President Obama Orders Swift Action on Appliance Efficiency Standards
President Barack Obama issued a memorandum last week that instructs DOE to take all necessary steps to finalize new appliance efficiency standards as quickly as possible.
As noted by the president, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA) set deadlines for DOE to set energy efficiency standards for a broad class of residential and commercial products, and in 2005, DOE was sued for allegedly failing to meet the deadlines and other requirements of the EPCA.
In November 2006, DOE entered into a consent decree, under which DOE agreed to publish the final rules for 22 product categories by specific deadlines, the latest of which is June 30, 2011. In addition, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) directed DOE to establish energy standard for additional product categories.
Although DOE has made progress on meeting its consent decree, the agency remains subject to deadlines on 15 of the 22 product categories, as well as a number of additional product categories added by the EISA. President Obama directed DOE to focus its efforts on the five energy efficiency rules with deadlines prior to August 8, and then to prioritize its efforts, tackling first the standards that will result in the greatest savings, while still meeting all applicable deadlines.
The president announced the new memorandum on a visit to DOE, during which he spoke primarily about his economic stimulus plan. Regarding the efficiency standards, he noted that they will avoid the use of "tremendous amounts" of energy. "We’ll save through these simple steps, over the next 30 years, the amount of energy produced over a two-year period by all the coal-fired power plants in America," said the president. See the presidential memorandum and the text (PDF 16 KB) and video (Windows Media File 55 MB) of President Obama’s speech on the DOE Web site.
DOE Awards $40 Million for Industrial Use of Alternative Fuels, CHP
DOE announced in late January its award of nearly $40 million to support the industrial use of alternative fuels and combined heat and power (CHP) technologies.
The two separate award announcements included $30.7 million over the next four years, subject to congressional appropriations, for cost-shared research and development of industrial systems capable of using alternative fuels. The seven alternative fuel projects selected for more than $9 million in funding this year primarily involve the development of fuel injectors, nozzles, fuel-handling systems, and entire integrated systems for gas turbines, boilers, and other combustion systems.
The systems will need to handle fuels with high hydrogen content or with low energy content, such as those produced by anaerobic digesters, as well as fuels containing reactive species that can cause corrosion or generate pollutants. The systems will draw on such sources as wood waste and tire-derived fuel, and one project will use an anaerobic digester to convert cow manure into methane, which will fuel an engine connected to a generator.
An additional 10 alternative fuel projects have also been selected for awards of roughly $19 million later this fiscal year, including projects involving internal combustion engines, microturbines, a hazardous waste incinerator, a fuel cell that runs on carbon particles (known as a "direct carbon fuel cell"), and a high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell, which can produce power from the hot gas produced by gasifying biomass and other fuels. Projects will also develop burners for viscous fluids, such as glycerin, and thermal oxidizers that can convert a variety of fuels into a combustible gas.
See the announcement on the DOE Industrial Technologies Program Web site, and see the description of direct carbon fuel cells from DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Such alternative fuel systems can also function as CHP systems by producing both electrical power and industrial process heat. Compared to the separate generation of electricity and heat, which typically achieve efficiencies of 45%, CHP systems can operate at more than 80% efficiency.
DOE has selected six CHP projects for $9.1 million in funding over the next three years, subject to congressional approval, including four projects that will receive $4 million in funds this year. Those four projects will examine an automated control system, waste heat recovery from reciprocating engines, a chiller that runs on waste heat, and a system that combines a microturbine and a chiller. Two more projects are slated to receive more than $3 million later this fiscal year, and will develop a heat recovery system for fuel cells and a control system for combined cooling, heating, and power systems.
See the announcement on the DOE Industrial Technologies Program Web site, and for more information about CHP systems, see the winter 2009 edition of Energy Matters, the program’s quarterly newsletter.
Ausra Backs Off on Large CSP Projects, Focuses on Industries
Solar thermal company Ausra, Inc. announced it will refocus its business strategy toward providing technology and equipment for power projects and industrial steam projects, rather than on being an independent power developer.
The company is still committed to developing its 177-MW Carrizo Plains solar power plant in California, estimated to be online at partial capacity in 2010. In October of last year, Ausra launched the 5-megawatt (MW) Kimberlina Solar Thermal Energy Plant in Bakersfield, California, which is considered to be a demonstration of the technology that will be used at Carrizo Plains.
While utility-scale projects are still in the works and will continue to be part of Ausra’s long-term strategy, in the near term, Ausra will focus on deploying medium-sized solar steam generating systems that can be installed quickly and generate revenue immediately. See the Ausra press release and, for background, the October 29, 2008, article in this newsletter, announcing the launch of the Kimberlina facility.
Solar thermal power is also getting some attention in projects at the U.S. Army and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The Army’s Senior Energy Council in October announced several pilot projects, including a 500-MW solar thermal plant at Fort Irwin, California, in the Mojave Desert.
Other pilot projects include purchasing Neighborhood Electric Vehicles for use on posts, biomass to fuel demonstrations, a geothermal power plant, and an energy savings performance contract to reduce energy consumption. Meanwhile, NREL is in the process of testing an innovative parabolic trough design called SkyTrough. SkyTrough, developed by SkyFuel, is coated with a reflective metal skin instead of mirrored glass and is expected to operate at least as well as current parabolic troughs, but cost less to manufacture, transport, and maintain. See the Army’s press release and NREL’s feature story.
U.S. Wind Power Capacity Vaults to Top Spot due to Rapid Growth
The U.S. wind industry shattered previous records in 2008, installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity and placing the United States above all other nations in terms of installed wind capacity.
U.S. wind capacity increased by 50%, bringing it to a total of 25,170 MW, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). That’s enough to push the United States above Germany, the previous leader. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Germany had 22,247 MW of wind capacity at the start of the year, but added only 1,665 MW in 2008, bringing it to 23,903 MW, more than 2,000 MW short of the new U.S. total.
Overall, global wind power capacity increased by 28.8% in 2008, with more than 27,000 MW of new generating capacity, increasing the global wind power capacity to 120,791 MW, according to the GWEC.
Currently, only China appears able to challenge the U.S. lead, as the rapidly growing country added 6,300 MW of wind turbines in 2008 to more than double its installed wind power capacity for the fourth year in a row. China’s total wind power capacity is only 12,210 MW – less than half of U.S. wind capacity – but if the country continues to accelerate its pursuit of wind power, it could quickly catch up.
Of course, a big unknown for 2009 is how each country will be affected by the global economic crisis, as the GWEC notes that financing for new projects and new orders for wind turbines and components slowed to a trickle by year’s end. According to AWEA CEO Denise Bode, "it is clear that the economic and financial downturn have begun to take a serious toll on new wind development. We are already seeing layoffs in the area where wind’s promise is greatest for our economy: the wind power manufacturing sector." See the press releases from AWEA and the GWEC, as well as the GWEC’s country-by-country compilation of wind power capacity totals (PDF 45 KB).
Looking to the future, at least one organization remains bullish on global wind growth. The Energy Watch Group, which bills itself as an international network of scientists and parliamentarians, notes that global wind capacity has experienced exponential growth since the early 1990’s, and the group expects the trend to continue.
As wind power becomes more competitive with competing sources of electricity, the group sees rapid growth fueled by access to new wind energy resources, greater access to power grids, and an emerging world market for wind turbines and components.
The group recently released a study that explores four different scenarios for global power consumption and wind power generation, and each scenario projects that wind power will eventually capture half of the market share for new power plant installations, with the date of that accomplishment ranging from 2017-2033. By 2025, the four scenarios result in renewable energy providing 23%-65% of the world’s electricity needs. See the press release (PDF 185 KB) and full study (PDF 5.6 MB) from the Energy Watch Group.
Supercar Manufacturer Unveils All-Electric Powertrain
The manufacturer of the world’s fastest production car, the 1,287-horsepower Ultimate Aero, has developed an all-electric powertrain for the vehicle. Shelby SuperCars (SSC) has no relation to the legendary automotive designer Carroll Shelby, but it earned respect in the automotive world in 2007 when it set a record by driving its Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo at an average top speed of 256.18 miles per hour (it’s an "average" top speed because the car must be driven down the same road in opposite directions, and its top speeds from both passes are averaged to remove any advantages of wind speed or road inclination). Despite the company’s fascination with large, powerful engines, it’s also a true believer in electric technologies, and it is building the Ultimate Aero EV to prove the electric vehicles provide more linear power and overall performance that internal combustion cars.
The Ultimate Aero EV drivetrain will feature twin motors capable of producing 1,000 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque, enabling it to rocket to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, reaching a top speed of 208 miles per hour. The system will have a range of 150-200 miles, but its onboard charging system will allow for full battery recharges in as little as 10 minutes. The car will feature a three-speed automatic transmission, and the entire electric drivetrain will be liquid-cooled, allowing it to be run full-out for extended periods of time without overheating. (You can be sure that the BBC’s "Top Gear" boys will be testing that claim soon.)
SSC plans to roll out its first full-scale, pre-production Ultimate Aero EV by mid-2009 and deliveries to customers may start before the end of the year. And to follow on the success of its Ultimate Aero, the company also hopes to claim the title of "World’s Fastest Production Electric Car." See the SSC press release.
EIA: Gasoline Prices Climb Slowly, While Natural Gas Stays Low
Gasoline prices have been slowly climbing over the last six weeks after hitting their lowest monthly average since February 2004 at $1.69 in December. DOE’s Energy Information Administration released its "Short-Term Energy Outlook" yesterday and raised its forecast for average U.S. gasoline prices in 2009 to $1.95 per gallon, up from $1.87 in January, while average diesel price projections for 2009 remained fairly steady at $2.28 per gallon.
Natural gas consumption and prices continued to fall with the economic downturn, despite last month’s cold weather throughout much of the United States. Prices are expected to average $5.01 per thousand cubic feet in 2009, down 86 cents from what the agency was forecasting only one month ago-and down significantly from 2008’s average of $9.13. See the EIA’s "Short-Term Energy Outlook."
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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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