EREN Network News

May 26, 1999

News and Events

• Wyoming Wind Site to Triple in Capacity this Fall
• DOE Awards Contributors to Clean Cities Program
• Groundbreaking Held for New Energy-Efficient Community
• New Hampshire Initiates "Solar on Schools" Program
• Seattle City Light, University of Washington Complete Energy-Efficiency Project

Site News

• Arizona Solar Center
• Alternative Fuels Data Center

Energy Facts and Tips

• State Coal Profiles
• Using a Whole-House Fan to Ventilate Your Home

About this Newsletter

News and Events

Wyoming Wind Site to Triple in Capacity this Fall
The Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) of Fort Collins, Colorado, has announced plans to install five new 660-kilowatt wind turbines at its Medicine Bow, Wyoming, wind site. The new turbines, which will triple the capacity of the wind site, will be installed by fall of 1999. Three turbines will supply green power to the Colorado cities of Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland, and Aspen. The two other turbines will provide power to New Belgium Brewing Company of Fort Collins and the Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association. Tri-State is a wholesale energy supplier to 32 rural electric associations in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

For more information, see the PRPA Web site.

See also the Tri-State Web site.

DOE Awards Contributors to Clean Cities Program
Seven organizations and eight communities were awarded on May 24th for their contributions to DOE's Clean Cities program. The organizations received National Partner Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in promoting, developing, or using alternative-fuel vehicle technologies. The communities received Clean Cities Coalition Awards for their efforts in building coalitions to promote and increase alternative fuel vehicle use, improve refueling infrastructures, and support alternative-fuel vehicle legislation. For more information, including a list of awardees, see the DOE press release.

The awards were presented as part of the 5th Clean Cities Conference and Exposition, held this year in Louisville, Kentucky. For more information on the Clean Cities program, see the Web site.

Groundbreaking Held for New Energy-Efficient Community
The use of the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies will be the highlight of a new housing development in Pittsburgh. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held May 14th for Summerset at Frick Park, which will include 336 single-family houses, 121 townhouses and 256 apartments. Summerset is one of five national pilot communities in the federal government's Partnership for Advancing Technologies in Housing (PATH). DOE's Building America program is also a partner in the project. For more information, see the DOE press release.

New Hampshire Initiates "Solar on Schools" Program
Solar photovoltaic electric system will be installed on four schools in New Hampshire through a new "Solar on Schools" program. Governor Jeanne Shaheen announced the program on May 13th. Each of the schools will integrate material on solar and other forms of renewable energy into their curricula, making the most of the educational opportunity provided by the 2-kilowatt systems. The program was developed by the New Hampshire Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services (ECS), Public Service of New Hampshire, and Solar Works, Inc. For more information, see the ECS Web site.

Seattle City Light, University of Washington Complete Energy-Efficiency Project
Seattle City Light announced May 21st that the largest energy-efficiency project in its history had been completed at the University of Washington. Since 1992, the utility and the university have been working together to install more than $12 million of energy-efficient lighting improvements and new technology in buildings across the campus. As a result, the university has cut its annual energy bill by nearly $2 million, saving enough electricity to power more than 4000 homes. For more information, see the Seattle City Light press release.

Site News

Arizona Solar Center
The Arizona Solar Center site is a source for information on solar energy in Arizona. The site includes information about the Center; descriptions of Arizona solar initiatives, applications, research, and organizations; a listing of educational resources; a directory of solar companies; and a calendar of events. The site also provides information about solar energy technologies, describes other renewables in Arizona, and presents information on solar energy benefits and incentives.

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

Alternative Fuels Data Center
The Alternative Fuels Data Center Web site has been redesigned to be more user-friendly, with a smarter look and better navigation throughout the site. One new feature on the site is an Alternative Fuels page that provides in-depth information on each of the fuels classified as "alternative." As before, the site also includes alternative-fuel vehicle information, legislative and incentive information, periodicals, documents, events, and links to other resources.

Energy Facts and Tips

State Coal Profiles
The introduction of new mining techniques and technologies has caused dramatic shifts in U.S. coal production on a state-by-state basis. West Virginia's coal production, for instance, was on a decline in the 1970s, but is near record levels now. Meanwhile, Wyoming went from minor levels of coal production in 1970 to being the largest coal-producing state today.

This information is now dramatically illustrated in a series of graphs on a new "State Coal Profiles" Web page. DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) created this map-based compilation of coal statistics and graphs for each of the 16 major coal-producing states, for the United States as a whole, and for the lesser coal-producing states as a group. See the "State Information" section of EIA's Coal Web page.

Using a Whole-House Fan to Ventilate Your Home
Last week's edition examined methods of using fans to help ventilate your home. One approach is the use of a whole- house fan. These are an effective means of ventilating a home, especially for multistory homes, but they must be properly sized -- an oversized fan could use more energy than necessary. Because they can present a large potential to lose energy in the winter, whole-house fans must be carefully covered and insulated in the winter. For more information on these topics, see "Installing and Using a Whole-House Fan" on DOE's Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs Web site.

About this Newsletter

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