EERE Network News

January 05, 2005

News and Events

DOE Announces Appointment of Dan Arvizu as New NREL Director

DOE announced on January 4th that Dan Arvizu has been appointed director of DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Dr. Arvizu, formerly of CH2M Hill, succeeds Vice Admiral Richard Truly, who announced his retirement last June.

California Sets New Efficiency Standards for Appliances

Starting in January 2006, appliances sold in the state of California will be the most efficient in the nation, thanks to new regulations approved by the California Energy Commission in mid-January. The regulations span a wide variety of appliances, including external power supplies.

New Jersey Commits $745 Million to Efficiency, Renewable Energy

New Jersey's Clean Energy Program will spend $745 million over the next four years to support its energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Funding for energy efficiency programs will grow 42 percent by 2008, while the funding for renewable energy programs will more than triple.

EPA Makes its Largest Green Power Purchase to Date

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now effectively powering its Research Triangle Park facilities in North Carolina with renewable energy. The EPA is buying 100 million kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy certificates from a biomass power plant in Georgia.

California and Oregon Organizations Install Large Solar Plants

Three recent solar power installations in California yielded a total of 752 kilowatts of solar generating capacity. But California doesn't have a monopoly on big solar power systems, as Pepsi Cola of Klamath Falls, Oregon, recently installed 172 kilowatts of solar power at three locations.

Minnesota to Host First U.S. Power Plant Fueled with Poultry Litter

Construction is now underway on a 55-megawatt power plant in Minnesota that will be fueled primarily with poultry litter. When completed in early 2007, the plant will consume about 700,000 tons per year of biomass, of which about 90 percent will be poultry litter.

Site News

DOE Launches New Web Site With Energy-Saving Tips

DOE has launched a new Web site that serves as a consumer-friendly portal to detailed energy-saving information from various federal agencies. The new site is located at www.EnergySavingTips.gov.

Energy Connections

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increased Moderately in 2003

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increased by 0.7 percent in 2003, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration. The report coincided with a DOE announcement that it had signed an agreement with the U.S. power industry to reduce its greenhouse gas intensity by 3 to 5 percent by 2012.