In the first year of the EcoCAR challenge, the teams determined the design for their vehicles, and in the second year, they had to turn those designs into reality. For the next and final year, the teams will have to refine their vehicles to near-showroom quality.
You can participate in a Web chat with the top three teams on Friday, June 4, at 3 p.m. EST on the EcoCAR blog site, "Inside the Green Garage." See the press releases from GM and MSU, as well as the EcoCAR Challenge Web site.
Florida Regulators Approve 100 MW Biomass Plant
The Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) and American Renewables received approval for a 100 MW biomass plant on May 27 from the Florida Public Service Commission.
American Renewables plans to build, own, and operate the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center. Under a 30-year contract, GRU will purchase all the power produced by the facility, which will generate power from urban wood waste, wood processing wastes, and logging residues.
American Renewables will build the facility at GRU's Deerhaven Generating Station, which has an 80 MW unit that can run on natural gas or oil and a 235 MW coal plant. They plan to begin construction in December and begin commercial operation in late 2013. See the GRU press release and the project summaries from GRU and American Renewables.
US Should Act Now to Cut Greenhouse Gases
The US should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change, according to three reports from the National Research Council (NRC).
The reports, issued May 19, examine the science of climate change, ways to limit future climate change, and ways to adapt to its impacts. The first report finds that multiple lines of evidence support the scientific understanding of climate change, and concludes that climate change is occurring, is largely caused by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems. The report also notes that many climate change impacts are already evident.
The second report concludes that limiting emissions must be a global effort, but strong U.S. actions could encourage other nations to follow. The report recommends a U.S. emissions budget of the equivalent of 170-200 gigatons of carbon dioxide emitted from 2012 through 2050. That averages out to 5.26 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year - the nation emitted the equivalent of about 7 gigatons of carbon dioxide in 2008. The report also finds that a carbon pricing system is the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions.
The third report notes the ongoing climate change impacts on the US and recommends a national adaptation strategy to help respond to these impacts. It emphasizes that actions to limit climate change and actions to adapt to it should not be seen as separate alternatives, but rather partners that work together to respond to the problem. Two additional reports will be issued later this year. See the National Academies press release and the special Web site for the reports, America's Climate Choices.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
