This is Part 2 of a post about the Making Energy Work 2011 conference I attended.
Part 1 is found at: Making Energy Work 2011- Jobs Growth
The first session I attended titled Innovation Creates Opportunity: Renewable Energy has an overview of:
North Carolina has a broadly diverse clean energy economy, with projects from the mountains to the coast. Successful projects have great impact on our state not only through cleaner power generation, but also through the creation of jobs. Come celebrate these and other successful projects! Hear their story and the lessons learned through the process that you can take back to build your own organization.
The first speaker was Garald Cottrell who is the President & General Manager of Wellons Energy Solutions. He discussed the lower cost of wood to energy ($2.38/MMBtu) versus natural gas ($5.25/MMBtu). In addition the NC Renewable Tax Credit and Federal Section 45 Investment Tax Credit make Wood to Energy systems very affordable. They try to procure fuel within 50 miles to reduce the carbon footprint of the site. Clients include Perdue, Perdue Agrirecycle, Pfizer and House of Raeford. From their own website:
The Wellons Energy Solutions is a renewable energy company focused on employing biomass (wood or other biomass fuels) boilers for installation at existing industrial accounts that have historically relied upon green house gas emitting fossil fuels. By employing biomass, customers are able to substantially reduce annual fuel costs by more than 50% while employing a renewable energy strategy that is considered “green house gas” neutral. Projects typically have a payback of less than 3 years and an IRR in excess of 30%. In conjunction with the biomass boilers, Wellons Energy Solutions has formed strategic partnerships with leading steam turbine generator sets to enable a comprehensive co-generation product offering.
The second speaker was Tom Paonessa who is the Comfort Consultant/Geothermal Expert of Warren Hay Mechanical Contractors, Inc. The average temperature of the earth is 60 degrees, which makes it a good heat/cold sink. The higher efficiency of ground source heat pumps (GSHP) or geo-thermal heat pumps (GTHP) reduce the electricity/fuel to heat and cool a building. On the residential side there is a 30% tax credit. From their own website:
Nearly half the solar energy our planet receives is absorbed by the ground. As a result, below the surface the earth remains a constant moderate temperature year-round. This provides an ideal source for heating and cooling your home. Geothermal systems use a sealed underground piping loop filled with circulating water and an ultra high-efficiency Tranquility heat pump to exchange heat between your home and the earth.
The third speaker was Erika Schneider who is the Outreach/PR Coordinator of Sundance Power Systems. Solar panels come in both the photovoltaic (PV or power generation) and thermal (heating for domestic hot water, room heating and pool heating) varieties. The cost of components has been dropping as more people buy systems. These components include Kyocera Modules, Deka batteries and Sunny Boy inverters. From their own website:
Since 1995, Sundance extends over a decade of service, providing value through the design and installation of close to 1,000 systems, specializing in solar electric (photovoltaic), solar hot water, wind, & hydro electric systems for both on and off grid applications. Our systems collectively produce clean renewable energy for homes and business, offsetting the emissions of hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.
These are just a few of the Renewable Energy possibilities available, others include wind and wave power.
Renew your mind to Renewable Energy,
Samuel Carrara, PE, MBA, LEED GA
SavingEnergyEducation.com
This thermostat gives you:
This time I discussed 
I would like to thank Dr. Sara K. McMillan, PE for coordinating my visit, she is a member of