Posted: 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Renewable energy makes business sense, local 

By Michael D. Pitman

Staff Writer

BUTLER COUNTY — 

    Green technology makes sense not only environmentally but also financially, according to several community leaders who will gather this week to hear from an expert on the subject.

    Green technology is an evolving industry that involves a wide range of methods and products, from techniques for generating renewable energy to non-toxic cleaning products. Several local businesses and governments are focusing more efforts toward green technology, with improvement projects aimed at making operations more sustainable and energy efficient with a smaller carbon footprint.

    Middletown Economic Development Manager Denise Hamet said there are several LEED-certified buildings in the city, such as Taco Bell and PayChecks, and it’s something that’s “always encouraged.” And she said several companies already practice green initiatives “because it’s really good practice.”

    “We think this is a way to keep the city moving into the future, and it is important to the city,” Hamet said.

The city is also set to have a $500 million natural gas-fired power plant built that will produce more than 500 megawatts of electric year-round.

    Hamilton has launched several green initiatives, including its newest signature program, Efficiency Smart.

City Manager Joshua Smith said Hamilton is the farthest south municipality in Ohio to have acompressed natural gas filling station, and by the end of the year 70 percent of the power in the city of Hamilton should be noncarbon-generated power thanks to the Meldahl hydroelectric power plant, which is jointly owned by Hamilton and American Municipal Power Inc.

    Smith said the city abides by the mantra of “Go Green, Save Green” — a mantra also used as the village administrator for Howard, Wisc. And the philosophy is two-pronged: “It’s obviously good for the environment to be doing this, but it’s also good for the government’s pocketbook and the businesses’ pocketbook.”

    Other energy-efficient initiatives the city is pushing includes converting all 9,000 street lights in the city to LED lights. The city is actively changing out burned out street lights with the energy efficient lights.

    The Efficiency Smart program is powered by the city’s American Municipal Power-administered program and was launched at the beginning of February. The program will provide customers the ability for discounts and rebates, as well as audits. The program, which Hamilton’s electric field services superintendent Michael Gurr said is “tried and true,” has brought lower energy costs to more than 25 communities throughout several states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania.

    “It has a guaranteed savings to the city of Hamilton from an actual demand usage,” Gurr said. “This is a way to directly impact (residential electric customers’) utility bills in a positive manner so they can do lighting improvements at their home, look at more efficient appliances.”

    And larger-usage electric customers, namely commercial and industrial businesses, the city is meeting with them with the Efficiency Smart program which “helps take some of the sting out of the upfront bill” with capital improvements projects, Gurr said.

    “The city of Hamilton provides ourselves on a great service at a great price, and focuses on the reliability on the service that we provide to our customers,” he said.

    John Laitner, a resource economist in Arizona, will be the keynote speaker for At The Crossroads, a conference designed to discuss renewable energy and green technology.

    We Can Business Incubator owner Adriane Scherrer and Middfest International Executive Director Virginia Ritan have partnered to present the conference, which Scherrer called “a timely and important conference.”

    The conference is set for Thursday at the Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton, 1500 Central Ave., and Friday at the Christ United Methodist Church, 700 S. Marshall Road.

    “On a list of the top 10 countries in green technology, you will not find the United States,” Scherrer said. “We will visit and learn the details of how the Cincinnati Zoo became the greenest zoo in the United States and attendees will learn about how the first downtown Middletown building — the former Manchester Inn — is set to be renovated into a (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified building.”

The ownership group of the former Manchester Inn, led by Illinois investor William Grau, intends to invest $10 million into the property that also includes the adjacent Sonshine building for a collective $2. Grau could not be reached for comment.

How to go

What: At the Crossroads conference

When: Thursday and Friday (all day, visit renewableenergyconf.com for listings)

Where: The Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton, 1500 Central Ave., on Thursday; Christ United Methodist Church, 700 S. Marshall Road, on Friday

Registration: Registration is required and there are various levels of costs. Visit renewableenergyconf.com for details.