Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:February 11, 2004

*News and Events

• Researchers Gain Insight on How Plants Split Water
• PacifiCorp Seeks 1,100 Megawatts of Renewable Energy
• Breakthrough May Shed Light on High-Temperature Superconductivity
• Two Large Solar Power Systems On Order in California
• Audubon Center Uses Only Solar Energy, Earns Greenest Rating

*Energy Connections

Researchers Gain Insight on How Plants Split Water

Photosynthesisthe process plants use to produce energy-rich carbohydrates using sunlightis the basis for all plant life on Earth, but the process remains poorly understood. At the heart of the photosynthetic process is a simple reaction that could be the key to our energy future: the technique that splits water into its constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen. In a plant, the oxygen is released to the atmosphere and the hydrogen is used to help produce the complex sugars that fuel the cells throughout the plant. But if people can replicate the process, the hydrogen could instead be used to fuel our vehicles and provide heat and power for our buildings.

Last week, researchers at Imperial College London announced they had moved a step forward in understanding the water-splitting process, using high-resolution X-ray crystallography to study two protein complexes that are crucial for photosynthesis. The researchers found that one of the protein structures forms a cube-shaped region with four oxygen atoms, three manganese atoms, and one calcium atom at the corners. An additional manganese atom attaches to one of the four oxygen atoms, creating a highly reactive site that is key to the water-splitting reaction. The researchers believe their findings could one day make it possible to recreate the process on an industrial scale, providing a new way to produce hydrogen fuel. The research findings were published in the February 5th edition of the journal Science. See the Imperial College press release.

PacifiCorp Seeks 1,100 Megawatts of Renewable Energy

PacifiCorp, a utility that serves much of the northwestern United States, announced last week that it is seeking to add up to 1,100 megawatts of new renewable energy resources in the next seven years. The company had just received final regulatory approval to issue its request for proposals, which is one of the largest requests for renewable energy yet issued in the United States. In the region of Oregon, Washington, and northern California, PacifiCorp seeks to add 100 megawatts by 2005, another 200 megawatts by 2007, and yet another 200 megawatts by 2009. In the region of Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, the company seeks to add 200 megawatts every two years, from 2006 to 2010. By 2013, PacifiCorp’s Integrated Resource Plan calls for the addition of 1,400 megawatts of new renewable energy sources. See the PacifiCorp press release.

PacifiCorp is holding a bidder’s conference today in Portland, Oregon. Proposals are due on March 9th, and the company aims to have agreements in place by mid-June. See the PacifiCorp request for proposals.

The news is sure to add extra excitement to the World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC), to be held in Denver, Colorado, from August 28th through September 3rd. The conferencebilled as the world’s premiere conference on renewable energyis sponsored in part by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the American Council on Renewable Energy, and will be hosted by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL is also working with the Infinity Expo Group to host the Energy Technology Expo and Conference (ETEC), which will be co-located with WREC. ETEC runs from August 31st through September 1st. See the WREC and ETEC Web pages.

Breakthrough May Shed Light on High-Temperature Superconductivity

Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerceannounced in late January they had created a new form of matter, which may yield clues to the processes at work in high-temperature superconductor (HTS) materials. By cooling a gas of potassium atoms to near absolute zero and then applying a magnetic field, the researchers were able to make the atoms pair up together, creating a form of matter called a “fermionic condensate.” Fermions are the particles that make up our day-to-day world: protons, neutrons, and electrons. A fermionic condensate involves pairs of fermionsin this case, the potassium atomsnot actually bonding together as molecules, but still moving together as pairs.

A similar process takes place in HTS materials, in which the forming of pairs of electrons (called “Cooper pairs”) appear to be crucial to superconductivitythe ability of the material to carry current with no resistance. The researchers hope that their studies of fermionic condensates will yield new understanding to how Cooper pairs form in HTS materials, which may eventually help scientists create new and better HTS materials. High-temperature superconductivity can help improve the energy efficiency of wiring and electrical equipment, since it allows current to flow through materials with very low energy loss without requiring cryogenic cooling systems. See the NIST press release.

Two Large Solar Power Systems On Order in California

PowerLight Corporation announced in January that it has been commissioned to install two large solar power systems in California: a 200-kilowatt system at the U.S. headquarters for SANYO North America, located in San Diego, and a 457-kilowatt system at Saint
Francis Winery in Santa Rosa. The SANYO installation will be built of high-efficiency SANYO solar modules, and will consist of a 150-kilowatt roof-mounted system on the headquarters building and 50-kilowatt sun-tracking system on the company’s adjacent carport structure. The installation will be completed in spring. The St. Francis Winery installation will provide more than 30 percent of the winery’s energy needs, and will be completed in May. PowerLight is also providing energy-efficient lighting at the winery, which will reduce the winery’s electricity demand for lighting by 48 percent. See the January 13th and January 26th press releases from PowerLight.

Meanwhile, Shell Solar GmbH and the Gesellschaft fur Solarenergie (GEOSOL) announced in January that they will build a 5-megawatt solar power system south of Leipzig, Germany. The system will rival similar large systems planned for southern California and Arizona. See the Shell Solar press release, and for background on the U.S. plans, see the article from the December 10th edition of the EERE Network News.

Unfortunately, not all is rosy for the U.S. solar power industry. AstroPower, Inc., which has struggled financially since it was delisted from NASDAQ in July 2003, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company plans to sell some of its U.S. assets to GE Energy as part of its reorganization. In January, AstroPower laid off 10 percent of its work force. See the AstroPower press release.

Audubon Center Uses Only Solar Energy, Earns Greenest Rating

The National Audubon Society has a new achievement to crow about: the new Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles has received a Platinum ratingthe highest possiblefrom the U.S. Green Building Council. The center is the first building to earn the Platinum rating under the council’s new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. The 5,023-square-foot building is the first in Los Angeles to be entirely powered by on-site solar systems, allowing it to function entirely off the power grid. See the Audubon Society press release.

———————————————————————-

Energy Connections

———————————————————————-

EIA Updates Summaries of Seven Energy-Intensive Industries

DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) released updated energy summaries last week for seven of the most energy-intensive industries in the United States. The “EIA Industry Analysis Briefs” provide data about energy consumption, cogeneration, and energy management for each industry, as well as information about the technologies and equipment used by each industry. The briefs also provide economic profiles of the industries and information on the states where each industry is largest. The seven industries analyzed by the EIA manufacture aluminum, chemicals, forest products (paper and wood products), glass, cast metals, petroleum, and steel. See the “EIA Industry Analysis Briefs.”

++++