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EERE NETWORK NEWS -- May 14, 2003
A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
<http://www.eere.energy.gov/>
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Featuring:
*News and Events
DOE to Award $150 Million for Hydrogen Demonstration Project
Dow Plant to Install up to 35 Megawatts of GM Fuel Cells
DOE Funds Project to Cut Manufacturing Costs for Solar Cells
SunPower Pilot Line Produces 20-Percent Efficient Solar Cell
NASA, BMW and Two Utilities Draw on Waste Methane for Energy
Washington Utility Signs Contract for Power from Wave Energy
*Site News
State Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs
*Energy Connections
EPA: Light-Vehicle Fuel Economy Increases Slightly in 2003
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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DOE to Award $150 Million for Hydrogen Demonstration Project
DOE announced on May 8th a $150-million solicitation for a five-year
project to demonstrate and validate hydrogen vehicles and
infrastructure. DOE seeks proposals from industry teams -- ideally
consisting of an automobile manufacturer and an energy company in
combination with hydrogen fuel cell manufacturers, small businesses,
universities, and state or local governments -- that will split the
cost of the project with DOE. The projects might include building a
fleet of hydrogen vehicles or installing hydrogen fueling stations.
Proposals are due by August 14th. See the DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/maypr/pr03095.htm>.
President Bush has proposed $1.2 billion in research funding for
hydrogen and fuel cell technologies over the next five years. The
President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative is designed to develop hydrogen
infrastructure in parallel with vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel
cells, allowing the technologies to be commercialized by 2015. See the
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies program on the
EERE Web site at: <http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/>.
Dow Plant to Install up to 35 Megawatts of GM Fuel Cells
Dow Chemical Company and General Motors Corporation (GM) reached an
initial agreement last week to install GM fuel cells at Dow's
manufacturing facility in Freeport, Texas. Test of the fuel cells
should begin late this year, leading to commercialization of the fuel
cells in 2006. The Dow facility could eventually draw on up to
500 GM fuel cells, producing 35 megawatts of power. For Dow, the
agreement makes use of hydrogen produced in one of its chemical
processes to help power its largest manufacturing facility. For GM,
the deal may help reduce fuel-cell costs to the point where they
become practical to use in vehicles. See the Dow press release at:
<http://www.dow.com/dow_news/corporate/2003/20030507c.htm>.
The fuel cell industry should experience a boom in the next decade,
according to a report released Tuesday by Allied Business Intelligence
(ABI). The report projects at least $18.6 billion in global sales by
2013, and nearly $35 billion if the markets for automotive fuel cells
improve. See the ABI press release, in PDF format only, at:
<http://www.alliedworld.com/pdfs/FCS03pr2.pdf>.
DOE Funds Project to Cut Manufacturing Costs for Solar Cells
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) awarded a
subcontract on May 8th to Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) for
the development of new solar cell manufacturing technology. The
research project will concentrate on developing online diagnostic
systems, closed-loop control, and continuous online optimization of a
solar cell manufacturing line large enough to produce 30 megawatts of
solar cells each year. Manufacturing lines built with the new
technology will have more rapid start-up and commissioning, higher
yields, and lower production costs. NREL will contribute about
$3 million toward the $6-million, three-year subcontract, with ECD
providing the balance of the funds. United Solar Systems, an ECD
subsidiary, currently operates the world's only advanced production
machine for manufacturing thin-film amorphous-silicon solar cells. See
the DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/maypr/pr03096.htm>
The project is part of DOE's Photovoltaics Manufacturing Initiative,
known as PVMat. PVMat's goal is to improve photovoltaic manufacturing
processes and products, while reducing manufacturing costs and
developing technologies that support large-scale manufacturing of
solar cells. See the PVMat project on the NREL Web site at:
<http://www.nrel.gov/pvmat/>.
SunPower Pilot Line Produces 20-Percent Efficient Solar Cell
While ECD works to improve thin-film solar cells, crystalline-silicon
(c-Si) solar cells continue to be the industry's workhorse, and
companies are still striving to squeeze more power out of every
c-Si cell. The latest milestone was announced Monday by SunPower
Corporation, which produced a solar cell that's more than 20 percent
efficient, that is, under controlled test conditions it converts more
than one-fifth of the sunlight hitting it into electricity. SunPower
achieved the high efficiency through a back-contact design that keeps
the wiring behind the cell and allows the maximum surface area to be
exposed to sunlight. The company claims that the cell could deliver
3 kilowatts of power in less than 17 square meters (183 square feet,
which is a square measuring 13.5 feet on each side). SunPower is
currently manufacturing the cell on a pilot-scale line capable of
producing only 2 megawatts of solar cells per year, but the company
plans to begin full-scale production next year. See the May 12th
announcement and the accompanying photo on the SunPower Web site at:
<http://www.sunpowercorp.com/html/Company/In_the_News_index.html> and
<http://www.sunpowercorp.com/pub/a300.jpg>.
The SunPower news comes just two weeks after Sharp Corporation
introduced a c-Si solar module with a 17.4-percent efficiency,
allowing a 3-kilowatt solar power system to fit in only 17.3 square
meters (186 square feet). Sharp is currently selling the module only
in Japan. See the Sharp press release at:
<http://sharp-world.com/corporate/news/030421.html>.
NASA, BMW and Two Utilities Draw on Waste Methane for Energy
A growing number of landfills and waste treatment plants are
recovering their methane emissions for use as an energy source, as
demonstrated by new waste-to-energy projects at a National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) facility in Maryland, a BMW plant in
South Carolina, three landfills in Kentucky, and a wastewater plant in
Brooklyn, New York.
In Maryland, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) became the
first federal facility to use landfill methane to heat its buildings.
Thirty-one buildings on the GSFC campus are now heated with landfill
gas that is piped from a landfill five miles away. See the GSFC press
release and news story (which includes photos) at:
<http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2003/h03-154.htm>
and <http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/0508landfill.html>.
In South Carolina, BMW's manufacturing plant in Spartanburg is now
using landfill methane to provide 25 percent of its energy needs. The
project draws on a 9.5-mile pipeline that delivers the gas from the
nearby Palmetto Landfill, which is owned by Waste Management, Inc. See
the April 30th press release and accompanying photos on the
BMW Manufacturing Web site at:
<http://www.bmwusfactory.com/media_center/releases/>.
Kentucky will soon gain its first landfill-gas power plants, thanks to
the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC). In mid-March, the coop
earned approval from utility regulators to build plants at the
Bavarian Landfill in Boone County, the Laurel Ridge Landfill in Laurel
County and the Green Valley Landfill in Greenup County. All three
plants should be built by the end of September, producing a combined
total of more than 10 kilowatts of electricity. See the EKPC press
release at: <http://www.ekpc.com/news.html#LANDFILL>.
And in Brooklyn, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) is making use of
methane produced at a wastewater treatment plant. NYPA is installing a
250-kilowatt microturbine to produce power from the methane generated
in anaerobic digesters at the New York City Owl's Head Wastewater
Treatment Plant. NYPA will also install a total of eight 200-kilowatt
fuel cells at other wastewater treatment plants this year. See the
NYPA press release at: <http://www.nypa.gov/press/2003/030429b.htm>.
Companies producing power from waste gas are also able to make money
through the sale of renewable energy credits, or "green tags." Gas
Recovery Systems, Inc. recently sold a year-and-a-half of credits from
two Massachusetts landfill gas systems to Massachusetts Electric at a
cost of $1.8 million. CSGServices, Inc. (CSGS) brokered the deal. See
the CSGS press release, in PDF format only, at:
<http://www.csgrp.com/images/pdf_press_releases/csgs_sells_rec_ma.pdf>
Washington Utility Signs Contract for Power from Wave Energy
AquaEnergy Group Ltd., a wave energy developer, announced in early
April that a utility in Washington state has signed a contract to buy
all the power from its planned wave energy pilot plant. Clallum County
PUD will buy up to 250 kilowatts of power from four wave energy
converters -- called "AquaBoUYs" -- that the company plans to install
about 3 miles off the shore of Makah Bay, near the tip of Washington's
Olympic Peninsula. AquaEnergy's system uses a moored buoy that
captures the kinetic energy of the waves. The company hopes to install
and start operating the pilot plant by mid-2004. See the AquaEnergy
press release at:
<http://www.aquaenergygroup.com/press/releases/release4-4-2003.htm>.
The Washington state project recently lost its competition from up
north -- Canadian utility BC Hydro dropped its plans to test wind and
wave technologies on Vancouver Island, saying that both technologies
are already being developed commercially and, besides, the power from
the projects would be too expensive. Instead, the utility is
continuing its resource monitoring. See the BC Hydro Web site at:
<http://www.bchydro.com/environment/greenpower/greenpower1704.html>.
Denmark, however, remains in the running. The "Wave Dragon" wave
energy converter was damaged during its installation in a Danish fjord
in March, but according to Wave Dragon ApS, the damages are minor. The
prototype's wing-like wave reflectors were removed and towed to a
nearby harbor while missing rubber fenders and ruined signal cables on
the main platform are being repaired. The reflectors should be
reinstalled by mid-May; meanwhile, initial tests are underway on the
platform. See the Wave Dragon press releases and photos at:
<http://www.wavedragon.net/news/index.htm>
and <http://www.wavedragon.net/press/index.htm>.
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SITE NEWS
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State Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs
<http://www.betterinsulation.org/>
The Association for Better Insulation has launched this Web site that
lists by state the rebates and tax incentives for upgrading insulation
to DOE-recommended levels of insulation.
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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EPA: Light-Vehicle Fuel Economy Increases Slightly in 2003
The average fuel economy of light vehicles sold in the United States
increased slightly in 2003, reaching 20.8 miles per gallon (mpg),
according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Last year, light-vehicle fuel economy hit a
22-year low of 20.4 mpg. Light vehicles include cars and light trucks:
vans, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
Fuel-efficiency improvements caused the fuel economy of new vehicles
to peak at 22.1 mpg in 1988. Since then, the increasing market share
of light trucks -- now comprising 48 percent of light-vehicle sales --
has caused average fuel economies to generally decline. On the plus
side, though, automakers have achieved higher vehicle weights with
greater power while holding fuel efficiencies roughly constant. The
EPA report, posted on May 2nd, is based on projected sales and will be
revised with final sales numbers, but is not expected to change by
more than 0.5 mpg. See the EPA Light-Duty Automotive Technology and
Fuel Trends Report at: <http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm>.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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