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EERE NETWORK NEWS -- July 2, 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
Xcel Energy Plans 450 Megawatts of Wind Power for Minnesota
Helios Solar Airplane Crashes During Test Flight
Wave Power Plant Now Supplying Denmark's Electrical Grid
Corn-Derived Plastic Provides Deli Packaging in U.S. Grocery
Onsite Energy Cuts Energy Costs at Food Processing Plants
Texas and Florida Schools Win Middle School Science Bowl
*Energy Connections
Natural Gas Crisis Ahead: DOE Encourages Smart Energy Use
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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Xcel Energy Plans 450 Megawatts of Wind Power for Minnesota
Xcel Energy has selected three wind power projects totaling
450 megawatts in capacity as part of its portfolio of new energy
projects to meet its customer's power needs over the next six years.
The proposed projects include a 200-megawatt wind plant to be built
near Chandler by enXco, a 150-megawatt wind plant to be built in
Lincoln County by PPM Energy, and a 100-megawatt wind plant to be
built by FPL Energy in Austin. The two larger plants are located in
the southeast corner of the state and the third plant will be located
due south of Minneapolis, near the state's southern border. The three
projects were selected as the result of an all-source solicitation
issued by Xcel Energy in 2001.
"The strong showing of wind power in this bidding process indicates
that wind has become competitive with traditional electricity
generating fuels," said David Eves, Xcel Energy's vice president for
resource planning and acquisition.
The Xcel Energy plan will undergo a 30-day review by the Minnesota
Public Utility Commission, after which the utility intends to sign
power purchase agreements with the project developers. See the
June 19th press release by selecting "Newsroom" and then
"Archived News Releases" on the Xcel Energy Web site at:
<http://www.xcelenergy.com/>.
Helios Solar Airplane Crashes During Test Flight
Helios, a remotely piloted solar-powered aircraft, crashed on Thursday
during a checkout flight. The prototype craft, which was essentially a
flying wing, had been aloft for less than 30 minutes over the Hawaiian
island of Kauai when it started to experience "control difficulties"
at an altitude of about 3,000 feet. The control problem caused the
wing to oscillate severely until it broke apart and fell into the
Pacific Ocean. Helios was operated under a program of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and NASA appointed a
board to investigate the crash on Friday. As of yesterday, three-
quarters of the craft had been recovered.
Helios had been outfitted with two hydrogen storage tanks and a fuel
cell to allow it to fly overnight at high altitude without landing or
refueling, and a two-day trial was planned for mid-July. Previous
flight tests in early June were terminated when the fuel cell failed
to generate power because of leaks in a coolant system and in lines
feeding compressed air to the fuel cell. The hydrogen tanks were among
the wreckage recovered from the crash. See NASA's Dryden Flight
Research Center press release page and home page at:
<http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewsReleases/> and
<http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/>.
Helios was built and operated for NASA by AeroVironment, Inc. In 2001,
it set a world altitude record for non-rocket-powered aircraft by
flying 96,863 feet above Kauai. NASA intended to eventually equip the
aircraft with a system to generate hydrogen from solar power, allowing
the combination of fuel cell and solar power to keep the craft flying
indefinitely. AeroVironment says that Helios' predecessor, the
Pathfinder-Plus, may be used for some of the tests that were planned
for Helios, and says that NASA and AeroVironment will continue the
Helios program. AeroVironment will also press ahead with its plans to
use a high-altitude solar aircraft as a telecommunications platform,
acting essentially as a low-altitude satellite. See the AeroVironment
press release at:
<http://www.aerovironment.com/news/news-archive/statement.html>.
Wave Power Plant Now Supplying Denmark's Electrical Grid
After initial setbacks during its installation, a wave energy power
plant is now generating power for a local electrical grid in Denmark.
The Wave Dragon is an offshore floating device that captures ocean
waves in an elevated reservoir, then converts that reservoir's stored
energy into electricity by running the water through a hydroelectric
turbine as it is returned to the ocean. During its initial
installation offshore, the unit was damaged and its wing-like "wave
reflectors" had to be towed to shore for repair. In early June, the
reflectors were re-attached, and the unit was connected to the grid
last week. According to Wave Dragon ApS, the prototype's power output
matches the company's expectations. The prototype is currently running
with one turbine, but the company plans to add another six turbines by
year-end. See the Wave Dragon Web site at:
<http://www.wavedragon.net/news/index.htm>.
Corn-Derived Plastic Provides Deli Packaging in U.S. Grocery
Plastic packaging made from corn is now being used at 11 grocery
stores in and around Portland, Oregon, marking the debut of corn-based
packaging in North America. The plastic, called NatureWorks PLA, is
one of many corn-based products being produced by Cargill Dow LLC.
Wild Oats Markets, Inc. is selling a variety of deli items wrapped in
the corn-based plastic at its 11 Portland stores, with plans to expand
its use to more than 100 stores nationwide. The grocery is also
negotiating with a local vendor to produce compost from the used
packaging, which is biodegradable. See the Cargill Dow press release
at: <http://www.cargilldow.com/corporate/release.asp?id=116>
Consumers have expressed a growing interest in biodegradable packaging
materials, and a leader in the industry, EarthShell Corporation, has
been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand
the number of agricultural sources it can use to manufacture its
products. The company currently manufactures foam laminates and food
wrapping products from potato starches, yielding products that can be
composted. Its recent work with the USDA confirms the ability to
produce those products from wheat and corn starches as well.
See the EarthShell press release at:
<http://www.earthshell.com/show_news.cfm?id=352>.
Such "bioproducts" derived from organic sources replace petroleum-
based products and could lessen our nation's dependence on imported
oil. The processes used to manufacture bioproducts also tend to be
cleaner, which is why DuPont's efforts to develop a corn-based plastic
earned the company a 2004 Presidential Green Chemistry award last week
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). DuPont has teamed
up with Genencor International, Inc. to produce a chemical called PDO
from corn. DuPont and Genencor drew on bioengineering to combine
strengths of both a yeast and a bacterium into a microorganism that
will ferment the glucose in corn into PDO. Dupont currently produces
PDO from petrochemicals and uses it to manufacture a polymer called
Sorona. The new biobased method uses less energy while drawing on a
renewable resource. DuPont is testing the process in a pilot plant but
has already announced plans to develop a large-scale facility using
the corn-based process. See the Genencor press release and the EPA
Green Chemistry Web site at:
<http://www.genencor.com/wt/gcor/pr_1056468867> and
<http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/ascra03.html>.
Onsite Energy Cuts Energy Costs at Food Processing Plants
Onsite Energy Corporation recently announced three separate contracts
to bring its energy-saving technologies to work at food processing and
cold-storage facilities in California. At Pacific Coast Producers'
tomato processing plant in Woodland, Onsite will install steam
condensate return lines and add insulation to cookers and other
equipment. The project should save $300,000 annually at the tomato
processing plant. In Santa Maria, Onsite will install control systems
and variable-frequency cooling fan motors for Bonita Packing Company,
Inc., saving about $114,000 each year for the maker of packaged fresh
vegetables. And in Watsonville, Onsite installed in early June a
facility demands control system for Del Mar Food Products. The system
is expected to reduce Del Mar Foods' peak electrical load by about
400 kilowatts.
Onsite holds an Agriculture Peak Load Reduction Contract with the
California Energy Commission, which allows the company to provide
financial incentives for the energy-saving projects. The company is
also administering the payment of incentives for the Pacific Gas and
Electric Company. See the Onsite press releases for June 3rd and 19th
at: <http://www.onsitenergy.com/press.php>.
Texas and Florida Schools Win Middle School Science Bowl
A team of students from College Station Middle School in College
Station, Texas, proved best at answering science questions last week,
but the team from Andrew Jackson Middle School in Titusville, Florida,
had the fastest car -- the fastest solar-powered car, that is.
The National Middle School Science Bowl, sponsored by DOE and General
Motors, challenges middle-school students to learn about math and
science. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Colorado
School of Mines hosted the second annual competition, which featured
an academic session and a model solar car competition. Sixteen teams
of students from around the country had to first win regional
competitions before they could compete in the national event. The
middle school competition is a spin off of DOE's highly successful
National Science Bowl, an academic competition for high school
students. See the NREL and DOE press releases at:
<http://www.nrel.gov/hot-stuff/press/2003/texas_science_bowl_.html>
and <http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/junpr/pr03130.htm>.
See also the National Middle School Science Bowl Web site at:
<http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nmsb/>.
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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Natural Gas Crisis Ahead: DOE Encourages Smart Energy Use
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham remains concerned about natural
gas supplies in the United States, and he expressed those concerns at
last week's Natural Gas Summit, held in Washington, D.C. Noting that
U.S. natural gas storage is 32 percent below last year's level, and
22 percent below the previous five-year average, Secretary Abraham
warned that next winter's heating bills could increase as much as
19 percent in the Midwest. "It is a national concern that will touch
every American," said Secretary Abraham.
Secretary Abraham followed up on that message yesterday with a visit
to DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he encouraged
Americans to make use of energy efficiency and renewable energy in
their homes and businesses.
"By incorporating advanced energy efficiency and renewable energy
technologies that reduce energy use into building designs, the
U.S. building sector is achieving significant results," Abraham said.
"Individuals can also play an important role in reducing energy usage.
Conserving energy in the home saves consumers money today while also
helping ensure abundant energy supplies in the future."
To help Americans use energy wisely, Secretary Abraham suggested they
refer to the Energy Savers Web site, located at:
<http://www.energysavers.gov>.
See DOE press releases and the Secretary's Natural Gas Summit speech
on the DOE Web site at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/junpr/pr03136.htm>,
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/julpr/pr03141.htm>, and
<http://www.energy.gov/HQDocs/speeches/2003/junss/NaturalGas.html>.
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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