"DREAMING I'M ALWAYS DREAMING" cascades
Found this article on a website and thought it might interest some readers.
“Have you heard about Painesville, the little city that could?”
Envious New Yorkers, such as myself, who are involved in green energy solutions often mention this small city, by our standards, about 30 miles Northeast of Cleveland, OH that has embarked on an ambitious program to expand its renewable energy portfolio through energy storage and wind.
Most large urban areas are having enough difficulties getting their programs even considered, but Painesville‘s now-retired forward-thinking City Manager, Rita McMahon, and the city council made the decision to reduce its carbon footprint and has moved on it in a bold, but conscientious way. The major difference between New York City and Painesville is that utilities need to satisfy their investors; municipalities are directly responsive to its taxpayers.
And the City Council has many dedicated, talented people involved with this project. Katie Jenkins, for instance, a relatively new council member, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, Masters of Public Administration, and earned a certificate in Local and Urban Management. She is passionate about reducing the carbon footprint, “We just have to do this for the sake of our environment”.
Another City Councilperson, Lori DiNallo, is a self-styled fiscal Conservative who is just as passionately interested in the financial benefits to the city, accountability, job growth, as well as diversification of their green energy portfolio.
So what initially sparked all this conversation concerning Painesville in the Empire State? Simple: Energy Storage.
“Energy storage is a big deal,” former Energy Secretary Chu said in 2010, noting that the federal government had already put over $620 million into demonstration projects.
One of these ‘Smart Grid’ demonstration projects, partially funded by these grants, is Painesville. They will be installing a cutting-edge eight hour an 8 megawatt hour (MWh) vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) for Painesville’s Municipal Power Plant as part of the ‘Smart Grid’ which, according to the DOE, generally refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote control and automation.
“It’s a regenerative fuel cell, like a hydrogen fuel cell, that takes electricity from wind, solar, or conventional fossil power plants, stores it in the battery system through electrolyte”, explains Norma Byron, President of Ashlawn Energy, the company that is designing, manufacturing, and installing, the VRFB. She goes on, “The vanadium is the active element that stores the electricity in charged liquid”. Vanadium is a chemical element that occurs naturally in about 65 different minerals , in fossil fuel deposits, and resembles a hard, ductile, silver-gray metal.
Pretty heady stuff, but then, what would you expect from a woman who had already set up manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cells for the Department of the Army? That’s what brought Ms. McMahon’s attention to Ms. Byron.
“Through my fuel cell manufacturing experience in Painesville for the Department of Defense, I gained a high regard for the skills and work ethic of the people, but I was ready to make a change to something more positive than ammunition, and energy storage just seemed to be a logical step for the community. I simply approached Rita (McMahon) and she carefully considered my proposal.”
Byron founded Ashlawn Energy in 2008 and based it in her hometown of Alexandria, VA. The city of Painesville then partnered with the company to win the DOE Smart Grid Demonstration Project, one of 16 projects, selected from 150 applicants and funded half the project, which covered the R&D costs. You see what I meant about the, ‘little town that could’?
Both were also committed to keeping the manufacturing in Painesville and Ashlawn agreed to hire over 200 permanent advanced technology and other jobs for the area.
It seemed like a win-win situation.
But with all good things there have been a few challenges:
DiNallo described a major setback with the other half of the funding that was supposed to come from former Gov. Strickland and the State of Ohio through Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) “There was a change in administration and Gov. Kasich withdrew all funding for the OAQDA. This left us with an unexpected shortfall, which has delayed the project, and put the city in a different position. Norma is finding and evaluating alternative private funding. DiNallo continued, “Power has its own language and we are currently finalizing a revised contract to make sure that the city is in the best position.”
Power does, indeed, have its own language and Byron, the Virginian, has been driving to and from Painesville for the many council meetings in order to make herself available for any technical questions that might arise or needed clarifications.
Jeff McHugh, the Electric Power Superintendent of Painesville Municipal Power Plant has been anxiously awaiting the end of the contractual process between Painesville and Ashlawn. According to DiNallo, “The electric department has been working tirelessly for this.”
McHugh totally gets it. As the head of a coal-fired plant, he understands, from that perspective, the many benefits of energy storage such as enhancing generation, transmission, distribution, peak shaving, ‘black starts’, and saving money. The battery will help, environmentally, by significantly reducing greenhouse gasses. “We’ve already built the building, and it is ready for the battery,”
After the contract is finalized, the City Council will vote on the project, this time under the administration of Anthony Carson, Jr, the new City Manager; a positive vote will give the ‘green light’ for Ashlawn to get its own financing.
Meanwhile, up the road apiece, in North Perry Village, Minnesota-based Juhl Energy will be installing two 426-foot-tall wind turbines, manufactured by GE in Colorado, to further diversify Painesville energy portfolio. It will be Painesville’s first foray into wind energy.
Yusef Orest, the Project Developer at Juhl Wind, is proud to, “benefit a community’s balance sheets” by providing a “cost-effective energy option”.
While Juhl Energy is a publicly traded company, Orest maintains it still has the grassroots and family feel. Juhl will be subcontracting jobs in the area; some temporary, for construction; some permanent, for monitoring and maintenance.
When asked if energy storage would also be beneficial to the wind turbines, Orest instantly replied, “100,000%!”
The eyes of envious New Yorkers are upon Painesville, Ohio: All American Energy City
Marye Davies
I wonder if someday Marye will write a follow up article about the "Little city that couldn't or didn't?
Presently we have built a 5000sq.ft. empty building. Juhl Energy has all of Painesville's Green Energy credits. And we got zilch!
You know after living here most of my life, Painesville reminds me of DisneyWorld Tomorrowland without ever producing any attractions.
Envious New Yorkers, such as myself, who are involved in green energy solutions often mention this small city, by our standards, about 30 miles Northeast of Cleveland, OH that has embarked on an ambitious program to expand its renewable energy portfolio through energy storage and wind.
Most large urban areas are having enough difficulties getting their programs even considered, but Painesville‘s now-retired forward-thinking City Manager, Rita McMahon, and the city council made the decision to reduce its carbon footprint and has moved on it in a bold, but conscientious way. The major difference between New York City and Painesville is that utilities need to satisfy their investors; municipalities are directly responsive to its taxpayers.
And the City Council has many dedicated, talented people involved with this project. Katie Jenkins, for instance, a relatively new council member, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, Masters of Public Administration, and earned a certificate in Local and Urban Management. She is passionate about reducing the carbon footprint, “We just have to do this for the sake of our environment”.
Another City Councilperson, Lori DiNallo, is a self-styled fiscal Conservative who is just as passionately interested in the financial benefits to the city, accountability, job growth, as well as diversification of their green energy portfolio.
So what initially sparked all this conversation concerning Painesville in the Empire State? Simple: Energy Storage.
“Energy storage is a big deal,” former Energy Secretary Chu said in 2010, noting that the federal government had already put over $620 million into demonstration projects.
One of these ‘Smart Grid’ demonstration projects, partially funded by these grants, is Painesville. They will be installing a cutting-edge eight hour an 8 megawatt hour (MWh) vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) for Painesville’s Municipal Power Plant as part of the ‘Smart Grid’ which, according to the DOE, generally refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote control and automation.
“It’s a regenerative fuel cell, like a hydrogen fuel cell, that takes electricity from wind, solar, or conventional fossil power plants, stores it in the battery system through electrolyte”, explains Norma Byron, President of Ashlawn Energy, the company that is designing, manufacturing, and installing, the VRFB. She goes on, “The vanadium is the active element that stores the electricity in charged liquid”. Vanadium is a chemical element that occurs naturally in about 65 different minerals , in fossil fuel deposits, and resembles a hard, ductile, silver-gray metal.
Pretty heady stuff, but then, what would you expect from a woman who had already set up manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cells for the Department of the Army? That’s what brought Ms. McMahon’s attention to Ms. Byron.
“Through my fuel cell manufacturing experience in Painesville for the Department of Defense, I gained a high regard for the skills and work ethic of the people, but I was ready to make a change to something more positive than ammunition, and energy storage just seemed to be a logical step for the community. I simply approached Rita (McMahon) and she carefully considered my proposal.”
Byron founded Ashlawn Energy in 2008 and based it in her hometown of Alexandria, VA. The city of Painesville then partnered with the company to win the DOE Smart Grid Demonstration Project, one of 16 projects, selected from 150 applicants and funded half the project, which covered the R&D costs. You see what I meant about the, ‘little town that could’?
Both were also committed to keeping the manufacturing in Painesville and Ashlawn agreed to hire over 200 permanent advanced technology and other jobs for the area.
It seemed like a win-win situation.
But with all good things there have been a few challenges:
DiNallo described a major setback with the other half of the funding that was supposed to come from former Gov. Strickland and the State of Ohio through Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) “There was a change in administration and Gov. Kasich withdrew all funding for the OAQDA. This left us with an unexpected shortfall, which has delayed the project, and put the city in a different position. Norma is finding and evaluating alternative private funding. DiNallo continued, “Power has its own language and we are currently finalizing a revised contract to make sure that the city is in the best position.”
Power does, indeed, have its own language and Byron, the Virginian, has been driving to and from Painesville for the many council meetings in order to make herself available for any technical questions that might arise or needed clarifications.
Jeff McHugh, the Electric Power Superintendent of Painesville Municipal Power Plant has been anxiously awaiting the end of the contractual process between Painesville and Ashlawn. According to DiNallo, “The electric department has been working tirelessly for this.”
McHugh totally gets it. As the head of a coal-fired plant, he understands, from that perspective, the many benefits of energy storage such as enhancing generation, transmission, distribution, peak shaving, ‘black starts’, and saving money. The battery will help, environmentally, by significantly reducing greenhouse gasses. “We’ve already built the building, and it is ready for the battery,”
After the contract is finalized, the City Council will vote on the project, this time under the administration of Anthony Carson, Jr, the new City Manager; a positive vote will give the ‘green light’ for Ashlawn to get its own financing.
Meanwhile, up the road apiece, in North Perry Village, Minnesota-based Juhl Energy will be installing two 426-foot-tall wind turbines, manufactured by GE in Colorado, to further diversify Painesville energy portfolio. It will be Painesville’s first foray into wind energy.
Yusef Orest, the Project Developer at Juhl Wind, is proud to, “benefit a community’s balance sheets” by providing a “cost-effective energy option”.
While Juhl Energy is a publicly traded company, Orest maintains it still has the grassroots and family feel. Juhl will be subcontracting jobs in the area; some temporary, for construction; some permanent, for monitoring and maintenance.
When asked if energy storage would also be beneficial to the wind turbines, Orest instantly replied, “100,000%!”
The eyes of envious New Yorkers are upon Painesville, Ohio: All American Energy City
Marye Davies
I wonder if someday Marye will write a follow up article about the "Little city that couldn't or didn't?
Presently we have built a 5000sq.ft. empty building. Juhl Energy has all of Painesville's Green Energy credits. And we got zilch!
You know after living here most of my life, Painesville reminds me of DisneyWorld Tomorrowland without ever producing any attractions.
posted by terminator1 @ 3:46 PM
34 Comments
34 Comments:
I think Marye Davies is a made-up name, and that Rita McMahon planted this article.
So, Term, contact her and ask if she's follwing the story! As a blogger, your a news man. Go get the news.
5:16 I'm thinking along the lines of 8:02. To fluffy for a serious blogger.
Glad to see NY is so thrilled with our energy policies. All I know is that I could install windmills, solar panels, and electric producing Unicorns, taking my usage down to negative zero, and my bill will still be astronomical! Take or pay applies to US!
Windmill farms are one of the biggest scams being fed to the public. They are inefficient, harmful to birds (especially eagles and hawks) and consume rare earth minerals further destroying our world and its ecosystems. They also are not economically viable if they were not being subsidized our government.
I wish all we got was "zilch". The City [actually the electric rate payers] paid $250,000.00 for that big empty building! Notice that none of this info was presented during the Electric Division Presentation at the last Council meeting. Only "good news" is shared.
If Kathy Jenkins is so well versed in the environment and Lori Dinallo is so concerned with the citys money why won't they send a letter to the attorney general and at the same time bleed the city financial by employing people at the light plant doing nothing? I wonder what the cost of this article was.
I heard the CM fired the Fire Chief. Please tell me I'm misinformed...
Or maybe it's another one of Rita's cousins. I am not buying this article.
Well, something sure happened.
2:44 Three different sources confirmed the fire chief was not fired.
Just taking some vacation time.
I seen city workers cutting down a tree on personal property on skinner a day or two ago is this what our electric workers are doing and who is paying their wages to work on personal property
Went to the site and surprised there were no comments listed for the blog posy by Marye Davies.
To some of you who might be interested in viewing this post;
Google Painesville, Ohio all-American energy city
7:37. The people who cut trees in the city and anywhere our power lines go are not electric workers. They are tree trimmers. If the tree is on the tree lawn it belongs to the city and not the property owner. If the tree is entangled with the power lines the city has a right to either trim it or cut it down. Which ever is best for the city. Please chech your facts before trying to cause a uproar...thank
For those who wonder about the battery setup many cities had money for projects like this until the new governor stop the programs in the middle without warning and used that along with the cuts to the schools to balance the state budget.
Mr.242. To send a letter asking for an investigation , is really silly at this time. We would request an investigation on a company we are part owners off . And then any cost would come back to us threw the power company.. We would be investigating ourselves and the suing ourselves. Try to figure a way of doing this oh how about the people of Painesville city send letters and demand answers as residents it would not cost the city a dime ...
He's missing just like the truck? I smell a situation here, better get to the bottom of it. The new manager is axing people right and left that don't say what he wants to hear. this need to be investigated.
CONFIDENTIAL I know the whole fish story.
5:15 Who should be investigated is our council. Soon more bad news heading down the tracks.
Didn't council vote to give the CM that authority? I for one back his decisions.
3:35 What's really silly is getting involved in a deal and then sitting on your hands and doing nothing. The council has some responsibility right?
This council did no make this deal or approve anything, they are just stuck with it. I do not see anything they could do to get out of ot alter the current deal.. As far as giving the CM the power to hire or fire personal. He already had that power under the ORC. He has to be able to manage the city without going to his bosses ever time something needs to be done
11:25 They are only stuck with what they are willing to be stuck with. So because a council in the past made a screwy contract the peoples only choice is to be stuck with it? Or choose a new council. (One that does something useful. As far as the city manager I know that, maybe you should mail that information to the present council members.
so because some stupid people bought into a deal, more stupid people believe the rate payers of Painesville should be stuck with it? Typical Painesville logic.
Wasn't Hach, Flock and Dinallo on council when this contract was made? They are as responsible as anyone, and should be more willing to do everything they can to investigate and get us out of this financial fiasco.
11:25
You seem to think that, because there is turn over on Council that, the current Council is not accountable? That kind of logic defies logic.
You get what you are willing to accept. Courts, not public opinion, decide that.
The current Council can decide to challenge the issue and, if needed, it gets to a court to be decided.
Do nothing and you are correct, they are "stuck".
6:07 DiNallo wasn't on council at the time of the vote. Hach and Flock were.
I guess unless residents make them challenge the issue they won't.
Iam sorry the previous council and cm voted and took a fifty year contract. ThAt locked the city into this for fifty years and did not give them anyway out. The current council, has talked about the problem and no one can find a way out. That includes all the others who sighed this contract. There has been a court ruling that backs amp telling theses who filed that the contract is valid . So any further filings are a total waste of tax payers money. This is out of control of current council. What would you expect them to do now, beside sit back and wait for a violation of the contract to occure
1:55 Talks cheap wonder how much a chemist, social worker, someone in the demolition business school teachers as well as an assistant prosecuting attorney know about the subject. What court ruling? The only court case I'm aware of concerned AMPGS against Bechtel. Well so we should shut up and pay the piper to the tune of a 40% higher cost? Simple, no one has even tried to find a way out for Painesville sit back and let others do it for you?
As they say you get what you deserve.
What qualifies you so much on the subject? Degree in hot air?
5:26 Absolutely NONE! you make my point as to who on council or in the administration was a wiz on the subject? Remember I'm telling you the facts. I didn't involve the city in a 30 year, million dollar scheme. I haven't cost you a dime. You should concern yourself with who was blowing hot air at the time the contract was signed. Talk to your buds Rita and Joe they seemed to have been the experts.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Speaking of hot air. I knew it. Double posts 2x the air bags.
CONFIDENTIAL you have no clue who nor how many sources I have.
Don't know if it's true, but can't blame her. Again "alleged"
I don't believe that.
Confidential Main word Alleged.
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