EREN Network News

March 29, 2000

News and Events

• President Announces Clean Energy Assistance for India
• Green Power Comes to New Jersey
• Energy Star Awarded to 100 U.S. Commercial Buildings
• Report: Renewables Could Benefit from Emissions Trading
• DOE to Advance Energy Efficiency in the Aluminum Industry
• DOE Funds Renewable Energy Studies at Tribal Colleges

• Virginia Alliance for Solar Electricity

• Studies: World's Oceans Warming, Ice Melting

About this Newsletter

News and Events

President Announces Clean Energy Assistance for India
As part of President Clinton's effort last week to improve U.S. economic relations with India, the President announced the resumption of DOE technical assistance to India for clean energy projects. The President also announced new clean energy funding, including $45 million through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for efficient production and use of energy, $50 million through USAID to promote clean energy throughout South Asia, and $200 million for clean energy projects through the Import-Export Bank. See "Remarks by the President at Environmental Signing Ceremony" on the White House Web site.

With new clean energy projects coming to South Asia, DOE is also focusing its attention on East Asia and the Pacific Rim. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Ministers Conference is coming to San Diego, California, from May 10 to 12. According to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, the conference "will give us the opportunity to consider the challenges of clean and sustainable energy development in the APEC energy sector and to formulate policies that collectively address these challenges on a regional basis." See the conference Web site.

For more information about APEC, see the APEC Secretariat Web site.

Green Power Comes to New Jersey
GreenMountain.com announced last week that residents of New Jersey will soon be able to buy their electricity from renewable energy sources — also called "green power." The company will sell two trademarked power products: EcoSmart, which will include only 1 percent electricity from renewable energy sources, and EnviroBlend, which will derive 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, including about 4 percent wind energy. See the GreenMountain.com press release.

Conectiv Energy is also offering green power in New Jersey. The company has two products: Nature's Power 100, which is derived half from biomass power and half from small hydropower, and Nature's Power 50, which uses the same mix for half its electricity and provides the remaining half from conventional sources. See the Conectiv Energy Web site.

Both of Conectiv Energy's green power products are Green-e certified, as is GreenMountain.com's EnviroBlend. Conectiv Energy's products were previously certified for Pennsylvania, but GreenMountain.com's products are new and just received certification. See the Green-e Web site.

Energy Star Awarded to 100 U.S. Commercial Buildings
One hundred of the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in the United States were the first to be awarded with the Energy Star label yesterday. The buildings qualified by achieving at least 75 out of 100 points on a benchmarking test established by the Energy Star Buildings program, a joint effort of DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See the press release, including the list of all 100 Energy Star buildings, by selecting "EPA Headquarters Press Releases" on this EPA Web page.

See also the Energy Star Buildings Web site.

In related news, DOE and EPA presented awards last week to 32 organizations that have been pivotal in helping to implement the Energy Star program. The winners included Sears, Roebuck & Co. as Retail Partner of the Year and Whirlpool Corporation as Appliance Partner of the Year. See the DOE press release.

For a complete list of winners, see the Energy Star Web site.

Report: Renewables Could Benefit from Emissions Trading
Renewable energy technologies for electricity production emit little or no air pollution, so it would seem logical that they would benefit from Clean Air Act regulations, which (among other things) place restrictions on power plant emissions. Yet a new report from the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) finds that the existing system to cap sulfur dioxide emissions and allow trading of emissions "credits" has not benefited the renewable energy industry, despite the inclusion of "set asides" for renewable power generation.

The set asides give renewable energy projects one emissions credit for every 500 megawatt-hours of electricity produced, but the low trading value of the credits has failed to make this a meaningful incentive. The REPP report suggests that future cap-and-trade programs could provide significant benefits to the renewable energy industry if structured correctly; the report estimates that renewable power industries could possibly earn an additional $1.3 billion by 2010 from such programs. See the report on the REPP Web site.

The report is timely, as the most recent auction for sulfur dioxide emissions credits was held Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The annual auctions are administered by the Chicago Board of Trade. In 1999, the average spot price was $207 per credit. The lowest spot price was in 1996, at $68 per credit. To learn more about emissions trading, and to watch for the latest auction results, see the EPA Web site.

DOE to Advance Energy Efficiency in the Aluminum Industry
DOE announced last week that it was providing $4 million for seven research projects that will increase the energy efficiency of the aluminum industry. The projects are diverse in nature and will be carried out by teams that jointly represent 30 separate companies, national laboratories, universities and other organizations. See the DOE press release.

The aluminum industry is one of nine energy-intensive industries that DOE is working with through its Industries of the Future program. See the Industries of the Future Web site.

DOE Funds Renewable Energy Studies at Tribal Colleges
DOE announced last week the availability of $700,000 in funding for feasibility plans and studies for renewable energy projects at Native American Tribal colleges and universities. The feasibility studies will form the basis for the actual installation of renewable energy projects, for which funding will be available in 2001. Proposals will be accepted only from tribal colleges and universities; the projects must be integrated with educational programs and science curricula. See the DOE press release.

The actual solicitation is posted on the Golden Field Office Web site on EREN.

Site News

Virginia Alliance for Solar Electricity
The Virginia Alliance for Solar Electricity (VASE) is a grant- based program designed to develop and deploy low-cost, standardized solar electric systems throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition to RFP information, the site features an overview of photovoltaic (PV) systems and a summary of building-integrated PV activity in 15 different countries. VASE is funded in part by DOE.

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

Energy Facts and Tips

Studies: World's Oceans Warming, Ice Melting
Two new studies of the world's oceans and ice cover have strengthened the scientific evidence of global warming. In a study published in Science magazine, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the upper 300 meters of the oceans' surface have experienced a net warming of 0.56 degrees Fahrenheit. The warming trend extended to deeper depths than expected. According to one NOAA researcher, "One criticism of the (climate) models is that they predict more warming of the atmosphere than has been actually observed. Climate modelers have suggested that this 'missing warming' was probably to be found in the world ocean. The results of our study lend credence to this scenario." See the NOAA press release.

The Worldwatch Institute released a compilation of reports that together show ice cover melting throughout the world. According to the institute, Arctic sea ice shrunk by 6 percent between 1978 and 1996, losing an average of 34,300 square kilometers each year. In Antarctica, three ice shelves have disintegrated in the past decade, and two more "are in full retreat and are expected to break up soon." See the press release on the Worldwatch Institute Web site.

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