Around the Arch Blog

You can see the PowerPoint that was given to the Reno City Council in support of the energy projects. It includes summary of work, costs, and environemntal benefits.

City of Reno Energy Initative 2009

The following link will give you a one page summary on the City of Reno Energy Projects as approved by the Reno City Council on September 23, 2009, including costs and environmental benefits.

City of Reno Energy Projects

Big news for those of us that care about the environment, which should include everyone since we all share this planet.

Thanks to the Reno City Council appproval, dozens of projects will be underway that will create jobs, reduce the City’s energy use, and move towards more renewable forms of energy, without using money from the City’s general fund. I say that’s a positive!

So how can this be that money from taxpayers isn’t going to be used? Good question. Funding comes from rebates, federal grants, and bonds paid by energy savings.  The projects provide many environmental benefits plus help in getting Reno recognized as a city “going green.” I must say I always love when my city is positively recognized.  

Ok, so here are some details that will explain the specifics:

The Reno City Council approved a contract with APS Energy Services that provides for furnishing and installing improvements to achieve energy savings. Financing for the projects will be through guaranteed energy savings, Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREB’s), Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG), Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECB), Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds (RZED), NV Energy Solar Generations Rebate, and NV Energy SureBet Rebates.

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Ok, so I’m not an expert in “green” things but I like to think that I’m doing my best to be more educated in bettering the environment. By improving my knowledge, I really try to take special note of local happenings, global improvements, and learning from experts. One person I always refer to and ask a zillion questions is Jason Geddes. Jason is our Environmental Services Administrator for the City of Reno. He literally is the “green” guru in our area amongst many other things he does for our community. Jason does a great job of explaining things to me or as I refer to it as “dumbing it down for me.” Last week when the Reno City Council approved an energy audit and contract to install energy efficient projects, I immediately went to him to better understand what it meant. After some explanation, I realized just how great this step was for the community. By the Reno City Council approving the contract and audit, the City of Reno is now able to move forward with spending federal stimulus monies.

The energy audit that was performed by APS Energy Services recommended numerous renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The recommended projects are gong to be completed for Phase I while Phase II projects will be present to City Council in late summer or fall. The projects that were included in Phase I were chosen due to the projects having a short payback timeframe or an operational need.

The Phase I projects include energy efficiency lighting projects at the Downtown Parking Gallery, Reno Arch, Vaughn Middle School ball field, and RPD Evidence Locker; energy efficiency air handling improvements at Fire Station 7; renewable wind installations at City Hall, Rosewood Lakes, Stead Wastewater Treatment Facility, and Downtown Parking Gallery.

Phase I includes solar and wind projects eligible for low interest financing through Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) as well as SolarGenerations and WindGenerations rebates sponsored by NV Energy. Funding is also available through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG) administered through the US Department of Energy. Annual energy savings from the approved projects will be used to satisfy the City’s obligation on the CREBs. The City of Reno is the first city to issue and use CREBs in Nevada. Yes, you read that right – the first!

The total cost for energy efficiency projects is $4,059,051. The 15 year debt service will be paid through annual energy savings. How great is that?

At the May 13 Reno City Council meeting the Council gave final approval to authorize issuance of Clean & Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBS). The CREBs were authorized to support installation of solar photovoltaic projects at City of Reno sites in support of the Green Council Priority. The CREBs are a 15 year, zero interest loan that will be used to finance the projects. Annual bond payments are made through a combination of energy savings and energy generated from the solar photovoltaic systems. The City of Reno will be the first municipality in northern Nevada to utilize CREBs.

As part of the City of Reno Green Priority, the City has installed a 50kW PV array at the Corporation Yard in December of 2008. You can see how the system is performing and the energy it is generating  as well as the offset in CO2 emissions by following this link. The 50kW array was paid for through a combination of an NV Energy SolarGenerations rebate and a general fund approriation.

The City is looking to add an addtional 210kW of PV this year. A 30kW array will be placed on the Downtown Parking Gallery to serve its tenants and the tenants of the West Street Market. A 180kW array will also be added to the Downtown Events Center.  These systems will be paid for through a combination of NV Energy SolarGenerations rebates, stimulus funding, and Clean & Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs). CREBs are a zero interest, 12-16 year loan that is provided to local governments to install renewable energy systems.

In support of the City of Reno Green Priority, the City has hired APS Energy Services to prepare a comprehensive energy audit for the City. The energy audit was approved by Council in August of 2008 and is scheduled to be completed in July of 2009. The audit has identified numerous energy conservation measures for City facilities that will lead to 20% reduction in energy use. The first phase of projects will be presented to Council in late May and includes lighting retrofits, boiler replacements, digital control systems, solar photovoltaic systems and wind turbine systems.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appropriated $2,142,000 in Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant monies to the City of Reno. The City had been working on an energy audit of all parks and buildings since August of 2008 and had identified tens of millions of dollars of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Reno City Council gave direction to use stimulus funds to support these projects including energy retrofits of City Hall, a lighting retrofit of the Reno Arch and installation of solar photovoltaic systems and wind turbines on city properties.