Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: July 1, 2009

Editor's Note: The DOE solicitation for solar training, announced June 11, was included as a modification to a previous Funding Opportunity Announcement. View the solicitation by searching public opportunities on FedConnect: reference #DE-FOA-0000078. Deadline: July 30.

Developing World Now Consumes More Energy than Developed Countries

Led by China, the world's developing nations now consume more energy than industrialized countries, according to the 2009 BP Statistical Review of World Energy. Industrialized countries reduced energy consumption 1.3% in 2008, led by a 2.8% drop in the U.S., marking our steepest single-year decline since 1982.

That decrease was counterbalanced by increased energy use in developing countries, which caused global energy consumption to increase 1.4%. China accounted for nearly 75% of that increase, boosting its energy use 7.2%. Meanwhile, high oil prices early in the year, followed by the recession later in the year, caused oil consumption to drop by 1.3%. Despite that drop, proven oil reserves (excluding Canadian oil sands) decreased by 3 billion barrels to 1,258 billion barrels, the first retreat in proven oil reserves in a decade. Since 1980, the world's proven oil reserves have fallen only three times: in 1990, 1998, and 2008. See the BP press release and the full report.

DOE Sets New Lighting Standards & Invests in Efficient Buildings

President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced new energy efficiency standards for lighting, as well as DOE's investment of $346 million in ARRA funds to develop and deploy energy-efficient technologies in buildings.

The new standards apply to general service fluorescent lamps, used in most offices and commercial buildings, and incandescent reflector lamps, used for recessed and track lighting. It will result in 15% lower electricity use for general service fluorescent lamps, and 25% lower electricity use of incandescent reflector lamps. The rule applies to lamps manufactured for sale in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. starting in mid-2012; in the following 30 years, it will save consumers up to $4 billion a year, avoid the emissions of up to 594 million tons of CO2, and eliminate the need for as many as 14, 500 MW power plants.

The new lamp standards also include two types of 4-foot-long lamps; the standards for four other types of lamps require an increase of 10%-31.2% in the light output per watt. For incandescent reflector lamps, the new standard remains essentially the same for the smallest 40-watt bulb, but it requires higher efficiencies for brighter bulbs.

For the brightest bulb, at 205 watts, the new standard requires nearly 30% more light per watt. It sets slightly lower requirements for new "modified-spectrum" bulbs, which use a coating to achieve specific effects, such as a better approximation of natural daylight. DOE issued the final rule for lighting standards on June 26 and will soon publish it in the Federal Register. Until then, see the final rule (PDF 1.2 KB) as published on the Web site of DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

DOE is also investing $346 million in Recovery Act funds in energy efficient technologies for buildings, of which $100 million will go towards research that approaches buildings as an integrated system, including research focused on the systems-level design, integration, and control of both new and existing buildings. Another $50 million will support R&D of advanced manufacturing techniques for solid-state lighting, such as lamps that employ LEDs.

DOE will also direct $70 million toward residential buildings, including technical support to help train workers to perform energy efficiency retrofits, as well as outreach to municipalities and subdivisions to encourage such retrofits. The funds will also support a major initiative to provide builders with the technical assistance and training they need to build highly efficient homes.