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EERE NETWORK NEWS -- April 16, 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
DOE, Interior Department Report Notes Top Geothermal Sites
GM and BMW to Develop Liquid Hydrogen Fueling Technologies
Zilkha Plans 400-Megawatt Wind Facility in Illinois
USDA to Award $44 Million for Renewables, Energy Efficiency
U.S., Russia to Collaborate on Energy Efficiency, Renewables
*Site News
EERE Building Technologies Program
*Energy Facts and Tips
DOE, Other U.S. Agencies Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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DOE, Interior Department Report Notes Top Geothermal Sites
A report released on Monday by DOE and the U.S. Department of the
Interior (DOI) identifies opportunities for near-term development of
geothermal energy in the West. Prepared by the DOI's Bureau of Land
Management and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the report
identifies 35 locations for geothermal sites in six western states.
See the DOI press release at: <http://www.doi.gov/news/030414b.htm>.
The full report is available as a 43-MB ZIP file on the NREL Web site
at: <http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/33105CD-Lite.zip>.
An even larger 168-MB ZIP file is also available. In addition to the
report, the larger ZIP file includes poster images and Acrobat Reader
installers. Download the ZIP file at:
<http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/33105CD.zip>.
GM and BMW to Develop Liquid Hydrogen Fueling Technologies
General Motors Corporation (GM) and the BMW Group announced last week
that they will jointly develop the storage and handling technologies
needed to deliver liquid hydrogen fuel at filling stations. The
companies are focusing particularly on the coupling unit that connects
the fuel pump to the vehicle for refueling. Their aim is to develop a
standardized coupling unit that will allow all liquid-hydrogen-fueled
vehicles to fill up at any liquid-hydrogen fueling station. According
to GM, Germany is particularly of concern, since that country is
expected to eventually feature a network of 10,000 hydrogen filling
stations. The companies are inviting other automakers and suppliers to
join the initiative. See the GM press release at:
<http://www.gm.com/cgi-bin/pr_display.pl?5024>.
While U.S. companies have focused primarily on hydrogen fuel-cell
vehicles, BMW is concentrating instead on internal combustion engines
fueled with hydrogen. The company has built a prototype that can run
on either hydrogen or gasoline and plans to begin selling the vehicles
before the end of this decade. See the BMW Web site at:
<http://www.bmw.com/bmwe/pulse/enterprise/cleanenergy3/index.html>.
Despite the GM and BMW interest in liquid hydrogen, the preferable
technology for storing hydrogen is by no means certain -- although
many companies are developing compressed hydrogen technologies,
researchers are also investigating metal hydrides or adsorption onto
solid surfaces for hydrogen storage. See "Hydrogen Storage" under
"Technical Areas" on the EERE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure
Technologies Program Web site at:
<http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/hydrogen/>.
Zilkha Plans 400-Megawatt Wind Facility in Illinois
Zilkha Renewable Energy is planning a 400-megawatt wind power plant in
central Illinois, which would be among the largest wind power
facilities in the United States. The Arrowsmith Wind Power Project
will be located east of Bloomington and will consist of up to 267 wind
turbines, each rated at 1.5 megawatts. Located in a 21,000-acre area,
the wind plant will remove only about 150 to 200 acres of land from
crop production. Zilkha has already signed agreements with all the
landowners, giving the company the option of leasing their wind rights
for 30 years. The company plans to begin construction of the
$400-million project next year.
Zilkha credits a recent study by DOE and the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory that identified several commercially viable wind sites in
the state. See the Zilkha Web site at:
<http://www.zilkha.com/whatweredoing.asp?id=26>.
Wind power is also making progress in the neighboring state of Iowa,
where Governor Tom Vilsack signed into law a bill that clears the way
for MidAmerican Energy to construct a 310-megawatt wind power plant.
The bill relates to public utility ownership of alternative energy
production facilities. See the Governor's April 11th press release at:
<http://www.governor.state.ia.us/news/2003/april/april1103_1.html>.
See also the full text of the bill, House File 659, by selecting the
link near the bottom of the following Iowa Legislature Web page:
<http://www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/80GA/Session.1/Affected/03enroll.htm>
USDA to Award $44 Million for Renewables, Energy Efficiency
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week the
availability of $44 million in grants for renewable energy and energy
efficiency projects. The grants were authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill
and will be awarded by USDA in collaboration with DOE. See the USDA
press release at:
<http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2003/04/0111.htm>.
Of the total funding, $23 million is available to assist farmers,
ranchers, and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy
systems and energy efficiency improvements. The grants are based on
financial need and cannot exceed 25 percent of the project cost.
Applications must be postmarked no later than June 6th. See the USDA's
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program
at: <http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/farmbill/9006resources.html>.
In addition, $21 million is available for grants through the USDA's
Biomass Research and Development Initiative. The grants will go toward
research, development, and demonstrations of biobased products,
bioenergy, biofuels, biopower, and related processes. Proposals must
be submitted by May 16th. See the request for proposals, in PDF format
only, on the Biomass Research and Development Initiative Web site at:
<http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/BiomassRFP2003.pdf>.
U.S., Russia to Collaborate on Energy Efficiency, Renewables
DOE announced last week that Deputy Secretary of Energy Kyle McSlarrow
joined with Deputy Minister Oleg Gordeev from the Russian Federation's
Ministry of Energy to sign a new Protocol on Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy. The protocol was signed during a meeting of the
U.S./Russia Energy Working Group (EWG), which was established by
President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin in May 2002. The
protocol provides a framework and establishes a coordinating committee
for the two countries to work together on energy efficiency and
renewable energy projects. The protocol is available in PDF format on
the DOE Web site at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/aprpr/EEProtocol.pdf>
The EWG participants also developed a second protocol to boost energy
efficiency in Russian hospitals. The protocol supports a European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development initiative to provide a loan of
$150 million for use in Russian hospitals. It also establishes a plan
to train hospital administrators in energy management and evaluation
of energy efficiency bids. See the DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/aprpr/pr03068.htm>.
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SITE NEWS
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EERE Building Technologies Program
<http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/>
EERE's Building Technologies Program launched its new information-
packed Web site last week. The new site features a clean, uncluttered
design and simple navigational tools to help users find a great deal
of updated information about energy efficiency technologies for
buildings. The "Building Toolbox" section provides step-by-step
information on how to implement building energy efficiency projects,
from the initial planning phase to operation and maintenance once the
project is complete. The site also includes specific energy solutions
for 10 different building types, as well as detailed information about
the Building Technologies Program.
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ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
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DOE, Other U.S. Agencies Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd
The federal government is helping to celebrate Earth Day 2003 on
April 22nd. DOE announced on Monday that President Bush has asked all
federal agencies to support volunteer service this Earth Day. The
government has also launched a new Web site -- EarthDay.gov -- to
provide a comprehensive federal resource for citizens who want to
participate in Earth Day and other environmental activities. See the
DOE press release and the EarthDay.gov Web site at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases03/aprpr/EarthDayRelease.htm>
and <http://www.earthday.gov/>.
EERE has compiled its own suggestions for Earth Day, including ways to
save energy and buy or use renewable energy at home. See the Earth Day
Information page on the EERE Web site at:
<http://www.eere.energy.gov/earthday/>.
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