Cook Composites and Polymers Co., Freescale Semiconductor Inc., and Owens Corning received the initial certifications after the pilot phase which began in May 2008. DOE and Texas Industries of the Future, located at the University of Texas at Austin, collaborated during the pilot.
A series of additional energy management demonstration projects are underway to further test the Superior Energy Performance program. The goal is for companies to conform to the upcoming International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 50001 energy management system standard. ISO, the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards, identified energy management as a priority for its significant potential to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Based on broad applicability across national economic sectors, the ISO 50001 standard could eventually influence up to 60% of the world's energy demand.
The Superior Energy Performance program, which is led by the U.S. Council for Energy Efficient Manufacturing with support from DOE, is already serving as the basis for the Global Superior Energy Performance initiative, a multi-country effort to create and harmonize nationally accredited energy performance certification programs. See the DOE press release, the Superior Energy Performance program Web site, and DOE's Industrial Technologies Program Web site.
First Leaf, Volts Shipped to U.S. Customers
Nissan delivered its new electric vehicle (EV), the Leaf, to a San Francisco Bay area resident on December 11. The initial launch markets are Southern California, Arizona, Oregon, Seattle, and Tennessee; Hawaii and Texas are next in early 2011.
350 Chevy Volt hybrids will be in showrooms this month for customers in California, New York, Texas, and Washington D.C.
Leaf owners in several markets are participating in the EV Project, a research and charging infrastructure deployment project funded by DOE. In November, San Francisco announced it would work with Coulomb Technologies to install the first two EV charging stations there. They are part of the ChargePoint America program, funded in part by a $15 million Recovery Act grant. See the Leaf press release and the official Leaf post, Volt press release, the EV Project Web site, the ChargePoint America Web site, and the San Francisco mayor's press release.
DOT Redirects $1.2 Billion in High-Speed Rail Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that $1.2 billion in high-speed rail funds originally designated for Wisconsin and Ohio will be redirected to other states. Incoming Republican governors of Wisconsin and Ohio indicated they will not use the funds offered through Recovery Act. $810 million from Wisconsin and $385 million from Ohio will be re-directed to 14 other states.
