Originally Published by The Sustainable Energy Fund

The Sustainable Energy Fund honored world renowned solar energy expert Ron Celentano with the Epstein Award, which recognizes those who have made major contributions toward building a sustainable energy future.

The lifetime achievement award was presented at Energypath 2016, Pennsylvania’s largest sustainable energy conference, on July 28.

Throughout his career Celentano has worked to secure a sustainable energy future across the United States, Central America and Africa.

“For more than four decades, Ron has built an illustrious career and dedicated himself to the development and installation of sustainable energy technologies and practices,” John Costlow, president and CEO of Sustainable Energy Fund said. “Ron is a relentless advocate for a sustainable energy future. He continues to provide his expertise at some of the highest levels of government, and has trained hundreds of industry professionals. His receipt of the Epstein Award is well deserved, and we thank him for his contributions.”

Celentano, who began his career in the solar thermal field in the mid-1970s, began designing and installing solar photovoltaic technologies in 1996, when he also founded Celentano Energy Services.

As a representative to the Mid-Atlantic Demand Resource Initiative, his work has served as a resource for sustainable energy rules and practices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

He also served on Gov. Rendell’s Solar Working Group from 2008 to 2010. Celentano has designed several solar energy systems for applications in Belize, Togo and Gambia.

“I’ve been intrigued with solar energy as long as I can remember, and I’ve been working in this field for most of my profession career,” Celentano said.  “So much of that time included countless hours advocating to minimize the barriers for implementing and utilizing this enormous renewable source of energy.  In light of that, I’m humbly honored to receive the Epstein Award, and look forward to increasing the use of solar energy resources in our effort to achieve a sustainable energy future.”

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for Small Business Advantage Grants to fund energy efficiency and pollution prevention grants. (formal notice)

DEP will begin accepting applications July 25 and will continue to accept them until funds run out.

Up to $1 million in funding is available to small business for grants up to a maximum of $9,500 for projects that save a minimum of $500 and at least 25 percent in energy consumption or pollution related expenses.

An eligible applicant must have 100 or fewer employees, be a for-profit small business owner and be taxed as a for-profit business located within this Commonwealth. The project to which the grant will apply must be located within the applicant’s Commonwealth facility.

More information and an application will be available on DEP’s Small Business Advantage Grants webpage.  Questions should be directed to DEP’s Grant Center at 717-705-5400 or send email to: epadvantagegrant@pa.gov.

Be Safe, Be Smart and Know What’s Below – PECO Reminds You to Call 811 Before You Dig

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:  PECO will display “TODAY IS NATIONAL 811 DAY – KNOW WHAT’S BELOW & CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG!” on its Crown Lights message system, atop the company’s headquarters at 2301 Market Street in Philadelphia, approximately every four minutes Thursday morning and evening.

PHILADELPHIA (August 11, 2016) – Today, 8/11, serves as a natural reminder for all customers and contractors to call 811 to have utility-owned underground lines marked before digging. Nationwide, every six minutes someone damages an underground utility line because of digging without first calling 811, according to the Common Ground Alliance, the national association that promotes the 811 phone number and safe digging practices. More than 125 incidents occurred last year alone on the PECO system because some failed to call before digging.

Striking an underground electric or natural gas line can cause serious injury, damages and service interruptions. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects where a call to 811 should be one of the first steps. Customers and contractors also are required to call 811 before clearing blocked sewer lines to determine if any utility lines are nearby as well.

PECO has nearly 9,000 circuit miles of underground electric lines, 12,000 miles of natural gas distribution and service lines, and 30 miles of natural gas transportation lines buried throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition to PECO’s lines, there are underground communications cables, water and sewer lines, and other utilities. Even properties that are not served by a particular service may still have utility lines running below ground.

When calling 811, customers and contractors are connected to PA One Call, the state’s coordinator for utility line marking. PA One Call will collect information about the project and provide it to PECO and other member utilities. The utilities will then mark their underground facilities. Calls are required at least three business days in advance of digging.

Once lines are located, customers and contractors doing work also must understand the markings and look for evidence of unmarked lines, such as water and sewer lines on private property.  Sewer clean-outs and water valve covers are examples of equipment that can indicate the presence of underground lines.

PECO joins the Exelon family of utilities in recognizing National Call Before You Dig Day and is a member of the Common Ground Alliance to share best practices to promote safe excavation and decrease instances of damage to underground lines. The company also provides customers and local contractors with important information about safety around overhead and underground utility lines through mailings, customer newsletters, social media and print advertising.

To learn more, visit peco.com/safety.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). The company’s 2,400 dedicated employees provide advanced, innovative energy solutions to 1.6 million electric and more than 511,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2015 PECO delivered 86.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 38 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $4.5 billion in Pennsylvania, supporting more than 9,600 local jobs and producing $760 million in labor income. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region’s most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.

Originally published July 28, 2016 by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Special Advertising Section

Summer is winding down but energy bills certainly have not! Between air conditioning, pools, and storing water, your energy bill rapidly rises with the recent heat waves.

But all hope is not lost! There are countless ways to be a smart energy consumer during the summer, but here are just a few that require very little effort (but can make a big difference).

1. Set your thermostat realistically.

People love to come home to a cool home, but unfortunately, keeping your thermostat low when you’re gone is a gigantic waste of money.

When you’re out of the house, the thermostat can be set as high as 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and it won’t bother anyone. When you’re in the house, you don’t have to freeze yourself. Getting out of the heat doesn’t mean you have to jump into the polar opposite (no pun intended). Setting the thermostat around 78 degrees Fahrenheit will keep you from being too warm. Of course, you can go lower but you certainly don’t need to keep it set at anything lower than 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s nice to be cool but it costs you a lot. Use the high-powered A/C sparingly, because once you start relying on it you’ll find it nearly impossible to wean yourself off of it. Don’t start the bad habit.

2. Cut down on any indoor heating.

This is a simple one. Think of the things in your house that produce heat, like the dryer, dishwasher, oven, and incandescent lighting. It’s best to run the heavier appliances (like the dryer and dishwasher) at night, when it is cooler. Keep light bulbs off unless completely necessary. Use alternatives to the oven, like an outdoor grill or microwave.

If you minimize the use of these, you minimize the heat, which minimizes the need for fans and A/C, which saves you money. Cha ching!

3. Buy smart plugs to save on electricity.

During the summer we use a lot of electricity on fans and A/C. We also use a lot of electricity normally, because we love to have our phones, computers, TVs, video game consoles, and lights plugged in at all times. Some of these devices continue to use electricity even when off, whether that is through powering a standby light or through charging. We often forget to unplug the things we aren’t using and/or don’t unplug them due to sheer convenience.

Thankfully there are smart plugs, which turn off after per-determined amount of time. Overcharging phones and computers is also a consistent waste of electricity. Smart plugs will allow you to set how long you’d like electricity to run and also monitor how much power you are using. They’re definitely worth the cost in the long run.

4. Make some hard decisions about any extra fridges/freezers.

Convenience is a great thing. We all love it. But unfortunately, having extra refrigerators and freezers means you’ll be paying a lot more in terms of your electric bill. Ask yourself if those extra units are truly necessary. Can you live without them? Could you plan grocery trips more strategically, as to prevent over-packing the fridge/freezer.

It’s a hard choice, especially for folks living in homes with a lot of adults or children, but ultimately you could save a lot by just shutting one or all of them off in the summer.

5. And of course…clean the filter to your A/C

This is probably the biggest “duh” on the list but many people forget. Keep filters to your air conditioning unit(s) clean, otherwise you’ll be paying for the cost of power you never get to enjoy.

The following positions are available from the PennTAP Energy & Environment Team:

The first position is responsible for assisting manufacturing facilities to implement energy management systems to improve energy efficiency through ISO 50001 implementation or Superior Energy Performance (SEP) Certification. You will identify and manage new opportunities to expand and implement energy management strategies and the ANSI Management System for Energy (MSE) standard, ANSI/MSE 2000-2008, that leads to continuous energy efficiency opportunities for companies in Pennsylvania. In-state remote employment will be considered for this position.

Our technical advisors are all part of a team responsible for developing relationships with organizations across the state to improve and implement unique solutions that reduce energy and waste consumption. The second position is also responsible for working closely with Penn State students to provide them with experiential learning activities outside the classroom, while connecting organizational needs to Penn State research, faculty, and facilities and is the PennTAP liaison to Penn State faculty.

On Wednesday, July 27, more than 60 attendees joined the Smart Energy Initiative (SEI) for a breakfast briefing on the State of Renewable Energy in the Region: A Focus on Wind and Solar.  The event was held at the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) in Exton, PA and was co-sponsored by Brandywine Valley Heating and Air Conditioning, Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, Practical Energy Solutions, A Renewable America, Silicon Power, and SunPower Builders.

Paul Spiegel, founder and president of Practical Energy Solutions, moderated a panel of speakers that included:  Lisa Jacobson with the Business Council for Sustainable Energy; Hayley Book with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; and Abby Watson, with Gamesa and Women of Wind Energy.  The following topics were discussed:

• Overview of Key Solar and Wind Projects in the State
• How our regional energy sector can help Pennsylvania achieve climate goals
• Current trends and innovations in wind, solar, and other renewable energy technology compared to gas and nuclear
• Wind energy investment trends and technology

From left (back row): Nancy Kunkle, Smart Energy Initiative (SEI) Program Manager; Hayley Book, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Paul Speigel, Practical Energy Solutions and SEI Board Vice-Chair; Steve Krug, Krug Architects and SEI Programming Committee Chair; Bill Ronayne, Delaware Valley Heating & Air Conditioning and SEI Board Chair.  From left (Front row): Abby Watson, Gamesa and Women in Wind Energy; Lisa Jacobson, Business Council for Sustainable Energy

Here are some highlights from the event that detail the transformative era we are in for energy and how the state of PA is positioned on the front lines to respond to, and drive, the growth of energy efficiency, and alternative energy sources such as wind and solar.

• Lisa Jacobson shared a newly published PA State Energy fact that showed that the US has achieved 13% of renewable energy sources nationally and highlighted the state of PA’s myriad energy sources and technology which sets it apart from most other states.  In fact, PA is already about halfway to achieving compliance with the mass-based goal under the Clean Power Plan (CPP).   Jacobson’s team reports that PA is driving a sea change in the US natural gas markets with production growth increasing, while at the same time we are reporting significant trends in energy efficiency.
• Hayley Book reviewed Pennsylvania’s solar goals and the recent proposal to the Department of Energy for building PA’s solar future.  The state is looking for ways to reach its goal of 10% of electricity sales through solar.  Book shared Pennsylvania’s 2016 State Energy Program Plan and the associated projects that will support the Climate Change Action Plan and achieve increased energy emergency preparedness capabilities.  She also shared a fact sheet that outlines the energy financial incentives available to PA businesses.
• Abby Watson discussed the 48,000 operational wind turbines in the United States, even though Pennsylvania’ last major wind installation took place in 2012, there are currently more than 1,000 wind sector jobs in the state and great potential for growth in this area.  Watson shared the latest in wind technology including unique storage, offshore options, and challenges for the industry.   Currently, Pennsylvania ranks 16^th in nation for installed wind capacity and avoided 2.4 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2014 through online wind energy.  Watson also noted that wind power costs have fallen nearly 66% since 2009.

Pennsylvania’s renewable energy sector has a bright future given that 4% of the state’s power comes from renewable energy; there are 3,498 jobs just in the renewable sector; and the state has made a $3.9B investment in clean energy.  Plus, wind turbine technician positions are the fastest growing job in the nation in 2015!

Missing a Program Handout?

Bloomberg New Energy Finance: State Energy Factsheet, Pennsylvania

PA DEP: Energy Financial Incentives for PA Businesses

Presentations:

Business Council for Sustainable Energy

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Gamesa

The clean energy industry is a source of good jobs for tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians!  With over 66,000 individual workers at 5900 business and establishments in 2015, PA’s clean energy jobs are up 15% over 2014.   The largest growth is in energy efficiency, with renewable energy jobs reflecting growth as well in the wind, solar and hydro electric sectors.

For details, read the latest Clean Jobs Pennsylvania Report issued July 2016.  Jobs are broken down by county, congressional district, state house and state senate district.

The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) recently updated the state of PA Factbook on sustainable energy.  There is great clean energy industry and job info.

Report: Pennsylvania is Part of the American Clean Energy Transformation

State Has a More Diversified Power Sector, Fueled by Natural Gas, Renewables + Investments in Energy Efficiency

HARRISBURG, PA – Significant changes in Pennsylvania’s electricity generation mix are well underway. The availability of low-cost, abundant natural gas combined with an increase in renewable energy build and continued investment in energy efficiency are contributing to the creation of a more diversified energy portfolio.

In an updated analysis from energy market research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), it was found that while coal and nuclear make up the majority of the state’s electricity generation, the expansion of renewable energy and additional opportunities in energy efficiency put Pennsylvania at the center of the clean energy transformation occurring nationally. These developments make Pennsylvania an attractive state for clean energy job creation and investment and well-positioned for future clean air and climate change regulations.

BNEF’s report, “State Energy Fact Sheet: Pennsylvania,” is now available – click here:

http://www.bcse.org/images/2016%20PA/2016%20BCSE%20BNEF%20Pennsylvania%20Energy%20Factsheet.pdf

And, here is the full press release.

Pricing Updates

Are the bulls ready to stampede? If you haven’t been watching closely, you may not have noticed that natural gas prices have shot up significantly over the past 3 months.  On 6/20/16, natural gas closed at $2.75, +$0.47 or +20.6% since the end of May and up an astonishing +70.8% since hitting historic lows in March. Ouch!

We monitor closely the price of natural gas because not only is it a primary heating fuel for many homes and businesses it is now the number one fuel in the US for generating electricity. So natural gas prices often set the trend for electricity prices.

There are a number of factors driving the rise in natural gas prices including summer seasonality and the end of this year’s El Nino. But the most direct impact has been driven by lower than expected natural gas injections into storage. Although natural gas storage is at record levels for this date (3041 BCF / 70% full), injections have fallen short of the five-year average the past five weeks in a row. It appears that this drop off in injections is largely caused by slowing natural gas production resulting from recent low prices.

TLDR: No one knows for sure where natural gas prices are going but it does seem that the Bulls are on the run and we are likely to see increased natural gas prices going forward. Remember, we are coming off pricing that was the lowest in 17 years so it’s not surprising prices are trending up. We are likely to see a trading range of between $2.25 and $3.25 for the rest of the year. It is very unlikely that we will get back to the historically low prices of earlier this Spring.

www.nextility.com

Authored by Robert Graff, Manager, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

As manager of DVRPC’s Office of Energy and Climate Change Initiatives, my eye is always drawn to events that address both issues.  Thus, I was excited to be invited to attend Energy and Climate: One Day Two Great Events, an all-day event on May 4^th at Rutgers University, sponsored by Rutgers Energy Institute, Climate Institute, and School of Arts and Sciences.  The morning was billed as the Eleventh Annual Rutgers Energy Institute Energy Symposium, and the afternoon as Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability:  From the IPCC to New Jersey Practitioners.[1]  The presenters included national and global experts on energy and climate change, including the both current chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a former IPCC chair.

Among the speakers was Dr. Richard Newell, Founding Director of the Duke University Energy Initiative, and the former Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the agency responsible for official U.S. government energy statistics and analysis.  Rich and I were friends in grad school, so I was particularly interested in hearing him speak.

Dr. Newell’s talk was wide-ranging, sharing his thoughts on global energy supply and demand over the rest of the century, with attention to the impacts of that energy on global warming.  He summarized the dilemma we face: meeting energy demand is core to economic improvement, yet both the production and use of energy harms the environment.  While U.S. coal and oil use peaked in 2005, the big drivers in the global energy technology and fuel market is new demand from developing countries as their citizens’ demands for improved standard of living begin to be met.  This demand for energy is growing so rapidly that it outstrips the growth in clean energy, so it will of necessity be met largely by fossil fuels—coal in electricity generation and oil in transportation.

Dr. Newell provided some hope: there is tremendous progress being made to reduce CO₂ in energy production—low-carbon electricity is the fastest growing sector of new electricity generation in the U.S.  And the use of energy has become much more efficient, both in stationary applications (buildings and equipment) and in transportation—progress in electric vehicles and in the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines, not to mention the progress being made in distributed generation, energy storage, and demand response.  Greater Philadelphia could be doing much more in this area—increase the solar requirements in the AEPS, change regulations to encourage distributed generation, etc.  We need to continue to appeal to PJM, PECO, the PUC, the Wolf administration, and the legislature to do what is needed to help speed the transition to low- and no carbon energy.

However, the magnitude of the transformation required is daunting.  Energy-producing and energy-using capital stock is widely distributed and generally privately owned.  This capital will be replaced with cleaner, low- or no-carbon production of energy, more efficient energy-using capital.  However, this transition will take time, and will not happen globally at a rate fast enough to meet rising global energy demand.  Dr. Newell estimated that if all the technology and policy stars align to make the global transition to cleaner energy as easy as possible, global CO₂ emissions would level off and start to decline by 2030 or so, reaching zero by late in the century, leveling off with a global atmospheric CO₂ concentration on the order of 500 ppm.

Dr. Newell highlighted three areas where we need to focus our national and global policy efforts to assure we move as fast as possible to a low- or no-carbon global energy system.  They are:

• Fundamental Research: Public support is needed for fundamental research, as it is difficult for private industry alone to sustain these efforts.
• Inducing Demand for Clean Energy: In its use, renewable energy delivers more or less the same direct services as does non-renewable energy – light, heat, transportation.  It is essential to change the price signals (e.g., with a price on carbon) to move consumers to shift to clean energy.
• Vibrant Competition: An XPRIZE like competition to reach certain renewable energy goals, such as cost per kWh of electricity storage, could spur needed technology innovation.

In a later session, Sir Robert Watson, PhD, Director of Strategic Development at the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, and Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 1997 to 2002, among many distinguished positions, presented his views on the prospects for global action to be taken on reducing GHGs, and the future global climate we can expect given those prospects.

Sir Robert said that his most optimistic view is that end-of-the-century global warming—requiring, for instance, that the $100 billion dollars per year investment in helping developing countries reduce their GHG emissions promised in Paris actually occurs—will reach 3°C to 4°C, or 4°F to 7°F.  Sir Robert noted that this level of global temperature rise will mean higher temperature over land.  The impacts on ecosystems and economies are difficult to grasp.  Unfortunately, my own reading on global climate change indicates that Sir Robert’s optimistic outcome—as stark as it is—are indeed a best case. Hence the importance DVRPC is giving to helping prepare our region for the impacts of climate change.

The day left me with a sense of the stark challenge we face as world, and the deep importance of doing everything we can to wean the world off of fossil fuels.  As Dr. Newell noted, the challenges of climate change and energy can be overwhelming, and require mental resilience.  However, it also left me with a lot of hope.  The issues of clean energy and climate change are no longer fringe issues.  They are at the center of national and global conversations.  The Paris agreement is a step in the right direction, albeit not far or fast enough.  Progress is being made on the technology, the policies needed to help that technology are being adopted more rapidly than many thought, and the economics are moving rapidly in the right direction.  We have a long way to go, and we will have to prepare for climate change as we transition our energy system.  But the work is essential and worth all the effort we can give it.

[1] For details on the program, please visit http://ruenergyandclimate.weebly.com.

Rob Graff, Manager, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission- Mr. Graff manages the Office of Energy and Climate Change Initiatives for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), the MPO and regional planning forum for the nine counties and 5.5 M people of Greater Philadelphia. Prior to joining the Commission in 2007, Mr. Graff was an Associate Scientist at Tellus Institute in Boston, where he helped create the Global Reporting Initiative, now the global standard for corporate sustainability reporting. He earned a Master of Public Affairs and Urban & Regional Planning degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.