*News and Events
California Utility Exceeds 20 Percent Renewable Energy Use
USDA Awards $21 Million for Efficiency and Renewable Energy
New York Provides $14.5 Million for Clean Energy Projects
Cielo to Build 80-Megawatt Wind Plant in New Mexico
First Solar Adds 240 Kilowatts to Arizona Solar Project
DOE Project to Use Superconductors to Protect the Power Grid
*Energy Connections
U.S. Renewable Energy Use Increases 11 Percent in 2002
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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California Utility Exceeds 20 Percent Renewable Energy Use
Southern California Edison (SCE) drew on renewable energy resources for 23 percent of its power in June and 22 percent of its power in May, achieving the state’s 20-percent renewable energy requirement 14 years early. Approximately 150 independent power producers now supply the utility with more than 13 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. But SCE is not stopping there: the utility also released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking new contracts for up to 20 years of power from renewable energy sources. See the press release from SCE’s parent company, Edison International, at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Responses to SCE’s RFP are due on September 23rd. SCE aims to obtain final approval for any power agreements by the end of April, 2004. See the SCE RFP at: www.sce.com/renewablerfo
According to the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), 14 states now have rules requiring that a certain percentage the state’s electricity come from renewable energy sources — an approach called a renewable portfolio standard. California enacted its law in September 2002, and the law became effective at the start of this year. See the DSIRE Web site at: http://www.dsireusa.org/
The news from SCE appears to verify a California Energy Commission (CEC) statement that the state will have no problem meeting its 20-percent standard by 2017. According to the CEC, the 20-percent standard could be largely achieved by projects that have already been proposed. As one example, in early August the CEC staff released the
first part of its final staff assessment for a new 185-megawatt geothermal power plant. So far, the CEC staff’s assessment of the project, called Salton Sea Unit 6, is favorable. If approved and built, the Salton Sea plant will be the largest geothermal power plant in the United States. See the July 10th and August 5th press releases
USDA Awards $21 Million for Efficiency and Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $21,207,233 in grants last week for rural renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. The grants will go to 113 projects in 24 states. Among the projects that won grants, 35 wind power projects won a total of $7.4 million, 30 projects to generate methane via anaerobic digestion won a total of $7 million, and 6 solar energy projects won a total of $1.1 million. The grants were authorized under Title IX of the 2002 Farm Bill, which addresses rural energy production. See the USDA press release and the full list of recipients at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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For more information on the 2002 Farm Bill, see the USDA Web site at:
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New York Provides $14.5 Million for Clean Energy Projects
New York Governor George E. Pataki announced in late July the award of $14.5 million to support 36 distributed generation and combined heat and power (CHP) projects. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) selected the projects, which total $90.5 million in investments when all funding sources are included.
The projects include a 200-kilowatt natural gas-powered fuel cell at the Old Lion House in the Bronx Zoo, a new CHP system at New York University, and five Plug Power fuel cell installations. Among the other technologies included in the awards are a flywheel energy storage system, biomass- and biogas-fueled engines, microturbines, a hydropower system, a tidal power system, and a variety of fuel cell technologies. See the governor’s press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
In early August, NYSERDA added to its support for CHP by providing $352,000 to the historic Chautauqua Institution. The first phase of the project involves installing one microturbine at the institution and using its exhaust heat to heat and cool several campus buildings. In addition, the institution has elected to become an Energy Target Zone, which will allow it to receive enhanced energy-efficiency services and training from NYSERDA for its campus, private residences, and local community. See the NYSERDA press release at:
The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 783-acre educational and arts center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State. About 7,500 people live on campus during its nine-week season, during which more than 170,000 people attend public events. The Institution was founded in 1874 as an educational experiment. See the Chautauqua Institution Web site: http://www.chautauqua-inst.org/
Cielo to Build 80-Megawatt Wind Plant in New Mexico
Cielo Wind Power announced last week that one of its affiliates, Caprock Wind LP, plans to build an 80-megawatt wind energy facility in eastern New Mexico. The new wind plant, called the Caprock Wind Ranch, will be located about 20 miles southeast of Tucumcari. Xcel Energy will buy all the power from the plant and sell it to its customers in parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The plant should start operating in August 2004, producing enough power to meet the annual needs of 26,600 homes in the four-state area. See the Cielo Wind Power press release: [sorry this link is no longer available]
A recent surge in wind project announcements has prompted the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) to increase its forecast for 2003. AWEA now expects between 1,400 and 1,600 megawatts of new wind power
capacity to be installed in 2003, increasing the total U.S. wind power capacity to more than 6,000 megawatts. According to AWEA, the projected growth beyond this year (including the Caprock Wind Ranch) depends heavily on an extension of the wind production tax credit, which is due to expire at year’s end. See the AWEA press release:
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First Solar Adds 240 Kilowatts to Arizona Solar Project
First Solar, LLC announced in late August that it has supplied another 240 kilowatts to Tucson Electric Power’s Springerville Generating Station in eastern Arizona. The Springerville solar power installation now totals 3.5 megawatts in direct-current generating capacity, including more than 1 megawatt in thin-film solar modules. First Solar has provided about half of the thin-film module capacity at the site. See the August 27th press release from First Solar at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
PowerLight Corporation has also been busy in recent months, installing a 120-kilowatt solar power system at the Domaine Carneros winery in Napa, California, as well as a 53-kilowatt system on a municipal building in San Diego, California, and a 22-kilowatt system on a public school in Allston, Massachusetts. See the PowerLight press
releases: [sorry this link is no longer available]
DOE Project to Use Superconductors to Protect the Power Grid
Intermagnetics General Corporation (IGC) announced on August 14th that DOE will fund half the cost of a $12 million project to develop a fault-current limiter for power transmission systems. The device will draw on high-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology developed by SuperPower, Inc. (an IGC subsidiary) to help protect high-voltage utility grids from damaging surges in current. The company hopes to install a prototype 138-kilovolt system at a utility transmission substation by 2006. SuperPower is also leading another DOE project to install an HTS cable in an electrical distribution system in Albany, New York. See the IGC press release at:
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Meanwhile, General Electric (GE) is putting HTS technology to work at the generation end of the power supply by developing an HTS generator. GE tested a 1.8-megavolt-ampere (MVA) proof-of-concept generator that uses a coil of HTS cables for its rotor, the part of the generator that spins inside a fixed magnetic field in order to generate electricity. The 1.8-MVA generator is one step on the way to producing a utility-scale 100-MVA generator by 2005. See the July 23rd press release: [sorry this link is no longer available]
HTS cables can carry high currents with low energy losses. When applied to electrical machinery, HTS technology can increase the machinery’s energy efficiency and reduce the size and weight of the equipment. For more information, see the project fact sheets on the DOE Superconductivity for Electric Systems Web site at:
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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U.S. Renewable Energy Use Increases 11 Percent in 2002
The use of renewable energy increased 11 percent in 2002, according to preliminary data from DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). Most of the increase is due to increased hydropower production following a drought-induced slump in 2001. However, nearly all forms of renewable energy registered increases in their use, including a 56 percent increase in wind power, a 17 percent increase in alcohol fuels, and a 15 percent increase in the use of municipal solid waste and landfill gas (which the EIA combined together). The largest percentage drop was in residential use of biomass (in other words, firewood), which fell by 14 percent. To see the report, click on
“Renewables jumped 11 percent in 2002” on the EIA Renewables Web page at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Although the EIA figures show the use of solar energ
y declining slightly (by about 3 percent), new figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA) seem to dispute that finding. According to the IEA, the total solar power capacity installed in the United States increased by 44.4 megawatts in 2002, an increase of nearly 21 percent. The total U.S. solar power capacity of 212.2 megawatts places the United States in third place worldwide, behind Germany, with
y declining slightly (by about 3 percent), new figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA) seem to dispute that finding. According to the IEA, the total solar power capacity installed in the United States increased by 44.4 megawatts in 2002, an increase of nearly 21 percent. The total U.S. solar power capacity of 212.2 megawatts places the United States in third place worldwide, behind Germany, with
277.3 megawatts, and Japan, with nearly 637 megawatts. Japan added 184 megawatts of solar power capacity in 2002, more than all other countries combined. The IEA report also shows an interesting trend: although nearly all solar power capacity was off-grid a decade ago, customer-located grid-connected systems now dominate. See the “Total Photovoltaic Power Installed” section of the IEA report, “Trends in Photovoltaic Applications” 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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