Gro wnc energy workgroup meeting march 2012
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Transcript of Gro wnc energy workgroup meeting march 2012
www.gro‐wnc.org
GroWNC Energy WG‐1
Existing Conditions
Outline
• Energy Plan and Report Evaluation– Local (GroWNC): County Plans, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)
– Regional: Western North Carolina (AdvantageWest, EvolveEnergy Partnership, MRC)
– State• Current Energy Conditions/Trends• Issues• Opportunities• Goals
Energy Baseline
• How and where is energy consumed in the GroWNC region produced (fuel type, location)?
• How much energy is consumed by sector (residential, commercial, industrial, government, transportation)?
• How much does energy cost the consumer?• What are the trends?
Energy Generation• Duke Energy and Progress Energy generate 96% of state's electricity
– Considerable amount sold to munis and EMCs via wholesale electricity markets
• Western NC (MRC 27‐county region) in 2008:– 2,435 megawatts of electricity generation capacity (8.3% of state’s total) – 50% powered by coal, about 31% by hydroelectric, and 17.4% natural gas
Sources: 2011 North Carolina Clean Energy Data Book, NC Sustainable Energy Association, June 2011; Understanding the Impact of Electric Generation Choices on North Carolina Residential Electricity Rates, NC Sustainable Energy Association, November 2011; Western North Carolina Vitality Index, 2012
Energy Consumption
Source: Western North Carolina Vitality Index, 2012
• NC has over 9.5 million residents• NC has no local deposits of coal, petroleum, or natural gas – vast
majority of energy resources for the state must be imported
Energy Consumption in NC
Sources: North Carolina State Energy Report, March 2010; Western North Carolina Vitality Index, 2012
Energy Costs
Source: Understanding the Impact of Electric Generation Choices on North Carolina Residential Electricity Rates, NC Sustainable Energy Association, November 2011
7% rate increase for Duke Energy approved by NC Utilities Commission in January 2012 (15% requested initially)
• Residential electric bill increases mainly attributable to cost recovery for new conventional power plants, air pollution control retrofits, and for increasingly expensive fuels
Installed Green Power Systems
Source: NC GreenPower, http://www.ncgreenpower.org, last updated March 9, 2012
Current Energy Trends• Clear shift in focus to clean and efficient energy and energy
conservation nationally as well as locally• Number of firms in North Carolina’s clean energy sector by
reported year entering the sector, 2011:
Source: North Carolina Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Industries Census, NC Sustainable Energy Association, November 2011
Clean Energy Cluster & Growth• A cluster of renewable energy and energy efficiency‐focused businesses
has formed in Henderson & Buncombe counties – 3rd largest in the state• Renewable energy industry employment is growing
Source: 2011 North Carolina Clean Energy Data Book, NC Sustainable Energy Association, June 2011
Source: Western North Carolina Clean Energy Cluster Analysis, September 2011
Codes & Ordinance Review
Locality Solar
Wind
Biom
ass
Geo
thermal
Hydro
Build
ing
Lightin
g
Definition
s
Other
Asheville
Brevard
Buncombe Co.
Haywood Co.
Hendersonville
Madison Co.
Marshall
Transylvania Co.
Waynesville
• Remove Barriers• Create Incentives• Enact Standards
• Range of use classifications and definitions
• = direct• = indirect
Plan Evaluation IssuesIssue Region
Increasing energy prices (electricity, gasoline, natural gas) All
Air quality impacts due to conventional electricity production, transportation – effects on resident health, appeal to visitors
GroWNC, Western NC
Energy security & reliability – WNC fuel shortages following Hurricanes Katrina & Rita in 2005– NC imports all of its energy supply, except for a small amount of wood, hydro and solar energy
Western NC, State‐wide
National recession affecting markets for clean energy sector products, most exported to other states or countries
GroWNC, Western NC
Shortage of engineers, lack of opportunities to retain young professionals
Western NC
Energy baseline for GroWNC counties/municipalities?
Local Codes/Ordinances?
Identified OpportunitiesOpportunity Region
Cost avoidance/limiting costs by changing energy demand GroWNC
Alternative/clean energy industry growth = jobs GroWNC
Large biomass resource, strong wind resources, solar and geothermal firm expansions, expansion of electricity production from landfill gases
GroWNC, Western NC
Residential energy efficiency – 35% of homes in region built prior to 1970
Western NC
Workgroup IdentifiedIssues & Opportunities
Energy Workgroup IssuesIssues
Access to Financing • Key obstacle to continued development of multiple clean energy sectors; interrelated to
other key issues (finance stakeholders, data); educating finance professionals
Documented Data on Energy Savings• Lack of data on documented energy savings; information gap with regard to direct financial
savings from investments; communication is key to reaching wider audience
Uncertain Regulatory Environment• Ensure local decision makers aware of relevant state & federal regulatory issues (market
barriers); concerns regarding weakened state and federal support; opportunities to streamline public performance contracting should be identified and explored
Limited Resources and Capacity• Issue common to many smaller localities and organizations; need to clearly communicate
local government’s need for policy & supporting resources & the benefits of investments
Aging (residential) Infrastructure • Older and low‐income residential structures present energy challenges, direct and
immediate need for energy upfits
Others?
Energy Workgroup OpportunitiesOpportunities
Cross‐sector collaborations & leading‐by example• Educational Institutions – Unique opportunity to implement projects and lead‐by‐
example; resources for partnerships • Local Government – Lead‐by‐example through demonstration projects, innovative
deployments, and public‐private partnerships • Agriculture – Decline of farming presents opportunities (biomass, biofuels)• Finance – Continue to push financial sector
Public outreach and awareness campaign • Outreach should start at educational level and emphasize local community; key to
catalyzing regional shift
More effectively addressing rural‐urban gap • Opportunity to more effective address rural‐urban gap• Recognizing differences and developing programs that leverage unique resources of both
Others?
Goals and Objectives
Plan Evaluation Goals & Objectives• Implement greater % of renewable energy sources (utility‐scale and
distributed generation) to improve environmental performance and reduce dependence on outside sources of energy and fuels
• Continue to attract clean energy sector businesses and retain existing jobs• Improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings (all sectors) and construct
new buildings using sustainable design, e.g. LEED standards• Improve energy conservation and energy efficiency measures outreach to
residents and businesses• Implement energy conservation plans and policies for local governments• Reduce vehicle miles traveled and promote alternative transportation fuels to
improve environmental performance of energy use in the transportation sector and reduce costs
• Double avg. fuel efficiency of the region’s transportation fleet by 2025
Adopt, modify, remove, add, set specific targets?
Wrap‐up/Next Steps
• Nominate Steering Committee representative• Next Steps
– Explanation of Reality Check #1– Preview of WG‐2 meeting
• Keypad polling to assess Energy Workgroup composition
QUESTIONS?