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Colorado
is home to many of the nation’s top experts and organizations
for renewable energy, including a couple in Summit County
- Eric
Westerhof with Innovative Energy and Richard
Graves with Heatmeister. With all of
these experts so close by, conducting research right in
our backyard and offering their services to all of us, you
have to wonder why Colorado? Well perhaps it is the
fact that the state is blessed with lots of sun and wind,
providing the perfect laboratory for renewable energy.
And with all of the natural resources on-hand and experts
here to help, why not take advantage of both?
There are many types of
renewable energy. At High Country Conservation Center
we focus primarily on solar and wind energies with additional
information and awareness programs for geothermal and biofuels.
Below we have briefly described each of the major types
of renewable energy.
For guidance in any of these
subjects please contact our office or contact Eric Westerhof
at Innovative Energy for more information and technical
assistance.
Download Innovative Energy's renewable energy presentation
on Photovoltaics in Colorado's Central Rocky Mountains by
clicking here.
 
970-453-5384
1760 Airport Rd, Breckenridge
PO Box 6538, Breckenridge, CO 80424
www.renewablepower.com
innovate@colorado.net
Hydropower also called hydroelectric power, is
taken from the energy that flowing or falling water creates,
which is captured (usually with a dam) and turned into electricity.
Currently hydroelectric power generates about 10% of the
nation's energy.
Geothermal energy
is simply the heat from the earth and there are many technologies
that take advantage of this renewable resource.
Biomass energy,
also known as “bioenergy,” is perhaps the oldest
form of energy used by humans. It is the energy from
plants and plant-derived materials. Wood is still
the largest biomass energy resource today, but other sources
of biomass include food crops, grassy and woody plants,
residues from agriculture or forestry, and the organic component
of municipal and industrial wastes.
Biodiesel,
a form of biomass energy,can be created from waste grease
(commonly collected at restaurants) or straight from the
plant, often soybeans or other beans and grains. Biodiesel
can be used in a conventional diesel engine with typically
no modifications made to the engine. Using biodiesel
over conventional fuels substantially reduces emissions
of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfates, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
and particulate matter.
Solar energy
is a term covering a wide variety of technologies including:
Passive solar heating
and daylighting — uses no mechanical means and
yet can reduce heating bills by as much as 50%.
Buildings designed for
passive solar and daylighting incorporate design features
such as large south-facing windows and building materials
that absorb and slowly release the sun's heat, such as trombe
walls. Passive solar designs can also include natural ventilation
for cooling.
- Photovoltaic (PV) systems
— Produces electricity directly from sunlight.
According to Solar Energy
International, a one kilowatt PV system in Colorado producing
150 kWh each month has the following benefits:
- Prevents 150 lbs. of coal from being
mined
- Prevents 300 lbs. of CO2 from entering
the atmosphere
- Keeps 105 gallons of water from
being consumed
- Keeps nitrogen oxide and sulfur
dioxide (which together form acid rain) from being released
into the environment
Solar hot water
— Heats water with solar energy.
Solar Hot Water panels are the most cost-effective way to
harvest the sun's energy. Research shows that an average
household with an electric water heater spends about 25%
of its home energy costs on heating water. Solar water
heaters can create savings as much as 50% to 85% annually
over the cost of electric water heating. You can expect
a simple payback of 4 to 8 years on a well-designed and
properly installed solar water heater.
How do they work?
Solar hot water systems capture the sun's heat in rooftop
solar collectors. Pipes channel that heat from the collectors
to a solar storage tank, where cold water is preheated on
its way to the hot water heater. Since the storage tank
stays hot, it works even after the sun goes down.
Solar water heaters do not
pollute. By investing in one, you will be avoiding carbon
dioxide, nitrogen xides, sulfur dioxide, and the other air
pollution and wastes created when your utility generates
power or you burn fuel to heat your household water. In
fact, when a solar water heater replaces an electric water
heater, the electricity displaced over 20 years represents
more than 50 tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions alone.
The
Heatmeister is a long-standing local company
dedicated to providing high efficiency solutions for your
hydronic heating systems. Specializing in solar hot water
systems and high efficiency boilers, Summit County is fortunate
to have the Heatmeister in our community. Richard Graves,
the Heatmeister, brings Europe’s leading technology
to Summit County to help us reach our goals for energy efficiency
and renewable energy.
Contact the Heatmeister:
P.O. Box 3202
Dillon CO 80435
Phone: 970-513-0697
heatmeister@comcast.net
Wind energy
uses the energy in the wind to generate electricity, charge
batteries, pump water and more.
Large, modern wind turbines
operate together in wind farms to produce electricity for
utilities. Small turbines are used by homeowners and remote
villages to help meet energy needs.
According to Solar
Energy International, using 100 kWh of wind power each month
is equivalent to:
- planting ½ acre of trees
- not driving 2,400 miles
Wind power has the potential
to supply approximately 20% of the U.S. electricity demand
at an economical price as costs have dropped by 85% during
the last 20 years. Incentives like the federal production
tax credit and net metering provisions available in some
areas have contributed to this decrease in costs.
Renewable Energy Resources
Much of the information
on this page was adapted from information provided by the
following sources- we encourage you to visit their sites
for more details:
National
Renewable Energy Lab
Community
Office of Resource Efficiency
Solar Energy International
Colorado
Solar Energy Industries Association
US
Dept of Energy: Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Biodiesel specific
information
Blue
Sun (a national biodiesel company based in Colorado,
supporting Colorado farmers)
National
Biodiesel Board
BiodieselNOW.com
Veggie oil information
Summit
GreaseCycling LLC
Dara Lor
summitgreasecycling@gmail.com
P.O. Box 7123
Breckenridge, CO 80424
(301) 367-9245
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