Utah utility shines light on renewable-energy projects with funding

As soon as spring weather arrives, developers of the Artspace Solar Gardens property near downtown Salt Lake City plan to install a 315-kilowatt solar power array on its roof and parking garage.

The project, funded in part through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program, will feature nearly 1,000 solar panels that are expected to generate enough electricity to meet all the power needs of the 30 residential and 15 commercial office units in the mixed-use development, with maybe a little left over.

Without $320,000 in Blue Sky funding, developers would have had enough money to build a system only half the size, said Jessica Norie, executive director of Artspace. Artspace operates five mixed-use properties in and around downtown Salt Lake City, including the Solar Gardens under construction at 400 W. 850 South.

The Solar Gardens system is one of 20 projects the electrical utility is funding this year, to the tune of a combined $1.8 million.

Since 2006, Rocky Mountain Power has supported more than 80 community-based, renewable-energy projects, said utility spokesman Jeff Hymas.

The utility’s president and CEO Richard Walje said the awards will enable funded groups to use a renewable resource to generate electricity and save money on their energy bills and reduce their environmental footprint while promoting awareness of renewable energy and how it works.

Although this year all the funding went to solar energy systems, initiatives that support production of wind, biomass, landfill gas, low-impact hydro- and geothermal energy also are eligible. Salt Lake Tribune

Downtown SLC to Get Two LEED-certified Restaurants

Equiwest Hospitality said it plans to open what it describes as the state’s first LEED-certified restaurants in the 222 Main tower in downtown Salt Lake City.

Bistro 222, a casual full-service restaurant, will occupy 3,500 square feet of the building’s main lobby and Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse will occupy 3,000 square feet north of the building’s lobby.

"The locational opportunity for both concepts is unique as downtown Salt lake City continues to attract more entertainment, sport, employment, shoppers, diners, conventioneers and tourists," Jeremy Ford, partner and general manager of Equiwest Hospitality, said in a statement announcing the new restaurants.

Ford said the 222 building, developed by Hamilton Partners was the first LEED Gold certified ground-up high-rise in Utah and will provides the platform for the restaurants to also obtain LEED certification.

SWS Consulting of Utah will provide design and certification services with both restaurants targeting a March 2013 opening. Salt Lake Tribune

Bikeways a glimpse of Salt Lake City’s two-wheeled future

Experimental bicycle lanes along 300 East in Salt Lake City are drawing lots of feedback from residents, most of it positive, from what city officials say.

With the blessing of the city council and Mayor Ralph Becker, an unabashed cycling enthusiast, the city is about a month into trying out the two new lane configurations, designed to test ways of making biking on urban streets safer for two-wheeled traffic.

Depending how the pilot project goes, residents could see similar lanes being added throughout the downtown in future years.

A so-called buffered bike lane runs between 800 and 900 South on 300 East, amounting to a striped buffer painted on the pavement on either side of a conventional bike lane.

In addition to being cost-effective, the bikeways are thought to be compatible with other city operations, such as snow removal and trash pickup.

Public response in hand, the city will consider incorporating the lanes and similar ideas into broader plans, particularly as elected officials and city staff begin an overhaul this fall of the city’s bicycle-pedestrian master plan, last revised in 2004.

Salt Lake City saw a 28 percent increase in bicycle travel last year, and city planners are anticipating a similar rise again this year when a new batch of surveys and other data also is compiled in the fall. Salt Lake Tribune

West Jordan considers rules for solar and wind power

The notion of self-sufficient living is gaining momentum in Utah’s fourth largest city, as the City Council ponders a new alternative-energy ordinance to allow small wind- or solar-powered systems on businesses and residential properties.

"It’s something that has been on our radar screen for a while. We’ve received inquiries at our front counter from businesses and residents that want to add those facilities to their properties," said West Jordan Development Director Tom Burdett.

The new ordinance aims to address height, location and basics that allow the power-generating systems to be incorporated into citywide developments. Salt Lake Tribune

Ikea plugs in solar array in Draper

The IKEA home furnishings store in Draper has flipped the switch and turned on the massive solar panel array on its roof.

The 180,500-square-foot array, which consists of more than 4,200 solar panels, uses the sun to generate some 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, or about the amount of energy used annually in 123 homes. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah researchers develop ultra-light, flexible and foldable solar panel fabric

Exotic Solar LLC, a Salt Lake City based renewable energy start-up company, announced that they have developed a technique to manufacture cheap, flexible and foldable solar panel fabric that can be integrated with our day to day attire to make them a power source. Their patent pending technique converts brittle and fragile solar cells into flexible solar panels.

 “Sun gives us tremendous amount of energy every day. If we can convert even a tiny part of that into useful electricity, it will fulfill all our electricity needs. This is the promise, riding on which photovoltaic industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing industry in the world” said Exotic Solar’s CEO Surabhi Pandey.

Apart from being the cleanest and the greenest source of electricity, the other fascinating aspect of solar technology is that it is an off-grid source of electricity. In other words, every home can have its own solar power station without any need for power cables spread all over the country. “However, the electricity generated by solar panels installed in our homes cannot be used when we are away from home, biking, walking, boating or trekking on the mountains” said Exotic Solar’s Vice President and CBDO Vini Joseph. “An ultimate possibility in this regard is that if our apparels themselves become solar panel”.
Phys.org

University of Utah Purchases 40-Foot Electric Bus from BYD

The University of Utah has placed an order for a 40-foot, all-electric transit bus with BYD Company Limited (BYD) the largest manufacture of all-electric buses in the world.

BYD's long-range, all-electric, "GreenCity" buses (click for video) have been running worldwide in commercial fleet service for the last two years. BYD's GreenCity fleets (which include both eTaxi's and eBUSes) have accumulated over 14 million miles (or 23 million Km) using BYD's internally developed electric drive technologies and Iron-Phosphate battery systems. BYD will supply one all-electric GreenCity bus to be retrofitted with WAVE's wireless charging pad under the bus, developed by the Utah State University Energy Dynamics Laboratory, one of the leaders in wireless power transfer for vehicles. This technology will allow the BYD electric buses to pull up over an embedded charger in the asphalt with a maximum of 10 inches clearance and "opportunity charge" the waiting bus with no moving parts or unsightly wires required. The funds to test a full in-service operation of WAVE's wireless power charging system were provided through a Federal Transit Administration grant awarded to the Utah Transit Authority. MarketWatch

Salt Lake City rolls out bike-share plans

From Beijing to Paris, New York to Denver, the worldwide bicycle-sharing movement is about to gain another spin city: Salt Lake.

On Tuesday, the Downtown Alliance, along with Mayor Ralph Becker and sponsors Kennecott and

SelectHealth, unveiled plans to roll out bike sharing in Utah’s capital in March 2013.

The project calls for spreading about 100 bikes across 10 to 12 solar-powered stations around downtown hot spots such as City Creek Center, The Gateway and the intermodal hub. From there, participants can grab a set of wheels and tool around town.

The program is not for renting; it’s for sharing. Citygoers can buy daily or yearly memberships — ranging from $5 to $75 — that allow them to travel between downtown stations for 30 minutes or less. When the green-savvy travelers are done riding, they leave the bikes at a secure station, where daily maintenance and cleaning occurs.

Seventy percent of all car trips are under two miles, said Bike Share Project Manager Ben Bolte. "That’s what these kind of systems are trying to take care of." Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake and Ogden Receive $1.3 Million to Revitalize Contaminated Properties

At an event today along the North Temple corridor in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Regional Administrator Jim Martin presented the Mayors of Salt Lake City, Salt
Lake County and Ogden City with $1.3 million in grant awards to advance the assessment, cleanup
and redevelopment of properties. The grants are part of $69 million in EPA Brownfields funds
awarded to 245 communities nationally to advance property revitalization, job creation and
economic development.

"Salt Lake and Ogden have built a strong coalition that is taking a strategic approach to cleaning up
properties and opening new doors for investment and job creation," said EPA Regional
Administrator, Jim Martin. "These funds will not only protect public health by removing
contaminants like petroleum compounds, arsenic, and lead from urban neighborhoods, they will help
restore dozens of properties to productive use.” Environmental Protection

NDC Celebrates Opening of Utah’s Largest Solar Energy Project Opening

National Development Council (NDC), the nation’s oldest non-profit community development organization, announced today that its Housing and Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) New Markets, Inc. will celebrate the opening of Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center, the largest solar energy project in Utah. In addition to today’s opening ceremonies, NDC is also celebrating the organization’s nomination for a 2012 CDFA Excellence in Energy Finance Award for its financing work on the project.

“We are incredibly proud to join the people of Utah in celebrating today’s opening, and to be recognized for our work on the Salt Palace Convention Center, which hosts the largest solar installation in the state of Utah,” said Robert W. Davenport, President, National Development Council. “It's our mission to lessen the burdens of government while building institutions. Our collaborations with Salt Lake County and other public and private institutions in Utah have resulted in creation of major public education in renewable energy." PRWeb

Salt Lake City makes list of top 25 cities with the most Energy Star buildings in the United States

For the first time, Salt Lake City made the list of top 25 cities with the most Energy Star buildings in the country - ranking 24th. In 2011, the nearly 16,500 Energy Star certified buildings across America have helped save nearly $2.3 billion in annual utility bills and have prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from the annual energy use of more than 1.5 million homes.

"More and more organizations are discovering the value of Energy Star as they work to cut costs and reduce their energy use," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "This year marked the twentieth anniversary of the Energy Star program, and today Energy Star certified buildings in cities across America are helping to strengthen local economies and protect the planet for decades to come."

Several programs made Salt Lake City stand out among cities nationwide. The Utah Building Energy Efficiency Strategies (UBEES), a coalition of government agencies, utilities, building industry, and key industry stakeholder partnerships, has been actively encouraging public and private buildings to benchmark with Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager is an interactive energy management tool that tracks and assesses energy and water consumption of buildings. In 2011, UBEES hosted roundtable discussions, completed the Benchmarking & Best Practices Guidelines, and worked with the Governor's Energy Advisor to recognize businesses that participate.

Nineteen schools in Salt Lake City School District have earned the Energy Star. The District was recognized as an Energy Star Partner of the Year in 2012, and worked closely with Utah Building Energy Efficiency Strategies (UBEES) to begin its benchmarking efforts. Seventy-three percent of Salt Lake City metro area Energy Star certified buildings are K-12 schools. EPA

Compressed natural gas station opens

A new, public compressed natural gas station has opened. With the support and partnership of Utah Clean Cities Coalition and PetroCard, Waste Management opened the station in West Jordan. Deseret News

EBay And Republican Lawmaker Score Clean Energy Win In Utah

When eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace, built its first-ever data center in South Jordan, Utah, it wanted to not only design and build the site to LEED Gold standards, it wanted to use clean energy to power much of the sprawling facility. This wasn’t simply part of eBay’s company-wide commitment to sustainable operations, it was a bottom-line business decision: sourcing renewable energy would stabilize and reduce long-term energy costs and minimize environmental impacts in a state that gets 94 percent of its electricity from coal.

But there was a problem: Utah law didn’t allow non-utility energy consumers to buy and transmit power directly from renewable energy developers.

Together with Data Center Pulse, an association of data center professionals representing individuals from over a 1,000 companies. A working group that included representatives of eBay, Republican State Senator Mark Madsen, Rocky Mountain Power, renewable energy producers, consumer groups and industrial stakeholders got together to craft legislation to make renewable energy available to Utah energy consumers – with the key provision of not raising electricity rates or taxes for local Utah residents.

That legislation, Senate Bill 12, was unanimously approved this month by the Utah Senate and House and was signed into law yesterday by Governor Gary Herbert. The law goes into effect this summer.

This success story occurs at the intersection of economic growth and clean energy and is a win-win for Utah’s economy and its environment. eBay, which employs more than 1,500 people in the state, says the green-power option is a key prerequisite for boosting its presence there. The company plans to build a second data center and add 2,200 jobs in Utah. Forbes

Chamber Launches Program to Help Businesses Become Clean Air Champions

The Salt Lake Chamber is launching a program to help Utah businesses enhance their commitment to clean air and benefit their bottom lines. Businesses can become Clean Air Champions by enrolling in the program at www.cleanairchampion.com and indicating practices already in place or by implementing new Clean Air programs.

The Clean Air Champion program is a private sector approach to motivate Utah businesses to make decisions that improve our air quality and strengthen our economy. Poor air quality hinders corporate relocation efforts, places additional regulatory burdens on business, increases health care costs and places Utah’s federal highway funding at risk. The Business community can make a difference. Utah Pulse

Solar array will generate power, business for Salt Palace Convention Center

A new solar energy array atop the Salt Palace Convention Center is growing by 200 panels a day and will produce about 17 percent of the convention center's energy once completed this spring.

The 1.65 megawatt solar array is promoted as the largest in Utah and will cover 198,000 square feet when finished, about the size of five football fields.

Its functions include turning sunlight into energy — and business. Deseret News

IKEA to add solar panels in Draper store

Pending governmental permits, rooftop installation of the nearly 10,000 total panels will begin next year, and should be completed in spring 2012. IKEA stated in a press release that the Utah store will generate 1.49 million kilowatt hours per year. Deseret News

148 solar panels installed on roof of Utah museum

A new science and technology museum in downtown Salt Lake City is getting a jolt of solar power. Rocky Mountain Power has installed 148 solar panels on the roof of The Leonardo museum. When activated, an electronic dashboard showing power generation will be on display in the museum. The panels were funded by a grant from the utility through its Blue Sky renewable energy program. Ogden Standard-Examiner

University of Utah gets coal efficiency grant

University of Utah researchers have secured a $300,000 federal grant to develop sensors that will improve the efficiency of coal-fired electrical plants. Under the Department of Energy’s 30-year-old energy-research program, the U. was among eight universities that won grants to investigate ways to better harness the heat stored in coal, the department announced Tuesday. The grants are intended to figure out how to prevent heat loss in coal-fired power plants and to harvest that lost heat to power instruments and sensors that monitor performance. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah gets first liquefied natural gas station

Utah now has its first filling station that dispenses liquefied natural gas. The station is at the Flying J Travel Plaza at 900 W. 2100 South in Salt Lake City and is expected to be frequented by long-haul truck drivers whose rigs have been adapted to burn the fuel. The $3 million facility was developed as part of a $14.9 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant awarded to the Utah Clean Cities Coalition to encourage the use of alternative fuel vehicles through the development of infrastructure and jobs in the state. Salt Lake Tribune

Smith's opens fuel station in Salt Lake City with electric car charger

Some Utah drivers may get a charge out of Salt Lake's latest filling station. Smith’s Food and Drug Stores opened its newest fuel station in Utah, located in the parking lot of the Smith’s store at 876 S. 800 East in Salt Lake City.

The fuel center — which began operation on Wednesday — is the first to incorporate a free, courtesy charging station for customers driving electric cars to "top off" their battery levels while they shop. Smith’s also installed equipment to allow for the future use of solar panels to power the fuel station as well as equipment required for the sale of natural gas. Deseret News