Michael Winkler's Position Papers

Solar and Sustainable Energy Plan for the City of Arcata

Energy is a large expense for individuals and businesses in Arcata and is a significant drain of money out of our community. Money unnecessarily spent on energy is money that is not available to meet other community needs.

The California energy crisis and spike in natural gas prices in 2001 and the spike in gasoline prices in 2004 are indications of how disruptive increases in energy prices and supply shortages can be.

In the future, energy is going to be an increasing issue as supplies dwindle, become more erratic and increasingly come from unstable regions such as Iraq.

We in Arcata have the expertise and vision to create a local energy economy that

Protects our environment
Is buffered from sudden changes in price and supply
Keeps money in our community

To help create a sustainable energy economy I propose the City of Arcata do following:

1. Arcata/Humboldt County Energy Independence

Working with Humboldt County, create plan so that by 2055 all energy used in Arcata is produced from renewable sources in the county

2. Energy Committee

The City of Arcata Energy Committee has made valuable contributions in promoting sustainable energy use in Arcata.

Increasingly use expertise of committee members in making energy related decisions

3. Solar Electricity

Actively promote residential and commercial solar electric systems
Create expedited process for permits for solar electric systems
Create fact sheet on small photovoltaic systems and available rebates and incentives

4. Solar Water Heating

Actively promote residential and commercial solar hot water systems
Create expedited process for permits for solar hot water systems
Create fact sheet on solar hot water systems

5. Passive Solar

Create fact sheet on passive solar space heating
Require projects approved by the City have building orientation that maximizes solar gain
Require projects that use City funds include passive solar features

6. Space Heating (conservation)

Work with RCEA and PG&E to redirect public benefits charges on PG&E bills to local energy auditing and weatherization programs
Work with RCEA, RCAA and PG&E to offer energy audits to all homes and businesses in Arcata
Implement weatherization program to decrease energy use for space heating
Make energy audits and weatherization mandatory for housing that receives City funding
Investigate Residential and Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinances (RECO and SECO) (www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/ dbi/downloads/aprog/90-RESIDENTIAL_CONSERV_ORD.pdf )

7. Space Heating (efficiency)

Create fact sheet on furnaces and show comparisons of first cost, lifecycle costs and net GHG emissions for furnaces of various efficiencies
Require any new furnaces in buildings that receives City funding have minimum efficiency of 90%

8. Water Heating

Create fact sheet on water heating and show comparisons of first cost, lifecycle costs and net GHG emissions for various water heating options
Promote water heating options with lowest environmental impacts

9. Lighting

Create fact sheet on lighting and show comparisons of first cost, lifecycle costs and net GHG emissions for various lighting options and retrofits
Recommend businesses that use halogen bulbs buy high-efficiency halogens rather than standard efficiency halogens
Recommend citizens buy fluorescent rather halogen torchieres
Create program with local lighting suppliers to trade-in halogen torchieres for fluorescent torchieres

10. Wood Energy (electricity)

Wood waste is a major fuel source for electricity produced in Humboldt County. Existing wood waste power plants are capable of meeting more than 50% of peak electric demand in Humboldt County. Additional wood waste exists to support a large increase in electricity generation in Humboldt County. When properly operated, wood waste power plants have low emissions, much lower than residential wood burning. Electricity generation of wood waste from properly managed forests does not produce a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. New technology exists to produce electricity from wood waste at high efficiency.

Buy significant fraction of City government's electricity from local wood-burning power plants and make this option available to citizens of Arcata
Support expansion in capacity and number of wood waste power plants in Humboldt County
Support introduction of high efficiency wood waste electricity generation

11. Wood Energy (residential)

Create fact sheet on residential wood burning and show relative emissions from various types of fireplaces and wood stoves
Create fact sheet on health impacts of residential wood burning (http://www.webcom.com/~bi/welcome.html)
Require all new wood-burning appliances installed in Arcata be EPA certified

12. Geothermal Energy

During the summer the earth absorbs heat from the sun and the air. At any time of year, but especially in winter, this heat can be extracted for space heating or water heating using a device called a "geothermal heat pump". On an annual basis this is the most efficient form of heating that is commercially available and has the lowest overall environmental impact. There are now approximately 500,000 geothermal heat pumps in the USA. It is how I heat my home.

Create fact sheet on geothermal heat pumps
Promote geothermal heat pumps

13. Biodiesel

Create fact sheet on biodiesel
For citizens who choose to use biodiesel, encourage biodiesel from used vegetable oil and discourage biodiesel from new vegetable oil
Inform citizens of regulations and restrictions on production of biodiesel in Arcata

14. Biomass Energy (other than wood)

Buy new electric generator to run on methane from the Arcata waste treatment plant
Work with local dairies and cattle ranchers to promote manure methane electricity generation
Investigate landscaping waste and crop waste as power plant fuels
Don't support mass-burn municipal solid waste incinerators (so-called, "waste to energy" plants)

15. Wind Electricity

Do updated survey of local wind resources
Promote residential and commercial wind energy generation

16. Ocean Energy (waves, tides, ocean currents)

Stay informed about developments in ocean energy

17. Hydrogen Fuel Cells

A fuel cell is a device that converts energy in a fuel into electricity without combustion in a very high efficiency, low pollution process. Fuel cells are now commercially manufactured in small volumes. They are not currently cost effective in most applications, but with further development are likely to become an important energy technology for our society. It is technology that we work on at Schatz Energy Research Center.

Create fact sheet on fuel cells explaining their operation and their energy efficiency and environmental benefits
Look for applications in City operations where fuel cells are appropriate

18. Community Choice Aggregation (AB117)

Create aggregation that allows citizens to buy energy from sources that meet our community's needs and values (San Francisco has an aggregation, http://www.local.org) Creating a municipal utility is not feasible under state law at this time.