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EERE NETWORK NEWS -- November 19, 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
EERE Research Grants Available to Small Businesses
Hydrogen Technology Projects Slated for Michigan, California
HelioVolt and NREL to Advance Thin-Film Solar Power
NRDC Opens Highly Energy Efficient Building in California
CEC Approves New Energy Efficiency Standards for Buildings
CEC Committee Recommends Approval of New Geothermal Plant
*Site News
Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association
*Energy Connections
Warm Weather Tempers Natural Gas Prices
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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EERE Research Grants Available to Small Businesses
DOE recently issued its fiscal year 2004 solicitation for its Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology
Transfer (SBTT) programs. Although the solicitations cover a wide
range of energy technologies, several grants are being offered through
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Specifically, EERE is seeking grant applications for research in
lighting technologies, energy efficient membranes, materials for
industrial energy systems, sensors and controls, and innovative waste
heat recovery methods. EERE is also seeking grant applications for
projects to develop new renewable energy sources, including materials
and components for solar energy systems, low-head hydropower systems,
and hydrogen production via electrolysis, using wind or solar
photovoltaic systems. See the EERE solicitation at:
<http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/Solicitations/FY%202004/EE.htm>.
Grant applications are due by January 6, 2004. The full SBIR/SBTT
solicitation, including all necessary forms and submission
requirements, is posted on the DOE Office of Science Web site at:
<http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/Solicitations/FY%202004/contents.htm>
Hydrogen Technology Projects Slated for Michigan, California
Michigan and California will soon feature innovative projects that
demonstrate the infrastructure needed for the future hydrogen economy,
thanks to the efforts of DTE Energy and Stuart Energy.
In Michigan, DTE Energy is planning to build a hydrogen energy pilot
project that will include on-site hydrogen production using biomass
and solar power, hydrogen storage and distribution, vehicle fueling,
and on-site power production using fuel cell technology. The five-year
project will cost $3 million and will produce about 100,000 kilowatt-
hours of electricity per year, in addition to enough compressed
hydrogen gas to fuel three vehicles per day. The project will be
located at Detroit Edison's Southfield Station. DOE, the State of
Michigan, and the City of Southfield are partners on the project. See
the November 4th press release on the DTE Energy Web site at:
<http://www.dteenergy.com/cgi-bin/press.pl>.
In California, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has
awarded a contract to Stuart Energy Systems Corporation to build a
hydrogen energy station that will produce power while fueling
vehicles. The project, to be built in early 2004, will generate
hydrogen via electrolysis of water and will then compress it and store
it. In addition to a fuel dispenser for vehicles, the system will feed
a 120-kilowatt power system that will use a hydrogen-fueled internal
combustion engine to generate power. See the November 17th press
release from Stuart Energy at:
<http://www.stuartenergy.com/main_media_center.html>.
HelioVolt and NREL to Advance Thin-Film Solar Power
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced last week
that it will team up with HelioVolt Corporation to advance the
technology for making thin-film Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide
(CIGS) solar cells. The HelioVolt process involves depositing two thin
films of chemicals on a surface such as glass and then rapidly heating
them to form a bond. NREL and HelioVolt are collaborating under a six-
month Cooperative Research and Development Agreement valued at
$100,000, for which HelioVolt is supplying $75,000 of its own funds.
See the NREL press release at:
<http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2003/3303_nrel_team_thin_film.html>.
NRDC Opens Highly Energy Efficient Building in California
Santa Monica may now be home to one of the "greenest" buildings in the
nation with the opening last week of the new Southern California
office of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The new
building reduces electricity consumption 60 to 75 percent by
maximizing natural light and using efficient fixtures and appliances,
task lighting, dimmable electronic ballasts, occupancy sensors, and
extra insulation. Its air conditioning system uses "displacement
ventilation," in which cool air is supplied at floor level to displace
the hot air, which rises to the ceiling and is extracted from the
building. The building also meets 20 percent of its electricity needs
through rooftop solar cells. It is being considered by the U.S. Green
Building Council for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) Version 2 Platinum green building rating -- the highest
possible level of sustainable design -- and may become the first
structure in the United States to achieve this status. See the NRDC
press release and online "tour" at:
<http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/031113.asp> and
<http://www.nrdc.org/cities/building/smoffice/intro.asp>.
For more information on LEED ratings, see the USGBC Web site at:
<http://www.usgbc.org/>
According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE, displacement ventilation
systems, such as the one in the NRDC building, have the potential to
improve indoor air quality while saving energy. Although many
Scandinavian countries use them, the systems are less common in the
United States. To encourage their use, ASHRAE released new design
guidelines for the systems in late October. See the ASHRAE press
release at:
<http://www.ashrae.org/template/AssetDetail;?assetid=29163>.
CEC Approves New Energy Efficiency Standards for Buildings
California is destined to be the location for many more energy
efficient buildings, since the California Energy Commission (CEC) has
approved updated building standards for energy efficiency. The new
standards take effect in October 2005, and will yield more than
500 megawatts in energy savings for the state by 2008. The new
standards include the use of "cool roofs" and efficient lighting, as
well as measures to encourage greater use of daylighting, better
sealing of ducts, and improved window glazing. See the November 5th
press release and the new building standards on the CEC Web site at:
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html> and
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/2005_standards/rulemaking/index.html>.
The upgraded building standards are supported by a recent study of
green buildings, which found that green designs typically add about
2 percent extra to the cost of a building, while yielding savings over
the life of the building that total 20 percent of the building costs.
In other words, the savings are 10 times the initial investment. The
study, released in October, was prepared by the Capital E group with
help from DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It was
developed for the Sustainable Buildings Task Force, a group of more
than 40 California state agencies. See the report on the Capital E
Group Web site at:
<http://www.cap-e.com/spotlight/Index.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=25770>.
CEC Committee Recommends Approval of New Geothermal Plant
A new 185-megawatt geothermal power plant moved one step closer to
reality last week, as the siting committee of the California Energy
Commission (CEC) recommended that the full commission approve the
project. If constructed, the Salton Sea Unit 6 Geothermal Power
Project will be the largest geothermal power plant in the country,
harvesting energy from hot brines drawn from deep underground, then
reinjecting the warm waste water back into the geothermal reservoir.
CE Obsidian Energy, LLC plans to begin power production at the plant
in 2005. The CEC will vote on the project on December 17th. See the
November 14th press release on the CEC Web site at:
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html>.
The new plant will be located on the southeast shore of the Salton
Sea. For more information, see the CEC's Salton Sea Geothermal
Documents page at:
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/saltonsea/documents/>.
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SITE NEWS
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Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association
<www.rima.net>
The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) represents
reflective insulation and radiant barrier manufacturers and other
companies active within the industry. It educates the marketplace on
the benefits of reflective insulation technologies and represents
members' interests in establishing ASTM (America Society for Testing
and Materials) standards for testing and installation procedures.
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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Warm Weather Tempers Natural Gas Prices
Despite early predictions of higher heating bills, warmer than normal
weather has kept natural gas prices from escalating so far this
heating season. Heating degree-days were approximately 11 percent
below normal in October, according to DOE's Energy Information Agency
(EIA), and the first week in November brought unseasonably warm weather
to the Midwest and Northeast. The warmer temperatures have kept demand
for natural gas low and supplies higher than average. If warmer than
average temperatures prevail through the early winter months, EIA
predicts prices for natural gas may fall, but the agency still expects
prices to be higher than a year ago for the October-December period.
Using weather predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, EIA predicts heating costs for natural-gas heated
homes will rise six percent. For more details see the EIA Web site at:
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html>
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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