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EREN NETWORK NEWS -- July 31, 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/>
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Featuring:
*News and Events
Large Wind Power Projects Planned for Texas and Idaho
Honda to Begin Leasing Fuel Cell Vehicles by Year-End
More Fuel Cells Installed as Companies See Ups and Downs
Solar Power Association Funds Projects in Cleveland, Tucson
Superconducting Cable Test to Proceed with Only One Cable
Union Pacific to Use Solar-Powered LED Lights
*Site News
Coalition for New Energy Technologies
*Energy Facts and Tips
Study: Public Transport Key to Clean Air, Energy Savings
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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Large Wind Power Projects Planned for Texas and Idaho
Two planned wind power projects, both 200 megawatts or more in
capacity, were announced last week for Texas and Idaho, while
smaller wind projects are underway in California.
In Texas, Cielo Wind Power, LLC plans to build a 240-megawatt wind
power plant south of Rankin in the western part of the state. TXU
Energy has agreed to buy the power produced by the plant. Called the
Noelke Hill Wind Ranch, the project will be the second largest in
Texas (the nearby 278-megawatt King Mountain Clean Energy Center is
the largest), and will be among the largest in the United States. It
will consist of 240 one-megawatt wind turbines manufactured by
Mitsubishi and is scheduled to begin operating by September. See the
TXU Energy press release at:
<http://www.txu.com/us/newsroom/pressrel/detail.asp?ID=493>.
A project announced in mid-July for Idaho is in its early planning
stages, but would introduce the state to utility-scale wind power in
a big way. Windland, Inc. hopes to build a 200-megawatt wind plant
on Cotterel Mountain, southeast of Burley in south-central Idaho.
The site covers about 4600 acres on federal lands managed by the
U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Windland is still conducting
technical and environmental evaluations of the site, but intends to
begin construction in 2004. The project would be the first utility-
scale wind installation in the state. See the Windland press release
at: <http://www.windland.com/newsrelease.html>.
Meanwhile, a new 10-megawatt wind plant is planned and a
61.5-megawatt wind plant is near completion in California. The
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) approved a three-year
contract with ABB, Inc. to install and operate 10 megawatts of wind
turbines in the Montezuma Hills outside of Rio Vista, southwest of
Sacramento. SMUD expects construction in January 2003 and finish by
late summer of that year. The installation is the first phase of the
Solano Wind Project, which SMUD intends to expand to 45 megawatts by
2006. See the SMUD press release at:
<http://www.smud.org/news/02archive/0719_wind.html>.
In southern California, Shell WindEnergy Inc. continued its pattern
of buying wind projects developed by Cannon Power Corporation. Shell
announced last week its purchase of the 61.5-megawatt Whitewater
Hill wind park in the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs. The wind
facility will draw on 41 1.5-megawatt turbines built by GE Wind
Energy, and will be complete by the end of August. Shell previously
bought the 41-megawatt Cabazon Pass wind facility from Cannon Power.
The Cabazon Pass facility is located in the same area as Whitewater
Hill and is also expected to be completed in August. See the
July 23rd press release on the Shell Renewables Web site at:
<http://www2.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=rw-br>.
GE Power Systems is already benefiting from its recent acquisition
of GE Wind Energy. With a decline in sales of gas turbines, the
company is cutting its work force and moving its generator
manufacturing operations from Pensacola, Florida, to Schenectady,
New York. But there's good news for Pensacola: GE Power Systems will
begin producing wind turbine blades there to support its growing
wind energy business. Although the company is cutting 2,500 jobs in
Schenectady and other locations, no layoffs were announced for
Pensacola. See the GE Power Systems press release, in Adobe PDF
format only, at:
<http://www.gepower.com/corporate/en_us/aboutgeps/releases/072302.pdf>
Honda to Begin Leasing Fuel Cell Vehicles by Year-End
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced last week that it will
begin leasing "a limited number" of its fuel-cell-powered vehicle,
the Honda FCX, in the United States by the end of this year. The
California Air Resources Board recently certified the vehicle as a
zero emissions vehicle, and it also earned the lowest national
emission rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Honda FCX meets all U.S. safety standards.
Honda plans to lease 30 FCXs in California and Tokyo over the next
three years, but currently has no plans for mass-market sales of the
vehicle. The hydrogen-fueled vehicle requires access to a hydrogen
fuel supply, which is available in several California locations due
to the efforts of the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP). Its
motor can produce 80 horsepower and generate slightly more than
200 pound-feet of torque. The car will seat four, has a range of
220 miles, and achieves a maximum speed of 93 miles per hour.
See the Honda press release at:
<http://world.honda.com/news/2002/4020724.html>.
The CaFCP is a voluntary partnership of automakers, energy
providers, fuel cell companies, and government agencies, all working
together to demonstrate and promote fuel cell vehicles. Its latest
member is the EPA, which joined in early July. See the CaFCP press
release at:
<http://www.cafcp.org/releases/2002_7_12_epa_joins_cafcp.html>.
At least one U.S. automaker is in hot pursuit of Honda: General
Motors Corporation (GM) unveiled its new Fuel Cell Development
Center on Monday and announced its commitment to be the first
company to sell one million fuel cell vehicles. GM's new research
facility, located in Honeoye Falls, New York, will create up to
100 new research and engineering jobs, bringing GM's total fuel cell
development staff at the site to as many as 300 people. The new
facility will develop fuel cells for both stationary and
transportation applications. GM also received certification recently
from a top German safety institute for a hydrogen tank that can be
pressurized to 10,000 pounds per square inch. According to GM, the
high-pressure tank would extend the range of fuel cell vehicles to
300 miles between fill ups. See the GM press releases at:
<http://www.gm.com/cgi-bin/pr_display.pl?3107> and
<http://www.gm.com/cgi-bin/pr_display.pl?3105>.
More Fuel Cells Installed as Companies See Ups and Downs
Fuel cell companies continued to install their systems throughout
the country in July, with recent installations in Texas, Montana,
and Georgia. UTC Fuel Cells installed a 200-kilowatt system at the
Rebekah Baines Johnson Health Center in Austin, Texas. The system,
fueled with natural gas, also produces 900,000 Btu of usable heat
per hour. Global Thermoelectric Inc., a supplier of solid oxide fuel
cell systems, is installing a 2-kilowatt natural-gas-fueled
residential system and a 3- to 5-kilowatt methane-fueled industrial
system at Montana State University-Billings for evaluation by the
university and Montana-Dakota Utilities Company. And Plug Power Inc.
installed a 5-kilowatt fuel cell system at the Flint Energies
service center in Warner Robins, Georgia. Plug Power also unveiled a
new system that generates 5 kilowatts of electricity and 9 kilowatts
of usable heat. See the UTC Fuel Cells and Flint Energies press
releases at:
<http://www.internationalfuelcells.com/news/archive/072502.shtml>
and <http://www.flintenergies.com/admin/newsdetail.asp?newsID=93>.
See also the July 16th press release on the Global Thermoelectric
Web site at: <http://www.globalte.com/releases.htm>.
And see the July 23rd press release on the Plug Power Web site at:
<http://www.plugpower.com/news/>.
The continued interest in fuel cells for on-site power generation is
apparently paying off for Proton Energy Systems, Inc., which opened
a new 100,000-square-foot facility in Wallingford, Connecticut,
early in July. The new facilities will allow the company to expand
from its current workforce of 150 to as many as 500 employees over
the next several years. See the July 10th press release by selecting
"Company Info," then "News," then "Press Releases," on the Proton
Energy Web site at: <http://www.protonenergy.com/>.
But the news is not all good for fuel cell companies: DCH
Technologies, parent company of Enable Fuel Cells Corporation,
reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in
July that it was putting its fuel cell division up for sale. The
company furloughed nearly all of its employees in June due to cash
flow challenges. See the company's June and July SEC filings by
entering "DCH" in the SEC's "EDGAR" search tool at:
<http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/srch-edgar>.
Solar Power Association Funds Projects in Cleveland, Tucson
The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) announced awards of
$75,000 to each of two projects in Tucson, Arizona, and in
Cleveland, Ohio, in early July. The awards are part of the Solar
Power Solutions initiative, an effort supported by DOE.
In Tuscon, two 20-kilowatt solar power systems were installed at the
Hayden/Udall Water Treatment Facility. The site will be used for
training, and to facilitate the replication of this program, the
project partners will also develop an outreach program targeting
municipalities, utilities, and other cities in Arizona.
In Cleveland, the funds will go toward solar power installations at
EcoVillage Cleveland, an environmentally sustainable 20-unit town
home development that is currently under construction. AstroPower,
Inc. will install solar power systems on the garages of ten homes in
the development: one model home will have a 4.8-kilowatt system, and
the nine other homes will have 1.2-kilowatt systems. In addition to
the solar power systems, energy efficient and sustainable design
practices will be applied to the development. EcoVillage Cleveland
is supported in part by DOE's Building America program. See the
July 9th press release on the SEPA Web site at:
<http://www.solarelectricpower.org/press_room/sepa_press_releases.cfm>
See also the AstroPower press release and the Cleveland EcoVillage
Web site at: <http://www.astropower.com/press_releases.htm> and
<http://dscdo.org/ecovillage/index.htm>.
And see the "Cleveland EcoVillage" link on the EcoCity Cleveland Web
site at:
<http://www.ecocitycleveland.org/ecologicaldesign/ecodesignpage.html>.
Superconducting Cable Test to Proceed with Only One Cable
A demonstration of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) cables at
Detroit Edison's Frisbie substation will proceed using only one of
three cables. Pirelli Energy Cables and Systems told DOE in mid-July
that leaks in the cooling systems for the other two of the cables
prevented their use. Pirelli halted the demonstration in January
after initially discovering the leaks. The two non-functional HTS
cables will be removed and replaced with their equivalent, six
copper cables, to allow the test to proceed. Pirelli hopes to
energize the cable by year-end.
American Superconductor Corporation, which provided the HTS wires
for the cable, expressed disappointment but emphasized that the
wires themselves met or exceeded performance specifications. See the
American Superconductor press release, in Adobe PDF format only, at:
<http://www.amsuper.com/press/2002/Detroit_Update.pdf>.
Union Pacific to Use Solar-Powered LED Lights
Carmanah Technologies Corporation announced last week that it has
received an order from Union Pacific Railroad for 350 of its blue-
signal rail yard lanterns. Carmanah's lights combine energy-saving
light-emitting diode (LED) lights with rechargeable batteries and
small solar cells. Because of the low energy usage of the LED
lights, the lanterns run reliably using solar cells encased in the
lanterns themselves. The reliability of the blue-signal lanterns is
critical, as they are used by railways to indicate that a train is
being worked on and must remain stationary. Union Pacific will use
the lantern at its North Platt, Nebraska, rail yard, which is the
largest in North America. See the Carmanah press release at:
<http://www.carmanah.com/index.asp?a=iv&m=news&s=020722>.
See also the Carmanah product and technology descriptions at:
<http://www.carmanah.com/index.asp?a=sf>.
LED lights have become popular in recent years because of their
significant energy savings compared to standard incandescent lights.
Their most popular application is in traffic signals, an example of
which is a recent project in Portland, Oregon. The city replaced
nearly all its red and green traffic signals last year, and financed
the project through an innovative leasing agreement. The city is now
saving nearly 5 million kilowatt-hours per year in electricity, an
energy cost of about $335,000. The city also estimates a maintenance
savings of $45,000 per year due to the longevity of the LED lights.
See the Portland case study, in Adobe PDF format only, at:
<http://www.sustainableportland.org/news_LED_case_study.pdf>.
LED traffic lights have an additional benefit: as the California
Energy Commission (CEC) noted back in May, the lights have a low
enough energy use that it becomes feasible to provide them with
battery backup power systems. The CEC had about $10 million in
matching grants to help install such systems at critical
intersections throughout the state, allowing the traffic signals to
operate normally for two hours during power outages. After two
hours, the signals will flash red for another two hours. The CEC
expects to award the grants in August. See the May 20th press
release on the CEC Web site at:
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html>.
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SITE NEWS
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Coalition for New Energy Technologies
<http://www.newenergytechnologies.org/>
The Coalition for New Energy Technologies promotes its members and
their innovative energy technologies through outreach programs,
policy advocacy, and various other activities. One of its primary
activities is to work with state and federal policymakers.
Currently, the Coalition focuses its efforts in Arizona and
Colorado.
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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
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Study: Public Transport Key to Clean Air, Energy Savings
How can the United States best clean up its air and reduce its
energy use? According to a study released June 17th, the answer is
public transportation. The study by three leading economists finds
that public transportation already saves more than 855 million
gallons of gasoline each year. The study also finds that if one in
ten Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S. reliance on
foreign oil could be cut by more than 40 percent.
Even small increases in public transportation use would have a
significant effect on air quality. A person riding public
transportation instead of driving generates, on average, 95 percent
less carbon monoxide, 92 percent less volatile organic compounds,
and only half as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. See the
press release from the American Public Transportation Association
(APTA) at: <http://www.apta.com/news/releases/energystudy.htm>.
Links to the full study are available on the APTA home page at:
<http://www.apta.com/>.
Considering the news, let's hear it for the Dallas Area Rapid
Transit (DART), which is expanding its light rail system into the
Dallas suburbs! See the DART Web site at:
<http://www.dart.org/expansion.asp>.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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