*News and Events
DOE to Invest $61 Million in Industrial Energy Efficiency
New Green Power Purchases Announced as Leaders Earn Awards
GM Shifts Hybrid Electric Plans to Focus on “Strong” Hybrids
Three Energy-Efficient Habitat Duplexes Dedicated in Yonkers
First Certification Exam Held for Photovoltaic Installers
Voters Approve Light Rail in Houston; Seattle Breaks Ground
*Site News
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership
*Energy Connections
EIA Publishes “Renewable Energy Annual 2002”
———————————————————————-
NEWS AND EVENTS
———————————————————————-
DOE to Invest $61 Million in Industrial Energy Efficiency
On November 5th, DOE announced its selection of 32 new projects to improve energy efficiency in U.S. industry. DOE will invest a total of $61 million in the projects, which extend over the next three years, while industrial partners will contribute more than $54 million. Two dozen of the projects will pursue new energy efficiency technologies,
including 3 projects for the glass industry, 4 for the metal-casting industry, and 17 projects developing technologies that can be applied throughout industry, such as industrial sensors, advanced materials, and automation technologies. In addition to those 24 research and development projects, eight projects will identify opportunities to
improve energy efficiency in industrial plants using technologies and practices available today. Six of those eight projects will involve plant-wide energy assessments at specific industrial plants. See the November 5th press release on the DOE Web site at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
[sorry this link is no longer available]
Plant-wide energy assessments really work, as shown by a series of case studies and summaries published by DOE. The reports document 25 plant-wide assessments that found nearly $107 million in annual energy savings — an average of $4.27 million in annual savings at each plant. The estimated annual savings ranged from a low of $75,000 at a small chemical plant to a high of $52 million at a large refinery. See the plant-wide assessment case studies and summaries — most of which were published this year — on DOE’s Office of Industrial Technologies Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
New Green Power Purchases Announced as Leaders Earn Awards
Several organizations have purchased new or greater amounts of green power in recent weeks. Pepco Energy Services, for instance, announced in late October that the U.S. Departments of Interior, Labor, and Transportation are buying more than 10 million kilowatt-hours of green power through May 2004. Three-quarters of the power will come from landfill gas power plants, and the remainder will come from regional wind power plants. Kinko’s, Inc. increased its green power purchases more than 80 percent, to more than 27 million kilowatt-hours in 18 states. And Community Energy, Inc. launched its sales of wind power in Illinois — an offer that was quickly taken up by the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, the City of St. Charles, five faith-based organizations, and the Delta Institute, a nonprofit organization. The Illinois announcement was held in conjunction with last week’s Green Power Marketing Conference. See the press releases from Pepco Energy Services, Kinko’s, and Community Energy: [sorry this link is no longer available]
[sorry this link is no longer available]
[sorry this link is no longer available]
Last week’s conference was also the setting for the Green Power Partnership Awards, presented to green power leaders by DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Center for Resource Solutions. The highest honors — the Green Power Partner of the Year Awards — were presented to the University of Pennsylvania,
the City of Portland, Johnson and Johnson, and the Dyess Air Force Base. Additional award winners include White Wave, Clif Bar, Tower Companies, Kinko’s, Austin Grill, the State of New Jersey, the City of Moab, BMW, Toyota Motors Sales, Fala Direct Marketing, Domaine Carneros winery, Hayward Lumber, and two California governments: the City of San Diego and Solano County. See the announcement on the EPA Green Power Leadership Awards page at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
GM Shifts Hybrid Electric Plans to Focus on “Strong” Hybrids
General Motors Corporation (GM) announced last week that it will launch “strong” hybrid electric versions of its full-size sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks, starting in 2007. A “strong” hybrid is capable of running on electric power only at low speeds (as in today’s Toyota Prius). The vehicles will also feature GM’s “Displacement on Demand” technology, which shuts down unneeded cylinders when the engine is running at low loads. Using both
technologies, GM expects to improve the vehicles’ fuel economies by about 30 percent.
Meanwhile, GM has dropped plans to introduce a strong-hybrid Saturn VUE sedan in 2006, and will instead launch a Saturn VUE featuring an alternator that doubles as a starter, allowing the engine to shut off at a stop. That model, to be launched in spring of 2006, will also include a continuously variable transmission. The two features should
boost the car’s mileage by 12 to 15 percent. See the November 6th press release on the GM Media Web site at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
The new GM plans are a significant departure from the
company’s January announcement, when it had planned “mild” hybrid versions of two pickups and two SUVs, meaning that the engine would always run and the motor would provide supplementary power (as in today’s Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid). GM had also planned to introduce the starter/alternator feature on an SUV and on the Chevrolet Malibu sedan. See the January article from this newsletter at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
company’s January announcement, when it had planned “mild” hybrid versions of two pickups and two SUVs, meaning that the engine would always run and the motor would provide supplementary power (as in today’s Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid). GM had also planned to introduce the starter/alternator feature on an SUV and on the Chevrolet Malibu sedan. See the January article from this newsletter at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Ford Motor Company is launching its own strong hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, beginning next summer. The 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid is expected to achieve between 35 and 40 miles per gallon in city driving, with low emissions. Ford will build the vehicle in Kansas City, Missouri. See the October 30th press release on the Ford Media Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Three Energy-Efficient Habitat Duplexes Dedicated in Yonkers
Three new Habitat for Humanity duplexes are nearing completion in Yonkers, New York, and were dedicated in late October. The six families that are waiting for their new homes have an extra advantage to look forward to: low energy bills. The walls in the homes are made from structural insulating panels (SIPs) and the foundations are made
with insulated concrete forms, both of which provide high levels of insulation while helping to prevent air inleakage. The homes also feature low-e windows and high-efficiency direct-vent boilers, and 1.2-kilowatt solar power systems are being installed on the roofs of each of the three buildings. The project was supported by the Partnership for Advanced Technology in Housing (PATH) — a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — as well as the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority. Steven Winter Associates, Inc. provided technical support. See the Steven Winter Associates press release, in PDF format only, at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
See also the project description on the PATH Web site at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
Similar highly efficient Habitat for Humanity homes are being built throughout the country. In Lenoir City, Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority, DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Joint Institute for Energy and Environment (JIEE) are building five research houses that are expected to have a net annual energy use near zero.
Meanwhile, a home built in Westminster, Colorado, with the help of DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has earned the Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver an Energy Star New Millennium Builder Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 1,425-square-foot home earned an E-Star rating of 95.9, on a scale of
zero to 100. See the JIEE Web site and the NREL press release at:
http://www.jiee.org/houses.html
[sorry this link is no longer available]
http://www.jiee.org/houses.html
[sorry this link is no longer available]
First Certification Exam Held for Photovoltaic Installers
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) held its inaugural examination for installers of solar photovoltaic (PV) electric systems in late October. Nearly 100 candidates took the exam, which was administered at 14 sites around the country. The voluntary exam is meant to instill consumer confidence in the men and women who install expensive solar equipment on the roofs of homes and businesses, connect that equipment to the building’s power supply (often providing power for sensitive electronic components), and frequently connect it to the power grid as well. NABCEP has already received strong interest in its next PV Installers Certification Exam,
which will be held on April 17, 2004. Applications for that exam are due in January. See the October 27th press release: [sorry this link is no longer available]
PV installers can make sure they get the right training for the exam by going to a training organization accredited by the Institute for Sustainable Power (ISP). See the “Training Accreditation and Trainer Certification” page on the ISP Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Voters Approve Light Rail in Houston; Seattle Breaks Ground
In last week’s elections, voters in Houston narrowly approved a regional transit plan that will eventually bring 72 miles of new rail service to the city, while expanding bus service by 50 percent. The full plan will be completed in 2025 at a cost of $7.5 billion. However, voters only authorized the next phase of this plan, which will use $640 million in bonds to pay for 22 miles of light rail in central Houston. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, or METRO, plans
to place the next phase of the plan before voters in 2009. Although only 51 percent of voters approved the plan, the narrow vote may reflect frustration with the city’s first light-rail project: a 7.5-mile line in the heart of the city. That project broke ground in April 2001 and is expected to begin operating in January. For now, though, the main impact of the project has been the traffic delays caused by its construction. See the METRO press release, and a description of the long-term transit plan, at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
[sorry this link is no longer available]
A more accessible description of the near-term and long-term plans is posted on the “Light Rail Now!” Web site at:
Seattle, meanwhile, broke ground last week on its Central Link light-rail line, a 14-mile line running from the center of the city to near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Sound Transit, which serves the three-county region ar
ound Puget Sound, expects the rail project to carry 42,500 riders each day by 2020. Sound Transit’s first light
ound Puget Sound, expects the rail project to carry 42,500 riders each day by 2020. Sound Transit’s first light
rail project, a 1.6-mile line in downtown Tacoma, started operating in late August, and was exceeding all expectations for ridership by early September. See the press releases and a description of the Central Link project on the Sound Transit Web site at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
[sorry this link is no longer available]
———————————————————————-
SITE NEWS
———————————————————————-
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is an international coalition of governments, businesses, and organizations committed to accelerating the development of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.
———————————————————————-
ENERGY CONNECTIONS
———————————————————————-
EIA Publishes “Renewable Energy Annual 2002”
DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) published the “Renewable Energy Annual 2002” last week, summarizing advances in renewable energy use in the United States in 2002. As already published in recent EIA reports, the new report notes that U.S. renewable energy use rose 11 percent in 2002, due mainly to increased production of hydropower. Of the other renewable energy technologies, wind power grew fastest, increasing by 56 percent in 2002.
The report includes new information on solar manufacturing activity. The shipment of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules increased by 15 percent in 2002, to a total peak capacity of 112.1 megawatts. The average price of PV cells decreased 14 percent in 2002, to $2.12 per watt, while the cost of PV modules increased 9 percent, to $3.74 per
watt. Shipments of solar thermal collectors increased by 4 percent in 2002, while prices held steady.
Geothermal heat pump shipments increased 4 percent between 2000 and 2002, but more of the units were smaller heat pumps for homes. As a result, the total heating and cooling capacity of the heat pumps that were shipped in 2002 was nearly 24 percent lower than in 2000.
See the EIA report at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]
++++
| 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). |
(Visited 7 times, 1 visits today)
Loading...