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Home > Archive > Mar 13, 2008

Renewable Energy Option Available in St. George
By Marc Mortenson
As the warm months of spring and summer quickly approach, the St. George Energy Services Department would like residents and businesses to focus on ways they can conserve energy use this year. We definitely live in an electronic age, as technology and necessity become almost inseparable. Think of the types of purchases you made over the course of the last year. How many of them must be plugged in to either function or recharge? This enormous and ever-increasing dependence on consumer electronics and appliances places more demand on our electrical power system today than in any other time in history.
On the evening of February 27, 2008, hundreds of area residents turned out at a public hearing and at Dixie State College to express their opposition to the Toquop coal-fired power plant and showed overwhelming support for renewable energy. Hundreds cheered when asked if they were willing to pay substantially more on their monthly utility bill for renewable energy, and yet only four out of 26,000 energy customers are signed up for the city of St. George’s “Clean Green Power” program that was launched in March, 2005.
“I hope that all of the attention generated by the Toquop issue gets residents thinking about their own energy use and how they can conserve and take advantage of the green programs the city already has in place to encourage more renewable energy,” said Mayor Dan McArthur following the public hearing.
The Clean Green Power program is designed to provide renewable energy to St. George Energy Services customers. (This does not include those being serviced by the Dixie Rural Electric Association.) This type of energy alleviates environmental concerns related to the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the long run, as fuel and production costs rise, renewable energy will become more economically feasible. Currently, however, renewable energy projects are typically more expensive to develop and operate than traditional sources of energy, such as coal or natural gas-fired generation facilities.
The revenues received from the Clean Green Power program will support the current renewable projects the City is involved with as well as provide funding for research and development of new projects. The sources of renewable energy for the city of St. George are both wind and low-impact hydro and a small amount of solar generation. For those who choose to receive green power for a portion of their electric supply, somewhere on the Western power grid, an exact amount of power equivalent to their green-power usage is being produced by a renewable power producer, and the premium paid supports that production.
Those who sign up will be charged an additional $2.95 per 100 kilo-watt-hour (kWh) block of energy they elect to purchase of renewable energy. This will increase the per kWh charge of energy from $.0681 to $.0976 for each block of green power they purchase.
In October of 2005, the City launched the Net Metering program. This program is designed to increase the amount of solar generation in the Energy Services Department’s service territory. Both residential and commercial customers can participate in the program by installing photovoltaic (solar) systems on their homes or businesses. The City will rebate up to $2,000 for each kilowatt (kW) installed. The rebate is limited to a maximum of three kW on residential and 10 kW on commercial buildings. Customers choosing to participate in this program generate a portion of their electrical needs as well as selling back to the utility any excess generation, lowering their utility cost and contributing to a reduction in emissions generated to provide energy for their home or business. As well as the rebate, there are also state and federal tax credits available to help offset the cost of the system.
In the recent state legislative session, some publicity was given to House Bill (HB) 201, which allows the City to construct, operate and maintain a solar farm that residents and businesses could buy into rather than installing a solar system on their individual property. Under HB201, those who buy into the solar farm system would be eligible to apply for a state tax credit up to $2,000. In addition to the tax incentives, advantages of this project for participants include a lower cost for the use of solar to supply part of their energy demand, no maintenance of the system and a reduction in emissions. Commercial customers will be able to advertise the fact that they are eco-friendly since a portion of their energy would be provided by a renewable power source. The Energy Services Department is considering constructing the solar farm on city-owned property adjacent to the Water Reclamation Facility located southwest of Bloomington. Once funding is in place and a plan is completed, the City will announce the details of the project including costs and how to participate.
The City encourages customers to become more efficient in their energy use. Purchasing EnergyStar appliances and upgrading insulation, particularly in attics, can make a home more efficient and lower utility bills. It is important to know that phantom loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 25 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance. As the outdoor temperatures begin to rise, please set air-conditioning thermostats at around 77 degrees.  
For more information about renewable energy programs or water and energy conservation, visit www.sgcity.org/conservation/ or call René Fleming, of Water and Energy Services, at 627-4848.

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