Join more than 400 participants at the 9th Annual Bridging Partnerships Small Business Symposium! This event is a Business Expo with a focus on Government Contracting and Doing Business at Hanford, with exciting Networking Opportunities and Educational Breakout Sessions for Your Growing Business! For More Information & To Register Online, CLICK HERE!

RICHLAND, Wash. - The first chapter of The Hanford Story multimedia series, Hanford Overview, has received an Emmy for best Historical/Cultural - Program/Special. The award was presented by the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at its 48th Annual Emmy Awards in Snoqualmie, Wash.

The program was produced by Lockheed Martin Creative & Strategic Services for the U.S. Department of Energy. Doug Shoop, U.S. Department of Energy, was the executive producer. Frank Armijo, Mission Support Alliance, and Dana Jensen, Lockheed Martin, were co-producers. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

Background

The Hanford Story is a multimedia presentation that provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site-its history, today's cleanup activities, and a glimpse into the possibilities of future uses of the 586-square-mile government site in southeast Washington State.

The Hanford Story will be delivered in a series of video-based chapters dedicated to telling the multi-faceted story of the site.

• The history of producing plutonium

• Impacts to the environment resulting from producing plutonium

• Progress being made in cleanup of the site

• Innovative technologies and solutions being used in cleanup activities

• Future uses of the Hanford Site

“So there’s a lot of heat and energy that’s produced by the result of even running an air conditioner,” said Annie Haas, public information officer for energy research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “What a fuel cell can do is take that waste heat that is produced and turn it into electricity. It converts the waste heat from the heat and cooling system to power the building.”

This new energy source is quickly making a name of itself across the country, especially in the Pacific Northwest.

The Department of Energy awarded a $2.8 million grant to ClearEdge Power of Hillsboro, Ore., allowing the company to place 10 of the units. And PNNL will study the data for the next five years to determine the cost savings and benefits of the new technology.

ClearEdge is installing its combined heat and power fuel cell systems in commercial buildings, such as grocery stores, car dealerships, elementary schools and community colleges in California and Oregon, said Mike Upp, ClearEdge Power’s vice president of marketing.

According to Upp the average price for a unit ranges from $55,000 to $75,000 depending on the complexity of the installation.

“I think the first place you’ll see them is multi-unit housing,” Upp said. “I think you’ll see a lot of them in schools because schools of course are focused on alternative energy.”

Whitney G. Colella, a senior research engineer at PNNL, said it is more economical and environmentally friendly to install combined heat and power fuel cell systems in building with high electricity and heating demand throughout the day and throughout the seasons.

Each unit has a high-speed Internet data feed, allowing researchers at PNNL continuous access to analyze each the system’s performance. The project team will monitor the electrical power output, heat output, operating voltage, operating current, temperature of the water being sent to the building from the fuel cell system, temperature of the water entering the system, the water flow rate entering the system, the flow rate of the fuel into the system, and the time that the system is non-operational or operating below stated specifications.

“PNNL’s independent analysis of this data will help to quantify the reliability, longevity and long-term performance of these systems over time,” Colella said.

The federal portion of funding for this award was provided through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy-Fuel Cell Technologies Program.

“The thing about fuel cells is they are available now, people are using them,” Haas said. “So at the end of the day if can look at the data and fuel cells are more energy efficient and cut carbon dioxide emissions it can be another option for commercial buildings.”

PNNL will provide its analysis in a report to DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program.

“Really, my personal opinion, its about establishing a business case.” Haas said. “If you can save energy you can also save money out of the pocket. If we can help provide the data … not only does it have these awesome green benefits, but you are going to save some money too.”

by Veronica Sandate Craker
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

http://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com

Find out which Advanced Manufacturing concepts work for you , and which don't . . . by registering today to exhibit at the Premier Manufacturing Networking Event in the Pacific Northwest!

Cost to exhibit is ONLY $500 and registration includes:

• Two Badges.  Each badge provides attendance for one at the TiLite Smartmap Tour, Exhibitor Reception - Gesa Sports Bar, and the TRIDEC Power Lunch.
• A 10'X10' booth at the Manufacturer's Exposition.  Booth includes an 8' high back drape, 3' high side drapes, one 8' table with linen/skirting, two chairs, carpeting, electricity and wireless internet connection.
• Additional badges may be purchased for $100 each.

Click here to register as an exhibitor.

Click here to download the Smartmap 2011 Official Agenda and Success Seminar Information.

If you choose not to exhibit at Smartmap 2011, but would still like to attend, click here to register as an attendee.

InnovaTek, which completed the feasibility study of its technology for the Department of Defense, will partner with Indiana University to develop the catalyst for the process.

Patricia Irving, InnovaTek’s CEO, said the military has increased its use of portable electronic devices like night-vision goggles and GPS systems. But providing sufficient power to operate the devices is a challenge.

Batteries run out quickly and require continuous replacements or take a long-time charging.

In the military, those problems could be life-threatening, she said.

“Fuel cells, which convert chemical energy to electrical power, could significantly improve the confidence in using electronic devices,” Irving said.

They operate efficiently and quietly, and could provide an ideal solution for portable electric power generation for a wide range of military and commercial applications.

For complete story visit Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

RICHLAND, Wash. - The first chapter of The Hanford Story multimedia series, Hanford Overview, has received an Emmy for best Historical/Cultural - Program/Special. The award was presented by the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at its 48th Annual Emmy Awards in Snoqualmie, Wash., on Saturday, June 11, 2011 http://www.natasnw.org/). 

The program was produced by Lockheed Martin Creative & Strategic Services for the U.S. Department of Energy. Doug Shoop, U.S. Department of Energy, was the executive producer. Frank Armijo, Mission Support Alliance, and Dana Jensen, Lockheed Martin, were co-producers. 

The video is available on http://www.youtube.com/hanfordsite.

Background
The Hanford Story is a multimedia presentation that provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site-its history, today's cleanup activities, and a glimpse into the possibilities of future uses of the 586-square-mile government site in southeast Washington State.

The Hanford Story will be delivered in a series of video-based chapters dedicated to telling the multi-faceted story of the site.
• The history of producing plutonium
• Impacts to the environment resulting from producing plutonium
• Progress being made in cleanup of the site
• Innovative technologies and solutions being used in cleanup activities
• Future uses of the Hanford Site

"This DOE Financial Assistance Award comes at a significant time in our community's economy, especially given the ongoing state budget cuts to higher education," TRIDEC President Carl Adrian said.  "Our proposal was successful because of the support from our Congressional Delegation, the Hanford Prime Contractors, HAMMER, the Hanford Site Future Workforce Subcommittee, and IBEW-77."

The award is for $994,600 to Columbia Basin College, including a sub-award of $383,460 to Washington State University Tri-Cities. It is effective immediately and extends through June 2012.

"I am pleased that the Tri-Cities received this grant from the Department of Energy," Congressman Doc Hastings said. "I applaud TRIDEC and their partners for their contributions to Central Washington and am confident that this investment will continue the success of CBC and WSU Tri-Cities."
 
Columbia Basin College will use $611,140 to establish a One-Year Certificate in Project Management, an AA Degree in Project Management, curriculum for a PMP Certificate, a Project Management Training Center, and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Project Management, plus will issue $200,000 in scholarships.  The funding allows CBC to hire three full-time and two part-time employees to implement the programs. 

"This grant funding will allow CBC to train students on Primavera, a commonly-used project portfolio management software used in business and industry today," CBC President Rich Cummins said.  "Developing project management curriculum through the DOE funding ultimately will provide certificates, associate, and baccalaureate degree options in project management."

WSU Tri-Cities will receive $383,460 to enhance a Nuclear Engineering Graduate Certificate, to develop a Health and Safety Graduate Certificate, to create a Career Readiness web portal, and to support student success through mentoring, tutoring, technical internships, and select scholarships.

"These graduate certificate programs will enable us to address two areas of significant demand from employers for professionals who have expertise in radiation protection and for engineers who understand advanced principles of nuclear engineering," said James R. "Dick" Pratt, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at WSU Tri-Cities.

"This is just one of the many ways that TRIDEC and our community partners contribute to the future success of the Tri-Cities," Adrian said.  "TRIDEC is committed to working towards many more wins for our local economy."

"TRIDEC intends this to be the first of several requests which will help offset future Hanford staff reductions," wrote Carl Adrian, TRIDEC president, in a letter to Matt McCormick, manager of the DOE Hanford Richland Operations Office.

The letter also pointed out that DOE has a long history of turning over Hanford land to community interests, leading to significant economic growth in the Hanford area and creation of jobs.

TRIDEC was joined in the latest request by the city of Richland, the Port of Benton and Benton County.

The request has the support of Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both D-Wash., and Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., plus the Tri-Cities state legislative delegation, all of whom sent letters of support to DOE.

"Lands no longer needed for cleanup should not be locked away by the federal government into perpetuity," wrote Hastings. "In order to attract private investment and private sector jobs, portions of these land must be made available for transfer -- and not limited to federal leases."

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Hanford calls for most land in the 586 square mile nuclear reservation to be used for preservation or conservation as environmental cleanup is completed from the past production of weapons plutonium.

However, 10 percent of the land is planned for industrial use.

TRIDEC is requesting land bordered by Horn Rapids Road on the south and Stevens Drive on the east. The land primarily was used as a buffer area for parts of the nuclear reservation where plutonium production occurred. Before World War II, it was used for farming.

The parcel is one of the few "mega-sites" -- a site larger than 500 acres -- available for industrial use in Washington, according to the TRIDEC request. In the Tri-Cities, there are no other large and contiguous parcels of land near distribution systems to support industries that require a large manufacturing space or buffer areas for development and safe operations, the request said.

The site has access to large energy transmission distribution lines and switch yards, rail lines, ocean-going barges and major freeway systems.

TRIDEC and its partners are proposing dividing it into a 900-acre site, which would support one or two large enterprises providing 2,000 to 3,000 jobs combined. In addition three smaller 100- to 200-acre sites would support another 400 to 500 jobs combined.

"These new jobs will help directly offset the coming downturn in employment at the Hanford site as the cleanup mission nears completion," the request said.

Hanford has about 12,000 workers, but 1,600 jobs are expected to be cut as most of federal economic stimulus money is spent by the end of September.

"The Tri-Cities also recognizes that Congressional funding cuts and completion of cleanup along the Columbia River will lead to an additional 1,000 or more jobs being reduced from Hanford before 2015," the request said.

TRIDEC already has had interest from an undisclosed international firm looking for a large site. If the company selects the Tri-City site, it would invest at least $2 billion to develop a plant and would want to own the site rather than lease it.

TRIDEC is requesting transfer of the land at below market value because of the cost of improvements needed. Those include road, sewer, water and electrical infrastructure.

The request Tuesday for the 1,341 acres is the first of three that TRIDEC plans to request in the next five years.

"This could obviously be a big first step for the community in helping determine a piece of the post-cleanup future of the Hanford site," said Colleen French, DOE Hanford government affairs program manager.

DOE Hanford officials have 90 days to review the TRIDEC proposal and decide if transferring the land is in the government's best interest, she said.

In addition to replying to TRIDEC then, Hanford officials also will forward their recommendation to DOE headquarters. If the proposal moves forward, it would need approval by the energy secretary and then would be sent to Congress.

TRIDEC points out that DOE and other federal agencies have a long history of successfully releasing land to community interests, starting in 1958 when Richland went from being a "company" town owned by DOE for Hanford employees to a municipality with privately owned homes.

The Richland airport and hundreds of acres of nearby land were released to the Port of Benton starting in 1962. The Corps of Engineers also sold 290 acres to the port in 1961 for $100,000, leading to the development of a major dock used by the U.S. Navy for unloading nuclear materials bound for Hanford.

Camp Hanford and the 1100 Area of Hanford also have been released to community interests. Now what was once federal land is home to Energy Northwest headquarters, InnovaTek, Battelle and Washington State University Tri-Cities.

In addition, 6,000 acres of former Hanford land west of Stevens Drive and south of Horn Rapids Road now is home to companies such as ATI Allvac Specialty Metals, PermaFix and Areva. Businesses on the acreage employ about 1,000 workers.

Young Professionals in Energy (“YPE”) is a non-profit energy industry networking organization with over 20,000 members worldwide.  YPE is dedicated to providing a forum for networking and career development for professionals in the global energy industry. YPE runs a year-round calendar of events in 20 chapters around the world. Please click here to see our calendar of upcoming events.

Mission Statement
YPE aims to facilitate the advancement of young professionals in the energy industry around the world through social, educational and civic service oriented events.  The desired outcome of YPE is to foster an environment where members can learn from each other’s experiences, share industry knowledge and discuss career matters. 

Vision Statement
YPE is a positive catalytic force in uniting the young energy leaders of today. YPE prepares its members to be the best leaders for their communities and for the global energy industry.

Members
YPE seeks involvement from a broad base of professionals working in the energy industry. Engineers, geoscientists, landmen, financial analysts, lobbyists, governments employees, accountants, attorneys, commercial and investment bankers, principal investors, consultants, and anyone else with a direct professional focus on the global energy sector are encouraged to join YPE.

For More Information on Becoming a Member of Tri-Cities Young Professionals in Energy Contact:

Jessica Ballard                                      or                        Traci Jao

jballard@InfiniaCorp.com                                            tjao@tridec.org