Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:December 6, 2006

News and Events

• New Solar Cell Breaks 40 Percent Efficiency Barrier
• Solar-Powered Ship Begins Transatlantic Voyage
• Four Western States to Cooperate on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• DOE-Industry Partnership Produces Efficient Window Prototype
• Automakers Emphasize Fuel Economy at the L.A. Auto Show
• DuPont Joint Venture Begins Producing Major Chemical from Corn

Energy Connections

• EIA: U.S. to Shift Away from Petroleum, Toward Coal by 2030
  

News and Events

New Solar Cell Breaks 40 Percent Efficiency Barrier

DOE announced on Tuesday that Spectrolab, Inc. has developed a new concentrator solar cell with a sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, a new world record in solar cell efficiency. The new cell uses a “multi-junction” structure, in which several layers each capture part of the sunlight passing through the cell. These layers allow the cell to capture more of the solar spectrum and convert it into electricity. The Spectrolab cell relies on an optical concentrator to focus sunlight onto the cell.

Researchers have been working toward the “40 percent barrier” for the past two decades. In the 1980s, multi-junction solar cells achieved about 16 percent efficiency, and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory broke the 30 percent barrier in 1994. Today, most satellites use these multi-junction solar cells, and Spectrolab, a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, recently produced its two millionth solar cell using multi-junction technology. The new Spectrolab cell, developed with DOE funding, could lead to more affordable solar power systems here on Earth, costing as little as $3 per watt to install and producing electricity at a cost of 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. See the press releases from DOE and Spectrolab.

Solar-Powered Ship Begins Transatlantic Voyage

The first ship to attempt a transatlantic voyage solely on solar power launched from the Spanish port of Chipiona on Sunday. Sun21 is a solar-powered catamaran developed and sponsored by the Swiss Transatlantic21 Association. The ship plans to follow the route to the New World sailed by Columbus in 1492, with ports of call in the Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands before embarking on a three-week non-stop effort to cross the Atlantic. The five-person crew plans to make port in the Caribbean island of St. Martin before continuing first to the Bahamas, then Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and finally stopping in New York City in May 2007. The boat uses 10 kilowatts of solar modules to power a battery bank and two 8-kilowatt electric motors, allowing a constant speed of 5 to 6 knots. See the press release (PDF 105 KB) and boat description on the Transatlantic21 Web site.

Another boat is gearing up for a round-the-world attempt using biodiesel as the fuel. Employing a futuristic, wave-piercing design, the Earthrace plans to depart Barbados on March 6th, 2007, in an attempt to set a new world speed record for circling the world in a powerboat. The current record for the journey, which covers 24,000 nautical miles, is 75 days. The Earthrace team hopes to shatter that record by completing the voyage in less than 65 days. Utah-based Better Biodiesel, Inc. is providing the fuel for the race. See the Earthrace Web site and the Better Biodiesel press release.

Meanwhile, the deadline is rapidly approaching for applications to race a car around the world using alternative fuels. To commemorate the centennial of the “Greatest Auto Race” of 1908, the “Great Race World 35,000km” will start in New York City on February 12th, 2008, traveling first to San Francisco, California, and then crossing the Pacific Ocean by boat to resume the race in Shanghai, China. The race is slated to end in Paris, France, on May 3rd after roughly following the track taken by early automobiles 100 years ago. To capture the spirit of innovation from that race, the modern version will offer a prize of $1 million to the race winner in the Innovation Technology division, which includes alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles. The deadline to submit applications is December 31st. See the Great Race World press release (PDF 109 KB) and Web site.

Four Western States to Cooperate on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Public Utilities Commissions of four western states adopted a Joint Action Framework on Climate Change last week. California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington will cooperate to develop and use low-carbon technologies and renewable energy resources, while promoting energy efficiency, conservation, and demand response programs. As part of the agreement, the commissions will consider policies to encourage the development of transmission lines to provide access to sites with significant renewable energy resources. The signing ceremony launched the Joint West Coast Public Utilities Commissions Workshop on Energy Efficiency, which brought together energy experts and international leaders to explore key technologies and best practices in energy efficiency. See the press release (PDF 67 KB) and the framework document (PDF 185 KB) on the California Public Utility Commission Web site.

In New Mexico, the Climate Change Advisory Group also released their recommendations last week for reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. The group says New Mexico could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to near 1990 levels by 2020 and create a projected $2.2 billion net economic savings if the state adopts 69 new climate change policies. Some of the top recommendations of the advisory group are to increase the state’s renewable energy requirement, create incentives for energy efficiency in buildings, require cleaner cars, and reduce emissions from oil and gas production. Governor Bill Richardson created the advisory group last year. See the governor’s press release and for the full report, see the New Mexico Climate Change Advisory Group Web site.

DOE-Industry Partnership Produces Efficient Window Prototype

DOE unveiled on Monday a new residential and commercial window prototype that could save billions of dollars in energy costs. The new concept is the result of a partnership between DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Sage Electrochromics, Inc. Several technologies have been optimized and integrated for the first time into the window prototype, including SageGlass, a dynamic electrochromic glass that can be electrically controlled to change from clear to dark, and low-emissivity (Low-E) glass coatings, which are microscopic metal or metallic oxide layers that help control heat transfer through windows. Low-E glass coatings are in over half of windows sold today and have saved the country over $8 billion in energy costs. Other technologies that have been incorporated into the prototype are an unsealed internal plastic triple pane, a krypton gas filler, and an insulating frame.

DOE would like these prototypes to be incorporated into affordable, mass-produced window products. In the long term, DOE hopes to produce windows that are as energy efficient as today’s walls and that can actually become a net-energy provider for homes. See the DOE press release and the Sage Electrochromics Web site.

Automakers Emphasize Fuel Economy at the L.A. Auto Show

The Los Angeles Auto Show, which opened to the public last week, is providing automakers with a prime venue to show how they will address fuel economy this year and into the future. General Motors Corporation (GM), for instance, showed up with four future models: the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid, the Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid, and the fuel-cell-powered Chevrolet Sequel and Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell. GM announced at the show that it has established a “high priority program” to produce a plug-in hybrid version of its Saturn Vue Green Line, using its two-mode hybrid system with a lithium ion battery pack. Though GM would not put a production date on that vehicle, this year the company is rolling out its Saturn Vue Green Line “mild” hybrid, which uses a belt-driven starter and alternator system. That system will be available on two sedans next year, the Saturn Aura Green Line and the Chevrolet Malibu.

GM’s heftier two-mode hybrid system will debut next year in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, expanding in 2008 to the Saturn Vue Green Line and Cadillac Escalade SUVs and the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The two-mode hybrid system is expected to yield significant improvements in fuel economy, including a 45 percent improvement for the 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line, compared to the non-hybrid Saturn Vue. Looking ahead to 2015, GM won the auto show’s Design Challenge with its on-paper concept for a fuel-cell-powered “Hummer O2,” which would feature algae-filled body panels that produce pure oxygen. For the present, though, GM is currently offering 23 vehicles that achieve an estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, up from just 14 last year. See GM’s L.A. Auto Show Web site and the press releases on its L.A. auto show lineup, the plug-in hybrid plans, the two-mode hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, and the Hummer O2.

While GM had plenty to announce at the show, other car companies let their display vehicles do the talking. Ford Motor Company unveiled a fuel-cell-powered Explorer, developed as part of a DOE demonstration program and featuring a range of 350 miles. Ford also unveiled its redesigned 2008 Escape SUV, including the hybrid version. Honda displayed its FCX Concept, a sleek fuel cell vehicle that was first unveiled last year in Japan. The FCX Concept will be the basis of a 2008 vehicle to be marketed on a limited basis in Japan and the United States. In addition, BMW is displaying its Hydrogen 7, a limited-production sedan that burns hydrogen in an internal combustion engine. The Los Angeles Auto Show is open to the public through December 10th. See the Honda press release and the Ford press releases on the Explorer and the Escape, and for photos of all the vehicles, see the Los Angeles Auto Show Web site.

DuPont Joint Venture Begins Producing Major Chemical from Corn

DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, LLC,
a joint venture of DuPont and Tate & Lyle, began the first commercial shipments last week of a chemical produced from corn sugar. The joint venture’s new $100 million facility in Loudon, Tennessee, is the first in the world to manufacture 1,3-propanediol (PDO) from corn, creating a new biobased product called Bio-PDO. The chemical can be used in a variety of applications, either by itself or as an ingredient in the production of materials that have traditionally been based on petroleum feedstocks. DuPont will use Bio-PDO to produce a polymer called Sorona, which is used to manufacture carpeting, clothing, and other products. Sorona is currently produced from petroleum-based PDO, but DuPont will shift to Bio-PDO in early 2007. Bio-PDO can also be used in personal care and liquid detergent products, as well as in industrial applications such as de-icing fluids, antifreeze, and heat transfer fluids.

The production of Bio-PDO consumes 40 percent less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent versus petroleum-based PDO. Bio-PDO is produced via a proprietary fermentation and purification process that was jointly developed by DuPont and Tate & Lyle, a company with expertise in fermentation technologies. The companies plan to produce 100 million pounds of Bio-PDO per year, saving the energy equivalent of 10 million gallons of gasoline. See the Tate & Lyle press release.

The Bio-PDO process could also play a role in a plan to build an integrated biorefinery that would produce a variety of chemicals and fuels from corn or other biomass sources. DuPont has been working on a joint research agreement with DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since 2003 with the aim of developing a pilot process for such a biorefinery. See the 2003 press release from NREL.

Energy Connections

EIA: U.S. to Shift Away from Petroleum, Toward Coal by 2030

The United States will increasingly seek alternatives to petroleum by 2030, according to the latest long-term energy projections from DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA’s “Annual Energy Outlook 2007,” released on Tuesday, projects ethanol use increasing from 4 billion gallons in 2005 to 14.6 billion gallons (about 8 percent of gasoline consumption by volume) by 2030. Only 300 million gallons of that are projected to come from cellulosic biomass sources; the rest will come from corn. Biodiesel use will also grow rapidly to 400 million gallons in 2030, up from 25 million gallons in 2005. But renewable fuels will also face competition from fossil energy sources, such as coal. Liquids derived from coal are expected to provide 5.7 billion gallons of fuels by 2030, according to the EIA. As a result, petroleum consumption is projected to only increase 20 percent by 2030, while the total energy consumption for transportation increases by nearly 40 percent.

The EIA report also sees a changing auto industry, with sales of hybrids reaching 2 million by 2030, sales of flex-fuel vehicles also reaching 2 million, and sales of diesel vehicles reaching 1.2 million. Combined with other unconventional vehicle technologies, such as fuel cells, these vehicles account for 28 percent of projected light vehicles sales in 2030, up from about 8 percent in 2005. As a result of these and other factors, the projected average fuel economy of light-duty vehicles in 2030 is 29.2 miles per gallon, 4 miles per gallon higher than today.

The EIA is less positive about the growth in renewable power sources, projecting a growth of only 1.5 percent per year through 2030, a rate equal to the growth in electricity use. That yields only a 45 percent growth in renewable power production by 2030. The EIA adjusted its forecast downward from last year’s figures “because new, less positive cost and performance characteristics are assumed for several renewable technologies.” With natural gas and nuclear power production also losing market share, coal power is expected to take up the slack, with an additional 156 gigawatts of generating capacity. As a result, fossil fuels are projected to still supply 86 percent of U.S. energy needs in 2030, the same as today, and carbon dioxide emissions are expected to grow by 1.2 percent per year, increasing 35 percent by 2030. See the EIA press release and the full report.

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