The Emporia Gazette

May 28, 2012

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Did you know that the Abengoa Bioenergy plant coming to Stevens County will be the first of its kind in the nation and need 90 full-time employees when it’s up and running in 2012?

That gas-burning car engines are only about 18 percent efficient, with 82 percent of the gasoline energy lost to heat, exhaust and other factors — while electric cars are about 90 percent efficient? That there’s always a waiting list to get into Cloud County Community College’s wind turbine technician program — the only one in the state — and graduates often get hired before they’re even finished?

Neither did I, until last week. I learned so much at the Kansas Green Energy Summit in Independence that my topic list for this column has grown tenfold. But before I get started on those stories in coming weeks, here’s an overview of this first-ever event.

Held at Independence Community College, the summit brought together energy experts, businesses, government organizations, educators, engineers and other green-energy enthusiasts to share information about alternative energy programs and opportunities in our state.

Thursday’s keynote speaker Gary Hogsett, who has been an industrial energy management specialist for 30 years, filled us in on ground-source heat pumps that eliminate gas bills and cut electrical bills by 75 percent and super-efficient fiber optic lighting that many predict is the next major innovation in the energy industry.

Hogsett, who works for the Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center in Overland Park, said that many industries in Kansas are integrating more efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning systems and enjoying the savings, but others are reluctant to make such changes. I asked him where the biggest resistance comes from.

“There’s an old saying in this part of the country,” he said; “‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ I’ve been in a plant with air compressors that are 150 years old; the Smithsonian wanted one. The attitude is, ‘As long as it’s working, why replace it?’ A new one would cost a lot, but also save a lot over the next few years. They want an 18-month payback.”

Later in the day, Toby Grotz of the engineering firm Burns & McDonnell provided facts about depleting oil supplies and the urgent need to develop alternatives. The prevailing forecast, he said, is that oil production has peaked globally and demand will outgrow supply in the near future — perhaps by 2012 — which will drive up oil and gas prices exponentially. “The COO of BP [British Petroleum] Canada suspects we’ll be up to $10 a gallon for gas in 10 years, like Europeans now pay,” he said.

Grotz also noted that Saudi Arabia sees the writing on the wall and plans to stay in the energy business by investing in solar. “They have built massive solar fields in the desert,” he said.

Other presenters during the Thursday and Friday summit included Shari Wilson of the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, who shared stories of K-12 schools across the state that are implementing hands-on wind, solar and gardening projects as part of their green curriculums. Carla Klein of the Energy Savings Store showed us how outfitting our homes with energy-saving systems is a smart investment that pays off in two ways: “The value of your property increases $20 for every $1 reduction in utility bills you make,” she said.

Friday’s keynote speaker, Emporia’s own Bill Hanlon from the Sustainability Center at Flint Hills Technical College, spoke about the enormous energy savings home owners gain from green home building techniques and the benefits of a local food system that cuts down transportation and keeps food dollars in the community.

Additional presenters included Dr. Ben Champion, the director of sustainability at Kansas State University; Larry Kinder of LilyPad EV, which makes plug-in charging stations for electric vehicles; Caleb Asher of the Kansas Department of Commerce; Tyson Carpenter and Brad Mendenhall of Midwest Thermal Solutions, who taught the basics of energy auditing; and Dan Eberle, director of the Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Technology Center at Crowder Community College in Neosho, Missouri.

After dinner at the gorgeous and historic Booth Hotel in downtown Independence, we ate chocolate cake and listened to Ruth Douglas Miller, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Kansas Wind Applications Center at Kansas State University, describe some of her research in wind energy.

Among the many educators who attended the event, Dr. Hasan Naima, Dean of Technical Education at Kansas City Kansas Community College, appreciated the global scope of the presentations. “Hearing about data from all over the world at this summit, we are not isolated in our access to information,” he said. “We are part of the global talk.”

The Kansas Green Energy Summit was hosted by Independence Community College & Labette Community College and directed by Chenoa Bosch, Coordinator of Workforce Development at ICC. I look forward to next year’s event and another breathtaking springtime drive through southeastern Kansas to get me there.