EREN Network News

September 27, 2000

News and Events

• Hydrogen, Solar, and Wind Power Vehicles at the Olympics
• White House Touts Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency
• Green Power Marketers Exceed Promises Again in 1999
• Gasoline-Powered Fuel Cell System Powerful Enough for Cars
• DOE Helps Build Energy-Efficient Housing in Atlanta
• Mining Industry Teams with DOE to Boost Energy Efficiency
• Tribal Schools Receive DOE Funds for Renewable Energy

• EREN's State and Community Programs

• Toxic and Greenhouse Emissions from Electric Utilities

News and Events

Hydrogen, Solar, and Wind Power Vehicles at the Olympics
The racers in the men's Olympic marathon on Sunday had no concerns about noxious fumes from the pace car, since this year's pace car was fueled with hydrogen. The "HydroGen1," developed by Opel, an affiliate of General Motors (GM), carries liquefied hydrogen to supply a fuel cell, which generates electricity while emitting only water vapor. The electricity powers a 75-horsepower electric motor to drive the vehicle, which is based on a compact van produced by Opel. The HydroGen1 will also serve as the pace car for the women's Olympic marathon next Sunday. See the GM press release.

While the HydroGen1 could take a gold medal for green transportation on the Olympic grounds, the nearby harbor also features a unique green achievement — a solar- and wind-powered vessel called the Solar Sailor. The boat uses flexible solar photovoltaic panels that act as both electricity sources and a crude form of sail; a generator fueled with liquefied petroleum gas provides backup power. The Solar Sailor carried media on September 15 as they followed the Olympic flame across Sydney Harbour. See the Solar Sailor Web site.

White House Touts Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency
While last week's decision to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve garnered the majority of the news media's attention, the White House also emphasized that renewable energy and energy efficiency were long-term solutions to the current energy crisis.

"Let me just emphasize this, because it always gets overlooked every time an energy issue comes up," said President Clinton on Saturday. "Just look at what we have done with immediately available technologies to reduce energy consumption in the federal government. If we did the same thing throughout the domestic and the business sectors of the American economy, using off-the-shelf technology with a two-year-or-less pay off — if we did it throughout the economy you would see reduced reliance on foreign oil, lower fuel bills, higher productivity and more jobs in the American economy."

Clinton also noted advancements in the use of solar, wind, biofuels, and other renewable resources. See the White House press releases for September 23rd, available this week only on the White House Web site.

Green Power Marketers Exceed Promises Again in 1999
For the second year in a row, marketers of green power — electricity from renewable energy sources — provided more electricity to their customers from renewable sources in 1999 than they had promised, according to a report released last week by the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). CRS manages the Green-e Renewable Electricity Certification Program, which provides essentially a seal of approval for green power products. Their annual Verification Report provides third-party verification that green power marketers are staying true to their promises.

In 1999, more than 400,000 people in California and Pennsylvania bought green power that was certified by Green-e. Green power marketers saw a 17 percent increase in commercial customers in 1999, totaling 38 percent of the demand for Green-e-certified products. The report found that the green power purchases yielded an environmental benefit equal to removing 1,083,737 cars from the road for one year. See the Green-e press release.

The Green-e certification program extended its range to include New Jersey early this year, and in June certified its first power product in Connecticut, the Connecticut Energy Cooperative's Co-op Ecowatt. See the Green-e press release.

Gasoline-Powered Fuel Cell System Powerful Enough for Cars
DOE and International Fuel Cells (IFC) announced last week that IFC has developed the first gasoline-powered fuel cell powerful enough to serve as the energy source for an automobile. The system includes a fuel processor that converts the gasoline to hydrogen while removing any sulfur, which is harmful to fuel cells. The fuel processor feeds the hydrogen to a 50-kilowatt fuel cell. The system has achieved 80 percent of its rated power in tests at IFC, which is scheduled to deliver the system to DOE next month. See the press release on the IFC Web site.

In related news, six corporations have agreed to work together to evaluate the potential for methanol-powered fuel cell vehicles. BASF, BP, DaimlerChrysler, Methanex, Statoil, and XCELLSIS announced the agreement earlier this month. See the press release on the BASF Web site.

DOE Helps Build Energy-Efficient Housing in Atlanta
A new housing development in the Atlanta suburb of Fairburn is offering affordable homes that will use up to 50 percent less energy than similar conventional homes, thanks to a DOE partnership. DOE's Building America Program provided energy efficiency expertise in the design and construction of 33 single-family houses that include high-efficiency windows and cellulose insulation. See the DOE press release.

In related news, the National Affordable Housing Network (NAHN) has released a report on 40 energy-efficient homes built in six Texas cities in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. The best-performing homes, located in San Antonio, used 42 percent less energy than the average new home there. The report examines factors that influenced the energy performance of the homes. Although NAHN charges a fee for the full report, a summary is available on the NAHN Web site.

In other news, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is already gearing up for the National Green Building Conference, to be held in Seattle in March 2001. See the NAHB Research Center Web site.

Mining Industry Teams with DOE to Boost Energy Efficiency
DOE and the National Mining Association announced last week the start of 16 projects to improve energy efficiency in mining operations. The projects span a wide range of technologies, from advanced rock cutting equipment to fuel- cell-powered vehicles for transporting ore and rock underground. DOE is footing just under half the cost of the research projects, which will total more than $16 million. See the DOE press release.

Tribal Schools Receive DOE Funds for Renewable Energy
DOE announced last week the award of $700,000 to evaluate the installation of renewable energy technologies at seven Native American colleges and universities. Four of the schools will also evaluate or develop educational resources relating to renewable energy. See the DOE press release.

Site News

EREN's State and Community Programs
This site describes and links to DOE programs that offer planning assistance, data, and funding for state and community programs. Links to other prominent national organizations and resources for states and communities are also included.

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

Toxic and Greenhouse Emissions from Electric Utilities
Two separate reports released recently give us two views of the emissions from power plants in the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published this month the 1998 Toxic Release Inventory Public Data Release, which summarizes the emissions of toxic chemicals from a wide variety of industries. Electric utilities that burn oil or coal were responsible for 38 percent of the total toxic air emissions, releasing 783.7 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the air in 1998. The majority of these air emissions were hydrochloric acid (535.5 million pounds) and sulfuric acid (166.4 million pounds). Mercury is not included in the tally. The largest electric utility emissions were in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Electric utilities burning oil or coal were added for the first time in 1998, and are included in the section of the report on "New Reporting Industries." See the report on the EPA Web site.

A different view is presented by a newly posted report from DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA), which summarizes 1999 carbon dioxide emissions from the production of electricity in the United States. The report finds that carbon dioxide emissions grew only 1.35 percent in 1999, although electricity generation grew by 2.04 percent. Carbon emissions from coal burning actually decreased slightly even though generation increased slightly, probably due to efficiency improvements. But the majority of the growth in generation was provided by power plants burning natural gas, which produces less carbon per kilowatt-hour than other fossil fuel sources. This helped hold down the growth in overall carbon dioxide emissions. See the report on the EIA 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.