Fort Collins Zero Energy District makes immediate economic sense

Jim Reidhead, September 9, 2010, Coloradoan.com

FortZED is an idea of UniverCity Connections. It is visionary, ambitious and stands for Fort Collins Zero
Energy District.

Its goal is to transform the UniverCity District – roughly defined by the CSU campus, downtown and the Poudre
River Corridor – into a “net-zero energy user.”

Right now, FortZED has two primary parts, one dealing with the demand side of energy consumption, the other dealing with the supply side: The FortZED Community Energy Challenge and the FortZED Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration Demonstration Project. The projects are managed through a three-way partnership between UniverCity Connections, the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster and the City of Fort Collins.

So how do we do this? The simple answer is to decrease consumption of energy – all kinds – and increase production of sustainable energy sources.

But it is more complex than that. Americans have a very large appetite for energy, the largest in the world.

For the past 150 years, our demand for energy has always risen to meet the supply, including oil from abroad and offshore, often with economic, political and environmental repercussions that we are just beginning to understand.

Right now, FortZED has two parts, one dealing with the demand side of energy consumption, the other dealing with the supply side: The FortZED Community Energy Challenge and the FortZED Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration Demonstration Project.

The FortZED Community Energy Challenge is a grass-roots, community outreach initiative. It is designed to help the estimated 15,000 residents – about 6,200 households – within the FortZED district reduce residential energy consumption and increase conservation measures, including renewable energy installations such as solar collectors.

The Community Energy Challenge has many community groups and government departments as partners, including local nonprofits and companies.

You are invited to attend the public forum to launch the FortZED Community Energy Challenge from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday. For more information, go to afriedlander@ atmosphereconservancy.org.

The Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration Demonstration Project deals primarily with the technical supply side of FortZED.

It is a three-year project, ending in 2011. Significant funding support comes from the federal Department of Energy and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) programs.

An $11 million project, $6.3 million is from federal grants and $4.7 million from industry and local investors.

The RDSI project represents a significant step toward the goals of FortZED – to increase system reliability, reduce emissions, use fuel more efficiently, resolve technical distribution systems vulnerabilities and allow customers to manage their energy costs.

These two parts of FortZED are clearly ambitious. Other ambitious ideas will certainly be added throughout time. Creating a net-zero district will require broad-based community support.

Today, we hope to save money on utility bills and to have more comfortable and valuable homes.

But we will also be investing in future generations. The citizens who will judge whether we have lived wisely and within our means today have not yet been born.

As well as a legacy for our grandchildren, FortZED makes immediate economic sense.
It will stimulate our local economy. Colorado State University will gain increased recognition as a sustainable-energy industry leader, and Fort Collins will continue in its leadership role as an innovator in the ‘new West.’