www.sustainableways.org
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Sustainable Ways 5th Annual Energy Forum, Saturday October 22, 2011
Energy prices are going up - learn what to do to prepare at home or the office, how
to maintain your renewable energy system, costs and details of off grid
and grid-tied systems, Black Hills Energy update on rebate programs,
and energy conservation as well as exhibits by local renewable energy
providers.
9AM - 12 Noon, Cliff Lanes
Please sign up in advance if possible
contact: Kimberly Stein at 371-0509 or 
More info:
Sustainable Ways 5th
Annual Energy Forum
Saturday, October 22nd
9 am – 12 noon
Cliff Lanes
9 am-
10 am – For residents who have a renewable energy system. Learn how to maintain
your system over the years.
10 am-
11 am- For residents that are interested in renewable energy systems. What to
know including costs of systems, grid-tied systems to your current electric
company, off the grid systems, and maintenance.
11
am-11:30 am- Black Hills Energy will update current customers on rebate programs,
and answer any questions regarding Black Hills Energy.
11:30-noon- ENERGY CONSERVATION!
ENERGY PRICES ARE GOING UP, SO WHAT ARE YOU
GOING TO DO TO PREPARE at HOME OR the OFFICE?
News from Sangre de Cristo Electric
Board members of Sustainable Ways attended a meeting with the board of Sangre de Cristo Electric renewable energy programs. Please follow the link to learn more about what took place.
Notes from SDC Electric meeting 3-12-10
To learn more about these programs go to
www.myelectric.coop and
www.colorado.gov/energy
In Sustainable Ways, our energy initiatives are
associated in one way or another with the abundance of renewable energy
opportunities available to us in our high-altitude Central Rocky
Mountain environment - meaning that we have lots of sun, wind, and wood
(forest land).Solar..active
Solar systems, primarily those using active, photo-voltaic panels, are very common and in high use in the Wet Mountain Valley because many of our homes are located in remote mountain areas or on ranches where electrical utilities are not available. Most of our construction contractors are familiar with active solar technology and can provide assistance if you are considering moving to our Valley.
Solar..passive
Passive solar refers to the use of the sun to warm a house by orienting the home along an East-West axis, with windows facing to the South. This orientation, which ironically is counter to how most homes are oriented, allows the sun's rays, in Winter, to enter the house to "heat up" the interior of the house. However, to take advantage of passive solar energy, the home needs to have a "thermal mass" to absorb and release the energy gained from the sun during the daylight hours. This technology is a wonderful thing to experience, but it is not widely known or experienced by home builders or homeowners. We are fortunate in the Wet Mountain Valley to have several experienced builders who can provide information and assistance with the construction of thermal mass (also called "Glass and Mass", and sometimes Earthship) homes and businesses.
Wind...
The wind blows regularly in our Valley, and residential wind turbine systems are becoming more and more common. Of course, as a historically agricultural region, water windmills for ranching have been in use for a long time; however, now homeowners have the option of installing small-scale, highly efficient wind turbines on their property. In some cases, the wind systems are used as supplemental, or "fill-in"systems working in conjunction with solar systems. Also, there are some utility companies that are considering allowing utility "tie-in"to their grid. There is National legislation being considered to allow homeowners to get energy credits and rebates for connecting their wind turbines to the utility grid system.
In some subdivisions, there are covenants preventing the installation of residential wind systems due to the requirement for tall towers, so anyone considering moving to the Valley should check local covenants that may apply.
Wood...
Wood is one of our most abundant natural, renewable resources in the Valley. Wood is commonly used to heat homes, and we have several lumber companies that provide home-building products made from our local forests. We have a real problem in our forests because of the policies of the United States Forest Service (USFS) that have allowed an unsafe build-up of undergrowth, diseased trees (pine beetle and juniper beetle infestations are widespread in the Rockies), and the encroaching of private property owners against National Forest and Wilderness Areas.
Woody Biomass...
One of the most exciting wood-based opportunities (wood is properly referred to as biomass) that we have in the Valley is the use of woody biomass to provide fuel for industrial-sized boilers to heat buildings. Wood is used instead of either electricity or propane. Sustainable Ways is participating with the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC) and the Consolidated C-1 Custer County School District on a grant submission through the United States Forest Service. The purpose of the grant is to fund a Feasibility Study for installing a woody biomass heating system at the school to utilize the woody biomass material being removed from the area's overstocked forest. This program, which would be among the first in Colorado, would be part of a program called "Fuel for Schools". We are excited to be considered for this grant and will keep our progress updated on our website.
Biofuels...
Biofuels include biodiesel and ethanol, and there are emerging technologies to use various renewable products to create these fuels. In the Wet Mountain Valley, the use of biofuels is limited because there are no fueling stations that provide either biodiesel or ethanol. However, there is growing interest in these technologies, and there are some individuals that have initiated their own projects to convert diesel vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil (SVO), using recycled restaurant grease. In fact, Sustainable Ways presented a Community Forum in September 2006 on the history and status of biofuels and biofuel production. The installation of a fuel system using SVO was demonstrated to the community, and an overview presentation presented.
Sustainable Ways will continue to study and assess biofuel opportunities in the Valley, and within the membership there is hope that biodiesel and ethanol will become available to residents in the future.
For more information, please contact Tyler Stein 783-4070, or by e-mail steinwayconstruction@gmail.com Or Robin Young 783-2481, or by e-mail at robin.young@co.usd.gov
Sustainable Ways - PO Box 672 - Westcliffe, CO 81252
A Non-Profit Colorado Organization