EREN Network News

November 8, 2000

News and Events

• Agriculture Dept. Provides $300 Million for Bioenergy Crops
• California Fuel Cell Partnership Opens New Headquarters
• Volkswagen Unveils Fuel Cell Car at California Event
• New 130-Megawatt Wind Facility Planned for Texas
• DOE, Park Service Fund 70 Green Energy Parks Projects
• Go-Green Combines Green Power, Lake Tahoe Protection
• Report Examines Energy-Saving Technologies for Industry
• Resolution: Clean Energy Needed for Low-Income Communities

• World Energy Council

• Web Site Keeps Abreast of the Latest Climate Change News

News and Events

Agriculture Dept. Provides $300 Million for Bioenergy Crops
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it will provide $300 million over the next two years to support the expanded production of biofuels made from corn, soybeans, and other crops. The new program will make cash payments to bioenergy companies that increase their purchases of these crops, with preference given to new and small companies, including cooperatives. The USDA is also soliciting proposals for pilot projects that use harvested vegetation to produce energy. See the USDA press release.

California Fuel Cell Partnership Opens New Headquarters
The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CFCP) opened its new headquarters facility last week. The 55,000-square-foot facility features a hydrogen fueling station plus a public gallery area. Fourteen fuel-cell-powered vehicles were present at the event, including seven cars and seven buses. DaimlerChrysler's NECAR (based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class) and General Motors Corporation's HydroGen1 (based on the Opel Zafira compact van) were on display, as well GM's earlier prototype, the Electrovan. Fuel-cell- powered versions of the Ford Focus, Hyundai's new Santa Fe sport utility vehicle (SUV), Nissan's Xterra SUV, and Volkswagen's Bora (known as the Jetta in the United States) were also on display, as well as vehicles from Xcellsis Fuel Cell Engines and Honda.

"I believe fuel cells could end the 100-year reign of the internal combustion engine," said Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford Motor Company, in a statement.

The CFCP comprises 19 member organizations from industry and government working together to advance fuel cell technology. Over the next few years, the partnership will test drive more than 50 fuel-cell-powered cars on California’s roadways in real-world conditions. Twenty fuel cell buses will also be demonstrated in transit operations.

General Motors and Toyota joined the CFCP just last month, and Xcellsis joined on Monday. See the CFCP press releases.

See the Xcellsis press release on the Xcellsis Web site.

See the press release from General Motors.

See the DaimlerChrysler press release.

Volkswagen Unveils Fuel Cell Car at California Event
Volkswagen unveiled its fuel-cell-powered Bora — called the "Bora HyMotion" — at the CFCP event. The car carries 50 liters (roughly 13.2 gallons) of liquid hydrogen, which fuels a 75-kilowatt (100-horsepower) motor. See the Volkswagen press release.

In related news, the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium (NAVC) released a report last week in which 42 global experts were asked about the future of fuel cells for transportation. Most experts believed that hydrogen stored on board the vehicle (rather than generated on board from another fuel) will be the long-term choice for fuel-cell vehicles. They also believed that a wide range of fuels will be used to generate the hydrogen. See "Future Wheels" on the NAVC Web site.

New 130-Megawatt Wind Facility Planned for Texas
TXU Electric & Gas and American Electric Power announced last week a new 130-megawatt wind power plant to be built in west Texas, about 24 miles west of Abilene. AEP will develop, own, operate and maintain the project. TXU will buy the power from the project, which will power about 30,000 homes. Called the Trent Mesa Project, the project will consist of 87 turbines, each producing 1.5 megawatts. It will be complete by August 2001. See the press release on AEP's Trent Mesa Project Web site.

DOE, Park Service Fund 70 Green Energy Parks Projects
The national parks will get cleaner and greener through 70 new clean energy projects funded by DOE and the Department of the Interior's National Park Service (NPS). The agencies announced last week that they will provide $1.6 million for the projects through the Green Energy Parks program, a joint NPS and DOE initiative. The projects include energy efficient lighting, geothermal heat pumps, solar water heating, and solar electric systems. See the DOE press release. The Green Energy Parks program was recently awarded the Presidential Award for Federal Energy Management Success, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Engineering and Real Estate Branch, the U.S. State Department's Office of Foreign Building Operations, and the U.S. Army Energy Team. See the announcement on the Federal Energy Management Program site on EREN.

Go-Green Combines Green Power, Lake Tahoe Protection
Go-green.com, a California supplier of electricity from renewable energy sources, announced last week an innovative new green power program that aims to protect the forests in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The company's Tahoe Green Power Program proposes to use wood biomass resulting from forest management practices in the basin. The wood generated from these management practices is currently piled and burned onsite. Go-Green plans to instead collect and ship the wood to one of the biomass electric plants located near the basin. For more information, see the Go-Green Web site.

Report Examines Energy-Saving Technologies for Industry
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released a new report last week that examines new technologies for saving energy in industry. The report provides an overview of 54 technologies that cover a wide range of industries. See the ACEEE press release, with a link to the summary of the report.

In related news, the National Equipment Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced last month a new Premium Motor program that will set a voluntary efficiency standard for the electric motor industry. NEMA estimates that the new standard could save 58,000 megawatts of electricity, preventing the release of nearly 80 metric tons of carbon in to the atmosphere over the next ten years. See the NEMA press release.

Resolution: Clean Energy Needed for Low-Income Communities
A diverse, national coalition of groups have signed a resolution calling for a greater use of clean energy in the United States in order to reduce the social and environmental impacts of energy on low-income and minority communities. More than 50 groups signed the resolution, which points to the need for an increased national commitment to energy efficiency, renewable technologies, and clean fuels to meet "mounting economic and environmental threats." See the Renewable Energy Policy Project press release.

Site News

World Energy Council
The World Energy Council (WEC) has member committees in over 90 countries, including most of the largest energy- producing and energy-consuming countries. The 75-year-old organization covers all types of energy, including coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, and renewables. The site includes a database of descriptive and statistical data about global energy reserves, production, capacity, consumption and emissions, as well as energy efficiency indicators for 29 countries. Users can also find energy-related news and events and a repository of downloadable publications.

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

Web Site Keeps Abreast of the Latest Climate Change News
The International Climate Change Partnership (ICCP) recently launched a new Web site that tracks news about climate change. ClimateGuru.com tracks scientific, policy, technical, and media information on climate change. The goal of the site is to facilitate monitoring of climate change issues for environmental policy makers at the international, national, state, and local levels. See the Web site.

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