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EERE NETWORK NEWS -- September 17, 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 Provides $12.3 Million for Crosscutting Energy Projects
DOE Releases New Test for "Smart" Dishwashers
NIST Awards $24 Million for Fuel Cells, Efficiency, Solar
Road Rally to Feature a Wide Range of Vehicle Technologies
Washington and Ohio Pursuing New Wind Power Additions
Advances in Solar Power Aim for a Touchdown
*Energy Connections
DOE and Energy Companies Pursue Greater U.S. Imports of LNG
*About this Newsletter
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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DOE Provides $12.3 Million for Crosscutting Energy Projects
DOE announced on September 10th that it will award $12.3 million to
21 projects that will advance both energy efficiency and fossil energy
technologies. The projects, managed by universities and companies in
13 states, will run from one to three years and include research on
materials, fuels and chemicals, sensors and controls, and energy
conversions. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said the crosscutting
research will advance "key technology areas, such as solid-state
lighting, membranes that produce hydrogen, advanced fuels and
chemicals, solid oxide fuel cells, as well as process sensors and
controls." For a list of participating research partners and their
projects, please see DOE's September 10th press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES>
DOE Releases New Test for "Smart" Dishwashers
Consumers will get more accurate energy efficiency labeling on new
dishwashers thanks to a new test procedure released by DOE on
September 9th. The test, which measures the energy consumption in
"smart" dishwashers -- those with soil sensors -- uses three different
specified loads of food-soiled dishes to approximate realistic home
use. Previous tests used clean dishes that did not trigger the
sensors, and therefore did not report dishwasher energy use as
accurately as the new test can.
Manufacturers use DOE's test procedures for residential appliances
such as dishwashers to calculate the annual energy use and energy cost
of every model sold. This energy information provides the core data
for the Federal Trade Commission's EnergyGuide labels, which allow
consumers to compare the energy efficiency of new appliances. See the
September 9th press release on the DOE Web site at:
<http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES>.
"Smart" dishwashers aren't the only energy-saving innovation available
for your kitchen: according to recent tests by the Electric Power
Research Institute (EPRI), new magnetic-induction ranges also hold a
significant potential for saving energy. The ranges use a high
frequency, alternating magnetic field to induce heating in the bottom
of iron-based cookware placed on the range. Because energy is
transferred directly to the cookware, the ceramic surface of the range
stays cool. According to EPRI, the range achieves an efficiency of
92 percent (losing only 8 percent of its energy as waste heat),
compared to 72 percent for a standard radiant electric range,
47 percent for a residential gas range, and 30 percent for a
commercial gas range. In field tests, commercial kitchens using the
range were also cooler, which suggests that they could save on air
conditioning costs. See the EPRI press release at:
<http://www.epri.com/highlights.asp?objid=292779>.
NIST Awards $24 Million for Fuel Cells, Efficiency, Solar
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a part of
the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced 44 new awards through its
Advanced Technology Program on Monday. Among the new awards, eight
will go toward advancing fuel cell, solar power, and energy efficiency
technologies. Those eight projects comprise a total investment of
nearly $51 million, including nearly $24 million in NIST funds.
Four of the projects will focus on fuel cell technologies, including a
high-volume manufacturing process for proton-exchange-membrane fuel
cells, a miniature direct-methanol fuel cell, a low-cost process for
manufacturing gas diffusion layers, and a variety of approaches to
reduce the cost of power from fuel cells. In addition, Astronautics
Corporation of America will design, build, and test an energy-
efficient refrigerator that uses a magnetic refrigerant; General
Electric Company and Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. will advance
their roll-to-roll technology for manufacturing solid-state lighting
devices; and the Ohio Aerospace Institute will lead a joint venture to
develop enhanced thin-film capacitors for use in electric vehicles and
in power converters for fuel cells. Finally, AstroPower, Inc. will
lead a joint venture to produce low-cost, high-purity silicon for use
in the solar power industry. See the NIST press release at:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/atpaward09-03.htm
The award is certainly good news for AstroPower, which continues to
struggle financially after its July delisting from the NASDAQ stock
exchange. In early August, AstroPower laid off 55 employees, reducing
its workforce by about 10 percent. See the AstroPower press release
at: <http://www.astropower.com/press_releases.htm>.
Road Rally to Feature a Wide Range of Vehicle Technologies
The Challenge Bibendum, a three-day road rally sponsored by the
Michelin Group, comes to Sonoma, California, on September 23rd, ending
in San Francisco on the 25th. Promoted as a "sustainable mobility
event," the eclectic road show includes a wide variety of advanced
vehicles, each of which is subjected to an emissions test and a
variety of performance tests. The event draws its "Bibendum" name from
the company's symbol, also known as the Michelin Man.
Among the vehicles entered in this year's Challenge Bibendum -- the
second to be held in the United States -- are a number of fuel-cell-
powered vehicles: a Mercedes-Benz A Class compact car, a Mercedes-Benz
bus, two Ford Focus FCVs, a Toyota FCHV SUV, and a Honda FCX. Ford is
also showcasing two vehicles that burn hydrogen in internal combustion
engines: a Ford Focus H2ICE and a prototype hybrid-electric Ford Focus
wagon. Volvo is concentrating on alternative fuels, with two
compressed-natural-gas (CNG) bi-fuel vehicles: an S80 sedan and a V70
wagon. Honda is providing its CNG-fueled Civic GX as well as its two
hybrid-electric cars: the Insight and the Civic Hybrid. And Toyota is
contributing both its 2003 hybrid-electric Prius and a model sure to
draw attention, its new 2004 Prius, which goes on sale in October.
See the Challenge Bibendum Web site (especially the Press section) at:
<http://www.challengebibendum.com/>.
Washington and Ohio Pursuing New Wind Power Additions
A utility and a group led by a non-profit organization are planning to
bring more wind power to Washington State. Puget Sound Energy, a
utility serving 1.4 million customers in the state, issued a draft
request for proposals (RFP) last week for 150 megawatts of wind power.
The draft RFP is the utility's first step toward achieving its goal of
drawing on renewable energy for 10 percent of its power supply by
2013. The company held a public meeting on the draft RFP on Monday and
expects to issue a final RFP in early December; the draft RFP sets
January 9th as the due date for proposals. See the Puget Sound Energy
press release and RFP at:
<http://www.pse.com/news/2003/pr20030909a.html> and
<http://www.pse.com/account/rates/rates.html>.
Meanwhile, the non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) is
leading a group that has secured wind-power development rights on
about 20,000 acres of land in Klickitat County, in central Washington
near the Oregon border. BEF has joined with the members of the Last
Mile Electric Cooperative to secure the rights to the windy site,
which could host up to 200 megawatts of wind turbines. The
participants hope to obtain permits and build a wind project on the
site within the next two years. See the BEF press release at:
<http://www.b-e-f.org/news/releases/091003.shtm>.
While big wind power plans are underway in Washington, a wind project
under construction in Ohio is small in comparison but large in
significance. The state's first utility-scale wind plant, consisting
of two 1.8-megawatt wind turbines, is now being built near Bowling
Green, just south of Toledo. The 3.6-megawatt wind facility should be
operating by the end of this year. See the press release from
Green Mountain Energy Company at:
<http://www.greenmountain.com/about/press_events/2003_08_29.jsp>.
Advances in Solar Power Aim for a Touchdown
Solar power technologies advance, in many ways, much like a football
team marching down the field: while everyone hopes for that big
touchdown pass, most progress is actually achieved gradually, through
the combined efforts of many people pushing ahead in every way they
can. Three recent news items demonstrate the diversity of approaches
that are advancing solar power technologies.
Electrical engineers at Princeton University are trying an end-run
around conventional techniques that could yield huge yardage. While
most solar cells are built from silicon and other inorganic materials,
the Princeton engineers are developing organic solar cells -- solar
cells built around thin films of organic chemicals. Using a new
processing technique, with support in part from DOE's National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, the engineers boosted the efficiency of
two-layer organic solar cells by 50 percent. Although organic solar
cells currently convert only about 3 percent of the sunlight that hits
them into electricity, the Princeton researchers are confident of
combining new materials and processing techniques to achieve at least
5 percent efficiency, and possibly as high as 10 percent. Although
that would be low compared to silicon solar cells, the low cost of the
organic solar cells could make them cost-competitive. See the
Princeton press release at:
<http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/03/q3/0911-solar.htm>.
Another way to advance solar power is to get more value out of each
solar cell, an approach that might be compared to finding a way to
make your football passes go farther. A promising technique is to
integrate the solar cells into buildings, allowing them to serve a
function for the building while also producing power. The latest
attempt at such building-integrated solar cells comes from the
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), which has built solar cells
into pyramid-shaped devices incorporated between the panes of a
window. The devices help shade the interior from the sun's harshest
rays, while allowing soft daylight into the building. At the same
time, the solar cells in the devices generate power. RPI is currently
testing two working prototypes of the window system. See the RPI press
release at:
<http://www.rpi.edu/web/News/press_releases/2003/grid.html>.
But real football fans know that a good passing game is best matched
by the ability to move the ball on the ground. It's not as glamorous,
but the game often hinges on those able to inch the ball ahead with
sheer muscle. The solar power equivalent may be the process of growing
silicon ingots. Crystalline-silicon solar cells still dominate the
solar power market, and arguably the hardest part of making them is
the process of growing crystalline silicon ingots, which are then cut
up into wafers to create solar cells. Shell Solar has been working
with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance to improve the energy
efficiency of its crystal-growing furnaces, with considerable success.
According to Shell Solar, the company has cut the power use of its
furnaces by 30 percent while reducing the time needed to grow a
crystal by up to 40 percent. The company has also increased its
crystal yield while greatly lowering its use of argon gas. See the
September 12th press release from Shell Solar at:
<http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=shellsolar>.
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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DOE and Energy Companies Pursue Greater U.S. Imports of LNG
Liquefied Natural Gas, or LNG, has been a subject of increasing
attention since July, when Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham proposed
holding a Global Liquefied Natural Gas Summit by the end of this year.
About the same time, Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Board, noted that increased LNG imports could act as a "safety valve"
to help the U.S. natural gas markets respond to price spikes caused by
imbalances of supply and demand within the United States. DOE
reiterated that message last week, when it enlisted the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) to help
educate energy decision-makers about LNG. See the September 10th press
release from DOE at:
<http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES>.
Meanwhile, the U.S. energy industry has been actively pursuing LNG
imports. The Cove Point facility in southern Maryland, owned by
Dominion, has been reactivated after a 23-year shutdown and received
its first shipment in late August. On September 10th, Sempra Energy
received approval to build a new LNG receiving terminal near Lake
Charles, Louisiana. The company plans to begin construction next year,
more than 20 years after the last LNG terminal was built in the United
States. The terminal should begin operating in 2007. The company also
received approval on August 18th to build an LNG terminal in Baja
California, Mexico. Meanwhile, Shell announced on August 19th that it
has also received approval to build an LNG terminal in Baja
California. Shell will import the LNG from an offshore LNG export
terminal near Western Australia. The company intends to build a new
pipeline from the project to the existing natural gas infrastructure,
allowing the new terminal to serve natural gas needs in western Mexico
and southern California. See the press releases from Dominion, Sempra
Energy, and Shell at: <http://www.dom.com/news/gas2003/pr0825.jsp>,
<http://public.sempra.com/newsreleases/> and
<http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=media-en>.
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