EPA Finalizes GHG Reporting Requirements for Large Emitters
The U.S. EPA finalized its reporting system for large emitters of greenhouse gases on Tuesday. When the program takes effect on January 1, 2010, it will apply to roughly 10,000 facilities, covering about 85% of the nation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Only the following facilities will be required to report annual GHG emissions: fossil fuel suppliers, industrial suppliers of greenhouse gases (such as bottled CO2), motor vehicle and engine manufacturers, and facilities that emit GHG equal to or greater than the equivalent of 25,000 metric tons of CO2.
The new reporting system will provide a better understanding of where GHG are coming from and will guide development of policies and programs to reduce emissions. It will also allow businesses to track their emissions, compare them with similar facilities, and identify cost-effective ways to reduce emissions. See the EPA press release and the full rules for the reporting system.
The EPA announcement came as President Obama addressed the Climate Change Summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. He reiterated, "the threat from climate change is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing. Our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it-boldly, swiftly, and together-we risk consigning future generations to irreversible catastrophe."
President Obama noted that climate change impacts every nation, and although the world has been slow to address it, including the U.S., that is changing now with significant investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as fuel economy standards. See the president’s speech on the White House Web site.
U.S. Treasury, DOE Award $550M for Renewable Energy Projects
The U.S. Treasury Department and DOE awarded $550 million in ARRA cash assistance to renewable energy developers in lieu of earned federal tax credits. The awards are designed to provide additional upfront capital for renewable energy projects, enabling companies to create jobs and begin construction on projects that may have been stalled until now.
This second round of cash awards, announced on Tuesday, follows the $502 million announced by DOE and Treasury on September 1, bringing the current total to over $1 billion. Overall, the program is expected to provide more than $3 billion in financial support for clean energy projects by providing direct payments rather than federal tax credits.
The 25 projects qualifying for this round include five large wind farms, as well as biomass, solar, and geothermal energy facilities, plus a project that uses microturbines for combined heat and power.
The largest is the Pyron Wind Farm in Roscoe, Texas, which will receive nearly $122 million. The 166 turbines at this E.ON Climate & Renewables site will generate 249 megawatts (MW) of power. Other large projects include the 180-MW Bull Creek Wind Farm in Borden County, Texas ($91.4M); the 160 MW Barton Wind Farm in Kinsett, Iowa ($93.4M); the 146 MW Farmers City Wind Farm in Tarkio, Missouri ($85M); and the 120-MW Barton Chapel Wind Farm near Jacksboro, Texas ($72.6M). See the DOE press release.
DOT, EPA Propose Improved Fuel Economy, Lower GHG
Building on a vision laid out in May by President Obama, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S. EPA announced details on September 15 of a proposed joint rule establishing a national program for greatly improved fuel economy and reduced GHG.
Their proposal presents coordinated national fuel efficiency and emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks, with the goal of saving 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reducing GHG emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons. For vehicles in model year 2016, the proposed rules would save the average car buyer over $3,000 in fuel costs over the life of the vehicle.
The plan covers model years 2012-2016 for light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S., requiring a 5% increase in fuel economy each year to reach a target of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for the overall light-duty vehicle fleet by 2016. Those improved fuel efficiencies would fall under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) program, run by DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The proposal also would mark the first-ever national emissions standards under EPA’s greenhouse gas program, with vehicles required to meet an estimated combined average emission level of 250 grams of CO2 per mile.
The proposed standards vary with vehicle size to achieve the targeted average values for the U.S. fleet as a whole. The EPA proposes extra credits for flex-fuel and alternative fuel vehicles, advanced technology vehicles, and vehicles with improved air conditioning systems and other GHG reduction technologies. The EPA also proposes to place a cap on nitrous oxide and methane emissions from vehicles.
The policy is a result of a collaboration among the federal government, 10 major automakers, United Auto Workers, leaders in the environmental community, and officials from California and other states. The NHTSA and EPA are providing a 60-day comment period that begins with publication of the proposal in the Federal Register, which had not yet happened as of Tuesday, September 22. See the DOT press release, the proposals from the EPA and NHTSA, and for background, the article from this newsletter on the president’s policy announcement.
DOE Loans $5.9B to Ford, Offers $528.7 M in Loans to Fisker
DOE loaned Ford Motor Co. $5.9 billion on September 17 to help retrofit factories in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The agency also offered a conditional loan of $528.7 million to Fisker Automotive on Tuesday to develop two lines of plug-in hybrids.
The loans are part of DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Program, which supports development of innovative vehicle technologies to create thousands of clean energy jobs while helping reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
The Ford loan is the first to be finalized since the program was appropriated in the fall of 2008. The funding announced will help Ford meet the new fuel economy targets proposed by the Obama Administration.
The loan to Ford will help the company employ technologies that improve fuel economy, including advanced internal combustion engines and transmissions, lighter vehicles, sleeker aerodynamic designs, and advanced technologies such as hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The loan proceeds will enable Ford to raise the fuel efficiency of more than a dozen popular models, representing close to two million new vehicles annually. The advances could save over 200 million gallons of gasoline a year. See the DOE press release.
The conditional loan to Fisker Automotive will be split in two. In the first stage, Fisker will use a $169.3 million loan for engineering design, development, and integration costs as it works with primarily U.S. suppliers to complete its first vehicle, the Fisker Karma.
The work will be conducted at Fisker’s office in Pontiac, Michigan, with support from its headquarters in Irvine, California. While the final assembly of the Karma will be done overseas, more than 65% (based on cost) of the parts required for Karma will come from U.S. suppliers.
The second stage will draw on a $359.36 million loan for Fisker’s "Project Nina," which involves the manufacture of a plug-in hybrid in the US. Fisker plans to produce up to 100,000 of the U.S.-made vehicles per year, starting in late 2012.
Both Fisker vehicles will be powered by electric motors with a lithium-ion battery, or, when that is depleted, a generator driven by an efficient gasoline engine. The electric-only range will be more than most people drive each day, and the battery can be charged at home overnight. Using gas and electric power, Fisker’s plug-in hybrids will have a cruising range of about 300 miles. See the DOE press release.
The ATVM Program focuses on helping domestic manufacturers apply the best technologies to improve vehicle efficiency. DOE also offered conditional loans of $1.6 billion to Nissan North America and $465 million to Tesla Motors, but has not yet closed on them.
The program was appropriated $7.5 billion to support up to $25 billion in loans to companies making cars and components in U.S. factories that increase fuel economy at least 25% above 2005 fuel economy levels. DOE plans to make additional loans over the next several months to large and small auto manufacturers, as well as parts suppliers. See the ATVM Program Web site.
Transportation Dept Supports Clean Energy at 43 Transit Agencies
The U.S. DOT awarded $100 million in ARRA funds on Monday to 43 transit agencies that are pursuing cutting-edge environmental technologies. The winning projects in the competitive bidding are designed to reduce global warming, lessen U.S. dependence on oil, and create green jobs.
Most of the projects involve the purchase of hybrid electric buses and upgrading facilities with energy efficiency improvements and solar systems. Some transit agencies are exploring other renewable and advanced energy technologies, including wind turbines for transit agencies in Lafayette, Indiana, and Boston, Massachusetts; a solar thermal system for Rock Island, Illinois; a geothermal heat pump system for the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District in Illinois; and stationary fuel cells for the statewide bus system in Connecticut. In addition, transit agencies in Florida and Oregon plan to perform efficiency upgrades on their buses, replacing some mechanical and hydraulic systems with electrically powered devices.
Among the more innovative projects is the Chicago Transit Authority’s use of electrified stalls to heat and cool buses while they are parked outdoors, thereby avoiding excessive idling. And taking a page from hybrid vehicles, Los Angeles, CA. will employ a station-mounted flywheel to capture the energy of stopping subway trains and then to help send them on their way again, much like a hybrid’s regenerative braking system.
Pursing advanced technologies for buses, the transit authority in Flint, Michigan, will replace two diesel buses with new plug-in hybrid electric buses from Fisher Coachworks, achieving triple the equivalent fuel economy while in all-electric mode. Going even further, the transit agency for Chelan and Wenatchee in Washington State will try out five all-electric buses powered with lithium-ion "titanate" batteries, along with two "quick charge" charging stations at the agency’s transportation center.
The 43 winning proposals were submitted by transit agencies from across the country as part of a nationwide competition for the funds, which were offered under the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction grant program as part of the Recovery Act. Selection criteria included a project’s ability to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions and also provide a return on the investment. Other criteria included readiness to implement, applicant capacity, degree of innovation, and national applicability. For a complete list of the winners, see the DOT press release.
DOE Delivers $36M to PA Energy Efficiency Projects
DOE awarded over $36 million in ARRA funding on September 17 to support energy efficiency and conservation projects in communities across Pennsylvania. Under DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, the funds will be channeled to Pennsylvania’s State Energy Office (namely, the Office of Energy & Technology Deployment within the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) as well as local cities and counties to help lower energy use, reduce carbon pollution, and create green jobs across the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania’s Office of Energy & Technology Deployment will receive $23.5 million to establish the "PA Conservation Works! Program," which will award grants to local governments and non-profit entities with shovel-ready projects that promise energy efficiency improvements of at least 25%.
Eligible projects include the installation of energy-efficient streetlights; retrofitting of high-efficiency furnaces, boilers, and air conditioners; efficiency upgrades at wastewater treatment plants; and the deployment of renewable energy technologies on or in government buildings. DOE is continuing to review applications and will be making awards to additional cities and counties in the weeks to come. See the DOE press release.
The EECBG program was funded by the Recovery Act and provides formula grants to states, cities, counties, territories, and federally-recognized tribes nationwide to implement energy efficiency projects locally. Eligible efforts include the development of energy efficiency and conservation strategies, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements, the delivery of energy efficiency audits and retrofits, the creation and implementation of transportation programs, and the installation of renewable energy technologies on municipal buildings. See the EECBG Program Web site.
DOE Announces $144M in Recovery Act Funding for the Smart Grid
DOE announced $144 million in ARRA funds on Monday for the electric power sector, including a $100 million solicitation for smart grid workforce training programs, plus $44 millionto state public utility commissions.
The workforce initiative will expand job creation and career advancement opportunities associated with smart grid and electricity transmission projects, and will help establish training programs for workers in the utility industry and electrical manufacturing sectors who will play a key role in modernizing the country’s electrical grid.
The training will take a two-pronged approach. First, $35-40 million is tabbed to develop training programs, strategies, and curricula that will be used as models for how to train or retrain workers in the electric power sector, with a focus on achieving a national smart grid to enable clean energy technologies. This funding will be open to a range of applicants, including utilities, colleges and universities, trade schools, and labor organizations.
Secondly, $60-65 million will be spent to conduct workforce training programs for new hires and retraining programs for electric utility workers and electrical equipment manufacturers to further their knowledge of smart grid technologies and how to implement those technologies.
Also, state public utility commissions (PUCs), which regulate and oversee electricity projects in their states, will receive $44.2 million in Recovery Act funds to hire new staff and retrain existing employees to ensure they have the capacity to quickly and effectively review proposed electricity projects. The funds will help the individual state PUCs accelerate reviews of the large number of electric utility requests that are expected under the Recovery Act. State PUCs will be reviewing electric utility investments in projects such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, transmission lines, energy storage, smart grid, demand response equipment, and electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. Awardees include the PUCs in every state except Massachusetts and Nebraska. See the DOE press release, the solicitation for workforce training, and the full list of grantees (PDF 68 KB).
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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