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EREN NETWORK NEWS -- October 9, 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
University of Colorado Takes First Place in Solar Decathlon
DOE Extends Its Partnership with Architects on Buildings
Green Power Leaders Named as New Deals Announced
DaimlerChrysler to Launch Fuel-Cell Mercedes-Benzes in 2003
California Goal: 600,000 Natural Gas Vehicles by 2012
California and New York Extend Their "Net Metering" Laws
*Site News
BioBased Information System (BIS)
*Energy Facts and Tips
EIA Expects Heating Bills to Increase Up to $300 This Winter
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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University of Colorado Takes First Place in Solar Decathlon
The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) won first place in DOE's
Solar Decathlon competition on Saturday, officially bringing an end
to the 10-day competition. The University of Virginia placed second
in the competition, and Auburn University came in third. See the DOE
press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/octpr/pr02212.htm>
The Solar Decathlon is a team competition among universities to
design and build the most energy-efficient solar-powered homes.
Fourteen teams from throughout the United States and Puerto Rico
brought their solar homes to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
for the competition, which ran from September 26th through October
5th. As the winning team, CU most successfully blended aesthetics
and modern conveniences with maximum energy production and
efficiency in its solar-powered home. See the Solar Decathlon Web
site at: <http://www.eren.doe.gov/solar_decathlon/>.
After taking an early lead in the competition, CU further cemented
its lead on Thursday by tying with Crowder College for the most
amount of points in Engineering Design, which honors excellence in
the design of lighting, refrigeration, and heating and air
conditioning systems and the setup and operation of a home-based
business. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University earned
second place and the University of Maryland placed third. See the
DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/octpr/pr02209.htm>
As the name implies, the Solar Decathlon included 10 events on which
each team was judged. CU won the "Graphics and Communication"
contest, Virginia Polytechnic Institute took first place in the
"Design Presentation and Simulation" contest, and the University of
Virginia, the second-place winner overall, won the "Design and
Livability" contest. See last week's newsletter for more details on
those competitions.
The remaining contests were based on energy performance. Five teams
-- Auburn University, Crowder College, CU, the University of
Maryland, and the University of Virginia -- all achieved the maximum
number of points in the "Energy Balance" competition, which measured
whether each house was able to supply its electrical needs
throughout the competition. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University took first place in the "Getting Around" competition,
which involved running errands in an electric car that was charged
using excess power from their house.
The Engineering Design results mentioned above contributed part of
the points for each of the remaining competitions, which were also
judged on performance and energy efficiency: CU won the "Comfort
Zone" contest by keeping its house at a comfortable temperature and
humidity level, the University of Missouri-Rolla/Rolla Technical
Institute won the "Refrigeration" contest, the University of
Maryland won the "Hot Water" contest, and Crowder College won both
the "Lighting" and "Home Business" contests. See the team rankings
and contest descriptions on the Solar Decathlon Web site at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/solar_decathlon/team_rankings.html> and
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/solar_decathlon/contests.html>.
DOE Extends Its Partnership with Architects on Buildings
DOE and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) signed an
agreement on October 4th that continues and expands their
partnership on DOE's buildings programs. DOE and AIA will continue
their joint work by creating resource-efficient buildings;
encouraging improvements in the quality of indoor environment and
occupant productivity; advocating an increased use of renewable,
clean energy sources; working to reduce the environmental impact of
buildings; and promoting global economic opportunities through
internationally recognized high-performance designs and energy-
efficient structures. See the DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/octpr/pr02211.htm>.
Green Power Leaders Named as New Deals Announced
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its second-
annual Green Power Leadership Awards last week. Kinko's, Inc. and
the City of Chicago were both named Green Power Partners of the Year
for their significant purchases of electricity from renewable energy
sources. The EPA also presented awards to Advanced Micro Devices,
Inc.; the State of New Jersey; Uinta Brewing Company; Pennsylvania
State University; and the University of Pennsylvania for their
purchases of green power. In addition, Johnson & Johnson; the County
of Alameda, California; and Local 332 of the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers were honored for their projects to
generate renewable power at their facilities. See the EPA Green
Power Leadership awards at:
<http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpleadership/gpleadership.htm>.
Green Mountain Energy Company (GMEC) also won two Green Power
Leadership Awards: the Green Power Beacon Award, for its innovative
marketing materials and themes, and the Green Power Pioneer Award,
which went to its Chief Environmental Officer, Thomas Rawls. GMEC
just entered a partnership with Hometown Connections International
to offer green power programs to public utilities throughout the
United States. Public utilities serve about 15 percent of the
nation's electricity customers. See the GMEC press releases at:
<http://www.prnewswire.com/micro/greenm>.
The EPA also recognized a number of Washington, D.C.-area
organizations for their green power purchases, including DOE's
Forrestal building and Germantown facility, the American Council for
Renewable Energy, the American Wind Energy Association, the National
Hydrogen Association, and the Solar Electric Power Association,
among others. See the September 30th press release by selecting
"Press Releases" on the EPA Newsroom page at:
<http://www.epa.gov/epahome/newsroom.htm>.
Several D.C.-area institutions recently purchased significant
amounts of green power through Washington Gas Energy Services. The
U.S. Army, Catholic University, and the National Geographic Society
all bought wind power through a program offered by Community Energy,
Inc. The Army bought the energy output from an entire 1.5-megawatt
wind turbine; Catholic University bought enough wind power to meet
12 percent of its needs; and the National Geographic Society
purchased enough to provide 5 percent of the electricity used in its
headquarters. See the September 30th press release on the Community
Energy Web site at:
<http://www.newwindenergy.com/regional/mid-atlantic/press.html>.
Sadly, one green power leader is no longer with us. Rudd Mayer, who
worked at the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, passed away
unexpectedly on August 13th. Mayer had won a Green Power Pilot Award
in 2001 for her grassroots efforts to sell wind power in the West.
Colorado Congressman Mark Udall entered a tribute to Mayer into the
Congressional Record on September 12th. See the tribute, in Adobe
PDF format only, on the Coalition for New Energy Technologies Web
site at:
<http://www.newenergytechnologies.org/colorado/news/udall_rudd.pdf>.
DaimlerChrysler to Launch Fuel-Cell Mercedes-Benzes in 2003
The luxury car market took a leap ahead in technology yesterday, as
DaimlerChrysler announced plans to deploy 60 fuel-cell-powered
Mercedes-Benz A-Class models in the United States, Europe, Japan,
and Singapore next year. The cars will be tested in fleets through
cooperative ventures with companies. DaimlerChrysler will also
supply 30 fuel-cell-powered city buses to public transport companies
in ten major European cities in 2003. See the "Daily News" for
October 8th on the DaimlerChrysler Web site at:
<http://www.daimlerchrysler.de/news/daily/dailyredir_e.htm>.
Ballard Power Systems will provide its latest-generation 85-kilowatt
fuel-cell engines for the Mercedes-Benzes. Ballard claims the new
unit achieves a 60 percent improvement in power density over its
previous model. Ballard fuel cells are also powering the
DaimlerChrysler buses. See the Ballard press release, in Adobe PDF
format only, at: <http://www.ballard.com/pdfs/23%20DC%20F_Cell.PDF>.
DaimlerChrysler had previously planned to launch the fuel-cell buses
this year, although the company didn't expect to launch fuel-cell
cars until 2004. See the June 21, 2000, edition of EREN Network News
at: <http://www.eren.doe.gov/news/archives/2000/june21_00.html>.
The company appears to be lagging behind Honda Motor Company, which
will begin making production versions of its fuel-cell Honda FCX
before the end of the year. American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
announced on Monday that the City of Los Angeles will be its first
U.S. customer for the vehicles, receiving five by year-end. See the
Honda press release at:
<http://world.honda.com/news/2002/4021007.html>.
Other car companies are also entering the fuel cell race: Fiat, an
Italian automaker, recently demonstrated a hydrogen-powered car
called the Seicento Elettra H2 and has ordered nine fuel-cell stacks
from Nuvera Fuel Cells, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. See the
Nuvera press release, in Adobe PDF format only, at:
<http://www.nuvera.com/press/nv_fiat.pdf>.
Meanwhile, DOE's FreedomCAR program is moving forward. A new
"FreedomCAR Partnership Plan" provides goals, objectives, and
milestones for the program, including specific technical goals for
fuel cell performance, electricity storage, vehicle weight
reduction, and hydrogen infrastructure and storage, all to be
achieved by 2010. See the plan, in Adobe PDF format only, at:
<http://www.cartech.doe.gov/pdfs/FreedomCar-partnership-plan.pdf>.
California Goal: 600,000 Natural Gas Vehicles by 2012
California will gain 600,000 new natural gas vehicles in the next
ten years if the newly formed California Natural Gas Vehicle
Partnership gets its way. The public-private partnership includes
government air quality, transportation and energy agencies, together
with vehicle and engine manufacturers, natural gas suppliers,
vehicle fleet operators and environmental organizations. DOE's
National Renewable Energy Laboratory is among the many members of
the new partnership.
The partnership has set three-, five-, and ten-year goals for the
growth of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in the state. Its ten-year
goals aim to boost the number of California NGVs by a factor of
thirty from the current 19,000 NGVs in use in the state. The
partnership estimates that roughly a billion gallons of both
compressed and liquefied natural gas would need to be dispensed
annually to supply those 619,000 vehicles. See the California NGV
Partnership press release and deployment goals at:
<http://www.cngvp.org/news_press_10_8.html> and
<http://www.cngvp.org/goals_deploy.html>.
One new development that may help achieve those numbers is a home
fueling station for NGVs, unveiled yesterday by FuelMaker
Corporation. The company claims the appliance will cost about $1,000
and can be mounted in a home garage and connected to an existing
natural gas line. American Honda Motor Company, Inc., which owns a
20 percent stake in FuelMaker, followed the unveiling with its own
announcement: Honda will now market its Civic GX, an NGV, to retail
customers. Honda has been making the vehicle since 1998 but
marketing it primarily to government fleet buyers. See the
October 8th press release on the Honda Web site at:
<http://www.hondanews.com/forms/events/index.html?kw=civic+gx>.
All the NGV announcements were made at the World NGV2002, now
underway in Washington, D.C. The NGV Coalition is hosting the event,
which is sponsored in part by DOE's Clean Cities Program. See the
NGV Coalition Web site at:
<http://www.ngvc.org/ngv/ngvc.nsf/bytitle/ngv2002.html>.
California and New York Extend Their "Net Metering" Laws
The states of California and New York took separate actions recently
to encourage consumers to generate their own electricity using
renewable energy sources.
In California, Governor Gray Davis approved a bill that will extend
the state's "net metering" law indefinitely. Net metering laws allow
individuals to generate their own power from renewable energy
sources and feed excess power into the electrical grid, paying only
for the net electricity they use over the course of a time period
(usually a month, but sometimes as long as a year). The California
net metering law applies to systems up to one megawatt in size,
although it places restrictions on wind installations greater than
50 kilowatts. See the September 24th press release by selecting
"Press Releases" on the governor's Web site at:
<http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_pressroom_main.jsp>.
In New York, Governor George E. Pataki signed a net metering law
specifically to encourage farmers to produce energy from
agricultural wastes using anaerobic digesters. The law applies to
systems up to 400 kilowatts in size. The new law adds to an existing
net metering law, which applies only to residential solar power
systems of 10 kilowatts or less. See the governor's press release
at: <http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/year02/sept18_1_02.htm>.
For more details on either of these laws (or to check whether such
laws exist in your state), see the Database of State Incentives for
Renewable Energy (DSIRE). Select "Rules, Regulations & Policies"
from the left-hand column of the DSIRE Summary Tables Overview at:
<http://www.dsireusa.org/summarytables/index.cfm>.
Net metering is one of the issues for people who generate their own
power -- many have trouble just connecting their system to the power
grid. For instance, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
recently approved a procedure that requires generators to pay the
cost of connecting to the grid as well as the cost of regular
independent inspections of their systems. Small generators did get a
break, though: those under 25 kilowatts only need to be inspected
every three years. See the August 27th press release on the Idaho
PUC Web site at:
<http://www.puc.state.id.us/internet/press/press.htm>.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is trying to
simplify the process of making grid interconnections. FERC proposed
a standardized set of interconnection agreements and procedures in
August, including a simplified procedure for systems that are under
two megawatts in size. Comments on the proposal are due November 4th.
See the FERC Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at:
<http://www.ferc.gov/Electric/gen_inter.htm#ANOPRsm>.
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SITE NEWS
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BioBased Information System (BIS)
<http://biobased.org/>
BIS features news and information on biobased products from a
variety of organizations and media. It also provides the opportunity
for organizations and individuals to submit news articles online.
BIS was created by Agrotech Communications and has many sponsors:
the Biobased Manufacturers Association, Helena Chemical Company,
Sorbilite, Inc., Panel Source International, Crain Consulting,
Cargill Dow, Gemtek Products, SustainableBusiness.com, and BioMat.
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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
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EIA Expects Heating Bills to Increase Up to $300 This Winter
Expected boosts in both energy demand and energy prices pose a
double whammy for U.S. consumers this winter, boosting home heating
costs by $100 to $300, according to DOE's Energy Information
Administration (EIA). The Northeast will be hit the hardest, as
those using heating oil are forecast to face a 45 percent increase
in heating bills. Those using natural gas and propane will suffer
less of a blow, with heating bills up 19 percent and 22 percent,
respectively. Last year's warm winter is partially to blame, as
temperatures are expected to return to normal this winter. See the
EIA press release at:
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/press/press199.html>.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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