CHIP and AFV Additional Recipients Announced

We're a bit behind, but in case you missed it, we wanted to post the press release announcing that 16 additional organizations were awarded CHIP (Conserving Hoosier Industrial Power) and AFV (Alternative Fuel Vehicle) grants.  Joining these 16 recipients are Bell Aquaculture, MD Logistics, Ryobi Die Casting, Republic Services of Indiana, and City of Seymour.  Congratulations to all!

-----

Additional Funding for Energy Efficiency and Alternative Fuel Improvements
16 Companies Awarded Conserving Hoosier Industrial Power and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Grants In Second Round

(Indianapolis) – Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has announced 16 additional awards for two energy related grant programs.  $4.6 million in grants will be divided between the Conserving Hoosier Industrial Power (CHIP) grant program and the Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFV) program. Both grant programs use federal funds administered through the Indiana Office of Energy Development.

Two companies will be retrofitting commercial vehicles to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for an annual savings of over 364,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Fourteen other companies will become more energy efficient using a variety of initiatives including new lighting, variable frequency drives, boiler and HVAC upgrades, and energy management systems.  The companies are:

	AFV Grants
Company	Location	Grant
Vectra (Bestway Express)	Vincennes	$344,000
Veolia ES Solid Waste Midwest	Evansville	$500,000
	CHIP Grants
Company	Location	Grant
Analytical Engineering	Columbus	$246,337
Baker & Taylor	Indianapolis	$221,036
Beach Mold & Tool	New Albany	$360,808
Creative Liquid Coatings	Kendallville	$368,533
CTB	Milford	$500,000
Haas Cabinet	Sellersburg	$166,500
Haynes International	Kokomo	$234,381
Horlander Enterprises	Jeffersonville	$266,875
IF & P Foods	Indianapolis	$191,158
Kennametal	New Albany	$100,343
Paperworks	Wabash	$331,211
Premier Ethanol	Portland	$232,029
Sony DADC	Terre Haute	$373,650
Valbruna Slater Stainless	Fort Wayne	$180,000

“There is so much that can be done to increase energy efficiency and reduce the use of foreign oil in our commercial and industrial sector,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman.  “I am confident these two programs will help Hoosier companies be part of our energy solution.”

The initial round of funding for the AFV and CHIP programs was announced last month. Five companies shared $1.2 million in the first round. These five companies include MD Logistics, Bell Aquaculture, Ryobi Die Casting, Republic Services of Indiana, Indianapolis Yellow Cab, and the City of Seymour.

The AFV grant was open to on-road fleet operations in Indiana. There were a number of criteria that had to be met as part of the AFV grant, including   demonstrating measurable improvements in fuel efficiency, a reduction in fuel demand, and a reduction in fuel costs.  Also as part of the AFV grant process, applicants had to work with at least one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities organizations in the state.  There are two Clean Cities organizations in Indiana: the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition and South Shores Clean Cities.  The projects must be completed by January 31, 2012.

The CHIP Program projects must be located in Indiana, and demonstrate measurable improvements in energy efficiency, result in a reduction in energy demand, or implement an energy recycling process. In the first round of CHIP funding in 2010-11, 11 companies divided $2.2 million for energy efficiency projects upgrades or retrofits.

Both rounds of the AFV and CHIP grants were funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA). 

###

 

North Vernon WWTP Visit

We certainly love our waste water treatment facilities!  Those facilities, as you can probably imagine, use a tremendous amount of energy and are expensive to maintain and upgrade.  Given that, we were happy to award the City of North Vernon an energy efficiency grant to upgrade its waste water treatment plant.

The treatment plant was running on pumps from 1978 -- which were obviously inefficient and outdated.  Using grant funds, the city replaced the pumps with new impellers.  The impellers reduce the risk of clogging, have a self-cleaning design which leads to less blockages, have an internal closed loop cooling system, and have improved seals.  Bottom line?  These require less maintenance and save on operating costs.

The city also replaced their existing 75hp blowers with new energy efficient blowers and also installed VFDs (variable frequency drives) on two existing 100hp motors and two existing 40hp blowers.

It's estimated these improvements will save the city (well, really, the taxpayers) $26,000 a year!

North Vernon received an Energy Efficiency for Wastewater Tretament (EEWT) grant from the Indiana Office of Energy Development.  The EEWT program was funded using federal State Energy Program (SEP) dollars administered by OED.

Today we announced that fifteen schools have been chosen to participate in our Energy Action in Schools program.  Each school will form an Energy Action Patrol, which is comprised of students, teachers, administrators, and facilities managers, to find ways to conserve energy in their school buildings.

Please join us in congratulating the following schools:

• Chrisney Elementary School, Spencer County
• Clark Pleasant Intermediate School, Johnson County
• Clifty Creek Elementary School, Bartholomew County
• Eads Elementary School, Lake County
• Fishers High School, Hamilton County
• Fishers Junior High School, Hamilton County
• Hope Elementary School, Bartholomew County
• Heritage Hills Middle School, Spencer County
• Indian Creek High School, Johnson County
• L.C. Schmitt Elementary School, Bartholomew County
• Richmond High School, Wayne County
• Scottsburg High School, Scott County
• Seymour High School, Jackson County
• Shelbyville High School, Shelby County
• Winamac Community High School, Pulaski County

The Energy Action in Schools program is provided by the National Energy Foundation (NEF) with federal State Energy Plan (SEP) funds administered by the Indiana Office of Energy Development (that'd be us).  Duke Energy has also provided financial support for the program.

New grant opportunity

In case you missed it, we announced that we have re-opened the Conserving Hoosier Industrial Power (CHIP) program.  CHIP is a competitive grant program, with applications accepted through August 25th through September 23rd.  Eligible projects include lighting, lighting controls/sensors, chillers, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, insulation, windows, doors, energy management systems/controls, energy efficient compressed air, pumps, and motors.

If you're interested, head on over to our website - energy.in.gov - to read the program guidelines and to start the application.

Any questions?  Give Megan a call at 317-232-8939.

CHIP is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Energy Action in Schools re-opens

We've opened another new program - for schools this time - so be sure to check out the press release below if you're interested!  Head on over to OED's website for more info.

-----

Energy Education Program Available For Indiana Schools
Energy Action In Schools Program to Launch New Initiative

(Indianapolis) – Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has announced that Energy Patrols will once again be scouring some Hoosier schools looking for ways to save energy.  It’s part of the Energy Action In Schools program where students and school administrators work together to reduce energy costs in their buildings, while learning about energy efficiency.  The Energy Action in Schools program provides funding and training for the schools that take part, as well as assisting the schools in energy use behavioral audits twice during the school year.

“This program has a double impact,” says Lt. Governor Becky Skillman.  “Schools may find ways to reduce their energy usage and therefore their costs.  Students participating are taking an active role in the energy usage of their schools, while learning efficiency lessons they can use for the rest of their lives.”

The Energy Action in Schools program is provided by the National Energy Foundation (NEF) with federal funds administered by the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED).  Duke Energy has also provided financial support for the program.  Schools wishing to participate in the program must apply online through the OED Web site.  The application will be open until September 23.

Schools that participate in the program will receive training for facilities managers/energy managers at selected schools on how to provide behavior training as well as education programs to support energy management efforts in schools.  They will also receive Energy Patrol modules for classroom instruction. These patrols, made up of students with teacher support, will monitor energy usage in their school building and make recommendations on how to save energy.  The schools will also have a behavioral audit performed twice a year, including assistance with tracking energy savings from their behavior modification efforts. 

During the 2010-2011 school year, 21 schools to part in the Energy Action In Schools program, which launched in 2009 with a pilot program.

###

INTAC 697 Visit Wrap-Up

A few months ago, Patrick, OED's program manager for renewables, headed up to Lake County take part in INTAC 697's unveiling of a new training center in Merrillville.  INTAC 697 was awarded a $73,500 Alternative Power & Energy (APE) grant from OED, so we wanted to make sure to share with you how the funds were spent.

This training center is a joint project of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 697 and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).  This facility is a 42,000 square foot green educational facility that is aiming for a LEED Gold designation (what a great accomplishment!).

OED's grant partially funded two solar PV array consisting of 48 American-made Sharp 224 watt solar modules total.  Both arrays were mounted to an American-made silverback mounting structure from regionally-produced American steel.  During construction, INTAC was able to use power from the solar arrays to provide electricity to the construction site.

Photo courtesy of Tracy Hall

Photo courtesy of Tracy Hall

A unique part of this project was that the group took a hands-on approach to installation.  Seasoned journeymen and apprentice electricians attended several photovoltaic systems training classes.  These arrays not only gave those journeymen and electricians a great educational opportunity, but the arrays will be utilized to train future generations of electricians -- in their own training facility.

Although their other work isn't tied to OED's grant, other projects included:

• LED lighting
• Plug-ins for electric vehicles
• Glass-enclosed electrical and technology service rooms in the main lobby, with video displays to monitor building performance, including solar power output
• Storm water filtration and collection system
• Low VOC paints, caulks, adhesives
• Increased natural light
• White roof design
• High efficiency boiler

As if they haven't done quite a bit thus far, next up on their agenda is a wind turbine, more solar panels, and a green roof.

Next time you head up to northwest Indiana, make sure you look out for this facility!

And -- many thanks to all the folks with INTAC 697 for a job well done.

INTAC 697 was a recipient of Alternative Power & Energy (APE) funds from the Indiana Office of Energy Development.  The APE program is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program (SEP).

Bart Villa visit

A few weeks ago, Patrick, one of OED's program managers, took a visit to Bart Villa Apartments in Bloomington, as the organization was a recipient of grant funds from our Solar Thermal Grant program.

These units were built in the 1960s.  The boiler system was installed at the same time and was obviously inefficient, using excessive amounts of natural gas each month.  Bart Villa's solar thermal system, which was funded by this program, is backed up by a high efficiency boiler.  The new system provides hot water to nineteen apartments in the complex.  Energy from the sun is fed into the complex's 360 gallon water system.  Up to 70% of the hot water load for this unit of apartments is provided by the new system.  It is estimated that the complex will save 120 tons of fossil fuel emissions and at least $4,000 in the first year alone.

Bart Villa Apartments received a 2010 Solar Thermal Grant, which is a part of the State Energy Program (SEP).  SEP is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and administered through the Indiana Office of Energy Development.

Energy on the Farm

Curt Silvey’s story is a special one, though most of the farmers out there (and we know that means a lot of you here in the state), can probably relate.  As a third-generation family farmer in Kokomo, Silvey has been responsible for more than 1,000 acres of land since the early 1980s.

Like most farmers, Silvey faces the obstacle of an inconsistent cash flow, so he had to be innovative in finding a way to maintain both fiscal efficiency as well as energy efficiency.  His solution: using grant money to fund a 3.22 kW ground-mounted solar array system.  Viewing the solar panels as a means of banking energy from an abundant energy source in the summer, the sun, Silvey knew this saved-up energy could help soften the blow from large electric bills in the fall when grain dryers are running. 

And he was right.  The installation was completed in 2010 and since that time, Silvey has reaped -- no pun intended -- energy savings benefits of 6,000 kWh and $650.  It is projected that on average, savings will amount to 4,808 kWh annually.

Many thanks to Curt for a job well done!

The Curt Silvey Farm is a recipient of Alternative Power & Energy (APE) funds, a sub-program of the State Energy Program.  SEP is administered through the Indiana Office of Energy Development and funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.

Batesville WWTP

Occasionally, OED's staff gets to visit wastewater treatment facilities.  It's not nearly as exciting as a wind farm, but water and wastewater treatment facilities consume quite a bit of energy.  So when we have the chance to help out, we do.

Batesville was the recipient of a 2010 grant from OED under our Energy Efficiency for Wastewater Treatment Facilities.   Seven of the city's motors had been operating for nearly thirty years, so an upgrade was long overdue!

These seven motors were replaced with newer, high efficiency motors, four of which are aerator motors and three of which are lift station motors.  Electricity consumption dropped significantly with the installation of these motors, decreasing by 12%.  Coupled with the 24% of process energy already saved by the plant through implementation of strategies such as sleep modes, the city is saving quite a bit of money.

The City of Batesville was a recipient of EEWT grant funds, a sub-program of the State Energy Program, administered by the Indiana Office of Energy Development through the U.S. Department of Energy.

OED's Bloomingfoods Visit

The next time you're in Bloomington, make sure to swing by Bloomingfoods to take a look around.  Bloomingfoods is a repeat grant recipient of OED's.  Last year, they installed a 4.4 kW photovoltaic solar array, and this year, they used a Solar Thermal Grant from OED to install a solar thermal drain-back system for heating the store's domestic water supply.  (These are at separate locations, by the way.)

Five solar panels were installed in a location on the roof of the store ensure no obstruction to sunlight access, again maximizing efficiency.  With 60-70% of the hot water load for the grocery store being provided by this drain-back system, it is expected that there will be a $1,400 saved in the first year alone.

Due to its freezing and overheating prevention, the drain-back system was a great choice for replacing Bloomingfoods's older, 100-gallon commercial water heater.  Hot water is needed for in-store cleaning, food production, and other services throughout the store.  Whether or not they know it, this system is a great help and asset for the 8,300 member owners and the 1,000+ people who walk in the door!

Many thanks to the great folks at Bloomingfoods for a job well done.  We look forward to seeing what else is in store in the future!

Bloomingfoods was a 2010 recipient of a Solar Thermal Grant from the Indiana Office of Energy Development.  This program is funded through the State Energy Program by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Highlighting American Pellet Supply

From time to time, we like to take the time to highlight our grant recipients and the good work they're doing around the Hoosier State.  A few weeks ago, one of OED's project officers from the U.S. Department of Energy was in the state, so it gave us a great excuse to stretch our legs and venture outside of the city for a bit.

One day, we headed down to Carlisle, which is about forty-five minutes south of Terre Haute, to visit American Pellet Supply, one of the recipients of State Energy Program (SEP) dollars.  American Pellet Supply takes paper, cardboard, corn stover, and crop wastes and develops bio-heat pellets, briquettes, bio-landscape and bio-animal bedding, and bio-pet litter.  It's a small facility (for now!), but this company has a developed a pretty interesting product and has a wide variety of options available for the future.

Here's a picture we snapped of the pellets created out of recycled materials:

If you'd like more info, please head on over to American Pellet Supply's website or give them a call.