Please remember that this is not official information

At the left, April 3, 2008 Board of Selectmen's meeting contained an item "Building Committee" - three members showed up and reported on current projects.  Alternative Energy Subcommittee Chair. was included in this wrap-up.  Above, center, an experimental project in Spain;  At the right, attorney specializing in alternative energy grantsmanship described where the sub-committee is now (3 companies responding to the initial request for info).  Click here for Weston High School 2008 news;  previously, before there was a faculty advisor, Weston's secret weapon - HOW.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE WESTON BUILDING COMMITTEE
Report on RFP
N E X T    M E E T I N G :  CHANGED ON FRIDAY to Monday, September 22, 2008 at 7:30pm, Commission Room at Town Hall.  Well attended meeting, review of responses to RFP, discussion of next steps and coordination edfforts to make an effective and prudent proposal at a time in the near future.

Read the full text on "Energy Improvement District" legislation from 2007 here:  http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/ACT/PA/2007PA-00242-R00HB-07432-PA.htm

OR go to our special version with sections 21-36 in large type HERE.
Alternative energy needs a boost
The Advocate
Editorial
Article Launched: 07/01/2008 03:00:33 AM EDT

There is little question that the need for renewable energy will only grow in coming years. With energy from traditional sources continuing to get more expensive, on top of the environmental problems caused by burning fossil fuels, the world is looking for other ways to power itself.

And there are technologies out there, albeit none that could step in immediately to replace oil, natural gas and coal. But if this country is to continue to move in that direction and toward a cleaner future, the federal government needs a coherent program of subsidies and a predictable level of assistance. Keeping potential investors guessing is no way to run an energy policy.

That was the message recently to Congress from representatives of General Electric Co., the Connecticut-based international conglomerate that dabbles in virtually every industry imaginable.

GE representatives have said another congressional failure to extend a tax credit for renewable energy projects could put billions of dollars worth of future wind farms in jeopardy. But it's not just the company's bottom-line that faces trouble; it's national energy policy in general.

Despite gaining returns on investment in wind turbine and wind farm deals, GE representatives said alternative technology still needs subsidies to compete, and likely will for the near future. We need to move renewable energy technology past its current fill-in-the-gaps role.

The problem with some renewable sources is they depend on factors outside anyone's control. Wind farms are worthless without wind, and solar panels don't help much on a cloudy day. Battery technology currently is insufficient to simply store up energy to use later. Developing reliable sources that don't depend on the vagaries of the weather will be one of the industry's top challenges in coming years. But it does have sound options to pursue, including biomass, hydro and geothermal power.
 
For now, the cost to get started with alternative energy projects can be substantial. Subsidies often are required to get a project off the ground, and some might take years before they could come close to paying for the initial investment.

But if the market economy indicates where we are heading, subsidies represent a sound investment.

It was reported earlier this year that subsidiary GE Energy Financial Services planned to substantially increasing its investment in renewable energy - by 50 percent, to $6 billion, according to The Associated Press. Alex Urquhart, president and chief executive of the division based in Stamford, termed it "our fastest-growing business."

Despite such good news, though, getting away from a fossil-fuel-dependent society is a multigenerational task, and we cannot afford to miss opportunities to invest in our economic and environmental future.

Students in Weston High School’s Energy Alternatives class include, bottom row, from left, Caroline Shaw, Jack Bucca, Dylan Goldman, Jordan Luft, Alison Germain, Nicole Bertini, Marlee Najamy Winnick; top row, Evan Huang, Joe Sandolo, Erica Palumbo, Mariclaire Fraboni, Mary Ellen Costello, Mark Weinstein, John Murray, Erika Lelievre (adviser).

Alternative energy guide: Weston students burn the midnight oil       
Weston FORUM
Written by Terry Castellano    
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 

If one could harness the energy exhibited by Weston High School science teacher Erika Lelievre’s Energy Alternatives classes, perhaps the community would have a new force to ponder.

The students in these two classes spent their spring semester researching options to consider when individuals, companies, governments, and any other group decide what energy sources they will use.

Using mostly primary sources, this group of approximately 30 students in grades 10 through 12 explored the world of alternative energy.
After delving into six different areas in this field in addition to studying energy-effective cars, they worked to separate myth from fact and then design, write and publish a 51-page guide to assist the Weston community and its neighbors in understanding and finding alternative energy sources in Fairfield County.

“This is the future; this is where it is all headed,” said Caroline Shaw, a junior and member of Ms. Lelievre’s classs.
Areas covered in guide

Areas researched by the students include the state’s energy laws, programs and initiatives; energy-effective cars; biofuels; solar power; geothermal technology; hydrogen fuel cells; and wind and nuclear power. The guide includes more than five pages of reference material.

Ms. Lelievre said her job was to assist the students in choosing research topics, create a schedule and hold the students to it, and provide guidance and direction when necessary. Ms. Lelievre added that she used a multi-disciplinary and inquiry-based approach to teaching.

The students engaged in a discussion of alternative energy sources on a variety of levels. They talked about availability, cost-effectiveness, practicality, and even the political impact of any decisions to use alternative energy sources.

Two of the students, graduating seniors who studied biofuels, Mary Ellen Costello and Erica Palumbo, foresee political implications should the country or the world move away from oil-based energy.

Mary Ellen suggested that if we as a country moved more quickly toward this change, “using alternative energies might take us out of the war.”

One of the difficulties the students discovered in researching alternative energies was separating fact from fiction.

Dylan Goldman, a junior, said, “At times it was tough to weed out what was wrong from what was right. Even the government sites sometimes contradicted each other!”

Graduating senior Jordan Luft said the students tried their best to present their research in an unbiased manner. “We’re giving you the knowledge; you make the decision,” he said.

The course

Energy Alternatives is an elective at Weston High School recently approved by the school board. This is the first year the course has been offered.

After researching their individual topics in small groups, the students made class presentations, with many of them creating worksheets and lab assignments for the other students to complete. All groups quizzed their classmates on the material they had presented.

Part of the goal of the course was to complete the guide. Greg Moore, a Weston High School student, illustrated the cover of the guide, and the English department staff helped with proofreading.

There were 500 copies of the guide printed, and all were given to students and community members at no charge in order to educate readers and encourage them to think about making changes in the ways they use energy and in the types of energy they use.

“I took this course because of the current discussions [on alternative energy sources],” Erica said. “I think it is a good idea and wanted to ‘go green,’ where possible. It’s almost an obligation.”

NEXT MEETING:   As posted in the Town Clerk's Office Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - for Monday, April 21, 2008 at 7pm in the Town Hall Meeting Room:  agenda includes approval of the minutes, "Discussion of energy consultant RFP."  Draft minutes filed by May 2, 2008 with the Town Clerk.
Minutes of the Alternative Energy Sub-Committee of the Building Committee (note - these have been approved):
Mar. 10, 2008
Feb. 5, 2008
January 15, 2008


Research sources on or linked to this website:
http://www.aboutweston.com/geothermal.html
http://www.aboutweston.com/fuelcells.html
and from across the pond...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2006/energy/default.stm
Please read the Energy section (p. 26) of the SWRPA Regional Plan: http://www.swrpa.org/projects/regplan2006.htm