Pictured are four of six generating turbines at Bryan’s Auglaize Hydroelectric Plant. The units differ in size and design, which allows BMU to take advantage of varying water flows to generate power. The plant set a new record for power production in 2006 – enough to power 1,337 average homes for one year. The Auglaize dam provides about five percent of Bryan's power needs. Hydroelectric power is a renewable, emission-free energy source and an important part in Bryan Municipal Utilities’ green energy portfolio.

February 20, 2007

Bryan Municipal Utilities sets goals for green power

By LOU PENDLETON

Current energy prices, awareness of the risks of climate change, and concerns about national security have joined to fuel increased interest in renewable energy across America. Interestingly, the initiative for renewables is coming from the grassroots level.

“There is a grassroots movement at the village level and the state level where the federal level has been slow to act,” says Lauren Bechtol, Bryan Board of Public Affairs member.

State and local governments are not waiting on Congress to develop a green energy policy. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have set renewable portfolio standards specifying a percentage of all electricity generated must come from renewable energy sources such as wind, hydroelectric, solar energy, landfill gas, geothermal or biomass.

The Bryan Board of Public Affairs has joined the initiative and set a goal of deriving 20 percent of the city’s power from renewable sources by 2015. The renewable sources that Bryan Municipal Utilities is considering are hydroelectric, landfill gas, and wind.

“There have been many changes in the purchase of power since the deregulation of electricity, and it is more important than ever to diversify our power supply mix,” said Steve Casebere, director of utilities. “We have talked numerous times about setting a goal for green power in that mix. The board decided it was time to go ahead and act upon it.”

Hydroelectric

Presently, about 11 percent of Bryan Municipal Utilities power supply comes from renewable sources, specifically hydroelectric. The Auglaize dam provides about 5 percent of Bryan's power needs. The Belleville hydro dam on the Ohio River provides another 4 percent. Bryan Municipal Utilities purchases an additional 2 percent from New York Power Authority's Niagara Falls dam.

Bryan’s hydroelectric power is an emission-free energy source and every kilowatt replaces power purchased from older coal-burning power plants. The amount of energy generated by the Auglaize plant last year alone avoided air emissions of 13,555 tons of carbon dioxide, 53.6 tons of nitrous oxide, and 143.7 tons of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere.

When the BPA set its renewable portfolio goals, they also approved increasing Bryan’s participation in a new AMP-Ohio hydro development project from 2 megawatts to 4 megawatts. If the output of the new hydro projects is similar to that of the Belleville plant, the 4 megawatts will equal about 6.7 percent of Bryan’s power supply. The new hydro project is scheduled to come online in 2010.

Bryan Municipal Utilities is also investigating generating power from landfill gas. The project, which could also come online in 2010, would produce 4 megawatts of base load power or 9.24 percent of Bryan’s power supply by converting garbage into energy.

Landfill Gas

Landfill gasification generates power by burning the methane created as organic matter decays. Because methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, there is a clear gain for the environment as well.

With the additional hydro and landfill gas power, it is possible that Bryan could reach its goal early and have more than 25 percent of its power supply come from renewables by 2010.

“We set the goal,” Mr. Casebere said, “but in reality we plan to meet that goal as quickly as feasible and then set a new one. We feel we can do that without impacting electric rates.”

Mr. Casebere said that market prices for fossil fuel power have gone up and adding renewables to the power portfolio should not affect the city’s electricity prices. “Our hydro power comes from projects that we own, so we are not affected by the market, and our current hydro power costs are competitive with our coal power costs.”

Moreover, the price of fossil fuels does not reflect the hidden costs of subsidies to oil, gas and coal industries, air and water pollution, and global climate change.

Wind

The third possible component of Bryan Municipal Utilities’ renewable portfolio is wind power. Bryan Municipal Utilities has partnered with Green Energy Ohio to study the wind around Bryan to determine the potential for wind power development in the area.

Monitoring equipment was installed in May of 2005 on the WGTE Public Broadcasting radio transmitter west of Bryan. The data collected is being processed, and a final study report will be released in March.

The average wind speeds in Bryan are running lower than at two other sites in the study, so Bryan Municipal Utilities may decide to enter into a joint ownership with another municipal utility rather than build its own wind turbine, Mr. Casebere said.

Bryan is known among Ohio municipals as progressive, says Mr. Bechtol. “It is not unlike Bryan Municipal Utilities to make an early commitment to renewables. Previous BPA members saw the opportunity in the Auglaize dam and while it was highly criticized in the past, we now see that purchasing the Auglaize hydro plant was a wise decision both for the environmental benefits and for the cost savings for our customers.”

“By itself, the small amount of renewables that Bryan Municipal Utilities uses won’t have any real effect on the planet,” admits Mr. Bechtol. “However, if everyone would do their part, the aggregate could have an impact.”

The Board of Public Affairs’ decision to commit to renewable energy also prepares Bryan for future legislation. Ohio does not currently have a renewable energy portfolio standard, but it is likely that one will be adopted in 2007 or 2008. The Ohio Consumers’ Council is calling for a renewable target of 20 percent by 2020. Other possible new legislation may require emissions reductions or limits and offer incentives for green house gas reductions and mitigation.

Biodiesel

Power supply is not the only area that the Bryan Municipal Utilities is reviewing in terms of sustainability. Last year, the utility investigated adding biodiesel to its fleet fuel. Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning diesel fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable oils. Starting this spring, BMU plans to purchase a biodiesel blend of 15 or 20 percent for use in its fleet.

This month, the BPA approved purchasing the city’s first hybrid vehicle. The 2007 Ford Escape hybrid vehicle has an electric motor, generator and battery pack, and the braking system recaptures energy to charge the electrical system. The vehicle’s gas engine runs only when necessary and has low emissions.

The policy decisions the Board of Public Affairs is making are visionary,” said Mr. Bechtol. “Diversifying our power supply with clean, renewable sources is a good investment for our customers, the economy and the environment.”