EREN Network News

March 15, 2000

News and Events

• First U.S. Waste-to-Ethanol Plant to be Built in Louisiana
• DOE Awards Funds to Develop Revolutionary Energy Plants
• DOE to Help Develop Cleaner, Fuel-Efficient Truck Engines
• Alliance to Save Energy Earth Day Plea: "4 for the Planet"
• DOE, Owens Corning Can Help You Prepare for Earth Day

• Electric Transit Vehicle Institute (ETVI)
• New Look for EREN Network News Online

• U.S. Greenhouse Emissions Increased 0.5 Percent in 1998
• "Home Again" Features Structural Insulating Panels and a Drain Water Heat Recovery System

About this Newsletter

News and Events

First U.S. Waste-to-Ethanol Plant to be Built in Louisiana
BC International Corporation recently received approval to issue bonds that will fund the construction and operation of the first commercial biomass-waste-to-energy facility in the United States. The facility will use genetically engineered bacteria to convert agricultural waste into ethanol. Construction is slated to start in June at a site in Jennings, Louisiana. Limited ethanol production should start in February 2002, and full production should be reached by August 2002. At full production, the facility will process 340,000 dry tons of sugar cane waste and rice hulls per year. See the BC International press release.

DOE Awards Funds to Develop Revolutionary Energy Plants
DOE announced last week the award of $29 million for six projects to develop low-emission energy plants that will be capable of processing a wide range of fuels and generating multiple forms of energy. The "Vision 21" plants will draw on such fuels as coal, natural gas, biomass and municipal wastes to generate electricity, transportation fuels and chemicals. Three of the projects will develop advanced fuel- cell technologies, including a hybrid fuel cell/gas turbine system that was discussed in last week's newsletter. One project will develop an advanced gas turbine, and the remaining two projects will address integration and control of the technologies. See the DOE press release.

DOE to Help Develop Cleaner, Fuel-Efficient Truck Engines
DOE announced yesterday the start of a new project that will develop advanced heavy-duty diesel engines for 18-wheel tractor-trailers. DOE will provide $5 million in funds that will be matched by three industry partners: Caterpillar, Inc.; Cummins Engine Company; and Detroit Diesel Corporation. The research partnership will develop cleaner and more fuel- efficient diesel engines, cutting operating costs for truckers while reducing U.S. dependence on imported oil. See the DOE press release.

Alliance to Save Energy Earth Day Plea: "4 for the Planet"
The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) is gearing up for Earth Day 2000, adopting the slogan "4 for the Planet" and encouraging families to replace their four most-used light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. ASE estimates that if the entire United States took this simple action, the pollution reduction would be equal to taking 7 million cars off the road. ASE has also added 100 new prizes to its Earth Day 2000 Web Contest. See the ASE press release.

ASE is obviously well aware of the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words," because their Earth Day site now conveys their energy efficiency message with pictures and animation — from racing appliances in the "Appliance Olympics" to poor Frank, who needs your help in "Clearing the Air" around his house. See the ASE Earth Day Web site.

DOE, Owens Corning Can Help You Prepare for Earth Day
Earth Day 2000 is rapidly approaching, and if your organization is struggling to get ready, DOE and its partner, Owens Corning, are ready to help. The popular energy efficiency booklet, "Energy Savers: Tips for Saving Energy & Money at Home" is available for reprinting at a cost of only 23 cents per copy, plus 8 cents for shipping and handling. You can even get your organization's name printed on the back. Produced by DOE in cooperation with Owens Corning, the booklet fits well into this year's theme of "Clean Energy Now!" More than one million copies of the booklet are already in print. Order by March 20th to receive your copies in time for the April 22nd event. See the Energy Savers Partnership Program on the EREN Web site.

The worldwide celebrations of Earth Day 2000 are being coordinated by the Earth Day Network.

Site News

Electric Transit Vehicle Institute (ETVI)
ETVI is a non-profit organization formed to promote the design, production and utilization of battery-powered electric and hybrid vehicles and buses. The site features general to technical information on electric and hybrid technology, including information on the benefits of electric and hybrid- electric vehicles, where electric and hybrid-electric buses operate in the United States, lessons learned about electric and hybrid-electric buses, and a list of manufacturers. The site also features a kid’s section.

New Look for EREN Network News Online
The online version of this newsletter has been enhanced to prominently feature the latest edition while providing intuitive navigation and a fresher look. All back issues are posted online and searchable. See EREN Network News Online.

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

Energy Facts and Tips

U.S. Greenhouse Emissions Increased 0.5 Percent in 1998
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its draft report on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions for 1998, which shows a 0.5 percent increase in emissions for the year (as reported in carbon equivalents). Although the increase is smaller than in recent years, U.S. greenhouse emissions have increased a total of 11.5 percent since 1990. Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels were responsible for 80 percent of these emissions in 1998, and were also responsible for more than 80 percent of the increase in emissions since 1990. See the draft report on the EPA Web site.

"Home Again" Features Structural Insulating Panels and a Drain Water Heat Recovery System
Continuing our look at Bob Villa's "Home Again," this week's show features the use of Structural Insulating Panels (SIPs), which can replace traditional framing, sheathing, and insulation. SIPs feature a highly insulating foam core sandwiched between two sheets of plywood and can be used for walls, ceilings, and roofing. In addition to being energy efficient, SIPs are prefabricated to allow quick installation at the building site, as is amply demonstrated on the show — the two-story house was constructed from the floorboards to the roof in one day.

Also featured on this week's show is a system to recover the heat in drain water for preheating the water coming into the water heater. This drain water heat recovery system is one of the success stories of DOE's Inventions and Innovation program, which funds the development of energy-saving inventions.

For more details about these technologies and the "Home Again" show, plus lists of local TV schedules, see Bob Villa's Web site.

About this Newsletter

To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your e-mail address, please go to the Web page http://www.eren.doe.gov/newsletter/subscribe/.

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) home page is located at http://www.eren.doe.gov/.

Please contact webmaster_eere@nrel.gov if you have questions or comments about the EREN Web site.

If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor.