EREN Network News

March 17, 1999

News and Events

• Brewing Company to be Largest Private U.S. Wind Buyer
• Wisconsin Electric to Build Two New Wind Turbines
• DOE Awards $2.1 Million for Energy Efficiency in Industry
• New Process Developed to Convert French-Fry Oil to Fuel
• Green Power Group Releases Policy Position

Site News

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Heat Island Group
• Cool Roofing Materials Database

Energy Facts and Tips

• Solar School Energy Production
• Automated Controls for Lighting

News and Events

Brewing Company to be Largest Private U.S. Wind Buyer
Fort Collins Utilities, a municipal utility in Colorado, recently announced that New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc. has committed to pay a premium to receive all its electricity from wind power. With its annual usage of about 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, the brewery will become the largest private purchaser of wind power in the country. To supply the wind power, a new 660-kilowatt wind turbine will be built next fall at the Platte River Power Authority wind site near Medicine Bow, Wyoming. New Belgium has also incorporated several innovative energy efficiency technologies at its Fort Collins facility.

See the press release on Fort Collins Utilities' Web site.

See also the "Our Innovations" and "Our Story" sections of the New Belgium Web site.

Wisconsin Electric to Build Two New Wind Turbines
Wisconsin Electric, a utility serving much of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is preparing to construct two 660-kilowatt wind turbines near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The turbines, which will produce enough electricity to power 300 homes, should be operating by June 1999. They are being built as part of the utility's Energy for Tomorrow (TM) Renewable Energy Program, in which customers agree to pay a premium to receive some or all of their electricity from renewable energy sources. For more information, see Wisconsin Electric's Web site.

DOE Awards $2.1 Million for Energy Efficiency in Industry
DOE announced on March 12th the award of more than $2.1 million to six U.S. manufacturing companies to help demonstrate and commercialize more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies. The grants will advance energy-efficient technologies in the chemicals, metalcasting, aluminum, forest products, and steel industries. The awards are part of the National Industrial Competitiveness through Energy, Environment, and Economics (NICE3) program, a strategic partnership among DOE, industry, and state energy offices. See the DOE press release.

For more information on the NICE3 program, see the Web site.

New Process Developed to Convert French-Fry Oil to Fuel
Researchers at DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) have found a better, cheaper way to convert used french-fry oil into biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel, generated from renewable sources such as vegetable oils, can replace petroleum-based fuels to power vehicles with diesel engines. The INEEL researchers developed a catalytic process to improve the separation of the fuel from the used french-fry oil. The process has the potential to generate biodiesel at competitive prices while eliminating the oil wastes currently generated by the food processing industry. For more information, see the INEEL press release.

Green Power Group Releases Policy Position
The Renewable Energy Alliance (REA) announced on March 9th the release of their policy position paper, "Electric Industry Restructuring Principles: Realizing the Benefits of Retail Electricity Choice." The position paper lists the policies the REA believes is necessary to have a vibrant, competitive retail market for electricity generated from renewable sources. The REA is a national trade association of companies that produce or sell renewable energy in competitive electricity markets. See the REA's press release.

Site News

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Heat Island Group
According to their home page, the Heat Island Group conducts research "to find, analyze, and implement solutions to the summer warming trends occurring in urban areas, the so-called heat island effect. We currently concentrate on the study and development of more reflective surfaces for roadways and buildings." Information about heat islands, Group publications, project information, and staff and contact information are available on this site.

Cool Roofing Materials Database
The Cool Roofing Materials Database is a project of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Heat Island Group. The purpose of the database is "to assist with the selection of roofing materials which reflect, or otherwise reject, the sun's radiant energy, before it penetrates into the interior of the building." This Web site includes tips on using the database; solar and thermal data for asphalt shingles, roof coatings, roofing membranes, metal roofing, and roofing tiles; and a list of companies that supply cool roofing materials.

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

Energy Facts and Tips

Solar School Energy Production
Last week's EREN Network News included news of a solar energy installation at Bluffsview Elementary School in Worthington, Ohio. American Electric Power, one of the sponsors of the installation, has created a Web site that allows you to view the daily power generation from the solar array. The Web site allows you to pick a starting date and choose either monthly or daily graphs. The daily graphs are a clear illustration of how solar output varies from sunrise to sunset, with fluctuations from cloud cover throughout the day. Visit the American Electric Power Web site.

Automated Controls for Lighting
A wide variety of automated controls for lighting can help you save energy while also maintaining the security of your home. For rooms in which you spend very little time, such as garages or laundry rooms, consider installing occupancy sensors on your light switches. These will conveniently turn on the light when it is needed, but turn it off once you've left the room. For outside lights, motion sensors can be used to only turn on the light when someone approaches your home. Adjust the sensors so that people walking by don't cause the light to turn on. Don't use compact fluorescent bulbs in fixtures switched by any of the above means, because the useful life of these bulbs is shortened significantly by frequent cycling between on and off.

If you have a light that you leave on for most of the evening, consider using a timer to switch it on and off at the same time each evening. Light-sensing controls are also available to turn lights on as your home gets dark. Compact fluorescent bulbs are ideal for these applications. For more information about compact fluorescent bulbs, see the Compact Fluorescent Lamp page located on DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Web site.

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