United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Planning and Evaluation
(2171)
EPA236-F-98-001
March 1998
&EPA Climate Change Solutions
Utah's Solar Project Helps Reduce Greenhouse Gases
^ remote marina on Lake Powell in Utah is steering
/ I a forward-looking course against global warming.
A. J-Electricity to run Dangling Rope Marina, formerly
supplied by diesel fuel-fired generators, is now produced by
renewable energy. Thanks to rows of solar panels—384 in
all—and a propane generator backup, fewer fossil fuel
emissions are polluting the clean desert air.
The marina, accessible only by boat, is an important
center of economic activity on 186-mile-long Lake Powell
in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Every year,
more than 325,000 of the recreation area's 2.5 million
visitors stop at Dangling Rope to visit the ranger station,
boat repair facility, grocery store, or the fuel dock. Today,
the electricity to run the gasoline pumps comes from the
sun, as does the power for the rest of the marina and the
homes of the employees.
The photovoltaic system was designed to supply up to
80 percent of the marina's power needs. It is the largest
solar power generating facility in the National Park
System and one of the largest stand-alone photovoltaic
systems in the world.
Dangling Rope's annual emissions will be reduced by 540
tons of carbon dioxide, 27,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides
and 5,183 pounds of carbon monoxide.
Dangling Rope Marina, accessible only by boat, provides food
to more than 325,000 boaters a year and fuel for their boats.
Utah energy official Jeff Burks (right) and maintenance
supervisor Ron Hockins are dwarfed by Dangling Rope's
384 solar panels.
Furthermore, with propane as the new backup power,
Lake Powell is no longer at risk for diesel fuel spills.
Because of solar power, thousands of visitors a year will be
able to contemplate the faded sandstone walls of Glen
Canyon and the jeweled waters of Lake Powell in peace
"The photovoltaic system was
designed to supply up to 80 percent
of the marina's power needs."
and quiet, without the unwelcome noise of diesel fuel
generators. As Jeff Burks, director of Utah's Office of
Energy and Resource Planning, says, "This project is the
appropriate technology in the appropriate place. For a
pristine national recreational area, it's the right fit."
History of the Project
A public-private partnership made this project work. The
Utah Office of Energy and Resource Planning (OERP)
launched the Dangling Rope Marina project in 1992, in
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response to a grant solicitation from the United States
Department of Energy. OERP's preliminary analysis
identified Dangling Rope as a prime candidate for
conversion to solar power, due to the high cost of
transporting diesel fuel to the site and the inefficiency of
the marina's generators.
OERP approached the National Park Service (NFS) and
found a ready ally in Denis Davis, chief of maintenance
at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The
maintenance chief was concerned about the possibility of
"The photovoltaic panels have
done an excellentjob of providing
reliable power to the site."
spills during diesel fuel deliveries. The deliveries used to
take place every 10 days. A truck loaded with diesel fuel
was driven onto a barge and then boated for five hours
across the lake.
Park Service managers were troubled by the high cost of
energy at Dangling Rope. They also were concerned about
the impact of generator noise and air pollution.
Once the Park Service was interested, OERP began an
economic and engineering feasibility study. "It was our
opinion that in order to convince the Park Service and the
Department of Energy and other potential partners to
contribute money to construct the project," says Burks, "we
would have to have a very detailed, credible analysis."
The hard work paid off. The State of Utah received
$127,000 from the Department of Energy's Office of Utility
Technology, and the state's energy agency committed
$250,000. With $377,000 in seed money and a 60-page
feasibility report in hand, OERP could now attract other
organizations to contribute additional funds and technical
expertise. EPA's State and Local Climate Change Program
provided support to illustrate greenhouse gas reductions from
the use of clean energy technologies.
Even so, securing funding was by far the biggest challenge.
"It took us three-and-a-half years to get all the funding in
place, and about three months to build the photovoltaic
system," Burks says.
Before installing the photovoltaic array, the National Park
Service conducted an aggressive energy audit to identify
opportunities to reduce the electric load of the marina.
According to Burks, "Our strategy was based on the
premise that it is cheaper to save a kilowatt-hour than to
install new capacity to provide it."
Energy-saving retrofits for lighting, refrigeration, space
and water heating, laundry dryers, and cooking appliances
will be installed with the goal of cutting the marina's
energy consumption 36 percent—from 374,000 kilowatt-
hours per year to less than 280,000 kilowatt-hours a year.
Construction of the photovoltaic system began on April
23, 1996. On August 30, Utah Governor Michael O.
Leavitt and Park Superintendent Joseph F. Alston threw
the switch to turn on the 115 kilowatt solar system. Since
then, the photovoltaic panels have done an excellentjob
of providing reliable power to the site.
Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt (right) and Park
Superintendent Joseph F. Alston prepare to "turn on the sun. "
Project Partners
Utah Department of Natural Resources
Utah Department of Community and Economic Development
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NFS)
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
PacifiCorp
Sandia National Laboratories
ARAMARK Leisure Services, Inc.
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Dangling Rope Marina is accessible only by boat.
Economics
Dangling Rope Marina is 45 miles from the nearest road
or power line. It is surrounded by the plateaus and deep
canyons of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
and the newly created Grand Staircase Escalante National
Monument. Connecting the remote marina to the
region's power grid would be prohibitively expensive.
Prior to the conversion to solar power, electricity was
supplied by two 310-kilowatt diesel fuel-fired generators.
They ran 24 hours a day and consumed 65,000 gallons of
fuel a year. Fueling the generators required 35 barge trips
a year at more than $1,000 per trip.
The National Park Service estimates that the agency paid
$143,370 for electricity at Dangling Rope in 1991,
including maintenance, fuel costs, and barging costs. This
works out to $0.38 per kilowatt-hour, about five times the
rate paid by the typical residential customer in Utah.
The total cost of the photovoltaic project, including the
energy efficiency improvements, was approximately $1.5
million. Savings from the new power plant are estimated
at more than $2.3 million over its 20-year life.
The project also has eliminated the risk of a diesel fuel spill,
which could cost the Park Service well over $ 1 million to
clean up. Although environmental "externalities" such as
the cost of air pollution were not included in the official
cost-benefit analysis, the agency estimates the annual
avoided cost of emissions at $98,000, making the
photovoltaics even more cost effective.
"One of the strengths of this project is that it made both
economic and environmental sense," claims Burks.
Lessons Learned
Building effective partnerships is the key to success. Burks
identifies several critical elements for successful collaboration.
Find knowledgeable champions
"It's not enough to have a good idea," Burks says. "You need
somebody to carry it." Behind the project's success were
individuals who believed they were doing the right thing,
were able to articulate the benefits of photovoltaic systems,
and could mobilize their organizations—and the resources of
those organizations—to make the project happen.
Assemble an attractive package
"First and foremost," says Burks, "the project must make
economic sense and offer demonstrated environmental
benefits." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for
example, was attracted to the project because it offered an
opportunity to demonstrate viable and cost-effective
energy technologies that help curtail greenhouse gas
emissions and slash air, water, and noise pollution.
It also helps if the partners receive other tangible benefits,
such as high public visibility. In the case of Dangling
Rope, the site's location in a national park was a strong
selling point. "Everybody loves the parks," Burks says.
"It's easy to attract partners when you tell them you're
going to do away with dirty diesel fuel-fired electric
generation and replace it with a clean source of electricity
generated by the sun."
Fuel for the diesel fuel-fired generators required 35 barge trips
per year at more than $1,000 per trip.
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PacifiCorp, one of the project's private sector partners, saw
a number of gains too. "There were clear and immediate
local environmental benefits to eliminating diesel
generation and fuel hauling," says David Engberg, the
company's director of technology business development.
"And we have taken advantage of a number of unique
opportunities to offset carbon dioxide emissions as part of
our [U.S. Department of Energy] Climate Challenge
commitment. But the return we are most interested in is
the learning experience with the technology and its
applications."
PacifiCorp expects to use photovoltaics and other
generating technologies to serve customers who seek
choices in meeting their energy needs. Engberg says that
on-the-ground experience is valuable in understanding
how to use photovoltaics and other renewable energy
technologies in the company's future service. "The
Dangling Rope project was a real win-win opportunity
for us and the other participants."
Share financing
Obtaining seed money from the Department of Energy
and the State of Utah was crucial to leveraging support
from other organizations. "No single government agency
can go it alone on big projects like these," Burks adds.
Secure technical expertise and support
Partners must have relevant experience and be committed
to making their knowledge available. In this case,
PacifiCorp and ARAMARK shared their experience in
managing power plants and large construction projects.
The Department of Energy, through Sandia National
Laboratories, provided invaluable technical assistance, and
the Park Service offered logistical support.
Be an informed customer
The customer acquiring the photovoltaic system must be
informed, interested, and have a measurable stake in a
successful outcome. The Park Service met all these
criteria, making it an ideal partner.
Educational Benefits
Visitors to Dangling Rope Marina will have a first-hand
opportunity to learn about the environmental and
economic benefits of solar energy. Park rangers will offer
interpretive programs explaining how the marina's
hybrid solar-propane system demonstrates the expanding
market for photovoltaics. The Park Service also has the
chance to inform the public about the risks of global
warming and the cost-effective actions that can be taken
to cut emissions.
The project has received considerable attention from the
media. Dangling Rope was featured on the front pages of
five western newspapers and appeared as an inside story in
15 others. Local Utah and Arizona television stations
produced more than a dozen news reports. Burks points out
that the project's high visibility acts as an important
"market pull" that will help accelerate acceptance of
renewable energy technology in the minds of consumers.
The success at Dangling Rope also has helped raise
awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy
within the Park Service. Agency personnel in Utah are
fielding an increasing number of inquiries for information
from other Park Service locations, and pockets of expertise
on energy efficiency and renewables are growing
throughout the national park system.
"Dangling Rope Marina demonstrates all of the classic
characteristics that make National Park Service sites ideal
candidates for energy efficiency projects and renewable
energy systems," Burks asserts. "Comments received
suggest that the public loves these systems almost as much
as they love the parks."
For More Information
JeffreyS. Burks
State of Utah
Department of Natural Resources
Office of Energy and Resource Planning
1594 West North Temple, Suite 3610
Box 146480
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6480
Phone: 801-538-5414
E-mail: nroerp.jburks@state. ut. us
Vic Knox
National Park Service
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
P.O. Box 1507
Page, AZ 86040
Phone: 520-608-6332
E-mail: Victor_Knox@nps.gov
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