================================================= EREN NETWORK NEWS -- June 5, 2002 A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN). <http://www.eren.doe.gov/> =================================================
Featuring: *News and Events Zilkha Plans 250-Megawatt Wind Project in Washington State Nebraska Wind Project Breaks Ground; Others Advance Assistant Secretary Garman Addresses WINDPOWER 2002 Green Power Coming to Upstate New York, North Carolina Largest Solar Power Facility in the Northwest Goes Online Hawaiian and National Energy Groups to Develop Clean Energy *Energy Facts and Tips EU, Japan Ratify Kyoto Protocol; U.S. Still Opposed *About this Newsletter ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS AND EVENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Zilkha Plans 250-Megawatt Wind Project in Washington State Zilkha Renewable Energy has announced plans to build a wind project of up to 250 megawatts in capacity in Kittitas County, Washington. The company intends to file for a permit from the county this month. Zilkha plans to install 100 to 150 wind turbines over an area of about 10,000 acres at the site, which is located about 100 miles east of Seattle. If the project is approved, construction will begin in early 2003 and will be completed that year. Zilkha is also planning three other wind projects: a project of undisclosed size near Lawton, Oklahoma (about 90 miles southwest of Oklahoma City); a 100-megawatt project near Meyersdale, Pennsylvania (southeast of Pittsburgh, near the Maryland border); and a 100-megawatt project in Lewis County, New York (about 70 miles northeast of Syracuse). Of those three projects, Zilkha appears likely to start on the New York project first, with plans to begin construction before year-end and complete construction in 2003. The company is also in the process of repowering a defunct 40-megawatt wind project in California's Altamont Pass by placing new wind turbines on the old project's wind towers. Zilkha has a track record in the wind industry, including construction of the 80-megawatt Top of Iowa Wind Farm, which was commissioned late in 2001. See the Zilkha Web site at: <http://www.zilkha.com/whatweredoing.asp>. Nebraska Wind Project Breaks Ground; Others Advance The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) broke ground on its 10.5-megawatt wind facility in early May. The Kimball wind facility will be the largest in the state. MEAN is a wholesale electricity supply organization that serves 53 member communities and one public power district in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. See the MEAN press release at: <http://www.nmppenergy.org/windgroundbreakingrelease.htm>. The MEAN groundbreaking seems to belie a report issued in February by the Nebraska Power Association (NPA). The NPA was asked to examine the feasibility of creating a public authority to develop one or more major wind projects in the state. The report, created at the behest of Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns, concluded that financing issues and perceived financial risks were hurdles too high for a public authority to overcome, but still suggested that its member utilities might support smaller-scale wind projects. The NPA represents public utilities in the state. See the NPA Wind Report at: <http://www.nepower.org/Reports/>. In the rest of the country, wind projects are advancing steadily. Ameresco Inc., the majority owner of Montana Wind Harness, announced in mid-May that a project to develop 150 megawatts of wind power in Montana is on track, with leasing agreements in hand for a number of key locations. Alliant Energy-Interstate Power and Light announced in early May that Clipper Windpower, Inc. was selected to provide the utility with 150,000 megawatt-hours of new wind energy by building 29 new wind turbines near Spirit Lake, Iowa. American Electric Power, which bought the 160-megawatt Indian Mesa project in West Texas in January, renamed it the "Desert Sky Wind Project" and held a dedication ceremony in early May. And Shell WindEnergy bought the 41-megawatt Cabazon Pass wind facility, a project that is being built in California by the Cannon Power Corporation. The facility is expected online in August. See the relevant press releases at: <http://www.ameresco.com/release.asp?ID=11>, <http://www.alliantenergy.com/news/news.php?issueID=303>, <http://www.desertskywind.com/>, and the May 17th press release from Shell at: <http://www2.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=media-en>. Assistant Secretary Garman Addresses WINDPOWER 2002 David Garman, DOE's assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, addressed the WINDPOWER 2002 conference on Monday, highlighting President Bush's national energy policy while focusing on wind energy policy and research. "Our investments in wind energy so far are paying off," said Garman. "Thanks to the hard work of many of you at this conference and research and development efforts of the Energy Department's Wind Power Program, together we have lowered the cost of wind energy from approximately 80 cents per kilowatt-hour in current dollars in 1980 to as little as 4 cents per kilowatt-hour today." The national energy policy calls for a five-year extension of the production tax credit and for the reauthorization of the Renewable Energy Production Incentive. Both measures are included in energy legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. See the DOE press release at: <http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/junpr/pr02094.htm> The mission of DOE's Wind Energy Program is to enable the U.S. wind energy industry to complete the research, testing and field verification needed to develop advanced wind energy technologies. See the Wind Energy Program Web site on EREN at: <http://www.eren.doe.gov/wind/> WINDPOWER 2002, the largest-ever U.S. wind industry conference, is wrapping up today in Portland, Oregon. The conference practiced what it preached: it offset any emissions caused by its energy use through the use of "green tags" donated by DOE's Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The green tags represented the production of 45,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity from wind plants in the Northwest, roughly equal to the electricity used by the conference. In effect, the result was the same as if the conference had purchased its power directly from the wind plants. See the press release from the American Wind Energy Association at: <http://www.awea.org/news/news020517grp.html> Green Power Coming to Upstate New York, North Carolina Innovative new agreements for the marketing of green power -- electricity from renewable energy sources -- are opening new markets in upstate New York and in North Carolina. The New York Public Service Commission approved in late May a program that allows Niagara Mohawk customers to purchase renewable energy from independent green power marketers. Beginning in August or September, at least two companies -- Green Mountain Energy Company and Community Energy, Inc. -- will offer green power products to the utility's 1.5 million electric customers in upstate New York. The green power agreement between renewable energy companies, environmental groups, and Niagara Mohawk resulted from the Commission's recent approval of the merger of Niagara Mohawk and National Grid. See the May 23rd press release on the Niagara Mohawk Web site at: <http://www.niagaramohawk.com/nimotod/newsindx/newsindx.asp> See also the press release from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) at: <http://www.awea.org/news/new020523nyg.html> A similar agreement is expected to bring green power to the entire state of North Carolina. The proposed "NC GreenPower Program" will allow utility customers throughout the state to pay an additional $4 per month for a 100-kilowatt-hour block of renewable energy. The funds will be collected by the state's utilities and transferred to the NC Advanced Energy Corporation, which will use them to support the production of electricity from renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, biomass, and small hydroelectric facilities. The proposed program is a culmination of a collaborative effort among the state's electric utilities, state agencies, and other parties. The utilities expect to offer the program to their customers beginning six months after approval from the North Carolina Utility Commission. Toward that end, utilities began submitting their proposals to the commission in late May. See the press release from CP&L at: <http://www.cpl.com/cfusion/news/article.cfm?id=3082> See also the May 31st press release from Duke Energy by selecting "Newscenter" on the company's Web site at: <http://www.duke-energy.com/> Largest Solar Power Facility in the Northwest Goes Online The 38.7-kilowatt White Bluffs Solar Station is now online in Richland, Washington. The largest such facility in the Northwest, the solar station is owned and operated by Energy Northwest. DOE's Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will integrate the power from the system into its electrical grid, while the Bonneville Environmental Foundation will sell green tags from the project. DOE contributed $30,000 toward the project through its "Brightfields" program. See the BPA press release at: <http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/kc/media/NewsRelease.cfm?ReleaseNo=304> Abandoned or contaminated properties are often referred to as "brownfields." Building on that idea, DOE coined the term "Brightfields" to mean brownfields that are redeveloped through the incorporation of solar energy. See the Brightfields Web site on EREN at: <http://www.eren.doe.gov/brightfields/>. White Bluffs Solar Station is located adjacent to WNP-1, an unfinished nuclear plant that sits a mile east of Columbia Generating Station, the region's only operating nuclear power station. Energy Northwest was formerly known as the Washington Public Power Supply System, which developed WNP-1 and Columbia. The organization recently concluded that WNP-1 will never be completed as a nuclear generating facility. See the press release at: <http://www.energy-northwest.com/Information/02.29.02.html>. Energy Northwest not only has a new name but is also pursuing a new image. The organization is currently developing the Nine Canyon Wind Project and is also involved with fuel cell and wave energy demonstration projects. Energy Northwest even has a new Web site. Check it out at: <http://www.energy-northwest.com/>. Hawaiian and National Energy Groups to Develop Clean Energy The Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) and the University of Hawaii's Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) are teaming up with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and its affiliate, the Electricity Innovation Institute, to develop clean energy technologies. The partnership, announced in mid-May, will focus on emerging renewable, energy efficient and environmentally sensitive energy applications, including distributed generation, on-site, central station, and transportation technologies. The partners already have a number of projects underway together. EPRI, for instance, has a microturbine demonstration underway at a HECO facility, and has a number of solar energy projects planned or already installed in the state. And earlier this year, HECO and HNEI announced a joint venture with UTC Fuel Cells and the Office of Naval Research to build and operate the Hawaii Fuel Cell Test Facility. The new facility will be used to test hydrogen fuel cells, accelerating their adoption for specific commercial and military purposes. See the press release, "Clean Energy Research Partnership Formed," under the "Highlights" heading on the EPRI Web site at: <http://www.epri.com/> See also the HNEI Web site at: <http://www.hnei.hawaii.edu/> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EU, Japan Ratify Kyoto Protocol; U.S. Still Opposed The European Union (EU) and Japan both ratified the Kyoto Protocol in recent days, increasing the likelihood that the global warming agreement will take effect. The United States has no intention of ratifying the treaty, which must be ratified by 55 countries representing 55 percent of developed nations' greenhouse gas emissions before taking effect. At present, 73 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but the developed countries among them produce only 36 percent of developed nations' greenhouse gas emissions. See the United Nation's "Kyoto Protocol Thermometer" at: <http://unfccc.int/resource/kpthermo.html> The EU ratified the agreement on May 31st, committing to an 8 percent reduction in its emissions of greenhouse gases compared to 1990 levels. The reduction must be achieved within the timeframe of 2008 to 2012. To help meet that goal, the EU plans to implement a union-wide emissions trading scheme by 2005. See the announcement from the Spanish Presidency of the EU at: <http://www.ue2002.es/principal.asp?idioma=ingles>. Japan followed suit by ratifying the agreement yesterday. According to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Japan plans to "foster technological innovation and creative initiatives in the business circles so that efforts to meet the commitment under the Kyoto Protocol will lead to economic revitalization and employment creation." Acknowledging U.S. reluctance to participate in the treaty, the Prime Minister noted that "the Government of Japan will do its utmost to establish a common rule, in which all countries including the United States and the developing countries participate." See the June 4th statement by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on his Web site at: <http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/koizumispeech/index_e.html> Asked yesterday if the United States would change its stance on the treaty, President Bush held firm against it. "I do not support the Kyoto treaty," said Bush. "The Kyoto treaty would severely damage the United States economy, and I don't accept that. I accept the alternative we put out, that we can grow our economy and, at the same time, through technologies, improve our environment." See the President's remarks on the White House Web site at: <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020604-16.html> The question was prompted in part by a report issued last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Climate Action Report 2002, which is an official report to the United Nations, acknowledges that global temperature increases are "likely due mostly to human activities" and notes such impacts as loss of coastal wetlands, reduced snowpack (which exacerbates water shortages, particularly in the West), and more frequent heat waves, all of which have impacts on ecosystems. The report also notes President Bush's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 18 percent over the next decade. See the EPA report at: <http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/car/> DOE took a step toward those reductions in early May, when it requested public comments on ways to improve its voluntary reporting program for greenhouse gas emissions. See the DOE press release at: <http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/maypr/pr02078.htm> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can subscribe to this newsletter using the online form at: <http://www.eren.doe.gov/newsletter/subscribe/>. This Web page also allows you to update your email address or unsubscribe to this newsletter. The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) home page is located at <http://www.eren.doe.gov/>. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor, Kevin Eber, at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! 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