WARM SPRINGS: Energy Trust invests $5 million in biomass cogeneration project
Energy Trust will invest up to $5 million in a biomass
cogeneration project that will generate enough clean,
renewable electricity to serve over 12,000 homes. The
15.8-megawatt, $46 million project will be owned by the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and their financial
partner. It will use clean wood fuel from forest fuels
reduction and forest restoration projects in Central
Oregon, sawmill residuals and other clean materials.
This is one of the first Oregon projects to rely
primarily on forest material gathered as part of
forest stewardship activities.
Read more about the Warm Springs biomass project
STATEWIDE: Green + Solar Tour grows to 17 events
The Green + Solar Tour just keeps growing. Solar Oregon, the nonprofit organization, is organizing
the tours again this year. "We've added three communities
this year and we're up to 17 local tours statewide,"
said Tania Parks, tour coordinator for Solar Oregon.
Tours will be held in Corvallis, Eugene, Newberg, Portland,
Salem, West Linn, Hood River, Ashland, Grants Pass,
Klamath Falls, Roseburg, John Day, LaGrande, Bend, Redmond,
Newport and Coos Bay. Oregon Green + Solar Tours are
part of the American Solar Energy Society's National
Solar Tour. Energy Trust is a sponsor of Green + Solar
Homes Oregon, the publication distributed on the
statewide tours.
Read more about the Green + Solar Homes Tours
TRADE ALLY OF THE MONTH: Heat Relief
"Our biggest problem is we need more employees to do
the work." That's the word from Tom Sorensen of
Heat Relief, an HVAC contractor serving the greater
Portland and Clark County areas. He's talking about the
company's success in offering Home Performance with
ENERGY STAR® assessments through Energy
Trust's Home Energy Solutions program.
Sorensen was in Energy Trust's first graduating class of the
Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification
program. Certification is required to offer Home
Performance with ENERGY STAR. Heat Relief sees great value
in this affiliation. "During the cold months we receive
as many as 10 calls a week through Energy Trust, and
even during the warmer months we receive 1-3 calls
each week, especially if energy costs are in the news."
In fact, the company has been able to keep their
16 employees busy without additional marketing. Pictured left
is Mark DeFrancisco, owner, Heat Relief.
Read Heat Relief's page in the trade ally directory
PORTLAND: Solar energy announcements light up Portland
Solar energy in Portland is hot and getting hotter with
two bright announcements in June. Solar Now! is a joint
effort of Energy Trust, City of Portland Office of
Sustainable Development, the Oregon Department of Energy
and Solar Oregon. At an event on June 26,
State Representative Jackie Dingfelder (D-Portland, NE Portland),
pictured left with her husband Tom Gainer, and Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, two of
Oregon's strongest advocates for the environment,
announced plans to install solar at their own homes and
encouraged other community leaders to do the same.
On June 28, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
approved a plan to build the largest solar power
installation in the Northwest. The board voted unanimously
to develop the project in partnership with Energy Trust,
which has pledged $2.3 million to the project. The county-owned
systems, which would encompass ten rooftops and generate
1 million kilowatt hours of electricity every year, are
slated to be installed and operating by 2010.
Read more about Solar Now!
Read about the Multnomah County solar project
STATEWIDE: Energy Trust leaders featured in nwcurrent.com
Energy Trust Board President Tom Foley and Executive Director
Margie Harris were featured as "current powerbrokers"
in the June issue of nwcurrent.com, the
electronic monthly newsletter published by Celilo Media.
The interview is the first of a two-part discussion on
Oregon's biggest opportunities for energy efficiency,
the challenges Energy Trust faces in attempting to meet
its goals, and the ways in which Oregon's renewable
energy portfolio standard would change the
Energy Trust's direction.
Read the article in nwcurrent.com
PROMOTIONS
Energy Trust offers special incentives throughout the
year to encourage Oregonians to choose energy efficient
products and install efficient and renewable features
in their homes and businesses.
Savings with a Spin
Home Energy Analyzer
IN THE NEWS
PORTLAND: Solar builders' future brighter with new efficiency mandate
Daily Journal of Commerce
SALEM: Oregon's energy efficiency ranks high
Statesman-Journal
