Energy options pick up steam

"Utah wind resources are pretty good, but compared with other Western states, they're not as strong," he said. "This (tax credit) levels the playing field ... relative to other states. It's an advantage. No other states we're working with out West have this."

UPC's project is expected to bring a significant tax boost to Millard and Beaver counties.

"Especially for Beaver County, this is a huge boon for their school district," Stephenson said. "Beaver is one of the have-nots."

A smaller scale

While much of the focus in the tax credit issue has been on wind farms and other commercial projects, Stephenson said smaller systems that can be used at the residential level must not be neglected.

"I've come to realize from sponsoring the bill that the residential side is very important as well," he said. "You get such tremendous savings."

One technology Stephenson sees as having particularly strong potential is the geothermal pump, also called a heat pump. Geothermal pumps have been embraced by the federal government and hundreds of schools throughout the country in the past 20 years. The Department of Defense uses 7,500 heat pumps in its facilities, and schools that use the heat pumps save a total of about $25 million each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Geothermal pumps heat and cool structures by harnessing the Earth's natural temperature, which stays fairly constant year-round just a few feet below the surface.

The pumps use underground tubes that circulate water or a solution similar to antifreeze; in the winter the earth heats the tubes, which carry the heat into the building. In the summer, the pump pulls heat out of the home and sends it into the earth. Geothermal heat pumps also provide free hot water in the summer.

Washington County School District in southwest Utah has incorporated geothermal pumps into 13 structures, including the district offices. Three more schools that will use geothermal pumps are under construction.

Phil Williams, the director of facilities for Washington County School District, said the pumps have reduced energy consumption by 20 percent to 30 percent over traditional boiler systems. Next-generation systems going into new schools should reduce that figure even further, he said.

"If you've got a building over 100,000 square feet, you can put in a heat pump system for about the same cost as putting in a boiler system," Williams said. "With smaller buildings, the up-front costs are more (for a pump system). ... It takes about 10 years to get the payback, but after that, the savings are significant."

Williams estimates the schools that use pumps save about $10,000 in energy costs per year once the pumps are paid for, and maintenance costs are anticipated to be about half of what the district pays to keep boiler systems going.

"For us, it's a win-win-win," Williams said.