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Concerned Citizens of Platte County, Inc. (CCPC)

December 2008 Newsletter

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In this issue



Greetings!


Lots of good news this month - power demand dropping because we are all becoming more energy conscious, EPA ruling that CO2 is a pollutant (duh!) and must be regulated, and the first ever battery to store wind power being installed in the US.

One story is pretty disturbing - The Kansas City Kansas Board of Public Utilities is being fined for not upgrading pollution controls on their old power plants. Now ratepayers will see dramatic rate increases to pay for the upgrades that should have been done long ago.

As many of you know, I sell wind and solar power systems. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked "Why is renewable energy so expensive?" Well, first of all, renewables receive only 4% of the federal subsidies that fossil fuels receive. Second, our electric rates have been kept artificially low because BPU isn't the only utility that has avoided required pollution updates. Renewables aren't expensive - it just isn't a level playing field - yet!

Susan


Power demand drops - surprises utility industry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Increasing demand for power has been like the sun setting in the west - until now. Utilities across the country are seeing a drop in demand and they think it may not just be the economy. Consumers seem to being taking energy efficiency seriously. This will have an interesting impact on plans for new generation - conventional and renewable.


EPA Finally Rules that CO2 from Coal Plants must be regulated ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This means new and proposed plants must go back and address their carbon emissions. The decision follows a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that Carbon counts as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.


Utility installing batteries to store renewable power ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The trouble with electricity is that you can't store it. Utilities just run their coal plants 24/7 to get around that problem, but with wind it has been trickier. Xcel Energy and the state of Minnesota plan to test the first sodium-sulfur battery to store wind energy in the US this spring. Could quiet the reliability complaints about wind from critics.


BPU in big trouble ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EPA is fining BPU (Kansas City, KS power supplier) $25,000 a day for failing to update pollution controls after major upgrades to their aging power plants. Ratepayers will now have to pay for the fines and the environmental improvements. Karen Dillon at the KC Star did a great job uncovering this misdeed.


Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone: 816-450-8948





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