Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: Feb. 5, 2003

News and Events

Energy Companies Added Significant Oil, Gas Reserves in 2001

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NEWS AND EVENTS

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President’s Budget Retains Funds for Efficiency, Renewables

President Bush released his administration’s proposed $2.2 trillion federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2004 on Monday. According to the President, the budget meets the challenges posed by three national priorities: winning the war against terrorism, securing the homeland, and generating long-term economic growth. Despite these three priorities, the budget maintains funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. It assumes enactment of the energy tax incentives proposed in the President’s 2003 budget, including tax credits for the use of solar power in residences and for purchases of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. It also proposes a two-year extension in tax credits for electric vehicles, clean-fuel vehicles, and power produced from certain renewable energy sources (the so-called “production tax credit”). See the budget on the White House Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

The proposed overall budget for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) remains nearly steady, increasing about 0.1 percent above the President’s request for FY 2003 (the FY 2003 budget has not been finalized, so it is not available for comparison). See page four of the text (page five of the PDF file) of the DOE Budget Request, a 387-KB PDF file, at: http://www.mbe.doe.gov/budget/04budget/content/orgcont.pdf.

See also the “Energy Supply” and “Energy Conservation” sections of DOE’s “Budget Highlights,” a 3.64-MB PDF file at: http://www.mbe.doe.gov/budget/04budget/content/highlite/highlite.pdf

President Bush Launches $1.2-Billion Hydrogen Initiative

President Bush announced a $1.2-billion FreedomCAR and Fuel Initiative to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cells during his State of the Union speech on January 28th. Read, view, or listen to President Bush’s speech on the White House Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available].

The FreedomCAR and Fuel Initiative will develop the technology needed for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells to power cars, trucks, homes and businesses. It will include $720 million in new funding over the next five years to develop the technologies and infrastructure needed to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen fuel. It complements the existing FreedomCAR Initiative, which is developing technologies needed for the mass production of safe and affordable fuel cell vehicles.

Together, the two initiatives will invest $1.7 billion over the next five years to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cells, hydrogen infrastructure, and advanced automotive technologies. These initiatives will dramatically improve America’s energy security by significantly reducing the need for imported oil. See the FreedomCAR and Fuel Initiative Web page at: [sorry this link is no longer available].

The FreedomCAR and Fuel Initiative is part of EERE’s Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Program. See the new program Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available].

Navy to Demonstrate Potential of Solar-Supplied Hydrogen

Proton Energy Systems announced in late January its award of a U.S. Navy contract to develop a regenerative fuel cell system powered by solar electricity. The system will use a solar electric system as a source of power during daylight hours, while also using some of the sunlight to generate hydrogen. At night, the system will use the hydrogen to power the fuel cell, allowing the system to continue to produce electricity. Proton Energy will install the system at the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake in California. See the Proton Energy press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Los Angeles Proposes to Build a 120-Megawatt Wind Plant

Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn announced plans to build a 120-megawatt wind power facility on Monday. The Pine Tree Wind Project will be the largest municipally owned wind plant in the Unites States, producing enough power for more than 100,000 households. The facility will be built on about 22,000 acres of land located 12 miles north of Mojave, California. However, the project still needs approval from the Board of Commissioners of the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water as well as the Los Angeles City Council, both of which will review the project this month. If built, the project will be completed by July 2004. See Mayor Hahn’s press release: [sorry this link is no longer available]

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the Pine Tree Wind Project will consist of 80 wind turbines built by General Electric, each 1.5 megawatts in capacity. See the AWEA press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

If you’re wondering how good the wind energy resource is in California, you’re in luck: In late 2002, the California Energy Commission published new high-resolution wind maps of the state on their Web site. See the new California wind resource maps at: [sorry this link is no longer available].

Green Power Adopted in North Carolina and Successful in D.C.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a statewide green power program last week. The NC GreenPower Program will draw on biopower, wind, and solar energy and will be coordinated by Advanced Energy, a non-profit corporation. See the announcement on the Advanced Energy Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Green power is proving popular in the Washington DC area: Washington Gas Energy Services and Community Energy, Inc. announced last week that 25 percent of the output from the new Mountaineer Wind Energy Center has already been sold. American University, World Wildlife Fund, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Norm Thompson Outfitters, and Ecoprint are among the organizations that have signed up for the wind power, in addition to almost 5,000 residential and small commercial customers. See the Washington Gas Energy Services press release: [sorry this link is no longer available].

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SITE NEWS

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DOE Launches Revised EERE Web Site at New Web Address

[sorry this link is no longer available]

We’ve moved! The Web site for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), formerly known as EREN, has moved to a new address and shed its former moniker. Now known simply as the EERE Web site, the new site places greater emphasis on EERE and its 11 technology programs. The EERE Web site will continue to provide access to all of the EERE office and program Web sites, while also serving as a comprehensive, worldwide gateway to information on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. In 2002, more than three million people visited the site.

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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS

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Energy Companies Added Significant Oil, Gas Reserves in 2001

Renewable energy advocates often look to the world’s limited supply of oil and natural gas as one of the incentives for developing new energy sources. Although those energy sources are ultimately finite, recent data from DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggests that the world won’t be running out of them anytime soon. In fact, in 2001 the major U.S. energy companies added the equivalent of 7.9 billion barrels of oil to their reserves, thanks to an increase in spending on exploration and drilling. The increase in reserves was the largest since EIA began tracking the industry in 1974. To achieve that record increase in reserves, the major energy companies boosted their spending on exploration and development in 2001 by 35 percent, to $50.2 billion. See the EIA press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available].

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