EERE Network News
April 26, 2006
News and Events
President Bush Highlights Advanced Transportation and Addresses High Fuel Costs
President Bush visited the California Fuel Cell Partnership on Earth Day, April 22nd, then spoke to a forum of the Renewable Fuels Association on April 25th. The latter speech was a wide-ranging review of energy policy, including a four-point plan to address high gasoline costs.
Arizona Completes a One-Megawatt Solar Trough Plant
Earth Day featured a truly rare event, as Arizona Public Service Company commemorated the first solar trough power plant to be built in the United States in 17 years. The one-megawatt plant uses the sun's energy to heat oil, and the hot oil is either stored or used to generate power.
Air Force Plans for 18 Megawatts of Solar Power at Nevada Base
"If you build it, we'll buy power from it." That's basically the message from a new solicitation seeking 18 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The Air Force hopes that sales of renewable energy credits will allow it to buy solar power at a discount.
Woody Biomass Projects Receive $4.2 Million in USDA Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $4.2 million in grants for projects that make use of woody biomass from national forests, including biomass power projects in Alabama, California, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Nissan to Sell the Altima Hybrid in Only Eight States
Nissan will only sell its Altima Hybrid in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, creating limited possibilities for the company's first foray into the U.S. hybrid vehicle market.
DOE Conducts Industrial Energy Assessments in Six States
DOE launched industrial Energy Saving Assessments in late April at facilities in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Energy Connections
EIA: Regular Gasoline Prices May Fall Short of $3 per Gallon
Average retail prices for regular gasoline may hit $3 per gallon for short periods this summer, but DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) does not expect prices to stay at that high level for long. The EIA points to a number of factors that should cause gasoline prices to start dropping.
