ENERGIES... week of February 3, 2002
GREEN ENERGY POLITICS U.S.A. In a typical year in Washington, D.C.
the President submits a budget in the early part of the year, then
Congress and the White House take three-quarters of that year bickering
over how to spend the taxpayer's hard-earned dollars. This year, at
least for green energy, politicos at the two-ends of Pennsylvania Avenue
may come to agreement before the cherry blossoms get washed off the
trees in the first spring rain.
In a bit of luck, and maybe the realization in Washington that green
energy would be good for the country (finally), the portion of
President's 2003 budget which pertains to green energy is strikingly
similar to an energy bill the Senate is now working on. Similarity means
less haggling and bills get signed and passed into law sooner than
later.
Points of similarity...
-- The President wants the Production Tax Credit (PTC), now for wind
and some specific biomass energy, extended through 2005. The Senate
wants the PTC extended another five years. (That would be 2007, if
retroactive to the first of this year. The extension could initiate a
large expansion and presence of wind energy in the U.S.)
-- Both want the PTC to be expanded to include a wide variety of
biomass energy sources. The Senate also wants to include geothermal
energy.
-- Both want tax credits for the purchase of hybrid electric and
fuel cell cars. The President wants one based on fuel efficiency
improvements. Hybrids would get up to $4000, fuel cell cars $4000 -
8000. The Senate offers much the same thing. (Of course you can't buy a
fuel cell car yet.)
-- Both want tax breaks for installed solar systems - photovoltaic
and thermal - up to $2000 per system.
-- Both want tax credits or excise tax relief for producers of
alternative fuels. The President wants tax help for ethanol and methanol
made from renewable sources. The Senate wants tax relief also to include
biodiesel.
Where they differ...
-- The President wants a new tax credit for combined heat and power
plants (CHP) and an extension of the tax credit for methane landfill gas
projects.
-- The President also wants $150 million for the first year of the
Freedom CAR fuel cell vehicle and infrastructure program. (Funding for
subsequent years is not mentioned.)
-- The President wants grants to continue for the weatherization of
homes of low-income families. The Senate wants tax breaks for energy
efficient appliances as well as for new or renovated buildings that
have reduced energy consumption.
The fine points of each measure will be tossed around for the next
few months by politicians and analysts. Some have already noted that a
portion of the funding for renewables in the President's budget would
come from the revenue from drilling for oil in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Other energy and environmental programs are cut
in that budget, but there is money for the development of new nuclear
power.
Tax breaks are included in the Senate bill for the burning of
cleaner coal and installing clean coal technologies.
COLD COMBUSTION. Using a real-world situation to test its fuel cell
experimental car, Volkswagen has successfully driven its HY.POWER, a
modified Volkswagen Bora (Jetta in the U.S.) in the depths of winter
over the 6578 foot Simplon Pass that connects Italy and Switzerland .
HY.POWER uses the company's proprietary fuel cell technology and two
supercaps or ultra-capacitors, for additional on-demand power.
HY.POWER's electric traction motor has a 75 kilowatt rating (102
horsepower) and the supercaps provide 30 kilowatts of power for short
periods of time for passing and mountain climbing. In the journey
HY.POWER performed as well as a stock gasoline Bora of the same
horsepower rating.
VW is describing the chemical reaction in a fuel cell appropriately
as cold combustion. Hydrogen is oxidized within the fuel cell stack
without an ignition source such as a flame or spark. The proton exchange
membrane (PEM) fuel cell was developed with the help of the Paul
Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Zurich, Switzerland. The key component in
the new design is its low-cost-to-manufacture membrane developed by PSI.
Tested along side HY.POWER was a Bora TDI (turbo diesel) running on
a biodiesel fuel known as SunFuel. Volkswagen thinks that SunFuel can
be used successfully in fuel cell cars that have a reformer on board
from which to extract hydrogen from the renewable fuel. Visit the Paul
Scherrer Institute at http://www.psi.ch/ .
GREENERCARS.COM. The American Council for an Energy Efficient
Economy (ACEEE) has just published the latest edition of its consumers
guide to the greenness of new vehicles available in the U.S. - the Green
Book (tm): The Environmental Guide to Cars and Trucks - Model Year 2002.
All new car buyers in the U.S. should look at this guide if they are
planning to buy this year.
The new edition lists the 12 greenest and 12 meanest cars available.
Not surprisingly, Honda's hybrid Insight is at the top of the list,
followed by Honda's natural gas Civic, Toyota's RAV4 - EV (available to
consumers only in California) and Toyota's Prius hybrid.
Even those who feel they must purchase a sport utility vehicle can
use this guide to choose the vehicle with the least environmental impact
. For example, in the popular mid-sized SUV class Toyota's Highlander
4-cylinder gets a Superior rating and a higher Green Score than many
sedans.
Using its Green Scores the Green Book rates vehicles by fuel
economy, fuel expenses, toxic and greenhouse gas emissions. Pollution
from auto factories and refineries are also taken into consideration in
scoring.
The Green Book is available in print or on-line by subscription. The
advantage of the on-line edition is that it is updated throughout the
year as new models become available, such as Honda's Civic Hybrid due in
showrooms this Spring. The online version also includes Green Books for
2000 and 2001 for those considering a used vehicle purchase. Visit Green
Book at http://www.greenercars.com/
WORLD WIND WATCH. Beginning in 2003 the west coast of Tasmania will
become the home of 73 Vestas 1.75 megawatt wind turbines. Hydro Tasmania
has ordered 128 megawatts of turbine capacity from the Danish company.
The Australian state, that has some of the best wind resources in
the world, would like to capitalize on those resources and sell
electricity to the continent via an undersea cable known as Basslink,
now under negotiation. Visit Hydro Tasmania at http://www.hydro.com.au/,
Vestas at http://www.vestas.com/ .
NEW! NEW! NEW! ... NewsLinks ...
--- Fiberstars Ships New Energy Saving Swimming Pool Light
http://www.fiberstars.com/ (click Investor Relations) (1/30/02)
--- Second Wind Data Logger Now Includes Remote Data Collection Option
http://www.secondwind.com/press/ (2/4/02)
--- AstroPower Expands Staff to Support Continued Rapid Growth
http://www.astropower.com/ (2/5/02)
--- Electric Fuel to Demonstrate Zinc-Air Bus in Washington, DC
http://www.electric-fuel.com/ (2/6/02)
--- Impco Signs Agreement with China's Largest CNG Equipment Company
http://www.impco.ws/us.htm (2/6/02)
--- Harvesting Energy from Wind Power to Become Renewable Technology of
Choice http://www.pressroom.frost.com/ (2/7/02)
At the Green Energy News website ...
--- Energy and Environmental Funding Opportunities
*****IBC's Offshore Wind Energy Conference takes place Feb 18 -19 in
London and promises to be an informative event with presentations from
leading industry experts in the field. This vital conference and
workshop will discuss the latest environmental, legal, financial and
technical issues within the wind energy sector. Visit
http:www.ibcenergy.com/windenergy/?source=sw663em1177gn for further
details or telephone + 44 (0)20 7017 4052. *****
Send ENERGIES to a friend or colleague. Visit Green Energy News on
the Web at http://www.nrglink.com/ . For free ENERGIES subscription
contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Copyright Green Energy News Inc. 2/9/02
vol.6 no.45
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