EREN Network News

February 16, 2000

News and Events

• Plug Power Achieves Fuel Cell Milestone, Opens New Facility
• New York City Transit, New York State Buy Clean Buses
• Green Pricing Certification Comes to Wisconsin
• Petroleum Industry Joins DOE's Industries of the Future
• Tennessee Valley Authority Opens New Research Institute
• Valvoline Installs Energy-Efficient Lighting, Saves Money

Site News

• U.S. Green Building Council Online

• Get an Overview of the Electric Power Industry

About this Newsletter

News and Events

Plug Power Achieves Fuel Cell Milestone, Opens New Facility
Plug Power Inc. announced Monday that it has operated a hydrogen-powered fuel cell for more than 10,000 hours — a significant milestone. The company also opened a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility adjacent to its existing research and development facility in Latham, New York. The facility will begin producing Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells for field testing later this year. Plug Power plans to begin commercial sales in 2001. See the Plug Power news releases.

In related news, FuelCell Energy, Inc. announced plans to construct a 250-kilowatt fuel-cell power plant within the next year at a Mercedes-Benz production facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Southern Company, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. are contributing to the pilot project. See FuelCell Energy's press release.

New York City Transit, New York State Buy Clean Buses
Lockheed Martin Control Systems (LMCS) announced last month that New York City Transit has ordered 125 buses equipped with a hybrid diesel-electric drive system developed by the company. The drive system is more fuel efficient than standard buses, while also emitting less pollution and noise. The buses will use "regenerative" braking to recharge the buses' batteries when stopping. Orion Bus Systems will build the buses, which will hit the New York City streets in early 2001. See the press release on the LMCS Web site.

Ithaca, New York, will also receive two of the hybrid electric buses, according to an announcement earlier this month by New York Governor George Pataki. In addition, New York State is purchasing 70 compressed natural gas buses to service New York City, Long Island, and Rochester. See the governor's press release.

Green Pricing Certification Comes to Wisconsin
A coalition of utilities and environmental groups announced Monday a new effort to accredit utility green power programs in Wisconsin. Green power — electricity produced from renewable energy sources — is becoming available to consumers throughout the country. In states like Wisconsin that have not deregulated their electric utilities, green power is often offered through utilities at a premium price, an approach called green pricing. To receive accreditation, the Wisconsin utility programs will have to meet a series of stringent environmental and customer protection criteria, including use of new renewable resources.

The Wisconsin accreditation group will work under the auspices of the national Accreditation Initiative for Green Pricing Programs, sponsored by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). Since 1997, CRS has administered the "Green-e" certification for green power programs in states with competitive markets for electricity. The Wisconsin initiative will be the first case of extending that approach to utility green pricing programs. See the CRS press release.

In related news, Wisconsin Electric has donated two wind turbines and three solar photovoltaic systems to the Milwaukee County Zoo and three metro Milwaukee-area environmental centers. The renewable energy systems are accompanied by exhibits as part of the utility's renewable energy education program. See the News section of the Wisconsin Electric Web site.

Petroleum Industry Joins DOE's Industries of the Future
Officials from the petroleum industry last week signed an agreement with DOE to jointly develop technologies that increase the energy efficiency of petroleum operations while protecting the environment. Executives from Marathon- Ashland Petroleum, Sunoco Inc., the American Petroleum Institute, and the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association signed a compact with Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. See the DOE news release.

The pact is part of DOE's Industries of the Future initiative, which creates partnerships with the most energy- and waste- intensive industries to accelerate research, development and deployment of cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. See the Industries of the Future Web site.

Tennessee Valley Authority Opens New Research Institute
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) opened its new Public Power Institute late last month. TVA says the research institute will place special emphasis on renewable energy supply and efficient energy production and use. TVA has provided $8 million in funding for the institute's first year, with intentions to form partnerships with DOE, local power distributors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Electric Power Research Institute. See the TVA press release.

See also the Public Power Institute page on the TVA Web site.

Valvoline Installs Energy-Efficient Lighting, Saves Money
The Valvoline Company, a division of Ashland Inc., announced early this month that it has installed energy- efficient lighting that will reduce electricity use by more than 50 percent, saving the company more than $180,000 annually. The company reduced its energy use for lighting in 398 corporate-owned oil change service centers and 11 manufacturing and distributing facilities nationwide. See the press release on the Ashland Web site.

Valvoline upgraded its energy efficiency as part of its voluntary commitment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Buildings and Green Lights Partnership. For more information on these programs, see the EPA Web site.

Site News

U.S. Green Building Council Online
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which is 275 members strong, accelerates the adoption of green building practices, technologies, policies, and standards. USGBC Online, the Council's digital resource center and clearinghouse of green building information, features comprehensive green building case studies and a monthly newsletter. Information on joining the council is also available. For this and other recent additions see the EREN Web site.

Energy Facts and Tips

Get an Overview of the Electric Power Industry
DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has drawn on its extensive statistics to provide an effective overview of the electric power industry. Recently updated to include 1998 data, the overview presents information on how electricity is generated in the United States and how it is used, as well as a close look at many of the issues now facing the industry. See the Electric Power Industry Overview.

The overview also effectively combines information about both utility and nonutility sources of electricity — a difference that can be as stark as night and day. See one comparison as an example:

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