EREN Network News

December 1, 1999

News and Events

• DOE Proposes New Air Conditioning Efficiency Standards
• Green Power Option Coming to Michigan's Upper Peninsula
• Wind, Cogeneration Projects Win Power Engineering Awards
• Colorado Leads Nation in Building "Green" Homes
• Ballard Racks Up More Automotive Fuel Cell Orders

Site News

• Sub-Compact Fluorescent Lamps (Sub-CFLs)

• Oil Reserves Take Largest Drop in Over 50 Years
• Coal-Burning Power Plants Produce Most Mercury Pollution

About this Newsletter

News and Events

DOE Proposes New Air Conditioning Efficiency Standards
DOE announced last week that it is pressing ahead with new energy efficiency standards for home central air conditioners and heat pumps. The current air conditioner standard is a seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER) of 10. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, published in the November 24th "Federal Register," suggests new efficiency standards ranging from 11-13 SEER. This higher standard would represent an increase in efficiency of 10 to 30 percent over today's central air conditioners. For more information, see the DOE press release.

The full text of the proposed rulemaking is available on-line by searching the Federal Register database.

Green Power Option Coming to Michigan's Upper Peninsula
The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved in mid-November a proposal to sell green power in northwest Michigan. The commission's approval allows Wisconsin Electric Power to extend its renewable energy program -- already a success in Wisconsin -- to its service customers in Michigan. The company serves 25,000 customers in the western part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For more information, see the MPSC press release.

Wisconsin Electric Power's renewable energy program allows customers to pay a small premium to receive their electricity from renewable energy sources, including wind, biomass, and small hydropower. For more information, see the utility's Web site.

Wind, Cogeneration Projects Win Power Engineering Awards
A wind energy project and a cogeneration plant were named as the 1999 Projects of the Year yesterday at the POWER-GEN International 1999 trade show in New Orleans. The Lake Benton I wind energy project in Lincoln County, Minnesota, and the Mid-Georgia Cogen plant in Kathleen, Georgia, were chosen by an independent panel of judges. The awards are sponsored by Power Engineering magazine.

The 107.25-megawatt Lake Benton I facility is owned by a subsidiary of Enron Wind Corporation, and the power is sold to Northern States Power Company. When the project came on-line in July 1998, it was the world's largest single wind energy project. It will generate 327,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, thereby avoiding 329 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. For more information, see the Enron Wind Web site.

The 300-megawatt Mid-Georgia Cogen plant is owned and operated by a joint venture between GPU International and Sonat Energy Services Company. The plant produces electricity with low emissions and an efficiency of 50 percent, while also providing steam to a nearby Frito Lay facility. Such "cogeneration" or combined heat and power (CHP) plants use energy much more efficiently than stand-alone power plants. For more information, see the Sonat Energy Services Web site.

In related news, DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are now offering an Energy Star CHP Award to recognize highly efficient CHP projects. For more information, see the announcement on DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies Web site.

Colorado Leads Nation in Building "Green" Homes
Colorado developers have built more than $1 billion worth of "green" homes in Colorado over the past two years, far more than any other state in the nation, according to the November 22nd "Rocky Mountain News." The Green Builder Program of Colorado designates homes as "Built Green" based on a long checklist that includes many energy efficiency and water conservation features. For more information, see the "Built Green" Web site.

One of the participating builders, McStain Enterprises of Boulder, is now featuring a solar photovoltaic electric system on the roof of one of their model homes. The 1.2-kilowatt system, provided by Altair Energy Systems, is offered as a standard option on all homes built by the company. For more information, see the press release on the Altair Energy Web site.

Ballard Racks Up More Automotive Fuel Cell Orders
In two separate press releases in November, Ballard Power Systems announced that it had received orders for automotive fuel cells totaling nearly $4 million. The orders were placed by the company's affiliate, dbb fuel cell engines inc., which is an alliance of Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and Ballard. Ford was named as one of the ultimate recipients, plus at least two other unnamed car companies. The latest orders follow an October announcement of a $2.6 million order from Honda. For more information, see the Ballard Web site.

Site News

Sub-Compact Fluorescent Lamps (Sub-CFLs)
As part of a special DOE program, a group of lighting manufacturers is offering energy-efficient and long lasting sub-CFLs at very competitive prices. These new, shorter lamps fit into most incandescent fixtures and carry an unconditional one-year warranty. The Web site -- intended for volume buyers such as multi-family building owners/operators, universities, public housing authorities, federal agencies and lighting product resellers -- provides technical specifications, pricing, and ordering information.

For this and other recent additions see the EREN Web site.

Energy Facts and Tips

Oil Reserves Take Largest Drop in Over 50 Years
U.S. proved reserves of crude oil fell 7 percent in 1998, the largest percentage decline in over 50 years, according to a report released last week by DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA). "Proved reserves" include all the oil in known reservoirs that engineers and geologists can reasonably expect to be recovered, based on today's technology and economics. The report, "Advance Summary: U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Reserves, 1998 Annual Report," attributes the drop in oil reserves to a decrease in the number of rigs drilling for oil, due to low oil prices.

U.S. proved reserves of natural gas also decreased by 2 percent in 1998, according to the report. Although the number of gas wells increased, the amount of discoveries per exploratory gas well was down 32 percent in 1998.

For more information, including a link to the full report, see the EIA press release.

Coal-Burning Power Plants Produce Most Mercury Pollution
A new report by a coalition of environmental groups finds that coal-burning power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States. Combined, the power plants emit an estimated 98,000 pounds of mercury into the air each year; another 81,000 pounds a year is carried away in solid wastes. Produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Clean Air Network, and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the report, "Mercury Falling: An Analysis of Mercury Pollution from Coal-Burning Power Plants," is claimed to be the first documentation of the mercury pollution generated by individual U.S. coal-burning power plants. Air emissions of mercury from power plants are not regulated, despite the high toxicity of the element. For more information, see the report on the EWG Web site.

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