Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. won an award for its commercially manufactured monolithically integrated CIGS thin-film modules - they use a plastic substrate for various applications including automotive, portable power and rooftops. See the press releases from NREL and Sandia, and Ascent Solar.
And, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) won awards for two energy efficiency contributions. Home Energy Saver is a free online tool that identifies a range of energy-saving upgrades specific to each user's home construction and location. The tool, known as Hohm, received over 6 million unique visitors as of January 2009. LBNL researchers also created rough silicon nanowires, thermoelectric material that can be used to recover waste heat from cars, airplanes, power plants, and other sources to cut energy use. See the LBNL press release.
EPA Proposes Percentages for 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards
On July 12, the U.S. EPA proposed the 2011 percentage standards for four fuel categories in its Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2). The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) established the annual renewable fuel volume targets, which reach an overall level of 36 billion gallons in 2022.
To achieve the targets, the EPA calculates a percentage-based standard for the following year. Based on the standard, each refiner, importer, and non-oxygenate blender of gasoline determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel they must use.
Under the proposed overall volumes and standards for 2011, biomass-based diesel will make up 0.68% of overall volume, totaling 0.80 billion gallons; advanced biofuels will make up 0.77%, a total of 1.35 billion gallons; cellulosic biofuels will range from 0.004% to 0.015%, totaling 5-17.1 million gallons; and total renewable fuels will equal 7.95%, or 13.95 billion gallons.
In this latest update, EPA proposes a 2011 cellulosic volume that is lower than the EISA target, based on current market information. However, the agency will continue to evaluate the market before finalizing the cellulosic standard in the coming months.
The EPA is also proposing changes to RFS2 regulations that would potentially apply to renewable fuel producers who use canola oil, grain sorghum, pulpwood, or palm oil as a feedstock. This program rule would allow the fuel produced by those feedstocks dating back to July 1, 2010, to be used for compliance should EPA determine in a future rulemaking that such fuels meet certain GHG reduction thresholds.
The second change would set criteria for foreign feedstocks to be treated like domestic feedstocks in terms of the documentation needed to prove they can be used to make qualifying renewable fuel under the RFS2 program.
Public comment on the renewable fuel standards and the proposed changes to the RFS2 regulations will be due 30 days following publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register. As of July 13, the proposal had not yet been published. See the EPA press release, the proposed renewable fuels rules (PDF 492 KB), and the Renewable Fuel Standard Web site.
Swiss Solar Plane Makes First Night Flight
A solar-powered aircraft that flew over Switzerland for more than 26 continuous hours on July 7-8 achieved an important milestone in a project that aims to launch a zero-emission flight around the world in 2012.
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA, a lightweight prototype with the 208-foot wingspan of a Boeing 747-400, completed what organizers say is the first-ever full night-time flight by a solar-powered aircraft.
