Sunstainable energy continues to pick up steam

By Jesse Davis
THE GOSHEN NEWS

http://www.goshennews.com/local/local_story_352181759.html

MIDDLEBURY, Ind — There may be momentum building, but we’re still at the back of the pack.

The monthly meeting of the Sustainable Business Resource Network became a mini-referendum on Indiana’s place in the growing push for clean, renewable energy. Held at Middlebury’s Home Energy LLC and featuring guest speaker David Eberhardt of the Citizen’s Action Coalition, the meeting even drew two local leaders — County Commissioner Mike Yoder and state Rep. Wes Culver.

Culver, who has been outspoken in his support of wind and solar energy and in pointing out the influence of the coal industry on the statehouse, said major change in Indiana’s energy policies will more than likely have to start at a grass roots level.

“I think it’s pretty much lip service when they talk about green jobs (in the statehouse),” Culver said. “They want coal plants. I don’t see it starting from the top down.”

Culver explained several bills have been started in the house regarding energy issues such as net metering, but have all been shot down in the Senate. At a speaking engagement in June honoring local companies that took steps toward energy conservation, Culver said Indiana allows consumers who generate their own energy to sell up to 100 kilowatt-hours back to the grid for retail credit, putting the state in a tie for lowest in the nation. He said the defeated bills suggested new limits of up to five megawatt-hours.

“It’s a really weak movement,” Culver said. “There’s not much strength in Indiana to get it done.”

Eberhardt shared state statistics gathered by the CAC during the meeting, mainly regarding coal, which he said makes up 96 percent of the state’s energy use, just behind national leader West Virginia. According to Eberhardt, another major issue is that the coal mined in the state can’t be burned here.

“Our coal is really dirty,” Eberhardt said. “We can’t burn it in Indiana, it has to be burned in plants grandfathered under the Clean Air Act.”

He said dirty coal is an issue throughout the Ohio River Valley, not just in Indiana.

Stepping back from the state level and getting into green efforts in Elkhart County, Yoder was optimistic.

Along with the entrance of Electric Motors Corp. and Energy-Inc., the front-runner in the county’s plan to generate fuel and energy from waste at the county landfill, Yoder said another announcement of a green technology company in the automotive field is scheduled for Tuesday. He said other companies are also looking at locating in the county.

“This last year, because we achieved such notoriety,” Yoder said, “a large percentage of the companies looking here are in the green energy field.”

He sees immense potential in particular from Energy-Inc. and the possibility of effectively eliminating a major portion of the county’s waste stream.

“If we can do that,” Yoder said, “I would challenge any town in Indiana to be as green as we are.” As discussion turned to energy efficiency on a household level, attendees shared a pragmatic if not unpopular view. They agreed that the biggest deterrent to change in people’s personal energy use habits was the availability of cheap energy.

SBN steering committee member Joel Barrett, an employee of WVPE public radio, said he tells people he would have no problem paying higher utility costs if more of the energy was coming from clean and renewable sources.

“They don’t understand why I’m okay with that,” Barrett said.

He said it was a symptom of a larger problem.

“Americans don’t tend to change,” Barrett said, “unless we’re forced to.”

Home Energy LLC in Middlebury is a Business Member of the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.

Two Northern Indiana "Green" Businesses to be Showcased at Meeting June 13th

The Indiana Renewable Energy Association will highlight two "green" Nappanee-based businesses for installing solar systems and taking additional energy conservation steps. An open house will be held this weekend for auto dealership McCormick Motors and fur buying and trading company UNL Furs.

June 9, 2009

Indiana Renewable Energy Association (InREA) will host a public open house Saturday, June 13 for two "green" Nappanee businesses, highlighting the installed solar systems and additional energy conservation steps taken by the businesses. State Representative Wes Culver will speak at 12:00 noon at McCormick Motors, followed by presentations on renewable energy, and lunch will be served. McCormick Motors, a Nappanee auto dealership, will be open from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm. UNL Furs, a fur buying and trading business also of Nappanee; will be open for tours from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.

“We are pleased to have a prominent state legislator and businessman such as Wes Culver attending our open house,” said Laura Ann Arnold, president of InREA. “He’s an active advocate for renewable energy; he introduced a bill to provide a tax credit for those who invest in a residential renewable energy system, and he supports action to remove the cap that individuals can sell back to utilities on electricity produced by their systems.”

McCormick Motors auto dealership features a solar grid-tied system, connected to the local utility company, installed in February 2009 by Home and Mobile Energy of Middlebury. The installation was partially funded with a grant winning from the Indiana Office of Energy Development Alternative Power and Energy Program. McCormick's has taken many other energy conservation steps including adding insulation, high-efficiency lighting and programmable equipment that is turned on by demand only. McCormick Motors is located at 1255 W. Market Street in Nappanee.

UNL Furs’ renewable energy system, installed in September 2008 by Home and Mobile Energy, includes both solar and wind power applications. These off-grid solar and wind systems provide power for this fur buying and trading business. UNL Furs is owned by Ura Hochstetler and is located at 10558 North, 900 West, also in Nappanee.

The featured presentations on renewable energy will take place at McCormick Motors from 1:00 pm.-2:30 pm. Gordon Moore, owner of McCormick Motors, will discuss his research and implementation of renewable energy and conservation over the past decade. The auto dealership’s renewable energy project was designed in collaboration with an economics class at Goshen College, and serves as an ongoing educational sight for Goshen College.

Following Moore’s presentation, Arnold will talk about InREA’s mission and how to become involved in the promotion of renewable energy.

Leon Bontrager of Home and Mobile Energy and Eric Cotton of ECI Wind and Solar will give a presentation on net metering, explaining the billing arrangement between a utility company and a customer with a grid-tied renewable energy system. The presentation will include discussions on what a customer should look for in an agreement with the utility company, how Indiana compares with other states, how NEC codes affect installations and the difference in regulations between public utilities, co-ops and municipalities.

InREA was formed in 2008 by individuals and businesses supporting renewable energy development in the State of Indiana. The mission of InREA is to promote the use of renewable energy technologies, environmental sustainability and economic development in the State of Indiana. More information is available online at http://www.indianarenew.org/.

Source: Home and Mobile Energy