ENERGIES... week of March 11, 2001, Special Extended Edition
WHAT HE DIDN'T SAY. Instead of the blunt reversal of his campaign
pledge to regulate carbon dioxide, U.S. President George W. Bush could
more boldly have said, but didn't, " I will no longer pursue plans to
regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal burning power
plants. However, I will put forth a major, aggressive, national
initiative to develop new, carbon-free or carbon-neutral power
generation capacity for our country."
Had he made a statement like the above, which he didn't, he would
have sent the nation off in a new industrial-economic direction that
would create new jobs, businesses and investment opportunities that
could bolster the sagging U.S. economy.
In a much weaker statement in a letter to four U.S. senators he did
say, "I am very optimistic that, with the proper focus and working with
our friends and allies, we will be able to develop technologies, market
incentives, and other creative ways to address global climate change."
Contrarian environmental organization Global Climate Coalition has
posted this letter, as well as reaction in the world press to the Bush
about-face, in their website at http://www.globalclimate.org/ .
AIRLINE'S RESPONSIBLE ACTION. Ground Service Equipment (GSE) -
tugs, trucks and tractors - add significantly to the poor air quality at
airports. Noting this problem, American Airlines will spend $400 million
over the next ten years to replace 80 percent of its GSE fleet with
electric vehicles. Aside from reducing emissions, the airline will
reduce its fossil fuel consumption and noise levels by using the quiet,
more efficient vehicles.
Airports are well suited to rechargeable electric vehicles since
they operate in a confined area - never far from a recharging station.
Vehicles also are used sporadically. Often long periods of time are
available between flights for recharging. Visit American Airline's
environmental and safety initiatives at http://www.amr-ceres.com/ .
ANOTHER METAL FUEL CELL. There seems to be growing interest in the
other kind of fuel cell, the metal kind. GreenVolt Power has introduced
a portable fuel cell that utilizes metal anodes bathed in an electrolyte
of water and table salt. The device, which the company is now taking
orders for, can produce up to 10 amperes of current at 13.5 volts for 50
hours on one set of replaceable, sacrificial, metal anodes. The unit is
about the size of a car battery and weighs less than five pounds.
Cathodes are made of a proprietary catalyzed carbon membrane. The
company is planning two more models rated at 1.3 and 1.5 kilowatts for
later this year.
With this technology, metal anodes release electrons as they
oxidize. The electro-chemical process known as a oxidation-reduction
stops or slows when the exposed surface of the anode becomes fully
oxidized. Oxidation on metals is what we think of as corrosion, or
perhaps rust. The cathode does not oxidize.
GreenVolt is not the only company working on variations of this
simple technology. The metal anodes, often made of zinc or aluminum, are
either physically recycled or, according to at least one company, can
also be recharged. The difficulty in advancement of this technology for
vehicles is finding a way to remove and replace anodes quickly and
elegantly - easy in a small device but difficult in a large vehicle.
Visit GreenVolt at http://www.greenvolt.com/ .
EASTERN U.S. WIND POWER. Pennsylvania will be home to the latest,
largest wind farm in the Eastern United States. The 15 megawatt Mill Run
Wind Project will be built on a mile long ridge-top of farmland 40 miles
southeast of Pittsburgh. Slated for installation at elevations of
2700-2900 feet will be 10, 1.5-megawatt Enron Wind turbines with a rotor
diameter 231 feet. Mill Run when complete later this year will supply
enough power for 5700 homes. A consortium of private companies,
non-profit organizations and public agencies are involved with the
development and commercialization of Mill Run. The next largest wind
farm in the East has a capacity of 10.4 megawatts. Visit Mill Run
through Community Energy at http://www.newwindenergy.com/ .
HYBRID SOLAR-WIND POWER HAWAII. Busy PowerLight Corporation has
announced that the world's largest hybrid solar-wind project is now
operational in Hawaii. Installed on the 225,000 acre Parker Ranch, the
175 kilowatt solar array, with its accompanying 50 kilowatts of wind
energy, provides all of the power needed to pump water for 50,000 cattle
in three grazing areas. The solar array covers almost 2 acres. There are
5 wind turbines. Visit PowerLight at http://www.powerlight.com/ .
A PROMISE FOR NEW RENEWABLES. Green Mountain Energy will soon have
more than 400,000 new customers in Ohio. In a contract negotiated with
the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), a public electricity
buying group, Green Mountain will be supplying its Green Mountain Energy
(SM) product blend by September. This product has 1/3 less carbon
dioxide, 2/3 less nitrous oxide, and none of the sulfur dioxide emitted
by power plants now servicing those same NOPEC customers.
As part of its move into Ohio, Green Mountain has also promised to
build a new wind farm in the state, or in a neighboring state. In the
ten megawatt range, it will be the state's largest. Green Mountain will
also install 100 kilowatts of solar power in Ohio. The next target
market for Green Mountain is Texas, home of the U.S. President. Visit
Green Mountain at http://www.greenmountain.com/ .
NEW! NEW! NEW! at the Green Energy News website...
-- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Has Answer to
California's Electricity Woes -- A PowerGuard (R)Solar Electric Roof
-- President of Vencon Management Delivers Speech Highlighting New
Investment Opportunities in Renewable Energy
Visit Green Energy News on the Web at http://www.nrglink.com/ . For
free ENERGIES subscription contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright
Green Energy News Inc. 3/17/01 vol.5 no.50
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