Ensuring a sustainable energy future for North Carolina

              Ensuring a sustainable energy future
for North Carolina
North Carolina Department of Administration April 2002
Energy State Energy Office
North Carolina
Department of Administration
Energy Influences
That our state and nation are vulnera-ble
to global economic, political and envi-ronmental
forces was strikingly
demonstrated in 2001. Throughout the
spring, the California electricity crisis head-lined
the news on a regular basis. Gasoline
prices throughout the nation steadily in-creased.
Congress renewed the debate over
oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. On September 11, 2002,
the United States experienced the unprec-edented
horror of terrorism. Two weeks
later, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham
assured the nation that supplies of oil and
gas were strong and stable as rumors circu-lated
that some gasoline stations had
charged $5 for a gallon of gas.
Nearly 30 years before, the Arab Oil
Embargo of 1973-74 introduced the first
ramifications of our dependence upon for-eign
oil when OPEC curtailed oil exports.
Gasoline prices spiked and allocation pro-grams
were put into place. The federal gov-ernment
responded by initiating energy
conservation strategies, developing new
technologies, and exploring renewable and
alternative sources to imported oil.
The events of September 11 and the
volatility of the Persian Gulf region have
produced far harsher ramifications than an
embargo. They now compel us to consider
energy policy within the broader context of
national security.
North Carolina’s Energy Situation
North Carolina possesses no fossil fuel
resources. Our electricity is produced al-most
equally by nuclear and coal power
plants, with new peaking generation being
fired primarily by natural gas. We are in-herently
vulnerable to supply disruptions.
There are no operating oil refineries in the
state. We are also a state experiencing rap-idly
deteriorating air quality in our three
major metropolitan areas and the moun-
INTRODUCTION
A North Carolina Viewpoint on Energy Policy
By Larry Shirley, Director, State Energy Office
N.C. Department of Administration
April 2002
Larry Shirley, State Energy Office director, stands beside
one of the state’s alternative fuel vehicles. This Honda
Insight is a mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car
that gets over 60 miles per gallon.
Photo by Dona Stankus
i
tainous western region, a result of emis-sions
caused from both vehicles and power
plants burning fossil fuels.
With no new rate increases requested
by investor-owned utilities in many years,
electricity prices have remained stable with
average retail residential rates at approxi-mately
8 cents per kilowatt-hour. How-ever,
rates are expected to increase by as
much as 5 percent to 8 percent next year
if the N.C. General Assembly enacts pend-ing
legislation to require utilities to clean
up coal plant emissions. And, for many
municipal utilities that carry the burden of
$5.5 billion in debt for the purchase of
shares of nuclear power plants in the
1980s, rates range from 9 cents to 12 cents
per kilowatt hour and are expected to rise.
During the winter of 2000-01, the state
experienced the highest prices in the na-tion
for propane, averaging $2.21 per gal-lon
during one month. With approximately
1 million residents reliant on propane, as
well as many schools and businesses in ru-ral
regions, supplies were dangerously short
in January and nearly caused an official en-ergy
emergency to be declared. Waivers
were granted to propane transport compa-nies
to allow extended hours for drivers,
given the near emergency supply condi-tions.
In addition to propane, natural gas
prices increased over 50 percent during the
previous year and home heating fuel costs
were also higher than normal. As with
other states, gasoline prices remain above
last year’s levels and hit a high of over
$1.60 per gallon for regular grade gasoline
in the spring of 2001.
In North Carolina, last winter’s sharp
price spikes in energy costs caused severe
hardship on many families, businesses,
school systems and service providers. For
many families, energy costs were higher
than rent or mortgage payments and food
bills. As an example, one family in eastern
North Carolina spent $557 to fill up their
200-gallon propane tank in December
2000 when during the previous winter the
cost to fill the same tank had been $158.
Another example can be seen in one of the
state’s rural school districts, which recently
reported that it was already $150,000 over
its energy budget because of propane and
natural gas fuel increases, necessitating
cuts in school programs and services. Such
dramatic increases in energy costs demon-strate
the severe impacts on family and
business budgets and cry out for aggressive
energy efficiency programs and use of re-newable
energy resources that are indige-nous
to the state and less susceptible—if at
all—to price increases.
Without the benefits of energy
efficiency in North Carolina since the
Arab Oil Embargo in 1973, the state
would probably be using about 25
percent more electricity and energy than
it does today.
ii
North Carolina’s Energy Outlook
With such a precarious energy situation
and no fossil fuels inside North Carolina,
the state has focused on the development
of indigenous renewable energy resources
(biomass, hydro, wind, landfill gas and so-lar)
and energy efficiency programs. Cur-rently,
it is estimated that the state gets
between 3 percent to 4 percent of its en-ergy
requirements from renewable re-sources,
with potential to get a much larger
share if these resources are aggressively de-veloped.
North Carolina possesses over 1,400
megawatts (MW) of small hydro potential
at existing impoundments, between 1,200
to 4,000 MW of wind potential in the
mountains of the state, approximately 300
MW of potential at existing abandoned
landfill sites, several hundred megawatts of
solar potential in the near-term, and sev-eral
thousand megawatts of biomass poten-tial.
The state also is attempting to develop
an ethanol industry that could produce 45
million gallons annually using corn as the
primary feedstock.
Without the benefits of energy efficient
programs and incentives in North Carolina
since the Arab Oil Embargo, the state
would probably be using about 25 percent
more electricity and energy than it does to-day.
The efficiency programs operated
throughout the years by our state’s utilities,
the State Energy Office, and our state’s en-ergy
consumers have greatly curtailed peak
load requirements and allowed us to delay
and reduce the number of additional
power plants that had to be brought on-line.
Unfortunately, conservation efforts
have waned in recent years as our state has
prepared for the possibility of electricity re-structuring.
Utilities, which once had
thousands of megawatts of demand-side
management (DSM) programs, have elimi-nated
many of these programs and sharply
curtailed their DSM efforts. Meanwhile,
rapid population growth in North
Carolina’s urban areas has combined with
the reduction in efficiency programs to
produce annual electric growth rates often
exceeding 3 percent. Reducing this electric
growth is critical to the health of the
state’s environment, its citizenry and its
economy.
North Carolina has recently placed ef-forts
to restructure the electric industry in
a temporary holding pattern. A blue-ribbon
study commission has been review-ing
this situation for three years and has
called on the legislature to begin restruc-iii
With the proper course of action,
North Carolina can become less vulnera-ble
to energy supply disruptions, while
promoting greater energy independence
and a cleaner environment.
turing in 2005-06. No action, though, is
expected from the legislature until there
are successful examples from other states,
such as Texas, Ohio or Pennsylvania,
where restructuring has already been un-dertaken.
While awaiting these developments,
the study commission is now reviewing
how to make “green power” an option for
consumers and whether a public benefits
fund should be created from a small wires
charge to encourage energy efficiency, ad-vance
development of renewable energy
resources and protect low-income consum-ers.
Most states that have undergone re-structuring
have created such a fund and
allowed the sale of green, or renewable,
electricity.
Recommendations
With the proper course of action,
North Carolina can become less vulnerable
to energy supply disruptions, while promot-ing
greater oil independence and a cleaner
environment. Actions that the State En-ergy
Office recommends include the fol-lowing:
• Actions to ensure that up-to-date and
well-tested energy emergency response
plans are in place in the event of supply
disruptions or curtailment.
• Strong support for the development of
alternative-fueled vehicles (AFVs) to
reduce vehicle emissions and reduce
our reliance on overseas petroleum,
including the acceleration and
enhancement of the Clean Cities
Program and matching funds for
fueling infrastructure for AFVs.
• Integration of environmental concerns
with energy supply development to
ensure that we are reducing our air and
water quality problems as we move
ahead to increase available energy
supplies.
• Increased federal funding for
low-income households to weatherize
their homes, lowering the need for fuel
payment assistance—a continuing
drain on federal and state budgets.
• Strong support for increased funding of
energy efficiency programs, including
both implementation programs and
research and development efforts. We
need to move aggressively now to
conserve energy in the midst of the
nation’s energy crisis, but we must also
be developing better and more efficient
technologies for deployment over the
next decade.
• Strong support for increased funding of
renewable energy programs. While
buying time with energy efficiency, we
must make the transition to renewable
energy resources. Both in North
Carolina and throughout the nation,
there is great potential to shift to a
much greater reliance on renewable
energy resources in a cost-effective
manner. We must get serious about
this needed transition and invest the
resources necessary to make it happen
over the next 10 to 20 years.
iv
The State Energy Office (SEO) is
North Carolina’s lead agency for energy
programs and serves as the official source
for energy information and assistance for
consumers, businesses, government agen-cies,
and policy-makers. The SEO adminis-ters
programs in four primary areas:
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy
for residential, commercial, industrial,
agricultural, transportation and utility
sectors
• Alternative fuels and alternative fuel
vehicles
• Energy emergencies during natural
disasters and supply disruptions
• Energy policy recommendations to the
N.C. Energy Policy Council, N.C.
General Assembly, the Governor’s
Office, and other state agencies
Mission
The State Energy Office promotes en-ergy
efficiency and renewable energy, striv-ing
toward a sustainable energy future. The
office accomplishes this by administering
innovative programs, projects and services
that inform, educate and involve energy
consumers, producers and deci-sion-
makers. The State Energy Office orga-nizes
rapid responses to energy
emergencies. The office is recognized as
North Carolina’s primary, independent
resource for energy information and tech-nology.
Funding
The two major funding streams for the
SEO are derived from the Petroleum Vio-lation
Escrow (PVE) funds and the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE). The PVE
funds arose out of a series of federal court
settlements involving overcharging by pe-troleum
companies in the 1970s and
1980s. The funds are returned to custom-ers
and other affected groups by dividing
them among the states for distribution
through energy efficiency and renewable
energy programs. By leveraging federal
1
This community center in Carrboro, North Carolina,
uses solar as an energy source and was a part of the
annual nationwide Solar Home Tour.
Photo by the State Energy Office
State Energy Office
General Information
2
funds, the State Energy Office is able to ad-minister
programs and projects that benefit
state and local governments and all North
Carolinians. The State Energy Office uses
no state-appropriated funds.
History
The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-74 was
the impetus for the creation of the State
Energy Division under the Department of
Military and Veteran Affairs. Thereafter,
the agency was transferred and operated
under the North Carolina Department of
Commerce until September 30, 2000. On
October 1, 2000, the State Energy Office
was transferred to the North Carolina De-partment
of Administration.
North Carolina Energy Policy
Council
Created by the North Carolina Energy
Policy Act of 1975, the council is charged
with overseeing the state’s energy policies
and providing recommendations for policy
changes to the governor and General As-sembly.
The 18-member body, composed of rep-resentatives
from the General Assembly, as
well as Cabinet secretaries and gubernato-rial
appointments for specific slots (i.e., in-dustrial,
environmental, alternative energy,
economics), has recently been reorganized
and is now working on the development of
a comprehensive energy policy for North
Carolina.
Energy Policy Council Members
Cabinet Secretary Members
Secretary Gwynn T. Swinson, Chair,
Ex-officio - N.C. Department of Adminis-tration
(Conservation Committee)
Michael Hughes, Designee
Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps, Ex-officio
- N.C. Department of Agriculture &
Consumer Services (Research & Develop-ment
Committee)
Winston Sutton, Designee
Secretary Jim Fain, Ex-officio - N.C.
Department of Commerce (Research &
Development Committee)
John Nelms, Designee
Secretary William G. Ross Jr., Ex-officio -
N.C. Department of Environment & Natu-ral
Resources (Conservation Committee) -
Gary Hunt, Designee
Chairman Jo Anne Sanford, Ex-officio -
N.C. Utilities Commission (Manage-ment/
Emergency Committee)
Jimmy Ervin, Designee
General Assembly Members
Senator Hamilton C. Horton Jr., General
Assembly, Forsyth County (Conservation
Committee)
Senator Eleanor Kinnaird, General Assem-bly,
Chatham, Lee, Moore, Orange,
Randolph Counties (Management/Emer-gency
Committee)
Representative Joe P. Tolson, General
Assembly, Edgecombe, Nash, Pitt, Wilson
Counties (Research & Development
Commmittee)
State Energy Office Staff
Director
Larry E. Shirley
Section Chief/Manager
State Energy Program
Rita L. Joyner
Emergency and Policy Coordinator
Sharon Stroud
Building Engineer
Starlette Brown
Energy Conservation Representative
Bob Leker
Energy Conservation Representative
Cynthia Moseley
Public Information Coordinator
Andrea Gabriel
Administrative Assistant
Marianne Moss
Office Assistant
Jeannette Martin
Office Assistant
Gwen Wells
Contact Information
State Energy Office
N.C. Department of Administration
1830 A Tillery Place
Raleigh, NC 27604-1376
Mailing Address: 1340 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1340
(919) 733-2230—telephone
1-800-662-7131 (NC only)
(919) 733-2953—fax
e-mail: energyinfo@ncmail.net
http://www.energync.net
General Assembly Members (Cont.)
Representative Nurham O. Warwick, Gen-eral
Assembly, Onslow, Pender, Sampson
Counties (Research & Development Com-mittee)
Public Sector Members
Robert Burns, petroleum industry, Arey Oil
Company (Management/Emergency Com-mittee)
Don K. Davis, natural gas industry, Prog-ress
Energy Inc. (Management/Emergency
Committee)
Councilwoman Helen P. Gay, elected mu-nicipal
official, Rocky Mount (Conserva-tion
Committee)
Dr. John L. Neufeld, economic analysis
sector, University of North Carolina at
Greensboro (Management/Emergency
Committee)
Mike Nicklas, alternative energy sector, In-novative
Design (Research & Develop-ment
Committee)
Ray Ogden, industrial energy sector, Intek
Inc. (Research & Development Commit-tee)
Commissioner Dave Plyler, county com-missioner,
Forsyth County (Conservation
Committee)
Wade Pridgen, electric power industry,
Progress Energy (Management/Emergency
Committee)
Michael Shore, environmental protection
sector, Environmental Defense (Conserva-tion
Committee)
3
The State Energy Office provides ser-vices
and benefits to small businesses, in-dustry,
local governments and individual
citizens in seven major areas: agriculture,
awareness and education, buildings, busi-ness
and industry, renewable and alterna-tive
energy sources, sustainable
communities and emergency response, and
transportation.
Currently, the State Energy Office op-erates
more than 50 projects to meet the
energy needs of North Carolinians. Below
are descriptions of some completed, ongo-ing
and proposed projects. Many are state-wide;
those demonstration projects that
are specific to counties or regions may
have statewide application.
Agriculture
Energy Production from Bermuda Grass
and Poultry Litter (New Hanover County)
Demonstrated the use of Bermuda grass
and poultry litter as a mixed fuel in a
co-generation facility. (C)
Ethanol from Swine Waste
(Wake County)
Investigates the use of gasification
technologies to convert swine waste, a ma-jor
environmental pollutant, into fuel
grade ethanol. (O)
N.C. Aquaculture (Wake County)
Demonstrated an all-electric water
treatment system for an intensive
aquaculture recirculation fish production
system. Water use was minimized as was
the energy needed to heat it. (C)
Post-Harvest Promotion (Statewide)
Promoted energy efficient post-harvest
handling and cooling of fruits and vegeta-bles
through educational activities. (C)
4
Program
Descriptions
Wood, or biomass, is an alternative source of energy.
Through its Industries of the Future program, the State
Energy Office is working with universities and the forest
products industry to provide additional markets for
wood waste.
Photo by Warren Gretz, National Renewable
Energy Laboratory
Program Status Key
C - Completed
O - Ongoing
P - Proposed
5
Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester
(Duplin County)
Will use a waste digester running at
120 degrees F. to convert hog wastes to
methane gas. A micro turbine will burn the
methane, producing electrical power. Wa-ter
use and odors will be minimized. (P)
Awareness and Education
ARES (Annual Report of
Energy Savings) (Statewide)
Tracks and documents actual energy
savings, measured in BTUs, of North
Carolina’s State Energy Program. (O)
Awareness and Marketing (Statewide)
Produces and disseminates information
about energy efficiency for consumers, the
agricultural community, the commer-cial/
industrial sector, schools and local
governments throughout North Carolina.
Information is disseminated through vari-ous
channels including the broadcast me-dia,
the Internet, and outreach and
educational activities. For example,
through the Agency for Public Telecom-munications,
the State Energy Office has
produced television programs on flood re-covery,
alternative fuel vehicles, the EV
Challenge, renewable energy, and residen-tial
energy conservation. (O)
Data Analysis and Forecasting
(Statewide)
Provides timely data on historical and
forecasted energy consumption in North
Carolina. (O)
National Energy Education Development
Program (NEED) (Statewide)
Designs educational activities and ma-terials
directed at K-12 public school stu-dents
to promote an understanding of the
economic and environmental trade-offs of
energy consumption and production. It in-cludes
up-to-date educational evaluation,
recognition of achievement, and profes-sional
development for educators. (O)
Renewables in Schools (Statewide)
Seeks to demonstrate renewable energy
technologies in K-12 public schools
through hands-on applications, classroom
activities and demonstrations. (P)
Sponsorships and Workshops (Statewide)
Provides funding for educational
events, conferences and workshops that
provide training and educational opportu-nities
for North Carolina’s citizens on key
energy topics. Topics have included etha-nol
production and use, emergency recov-ery,
energy efficiency for home and
commercial buildings, and alternative fuel
vehicles. (O)
Ginny Byrne, NEED lead teacher, and her students from
North Ridge Elementary School (Raleigh) participate in
the NEED Youth Awards as winners for North Carolina
Elementary School of the Year.
Photo by the National Energy Education Program
6
Buildings
Center for Energy Research and
Technology (Statewide)
Supports the activities of the Center for
Energy Research and Technology (CERT),
an energy education institute at North
Carolina A&T State University. Research
focuses on energy use and energy efficiency
in manufactured housing, solar electricity
in public housing, and the development of
fuel cells. (O)
Clean Technology Demonstrations
(Statewide)
Will develop partnerships with North
Carolina colleges and universities to dem-onstrate
clean energy technologies, such as
fuel cells, biomass, wind, solar and geother-mal.
(P)
Energy Efficiency in State Construction
(Statewide)
As directed by the N.C. General As-sembly,
projects demonstrate energy im-provements
in lighting, boiler controls,
HVAC controls, chilled water systems, and
other energy efficiency measures in state
and university buildings. (O)
Energy for Buildings (Statewide)
Provides industrial companies with as-sistance
in their efforts to reduce emissions
of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases that contribute to both global warm-ing
and air pollution. (O)
Energy Improvement Loan Program
(Statewide)
Provides low-interest loans to busi-nesses,
industries, local governments,
nonprofits and schools to implement en-ergy
conserving and renewable energy
measures that are identified as being both
economically and technically feasible. (O)
High Performance Building Guidelines
(Statewide)
Provides training and educational pre-sentations
about the High Performance
Guidelines recently developed by Triangle J
Council of Governments in an attempt to
construct more sustainable buildings. Tar-gets
policy-makers, designers and other
professionals who design, build and man-age
public schools, state and local govern-ment
buildings, and facilities at universities
and community colleges. (O)
Housing Energy Efficiency (Statewide)
Will create a market demand for homes
that exceed the North Carolina Energy
Code. The energy efficiency of homes will
be documented through a home energy
rating recognized by the national mortgage
industry. (P)
The State Energy Office worked with N.C. A&T State
University and the Solar Center to retrofit this Greens-boro
apartment complex with solar electric panels.
These panels lower monthly electric bills and provide
backup in case of power disruptions.
Photo by the North Carolina Solar Center
7
Local Government Units (Statewide)
Promotes the increase of energy effi-ciency
in new and existing buildings and
sustainable economic development. (O)
North Carolina Energy Code Assessment
and Training (Statewide)
Evaluates the effectiveness of North
Carolina’s residential and commercial
building energy codes by assessing energy
code development and enforcement. Pro-vides
training in energy codes for building
inspectors and other professionals. (O)
Public School Energy Improvement
(Lee County)
Demonstrates in selected sites the effi-cient
application of renewable energy in
the school setting for power and instruc-tional
purposes. (O)
Steam Trap Surveys (Statewide)
Helps North Carolina businesses by
identifying and reporting on the condition
of each steam trap, specifying those need-ing
repair or replacement. (O)
Business and Industry
Alternative Cooling Technologies
(Statewide)
Educated industries about the benefits
of evaporative cooling, desiccant
dehumidification and absorption, and
gas-fired chillers. (C)
The State Energy Office funds demonstration projects throughout the state. In Yancey County, the EnergyXChange
site uses methane gas from a landfill as a source for electricity in commercial greenhouses.
Photo by Becky Wallace, Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development Council
8
Boiler Efficiency Technical Assistance
(Statewide)
Conducts boiler surveys in plants to
identify needed improvements. Trains
plant personnel on how to solve boiler effi-ciency
problems and promotes
state-of-the-art equipment to maintain op-timum
boiler efficiency. (O)
Climate Change Reduction (Statewide)
Will develop implementation activities
and demonstrations to achieve greenhouse
gas reductions in various sectors of North
Carolina’s economy. (P)
ECU Incinerator (Pitt County)
Uses landfill gas to treat on-site bio-medical
and low-level radioactive wastes
from Pitt County Memorial Hospital and
the East Carolina School of Medicine. (O)
Energy Efficiency Program for
Nonprofits (Statewide)
Will assist nonprofit agencies in imple-menting
measures to reduce their energy
costs, thereby expanding available funds
for services and programs. (P)
Energy Management Program
(Statewide)
Surveys HVAC, lighting, chiller and
cooling towers, and compressed air systems
for the commercial, industrial, nonprofit,
institutional and agricultural sectors. Fol-low-
up workshops provide basic and ad-vanced
training for facilities managers
including the Certified Energy Managers’
Program, and preventative maintenance.
(O)
Energy Reduction through Industrial
Partnerships (Statewide)
Identifies opportunities for industrial,
commercial and institutional facilities to
save energy by establishing partnerships for
reusing materials, water and energy. (O)
Landfill Gas Utilization Projects
(Avery, Mitchell, Wilkes, Yancey Counties)
Captures methane gas from landfills,
converting it to energy for a variety of
commercial and industrial uses such as
space heating for greenhouses. (O)
N.C. Waste Exchange (Statewide)
Will link recovered materials with mar-kets,
reducing waste disposal through reuse
and recycling. Will increase waste preven-tion
and source reduction, decrease carbon
dioxide and methane in solid waste land-fills,
and improve savings in transportation
energy. (P)
North Carolina Climate Wise/Energy
Star for Industry (Statewide)
Markets environmentally sound energy
efficient programs to corporations and in-dustry.
Assists in developing inventory and
pollution mitigation strategies to reduce
greenhouse gases in the manufacturing
process. (O)
North Carolina Industries of the Future
(Statewide)
Promotes and provides methodologies
for industries to enhance their competi-tiveness
through improved energy and en-vironmental
performance. Focuses initially
on the chemical, forest products and min-ing
industries. (O)
9
Renewable and Alternative
Energy Sources
Fuel Cell and Micro Turbines
(Eastern North Carolina)
Will investigate the viability of distrib-uted
generation technology, generating
electricity from fuel cell and micro-turbine
technologies using methane gas from ani-mal
waste. This technology minimizes en-ergy
loss and uses waste heat. (P)
Geothermal Heating and Cooling
(Central North Carolina)
Compares the energy used by an ad-vanced
geothermal heat pump to a con-ventional
heat pump, installed in mobile
classroom units. (O)
Million Solar Roofs Initiative (Durham,
Guilford, Orange, Watauga Counties)
Promotes use of solar energy technolo-gies
at the local level through local steering
committees, education, training and dem-onstrations.
(O)
North Carolina Solar Center (Statewide)
Provides support for a center offering a
range of comprehensive technical and edu-cational
services designed to advance the
use of solar technologies. The N.C. Solar
Center also demonstrates solar applications
at the NCSU Solar House and an adjoin-ing
test site. (O)
Wind Energy in North Carolina
(Western North Carolina)
Studies the potential for harnessing
wind energy in the N.C. mountains, map-ping
and evaluating infrastructure needs,
such as road access and electric transmis-sion
line proximity. (O)
Sustainable Communities and
Emergency Response
Energy Emergency Preparedness
(Statewide)
Helps to keep the state’s energy emer-gency
preparedness program comprehen-sive
and timely, including emergency
actions to be taken in the event of an en-ergy
demand or supply crisis. Provides for a
training simulation for industry, state and
local officials to test plans in a
non-emergency setting. (O)
The State Energy Office will study the potential for de-veloping
wind power in the North Carolina mountains.
These wind turbines, the first in the Southeast, are lo-cated
in Tennessee.
Photo by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
10
Flood Recovery Technical Assistance
(Eastern North Carolina)
Helps residents and businesses rebuild
following Hurricane Floyd in two ways.
Through the N.C. Industrial Rebuilding
Plan, the SEO is continuing to help indus-try
recover from floodwater damage to
equipment and plants. The Healthy Build-ings
Resource Center assists builders,
HVAC contractors, and homeowners deal
with problems in residential and small
commercial buildings that were inundated
from the flood. (O)
Rebuild America (Statewide)
Creates partnerships to renovate build-ings
and improve energy efficiency in
multi-family and public housing, commer-cial
buildings, and school and government
buildings. Rebuild America strengthens
communities by stimulating economic
growth, saving money and improving envi-ronmental
quality. (O)
Residential Heat Exchanger Evaluation
(Statewide)
Transferred the heat exchanger tech-nology
proven effective in automobiles into
equipment used to cool houses. (C)
SERT
(State Emergency Response Team)
(Statewide)
Helps support and staff the Energy
Desk for the State Emergency Response
Team when natural disasters or supply dis-ruptions
occur. (O)
SHOPP (State Heating Oil and Propane
Program) (Statewide)
Collects supply and price data from a
cross sample of heating oil and propane
fuel vendors on a weekly basis from Octo-ber
through March. This confidential data
is provided to the Energy Information Ad-ministration
as a component of their infor-mation
on heating fuels and provides
North Carolina with timely information on
propane and heating oil trends. (O)
Sustainable Community Development
(Statewide)
Will increase communities’ awareness
of and commitment to sustainable develop-ment
with a focus on economic well-being,
renewable energy, energy efficiency, envi-ronmental
health, waste minimization and
improvements in quality of life. (P)
The State Energy Office helped support rebuilding ef-forts
in the wake of Hurricane Floyd. Maggie Crawford
stands in front of the “E-house” in Kinston. Built after
her original house was destroyed, it was designed and
constructed with energy-efficient technologies.
Photo by the Advanced Energy Corporation
11
Waste Reduction Partners
(Western North Carolina)
Develops an energy efficiency assess-ment
tool for use in public facilities and
conducts energy surveys of state and local
government facilities in western North
Carolina. Tracks actual energy and envi-ronmental
savings achieved through client
implementation. (O)
Transportation
Alternative Fuels (Statewide)
Will introduce and promote alternative
transportation fuels to the public and pri-vate
fleet management sectors of North
Carolina, including compressed natural
gas, propane, ethanol, electricity, hydro-gen,
and biological materials. (P)
Assessing Biomass Resources for Liquid
Fuel Production in North Carolina
(Statewide)
Will conduct a survey and production
study to determine the amount of sugar,
starch and cellulosic products and residues
that are available in North Carolina as po-tential
sources of feedstock for renewable
energy applications, including ethanol. (P)
Car Care Clinics (Statewide)
Instructed motorists on energy saving
strategies for motor vehicle operation and
identified cost effective and energy effi-cient
repairs and maintenance. (C)
This demonstration house at N.C. A&T State University serves to test alternative energy and energy-conservation
strategies in the manufactured housing industry.
Photo by the Florida Solar Energy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Clean Cities
(Charlotte Area, Triad, Triangle)
Provides funding to advance the use of
alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehi-cles
in the Triangle and Charlotte areas of
North Carolina. A new program for the
Triad region will be launched this coming
year. (O)
EV Student Education (Statewide)
Supports the N.C. Electric Vehicle
Challenge in which high school students in
over 25 schools retrofit gasoline-powered
street vehicles into battery-operated vehi-cles.
Includes a mobile classroom and edu-cational
video for use in schools,
exhibitions and other venues. (O)
EV Charging Station (Wake County)
Will construct a solar charging station
for electric vehicles at NCSU’s Solar
House and provide opportunities for fleet
operation managers to see how solar charg-ing
stations operate. (O)
Evaluation of Motor Oils (Wake County)
Evaluated the performance and energy
efficiency advantages and disadvantages
of three types of engine oil for use in state
vehicles. (C)
OEM/CNG Vehicle Program
(Forsyth County)
Will track and document performance
of alternative fuel vehicles (compressed
natural gas) purchased directly from the
original equipment manufacturer. (O)
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Wayne Denton of Motor Fleet Management drives an
alternative fuel vehicle.
Photo courtesy of DOA Bulletin Newsletter
Advanced Energy Corporation
Appalachian State University
Blue Ridge Regional Conservation
and Development Agency
Cape Fear Resource Conservation
and Development, Inc.
Center for Sustainable Communities
Centralina Council of Governments
Chowan Area Development Authority
East Carolina University
Hayti Development Corporation
Land-of-Sky Council of Governments
N.C. Project Green
National Energy Education Development
North Carolina A & T State University
North Carolina Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
North Carolina Facility Management
Division
North Carolina Motor Fleet
Management Division
North Carolina Office of Emergency
Preparedness
North Carolina Solar Center
North Carolina State Construction
Office
North Carolina State University
North Carolina Sustainable Energy
Association
Triangle J Council of Governments
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
University of North Carolina - Asheville
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
Uptown Shelby Association Inc.
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State Energy Office
Partial List of Program Partners
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1. Car Car Clinics (Buncombe)
2. Clean Cities (Mecklenburg)
3. ECU Incinerator (Pitt)
4. EV Challenge (Vance)
5. Energy Efficiency in State Buildings
(Pasquotank)
6. Ethanol From Swine Waste
(Wake)
7. Landfill Gas Utilization Project
(Avery)
8. Million Solar Roofs Initiative
(Durham)
9. N.C. Climate Wise/Energy Star
(Cumberland)
10. NEED (Dare)
11. OEM/CNG Vehicle Program
(Forsyth)
12. Public School Energy Improvement
(Lee)
13. Rebuild America (Cleveland)
14. Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester
(Duplin)
15. Wind Energy in North Carolina
(Swain)
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A Selected List of
State Energy Office Programs
The State Energy Office Serves Each
North Carolina County
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