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EERE NETWORK NEWS -- January 7, 2004
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
Toyota, Lexus Unveil New Hybrid SUVs at Detroit Auto Show
Department of Transportation Proposes Fuel Economy Reforms
DOE Develops Hydrogen-Fueled Three-Wheel Vehicles for India
Proposed Rule to Encourage Federal Purchasing of Bioproducts
California Grants License for Largest U.S. Geothermal Plant
World Trade Center's Freedom Tower to Feature Wind Turbines
*Site News
Mark the New Year With a Free Calendar from EERE!
*Energy Connections
LNG Ministerial Summit Points to the Future of Natural Gas
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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Toyota, Lexus Unveil New Hybrid SUVs at Detroit Auto Show
Toyota Motor Sales unveiled the 2005 Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV
(sport utility vehicle) on Sunday at the 2004 North American
International Auto Show (NAIAS), now underway in Detroit. Toyota's
first hybrid electric SUV will feature a 3.3-liter V6 engine coupled
with a motor, offering a combined peak power of about 270 horsepower.
The Highlander Hybrid will use a new version of the Hybrid Synergy
Drive system that powers the Toyota Prius, with nearly double the
battery power and more than twice the motor power. Although a front-
wheel-drive version is standard, an optional four-wheel-drive package
will use front and rear motors to deliver balanced power to all four
wheels. According to Toyota, the Highlander Hybrid will achieve "the
fuel economy of a four-cylinder compact sedan" and will be available
in early 2005. See the Toyota "Future Vehicles" Web page at:
<http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/index.html>.
Lexus, Toyota's luxury division, introduced its own hybrid electric
SUV on Tuesday. The RX 400h appears to feature the same drivetrain as
the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, but in a luxury package. Both vehicles
are expected to achieve SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle)
emissions ratings. The 2005 RX 400h is expected to go on sale this
fall. See the Lexus Hybrid Web page at:
<http://www.lexus.com/models/hybrid/index.html>.
While Toyota and its luxury Lexus division are rolling out new hybrid
models, the current Toyota Prius continues to earn accolades, as the
car was named the 2004 North American Car of the Year at the NAIAS.
But Toyota is not the lone hybrid vehicle exhibitor at the NAIAS:
Mercedes-Benz is displaying a concept version of its Vision Grand
Sports Tourer powered by a diesel-electric hybrid system. The system
uses a V8 diesel engine and a 67-horsepower motor to achieve a total
power of 314 horsepower. See the January 4th press releases from
Toyota and the North American Car and Truck of the Year, the
January 5th press release from Mercedes-Benz, and the January 6th
press release from Lexus, all on the NAIAS Web site at:
<http://www.naias.com/main.asp?sectionID=225>.
Department of Transportation Proposes Fuel Economy Reforms
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing to revamp its
fuel efficiency standards for pickup trucks and sport utility
vehicles, which the DOT classifies as "light trucks." On December
22nd, DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
issued an advance notice of a proposed rulemaking to reform the
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The notice includes
several reforms that the NHTSA is considering, including redefining
what constitutes a light truck, creating two or more categories of
light trucks, and increasing the scope of the standards to include
vehicles weighing between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds. Such heavyweight
vehicles -- including the Hummer H2, Ford Excursion, Lincoln
Navigator, GMC Yukon XL K2500, Chevrolet Suburban K2500, GMC Sierra,
and Chevrolet Silverado -- are currently exempt from fuel-economy
standards. The current proposal addresses only rule changes and does
not include proposed fuel efficiency standards. The NHTSA is accepting
public comments on the proposed changes until late March. See the
December 22nd press release from NHTSA and the NHTSA's CAFE Rulemaking
Actions Web page at:
<http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/press/index.cfm> and
<http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/CAFE/rulemaking.htm>.
Meanwhile, new emissions standards for motorcycles promise to
eventually save about 12 million gallons of gasoline each year.
Although aimed chiefly at reducing emissions, the new standards --
established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on
December 23rd -- will reduce evaporative emissions from motorcycles by
preventing gasoline fumes from escaping from fuel hoses and tanks.
While helping to avoid ozone, those changes will also help to avoid
wasting gasoline. The emissions standards will be phased in starting
in 2006; the evaporative emissions standards will take effect in 2008.
See the EPA press release under the "News Highlights" heading on the
EPA Newsroom Web page at: <http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/>.
DOE Develops Hydrogen-Fueled Three-Wheel Vehicles for India
DOE is implementing a project that will introduce hydrogen-fueled
three-wheeled vehicles into India. With support from the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID), one of India's largest
automobile manufacturers -- Mahindra and Mahindra Limited -- will
select two of its popular lightweight vehicles for conversion to
hydrogen fuel. Michigan-based Energy Conversion Devices Inc. will
convert the vehicles' engines to run on hydrogen and will add hydrogen
storage systems that use its proprietary metal hydrides, which store
the hydrogen in a solid chemical form. One of the vehicles will then
be returned to India, and one will remain in the United States for
testing.
DOE is interested in the project because it will test an alternative
fuel system under congested traffic conditions where transportation
pollution is severe. It could encourage the use of hydrogen fuels in
developing countries, introduce key U.S. technologies to the Asian
market, and hasten the development of hydrogen-fueled transportation
in the United States. USAID's U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership
program and its Global Development Alliance program brought the
U.S. and Indian partners together and provided $500,000 to initiate
the project. See the December 22nd press release from DOE at:
<http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES>.
Proposed Rule to Encourage Federal Purchasing of Bioproducts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a proposed rule
that will require federal agencies to purchase biobased products when
available. Biobased products displace products produced from
petroleum, and could help reduce our nation's dependence on oil
imports. To that end, Section 9002 of the 2002 Farm Bill authorized
the Federal Biobased Procurement Program, which will require federal
agencies to greatly increase their use of biobased industrial
products, thereby contributing to the development of a broad range of
new biobased products. When the program is fully implemented, agencies
will be required to purchase biobased industrial products if their
cost is not substantially higher than fossil-energy-based alternatives
and if they meet the performance requirements of the federal user.
Under the new proposed rule, the USDA will designate generic groupings
of similar bioproducts and will provide federal agencies with
information about product availability, price, performance, and
environmental and public health benefits. The rule also requires
third-party verification of the biobased content of products. See the
USDA press release and the program Web site at:
<http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2003/12/0424.htm> and
<http://www.biobased.oce.usda.gov/public/index.cfm>.
The USDA has also awarded a total of $4.3 million in grants to 29 new
biomass and renewable energy projects. The grants were part of a
$28.7 million grant package announced by USDA on December 11th. See
the USDA press release at:
<http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2003/12/0417.htm>.
California Grants License for Largest U.S. Geothermal Plant
The California Energy Commission (CEC) voted on December 17th to
approve a license for the 185-megawatt Salton Sea Unit 6 Geothermal
Project. Proposed by CE Obsidian Energy, LLC, the project will be the
largest geothermal power plant in the country. The facility will be
located on 80 acres of land at the southern end of the Sonny Bono
Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, approximately six miles north of
Calipatria in Imperial County. See the December 17th press release
from the California Energy Commission at:
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html>.
World Trade Center's Freedom Tower to Feature Wind Turbines
New York officials unveiled plans for the Freedom Tower -- the
centerpiece of new construction at the World Trade Center site -- on
December 19th, including plans to incorporate wind turbines that will
generate 20 percent of the building's electrical power needs. The
Freedom Tower will be the world's tallest building and will
incorporate state-of-the-art safety systems, far exceeding New York
City's building code requirements. Topping a 60-story base that will
include office space and other amenities, a lacy structure of tension
cables will rise to 1,500 feet and will include the wind turbines.
Atop the open truss area will be a spire that will rise to 1,776 feet.
Groundbreaking for the tower is expected in mid-year. See Governor
George E. Pataki's press release at:
<http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/year03/dec19_03.htm>.
If built as planned, the Freedom Tower's use of wind turbines would be
the world's first large-scale integration of wind turbines into a
building. Wind turbines are generally not suited for urban
environments because of the turbulence created by nearby buildings,
but the height of the Freedom Tower may overcome that difficulty.
According to the architect -- Skidmore, Owens, and Merrill LLP (SOM)
-- the building's location at the confluence of the Hudson and East
Rivers is expected to allow the turbines to generate electricity at
least 40 percent of the time, enough to cover the building's base
power demand. See the SOM press release at:
<http://www.som.com//resources/news/8/3/0/printPreview.html>.
SOM has also posted images of the Freedom Tower design at:
<http://www.som.com/press_release/>.
The wind turbine concept for the Freedom Tower was developed with the
help of Battle McCarthy Consulting Engineers & Landscape Artists.
Images of the proposed wind turbine installation are available on the
Battle McCarthy Web site at:
<http://www.battlemccarthy.com/news.html>.
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SITE NEWS
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Mark the New Year With a Free Calendar from EERE!
Happy New Year! To help celebrate, DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy (EERE) is offering a 2004 calendar that's chock-
full of energy-saving suggestions. With month-by-month facts about
energy-efficient lighting, windows, new home construction,
transportation, appliances, and heating and cooling, the free calendar
will keep you thinking about ways to save on your energy bills all
year long. Information about green power and solar power will help you
use more renewable energy, and helpful winter and summer energy tips
help you take season-specific actions to save energy at home. The
calendar features a smart design and loads of full-color photos. To
download a copy of the calendar or to order a free copy (within the
United States only), see the EERE Web site at:
<http://www.eere.energy.gov/features/calendar.html>.
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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LNG Ministerial Summit Points to the Future of Natural Gas
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham hosted the LNG (liquefied natural
gas) Ministerial Summit on December 17th and 18th, where energy
ministers from 24 countries shared their thoughts about the future of
a global market for natural gas. LNG is the only practical way to
import natural gas from overseas, a fact that led Secretary Abraham to
state that "LNG is clearly going to be a large factor in the world's
future energy equation." See Abraham's speech on the DOE Web site at:
<http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_SPEECHES>.
Other speakers at the conference agreed with Secretary Abraham, and
their presentations at the summit suggest that a significant effort is
looming to develop the LNG market. See the presentations on the U.S.
Energy Association's Web site at:
<http://www.usea.org/lngsummitpresentations.htm>.
The momentum in the LNG market is apparent on the Web sites of nearly
every international energy company. ChevronTexaco, for instance, has
received approval to build an LNG terminal in the Gulf of Mexico,
40 miles off the Louisiana coast, and is planning another terminal off
the coast of Baja California. ExxonMobil has announced plans to build
a $600-million LNG terminal near Sabine Pass, Texas, and BP has
applied to build an LNG terminal, called "Crown Landing," by the
Delaware River in southern New Jersey. BP has also signed an agreement
to bring 3.7 million tons of LNG per year from Indonesia to North
America over a 20-year period. The LNG will go to Sempra Energy, which
is planning to build a receiving terminal in Baja California in
cooperation with Shell. Meanwhile, Cheniere Energy is planning LNG
terminals in Sabine Pass, Louisiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas, and
ConocoPhillips is investing in an LNG terminal in Quintana, Texas.
ConocoPhilips has also joined with TransCanada Corporation to propose
an LNG terminal called "Fairwinds" near Harpswell, Maine. See the
press releases from ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, BP, Sempra Energy,
Cheniere, and ConocoPhillips at:
<http://www.chevrontexaco.com/news/press/2003/2003-11-17.asp>,
<http://www.chevrontexaco.com/news/press/2003/2003-10-30.asp>,
<http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Newsroom/News_Room.asp>,
<http://www.bp.com/home.do>, <http://www.sempra.com/lng_news.htm>,
<http://www.cheniere.com/PressReleases.htm>, and
<http://www.conocophillips.com/news/nr/122103_lng.asp>.
See also the Crown Landing and Fairwinds Web sites at:
<http://www.bpcrownlanding.com/> and <http://www.fairwindslng.com/>.
Need to learn more about LNG? Visit the new LNG Web site, provided by
the California Energy Commission, at: <http://www.energy.ca.gov/lng/>.
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