EERE Network News
April 04, 2007
News and Events
DOE Grants $111.6 Million for Home Weatherization Improvements
DOE has granted 30 states and the Navajo Nation $111.6 million for weatherization improvements in the homes of low- income families. The grants allow states to conduct energy audits and make appropriate energy efficiency improvements, which can result in $358 in savings each year.
Intel and Raytheon Developing More Efficient Computer Processors
Forget the Pentium and even the Xeon, because the latest thing from Intel is the Penryn family of processors, which incorporate nearly a billion smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient transistors. But Raytheon claims that a chip it designed for the military is the most efficient of all.
Automotive X Prize to Award Megabucks for Fuel-Efficient Cars
Although it's mainly known for spurring the development of a private space industry, the X Prize Foundation in now offering a multi-million dollar carrot to developers of fuel-efficient cars. On April 2nd, the foundation published the draft competition guidelines for its new Automotive X Prize.
EPA Offers "SmartWay" Certification for Fuel-Efficient Trucks
Through its SmartWay partnership, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working with truck manufacturers to develop fuel-saving technologies. Now truckers can buy SmartWay-certified heavy trucks that will increase fuel economy by 10 to 20 percent.
Boeing to Test an Airplane Powered Solely by a Fuel Cell
Private pilots are trained to be prepared for engine failure, but sometime this year a Boeing test pilot will have a different concern: fuel cell failure. Boeing is preparing to conduct test flights on a small aircraft with a motor-driven prop, a hydrogen fuel cell, and a lithium-ion battery pack.
Ethanol Demand Drives 15 Percent Increase in Corn Plantings
U.S. farmers are planning to convert 12.1 million acres of farmland over to corn production this year, boosting the total corn crop to 90.5 million acres. The corn yield will likely exceed 13 billion bushels, which should meet all the needs for corn, including the growing need for ethanol fuel.
Energy Connections
GAO Report: Strategy Needed to Address Future Peak in Oil Production
Although the world's production of oil is likely to peak within the next 30 years or so, nobody is really sure when, and that's a concern to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A new GAO report calls for federal efforts to determine when the peak will happen and to plan for it.
