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Tag Archives: energy

New Rock Port Welcome Center Opening June 27 – features ground source heating systems and more!

Facility also educates about oil and gas production in the region

Southbound motorists traveling Interstate 29 near Rock Port, Missouri this Wednesday, June 27 are encouraged to visit a brand new facility to welcome them to the state. The Rock Port Welcome Center in Atchison County officially will be opened to the public at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 27, during a formal dedication ceremony, according to the Missouri Division of Tourism and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The theme of the new Welcome Center is “Energy Conservation and Alternative Energy:  Past & Present.” Working with Missouri Western State University, Northwest Missouri State University, and various historical and energy experts, informational panels throughout the building educate visitors about energy use and production. The site does more than just educate. Energy conservation and sustainability was designed into the project and will save Missourians thousands in the years to come. In fact, a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification is being sought for the project. Some of the numerous site designs include these energy efficiencies:

    • Ground source heat pump
    • Energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors
    • Hot water circulator
    • Sand-filtered waste water treatment

The welcome center is located in a region of the state that is one of the largest Oil and Gas in Missourinatural gas and oil production areas in Missouri, known as the Forest City Basin.  Oil was discovered in Missouri shortly after the Civil War when water wells were being drilled near Kansas City. Missouri has seen a marked increase in the production of oil in the last two fiscal years. Fiscal year 2011 figures total 112,508 barrels of oil produced. Missouri has potentially large quantities of “unconventional” energy resources that include: coalbed methane, oil sand and oil shale.

So, be sure to see the display in the welcome center that addresses oil and gas in Missouri.  Learn more about oil and gas in Missouri.

Also, read about the energy efficient makeover of our facilities in Rolla in which we installed ground source heat pump systems, energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, and Low-E windows that enable us to dramatically increase energy efficiency.

The new center is located on I-29 just south of the town of Rock Port. (Please note that because the welcome center is designed to service travelers just entering Missouri, it is accessible only from southbound I-29.)  Read the MoDOT news release.  –Joe

 

 

Posted on Jun 27, 2012

Missouri University of Science and Technology goes Geothermal

 Geothermal U

Video -- Missouri S&T Geothermal Project Groundbreaking

The groundbreaking ceremony honored the school's heritage as a mining educational institution as a golden drill bit replaced the customary golden shovel.

In an effort to develop a more environmentally friendly and energy efficient heating and cooling system for its campus, Missouri University of Science and Technology broke ground on a comprehensive initiative to develop ground source heating for 15 university buildings.

Ground source technology is a form of geothermal and uses the earth as a heat source or a heat sink depending on local climatic conditions.  These type systems are very energy efficient and typically have low operational costs.  The University estimates that through this effort a 50 percent reduction in energy use will be achieved and result in a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.  In addition, this will allow the University to decommission its 67 year old coal fired power plant.Geothermal ImpactWhen completed in 2014, the system will include approximately 600 wells serving three chiller geothermal plants on campus.  More information can be found on this Missouri S&T website.

Geothermal MissouriI also encourage you to visit our website to learn more about the State Geothermal Data project currently underway at the Division of Geology and Land Survey.  –Joe

Posted on May 02, 2012

Division of Energy begins energy stakeholder process to discuss Missouri’s energy future

Stakeholder meeting to be held in Rolla Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011

Energize MissouriThe Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy will hold a series of meetings to elicit discussion on complex energy issues, trends, opportunities and challenges for the state.

A diverse group of energy stakeholders such as utilities, energy consumers, state and local agencies, public policy groups, energy and environmental organizations and others identified by the department will identify and prioritize key implementable recommendations for where the department should focus its efforts and expend its resources. Participants in the Energy Stakeholder Process will work together with the department’s project facilitator, The Cadmus Group, to build consensus on what critical energy issues face Missouri today and in the near future.

The first public stakeholder meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 on our campus in the Annex Conference Room, at 111 Fairgrounds Road, Rolla.  The meeting begins at 10 a.m. and ends 5 p.m.  Subsequent meetings will be held in St. Louis (Oct. 27), Kansas City (Nov. 10) and Columbia (Nov. 14).

All meetings will be open to the public, though the dialogue in the first three of these meetings will be limited to invited participants.  There will be ample opportunity for the public to make comments and raise questions at the public meeting on Nov. 14, 2011.  The energy stakeholder process will consummate Feb. 2012. For more information, see this news release, call the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy at 573-526-5308, or email dalena.hardy@dnr.mo.gov.

Posted on Oct 24, 2011

Rolla’s Extreme Energy Makeover

Decisions made in 2004 result in savings

Decisions made in 2004 promote environmental stewardship and continue to save taxpayer money.  The buildings we occupy in Rolla are two energy-efficient buildings operated by Missouri state government.   These buildings, built in the 1960s and remodeled in 2004, have seen as much as a 40 percent reduction in energy use.  Energy efficient lighting, ground source heat pump systems and double-pane solar Low-E windows comprise the makeover.  Read more in our Missouri Resources Magazine. –Joe

Posted on Sep 15, 2011