EERE Network News
September 20, 2006
News and Events
DOE Awards $6 Million for Efficient Building Partnerships
DOE will award $6 million to 22 federal-state partnerships that will focus on education and energy codes to improve the efficiency of residential and commercial buildings.
New World Trade Center Complex to Pursue LEED Gold
Five years after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States, efforts are underway to rebuild the World Trade Center Complex in New York City. Officials have committed to building the complex to a high standard of green building, designing the buildings to earn LEED Gold certification.
GM to Launch World's Largest Fuel Cell Vehicle Fleet in 2007
General Motors Corporation (GM) is taking a big leap into fuel cell vehicles next year, launching a fleet of more than 100 fuel-cell-powered crossover vehicles and delivering them to a variety of drivers in California, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
Sequencing of Poplar Genome Could Boost Biomass Production
The first complete DNA analysis of a tree has been completed by an international team led by DOE researchers. The effort focused on the poplar, a fast-growing tree with a relatively compact genome, raising the possibility of bioengineering fast-growing trees for biomass energy production.
Honda and Purdue Join the Pursuit for Better Ethanol Fuel
Ford and GM might be promoting ethanol, but Honda is the only auto company advancing ethanol research. While Honda is developing cellulosic ethanol, Purdue Research Foundation and a number of companies are working to make improvements to today's corn ethanol production process.
DOE Conducts Energy Assessments in Louisiana and Nebraska
DOE's Energy Saving Teams are on the road again, this time visiting manufacturing plants for catalyst and corn products. Meanwhile, the Energy Star has been awarded for the first time to 17 manufacturing plants, including one that was visited by an Energy Saving Team back in April.
Energy Connections
Report Shows Rapid Growth in Solar Manufacturing in 2005
Last year saw a 72 percent increase in U.S. shipments of solar cells and modules, an amazing feat considering the problems with silicon supply disruptions. But makers of crystalline silicon solar cells saw a decreasing market share as thin-film solar manufacturers stepped up to the challenge.
