EREN Network News

September 6, 2000

News and Events

• Los Angeles Power Plan Emphasizes Renewables, Efficiency
• DOE's "E-Vision 2000" Examines Energy Research Priorities
• Report: Utility Green Power Programs Spur U.S. Renewables
• Vestas Receives Order for West Texas Wind Project
• Supramolecular Complexes Hold Promise for Solar Energy
• For Sale: Nearly 500 Kilowatts of Grid-Connected PV

• DTI New & Renewable Energy Programme

• Report: Office and Network Equipment Consumes Only 2 Percent of U.S. Electricity

News and Events

Los Angeles Power Plan Emphasizes Renewables, Efficiency
The Los Angeles City Council approved in August a 10-year power plan for the city's Department of Water and Power (DWP). Nearly 1000 megawatts of new power capacity will be needed over the next decade, and the DWP plans to meet roughly half of that need with renewable energy sources, distributed generation, and demand side management. Distributed generation refers to small generators at or near a customer's site, and includes fuel cells, microturbines, solar energy systems, and other technologies. Demand side management refers to technologies and programs that reduce electrical use, particularly during peak usage hours. It may refer to technologies that simply shift energy use away from the peak usage hours, but it also includes energy efficiency. Solar energy systems that reduce the use of electricity, such as solar hot water systems, can also provide demand side management for a utility. See the DWP press release.

According to DWP, it will use demand side management to reduce its projected load by 245 megawatts, while providing 150 megawatts from renewable energy facilities such as wind, geothermal, and landfill gas power plants. Distributed generation will provide about 70 megawatts, of which 15 megawatts will be generated from solar photovoltaic electric systems.

DOE's "E-Vision 2000" Examines Energy Research Priorities
DOE is also taking a long-term look at energy needs, but at a national level. The DOE-sponsored "E-Vision 2000" Conference, to be held October 11-13 in Washington, D.C., will bring together some of the most influential energy officials and researchers in the country to examine emerging issues and identify future research priorities. The results of the conference will be used to shape DOE's future energy research agenda. See the conference announcement.

Report: Utility Green Power Programs Spur U.S. Renewables
Utilities in states that have not restructured their electric systems are currently leading the way in selling green power, according to a new report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). So-called "green pricing" programs, in which utilities sell renewable-generated electricity at a premium price, grew dramatically in 1999, with 24 new utility programs. That nearly doubled the 1998 number of programs, bringing the total to 52. Those programs have led to 73 megawatts of new renewable energy installations, with another 120 megawatts planned. Note that these numbers don't include renewable energy installations mandated by state laws.

By comparison, competitively marketed green power in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and some New England states has led to 53 megawatts of new renewable energy installations, with another 60 megawatts in the works. See the report on the NREL Web site.

Vestas Receives Order for West Texas Wind Project
Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the U.S. subsidiary of a Danish wind turbine manufacturer, announced last week that it had received an order for an 82.5-megawatt wind project to be constructed in the west Texas, roughly 90 miles west of Odessa. The owner of the project has not been disclosed. Vestas will supply and install 125 of its 660-kilowatt wind turbines at the new facility, which is expected to be complete by fall of 2001. See the September 1st press release on the Vestas Web site.

Supramolecular Complexes Hold Promise for Solar Energy
Research in molecular chemistry may point the way to new ways of converting sunlight into electricity. Researchers at Virginia Tech are using molecular groups known as ligands as molecular bridges to connect two or more metal-based molecules, forming a "supramolecular complex." In one project, the researchers connected together two light- absorbing ruthenium atoms with one rhodium atom, which collects electrons. When the complex is exposed to light, the rhodium atom collects electrons that could potentially be converted into an electrical current. The researchers claim the use of different metals and ligands could be used to "tune" the response of the complexes to different energies of sunlight. The research was presented in late August at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society. See the Virginia Tech press release.

For Sale: Nearly 500 Kilowatts of Grid-Connected PV
The California Energy Commission (CEC) announced last week that it was putting the PVUSA grid-connected solar power installation in Davis, California, up for sale. The CEC is requesting bids for the photovoltaic (PV) system, which was constructed in several stages starting in the late 1980s. Originally part of a research effort called Photovoltaics for Utility Scale Applications, or PVUSA, the facility was bought by the CEC in 1996. Although the CEC is looking for a buyer for the facility, it has also invited bids for decommissioning and salvage of the site. See both bid requests on the CEC Web site.

According to the Renewable Energy Plant Information System (REPiS), the PVUSA facility has a total generating capacity of 491.5 kilowatts. See the "Photovoltaic Plants" section of the REPiS database on EREN.

Site News

DTI New & Renewable Energy Programme
This Web site, sponsored by the United Kingdom's Department of Trade and Industry, provides the current status and future potential of wind power, wave energy, hydropower, energy from waste, bioenergy, and solar power in the United Kingdom. Environmental issues, economics, and related publications for each technology are also included, as well as current U.K. renewable energy policy, success stories, and information on exporting renewable energy.

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

Report: Office and Network Equipment Consumes
Only 2 Percent of U.S. Electricity

A report released in August by DOE's Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) examines the electricity used by office equipment and network equipment, and finds it totals only about 2 percent of the electricity currently used in the United States — about 74 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. The report finds that power management technologies — including software that puts your computer into a "sleep" mode when it's not in use — are currently saving about 23 terawatt-hours of electricity per year.

If everyone were to use these power management tools, the authors estimate that an additional 17 terawatt-hours of electricity could be saved. So if you aren't using power management on your computer, printers, and other equipment, it's worth investigating. Note that even with power management tools, you should still turn off your computer at night. The exceptions, of course, are servers and other network equipment that need to be on constantly.

The LBL report was produced in part to address an ongoing debate about the electricity required by the new digital economy, both now and in the future. An explanation of this debate and a link to the new report (at the link labeled "first comprehensive assessment") are available on the LBL 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.