Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Mayor Mallory and Park Board Unveil Solar and Wind Energy Project

Posted by Media Release

Renewable energy will help power Parks Administration Building

Eden Park - Mayor Mark Mallory, Director of the Parks Department Willie Carden, and representatives of Duke Energy today unveiled the Solar and Wind Energy Project.  The pilot project is part of the Cincinnati Green Initiative that the Mayor announced in his first State of the City Address. The project will install solar panels and a wind turbine to generate electricity to power the Parks Board Administration Building.

"This innovative project takes our commitment to a Green Cincinnati to the next level,” Mayor Mallory said.  “By using renewable energy to help power our city buildings, we can save money on energy costs and make our city more environmentally friendly.”

The Parks Solar and Wind Energy Project is a pilot project designed to use renewable energy to help provide power to the Park Board Administration Building.  The pilot project will demonstrate the effectiveness of using renewable energy to power city buildings.  The results of the project will be used to explore potential expansion of the use of renewable energy to power other city buildings. 

The solar panels and the wind turbine are being installed near the Park Building by Third Sun Solar and Wind Power from Athens, Ohio.  Duke Energy donated the solar panels for the project, valued at $45,000.  The Parks Foundation also secured a $60,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development Office of Energy Efficiency.

“The Park Board is committed to the efficient delivery of basic city services, and this solar &wind power project generates utility cost savings to the taxpayers of Cincinnati,” Willie Carden, Director of the Parks Department, said.  “The Parks Board appreciates the opportunity provided by the Mayor’s Green Initiative to implement this and other green projects in parks.”

Bill Spratley, the Executive Director of Green Energy Ohio also attended the press conference to offer support for the Cincinnati Green Initiative. Green Energy Ohio is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmentally and economically sustainable energy policies and practices in Ohio.

Socializer!

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says:
12 Dec 2006  at  06:15 pm | #

I think this is a fantastic idea!

says:
12 Dec 2006  at  09:21 pm | #

This touches on the subject of “peak oil,” a problem we’ll be facing soon.  We need to recognize that oil is a finite resource, that China’s and India’s economies are booming and using ever more oil, that most of the current oil fields are at or past their peak production, and that the most promising fields are in troubled areas of the world.

Cincinnati needs to start some planning now, and the plan needs to be more than to just raise taxes to pay for the city’s increased energy bills.  I remember one councilman, while running for re-election, said that people will start moving back to the city when the price of gasoline gets high enough.  That’s not much of a plan, either.

A few cities have started thinking about it. My favorite websites on the subject are Association for the Study of Peak Oil, Oil Depletion and Analysis Center, and Policy Pete, who is something of a free-lancer.  The first and last websites look like they are run by engineers; the second one has a large collection of articles on the subject of peak oil.

As with some other things, the actual information needed for an accurate analysis is kept under close wraps by various governments around the world.  One does the best one can with the information that is available.  The beginning of the “crunch” is estimated to be in a very few years.  Critics say that because the actual information is kept secret, we hoi polloi don’t need to worry about it, that something will surely turn up in time.  Yeah, right.

Joe's Momma says:
12 Dec 2006  at  09:54 pm | #

So how much does it save the city in power costs?

Nate Livingston says:
12 Dec 2006  at  10:22 pm | #

So do I!

says:
13 Dec 2006  at  06:57 am | #

Nate, I am glad we agree on this one!

Joe’s Momma, Once the equipment is paid for they produce free energy, right?

says:
13 Dec 2006  at  07:40 am | #

Dean,
http://www.greenenergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageId=3
is the website for Green Energy Ohio. Their’s is one of the most innovative combatants in the realm of alternative energies. Sprately is encyclopedic in his sharing of the alternatives we have to oil. We should not forget the efforts of Gerald Checco who works with the Parks Board (see Board of Directors of GEO here http://www.greenenergyohio.org/page.cfm?pageID=564)

Perhaps an added dimension to the 2007 Invest In Neighborhoods meeting offerings could be a display/presentations of what Green Energy Ohio and Hamilton County could do in tandem for more energy efficient buildings both public and private?

Bearman says:
13 Dec 2006  at  08:19 am | #

There are still maintenance costs and insurance costs.  ROI is currently estimated to be between 15-20 years for wind energy solutions.

However as the cost of traditional energy continues to rise greater than the rate of inflation and as more and better solar cells are created, the costs of this energy should continue to fall.

This is where I tend to have the biggest issues with the approach of the “Greens”.  There are benefits beyond “its the right thing to do” that are rarely in the arguments I see from them for doing something.  There are actual cost benefits and when you talk about those, the “big bad companies” are more prone to listen.

anon says:
13 Dec 2006  at  10:57 am | #

Once we pay for the equipment we will get free energy, right? Unless we create the (Not for Profit) Cincinnati Alternative Empowerment Corporation. Then we can lease the assets to them and they can charge us for the use of the equipment and set policy about when we can use the lights. Of course we can retain ownership and provide all maintenance and operational costs.

Shouldn’t cost more than a couple million in tax dollars and will attract multiples of that amount in private investment. I’ll bet we can get the financing from Fifth/Third and probably the CEO of DUKE Energy will be civic minded enough to lead the project.

Joe's Momma says:
13 Dec 2006  at  04:48 pm | #

Yes it does become free energy, but overall how much does that one building cost a year to power… that is the question.

It didn’t seem like that difficult of a question.

says:
15 Dec 2006  at  08:51 pm | #

It’s a great program and I hpe the green party releaized that you actually have to have an ELECTED official to do things like this.

But I am sure the greens are happy with making points, and bringing up arguments and in general not much else.

Observer says:
16 Dec 2006  at  12:19 pm | #

Yossarian, they ran a candidate for Governor, but he didn’t take all that money from King Coal like Ted Strickland did. I guess it pays to sell out.

I think they are happy with making points, bringing up arguments and taking a principled stand on the issues. You’re happy voting for Republicans with a D in front of their names and doing nothing but launching personal attacks and useless drivel.