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EREN NETWORK NEWS -- November 6, 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
First Phase of Five-Megawatt Arizona Solar Plant Dedicated
China Buys Solar Cell Equipment Despite Industry Downturn
Construction of Zero Energy Home Underway in Tucson, Arizona
DOE Marks Weatherization Program's 26th Anniversary
Several New Geothermal Plants Slated for Nevada
ZAP Offers to Buy Think Electric Vehicles Assets from Ford
Portland Utility Agrees to Remove 22-Megawatt Hydro Project
*Site News
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA)
*Energy Facts and Tips
Voters are Increasing Deciding Transportation Issues
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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First Phase of Five-Megawatt Arizona Solar Plant Dedicated
APS, Arizona's largest electric utility, dedicated the first phase
of its Prescott Airport Solar Power Plant last week. The new solar
facility is currently online with a capacity of 450 kilowatts, to be
increased to 1.5 megawatts by March 2003. But within the next three
to five years, the utility plans to expand the Prescott facility to
5 megawatts, which will place it among the largest in the world. See
the October 30th press release on the APS Web site at:
<http://www.aps.com/general_info/newsrelease/default.html?year=2002>.
A number of solar power installations were completed in October,
including one 59-kilowatt and one 56-kilowatt solar power system
installed in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. With funding
from Clean Air Communities, the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority, and the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design
Center (GMDC), PowerLight Corporation installed the systems on two
GMDC buildings, including advanced zinc-bromide battery systems for
energy storage. See the Clean Air Communities press release at:
<http://www.cleanaircommunities.org/press/021007-gmdc.html>.
The City of San Diego, California, is also employing solar energy,
having installed its first solar power system on the city's
Environmental Services Operations Station building in October. The
city claims the 65-kilowatt system will generate enough electricity
annually to meet the building's electricity needs. See the city's
press release, in PDF format only, at:
<http://www.sannet.gov/environmental-services/news/pdf/021018.pdf>.
Details are also emerging on the fate of $2.6 million in grants
awarded last month by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust. The
grants were awarded to six organizations that will deploy roughly
250 solar power systems in the state. One of those grants, for
$455,700, went to an initiative organized by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT Community Solar Power
Initiative will install 40 solar installations on the MIT campus as
well as on schools, homes, and businesses in Cambridge and the
nearby towns of Watertown, Arlington, Lexington, and Waltham. See
the MIT press release at:
<http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2002/solar.html>.
All of which should provide plenty to talk about at the 7th Annual
Photovoltaic Experience Conference, also called UPEx '02. The
conference covers the latest issues relating to solar electricity,
including business models used by utilities, solar power's
integration into new building construction, and its use as a
distributed generation resource. The conference runs November 13th
to 15th in Austin, Texas, and is being held as a joint meeting with
the Texas Renewables Conference and in conjunction with the U.S.
Green Building Council's Annual Conference and Exhibition. For more
information, see the Solar Electric Power Association Web site at:
<http://www.solarelectricpower.org/upex/default.cfm>.
China Buys Solar Cell Equipment Despite Industry Downturn
A growing interest in renewable energy in China has led a Chinese
company to purchase a solar cell manufacturing line from GT Solar
Technologies, a U.S. company. Baoding Yingli New Energy Resources
Co., Ltd. of Baoding, China, ordered the cell fabrication equipment
as a follow-up to its purchase of a silicon wafer manufacturing line
earlier this year. The new equipment will allow the Chinese company
to convert its silicon wafers into complete solar cells. Since
GT Solar also sells equipment to turn those cells into complete
solar modules, we might expect more news from the two companies in
the future. See the GT Solar press release at:
<http://www.gtsolar.com/press/2002_11_01.asp>.
Unfortunately, China may be bucking the trend: According to Shell
Solar, the worldwide demand for solar cells is down this year. After
four years of more than 30 percent annual growth, a drop in demand
this year is causing a worldwide glut, says the company, which is
now restructuring its operations. With global photovoltaic
production now at 760 megawatts of peak capacity per year (up from
400 in 2001), Shell Solar says the industry is at overcapacity,
which is leading the company to close two solar facilities and lay
off about 250 staff. See the October 24th press release on the
Shell Solar Web site at:
<http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=shellsolar>.
According to a recent report from the Pew Center on Global Climate
Change, China and other developing countries are taking a number of
actions -- such as encouraging the use of renewable energy and
energy efficiency -- that are reducing the growth in their
greenhouse gas emissions. In most cases, though, the actions are
driven by the goals of poverty alleviation, development, local
environmental protection, and energy security, rather than aiming to
control greenhouse gases. The study examined activities now underway
in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey. See the
Pew Center report, including links to a press release and the
executive summary of the report, at:
<http://www.pewclimate.org/projects/dev_mitigation.cfm>.
Meanwhile, a report issued in September by the U.S. General
Accounting Office (GAO) found that only 3 percent of energy loans
and loan guarantees issued by the U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank
since 1990 have gone toward renewable energy. That fact runs counter
to congressional legislation passed in 1989 that said the bank
should seek to provide at least 5 percent of its energy sector
financing to renewable energy projects. According to the GAO report,
about 60 percent of the Ex-Im Band renewable energy funds went
toward two large geothermal plants in the Phillipines in 1994;
overall, 75 percent of the funding went toward geothermal energy,
17 percent went toward hydroelectric power, and 8 percent went
toward other renewable energy projects. The report concludes that
the Ex-Im Bank efforts to date to encourage the export of renewable
energy "have been limited," but it also sees some promise in the new
Renewable Energy Exports Advisory Committee, established by the bank
in May 2002. See the GAO report, in PDF format only, and the related
Ex-Im Bank press release at:
<http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d021024.pdf> and
<http://www.exim.gov/press/sep0602.html>.
Construction of Zero Energy Home Underway in Tucson, Arizona
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 4th to mark the
building of a zero energy home in Tucson, Arizona. The project,
supported in part by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL), will combine energy-efficient construction with active and
passive solar energy systems, allowing the house to return as much
energy to the electrical grid over the course of a year as it uses.
"What we're literally doing here is building a small power plant one
house at a time," said local builder John Wesley Miller, who is
constructing the house. "Once we monitor the success of this home,
it's likely that we will build more in this community."
Thanks to a net metering program offered by Tucson Electric Power,
the home's meter will spin backwards when the home generates more
power than it uses, allowing the homeowner to earn credit for
electricity that is fed into the power grid. The National
Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC) will evaluate
the home's energy performance. See the DOE and NAHBRC press releases
at: <http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/novpr/pr02235.htm> and
<http://www.nahbrc.org/tertiaryR.asp?CategoryID=1781&DocumentID=3727>.
The home is one of four zero energy home projects comprising a DOE
national initiative administered by NREL. Researchers at NREL are
working with four home building teams to introduce the zero energy
home concept into the construction industry for single-family homes.
See the Zero Energy Buildings page on the DOE Solar Buildings
Program Web site at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/solarbuildings/zero_energy_blds.html>.
While zero-energy homes are still a rarity, efficient Energy Star
homes are springing up all over the country. In New York City, a new
development of 30 three-family houses in the South Bronx is the
first affordable housing project in the state to earn the Energy
Star Homes label. The designation is awarded to homes that are at
least 30 percent more energy efficient that the building code
requires. The $12 million development is the first completed project
of the High Performance Building Program, a joint initiative of the
New York City Housing Partnership and New York City Department of
Housing Preservation and Development (NYCHPD). See the October 25th
press release on the NYCHPD Web site at:
<http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/hpd/html/whats-new/press-releases.html>.
And in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pardee Homes marked its 50th anniversary
by building an Energy Star home in only 50 hours. Pardee Homes
recently became the only large U.S. builder to commit to build all
its new homes in compliance with the Energy Star program. See the
October 24th press release on the Pardee Homes Web site at:
<http://www.pardeehomes.com/about/about_press_releases.php>.
DOE Marks Weatherization Program's 26th Anniversary
DOE celebrated "Weatherization Day" on October 30th as the
Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps reduce the energy
bills for low-income households, reached its 26th anniversary.
Over that time span, the program has provided energy efficiency
improvements to five million U.S. homes, saving each household an
average of $218 in energy bills annually.
DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program provides congressionally
appropriated funds to state weatherization offices, which provide
grants to local agencies to perform the work. These services are
available in every county in the nation. For every dollar provided
by the DOE program, an addition three dollars come from other
sources such as state funds, utility programs, and federal
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program grants from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In some states, such as Vermont, the weatherization office teams
with other state programs to efficiently deliver additional
services. For example, a home weatherization team might also fix
unsafe electrical wiring or install a new refrigerator. See the
DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/octpr/pr02231.htm>.
Several New Geothermal Plants Slated for Nevada
Geothermal power development is moving ahead in Nevada, thanks
largely to the efforts of a Reno-based company called Advanced
Thermal Systems, Inc. (ATS). The company announced last week that it
signed an agreement with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe to develop
geothermal resources on the tribe's reservation, located north of
Reno. Although the agreement will start off with a series of
feasibility studies performed by ATS, the company and the tribe
intend to form a joint venture for geothermal power plant
development, and hope to begin building a plant next year.
ATS announced in late September that it will build a new 40-megawatt
geothermal plant in the previously developed Steamboat geothermal
power park, located nine miles south of Reno. The company contracted
GE Oil & Gas to build the plant, which should begin operating in
early 2005. The Steamboat IV Kalina Cycle geothermal plant will use
an air-cooled binary cycle that draws on the company's patented
Kalina Cycle technology. The Kalina Cycle uses a closed loop filled
with an ammonia and water mixture. The geothermal heat is used to
vaporize the mixture, and the vapor then drives a turbine-generator
to produce electricity. According to ATS, the technology has been
used in four plants thus far and can cut construction costs by
20 percent while increasing power-plant efficiency by 20 percent.
ATS acquired the U.S. rights to the technology earlier this year.
See the press releases on the new ATS Web site at:
<http://www.advancedthermalsystems.com/news.htm>.
A smaller geothermal plant is in the works for Churchill County,
Nevada, which is just east of Reno. Brady Power Partners will add a
5-megawatt binary-cycle plant to its existing Brady Hot Springs
Geothermal Power Plant. The Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
approved the construction permit back in May. See the Nevada PUC
press release, in PDF format only, at:
<http://www.puc.state.nv.us/NEWS/2002/permitsUEPA.pdf>.
Geothermal energy is also moving ahead in other countries: in
Russia, the second unit of a geothermal plant totaling 50 megawatts
in capacity was placed online in October. The Mutnovskaya Geothermal
Power Plant, located in the eastern Russian region of Kamchatka, is
part of the Unified Energy System (UES) of Russia. See the UES of
Russia press release at:
<http://www.rao-ees.ru/en/news/pr_depart/show.cgi?101002mut.htm>.
But Iceland may end up being the site of one of the largest
geothermal power facilities in the world. The Norwegian company
Statoil ASA, one of the world's largest oil and gas suppliers,
announced in early October that it is performing a feasibility study
for a 600-megawatt geothermal power station in Iceland. The company
proposes installing a 720-mile undersea transmission cable to
connect the facility to the Norwegian power grid. See the October 7th
press release on the Statoil Web site at:
<http://www.statoil.com/STATOILCOM/SVG00990.NSF/newsarchive>.
ZAP Offers to Buy Think Electric Vehicles Assets from Ford
ZAP -- a California marketer of electric scooters, bicycles, and
other vehicles -- announced last week that it has offered to buy
Ford Motor Company's electric vehicle assets for $10 million in
cash, stock, or warrants. Ford announced in late August that it was
abandoning battery-powered electric vehicles, focusing instead on
developing hybrid electric and fuel-cell vehicles. The announcement
led Think Nordic, producer of the two-seater Think City car, to ask
the Norwegian government for economic support to help keep the
company solvent. In making the offer, ZAP noted that the Think City
was one of the few electric vehicles that are freeway-capable and
were designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle. See the
ZAP press release at:
<http://www.zapworld.com/news/zapthink.htm>.
See also the Think Web site (and if you read Norwegian, note that
the Norwegian version of the site has more information than the
others) at:
<http://www.thinkmobility.com/choose.asp?stay=Y>.
Portland Utility Agrees to Remove 22-Megawatt Hydro Project
Portland General Electric (PGE), Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, and
21 other organizations signed an agreement last week that will lead
to the decommissioning of the 22-megawatt Bull Run Hydroelectric
Project in the Sandy River Basin. PGE had decided to decommission
the 90-year-old facility in 1999; under the new agreement, PGE will
remove two dams, donate its water rights to the public, and
contribute more than 1,500 acres of related lands. The agreement
will lead to a 5,000-acre wildlife and public recreation area in the
Sandy River Basin, which is considered to be one of the best
habitats for endangered salmon and steelhead in northwest Oregon.
PGE will begin removing the dams in 2007 and plans to have site
restoration done by 2009. See the October 18th announcement on the
PGE Web site at:
<http://www.portlandgeneral.com/about_pge/news/Default.asp>.
A project underway in North Carolina is taking the opposite approach:
The turbines at the 48-year-old J. Strom Thurmond Hydro Power Plant
are being upgraded to make them more environmentally friendly,
while also increasing the plant's power production. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers is running the rehabilitation project, for which
Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation has just installed the first
upgraded turbine. According to Voith, the turbine now includes an
aerating device that will increase the level of dissolved oxygen in
the river downstream from the plant. See the Voith press release at:
<http://www.voith.com/press/6088.htm>.
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SITE NEWS
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Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA)
<http://www.mwalliance.org>
MEEA is a regional network of organizations collaborating to promote
energy efficiency in the Midwest. Since 1999, it has worked to
foster increased market penetration of new and existing energy-
efficient technologies, products, and best practices, as well as
renewable energy. Current residential programs include rebates for
energy-efficient refrigerators and Energy Star-qualified compact
fluorescent light bulbs. DOE is an MEAA member.
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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
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Voters are Increasing Deciding Transportation Issues
U.S. voters went to the polls yesterday, and among the many
decisions they faced were quite a few relating to transportation.
According to a new report from the Surface Transportation Policy
Project (STPP), as many as 41 transportation measures appeared on
U.S. voting ballots yesterday, which (if all approved) would yield
as much as $117 billion in new investments over the next 20 years.
According to the report, there is a trend away from legislature-
approved user fees, such as gasoline taxes, and instead toward
voter-approved taxes for such projects. The report cites the growing
popularity of mass-transit projects as one reason for the trend.
See the report on the STPP Web site at:
<http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=201>.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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