Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Activities

September 15 and 22  Schools districts from all over the state attended the Kentucky Energy Management Workshop for Schools.  In response to House Bill 2, of the 2008 Legislative Session, that requires all school districts to enroll in the Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools (KEEPS), 123 individuals and 55 school districts, attended the workshops where they heard from engineers, energy efficiency experts, and electric utility representatives on topics ranging from energy planning, utility bill and rate analysis, educational techniques, conservation programs, energy efficiency technology solutions, to costs savings.  Some districts are reporting savings as high as $250,000 per year because of the measures they have put in place through this program.  You can download and view the workshop presentations.

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April 9.  To help celebrate Earth Day, Len Peters, Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet, and other leaders recognized 17 buildings and three businesses in Kentucky for their energy efficiency accomplishments. Building types recognized included schools, offices, retail stores, and a hotel. Buildings recognized were as large as 200,000 square-feet and dating back to the 1930's.  Management techniques and building features that helped contribute to the energy savings included energy tracking, automatic thermostat setbacks, light-colored roofing, heating and cooling system component improvements, insulated concrete forms, geothermal heating and cooling systems, daylight harvesting, solar photovoltaic system, energy efficient lighting.

####March 12-13.  The first Midwest Regional ENERGY STAR Conference was held in Lexington to an enthusiastic crowd of over 300.  Nationally-recognized speakers from across the US spoke about energy efficient homes on topics ranging from business and marketing techniques, building science, and green building programs.

February 24 & 26.  Over 260 superintendents, facility managers, teachers, and financial officers from 72 school districts attended two Energy Management Workshops For Schools in Georgetown and Cave City. The workshops were designed to help schools better management their energy costs.  The agenda provided two tracks focused on facility management and education.   Partners hosting the event included the Department for Energy Development and Independence, Kentucky Energy Efficiency for Schools (KEEPS), the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, and the Kentucky School Plant Management Association.

February 9.  Casey County School Board was recognized by ENERGY STAR and Governor Beshear outstanding energy efficiency in the new Walnut Ridge Elementary School.  In addition to School Board members and Superintendent Linda Hatter, others on hand to help commemorate the event were Gregory Guess of the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence and Larry Schwering of Lucas/Schwering Architects.

April 17.  Mayor Jerry Abramson, of Louisville Metro, recognized five ENERGY STAR buildings for energy efficiency in a ceremony with Officials from the Governor's Office of Energy Policy.  Facilities recognized were the Aegon Building (with Hines) and the E-ON Center (with E-ON US and Group Harbor International), two of only three ENERGY STAR offices in the state; the CEMEX Kosmos Cement Plant, the first cement plant with the ENERGY STAR; and the Courtyard Marriott Louisville (with Remington and Ashford Hospitality), the first ENERGY STAR hotel in the state.

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February 1. In recognition of their accomplishments as the first Energy Star hospital in the state, John Davies presented the Governor's Energy Star certificate to St. Lukes Hospital staff in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky.  Mike Kueckenmister, the facility manager, said the energy-efficiency improvements to the 57-year old, 401,774 square foot facility, included upgrades to the main boiler and chiller, and conversion to an environmentally friendly refrigerant.  All these improvements were made without sacrificing comfort, and freed up resources for better health care. ####

Accepting the award are (L-R) CEO Nancy Kramer, staff, Facility Engineer Mike Kueckenmister

November 28, 2007 - The Nelson County Justice Center has earned the prestigious ENERGY STAR from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy for its energy efficiency.  The Nelson County Justice Center is the first courthouse in Kentucky to receive the ENERGY STAR and one of only 13 state or local courthouses nationwide.  The 50,000-square-foot justice center includes several energy-saving features including a geothermal heating and cooling system utilizing geothermal water-source heat pumps, energy-recovery units and a direct-digital control system to optimize the building's energy usage.  Representatives from the Administrative Office of the Courts, CMTA Engineers, Inc., the Governor's Office of Energy Policy, JRA Architects and Nelson County Fiscal Court hosted a news conference on November 28 at the new Justice Center in Bardstown. [Nelson County Justice Center Booklet (pdf – 2.1 mb)]

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November 16, 2007 – Over 200 Kentucky businesses, utility, governmental, academic, consumer and environmental leaders met to discuss an action plan for energy efficiency at the “Second Annual Kentucky Energy Efficiency Conference”.  The conference was organized by a group that includes environmental organizations, consumer groups, government agencies such as the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy and all of the state’s major gas and electric utilities.  It explored initiatives that can be undertaken in Kentucky to address the challenges of increased energy efficiency and consumer awareness. [Article]

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November 9, 2007 – The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition and the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy announce a request for proposals to develop Biodiesel infrastructure in Kentucky. This RFP is part of a continuing effort to locate Biodiesel storage and distribution equipment in strategic locations throughout the Commonwealth. The fueling hubs created by this initiative reduce freight costs and make Biodiesel more economical and more widely available across Kentucky. [Request for Proposals] 

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October 6-7, 2007 – Join us for the 2007 Bluegrass Energy & Green Living Expo  in Lexington's Heritage Hall Convention Center.  The event brings together the business, education, government, and non-profit sectors to educate Kentuckians about proven healthy living, energy conservation, and renewable energy solutions, and connect consumers with marketers of related products and services.

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Photo credit:
sweetsorghum.net

October 5, 2007 – The Governor’s Office of Energy Policy will provide a total of $860,697 in funding to three universities for energy research projects. The University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky will receive funds to complete seven research projects targeted at advancing the goals of the Commonwealth's Comprehensive Energy Strategy. [Press Release]

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Stan Cave, Chief of Staff for former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, signs the 2007 Change a Light Pledge.

October 3-6, 2007 – To celebrate “Change a Light, Change the World” month, the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy held a pledge drive in their office building, the Capital Plaza Tower, Frankfort, KY. During the pledge drive, all occupants of the building (approximately 730) were encouraged to change at least one traditional style bulb to a more energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb. Each person taking the pledge was automatically entered in a drawing to win six compact fluorescent bulbs. Mini-grant funds are available to help organizations with the ‘Change a Light, Change the World’ campaign - the deadline is October 12.

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October 1-2, 2007
The Governor’s Conference on the Environment had an energy theme this year. Topics included  biodiesel, climate change, carbon trading and emissions offsets, energy management, the recently passed energy bill, regulatory barriers and issues, and energy initiatives.

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Twenhofel Middle School students. 2007 Kentucky NEED Junior Level Winner.

August 24, 2007 – The Governor’s Office of Energy Policy awarded Kentucky NEED a $100,000 grant for the design and delivery of an energy education program for teachers and students in grades K-12. Kentucky NEED is the state affiliate of the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project  which is dedicated to comprehensive, hands-on energy education. The grant will be used to fund an EnergySmart Schools Coordinator, host teacher-student workshops and purchase NEED curriculum materials.

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August 23, 2007 – Join us for a Kentucky 25x'25 town hall meeting.  Make plans to attend the Kentucky Rural Energy Consortium (KREC) town hall meetings to explore new ideas and opportunities for securing Kentucky’s energy and economic future. Invitation (507kB PDF)

Frankfort - Monday, August 27
Somerset - Tuesday, September 18
Princeton - Tuesday, October 16

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  Credit: Kentucky State Fair.

August 16-26, 2007 – The Governor’s Office of Energy Policy and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture hosted a 3,000 sq ft exhibit at Kentucky State Fair  to showcase the cost savings and energy efficiency of using ENERGY STAR qualified products and building practices.  The exhibit featured a construction model of an ENERGY STAR home, ENERGY STAR lighting and appliances and applications for solar hot water heating.  Take a virtual tour of the exhibit.

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Photo: (left to right) Cam Metcalf, Executive Director KPPC; Dr. Manuel Martinez-Maldonado, Executive VP for Research UofL; John Davies, Director Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Kentucky GOEP; Dr. James Ramsey, President UofL; Dr. Mickey Wilhelm, Dean J.B. Speed School of Engineering UofL.

July 31, 2007 – Former Governor Ernie Fletcher  announced a $308,900 grant from the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy to the University of Louisville (U of L) and the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) for energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.

KPPC, part of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at U of L, will use the grant to expand the Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools, conduct energy assessments to help Kentucky businesses and industries improve profitability, and participate in the national 25x’25 Action Plan. [Full Article]

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Photo: Director Division Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Division John Davies (second from left) presented the grant award to Dr. Jimmy Henning, Associate Dean for Extension and Director of the Cooperative Extension Service, Dr. Carol Hanley, Executive Director, Tracy Farmer Center and Dr. Rich Gates, Department Chair, Biosystems and Agriculture Engineering at UK’s College of Agriculture.

July 19, 2007 – The Governor’s Office of Energy Policy (GOEP) awarded $175,100 in grants to the University of Kentucky (UK) to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy education throughout the commonwealth.

The funding, from the federal State Energy Program grant, promotes ENERGY STAR at more than 50 events across the state.  In addition, the grant allows the Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment to conduct teacher training on energy efficiency in collaboration with UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research and the Kentucky National Energy Education Project (NEED). [Full Article]