EREN Network News

February 24, 1999

News and Events

• Solar Installation Supplies Power to Carpet Manufacturer
• Texas Utility Signs Contract to Buy Wind Power
• 17 Wind Sites to be Developed in Minnesota
• Commercial Wind Power Comes to New Mexico
• Renewable Funds Available for Native American Lands

Site News

• Northeast Regional Biomass Program
• New, Improved EREN News Site

Energy Facts and Tips

• Electricity Rates in California
• Save Electricity with Compact Fluorescent Lamps

About this Newsletter

News and Events

This week's theme is electricity from renewable energy sources, usually referred to as green power. For general information about this subject, visit EREN's Green Power Network.

Solar Installation Supplies Power to Carpet Manufacturer
Bentley Mills, a carpet manufacturer in City of Industry, California, is expected to power about 6 percent of its manufacturing plant with a new 127-kilowatt photovoltaic system. The system, which uses 448 solar panels measuring 4.2 feet by 6.2 feet each, was funded in part by DOE's Utility Photovoltaic Group and the California Energy Commission. It was dedicated on February 19th as part of the President's Million Solar Roofs initiative, which has a goal of one million solar energy systems on U.S. buildings and homes by the year 2010.

For more information, see the DOE press release.

Also see the California Energy Commission press release.

For more information see the Million Solar Roofs initiative.

Texas Utility Signs Contract to Buy Wind Power
Texas-based Reliant Energy HL&P has signed a contract with American National Wind Power to purchase 22,000 kilowatts of wind-generated electricity -- enough to power more than 4,000 homes on a typical hot summer day. Construction has begun on the wind project, located in the Delaware Mountains in far west Texas, and it should start producing power by late June 1999. HL&P serves 1.6 million customers in the greater Houston area. See HL&P's press release at.

17 Wind Sites to be Developed in Minnesota
Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota-based utility, has signed agreements for purchasing a total of 25 megawatts of wind energy to be developed at 17 sites. Turbines ranging in size from 0.5 megawatts to just under 2 megawatts will be built on farmland in a broad distribution of sites, mainly in southwestern Minnesota. Minneapolis- based Northern Alternative Energy (NAE) will develop the sites. See NAE's press release.

Commercial Wind Power Comes to New Mexico
Southwestern Public Service Company, a utility serving Texas and New Mexico, has contracted for the construction of the first commercial wind turbine in New Mexico. Located near the town of Clovis, the 660-kilowatt turbine should start producing power in April. The utility will sell the power at a premium price to customers in New Mexico. For more information, see the press release from the American Wind Energy Association.

Renewable Funds Available for Native American Lands
DOE has made $1.8 million in funding available to develop renewable energy projects on Native American lands. DOE intends to fund 10 to 20 projects that demonstrate market penetration of renewable power technology, the potential for job creation, and environmental benefits. For more information, see the DOE press release.

Site News

Northeast Regional Biomass Program
The Northeast Regional Biomass Program (NRBP) is one of five Regional Biomass Energy Programs established and funded by DOE. The NRBP's mission is "to evaluate biomass technologies and fuels and to provide objective, reliable information to consumers and policy leaders." Information about the NRBP, news, project information, program publications, and a "Consumer Guide to Heating with Pellets" are available on this Web site.

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

New, Improved EREN News Site
EREN's News, Events, and Hot Topics page has been redesigned with new features and a new look. Recent headlines from EERE press releases dominate the page, and links take you directly to news from the major offices within EERE. For your reference, the site also includes archival copies of EREN Network News.

Energy Facts and Tips

Electricity Rates in California
The Office of Ratepayer Advocates in the California Public Utilities Commission has posted comprehensive tables of electricity rates now available from the various electricity service providers in California. Most noteworthy is that nearly all of the non-utility providers are selling green power. While particularly relevant to Californians, this information also provides a suggestion of what may be coming to states that are considering electric deregulation. See the Web site.

Save Electricity with Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Compact fluorescent lamps are energy-saving alternatives to standard incandescent lamps. Although the initial cost of compact fluorescents is high (typically $15 to $20), their combination of extremely long life and energy savings will ultimately save you about $50 per bulb. The newest models come in a variety of sizes, are flicker-free, and achieve a natural color balance similar to incandescents. Compact fluorescents are best used in fixtures that are often left on for much of the evening, such as kitchen, living room, or recreation room fixtures.

Many new fixtures are designed specifically for compact fluorescent lamps. If buying a new fixture, look for the DOE/EPA Energy Star label. See the Energy Star Web site.

About this Newsletter

To subscribe to this newsletter, please go to the Web page http://www.eren.doe.gov/newsletter/subscribe/.

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) home page is located at http://www.eren.doe.gov/.

Please contact webmaster_eere@nrel.gov if you have questions or comments about the EREN Web site.

If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor.