Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: Nov. 27, 2002

*News and Events

*Site News

Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy

*Energy Facts and Tips

U.S. Solar and Wind Industries Grow as Hydropower Drops

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NEWS AND EVENTS

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Energy Companies Promise $225 Million for Research Project

Four large energy companies announced last week their plan to contribute up to $225 million over the next ten years to support a new energy research project managed by Stanford University. The new Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) will develop innovative technologies to meet the world’s growing energy needs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The GCEP is expecting to receive support from the ExxonMobil Corporation, the General Electric Company (GE), Schlumberger Limited, and E.ON, a European energy supplier. Stanford University expects to perform much of the research, but will also join with renowned institutions around the world to work with the sponsoring companies.

The GCEP will identify the most promising technologies for low-emissions, high-efficiency energy supplies; identify the global barriers to deploying those technologies; conduct research into overcoming those barriers; identify potential solutions to the barriers; and share and publicize its results to a wide audience. With regard to energy efficiency and renewable energy, the GCEP’s research agenda definitely includes renewable energy technologies, hydrogen, advanced transportation systems, and power storage and transmission technologies. However, the agenda also includes advanced nuclear power technologies, advanced uses of coal, and carbon sequestration. See the GCEP Web site (particularly the news release) at: http://gcep.stanford.edu

As noted in the ExxonMobil press release, “The announcement of the project comes as some scientists have begun calling for a research effort as ambitious as the Apollo project to address both energy needs and emission reductions.” See the November 20th press release from ExxonMobil, as well as the press releases from GE and Schlumberger, at:
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DOE Gauges Interest in Climate Change Technology Initiative DOE announced last week its intent to launch its own initiative to address climate change, and is seeking ideas and statements of interest from those who may wish to participate. Under the National Climate Change Technology Initiative, DOE is considering funding research that could yield reductions or avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions; greenhouse gas capture and sequestration; capture and conversion of greenhouse gases to some beneficial use; or enhanced monitoring and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions, inventories, and fluxes. For now, DOE is just seeking outlines of ideas, concepts, technologies, or technical approaches that could meet the President’s climate change goals, but if the initiative is pursued, it will involve a competitive solicitation involving the award of tens of millions of dollars over multiple years. See the DOE press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

According to a letter sent in early September to President Bush by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans, the high-priority items now being pursued by the initiative include hydrogen-based energy systems, biofuels, low-speed wind turbines, zero energy buildings, carbon sequestration, forest management, and agricultural land management. In a separate effort, the agencies are also aggressively pursing improvements in the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases program. See the letter on the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

As explained in that letter, the National Climate Change Technology Initiative is one tine of a three-pronged U.S. strategy to address climate change, the other two tines being the Climate Change Research Initiative and increased international cooperation on climate change and clean energy technologies. One result of that strategy is a new draft strategic plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, which combines the new Climate Change Research nitiative with the ongoing activities of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Along with continued inquiries into the science of climate change, the program aims to develop decision support tools that include detailed analyses of projected environmental, economic, and energy system outcomes of various scenarios for the future. The program is accepting public comments on the strategic plan until January 13th and is holding a public workshop in Washington, D.C., in early December. See the draft strategic plan at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

San Francisco Launches Solar Initiative with 675-kW System

The City of San Francisco awarded the first contract under its voter-approved solar bond initiative last week. PowerLight Corporation will install a 675-kilowatt solar power system on the roof of the city’s Moscone Center, a convention center, to generate about 825 megawatt-hours of electricity each year. In addition, energy efficiency improvements will save about 4,500 megawatt-hours of electricity annually.

A year ago, San Francisco voters approved Proposition B, which authorized the city to issue up to $100 million in revenue bonds
to finance renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in city- and county-owned buildings. Voters also approved Proposition H, which enables the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to issue revenue bonds to support renewable energy and energy efficiency developments in city, commercial, and residential buildings. See the November 7, 2001, edition of EREN Network News at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Last week’s announcement benefited from some celebrity appeal: Singer Bonnie Raitt joined Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. and representatives of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) on the podium. See the November 22nd press release on the SFPUC Web site at:
http://sfwater.org/main.cfm/MC_ID/4/MSC_ID/9

Anyone wishing to add solar power to a building might want to visit the redesigned “Photovoltaics for Buildings” Web site, provided by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The new, beefier site provides information on using solar power in homes and commercial buildings and provides examples through its “feature projects.” See the revised Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

BP Drops Thin-Film Products to Focus on Crystalline Silicon

BP Solar announced last week that it is halting production of its thin-film solar products in favor of its more traditional solar cell technologies based on crystalline silicon. BP Solar will stop thin-film manufacturing at the company’s Fairfield, California, facility and convert it into a warehouse, distribution center, and the base for the company’s West Coast sales and marketing efforts. The company will also close its Toana, Virginia, manufacturing plant if a buyer cannot be found by the end of this year, and an associated technology center will close immediately. If both plants close, 260 workers will lose their jobs.

BP Solar cited a lack of demand and unfavorable economics as its reasons for retreating from thin-film technologies, although the company expects to continue growing its sales at 30 percent per year through expansion of its crystalline silicon market. Crystalline silicon currently represents more than 85 percent of BP Solar’s global production capacity for solar products. To grow its business, the company plans to launch a new sales and marketing initiative in California in January 2003. See the BP Solar press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Ironically, BP was one of four organizations honored with the 2002 Awards for Solar Business Achievement in mid-November. The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) bestowed the honor on BP Solar in part because it “continues to seek out innovative uses for photovoltaics,” including the use of its thin-film solar panels on many of its service stations. SEPA also presented awards to Commonwealth Edison, the City of Palo Alto Utilities, and the partnership between Tucson Electric Power and the City of Tucson. See the SEPA press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Casinos Help Bring Six Zero Energy Homes to New Jersey

Six energy-efficient, solar-powered homes are about to be built in Atlantic City, New Jersey, thanks primarily to gambling revenues. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority announced on Monday that six homes in the Millennia Square neighborhood, developed by the authority, will “approach a zero net utility cost to homeowners.” The authority was established by the state in 1984 to funnel a portion of gambling revenues into projects that revitalize Atlantic City and other parts of the state.

The six Cape Cod-style homes will each have two baths and three to four bedrooms. The project is being supported in part by the DOE State Energy Program’s “Zero Energy Home” grant program and the New Jersey Clean Energy Program. Construction will begin by year-end. See the press release from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Energy-saving building technologies are gaining favor in the construction industry. One sign of this growing acceptance are the “Best Practice” Sustainability Awards, presented by the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC). This year’s awards, announced last week, went to the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition; Sun Plans, Inc., which markets designs for passive solar houses; Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA, which built an energy-efficient office building for its headquarters; and the Center for Energy Research/Education/Service at Ball State University in Indiana, which offers interdisciplinary education in energy and resource use, alternatives, and conservation. See the SBIC press release:
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Geothermal Power Plant in Northern California Gains Approval

The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service gave their approval yesterday for the development of a 48-megawatt geothermal power plant in Siskiyou County, California, near the state’s northern border. Calpine Corporation will develop the plant, to be located at Telephone Flat, near Medicine Lake in the Modoc National Forest. To connect the plant to the power transmission system, Calpine will also build a 13-mile transmission line. The route for that line was modified to avoid an area of the Medicine Lake Highlands designated as a Traditional Cultural District and considered sacred to local Indian tribes. See the Department of Interior press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Proposed development of the site dates back to 1997, when CalEnergy Corporation submitted an application, which was ultimately rejected in May 2000. Calpine later acquired CalEnergy, which had filed a lawsuit to continue the project. In April 2002, Calpine and the U.S. government agreed to stay the litigation and reassess the decision, which led to final approval of the project. See the Record of Decision, in PDF format only, on the California Bureau of Land Management Web site at:
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Geothermal development in the Medicine Lake area continues to be controversial with local Indian tribes. In late September, the International Indian Treaty Council adopted a resolution that opposed geothermal development in the area. See the resolution at: http://www.treatycouncil.org/new_page_571111121.htm

DOE and the Interior Department are trying to increase production of renewable energy on federal lands in support of the President’s National Energy Policy. Working in an interagency task force that included the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Defense Department, the two agencies produced a report in August that recommends updated geothermal resource mapping, promotion of increased geothermal energy production, and an expedited review of geothermal lease applications. DOE also committed to updating its Wind Energy Resource Atlas, and the Interior Department plans to establish a biomass production initiative. The Bush Administration is also considering an Executive Order to increase renewable energy production on federal lands. See the “White House Report in Response to the National Energy Policy Recommendations to Increase Renewable Energy Production on Federal Lands,” a 3.8 MB document available in PDF format only, on the Interior Department Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

New York Provides $250,000 for Energy Efficiency at Brewery

The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Baldwinsville, New York, will install new heat recovery equipment that should save the company more than $550,000 each year in energy costs, thanks to state incentives. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is providing a $250,000 cash incentive to the brewery in support of its $1 million project. The project will use an innovative configuration and underutilized heat recovery technology to recover 25 percent more waste energy from the brewery’s four boilers than is currently recovered. The new equipment should be installed by fall 2003. Located just outside of Syracuse, the brewery produces about 8 million barrels of beer each year. See the NYSERDA press releaset:
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SITE NEWS

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Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy
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The Great Basin Center at the University of Nevada conducts research and development in geothermal energy. Its Web site provides information on current projects and its center resources.

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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS

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U.S. Solar and Wind Industries Grow as Hydropower Drops

The U.S. solar and wind energy industry had banner years in 2001, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the numbers for overall renewable energy use. According to DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), a 23 percent drop in production from hydropower caused the total U.S. consumption of renewable energy to drop by about 12 percent, providing only about 6 percent of the country’s energy needs. Surprisingly, consumption of most other renewable energy sources also declined, and only wind power managed to show a 3.5 percent increase. Total renewable energy generating capacity grew by about 2 percent — 1,803 megawatts — thanks largely to new wind generation capacity.

But despite those largely discouraging figures, the U.S. solar energy industry was booming. Shipments of solar thermal collectors — mainly for residential pool heating — increased 34 percent over shipments in 2000. Domestic shipments of photovoltaic systems shot up 80 percent, while exports declined about 10 percent, yielding an overall 11 percent growth in the industry. Shipments of thin-film solar modules showed the greatest increase, totaling 13 peak megawatts of capacity, compared to less than 4 peak megawatts shipped in previous years.

One discouraging note for the U.S. industry: shipments of geothermal heat pumps dropped by 15 percent, to less than 36,000 units. See the EIA press release, which links to the full report, at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

While the U.S. solar energy industry is doing well, the worldwide solar power industry also appears to be booming, according to a report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) back in August. The report shows a 35 percent increase in installed photovoltaic capacity throughout the world in 2001, falling just short of 1000 megawatts of peak capacity. Annual production of solar modules increased more than six-fold since 1993, to a production total of 319 megawatts of peak capacity in 2001. Contrary to recent reports from some companies, the IEA report concludes that solar power capacity remains at only 60 percent of the market capacity. See the IEA report, available as a 5-MB file:
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