Solar yard lights like this are being offered to new customers who sign up to support SNAP in August.

During August, Chelan County PUD is offering customers a free set of six solar yard lights when they sign up to support  SNAP.

SNAP is the PUD’s alternative energy program for small-scale solar and wind power. With SNAP, customers voluntarily pay a little extra on their utility bills. These customer donations are collected by the PUD and distributed once a year to our SNAP producers who are generating solar and wind power, which goes into the PUD’s electrical grid and is distributed to all customers.

SNAP started in 2001 with a committed group of about 600 supporters. With the downturn in the economy or for other reasons, that’s dropped to under 500 now. The PUD is aiming to improve those numbers by raising  customers’ awareness and interest in the program.

The solar yard light sets are available to the first 100 new SNAP supporters. Customers must agree to pay at least $2.50 a month for six months in order to receive the lights. Customers need to come into a PUD office at Chelan, Wenatchee or Leavenworth to sign up. After that the SNAP payment is automatically added to utility bills each month.

SNAP compliments the abundant, renewable hydropower enjoyed in this region. And it underscores the value of buying locally – helping your neighbors pay for their investment in equipment, helping schools fund programs, helping nonprofit agencies assist people in the community.

There are 44 producers around the county.

The award-winning 'Barn' at Barn Beach Reserve in Leavenworth includes green features such as solar-heated water that radiates through the floor for winter heating.

If you haven’t been to Leavenworth lately, here’s a really good reason to go: Visit Barn Beach Reserve. 

The reserve spans eight acres overlooking and adjacent to the Wenatchee River.  A group of conservation-minded citizens established the reserve in 2002 to help protect the river ecosystem and, according to the Barn Beach website, “to promote the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Greater Wenatchee Valley through educational programming and stewardship bridging environment, arts and cultural history.” 

Executive Director Jeff Parsons has been with Barn Beach since its inception in 2002.

This they do through exhibits, programs and community events along the river at the focal point of the reserve,  the 107-year-old River Haus, home to the Upper Valley Museum and Icicle Arts as well as Barn Beach Reserve. Jim White, senior energy services engineer for Chelan PUD, conducted an audit at the historic former home last month to recommend ways to save energy. 

That’s not necessary at “The Barn,” the  new, green-built education and environmental center constructed on the foundation of a 1960s-era home on the property. The facility features 

The century-old River Haus is home to Barn Beach Nature Center, Icicle Arts and the Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth.

countertops made from recycled paper, low-VOC pressboard cabinets, recycled corrugated metal, and acoustic “cloud” ceiling panels made of remnants from a Hanes underwear factory. Solar energy is collected in two systems, one to heat the building and another to provide electricity. A simple, passive convection ventilation system operates in mild weather. In summer heat, cool air from a basement is circulated to the main floor of the 4,000-square foot building. 

The American Institute of Architects named “The Barn” one of the top 10 green building projects in the Northwest in 2009. 

If Barn Beach Executive Director Jeff Parsons isn’t there to show you around, interpretive signs can guide visitors through the building and its green attributes. 

The reserve is adjacent to the city park and Blackbird Island, a popular stop on Audubon’s Great Washington Birding Trail. Check out upcoming events at the reserve here.

Larry Hibbard of Manson shows a small turbine runner to Kydykbek Isaev, governor of the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. In the foreground (with backs turned) are PUD Commissioner Randy Smith and translator Natalya Goncharova. The runner was recently replaced after being in service at the 5-kilowatt project for 20-some years.

A Manson orchardist’s renewable power project has drawn the interest of a governor from Kyrgyzstan.

Kydykbek Isaev, governor of the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan, visited the small hydro installation on Lower Joe Creek at the home of Larry Hibbard and Mary Murphy earlier this month. The visit was part of a day-long tour arranged by Chelan County PUD Commissioner Randy Smith. Smith and the governor were joined by interpreter Natalya Goncharova and PUD Commissioner Dennis Bolz.

The governor is interested in how small hydro and irrigation technology might benefit farmers in Kyrgyzstan, Smith said.

Hibbard told the group how his 5-kilowatt project is powered by water that travels through about 1,500 feet of six-inch pipe above Joe Creek Falls to the power plant 120 feet below. The power plant consists of a six-inch-diameter Pelton-style wheel with a two-jet system that provides flexibility for operating with varying seasonal water volumes.

The system has been producing electricity for 27 years. Since 2004, it’s been producing power as part of the PUD’s Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program.

Smith said the governor’s main focus in coming to the U.S. was to meet with officials in Washington, D.C. But the side trip to North Central Washington was suggested by Zamira Sydykova, ambassador to the U.S. and Canada, who had visited the Wenatchee area in May. Smith had coordinated a tour for the ambassador and she suggested the follow-up visit to the governor.

The tour included stops at TreeTop, two local orchards, Blue Star Growers in Cashmere, and a small hydro project on the west canal of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.

Hibbard and Murphy shared Aplets and Cotlets fruit candy with their grateful guests.

Smith’s connection stems from a friendship with Seattle attorney Gary Furlong, who Smith said “has a long-standing desire for the Northwest to help in economic development of that region. He’s worked tirelessly for years and years to that end.” Smith and Furlong met while involved in the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program.

Smith said Kyrgyzstan is one of the major fruit-producing regions of central Asia. The governor commented that the Wenatchee area felt like home to him, Smith said.

Smith will soon find that out for himself. He plans to visit Kyrgyzstan later this year. In the meantime, he’s working with Chelan County and the Port District to develop a sister city-type relationship with the Issyk-Kul region.

Larry Hibbard and his wife Mary Murphy (center) hosted (from left) translator Natalya Goncharova, PUD Commissioners Dennis Bolz and Randy Smith, and Kyrgyzstan regional governor Kydykbek Isaev.

Fourth-graders don’t know they’re learning – they’re too busy having fun

A little go-kart is conveying a big idea about what transportation and energy use might look like in the future.

After taking a spin in the solar-powered go-kart, students at John Newbery Elementary learn more about renewable energy from Chelan County PUD's Bob Bauer.

Each year in May, every fourth-grader in the Wenatchee School District gets to drive Chelan County PUD’s solar-powered go-kart. It’s part of a unit on electricity that culminates in a field trip to Rocky Reach Dam.

The go-kart, powered by a 600-watt solar panel, helps drive home the point that solar power can be used to perform many common tasks  – some mundane, and some exceedingly fun.

Led by PUD Education Specialist Bob Bauer, students list off the items in their classroom that use electricity: the pencil sharpener, coffeemaker, computers, and lights. Bauer tells them that solar panels installed permanently at their schools are generating enough electricity to power all those things.

The Alcoa Community Solar Endowment and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers installed solar arrays at all schools in the county in 2004-06.

Jim White, senior energy conservation engineer at the PUD, built the go-kart. It’s been used in classrooms for several years.

The field experience at Rocky Reach Dam is called River of Power. More than 700 fourth-graders from public and private schools in Chelan County participate in the four-day event. This year’s event is May 26-29.

Hands-on activities acquaint students with hydropower, the world of salmon, and basic principles of electricity generation. Students build model dams out of sand and cardboard, draw fish, measure the power of falling water and watch corn pop in a solar popper, among other lessons.

River of Power was developed in partnership with the Wenatchee School District. Teachers spend several weeks in the classroom each spring teaching about electricity, hydropower, the history of the Columbia River and renewable energy.

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A Tesla Roadster is scheduled to be on display during the Power Up Summit May 27-28.

The fifth annual Power Up Summit returns to the Wenatchee Center May 27 and 28.

Speakers will discuss recent developments in electric vehicles, community planning for electric charging stations, prospects for market growth, possible economic stimulus funding and related topics.

The show-and-tell of original and converted vehicles will include a Tesla Roadster,  Toyota Rav4, Ford Ranger, Toyota Echo,  Toyota Prius, International school bus, Electric A2B bicycle, Bad Boy Buggy ATV, Gorilla ATV, Allis Chalmers tractor and a Chevy S10 Blazer.  The vehicles will be parked behind the convention center for public viewing.

Speakers include Ed Kjaer, director of the Electric Transportation Division of Southern California Edison; Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars, and Dr. Andrew Frank, professor at the University of California-Davis who is largely regarded as the father of the plug-in hybrid car.

Cost is $225. Local residents who want to take in just part of the show can pay $25 to attend Wednesday’s luncheon at 11:30 a.m. with Ed Kjaer. Reservations should be made through the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce at (509) 662-2116. 

The Power Up summit is an extension of the Port of Chelan County’s efforts to establish the county as a center for solar, biofuel and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology.

More info: plugincenter.com

Paul Steinbroner, left, and Malcolm Keithley at the controls of their Web-based EnergyRush TV.

Talking to film producer Paul Steinbroner, you get the impression he’s in a hurry. So much to say, so much to do, so little time to save the planet.

Steinbroner is the mastermind behind the aptly named EnergyRush TV based in Wenatchee. He and fellow producer Malcolm Keithley have been traveling around the country, developing Web-based programming on renewable energy and transportation. Their work and that of others is available on EnergyRush TV as both pre-programmed and on-demand pieces. 

Steinbroner’s goal is to popularize the renewable energy movement. “This is a transformational moment when we’re going away from the fossil-fuel world because it’s not sustainable,” he said.

He cares. He really cares. He wants you to care, too.

“Why should you care?” he asks, then answers the question. “Well, there’s the environment. There’s the  economy.  And then there’s national security.”

Steinbroner believes once the plug-in car is in full production, electric “fuel” will cost the equivalent of 15-70 cents per gallon. Displaced auto workers will find new jobs building  new hybrid cars. The economy will grow as the plug-in and related renewable industries are developed. While we’re at it, we’ll reduce our dependence on foreign oil and foreign governments.

Paul Steinbroner

“People ask about cost, but the cost is incalculable. What would it take to fix the environment? I don’t know, but what other planet do we have to go to?”

While EnergyRush TV is all about a sustainable future, it’s hard to tell whether the programming  has one. EnergyRush TV has been bankrolled by private investors  and are soliciting sponsors: “Getting intelligent renewable energy short films made is our first goal,” their Web site states, “but deploying them is our specialty.” 

Steinbroner and Keithley take on outside film jobs to support themselves. Steinbroner is originally from Southern California and remains a partner in CNS Productions based in Medford, Ore. The company produces educational materials including films and textbooks. He’s been in Wenatchee six years. Keithley grew up in Stehekin, worked briefly in LA, then moved to Wenatchee in the 1980s and formed M and M Productions. His studio, which doubles as EnergyRush TV’s base, is at Olds Station.

The pair recently turned their lenses toward producing a feature-length documentary they hope will be “not a movie, but an event.”  The film will pose a future where jobs, technology and the environment are in sync.  It will be about “hope, change, possibilities,” Steinbroner said.

Much of the film will be devoted to Dr. Andrew Frank, engineering professor at the University of California-Davis, also known as “Professor Plug-In” for his work with hybrid electric vehicles.

Steinbroner points to the Port of Chelan County’s hybrid vehicle project, Chelan County PUD’s SNAP program, and the region’s abundant hydropower as reasons Wenatchee is a good base for launching EnergyRush TV. “We’re the herald of what will be a renaissance,” he said. “We’re ahead of the curve.

“It’s a small piece of a big picture and we’re happy to play a role.”

Paul Steinbroner is entering a contest sponsored by singer/songwriter Neil Young to create your own video using the song “Johnny Magic” from Young’s CD “Fork in the Road.” Watch Steinbroner’s video about the evolution of the electric car here.