The Kentucky Solar Partnership and Appalachia – Science in the Public Interest, with the support of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), Johnson Controls, Inc., the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service, and Kentucky State University, present a series of introductory and advanced training classes on solar photovoltaic system design and installation practices.
 
Full workshop descriptions and registration information can be found at www.kysolar.org. Financial support with low-interest loans covering up to 100% of registration fees plus grants for travel expenses is available to residents of eastern Kentucky, thanks to the support from MACED.
 
Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics
May 8-9, 2012           
8:30 am – 5:00 pm            
Fee:   $275
Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor
      NABCEP Certified PV Installer
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office
101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601
 
Solar Site Assessments and PV System Design       
May 10, 2012
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Fee:   $140
Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor
      NABCEP Certified PV Installer
Prerequisite: Introduction to Photovoltaics or equivalent prior training or experience
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office
101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601
 
Solar Photovoltaics & the National Electric Code
May 11, 2012
8:00 am – 4:00 pm            
Fee:   $140
Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor
      NABCEP Certified PV Installer
Prerequisite: Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics or equivalent prior training or experience
(Code officials require no prerequisites)
For Installers, Code Officials, Inspectors, and Building Professionals
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office
101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601

Introduction to Solar Water Heaing
June 5-6, 2012
8:30 am – 5:00 pm each day      
Fee:   $275
Instructor: Bill Guiney, Director of Solar Heating & Cooling, Johnson Controls, Inc.
Prerequisite: none
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office
101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601 

Solar Industry Trends & New Technologies
June 7, 2012
8:30 am – 12:00 pm            
Fee:   $100
Instructor: Bill Guiney, Director of Solar Heating & Cooling, Johnson Controls, Inc.
Prerequisite: none
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office
101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601

Advanced Solar Photovoltaics Hands-On Installation Training
July 10-12, 2012               
8:30am – 5:00 pm each day          
Fee:   $415
Instructor: Chris LaForge, ISPQ Certified PV Instructor
      NABCEP Certified PV Installer
Prerequisites: Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics or equivalent prior training or experience.
Location: Franklin County Cooperative Extension Office
101 Lakeview Court, Frankfort, KY 40601

To learn more, contact the Kentucky Solar Partnership at 502-227-4562 or solar@kysolar.org.

NABCEP Training Hours: Participants will earn training hours to use towards the eligibility requirements for the NABCEP Solar PV Installer certification exam.

CEU’s available for Kentucky licensed Master Electricians and Electrical Electricians for Introduction to Solar PV; Solar Site Assessments and PV System Design; and Solar PV and the National Electric Code.

A new national survey shows overwhelming and bipartisan support for clean energy policies that go far beyond what is currently in place, especially in Kentucky.

More than 80 percent of the 1,019 people asked agreed with the statement: “The time is now for a new, grassroots-driven politics to realize a renewable energy future.” The favorable response included 69 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Independents, and 95 percent of Democrats.

The survey further defined that policy as “one that protects public health, promotes energy independence and the economic well being of all Americans.”

“It is apparent that Americans overwhelmingly favor clean and renewable energy,” said Steve Sanders, director of the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, which co-released the survey findings in Kentucky with the Civil Society Institute and KFTC. “For Kentucky, that means we must plan now for a future which is much less dependent on coal as a source of electric power.”

Nearly as many respondents (75 percent) agreed that “Congress and state public utility commissions that regulate electric utilities should put more emphasis on renewable energy and increased energy efficiency … and less emphasis on major investments in new nuclear, coal and natural gas plants.” This included 58 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Independents, and 86 percent of Democrats.

“These results show that people all over the country want clean energy and it’s time for Kentucky to catch up with other states to make cleaner energy affordable and accessible to people who want to invest in that,” said Amanda Fuller, a KFTC member in Louisville.

“Renewable Portfolio Standards and feed-in tariffs are two initiatives that we can do right now that don’t cost our state any money,” Fuller pointed out. Those initiatives were included in the Clean Energy Opportunity Act, legislation that received a hearing but no vote in the recently adjourned session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents agreed that “(t)he energy industry's extensive and well-financed public relations, campaign contributions and lobbying  machine is a major barrier to moving beyond business as usual when it comes to America’s energy policy.”

“We’re losing jobs,” Fuller said, noting that the contractor who installed solar electric and solar hot water systems on her house is challenged to find enough work to stay in business. “There are skilled people who have the technical backgrounds who are out of work because we don’t have the policies that support clean energy.”

An independent study released in January concluded that passage of the Clean Energy Opportunity Act would result in 28,000 new jobs in Kentucky over the next 10 years.

The clean energy survey was conducted by phone March 22-25 by ORC International for the Civil Society Institute. Respondents were 506 men and 513 women 18 years of age and older.

The questions went well beyond a simple "Do you favor or oppose ____ policies" often taken in such surveys, explained Pam Solo, president of the Civil Society Institute. She said the results show how deeply Americans understand what's at stake in our energy decisions.

A report with the survey findings is available here.

On Friday, three KFTC members, three KFTC staff, and two staff members from MACED's E3 (Energy Efficient Enterprises) program performed and observed an energy audit of KFTC's office in London.

The office in London is the only building that KFTC owns. The building was completely remodeled in the late 1990s. In recent years, KFTC's member leaders have pointed out how important it is for our own office to be energy efficient, especially as we do work in the community to promote energy efficiency. In 2011, the Renew East Kentucky strategy team of members added an audit and upgrade to KFTC's program of work. The photos below document the assessment process--the first step in making the office more energy efficient and possibly even eventually generating its own electricity.

Laurel County KFTC members Felix Woods, Vicki Lauderdale, and Jennifer Even Melton were on hand to learn about the energy auditing process from Josh Bills and Hope Broecker from MACED. Everyone pitched in when needed and learned a ton.

____________________________

MACED staff Hope and Josh begin the audit by examining the lighting and appliances in the office. Then, they take a look at the indoor parts of the heating, air-conditioning & ventilation (HVAC) system.

Oops! It is way past time to change the filter on the air return vent. A new filter will improve air flow and the efficiency of the HVAC system.

The group then moves outside, where Hope and Josh inspect the heating system:

Josh takes photos of every step in the process to help come up with an energy improvement plan later:

Josh crawls under the cob-web strewn crawl space:

 Once under there, he inspects the air-conditioning system:

Next, the group moves back inside to perform the blower door test. This test checks for the amount of air exchange between the outside and the inside of the building, and helps to reveal the sources of drafts and air leaks.

Josh and Hope begin to assemble to the blower door frame:

After assembling the frame and putting up the blower door, Josh runs a hose to the outside of the building that will help test for the difference in air pressure between inside and out:

 KFTC member Felix helps out by shutting and locking all the office windows. This helps ensure a good blower door test:

Back downstairs, Hope installs the fan into the blower door:

 You can see the pressure & flow gauge and the blower door controls in the foreground.

Once the fan is installed, Hope removes rings from the fan before switching it on:

KFTC members and staff watch as MACED performs the blower door test:

Once the fan is switched on, the blower door begins depressurizing the indoor office space.

In order to get a good blower door test reading, Josh tapes over some gaps in an attic hatch that was letting in too much air:

Now that the test is fully working, you can feel air flow coming from all kinds of unexpected places...like electrical outlets, and interior door jambs.

Jennifer is surprised at the amount of air flowing out of the door jamb:

And Felix rigs up a trash bag to show how much air is flowing from the door jamb upstairs:

And Vicki shows her surprise at the amount of hot air that's flowing out of a small hole in the upstairs attic closet:

 After the audit is complete, the group is happy to pose with their new friends: the blower door and Hope and Josh of MACED.

The group moves outside for one more photo before saying goodbye:

Soon, MACED will create a report on the audit and a possible plan for upgrading the office. We'll then begin exploring creative ways to finance the project, and will keep everyone posted on the project's progress here on the KFTC blog.

"This has been a great meeting and an opportunity for me to learn some things I didn't know," said KFTC member John Harrod to the group gathered in Morehead on the evening of April 9 for the Rural Electric Cooperative Public Forum. "I am encouraged and optimistic about our prospects for moving forward with energy saving ideas and more use of renewable energy sources."

The Public Forum was held as part of the Clean Energy Collaborative, in which KFTC participates along with other public interest groups, the local rural electric co-ops, and the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC). The mission of the Collaborative is to review and recommend energy efficiency and renewable energy actions to EKPC, and to promote collaboration among all the parties in implementation of these ideas.

The Public Forum focused on energy efficiency and was definitely a collaborative effort. It began with presentations from key EKPC and co-op staff along with KFTC members and others. Rowan County KFTC member Sue Tallichet presented on the important reason for increasing energy-savings programs: they reduce the need for building costly new power plants and, thus, help to stabilize electric rates. The Forum was emceed by KFTC member Tona Barkley and David Crews of EKPC.

Attendees also learned about three energy efficiency programs--Button-Up, How$martKY, and $impleSaver--before breaking into small focus group to give the co-ops feedback on how they might better implement existing and new energy-savings programs. The conversations were hearty and eye-opening, and both co-op members and co-op staff learned much.

"I found out that our home qualifies for three programs that I didn't know about before, all things I had been trying to figure out how to do anyway," said Harrod. "The co-ops are living up to their name as cooperative enterprises between the managers and the members."

The results from the focus groups were presented at the most recent Collaborative meeting, and a great discussion ensued about how to use the feedback and findings from the members to improve the co-ops' energy saving programs.

John Harrod has good reason to be optimistic. "I think these ideas are going to take hold and spread as more people see their friends and neighbors saving energy, using renewables, and saving money in the long term."

The article, "Why baseload power is doomed" by Chris Nelder gives an excellent rebuttal to a myth we hear commonly in Kentucky - that renewable energy cannot replace "baseload" electric power.

The author opens, "A persistent myth about the challenges of integrating renewable power into the grid is that because solar and wind are intermittent, grid operators need to maintain full generation capacity from “baseload” plants powered by coal and nuclear."

But, "The notion that renewables cannot provide baseload power is really an artifact of the way the grid and its regulators have evolved," he says.

(Baseload power generators are large units that provide most of the electricity to the grid. They rarely shut down, providing most of the "base load" of power, hence the name. In Kentucky, these are mostly coal-burning plants. When consumers draw more electricity from the grid than those plants can provide, utilities fire up additional units, usually fueled by natural gas, to provide the extra electricity needed to meet demand.)

In the article, the author describes why much of today's existing grid is not "smart." It grew up around demand, rather than in a planned, logical fashion. Lines went up haphazardly, starting in populations centers and then reaching out to rural areas as demand grew. As the grid grew, so did a very complex system of connecting and regulating it - one which includes several different agencies in each of several overlapping U.S. "grid territories."

This haphazard design makes grid technicians' jobs very tricky and makes them therefore resistant to the type of innovation that is required to bring large-scale renewable energy online.

"Grid operators have one overriding, fearsome task: They must maintain enough supply from this very complex system, within a narrow range of frequencies and voltages, to meet constantly fluctuating demand at all times. Therefore they tend to be risk-averse, preferring to stick with what they know to be reliable, and avoiding innovation.

Before the advent of renewables, generating power was a pretty straightforward task: When demand increased, you just added more fuel to an engine. With renewables, the task is reversed: The engines (wind turbines and solar collectors) ramp up and down of their own accord, and grid operators must adjust to accommodate their output."

So we need to get a smarter grid across the U.S. - one that provides real time information - and use the good models already out there to better predict how and when renewables will output power. It's a dance that we can master if we're willing to try.

"If all generators were able to ramp up and down on demand, and if grid operators were able to predict reliably when and where the sun would be shining and the wind would be blowing, accommodating any amount of power from renewables would be no problem."

Many states and countries successfully integrated large portions of renewable energy into the grid successfully. The author discusses several such examples including Germany and Texas. These places are proving and will continue to prove what is possible while places that hesitate to act are left behind.

We cannot ignore that some sectors of our economy stand to gain if we remain locked into the old system of electric power, but, Nelder says, the facts about what is technically possible remain firmly on the side of renewable energy supporters.

"The attachment to our antiquated architecture of power generation and grid management is simply a failure of imagination and innovation," Nelder concludes.

KFTC Members and Allies Are Moving the Clean Energy Conversation Forward!

• Number of Kentuckians participating in lobby trainings on the Clean Energy Opportunity Act: 200+
• Number of attendees at the February 13th clean energy reception: 75
• Number of legislators in attendance: 16
• Number of legislators who attended last year’s clean energy event: 2
• Number of Kentuckians who lobbied during the 2012 clean energy lobby day: 60
• Number of Kentuckians who lobbied during the 2011 clean energy lobby day: 40
• Number of meetings with legislators about the Clean Energy Opportunity Act during the 2012 lobby day: 50
• Number of meetings with legislators about the Clean Energy Opportunity Act during the 2011 lobby day: 20
• Number of clean energy bills supported by KFTC that were heard during the 2012 session: 3
• Number of clean energy bills that were heard during the 2011 session: 1
• Number of clean energy bills that passed this year: 0

To change that last number, there's much to do. We're building New Power at KFTC.  Want to get involved? Contact nancy@kftc.org.

Mary Love and Rick Hornby (author of Synapse study about the economic impact of HB 167)

Legislators heard testimony today about the benefits of the Clean Energy Opportunity Act (HB 167) during a hearing before the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee. KFTC members and our allies in the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance have made HB 167 a high priority, and many were on hand in the packed committee room to show support. Although no vote was taken, the hearing was an important opportunity to inform legislators and build support for the future.

Bill sponsor Rep. Mary Lou Marzian introduced the bill, noting, "Thank you for allowing us to bring this important issue for discussion. This is a piece of legislation about job creation in Kentucky. Twenty-nine other states have passed this kind of policy that is called a renewable and efficiency portfolio standard. These policies have been shown to stabilize rates and create jobs. And those would be jobs that could stay in Kentucky."

Rick Hornby of Synapse Energy Economics presented a summary of a report his firm recently did about the potential economic impact of HB 167 on jobs and electricity rates in Kentucky over the next 10 years. "Kentucky is facing an electricity challenge. A number of utilities are looking at retrofitting some coal-fired plants. Some are planning to retire coal plants. Some of those retirements will be replaced with new generation, largely natural gas. Our study projects that Kentucky is looking at increases in average electricity supply costs on the order of 50%. Adding renewable energy and energy efficiency to your mix will help Kentucky turn this challenge into an opportunity. As I say, it will help. There is no silver bullet."

Hornby touched on several highlights of the Synapse report, including:

• The energy efficiency and renewable energy requirements contained in HB 167 could generate 28,000 net new jobs over the next 10 years.
• Under any scenario – whether this bill passes or it doesn't – utility rates in Kentucky are going to go up significantly.
• Average electric bills in Kentucky are projected to be 8-10% lower at the end of 10 years as a result of HB 167 than they would be under a business-as-usual scenario.

Chris Woolery, who works with the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), also testified in support of the measure. "I'm one of those contractors that could definitely have benefited from legislation like this. As a former Energy Star home-builder, I learned about the importance of energy efficiency. Then when the market crashed I went into energy retrofit work."

Woolery described his job doing home energy audits and retrofits in eastern Kentucky. "I'm now working with How$mart Kentucky. We work with four rural electric co-operatives in eastern Kentucky to do on-bill financing for energy improvements. With these co-ops we do whole house audits and energy upgrades, and we create a savings that the customer uses to pay for the improvements."

Woolery described some of the results of the How$mart program in the past year:

• reached customers in 23 counties.
  
• retrofitted 57 houses.
  
• saving people 25-37% on their bills.
• savings of $550 per year on average per family.

David Brown Kinloch and Josh Bills

Over 40% of the families the program has worked with are low to moderate income.

David Brown Kinloch, a renewable energy developer in Kentucky, also spoke before the committee. He emphasized the importance of a portion of the bill – called a feed-in tariff – that is designed to spur  investment in renewable energy projects. "A feed-in tariff will allow companies like mine to finance projects and sell power into the grid here in Kentucky. There is tremendous opportunity in Kentucky, and this bill just allows that opportunity to be harvested."

The testimony generated a number of comments and questions from members of the Tourism Development and Energy Committee. Chairwoman Leslie Combs from Pike County voiced concern about the troubling projections that utility rates are projected to rise steeply under any scenario.

"Consumers are consistently concerned about the fact that their rates are going up, today," she stated. "They don't want their rates to go up any more, and if anything they would like them to come down. But according to this chart, under any scenario, the rates go up. Period. I realize that's kind of the way things are, but at the same time it's hard to explain to the consumers who are saying, 'stop raising our rates.'

Hornby acknowledged that difficult reality. "I very much understand. It would be nice to be able to come in and say that. But the numbers are the numbers. Kentucky has a big challenge. Over the next several years, no matter what, your rates are going to go up by some amount. What efficiency and renewables can do is give your ratepayers some ability to respond to those increases. If you use less, your bill won't go up as much even as rates rise, and we are going to help you use less."

Rep. Keith Hall from Pike County concluded the testimony on HB 167 with a note of praise. "I want to commend Rep. Marzian for bringing this measure before the committee. And to the gentleman who spoke about energy efficiency, that's a very good program. This has been a very worthwhile conversation, and I want to commend the Madam Chairperson for having it."

Video from the hearing

The House Committee on Tourism Development and Energy is expected to consider two clean energy bills when it meets on Thursday, March 22 at 10 a.m. in Room 131 of the Capitol Annex in Frankfort.

The committee will take testimony on HB 167, The Clean Energy Opportunity Act, a bill that would gradually increase the share of electricity in Kentucky that comes from energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Testimony will also be heard on HB 187, a bill that would encourage investment in renewable energy by allowing commercial-scale renewable systems to connect to the grid through an arrangement called net-metering.

While no vote will be held, this hearing is an important opportunity to inform lawmakers about the benefits of clean energy solutions and build support for policies that can lower energy costs for families and businesses and boost economic development in Kentucky.

This is an important week to raise the visibility of these bills and demonstrate broad public support. You can help by taking the following actions:

1) Call the legislative message line and leave a message of support for the Clean Energy Opportunity Act (HB 167) and Expanded Net-Metering Bill (HB 187) with your Representative, Senator, and all members of the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee. The number is 1-800-372-7181.

2) Write a letter to the editor of local and statewide papers expressing support for Clean Energy policies.  Email lauren@kysea.org if you'd like some suggested talking points.

3) Come to Frankfort on Thursday morning to help us make a visible show of support for these bills in the committee room. Again, that meeting will take place on Thursday, March 22 at 10 a.m. in Room 131 of the Capitol Annex.

More than 60 citizen lobbyists came to Frankfort on Tuesday to talk to legislators about the promise of clean energy.

The Clean Energy Lobby Day was hosted by the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance (KySEA), a coalition of 52 organizations working to pass clean energy policy that would stem rising energy rates and create thousands of new jobs. In addition to grassroots organizations like KFTC, a founding member, KySEA includes small businesses, faith communities, housing groups, and even individuals.

Meeting with more than 50 different legislators, participants discussed House Bill 167, the Clean Energy Opportunity Act. Sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, the bill would establish benchmarks for increasing the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Kentucky over the next ten years. It would also establish payment rates for renewable energy to encourage renewable energy industries to locate in Kentucky and create new jobs.

Many surrounding states have already passed such measures, and new jobs in clean energy are going to Ohio and North Carolina instead of Kentucky.

EKU students John Bowers and Emily Justus lobbied for the first time. Justus, a native of Pike County, said she came to Frankfort to “show our support and learn about the whole process.”

Bowers of Berea said, “I’m very much for clean energy. I think that’s the wave of the future and the direction we need to go.”

The Clean Energy Opportunity Act is assigned to the House Tourism, Development and Energy Committee. One strategy of the lobby day was to press for the bill to get a hearing, and we learned today that our efforts were successful. The bill will get a hearing in committee in the next few weeks!