EREN Network News

August 1, 2001

News and Events

• National Academies Report Recommends Fuel Economy Changes
• 400-Kilowatt Solar System to Power Texaco Oil Fields
• EPA, Fortune 500 Companies Kick Off Green Power Partnership
• Michigan Utility to Launch Green Power Pilot Program
• New Standards for Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps Face Review
• DOE Dedicates Highly Efficient House in Atlanta
• University of Michigan Wins American Solar Challenge

Site News

• Office of Technology Access

• All You Ever Wanted to Know About U.S. Appliance Use

News and Events

National Academies Report Recommends Fuel Economy Changes
A report released yesterday by the National Academies' National Research Council (NRC), which advises Congress on scientific issues, finds that federal fuel economy standards have reduced U.S. dependence on foreign oil, but changes to the program could achieve more. The NRC report suggests implementing a weight-based system that would eliminate the distinction between cars and light trucks and sport utility vehicles. It also suggests that automakers that exceed the standards be able to trade fuel economy credits with other automakers — a system similar to that used by power plants to meet air emission standards.

The report notes that technologies available today, such as variable valve timing and five-speed automatic transmissions, could significantly reduce fuel consumption of vehicles over the next 15 years, with light-duty trucks having the greatest potential reductions. It suggests that the federal government continue funding research and development of new fuel-efficiency technologies — including hybrid vehicles, fuel cells, and advanced engines and emission-control systems — in cooperation with the automotive industry.

The 13-member committee that wrote the report also suggested that decreasing vehicle size and weight could improve fuel economy, but that led to a contentious issue relating to crash safety. Although the report suggests that smaller cars are more prone to lead to fatalities in a crash, two committee members challenged that conclusion in a dissenting opinion, and the committee called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct further research.

See the National Academies press release.

The full report is posted on the National Academy Press Web site.

Are you thinking of buying a new car yourself? The Fuel Economy Web site, sponsored by DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allows you to compare the fuel economy of all the models available in the United States. The site was recently enhanced with links to local gas price information, emission test results, and crash test results. For instance, you can look up the aluminum-bodied 2001 Honda Insight, weighing in at only 1,868 pounds, and see that it achieves a four-star rating for both frontal and side impacts. See the Fuel Economy Web site.

400-Kilowatt Solar System to Power Texaco Oil Fields
United Solar Systems Corporation announced yesterday that it will design and install a 400-kilowatt solar electric system for Texaco Inc. Ironically, the system will provide power to Texaco's Central Valley oil field operations in California. Texaco has the option of expanding the installation to one megawatt, which would place it among the world's largest photovoltaic installations. United Solar is a joint venture between Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) and N.V. Bekaert S.A. See the United Solar press release.

Texaco and ECD have also formed a strategic alliance to develop nickel metal hydride batteries, which are primarily used in electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Texaco plans to invest more than $150 million in the technology over the next few years. See the Texaco press release.

EPA, Fortune 500 Companies Kick Off Green Power Partnership
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Monday the start of the Green Power Partnership, a new voluntary program "aimed at boosting the market for power alternatives that reduce the environmental and health risks of conventional electricity generation." The program's founding partners, which include 20 Fortune 500 companies, are making a commitment to procure more than 280,000 megawatt-hours of green power over the next year. This commitment will prevent the emission of 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide, a global warming gas. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is also a founding partner, and has committed to buy green power for its Denver facilities, which include the Denver Regional Office, the Golden Field Office, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). See the EPA press release.

DOE is also helping to bring green power — specifically, wind power — to Illinois. NREL has prepared a detailed wind resource map for the state, and DOE is sponsoring the Illinois Wind Workshop, which will be held on November 27th in Lisle, Illinois. See the DOE press release.

Michigan Utility to Launch Green Power Pilot Program
Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, proposed last week to start a green power pilot program, and the proposal was quickly approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC). Starting in October, customers will be able to buy 10, 50, or 100 percent of their power from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. The renewable portion of the customer's bills will cost an extra 3.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. Consumers Energy will have sufficient renewable energy capacity to meet the needs of about 18,000 homes. See the Consumers Energy press release.

See also the Michigan PSC press release.

According to EREN's Green Power Network, Consumers Energy will contract for up to 50 megawatts of new renewable energy for the program, and has already contracted with Bay Windpower to purchase power from a new 5-megawatt wind project. See the Green Power Network.

An updated estimate of the generating capacity that has been built to supply the U.S. green power market has also been added to the Green Power Network. According to the latest estimate, utility "green pricing" programs, such as the Consumers Energy program, have added 110 megawatts of new renewable power capacity, with another 170 megawatts likely to be installed in the next year. Companies selling green power in competitive electricity markets have caused more than 130 megawatts of new renewable power capacity to be built, with nearly 650 megawatts of additional capacity planned. See the report.

The current estimates are a significant improvement over the estimates from less than one year ago, when the total new renewable power capacity was only 126 megawatts. See the September 6th edition of the EREN Network News.

New Standards for Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps Face Review
DOE announced last week that its proposed regulations to set energy efficiency standards for air conditioners and heat pumps have been sent to the Federal Register for publication. The regulations would set the seasonal energy efficiency ratio, or SEER, for this equipment at 12, a 20 percent improvement over current standards. The proposed rule would replace a rule proposed by the outgoing Clinton administration that would have set the SEER at 13, a 30 percent improvement. DOE invites written public comment on the proposed regulations and will also hold a public hearing on the matter. See the DOE press release.

DOE Dedicates Highly Efficient House in Atlanta
DOE dedicated last week a new high-efficiency house in Atlanta that will use 57 percent less energy for heating and cooling than comparable houses in the area. The 1,565-square-foot home is comparable in cost to a conventional home, but will cost only about $300 per year to heat and cool. Located just a few blocks from the boyhood home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the "I Have a Dream" house is built with structural insulated panels — prefabricated panels that sandwich a foam core between two sheets of plywood. It also features Energy Star-qualified windows, tightly sealed duct work, and a high-efficiency air conditioner. See the DOE press release.

Energy Star — a joint effort of DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — has proven an effective program for encouraging the production and use of energy-efficient technologies. It's so effective, in fact, that it's being expanded into Canada. National Resources Canada will work to bring the program over the border. See the EPA press release and fact sheet.

University of Michigan Wins American Solar Challenge
The University of Michigan avoided any last-minute catastrophes last Wednesday, maintaining its lead on the final race day and winning the American Solar Challenge. The car finished a full hour and twenty minutes ahead of its closest competitor, the University of Missouri-Rolla, and achieved an average speed of 40 miles per hour over the 2,247-mile race. See the final results on the American Solar Challenge Web site.

The Winston Solar Challenge, a similar race but for high-school students only, also finished last Wednesday, with the Houston Solar Race Team taking the checkered flag. The team, from Houston Vocational School in Houston, Mississippi, logged nearly 800 miles during the race, traveling more than 200 miles farther than its nearest competitor. See the race results.

Site News

Office of Technology Access
DOE's Office of Technology Access (OTA) promotes exports of renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services and facilitates private sector infrastructure development to support the delivery and maintenance of these technologies worldwide. The site includes information about OTA, its products and services, and its customers.

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

Energy Facts and Tips

All You Ever Wanted to Know About U.S. Appliance Use
If your interest is in appliances, you're in luck: DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has just completed a compilation of appliance statistics for the United States, broken down by U.S. Census Divisions. The regional profiles are chock-full of interesting tidbits, like the fact that air conditioning is much less common in the Pacific States than the rest of the country (38 percent of Pacific State households versus 72 percent of U.S. households). However, because so little energy is used for space heating in the Pacific States, a higher percentage of the energy used by Pacific households goes toward air conditioning and operating electric appliances than in the rest of the country. For these facts and much more — including even the use of outdoor gas grills — see the EIA's Appliance Reports home page.

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