EREN Network News

September 22, 1999

News and Events

• World's Largest Wind Power Plant Dedicated in Iowa
• California Businesses Sign Up for Green Power
• Report: Insurance Industry Should Use Solar for Disasters
• DOE Selects Firms to Develop Electric Drive Motors for Cars
• Report: Photovoltaics Need One Large Plant to Compete

Site News

• ATLAS Project

Energy Facts and Tips

• International Panel Says Future Carbon Emissions Uncertain
• Online Database Provides Detailed Lighting Information

About this Newsletter

News and Events

World's Largest Wind Power Plant Dedicated in Iowa
Wind energy surged ahead last week with the dedication of the world's largest wind energy facility, a 192.8-megawatt wind plant in Storm Lake, Iowa. The facility, which is owned and operated by Enron Wind Corporation, will generate enough electricity each year to power 71,000 households. Enron Wind also dedicated a 103.5-megawatt wind facility in southwestern Minnesota, near Lake Benton. For more information, see the DOE press release.

In related news, FPL Energy Wisconsin Wind LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Energy, Inc., has agreed to supply 30 megawatts of wind energy to two Wisconsin utilities. The wind facility will be located near Allenton, Wisconsin, and will generate enough electricity each year to power more than 12,000 households. Construction on the facility will begin in March 2000, and it is scheduled to begin operating by the end of that year. For more information, see the press release on the FPL Energy Web site.

California Businesses Sign Up for Green Power
Last week was a good week for green power suppliers in California. Both MCI WorldCom and Fetzer Vineyards signed up for 100-percent green power -- electricity generated from renewable energy. MCI WorldCom, a telecommunications company, signed with Preferred Energy Services to power its facilities throughout the state. Preferred Energy Services claims that MCI WorldCom will thereby become the largest commercial user of green power in California. See the press release on the Preferred Energy Services Web site.

Fetzer Vineyards, located in Hopland, California, signed with PG&E Energy Services, becoming the first winery to purchase all its electricity from renewable energy. The company estimates that its annual power purchases will total 5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. Fetzer was recently in the news for installing a 40-kilowatt photovoltaic system at its winery. For more information, see the press release on the PG&E Energy Services Web site.

Also announced last week was an agreement between Commonwealth Energy Corporation and the Green Restaurant Association to promote renewable energy in California. The Green Restaurant Association helps restaurants and their customers reduce their environmental impact in convenient ways. Under the agreement, the association will encourage its California members to buy green power from Commonwealth Energy. See the press release on the Commonwealth Energy Web site. For more information about Green Power, see the Green Power Network on EREN.

Report: Insurance Industry Should Use Solar for Disasters
Last week's power outages from Hurricane Floyd drive home the fact that our electricity supply can be severely disrupted by natural disasters. Officials estimate that more than 4 million households lost electricity as a result of the storm. A timely report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggests that the insurance industry can avoid millions of dollars in property claims by adopting solar and other renewable energy technologies for use during disasters. The report, "Solar Technology and the Insurance Industry: Issues and Applications," notes that solar energy can provide power for emergency communications, water purification, lighting, and other needs. For more information, see the NREL press release.

See also NREL's "Surviving Disaster with Renewable Energy" Web site.

DOE Selects Firms to Develop Electric Drive Motors for Cars
DOE announced last week that it will provide $6 million in funding to develop smaller, lighter, more powerful, and less expensive electric-motor drive systems for cars. The electric drive systems are an essential component of fuel-cell powered cars and hybrid electric vehicles, which combine electric motors with combustion engines. For more information, see the DOE press release.

See also DOE's Office of Transportation Technologies Web site on EREN.

Report: Photovoltaics Need One Large Plant to Compete
Experts in the field of solar photovoltaic technologies have long maintained that economies of scale will drive down costs for photovoltaic systems. A new report from the Dutch accounting firm KPMG confirms this assertion. The study, commissioned by Greenpeace, found that one large-scale factory producing five million solar panels each year could reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems by 75 percent or more. This would make solar power cost-competitive with conventional sources of electricity. The report estimates such a large-scale photovoltaic manufacturing facility would cost roughly $660 million. For more information, see the Greenpeace Web site.

Site News

ATLAS Project
The ATLAS Project was a major initiative to establish an information base for energy research and technological development strategy in the European Union (EU). The site features information on selected innovative technologies in each of the main sectors of energy supply (renewables, heat and power) and energy demand (industry, buildings and transport). Users will find information about the market status of the technology or process, its contribution to EU-level policy objectives, technical and non-technical status of the technology, and current and future needs.

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

Energy Facts and Tips

International Panel Says Future Carbon Emissions Uncertain
Energy experts typically predict the future on the basis of what's called "business as usual" -- they use current trends and assume no significant changes in growth rates or technologies. But a draft report by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) dismisses the business-as-usual scenario, declaring instead that a wide range of future scenarios is equally likely. The previous report from the IPCC, which is at the center of the climate change debate, had used a business-as-usual scenario to predict that world carbon dioxide emissions would triple to 18 billion tons by 2100. The new draft report includes predictions ranging from 4.3 billion tons -- less than today's emissions -- to 36.7 billion tons. According to the New Scientist, which publicized the report, the largest uncertainty is how low-emissions technologies will develop. For more information, see the New Scientist article.

Online Database Provides Detailed Lighting Information
Looking for specific, technical information about compact fluorescent light bulbs? The National Lighting Product Information Program (NLPIP) Online provides summaries of manufacturer information plus independent tests of these energy-efficient light bulbs. The site also includes reports on a wide range of lighting technologies, including occupancy sensors and energy-efficient exit signs. The site, created by the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is free, but you must register to use it. See NLPIP Online.

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