EERE Network News
December 05, 2007
News and Events
DOE Provides $5.2 Million for Concentrating Solar Power
DOE is investing $5.2 million in 12 concentrating solar power (CSP) projects involving the full range of available CSP technologies. The projects aim to reduce the costs of CSP components and developing energy storage technologies.
DOE Creates a $7.2 Million Clean Energy Commercialization Fund
DOE will provide $7.2 million to support clean energy commercialization activities at three of its national laboratories: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories.
DOE Invests $7.7 Million in Biomass Gasification for Biofuels
DOE will invest $7.7 million over the next three fiscal years into four cellulosic biofuel research and development projects. The four projects are all related to the high-temperature gasification of biomass, which yields a gas that can be converted into a liquid or fed into a refinery.
Google Aims to Make Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal Power
The company that changed the way we search the Web when it became the world's largest search engine back in 2000 is now aiming to change the way we use energy. Google hopes to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, and named its new initiative accordingly: RE<C.
Energy Efficient "Super Boiler" Reaches its First Anniversary
A "Super Boiler" with a fuel-to-steam efficiency of up to 94% passed its first anniversary, marking the successful first year of a technology that could save up to 185 trillion Btu by 2020. Meanwhile, a federal program for industrial energy savings is expanding its efforts through the states.
Rockefeller Center Switches to LED Christmas Lights
New York City's Rockefeller Center has changed the lights on its iconic Christmas tree entirely to LEDs (light-emitting diodes). But that's just the most visible part of a greening effort that includes a solar power system, a green roof, and an iced-based energy storage facility.
Site News
EERE Project Management Center Web Site and Newsletter
The Project Management Center within DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is a major conduit for DOE funding. The center has launched a monthly online newsletter that covers emerging topics of interest, with a focus each month on a specific EERE program.
Energy Connections
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dropped 1.5% in 2006, Says EIA
Despite a nearly 3% growth in the U.S. economy in 2006, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 1.5%, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA). A big part of the drop was the use of low- or no-carbon energy sources by power plants.
