EREN Network News

December 20, 2000

News and Events

• Report: U.S. Fuel Economy Hits a 20-Year Low
• Astropower, Elkem to Develop Dedicated Solar Silicon Supply
• Orange County Operates First Hybrid Bus on West Coast
• Smithsonian Slated for Energy-Efficient Cooling and Power
• New Jersey Encourages Energy-Efficient Housing

• Bioenergy in Finland

• EPA Plans to Regulate Mercury Emissions from Power Plants
• Just How Much Energy Do Those Holiday Lights Use?

News and Events

Report: U.S. Fuel Economy Hits a 20-Year Low
The average fuel economy of model year 2000 light vehicles sold in the United States has bottomed out at 24.0 miles per gallon (mpg), the lowest since 1980, according to a new report. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that the continuing popularity of so- called light trucks — sport utility vehicles, vans, minivans and pickup trucks — has dragged average fuel economies to their 20-year low point. Light trucks make up half of the U.S. light- vehicle market and average from 20 to 22.5 mpg, offsetting the 28.1 mpg average achieved by new cars. According to the EPA, an increase of 3 mpg in average fuel economy would save consumers as much as $25 billion per year in fuel costs while cutting U.S. energy use by a million barrels of oil per day. See the EPA press release.

See also the full report.

Astropower, Elkem to Develop Dedicated Solar Silicon Supply
The photovoltaics industry has long ridden the coattails of the semiconductor industry, relying on silicon byproducts from that industry for the production of silicon solar cells. That dependence has often caused a limited availability and high price for solar-grade silicon, constraining the growth of the solar power industry. That appears to have changed last week, when Astropower, Inc. announced that it has reached an agreement with Elkem — the world's largest silicon producer — for final process development of a low-cost method of manufacturing solar-grade silicon. The alliance will create a dedicated source of silicon for the solar power industry. Dr. Allen Barnett, president of Astropower, said, "…we now believe that we have designed and demonstrated an integrated production process that will enable us to produce large volumes of cost-effective solar-grade silicon feedstock for the entire solar power industry." See the Astropower press release.

Orange County Operates First Hybrid Bus on West Coast
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) announced last week that it has placed into service the first hybrid-electric bus on the West Coast. The bus combines an electric motor with a diesel engine. The propulsion technology for the 40-foot bus was developed by Allison Transmission, a division of General Motors. See the OCTA press release.

Smithsonian Slated for Energy-Efficient Cooling and Power
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced last week that it will upgrade and modernize its Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant in Washington, D.C., to provide energy-efficient chilled-water cooling to eight Smithsonian Institution facilities. The new $64 million project will be fueled with natural gas and will use cogeneration to produce both chilled water and electricity. Excess power from the system will be sold into the power grid. The project, to be completed by June 2002, will be paid for out of the energy savings, requiring no up-front investment by the government. See the GSA press release.

The GSA project's ability to generate both cooling and power makes it a cogeneration, or "combined cooling, heating, and power" (CHP) facility, while its use of a centralized facility to serve many buildings qualifies it as a "district energy" system. For more information about both of these concepts, see DOE's CHP Initiative Web site on EREN.

New Jersey Encourages Energy-Efficient Housing
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs announced early this month that it will participate in a $14 million project that gives low- and moderate-income families a chance to buy houses that incorporate the latest in energy-saving features and environmental design technology. The department will work with mortgage-lender Fannie Mae and New Jersey's Public Service Electric & Gas to build or rehabilitate 150 homes in seven New Jersey cities. The funds will underwrite the construction costs and mortgages for the homes, which will use 30 percent less energy than typical new homes. See the press release on the department's Web site.

DOE's Rebuild America program operates on a model similar to the New Jersey project, in that it builds community partnerships to encourage smarter energy use in buildings. In March 2001, Rebuild America will partner with the Southface Energy Institute and Greenprints 2001 to present the 2001 Rebuild America National Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. The Forum schedule will dovetail with the Greenprints Conference, billed as "one of the premiere sustainable design and construction events of 2001." See the Forum Web site, with a link to the Greenprints site.

Site News

Bioenergy in Finland
Sponsored by the Finnish Bioenergy Association, this site presents the user with an overview of bioenergy technologies, a searchable database of publications, and the contact information for Finnish bioenergy companies and organizations. In addition, the site provides the current status of bioenergy in Finland, including statistics and legislative information.

For this and other recent additions to the EREN Web site, see http://www.eren.doe.gov/new/whats-new.html.

Energy Facts and Tips

EPA Plans to Regulate Mercury Emissions from Power Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it has decided to regulate power- plant emissions of mercury. Exposure to mercury has been associated with both neurological and developmental damage in humans, and coal-fired power plants are the greatest source of mercury emissions. The agency will propose regulations by 2003 and issue final rules by 2004. See the EPA press release.

Just How Much Energy Do Those Holiday Lights Use?
Electricity woes played the Grinch in California this year — as the state struggled to meet its power needs, the organization in charge of the power grid called for residents to delay turning on their holiday lights until 7 p.m. each night. Media reports said the California Independent System Operator (ISO) estimated its holiday lighting electrical load at 1,000 megawatts — enough to power one million homes. See the December 5th press release from the California Independent System Operator.

So how much power do holiday lights use? Seattle City Light took a more precise look at the issue and noted that it depends on the type of light you use. The old-fashioned large light bulbs draw 5 to 7 watts each — up to 20 times the energy use of mini-lights, which draw only 0.35 watts each. However, the mini-light strands may have nearly 10 times as many bulbs per strand, which cuts into their energy benefit. See the "Holiday Lighting" page on the the Seattle City Light Web site.

The Alliance to Save Energy took an even larger view. While arguing against large energy-consuming light displays, the Alliance also pointed out that for each compact fluorescent light bulb you substitute for an incandescent bulb in your home, you can afford to light a string of 100 mini-lights and still save energy, money, and the environment. And during the next year, that compact fluorescent will save five times the energy use of the light string. So perhaps the more energy efficient among us can dodge the Grinch this year and justify keeping those holiday lights burning. See the press release on the Alliance to Save Energy Web site.

Speaking of holidays, the EREN Network News will be taking next week off. We'll return with a New Year's bundle of news on January 3rd. Until then, we wish all our readers a joyful, peaceful, and energy-efficient holiday season.

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