Alternative energy possibilities have captured residents’ imagination in Cape Elizabeth, where efforts by both the town and high school are slowly moving forward.//OR SOME SUCH LEDE//

The Alternative Energy Committee is examing a variety of alternative energy sources and their potential uses in Cape Elizabeth. Solar power is at the forefront of the high school’s plans, while wind power is the current focus of the Ordinance Committee.

On the agenda of the most recent meeting of Cape’s Alternative Energy Committee was talk about signing on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce the town’s carbon dioxide emissions by 7 percent over the next five years. Belfast, Biddeford, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Portland, Saco, Yarmouth, Kittery and South Portland have all signed onto the agreement to lower their carbon emissions.

Committee members discussed how surrounding towns and institutions in Maine have capitalized on alternative energy sources, citing Scarborough’s operation of police and public works vehicles that run on natural gas and propane. The committee also referenced University of Southern Maine and Bowdoin College’s use of geothermal energy to power their conference centers and museums.

The committee will collect detailed information on the cost effectiveness of alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power, and will present its findings to the Town Council by December.

“We have to consider how the town can deploy various strategies to reduce energy use without raising taxes,” said Bill Slack, committee chairman.

“We should also factor in growth over time in whatever study we undertake,” said Ernie MacVane, facilities manager for the town of Cape Elizabeth. MacVane cited the example of a potential increase in the number of computers at the high school, which would contribute to the town’s total energy demand.

“Fortunately, we have an amazing amount of data that other towns don’t have, thanks to Ernie, who’s been collecting information on Cape Elizabeth’s facilities and the town’s energy consumption over the past 10 years,” said committee member Wyman Briggs. “It will be important to review what other towns, states, and countries with climates like ours have or have not done well,” Briggs added.

Solar power in school

Susan Guerette, high school Environmental Club adviser and biology teacher for four years, has been doing her part to bring alternative energy to the school. Guerrette is working with Environmental Club students to raise money to add a $5,000 solar panel system that would be installed on the school’s roof, above the science wing.

Currently the club has accumulated $3,500 through fundraising efforts. The club received a $2,500 grant from the Cape Elizabeth Foundation, and students raised $1,000 in December by selling Sunrise Guides through the Sunrise Project. The club is also continuing to raise money by selling canvas bags at the IGA in Cape Elizabeth, a project that began last year before the solar panel project was approved. Adding to their efforts, the club and Guerrette have also started a recycling program at the high school.

“Every Wednesday students volunteer to gather recyclables from the building, which takes about an hour per floor,” Guerrette said. “We get probably seven bags a week.”

The town now has a single-sorting process so students can put plastic, glass, and paper all in one container.

Phil Coupe, founder and director of energy-consulting company Energyworks in Portland, helps residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations like schools secure the funding they need for alternative energy projects. Guerrette is hoping Energyworks can help Cape Elizabeth build on the solar project already started.

Energyworks is also working with local schools, including Lincoln Middle School in Portland, Yarmouth High School and Gray-New Gloucester High School, to help them build solar panels.

“The return on investment for solar energy is really incredible,” Coupe said. “It’s also the best way to reduce fossil fuel energy costs and CO2 emissions,” Coupe said.

Coupe is trying to help fundraising efforts for Cape Elizabeth through his nonprofit, Smart Energy Now, which focuses on aiding local organizations such as schools receive funding to invest in alternative energy.

“A modest investment would be $5,000. It would take hundreds of thousands to solarize the whole school,” Coupe said. “The goal is not to make the school independent of Central Maine Power, but to raise consciousness with the students about alternative energy, and to empower them to understand what the future is going to look like in terms of the ramifications of our over-reliance on fossil fuel.”

“Cape Elizabeth doesn’t want to be left behind on the cutting edge of renewable energy, it’s just too important to miss,” Coupe said. “My goal is to help Cape Elizabeth schools and Sue Guerrette attract funding to get energy systems that will empower the students.”

Energyworks is working with San Diego-based Fat Spaniel Technologies, to provide schools with solar panel data monitoring systems that allow students to observe and chart their school’s energy use and CO2 offset, and compare their findings with other schools with the same systems. Yarmouth, Gray-New Gloucester, and Lincoln Middle School all plan to incorporate these systems with their panels.

“The goal is to get the idea out there and show the data, so that we have something on the roof that can be used as a teaching tool to show the power of solar to the kids and the community,” Guerrette said.

Coupe has been talking about the solar panel project with Dave Whitten, a member of the Cape’s Alternative Energy Committee. Their goal is to try to secure additional funding that would enable the high school to expand the $5,000 panel project.

In the wind

The Ordinance Committee met last week to review a proposed amendment to zoning laws that would allow for small wind energy systems or turbines in Cape Elizabeth. The amendment has already been approved by the Planning Board and initially approved by the Town Council. The committee decided to investigate the proposal further and seek out more information, by visiting Saco’s Waste Water Treatment facility, which is partially powered by a 33-foot-tall wind turbine.

“Wastewater treatment plants are often the biggest energy consumers in a town,” said Howard Carter, director of the Saco plant. “Our wind turbine isn’t very big, but we set it up as a learning and a PR tool.”

Saco installed the first town-funded wind turbine in the state in the fall of 2006, and is planning to install an even bigger turbine at its new eco-friendly train station this week. The station will run entirely on geothermal and wind power.

“This new wind turbine will produce 90,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year and will save the town $12,600 in yearly energy savings,” said Carter. The cost of the new system is $200,000, and it will be span 124 feet in height. Saco has also budgeted to add a 50 killowatt turbine in at the middle school.

If the Cape Elizabeth Ordinance Committee and Town Council approve the zoning amendment, wind turbines with a maximum capacity of 20 kilowatts will be allowed on residential and non-residential property that meets the 20,000-square-foot minimum area requirement. One plan the town is considering would be to install a small turbine at the Cape’s landfill.

“When people think of windmills, they think about the very large indusrial turbines that are going up, versus the small turbines that we hope to install,” said Warren Roos, a Cape resident who hopes to install a turbine at his residence.

“These turbines are small and quiet,” he said. “George Bush Sr. has one at Walker’s Point. Kennebunk and Wiscasset have permitted small wind energy systems already within the last 12 months.”

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Cape Elizabeth High School and the town’s Ordinance and Alternative Energy Committees are taking steps to bring alternative energy to the town. Solar power is at the forefront of the High School’s plans, while wind power is the focus of the Ordinance Committee’s agenda. While Cape Elizabeth is on the forefront of promoting alternative energy, it’s not the first town in Maine to take steps to fight global warming.

The Cape’s Alternative Energy Committee, established in 2007, met last week and will begin conducting reports on alternative energy sources and their potential use in Cape Elizabeth. The Committee discussed whether to sign on to U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce their town’s carbon dioxide emissions by 7% over the next five years. Belfast, Biddeford, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Portland, Saco, Yarmouth, Kittery, and South Portland have all signed onto the agreement to lower their carbon emissions.

Committee members discussed how surrounding towns and institutions in Maine have capitalized on alternative energy sources, citing Scarborough’s operation of police and public works vehicles that run on natural gas and propane. The committee also referenced University of Southern Maine and Bowdoin College’s use of geothermal energy to power their conference centers and museums.

The Committee will collect detailed information on the cost effectiveness of alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal power, and will present their findings to the Town Council by December 2008. “We have to consider how the town can deploy various strategies to reduce energy use without raising taxes,” said Committee Chairman Bill Slack.

“We should also factor in growth over time in whatever study we undertake,” said Ernie MacVane, facilities manager for the town of Cape Elizabeth. MacVane cited the example of a potential increase in the number of computers at the high school, which would contribute to the town’s total energy demand.

“Fortunately, we have an amazing amount of data that other towns don’t have, thanks to Ernie, who’s been collecting information on Cape Elizabeth’s facilities and the town’s energy consumption over the past 10 years,” said committee member Wyman Briggs. “It will be important to review what other towns, states, and countries with climates like ours have or have not done well,” Briggs added.

Solar power nearing reality

Susan Guerette, High School Environmental Club adviser and biology teacher for four years, has been doing her part to bring alternative energy to the school. Guerrette is working with Environmental Club students to raise money to add a $5,000 solar panel system that would be installed on the school’s roof, above the science wing.

Currently the Club has accumulated $3,500 through fundraising efforts. The Club received a $2,500 grant from the Cape Elizabeth Foundation, and students raised $1,000 in December by selling Sunrise Guides through the Sunrise Project. In order to meet their $5,000 goal, the Club will continue to discuss further fundraising possibilities at their weekly Wednesday afternoon meetings.

The Club is also continuing to raise money by selling canvas bags at the IGA in Cape Elizabeth, a project that began last year before the solar panel project was approved. Adding to their efforts, the Club and Guerrette have also started a recycling program at the high school.

“Every Wednesday students volunteer to gather recyclables from the building, which takes about an hour per floor,” Guerrette said. “We get probably seven bags a week.” The town now has a single-sorting process so students can put plastic, glass, and paper all in one container.

Phil Coupe, founder and director of energy-consulting company Energyworks in Portland, helps residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations like schools secure the funding they need for alternative energy projects.

Guerrette is hoping Energyworks can help Cape Elizabeth build on the solar project they’ve started.

Energyworks is already working with local schools, including Lincoln Middle School in Portland, Yarmouth High School and Gray-New Gloucester High School, to help them build solar panels. These schools were able to apply for grants through the state’s Public Utilities Commission’s Voluntary Renewable Resources Fund, a fund that helps non-profits like schools receive money for alternative energy projects.

“The cost of those school’s solar panel projects will be paid for with a combination of grants from both state and private funding,” Coupe said. Targets for school fundraising would include environmental nonprofit organizations, private residents, and local businesses.

“We could get a bigger solar panel for $20,000, or do even more with $50,000,” Guerrette said. “That kind of money is available if you have the resources and the time to seek it out. I thought some seniors would get involved in grant proposals this year, but they’ve been really busy doing college stuff, and I don’t have the time either.”

“The return on investment for solar energy is really incredible,” Coupe said. “It’s also the best way to reduce fossil fuel energy costs and CO2 emissions,” Coupe said.

“The state is giving out a $2,500 rebate per solar thermal system, and there’s a federal tax credit for 30% or up to $2,000 for every thermal or electric system. So it’s basically a no-brainer,” Coupe said.

Unfortunately, only residents and for-profit organizations can receive state tax credits and rebates for solar systems, so non-profit organizations like schools have to seek funding elsewhere. “But schools can apply for grants, or receive donations from people or businesses who can then receive the tax credits,” said Jen Hatch, office manager at Energyworks.

Coupe is trying to begin fundraising efforts for Cape Elizabeth through his nonprofit, Smart Energy Now, which focuses on helping local non-profits like schools receive funding to invest in alternative energy.

“A modest investment would be $5,000. It would take hundreds of thousands to solarize the whole school,” Coupe said. “The goal is not to make the school independent of Central Maine Power, but to raise consciousness with the students about alternative energy, and to empower them to understand what the future is going to look like in terms of the ramifications of our over-reliance on fossil fuel.”

“Cape Elizabeth doesn’t want to be left behind on the cutting edge of renewable energy, it’s just too important to miss,” Coupe said. “My goal is to help Cape Elizabeth schools and Sue Guerrette attract funding to get energy systems that will empower the students.”

Energyworks is working with San Diego-based Fat Spaniel Technologies, to provide schools with solar panel data monitoring systems that allow students to observe and chart their school’s energy use and CO2 offset, and compare their findings with other schools with the same systems. Yarmouth, Gray-New Gloucester, and Lincoln Middle School all plan to incorporate these systems with their panels.

“The goal is to get the idea out there and show the data, so that we have something on the roof that can be used as a teaching tool to show the power of solar to the kids and the community,” Guerrette said.

Coupe has been talking about the solar panel project with Dave Whitten, a member of the Cape’s Alternative Energy Committee. Their goal is to try to secure additional funding that would enable the high school to expand upon their small $5,000 panel project.

In the wind

The Cape’s Ordinance Committee met last week to review a proposed amendment to zoning laws that would allow for small wind energy systems or turbines in Cape Elizabeth. The amendment has already been approved by the Planning Board and initially approved by the Town Council. The Committee decided to investigate the proposal further and seek out more information, by visiting Saco’s Waste Water Treatment facility that is partially powered by a 33 foot tall wind turbine.

“Waste water treatment plants are often the biggest energy consumers in a town,” said Howard Carter, director of the Saco plant. “Our wind turbine isn’t very big, but we set it up as a learning and a PR tool.”

Saco installed the first town-funded wind turbine in the state in the fall of 2006, and is planning to install an even bigger turbine at its new eco-friendly train station this week. The station will run entirely on geothermal and wind power. “This new wind turbine will produce 90,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year and will save the town $12,600 in yearly energy savings,” said Carter. The cost of the new system is $200,000, and it will be span 124 feet in height. Saco has also budgeted to add a 50 killowatt turbine in at their Middle School.

If the Cape Elizabeth Ordinance Committee and Town Council approve the zoning amendment, wind turbines with a maximum capacity of 20 kilowatts will be allowed on residential and non-residential property that meets the 20,000-square-foot minimum area requirement. One plan the town is considering would be to install a small turbine at the Cape’s landfill.

“When people think of windmills, they think about the very large indusrial turbines that are going up versus the small turbines that we hope to install,” said Warren Roos, a Cape resident who hopes to install a turbine at his residence. “These turbines are small and quiet. George Bush Sr. has one at Walker’s Point. Kennebunk and Wiscasset have permitted small wind energy systems already within the last twelve months.”

Following Cape’s lead, Scarborough is also discussing amending its zoning laws to consider allowing residents to build wind, solar, and wood-fired boiler systems. “The Scarborough Planning Department will be compiling a report to be presented before the Town Council at the end of the month on how we could accomodate alternative energy within the existing zoning laws, without creating problems among neighbors,” said Scarborough Town Manager Ron Owens.