EREN Network News

May 12, 1999

News and Events

• Twelve More Schools Join Solar Schools Program
• Green Mountain College Designated Energy Star Showcase
• Alliance to Save Energy Awards Energy Efficiency Leaders
• New Study: Renewable Technologies Have Met Cost Goals

Site News

• Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology
• Alternative Fuel Refueling Station Locator

Energy Facts and Tips

• Electricity Prices Drop with Falling Fossil Fuel Costs
• Using Ventilation to Cool Your Home

About this Newsletter

News and Events

Twelve More Schools Join Solar Schools Program
Eleven schools in Ohio and one in Texas have pledged to participate in the Solar Schools program, which installs solar photovoltaic systems on schools. The program is a collaborative effort of DOE, American Electric Power, BP Solar, the Foundation for Environmental Education, state governments and local communities. The first school in the program was Bluffsview Elementary School in Worthington, Ohio. A 2-kilowatt solar power system was installed there and dedicated in early March. For more information, see American Electric Power's press release.

Green Mountain College Designated Energy Star Showcase
Green Mountain College, located in Poultney, Vermont, has been designated as the first Energy Star Showcase. The college has embarked on a multiyear effort to make its campus as environmentally sensitive as possible. As part of this effort, the college replaced all the residential light fixtures in the dorms and other living spaces, using new fixtures that carried the DOE/EPA Energy Star label. The college is also working with the EPA Energy Star Buildings and Green Lights Partnership. For more information, call the Energy Star Hotline, (888)-STAR-YES.

Alliance to Save Energy Awards Energy Efficiency Leaders
Leaders in the advancement of energy efficiency will be recognized tonight at an awards ceremony conducted by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE). Media mogul Ted Turner will receive the Charles H. Percy Award for his outstanding public service in support of environmental education. The Whirlpool Corporation, the Durst Organization Inc., and the North American Insulation Manufacturers of America will also receive awards as Stars of Energy Efficiency. For more information, see the ASE press release.

New Study: Renewable Technologies Have Met Cost Goals
Renewable energy technologies have made great strides in reducing costs over the past 30 years, according to a report by Resources for the Future, a Washington, D.C.-based policy organization. The authors note that although renewables have met or exceeded proponent's projections for reducing costs, the declines in the cost of conventional fuels has hampered their market penetration. The study, "Winner, Loser or Innocent Victim: Has Renewable Energy Performed as Expected?", was supported in part by the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP). For more information, see report in the "New Publications Available" section of the REPP Web site.

Site News

Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology
Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT) is a research and development partnership between the DOE and members of the U.S. photovoltaic industry. PVMaT is "designed to help U.S. industry improve module manufacturing processes and equipment; accelerate manufacturing cost reductions for PV modules, balance-of- systems components, and integrated systems; increase commercial product performance and reliability; and enhance the investment opportunities for substantially scaling up U.S. manufacturing capacity and increasing U.S. market share."

PVMaT is part of DOE's National Center for Photovoltaics and is coordinated by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Visit the PVMaT site for an overview of PVMaT; information about PVMaT projects and partners; publications and fact sheets; news and events; and contacts

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

Alternative Fuel Refueling Station Locator
If you drive an alternative-fuel vehicle, or have considered buying or leasing one, one of your biggest concerns may be finding places to refuel. The new Alternative Fuel Refueling Station Locator alleviates these concerns by providing a map-based database of alternative-fuel refueling stations throughout the United States. The user-friendly national locator can help drivers find ethanol and methanol blends, electricity, propane and natural gas. The locator was developed by DOE's Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC).

For more information, see the AFDC Web site.

Energy Facts and Tips

Electricity Prices Drop with Falling Fossil Fuel Costs
The prices of all fossil fuels bought by electric utilities fell in 1998, resulting in a 1 percent reduction in the price of electricity, according to a new report by DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA). The "Electric Power Annual 1998, Volume I," found the cost of petroleum for utilities dropped 25 percent in 1998, reaching its lowest price since 1976. For more information, see the EIA report.

Using Ventilation to Cool Your Home
Ventilation can be an effective cooling strategy in many parts of the country. In areas with hot days and cooler nights, the strategy is to keep your home closed up during the day. If practical, close any window shades or shutters to help keep out sunshine and insulate against the outside heat. Once the outside air starts growing cool in the evening, open the shades and windows to let your home cool down. In areas with steady daytime breezes, it may be beneficial to ventilate your home during the day, although at best this will keep your home at the same temperature as the outdoors.

You can attempt to naturally ventilate your home by carefully choosing which windows to open. If there is a breeze, open the windows on the upwind and downwind sides of your home. Ideally, the windows should be staggered in location so that the breeze moves throughout your home, rather than straight through it.

If there is no breeze, you might try to take advantage of the fact that hot air rises. If you live in a multistory home, open windows in the top floor to exhaust the heat, and open windows in the bottom floor, or even the basement, to let the cool air in. Be sure to leave doors open so the air can flow through your home.

Next week's edition will examine the use of fans to help ventilate your home. For more information, see the EREC fact sheet, "Cooling Your Home Naturally."

About this Newsletter

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