06/10/2008 08:25 AM

Page: 1  | 2  | 3

Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: June 12, 2008

Page 3

The improved fuel cell on the FCHV-adv also does a better job of rejecting water that forms within the fuel cell, increasing the vehicle's ability to operate at low temperatures. According to Toyota, the new fuel cell stack can operate at temperatures as low as -22°F. The new fuel cell stack is also more durable, thanks in part to better degradation control for the fuel cell's catalyst. The FCHV-adv was certified as a road-safe vehicle by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport on June 3. See the Toyota press release.

Duke Energy to Add Solar Power to 850 North Carolina Sites

Duke Energy Carolinas plans to spend $100 million over the next 2 years to install roughly 20 megawatts (MW) of solar panels throughout North Carolina. The utility filed an application on June 6 with the North Carolina Utilities Commission, asking for approval to implement the solar distributed generation program. If the program is approved, Duke Energy Carolinas will install solar power systems on rooftops or on the ground at more than 850 customer locations throughout the state, including homes, schools, stores, and factories. Duke Energy Carolinas would own and operate the equipment, but customers who offer their location for solar panels will be rewarded by the utility.

The program will help Duke Energy Carolinas meet its obligations under the state's Renewable and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, which requires 0.02% of the electricity sold in the state to come from solar power in 2010, increasing to 0.2% solar power by 2018. Once the solar power is converting into alternating current, it will provide roughly 16 MW of power, enough to serve more than 2,600 homes. The utility has also contracted to buy the entire electrical output from an 18-MW solar photovoltaic facility that SunEdison plans to build north of Charlotte. Construction is slated for mid-2009, with commercial operation by the end of 2010. See the Duke Energy press releases on the proposed solar program and the SunEdison facility.

A report issued by DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in April found that renewable portfolio standards (RPS), such as the one in North Carolina, now apply to nearly 50% of the electricity load in the United States. When the report was published, RPS policies were in place in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

If those policies are met, roughly 60,000 MW of new renewable power facilities will be built by 2025, including 6,700 MW of solar power. And so far, the track record is good: from 1998 to 2007, more than 50% of the renewable power additions in the United States (excluding hydropower additions) occurred in states with RPS policies, including 165 MW of new solar generating capacity. In fact, the average compliance with state RPS policies was 94% in 2006, and so far, the programs have increased electricity rates by 1% or less. See the LBNL press release and the full report (PDF 1.5 MB).

Connecticut to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80% by 2050

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed a bill last week that requires the state to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80% below 2001 levels by 2050. House Bill 5600, "An Act Concerning Global Warming Solutions," requires the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to determine the best strategies to meet the GHG limits. It also authorizes the DEP to work with other states and Canadian provinces to develop a cap-and-trade program to achieve the GHG limits. Connecticut is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is establishing a cap-and-trade program for GHG emissions for much of the Northeast.

The bill requires the DEP to evaluate the potential of low-carbon fuel standards for motor vehicles and home heating fuels to help achieve the GHG reductions. It also establishes a subcommittee to evaluate the impacts of climate change on the state and to recommend to the governor and the state legislature any needed changes to state and municipal programs, laws, or regulations to mitigate such impacts. See the governor's press release and the full text of the bill, HB 5600.

++++

Kevin Eber is the Editor of EREE Network News, a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). 

« back