EERE Network News
March 21, 2007
News and Events
DOE Sets Spending Plan for $1.474 Billion in New EERE Funds
A continuing resolution approved by Congress and President Bush in February provided $1.474 billion in funding for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In mid-March, DOE reported to Congress on how it intends to spend those funds.
DOE Selects Missouri Cooperative as Wind Cooperative of the Year
DOE has selected Missouri-based Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. as the 2006 Wind Cooperative of the Year. The electric coop will bring three 50-megawatt wind projects online in 2007. The Alaska Village Electric Cooperative also received recognition for its wind power activities.
Growing U.S. Wind Industry Yields Two New Wind Blade Factories
A new Knight & Carver manufacturing plant in Howard, South Dakota, started producing wind turbine blades in early March, while Vestas, a Dutch wind turbine manufacturer, announced plans to build a wind blade production plant in Windsor, Colorado.
E.ON and Lunar Energy to Build 8-Megawatt Tidal Power Project
Two companies are proposing to build the largest tidal stream power plant in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in the world. The 8-megawatt facility will be located on the west coast of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, a U.S. utility is planning to install wave power devices in northern California.
GM Introduces the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid
With a suggested retail price starting at $22,695, the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid is the lowest-priced hybrid on the market. The new vehicle, which is rolling off the assembly line in Kansas City, Kansas, is expected to achieve 35 miles per gallon on the highway.
Tragedy Mars Circumnavigation Attempt by Biodiesel-Fueled Boat
One Guatemalan fisherman is missing and apparently drowned and another is seriously injured following a collision between their boat and the Earthrace trimaran. The Earthrace boat, fueled entirely with biodiesel, was just starting out on an attempt to circle the globe in record time.
Site News
Enhanced Search Tool Makes it Easier to Find Archived Articles
Whether you're looking for old news stories about PowerLight Corporation or trying to research trends in ethanol production, a newly enhanced search tool will help you find specific articles in the archives of the EERE Network News. DOE has been producing the newsletter weekly since 1999.
Energy Connections
NOAA: This Winter was the Warmest on Record for the Globe
Global temperatures for December 2006 through February 2007 averaged 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the mean winter temperature for the 20th century, making it the warmest winter on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
