GREEN POWER REPORT
SPRING 2009 The latest on PSE’s Green Power Program and the support of renewable energy.
Green Power Entre-maneurs
By Andy Wappler Cow poop is changing the world — or at least making it a little greener. Every time ol’Bossy messes up the barnyard, she’s taking us one step (one careful step, oops!) into a future of renewable energy. Got manure? If so, you could be an energy entrepreneur. Or should I say, “entre-maneur?” It all sounds a little goofy, but cows — ordinary, cud-chewing dairy bovines — could be a key to our energy future. Here in the Puget Sound area, farmers, environmentalists and we electric-utility types are getting together to take what once was at best a fertilizer (and at worst, a source of nasty smells and runoff) and turn it into clean, renewable power.
GReeN PoweR PRoGRam aS of febRuaRy 2009
Total PSe Green Power Program participants: 21,600 886 21,714 Total Businesses Residential
Total kilowatt-hours (kwh) of green power purchased in 2008: 291,166,600 kWh or enough energy to power over 24,000 homes for a year — an 18 percent increase over 2007! Cities with the most Green Power Program participants: 1. Bellingham 2. Olympia 3. Bellevue 4. Kirkland 5. Renton 2,649 2,470 1,240 979 756
Andy Wappler is senior public relations manager at PSE. He looks forward to hearing from you at AskAndy@PSE.com.
So how’s it work? The first step is to warm the manure to about 100 degrees and let Mr. Microbe get busy and start breaking down all that Bossy leaves behind. As this happens, methane is released. In the pasture, this process isn’t so good, as methane is actually a greenhouse gas. However, when you do this all in a big gizmo called an “anaerobic digester” the methane can be used to run a power generator, turning cow pies into cow power. Waste now becomes clean, renewable energy, and as a side benefit, the rest of what’s left makes a good fertilizer and an environmentally friendly animal bedding as well. Plus, instead of paying to get manure hauled away, farmers get paid to have the poop scooped. That’s good for the climate and good for the family farm. Your support gets more renewable energy plants built faster in our area by creating a market for alternative power sources. PSE’s Green Power Program is certified by Green-e Energy, which checks to see that for every kilowatt you use, we have to buy a kilowatt from a biomass generator, solar facility or wind power plant. All of this is separate from — and in addition to — what PSE is doing to expand its own wind facilities here in Washington. Next time you have glass of milk, give a toast to Bossy for bringing renewable energy to the grid. Then, pat yourself on the back for supporting Northwest “entre-maneurs.”
Revenue and Expense Breakdown
From PSE’s Green Power Program for 2008
Education and Outreach 18%
Green Power Resources 57%
Administration 13% Program Reserves* 8% Taxes on Revenue 4%
* To be used for community renewable projects NOTE: All revenue goes back into PSE’s Green Power Program, as required by state law.
Pass along PSE’s Green Power Report and spread the word
As a Puget Sound Energy Green Power participant, you understand the value and importance of supporting renewable energy generation. If you have family members, friends, co-workers or neighbors who would also be interested in supporting renewable energy, we encourage you to have them visit us at PSE.com or call a PSE Energy Advisor at 1-800-562-1482.
Cow Power at Work:
A Green Power Program Resource Profile
Thanks to you and your fellow Green Power Program participants, Puget Sound Energy began buying cow power from Qualco Energy’s dairy digester in December 2008. The PSE Green Power Program buys the renewable energy generated by methane gas that comes from a dairy cow manure digester located in Monroe, WA. Qualco Energy, a nonprofit organization, represents farmers of the Sno/Sky Agricultural Alliance, the Tulalip Tribes, and environmental groups such as Northwest Chinook Recovery. Qualco Energy started sending electricity production to the grid in December 2008. Four nearby dairies, with a total of 3,500 cows, connect to the methane digester built on Tulalip tribal land. In addition to producing electricity, the digester prevents dairy waste runoff from escaping into salmon-bearing streams. That’s more than good business; it’s good for the Northwest environment!
Qualco Energy Fact Sheet:
Technology: Location: Started construction: finalized construction: PSe’s contract term: energy produced: Methane-fired generator (dairy digester) Monroe, WA Summer 2008 Fall 2008 Dec. 1, 2008 – Nov. 30, 2013 Approx. 450 kW; estimated 3,500 MWhs annually
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Dale Reiner, President of Qualco Energy, and several heifers that contribute to the anaerobic dairy digester.
PSE’s Green Power Program is Green-e Energy Certified Green-e Energy certifies that PSE’s Green Power Program meets the minimum environmental and consumer protection standards established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. For more information on Green-e Energy certification requirements, call 1-888-63-GREEN or log on to www.green-e.org.
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Printed on recycled-content paper, with soy inks.