Day: November 2, 2010

La Niña update

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From The Colorado Springs Gazette:

Temperatures in November should be warmer than average, said Jim Hall, spokesman for the National Weather Service in Pueblo, meaning they’ll likely rise above the month’s normal daily high temperature of 49.8 degrees and normal low of 22.6 degrees.

Precipitation should also be somewhat scarce. Normally the city gets 6.2 inches of snow, but La Niña has a stubborn tendency to push storms from the Pacific into Canada. With the jet stream so far north, much of the area will be left under a ridge of high pressure — conditions that are less than favorable for a snowstorm.

Energy policy — geothermal: DOE grant allows state to install geothermal system at Colorado capitol

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Here’s the release from Governor Ritter’s office (Tyler Smith/Todd Hartman/Lance Shepherd):

Gov. Bill Ritter today praised a project that will provide geothermal heating and cooling for the State Capitol building with the help of a U.S. Department of Energy Recovery Act grant. Colorado’s Capitol, which opened in 1894, will be among the first in the nation to benefit from a geothermal system.

The DOE grant will provide $4.6 million for an open-loop geothermal system that will save the state an estimated $95,000 in heating and cooling costs in the first year alone.

“This is a great project to highlight the significant potential that geothermal energy has here in Colorado, and it serves as a shining example of how the New Energy Economy creates jobs, diversifies our energy resources and bolsters energy security,” Gov. Ritter said. “By tapping into the steady temperature below the earth’s surface we will be able to heat and cool the Capitol building with a reliable and clean source of renewable energy at a reduced cost to the people of Colorado.”

The total cost of the project is an estimated $6 million, with $1.4 million funded by the state through Certificates of Participation and a lease-purchase agreement with Chevron. Under the agreement Chevron will guarantee utility savings are sufficient to make the annual lease-purchase payments.

“Today’s announcement is another example of how the Recovery Act is benefiting Colorado and states across the country. This project will help save taxpayers money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and support Colorado’s role as a leader in the clean energy economy of the future,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

The first phase of the project, which began last week, will drill a well deeper than 900 feet down into the Arapahoe Aquifer, with a second phase beginning in the spring that will include HVAC upgrades and drilling a second well. Water will be pulled from the aquifer to take advantage of consistent 55-degree temperatures that can be used to heat the building in the winter and cool the building in the summer.

The project follows a similar instillation in which a geothermal ground source heat pump was installed at the Governor’s Residence in 2009. The instillation has shown considerable energy savings by reducing the natural gas load by 70 percent and the electricity by 15 percent at the Residence.

More coverage from Brighter Energy (James Cartledge):

The first phase of installation began last month, drilling a well more than 900 feet down into the Arapahoe Aquifer, and is expected to continue through into the spring of 2011 with heating and air conditioning upgrades and the drilling of a second well. The project will see water pumped from the underground aquifer, which offers consistent temperatures of 55 degrees, which can be used to heat the building in winter and cool the building in the summer…

A similar geothermal system was installed at the Governor’s residence last year, which has reduced the building’s natural gas use by 70% and electricity consumption by 15%.

More geothermal coverage here and here.

Colorado State University Receives $2.75 Million to Train Next Generation of Water Scientists and Engineers

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Here’s the release from Colorado State University (Emily Wilmsen):

Jorge A. Ramirez, a Colorado State University professor of civil and environmental engineering, will lead a new $2.75 million research and education program to train the next generation of water scientists. The new program is funded by NSF’s IGERT, the National Science Foundation’s flagship interdisciplinary research training program.

Ramirez and his collaborators received the prestigious NSF grant to develop a new doctoral program in integrated, multidisciplinary research and education that addresses the complex hydrologic, ecologic and socio-economic challenges facing society.

“Water management decisions generate conflicts between humans, ecosystem needs and political jurisdictions,” Ramirez said. “Therefore, there is a critical need for scientists who can address three important questions: 1) how can limited fresh water be distributed equitably in a socially acceptable and sustainable framework; 2) what are the relative ecological and societal benefits and drawbacks of management actions; and 3) how can science provide answers for wise water management decisions?”

The new program is known as WATER or Water, Atmosphere, Ecosystem Education and Research. The WATER program will train doctoral students to conduct interdisciplinary research at the interfaces between hydrologic, atmospheric, ecologic and management disciplines. Students will probe questions of variability and uncertainty, vulnerability of human use and ecosystems and sustainability. The program involves 11 science and engineering departments at Colorado State University and includes opportunities for trainees to participate in internships at federal and state agencies.

The five-year grant will train as many as 30 doctoral students in civil and environmental engineering, atmospheric science and ecology on all aspects of WATER science and engineering, Ramirez said.

Other key researchers participating in the grant are Neil Grigg, also a professor of civil and environmental engineering; Scott Denning, professor of atmospheric science; and LeRoy Poff, professor of biology.

NSF’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program, or IGERT, is intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline and the technical, professional and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Ramirez teaches hydrologic science and engineering and researches such issues as the impacts of climate variability on hydrologic processes, integrated vulnerability and sustainability of water supply, evapotranspiration trends and climate change, land-atmosphere interactions and ecohydrologic modeling. In addition, he is organizer of the Hydrology Days conference, a three-day international scientific meeting held annually at CSU.

More education coverage here.

NIDIS Weekly Climate, Water and Drought Assessment Summary of the Upper Colorado River Basin

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Here are the notes from last Tuesday.

More Colorado River basin coverage here.

Greeley: How much water will the new Leprino cheese plant use?

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Here’s a look at the feed requirements for Leprino’s new cheese plant, from Bill Jackson writing for The Greeley Tribune. From the article:

A dairy cow will eat about 45 pounds of corn silage per day, or two to three times that of a steer in a beef cattle feedlot, [Bill Wailes, head of the animal sciences department at Colorado State University] said. That amount varies from dairy to dairy, depending on specific feed rations, but, regardless, that’s a lot of corn. Silage is a crop that has to be grown close to its point of consumption, whether it be a dairy or a feedlot. The limit on the distance it can be transported is about 25 miles because of its moisture content. Hay is another source of roughage in the diet of a dairy cow or feeder animal. It can come from farther distances, although the price of fuel will have a significant impact. Shell corn, another major component of the diet of a ruminant, can, and does, come from greater distances. And, in recent years, the byproduct from ethanol plants in the region has become a staple in the diet of dairy animals. So, using 50,000 as the number of new cows coming to Weld County, Wailes estimated an additional 410,000 tons of silage per year would be required. Based on a 30-ton-per-acre average, which admittedly is a little high, a minimum of 14,000 acres of new silage will be needed in the area to meet the needs of those cows…

Corn silage, according to research conducted by Joel Schneekloth and Allen Andales of CSU, requires about 8 inches less a year in water than does sugar beets in the Greeley area — 30 inches for beets versus 22 inches for corn. Under ideal conditions — whatever those may be — the net requirement is reduced by rain, which in the Greeley area is about 7 inches per growing season. Depending on the efficiency of irrigation systems, the two researchers said the gross water requirements of sugar beets versus corn could be as much as 52 percent.

More South Platte River basin coverage here.