*News and Events
Eighteen Veterans Hospitals Earn the Energy Star Label
UPS to Test Fuel-Cell-Powered Delivery Vehicles in Michigan
Ethanol Industry Growing as States Consider New MTBE Bans
Cal State Hayward to Install One Megawatt of Solar Power
U.S. Wind Industry to Grow 25 Percent in 2003
Pennsylvania Launches a $5-Million Clean Energy Initiative
*Site News
Interfaith Coalition on Energy
*Energy Connections
New York and Connecticut May Face Power Problems this Summer
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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Eighteen Veterans Hospitals Earn the Energy Star Label
DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Energy Star to 18 Veterans Affairs medical centers on May 14th. The winning medical centers were identified and qualified through a joint effort of EPA, DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program, DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The energy-efficient medical centers are located in 16 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington State. See the DOE press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
The joint EPA/DOE Energy Star program for rating and labeling building energy performance, now in its fourth year, has recognized more than 1,000 U.S. buildings as models of energy efficiency. The program recognizes buildings that are within the top 25 percent in the nation in energy efficiency, as compared to similar buildings (such as
medical centers). The Energy Star Web site links to a database of Energy-Star-labeled buildings, which in turn links to detailed information on 15 of the 18 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Select “Find Labeled Buildings” on the Energy Star Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
UPS to Test Fuel-Cell-Powered Delivery Vehicles in Michigan
UPS will soon be testing a fuel-cell-powered delivery vehicle in Ann Arbor, Michigan, thanks to a newly announced partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the DaimlerChrysler Corporation. UPS will start this year by using an F-Cell vehicle — a Mercedes Benz A-Class passenger vehicle powered by a Ballard fuel cell — for express delivery service. In 2004, DaimlerChrysler will provide one or more fuel-cell-powered Dodge Sprinter delivery vans for use by UPS.
To support the UPS trial, EPA is providing a hydrogen fueling station at its National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will design and build the station, which will store up to 1,500 gallons of liquid hydrogen and convert it to compressed hydrogen gas for fueling the vehicles. See the EPA Web page and press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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In addition to supporting the UPS trial, DaimlerChrysler recently delivered its first fuel-cell-powered bus to the city of Madrid, Spain. The company will deliver 30 fuel-cell-powered Mercedes Benz Citaro city buses to 10 European cities by the end of this year, one year later than the company had originally planned. The 40-foot buses will carry 70 passengers up to 125 miles per refueling. The roof of the bus holds a tank of hydrogen compressed to 5,000 pounds per square inch, powering a 200-kilowatt fuel cell that allows the bus to reach a maximum speed of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour. See the DaimlerChrysler press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Ethanol Industry Growing as States Consider New MTBE Bans
With a ban on MTBE looming in California, and new legislation banning MTBE under consideration in Connecticut and New York, the U.S. ethanol fuel industry continued to grow in recent months. Since the beginning of March, two plants in Iowa and two in South Dakota began operations, increasing the U.S. production capacity by 125 million gallons per year. Construction also began on new plants in Illinois and Kansas that will add another 115 million gallons per year in production capacity. All of the new ethanol plants are farmer-owned. Currently, 72 ethanol plants are operating in the United States, providing a combined production capacity of more than 2.85 billion gallons per year. Ten plants are currently under construction. See the Renewable Fuels Association press releases at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Gas prices spiked in California earlier this year, and many people were concerned that the switch to ethanol was to blame. However, recent reports from DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) found that unexpected refinery outages and high crude oil prices were mainly to blame. lthough the complexity of the transition to ethanol — creating two markets, one for ethanol blends and one for MTBE blends — contributed slightly to the price increase, the actual ethanol supply was not constrained and did not contribute to the price increase. However, the use of ethanol does require more gasoline in each gallon of blended fuel, and the long-term impact of that on the California market remains unclear. See the CEC report and the EIA report (a 729-KB PDF file) at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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While the current ethanol industry draws on corn and other grains for the ca
rbohydrates that are fermented into ethanol, a Canadian company is aiming to convert wheat straw — the non-edible stalk of the wheat plant — into ethanol. The company, Iogen Corporation, announced in late April that it was processing 50 tons of wheat straw into
fermentable sugar each week. Iogen plans to produce about 185,000 gallons of ethanol per year at its pre-commercial facility. See the Iogen press release: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Cal State Hayward to Install One Megawatt of Solar Power
The title of “world leader in university-owned solar power systems” will go to California State University, Hayward by this summer. Cal State Hayward announced in early May that it plans to install solar power modules in fixed locations on the roofs of three of the largest buildings on campus, in addition to a sun-tracking solar power system
that will be located in an unused field. PowerLight Corporation will build the systems, which will have a combined peak generating capacity of 1.05 megawatts. Thanks to state rebates, the university will pay only half the cost of the $7.11-million project, which should cut the university’s electric bill by $200,000 per year. See the press release: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Solar power rebates are just one of the factors that earned California an A-minus grade in a recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientist on state support for renewable energy. Only California and Nevada earned A-minuses, while 34 states received failing grades of D or F. See the UCS press release, with a link to the full report, at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
U.S. Wind Industry to Grow 25 Percent in 2003
The installed capacity of wind generators in the United States is expected to grow by about 25 percent in 2003, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The industry group expects from 1,100 to 1,400 megawatts of new wind turbines to be installed this year, a lower number than the 1,500 to 1,800 megawatts projected by the association back in January. AWEA says financing difficulties that are plaguing the entire electrical generating market are also creating roadblocks for some wind energy projects. See the AWEA press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Despite the difficulties in the power market, the wind turbine industry appears to be booming as turbine manufacturers increasingly concentrate on larger turbines while racking up new orders. In fact, GE Wind Energy announced on Monday that it has received more than $2 billion in orders and commitments since it entered the wind
industry in May 2002. Between now and 2005, the company has commitments for 3,000 megawatts of new wind turbines, with half in the United States and the remainder in Europe and Asia. The company has also introduced a new series of turbines exceeding 2 megawatts in capacity, and unveiled on Sunday a new system that allows turbines to stay connected to the grid during low-voltage events. Meanwhile, NEG Micon North America, another leading wind turbine supplier, announced on Monday that it will supply 45 of its 1.65-megawatt wind turbines for the Blue Canyon Wind Farm, under development by Zilkha Renewable Energy in southwest Oklahoma. See the press releases from GE Wind Power and NEG Micon at:
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Pennsylvania Launches a $5-Million Clean Energy Initiative
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced on May 8th a new $5-million initiative to fund renewable energy projects throughout the state. A DOE grant helped kick off the new initiative, called “Pennsylvania Energy Harvest,” which will provide funds for wind installa tions, small-scale solar power systems,
and biomass projects. The initiative was unveiled at the Rocky Knoll Farm, a 4,500-head hog farm that uses an anaerobic digester to generate power from hog manure. The farm earns about $3,500 per month from its manure-to-energy facility. See the DEP press release and the online registration form at:
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), about 250 million dry tons of animal manure are produced each year in the United States. With new federal regulations governing animal feedlot operations, owners of those facilities have an increased incentive to investigate anaerobic digestion for energy production. With that in mind, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is hosting a national summit on anaerobic digester technology applications in animal agriculture, June 2nd through the 4th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The new USDA technical standards for anaerobic digestion will be released at this conference. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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SITE NEWS
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Interfaith Coalition on Energy
The Interfaith Coalition on Energy (ICE) works to inspire congregations to reduce energy costs in the operation of their facilities. Even though the coalition is based in Philadelphia, ICE’s Web site features publications, articles, and energy saving tips that any congregation can use to become more energy efficient.
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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New York and Connecticut May Face Power Problems this Summer
Most of the United States should have adequate supplies of electricity this summer, according to the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), which released its 2003 Summer Assessment on May 15th. As it does each year, NERC examined the anticipated electric demand through North America and compared that to the generating and transmission resources needed to meet that demand. Due to a sluggish economy, NERC anticipates a summer peak demand only 1 percent greater than last year’s peak. That small increase in demand, combined with a projected 4.5-percent increase in generating capacity, suggests that the continent will have sufficient generating capacity to meet its needs this summer. However, transmission constraints remain a concern, particularly in southwest Connecticut, New York City, and Long Island. The report specifically notes that any delays in repairing a cable that runs from Norwalk, Connecticut to Northport, Long Island, could cause power reliability problems on Long Island. See the NERC report, a 395-KB PDF file, at:
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| Kevin Eber is the Editor of EREE Network News, a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). |
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