EERE Network News
June 11, 2008
News and Events
World's Top Energy Ministers Launch Energy Efficiency Effort
The energy ministers from the Group of Eight, as well as China, India, and South Korea, have agreed to establish the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, which will serve as a forum for facilitating a broad range of actions that yield significant gains in energy efficiency.
DOE and Partners to Offer Prize for Efficient Lighting
You've heard of the "X Prize," which inspired commercial space efforts and is now inspiring a new generation of efficient vehicles, but now there's the "L Prize," which is geared toward energy efficient LED lamps. DOE hopes to find partners to offer a multimillion dollar purse for its new prize.
GM Shifts Away from Trucks and SUVs, Toward Cars and Crossovers
The high price of gasoline is causing a major shift in vehicle preferences for U.S. consumers, a shift that General Motors Corporation (GM) believes to be permanent. In response, the company is making major changes to its production plans, while continuing to rush its plug-in hybrid into production.
Toyota Doubles the Range of its Fuel Cell Vehicle
Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a new version of its fuel cell hydrogen vehicle that can travel 515 miles on a single refueling. The vehicle can also start and operate in extreme cold, thanks to an improved fuel cell stack.
Duke Energy Plans to Add Solar Power to 850 North Carolina Sites
Duke Energy Carolinas plans to install 20 megawatts of solar panels at customer sites throughout North Carolina. The utility has also contracted to buy all the power from an 18-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility that SunEdison plans to build north of Charlotte.
Connecticut to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80% by 2050
A newly approved bill requires Connecticut to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80% below 2001 levels by 2050. The bill authorizes a cap-and-trade program to meet the emissions reductions, but also requires consideration of a low-carbon fuel standard.
Energy Connections
EIA: Gasoline Prices to Peak at $4.15 per Gallon in August
DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has again upped its projections for energy prices and has pushed the projected peak in gasoline prices off until August. Facing disappointing oil production figures, the EIA no longer expects oil prices to fall next year.
