=================================================
EREN NETWORK NEWS -- July 17, 2002
A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN).
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/>
=================================================
Featuring:
*News and Events
One Wind Plant Planned for Illinois, One Halted in Nevada
DOE Grants Support Carbon-Fiber Research for Wind Power
DOE to Award $12.6 Million for 138 Energy-Saving Projects
New Projects and Laws Advance Manure-to-Energy Systems
Wisconsin Utility to Use 5 Percent Renewable Power by 2011
ExxonMobil Commits to Early MTBE Phase-Out in California
High-School Solar Car Race Now Underway in Texas
*Site News
GasNet
*Energy Facts and Tips
At Halfway Point, 2002 is the Second Warmest Year on Record
*About this Newsletter
----------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS AND EVENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One Wind Plant Planned for Illinois, One Halted in Nevada
This week saw good and bad news for the U.S. wind industry, with
funding approved for one of the first wind plants in Illinois, but
plans for the first wind plant in Nevada cancelled.
In Illinois, a $2.75 million grant from the state's Renewable Energy
Resources Trust Fund will go toward developing a 50-megawatt wind
facility in Mendota, located about 80 miles west of Chicago.
Governor George H. Ryan announced the grant to Navitas Energy Inc.
last week. The Mendota Hills Wind Farm is expected to add
$50 million to the local tax base and provide $130,000 in annual
lease payments to area landowners, while generating enough power to
meet the annual electricity needs of 15,000 households. The wind
turbine installations should begin in 2003. See the press release on
the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs Web site
at: <http://www.commerce.state.il.us/>.
The Mendota project may not be the first wind plant in Illinois: a
51-megawatt wind plant is planned for construction in nearby
Tiskilwa, and is expected to be complete in mid-2003. See the July
3rd edition of EREN Network News at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/news/archive.cfm?date_enn={d '2002-07-03'}>
In Nevada, efforts to install an 85-megawatt wind power facility at
the Nevada Test Site, the former site of nuclear weapons testing,
were stopped due to concerns expressed by the U.S. Air Force.
Officials at nearby Nellis Air Force Base believe the rotating wind
turbine blades could interfere with their radar, impacting Air Force
operations on the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range. Because of
those concerns, DOE's Nevada Operations Office terminated their
efforts to gain approval for the wind site. See the July 12th press
release from the Nevada Operations Office at:
<http://www.nv.doe.gov/news&pubs/newsreleases/default.htm>.
The Nevada Power Company had already agreed to purchase wind power
from the planned wind plant, which the developers had hoped to
eventually expand to 260 megawatts in capacity. See the March 6th
edition of EREN Network News at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/news/archive.cfm?date_enn={d '2002-03-06'}>.
Meanwhile, a proposed 420-megawatt wind farm in Nantucket Sound, off
the shores of Massachusetts, is causing environmental groups to draw
battle lines. While a coalition of wildlife groups hope to block the
construction of even a wind test tower, the Massachusetts Public
Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) is encouraging its members to
send a letter in support of the project to the state's Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs. Other groups are cautiously
supportive: for instance, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)
commented on the project and noted that "...if New England chose not
to tap the wind resource in the offshore area that includes
Nantucket Sound, it appears that it would be choosing to exclude
most available wind power from its climate change strategy." See the
press release from the International Wildlife Coalition (in Adobe
PDF format only) as well as the MASSPIRG and CLF Web sites at:
<http://www.iwc.org/nantucket.pdf>,
<http://masspirg.org/MA.asp?id=117&id3=MA&id4=MAFS&;>, and
<http://www.clf.org/advocacy/offshore_windpower.htm>.
DOE Grants Support Carbon-Fiber Research for Wind Power
Two $100,000 grants recently awarded by DOE will go toward
investigations of the use of carbon fibers for two major wind
turbine components: the towers and the blades.
Wind turbine towers are typically made of steel, but PYRAmatrix
Structures, Inc. plans to develop taller, lighter-weight towers made
of carbon fibers, fiberglass, or a combination of the two. By using
a unique lattice structure in the composite materials, the company
claims it can reduce tower costs for a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine by
37 percent while cutting the weight by 96 percent. For a 5-megawatt
wind turbine, a 511-foot steel tower would weigh more than one
million pounds and would cost more than $3 million; PYRAmatrix
claims that its composite towers would weigh only 30,000 pounds and
would cost about $1.4 million. For now, the company will use its
grant to focus on a tower for a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine. See the
PYRAmatrix press release at:
<http://www.pyramatrix.com/PressRelease-6-12-SBIR.htm>.
Another grant went to Global Energy Concepts, LLC, which will use
the funds to develop technology for the production of wind turbine
blades from carbon fibers. Wind blades are usually produced from
fiberglass, but carbon fiber technology could allow innovative blade
designs that could lower wind energy costs at low wind speeds. The
grant was announced by U.S. Representative Jay Inslee, who serves
Washington's 1st Congressional District. See the press release on
Rep. Inslee's Web site at:
<http://www.house.gov/inslee/energy_global_grant.htm>.
The two grants were awarded through DOE's Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) program. DOE's recent SBIR and Small Business
Technology Transfer awards totaled $25 million and went to 187 small
businesses in 32 states. See the DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/julpr/pr02139.htm>.
DOE to Award $12.6 Million for 138 Energy-Saving Projects
DOE announced last week that it will award $12,608,524 in
competitive grants for 138 energy efficiency and renewable energy
projects. The funds are being awarded through DOE's State Energy
Program as Special Projects grants and go toward projects throughout
the country, including 47 states and 3 U.S. territories.
The Special Projects grants are funded by and awarded to specific
technology areas within the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy. For example, 26 grant awardees are part of the
Rebuild America program, which has formed more than 450 voluntary
community partnerships nationwide to improve the energy efficiency
of existing buildings. Five grants are directed to projects for the
Building America program, which is developing the techniques needed
to construct high-quality energy-efficient homes, and six grants are
going to the Federal Energy Management Program, which aims to reduce
energy use in federal buildings. Twenty-five grants will support
energy efficiency in industry as part of the Industries of the
Future program.
The remaining 76 projects involve a wide variety of technologies
that relate to power generation or ways to reduce electrical use.
These technologies include biopower (7 projects), geothermal energy
(4 projects), and wind power (13 projects), as well as two types of
projects relating to solar energy: 12 projects for the Million Solar
Roofs Initiative and 5 solar school demonstrations. Nine projects
will advance hydrogen and fuel cells. Sixteen projects will aim to
accelerate the installation of distributed generation systems,
including some projects that support utility restructuring
activities, and one project will help teach people how to connect
those systems to the utility power grid. Five projects will aim to
help out the U.S. power grid by examining the benefits of energy
storage to supplement transmission systems and installing
technologies that use high-temperature superconductors. The final
four projects will combine many of these technologies to design and
build "zero energy" homes that are energy self-sufficient. See the
DOE press release at:
<http://www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases02/julpr/pr02137.htm>.
For more information on projects within your state, see the State
Energy Program Web site at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/state_energy/map.html>.
New Projects and Laws Advance Manure-to-Energy Systems
If you're a farmer looking for a way to dispose of manure and reduce
odor problems, anaerobic digesters are the latest and greatest
thing. The technology uses natural processes to decompose manure,
releasing methane gas that can be used for power production. Recent
projects, technology advances, and laws suggest a growing role for
anaerobic digesters on farms.
Last week, Environmental Power Corporation announced that it has
signed letters of intent with six farms near Green Bay, Wisconsin,
for the construction of an anaerobic digester at each farm. The
company claims the six farms will generate a total of about
10 megawatts of power, which will help meet the peak power needs of
the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. Environmental Power has
already signed a 15-year agreement to provide 15 megawatts of peak
power for the electric utility, and hopes to sign up additional
farms for anaerobic digester systems in the near future. The six new
farm energy systems are expected to be operating by August 2003. See
the July 11th press release on the Environmental Power Corporation
Web site at: <http://www.environmentalpower.com/news.htm>.
A new anaerobic digestion technology also marked a milestone last
week, when the Enviro-Energy Corporation completed the initial
startup of its prototype system at a farm in Tillamook, Oregon. The
company claims to have developed a continuous process for converting
manure to methane and fertilizer -- most current systems convert the
manure one batch at a time, rather than continuously. Last week, the
new system starting producing methane, which was flared off. The
methane will eventually power an engine-driven electrical generator.
See the Enviro-Energy Web site at:
<http://www.enviro-energycorp.com/>.
New anaerobic digesters may soon start appearing in Vermont, since
the state just expanded its net metering law to allow for anaerobic
digesters up to 150 kilowatts in capacity. Net metering allows grid-
connected systems to turn the electrical meter backwards when the
system feeds power back into the electrical grid; each month, the
owner pays for only the net amount of electricity used. The Vermont
law allows farmers to combine multiple electricity meters onto one
net-metered bill and also allows farmers (and homeowners) to
carryover any net electricity generated from month to month during
each calendar year. See Section 219a of the Vermont bill at:
<http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2002/bills/passed/S-138.HTM>.
See also the explanation in the Database of State Incentives for
Renewable Energy (DSIRE) by selecting "Vermont" and then "Net
Metering" on the DSIRE Web site at: <http://www.dsireusa.org/>.
Wisconsin Utility to Use 5 Percent Renewable Power by 2011
In a first for a Wisconsin utility, We Energies committed last week
to supply at least five percent of its retail electric energy sales
from renewable energy sources by 2011. We Energies serves more than
one million electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan. Pending regulatory approval, the company will spend
$6 million per year over the next 10 years to reach its renewable
energy target, and has formed a Renewable Energy Collaborative of
local and national organizations that will guide it in achieving its
commitment. See the July 9th press release by selecting "Go to New
Releases" on the We Energies Web site at:
<http://www.we-energies.com/media/>.
ExxonMobil Commits to Early MTBE Phase-Out in California
ExxonMobil announced last week that it will join BP and Shell Oil
Products in beating the current California deadline for phasing out
its use of the gasoline additive MTBE. By early 2003, ExxonMobil
will use ethanol in all the gasoline it sells in California. Since
Philips Petroleum already uses ethanol in more than 80 percent of
the gasoline it sells in California, the ExxonMobil commitment will
leave ChevronTexaco as the only major refiner still selling
significant amounts of MTBE-blended gasoline by mid-2003. According
to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), more than 60 percent of
California's gasoline sales are represented by Philips Petroleum,
BP, Shell Oil, and ChevronTexaco. The deadline for phasing out MTBE
use in California is the end of 2003.
According to the RFA, the ethanol industry continues to grow, with
record production levels in May, the first ethanol fuel plant in
Wisconsin now operating, and two new ethanol fuel plants under
construction in Nebraska. See the RFA press releases at:
<http://www.ethanolrfa.org/press.shtml>.
Ethanol critics, however, are worried about new consolidation in the
industry. Leading ethanol producer Arthur-Daniels-Midland Company
(ADM) signed a merger agreement with Minnesota Corn Processors, LLC
(MCP) last week. According to the RFA, ADM currently owns about
39 percent of U.S. ethanol fuel production capacity. MCP is the
second largest domestic producer of ethanol fuel, owning nearly
6 percent of the U.S. production capacity. But to be fair, 47 other
companies own the remaining 62 percent of capacity, and 24 of those
are farmer-owned. And 14 companies -- 11 of which are farmer-owned
-- are entering the market with plants now under construction. Those
new plants will lower the joint ADM-MCP share of the market to about
38 percent. See the ADM press release and the RFA's summary of
ethanol capacity at:
<http://www.admworld.com/news/articles/07_11_02_minnesota.htm> and
<http://www.ethanolrfa.org/eth_prod_fac.html>.
High-School Solar Car Race Now Underway in Texas
The Dell-Winston Solar Challenge, a three-day solar car race for
high school students, began yesterday at the Texas Motor Speedway in
Fort Worth, Texas. The race alternates each year between a cross-
country race and a closed-track race at the speedway. Twelve teams
participated in this year's speedway event, although only 10 teams
appear to have qualified for the race. After the first day of
racing, the unofficial results show Team Harvester from Pampa High
School in Pampa, Texas, winning the "classic" division, which sets
restrictions on the car design and mandates standard commercially
available solar cells. The team from the Houston Vocational Center
out of Houston, Mississippi, was winning the "open" division, which
allows advanced technologies, including high-efficiency solar cells.
The California Solar Education Team, hailing from Covina,
California, is the lone competitor in the "demonstration" division,
which is open only to previous race alumni. The race is organized by
The Winston School, based in Dallas, with Dell Computer Corporation
as the title sponsor. See the current results (with real-time
updates) and background information on the race Web site at:
<http://www.wscinfo.org/>.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SITE NEWS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GasNet
<http://www.gasnet.uk.net/>
GasNet -- the Biomass Gasification Network -- is a global network of
active researchers, developers, and industrial users of biomass
gasification. Currently, there are 28 members, eight of which are
from industry. The network has been established to discuss and
exchange information on scientific and technological developments in
biomass gasification and related technologies for the production of
heat, electricity, and/or combined heat and power.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENERGY FACTS AND TIPS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
At Halfway Point, 2002 is the Second Warmest Year on Record
With six months under our belt, 2002 is shaping up to be the second
warmest year on record globally, according to the National Climatic
Data Center (NCDC), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). The global average surface temperature for
June was also the second warmest on record for the month, according
to the center. Globally, the warmest June and warmest year on record
both occurred in 1998, during the last El Nino event.
Taking a more parochial view, the United States experienced the
fifth warmest June on record, with temperatures much warmer than
average in the Southwest. The month marked a record high period for
the past 12 months in the Northeast, and a record dry period for the
past 12 months in the Carolinas and Colorado. See the "June in
Historical Perspective" page on the NCDC Web site at:
<http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2002/jun/jun02.html>.
NOAA recently declared an El Nino underway, but El Nino can't be
blamed for the current weather conditions: according to NOAA, this
year's El Nino will be weaker and milder than 1998 and won't affect
U.S. weather until fall. See the NOAA press release at:
<http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s938.htm>.
Thus far, July is also shaping up as a hot one in the United States,
with recent high temperatures straining electrical grids throughout
the country. The high temperatures contributed to a Stage Two power
emergency in California last week, causing the California
Independent System Operator (ISO) to ask utilities to implement
voluntary load interruptions. See the July 10th press release on the
California ISO Web site at:
<http://www.caiso.com/newsroom/releases/>.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can subscribe to this newsletter using the online form at:
<http://www.eren.doe.gov/news/subscribe/>.
This Web page also allows you to update your email address
or unsubscribe to this newsletter.
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN)
home page is located at <http://www.eren.doe.gov/>.
If you have questions or comments about this
newsletter, please contact the editor, Kevin Eber, at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Save on REALTOR Fees
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Xw80LD/h1ZEAA/Ey.GAA/9bTolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Biofuels at Journey to Forever
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
Biofuel at WebConX
http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm
List messages are archived at the Info-Archive at NNYTech:
http://archive.nnytech.net/
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
