LONG BEACH – A crowd of 45 people showed up at the Washington State University extension office on Pioneer Road Saturday for an alternative energy workshop organized by ShoreBank Pacific Scientist Kathleen Sayce and Pacific County PUD Commissioner Diana Thompson.

This was twice the number of participants in last year’s workshop. Solar installer and wind power vendors, either presenting or answering questions and showing their wares, also nearly doubled.

It appears that alternative energy concepts are beginning to catch on in Pacific County.

Sayce, who acted as co-moderator for the event, indicated, “Half of a home’s energy bill goes to heating. Another quarter of energy expense is in heating water. So if you can engineer systems that cut down your costs in those areas, you’ve taken a chunk out of your energy bill.”

According to PUD Energy Services Department Manager Jim Dolan, “When we first started talking about solar energy in Pacific County, I had two calls to one telling me it couldn’t be done here. Well, it can.”

Dolan was one of several presenters with both technical information on solar and wind power and photographs of actual projects in our area.

Kicking off the agenda was Anthony Stoppiello instructing the audience on the advantages of ‘passive solar,’ a term that refers to the benefits of designing or orienting a structure with the sun’s heating potential in mind.

Passive solar techniques can be as simple as properly placing a house on the property to take advantage of the heat and light available from the sun. Or, the converse, creating window coverings, or outdoor plantings that shade the house to promote a more even year-round temperature.

Victoria Stoppiello followed her husband’s report by sharing before and after images of the Stoppiello property in Ilwaco as illustrative of these concepts.

Taking off a carport which had been blocking the south side of the property opened up a premium spot for a garden. Enclosing and properly insulating a northern-facing staircase to the upper story of the house, although it increased the overall square footage of the structure, actually decreased the energy use by a remarkable 49 percent.

Stoppiello, showing a photo of the finished project, said, “and notice our solar clothes dryer, a real energy saver,” referring to the laundry hanging on a line in the newly liberated southern corner of the yard.

Greg Price of Abundant Renewable Energy (AbundantRE.com), an eight-year-old wind power firm headquartered in Newberg, Ore., took the crowd through the basics of wind power, beginning with how to determine if your property has the minimum 10 mph wind speed to warrant a system.

Participants quickly learned that what might feel like a lot of wind on the coast may not be a usable commodity. The exact location of your property, its proximity to other structures or large trees, can make or break a project.

Wind is most powerful and unobstructed at 80 feet or higher. The major up-front expense of wind generation is the tower that the generator is mounted on. The cheaper towers need securing guy-wires that require a platform size of 100 to 160 feet, or larger. To achieve a smaller footprint and no guy-wires, a steel tower called a monopole is needed.

As a comparison, a “guyed pipe” tower would cost $5,000; while a similarly-sized guy lattice tower (visualize an erector set tower) would cost $13,000; a free standing lattice truss tower would cost $16,000; and a comparable monopole tower could cost as much as $50,000.

Price drove home this lesson, “Be sure you’ve done your homework to ensure that your investment in wind power is worth it.”

To begin your wind assessment, Price recommends a Web site called First Look (http://firstlook.3tiergroup.com/) which is a google-style map that allows you to zoom in on your location and get an estimate of wind power potential.

There was some concern in the audience about the danger to birds presented by wind towers. According to Price, the impact on birds of ‘small wind’ towers and blades is minimal to nil.

Dolan wrapped up the workshop with a discussion of ‘active solar’ concepts. These projects utilize the sun either to produce heat (for instance for water) or photo voltaic systems that convert solar energy into electricity.

Radiant solar projects preheat water to your hot water tank. (The Stoppiello project includes one of these visible on the roof.) Radiant solar systems are fairly simple, non-technical systems that require some basic plumbing expertise, a southern exposure and a holding tank.

Photovoltaic solar projects that generate electricity, which can be used for any application, are more expensive and require a professional plan and installation.

Lighting options can also be a simple energy saver. Tom Doberstein, of SkylightsNW in Beaverton, Ore., shared that “A ‘sun tunnel,’ which will bring light into a dark hallway or bedroom, can be installed for as little as $800.”

There are still state and federal rebates available for upgrading insulation, winterization and solar voltaic projects. Check with the PUD office in Long Beach at 642-3191, if you need further information on alternative energy options for our area.