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 onlyenvironmentally but also financially, according to several community leaderswho will gather this week to hear from an expert on the subject.

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

    Middletown Economic Development ManagerDenise Hamet said there are several LEED-certified buildings in the city, suchas Taco Bell and PayChecks, and it’s something that’s “always encouraged.” Andshe said several companies already practice green initiatives “because it’s reallygood practice.”

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

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

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

CityManager Joshua Smith said Hamilton is the farthest south municipality in Ohioto have acompressed natural gas fillingstation, and by the end of the year 70 percent of the power in thecity of Hamilton should be noncarbon-generated power thanks to the Meldahl hydroelectric powerplant, which is jointly owned by Hamilton and American MunicipalPower Inc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    John Laitner, a resource economist in Arizona, will be thekeynote speaker for At The Crossroads, a conference designed to discussrenewable energy and green technology.

    We Can Business Incubator owner AdrianeScherrer and Middfest International Executive Director Virginia Ritan havepartnered to present the conference, which Scherrer called “a timely andimportant conference.”

    The conference is set for Thursday at theChamber 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 notfind the United States,”Scherrer said. “We will visit and learn the details of how the Cincinnati Zoobecame the greenest zoo in the United States and attendees will learn about howthe first downtown Middletown building — the former Manchester Inn — is set tobe renovated into a (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certifiedbuilding.”

The ownership group of the formerManchester Inn, led by Illinoisinvestor William Grau, intends to invest $10 million into the property thatalso includes the adjacent Sonshine building for a collective $2. Grau couldnot be reached for comment.

How to go

What: At the Crossroadsconference

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

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

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