Thursday October 20th at 12:30, Port Townsend Yacht Club, 2503 Washington Ave, Port Townsend.
Dick Wanderscheid, Vice President, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Portland Oregon
In recent months the Jefferson County Energy Lunch Program has moved from outside direction and large amounts of volunteer support to a primary energy program of a new local for-profit energy development organization, the Jefferson County Energy LLC, or “ELLC”. Being built by longtime backers of Energy Lunch programming, the new ELLC organization is pursuing local energy development activities in solar energy, wind energy, EV use, ammonia (NH3) fuels, and public works in energy as well as acting to introduce a general energy planning process for Jefferson County residents, businesses and public agencies.
A core strategy of ELLC energy development activities – creating local prosperity – was provided last year by a Key Speaker from Wildpoldsried Germany, a small Bavarian municipality that is generating significant amounts of income from the collection, use and export (to other German markets) of its available renewable energy. Wildpoldsried’s local energy development strategy is now being emulated by many dozens of other local communities throughout Germany.
It makes sense. The renewable energy in local sun, wind and water (SW2 Energy) leads directly to the Key Speaker presentation for October that will be delivered by an officer of one of the most experienced renewable energy development organizations in the country – one that has provided Energy Lunch programming before in February 2011 on “Local Energy Projects in Renewables”.
The Key Speaker in October is Dick Wanderscheid, Vice President for Renewable Energy Programs at the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) in Portland Oregon. Since 2011 BEF has dramatically extended its territorial reach from the Pacific Northwest to many other U.S. states and the scope of BEF’s operation has grown to include community-based renewable energy projects in general (both solar and wind), water resource management, and an expanded portfolio of renewable energy certificates (RECs) where a single trade-able REC equates to the “non-power environmental attributes of 1 MWh of renewable energy,” carbon credits or “offsets” where a single trade-able carbon offset equates to “a metric ton of CO2 kept from the atmosphere,” and water restoration certificates (WRCs) where a single WRC equates to “1,000 gallons of water restored…to critically dewatered ecosystems.”
Mr Wanderscheid’s presentation will cover i) BEF support to businesses and utilities interested in developing small renewable energy projects, ii) BEF support to the development of larger community renewable energy projects where many parties invest in the resulting electric power &/or the financial returns; iii) BEF Solarize programs for group purchase of solar modules and related equipment that drive down the capital costs; and iv) grants and contributions from major funders like BPA, Coca-Cola, and the Bullitt Foundation that allow BEF to provide funding to project partners in renewable energy development and other BEF programs.
The Key Speaker presentation this month will be of interest and value to all those in Jefferson County who seek to increase the rate at which local renewable SW2 Energy is developed for reasons of local prosperity, decarbonization, &/or energy resilience.
The Jefferson County Energy Lunch Program is an activity of the new Jefferson County Energy LLC and is sponsored by Sunshine Propane, Alaska Power & Telephone Company, Huber’s Inn, Port Townsend Media, Power Trip Energy and the Port of Port Townsend.
