover creating a user account, identifying data requirements, managing and sharing information, and establishing an energy performance rating. The rating serves as a benchmark to compare the energy performance of your facility against similar ones across the nation. From a portfolio perspective, energy performance ratings provide valuable information for making decisions regarding investments in energy efficiency, developing energy management plans, and measuring improvement over time. Who should participate: Property managers, energy managers, engineers, and organizational leaders interested in learning about energy performance benchmarking.

 

AEE Globalcon   http://globalconevent.com/

April 4 – 5 Atlantic City Convention Center

Regular Registration Fee: $795.00
AEE Member / Gov't / Non-Profit Org.: $695.00

 

THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY FINANCE FORUM
Advancing the Next Frontier in Clean Energy Investing http://www.aceee.org/conf/07finance/07financeindex.htm
April 12^th - 13^th The Helmsley Hotel, NYC

 

BOMA/NY EAD (Energy Action/Awareness Day)

April 18, 2007 from 8 – 1:30 am http://bomany.org/event_view/5114

Marriott Marquis Hotel, Astor Ballroom, on the Seventh Floor

Contact Mike Skomsky for info and registration mskomsky@BOMANY.com