EERE Network News

October 10, 2007

News and Events

Solar Decathlon Nears End of Assembly Phase, Prepares to Open

The Solar Decathlon teams will finish constructing their homes on October 10th in preparation for the start of the Solar Decathlon competition. The Solar Decathlon will start on Friday, October 12th.

New Jersey and Texas Pursue Offshore Wind Power

Offshore wind power plants are becoming a popular option for states, as New Jersey approved a $19 million solicitation to support the development of a pilot offshore wind plant, and Texas offered four offshore tracts of land for future wind development.

DOE Kicks Off Change a Light, Change the World Campaign

The DOE officially kicked off the Change a Light, Change the World campaign on October 3rd, which encourages all Americans to replace one of their standard light bulbs with an ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulb.

DOE Loan Guarantee Program Invites 12 Clean Energy Projects to Apply

Twelve proposed renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the country have been invited by the DOE to submit full applications. The projects are for energy efficient factories, solar energy facilities and celluosic biofuel plants.

Average Fuel Economy of 2007 Cars and Light Trucks Unchanged

New cars and light trucks that are sold as part of Model Year 2007 may achieve an average fuel economy of 20.2 miles per gallon, marking the first consecutive year of fuel economy increases since the 1980s.

ScottishPower Earns Approval for Record Wave Energy Project

A Scottish energy company plans to deploy Pelamis wave energy converters, which use waves to create energy, as part of a 3-megawatt wave energy project. Also, the U.K. government gave its approval for a large-scale wave energy system off the coast of Cornwall.

Energy Connections

EIA Foresees a Colder Winter with Rising Fuel Costs

DOE's Energy Information Administration has announced that heating bills are likely to be higher this year than last. Consumers may pay 10% more for natural gas, 22% more for oil, 16% more for propane and 4% more for electric heating.