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EREN NETWORK NEWS -- October 17, 2001
A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN).
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/>
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Featuring:
*News and Events
Seattle City Light Signs 20-Year Wind Purchase Contract
EPA Launches Combined Heat and Power Partnership
New Study Examines Commercialization of Fuel-Cell Vehicles
IBM Unveils Innovative Low-Power Computer Chip
Yosemite Installs Solar Power System, Tests Biodiesel Blend
American Superconductor to Supply Wire for 100-MW Generator
*Site News
Superconductivity for Electric Systems Web Site Revamped
*Energy Facts and Tips
California Avoids Summer Outages; Warns of Fall Shortages
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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Seattle City Light Signs 20-Year Wind Purchase Contract
Seattle City Light has signed a 20-year contract to purchase
wind power from PacifiCorp Power Marketing, a ScottishPower
company. The wind power will come from the Stateline Wind
Project, now under construction along the Washington-Oregon
border. Seattle City Light will start buying 50 megawatts of power
on January 1, 2002, increasing to 100 megawatts in August 2002
and further increasing to 150 megawatts in January 2004.
The city's wind power purchase could potentially increase to
175 megawatts in August 2004 -- enough to power more
than 58,000 homes. See the ScottishPower press release at:
<http://www.scottishpower.com/newsdesk/pr10149_15_10_2001.htm>.
The Seattle City Council approved the wind purchase in late
September. See the September 26th edition of EREN
Network News at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/newsletter/archives/2001/sept26_01.html>.
While Seattle is about to become a leading purchaser of
green power (electricity from renewable energy sources),
upstate New Yorkers will soon get an opportunity to buy
green power, too. Under a proposed settlement filed last
week, the merger of Niagara Mohawk and National Grid will
bring with it new opportunities for customers of Niagara
Mohawk to buy green power through their electricity bills.
See the press release from the American Wind Energy
Association at:
<http://www.awea.org/news/news011012.html>.
Want to learn more about green power? The full
presentations from this summer's Sixth National Green
Power Marketing Conference are now available on the
EREN Green Power Network at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/conference/gpmconf01_pres.html>.
EPA Launches Combined Heat and Power Partnership
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced on Monday the formation of a new government-
industry partnership to encourage the use of combined heat
and power (CHP). Also referred to as cogeneration, CHP
systems make use of both the heat and the power that are
generated by electric power plants. CHP can range from
large industrial power plants to relatively small systems
using fuel cells or microturbines. EPA's new CHP Partnership
includes 17 Fortune 500 companies as well as a number of
city and state governments and non-profit organizations. For
its part, EPA will provide public recognition for CHP projects
and will support the accelerated development of new
projects through streamlined permitting. See the October 15th
press release by selecting "Press Releases" on the EPA
Newsroom Web page at:
<http://www.epa.gov/epahome/newsroom.htm>.
The EPA has been awarding a number of grants in recent
weeks to encourage energy efficiency and renewable
energy. Among the awards was a grant of nearly $100,000
to the U.S. Green Building Council to develop a green rating
system, a $25,000 grant to Citizens for Pennsylvania's
Future to expand their green power program, a $50,000
grant to Energy Rated Homes of America to increase
demand for new energy efficient homes, a $90,850 grant to
the Energy Efficient Building Association to promote energy
efficiency in residential homes, a $735,000 grant to the Lighting
Research Center to develop new energy-efficiency evaluation
criteria for lighting technologies, a $350,000 grant to Iowa
State University to research building energy control systems,
a $135,000 grant to the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance
to test new ozone-friendly blowing agents for the production
of insulating foam products, and a $37,000 grant to the
University of Maryland to study the energy efficiency of
combining heating, air conditioning and power systems in
small buildings.
The EPA/DOE Energy Star program is also launching a new
campaign called "Change a Light, Change the World." The
campaign will encourage U.S. consumers to buy an Energy
Star light bulb the next time they need to replace a light. If
every U.S. household does so, the nation could save up to
$800 million annually in energy bills, keep one trillion pounds
of global warming gases out of the atmosphere, and achieve
a reduction in air pollution equivalent to removing 1.2 million
cars from American roads for one year.
See the September 28th, October 11th, and October 15th
press releases at the EPA Newsroom link above, and visit
the EPA Energy Star Web site at:
<http://www.energystar.gov/changealight/>.
New Study Examines Commercialization of Fuel-Cell Vehicles
Makers of fuel-cell-powered vehicles will need to offer
several distinct vehicle choices to build an early market in
California, according to a study released yesterday by the
California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP). The development
of a timely fuel supply and infrastructure to support the use
of the vehicles will also be a significant challenge, according
to the report. The report examined hydrogen, methanol,
gasoline, and ethanol as potential fuels, and found challenges
in using each of them. Hydrogen was expected to require the
highest infrastructure costs, but it would also avoid the need
for fuel reformers, which convert the other fuels to hydrogen.
Of the liquid fuels, low-sulfur gasoline was expected to have
the lowest infrastructure costs.
The independent report examined the economic outlook for
fuel-cell-vehicle refueling businesses, and found that their
profitability would vary greatly with small changes in fuel
prices, fuel tax policy, vehicle sales growth, infrastructure
expansion rate and costs, and interest rates. This implies a
great deal of risk for companies. The report suggested that
federal and state government support was needed to defray
the risks, and that commercial success will require "an
unprecedented public-private cooperative effort."
The CaFCP released the report during a roundtable session
that was Webcast live. The partnership also released a
position paper, which noted that many of the reports
recommendations for an early pilot phase -- including
consumer education, infrastructure development,
development of codes and standards, and on-road testing --
are now underway at the CaFCP. See the 256-page report,
the video of the roundtable session, and the four-page
position paper on the newly updated CaFCP Web site at:
<http://www.fuelcellpartnership.org/event_roundtable.html>.
See also the CaFCP press release at:
<http://www.fuelcellpartnership.org/releases/2001-10-16_Study.html>.
IBM Unveils Innovative Low-Power Computer Chip
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) unveiled
last week a new low-power computer chip called the IBM
PowerPC 405LP. According to IBM, the energy-saving
technology used in the chip has the potential to cut computer
energy use by a factor of ten. The company claims the chip
can shut off parts of its processor when they are not needed,
saving energy while the chip is in use, and is able to reduce
standby power use to virtually zero while still maintaining the
capability to turn on instantly. See the October 12th press
release on the IBM Web site at:
<http://www.ibm.com/press/prnews.nsf/homepage>.
The low-power chip is the first product of IBM's Low-Power
Computing Research Center, announced early this month.
See the October 3rd edition of EREN Network News at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/newsletter/archives/2001/oct03_01.html>.
Yosemite Installs Solar Energy System, Tests Biodiesel Blend
The National Park Service announced in early October that
Yosemite National Park will soon feature solar electric panels on
the roof of its El Portal Administrative Site. The 47-kilowatt system
will comprise 350 photovoltaic panels, generating enough power
at midday to meet 10 percent of the building's electricity needs.
PowerLight Corporation will design and install the system. See
the National Park Service press release at:
<http://www.nps.gov/yose/news/2001/solr1002.htm>.
Yosemite's shuttle bus fleet is getting cleaner, too -- for the next
30 days, at least. Yosemite Concession Services Corporation
(YCS) announced early this month its start of a 30-day test
program to evaluate biodiesel fuel for use in the Yosemite Valley
shuttle bus fleet. The 20-percent biodiesel blend is expected to
reduce smog-forming emissions by 10 percent. If the test program
is successful, YCS will use the fuel in all its shuttle buses and in
other YCS vehicles. See the YCS press release at:
<http://www.yosemitepark.com/html/news_011002.html>.
American Superconductor to Supply Wire for 100-MW Generator
American Superconductor Corporation announced yesterday
that it will supply the high-temperature superconductor (HTS)
wire for the world's largest HTS generator. The General
Electric Company selected American Superconductor to
produce the wire for the 100-megawatt generator, valued at
$26 million. DOE is supporting the development of the
generator, which has the potential of allowing electric power
companies to generate electricity more efficiently. See the
October 16th press release on the American Superconductor
Web site at: <http://www.amsuper.com/press.htm>.
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SITE NEWS
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Superconductivity for Electric Systems Web Site Revamped
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/superconductivity/>
High-temperature superconductivity (HTS) holds the promise
of transmitting and using electricity with near-perfect
efficiency and much higher capacity. This may help to
extend the use of the U.S. electric power infrastructure, often
referred to as the largest machine in the world. The
redesigned Superconductivity for Electric Systems Web site
now offers simpler navigation to the latest information about
HTS technologies. Like all new and redesigned EREN Web
sites, and all major home pages on EREN, the site is also
compliant with new federal regulations for accessibility,
allowing the use of automated readers for the visually
impaired and including features such as text equivalents of
any audio files.
For this and other recent additions to the EREN Web site,
see <http://www.eren.doe.gov/new/whats-new.html>.
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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
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California Avoids Summer Outages; Warns of Fall Shortages
In case you missed it, the summer is over, and California
passed through the season without any of the rolling
blackouts that were predicted to hit the state. Despite
predictions of as many as 260 hours of rolling blackouts, the
state has not suffered rolling blackouts since early May and
has not declared an electricity emergency since early July.
But while many are breathing a sigh of relief, the California
Independent System Operator (ISO) is warning that although
autumn brings cooler weather, it also brings power plant
outages. Some power plants that have operated all summer
are slated for maintenance, and the ISO expects that as
many as 9,300 megawatts of electrical generating capacity
could be offline by the end of this month. While the ISO is
not predicting electricity shortages, it warns that an
unplanned plant shutdown on a high-demand day could
stress the system, and it emphasizes the need for continued
electricity conservation in the state. See the October 2nd
press release on the California ISO Web site at:
<http://www.caiso.com/newsroom/releases/>.
On the plus side, the California Energy Commission (CEC)
recently released a report that predicts the state will have
adequate supplies of natural gas to make it through the
winter. However, the CEC plans to continuously monitor
in-state natural gas supplies to assure that problems do not
arise. According to the report, ongoing expansions of the
pipeline network within the state and planned expansions of
the interstate pipeline network should increase natural gas
delivery to California beginning next year. See the October 3rd
press release on the CEC Web site at:
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html>.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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