EREN Network News

August 29, 2001

News and Events

• New England, Eastern Canada Sign Climate Change Pact
• Study Says Large-Scale U.S. Wind Power Program is Needed
• Wind Turbines Online in Wisconsin, Kansas; Planned for Iowa
• Utility Promotion Sells 250,000 Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
• Toyota Introduces New Fuel-Cell Prototype
• Researchers Use Photosynthesis to Produce Hydrogen

Site News

• International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles

• Data Centers Use Less Energy Than Expected

News and Events

New England, Eastern Canada Sign Climate Change Pact
New England governors and eastern Canadian premiers agreed Monday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their region. The governors and premiers adopted a Climate Change Action Plan that includes measures to increase energy efficiency in the region, increase the use of renewable energy, and decrease the impact of transportation. It also sets the groundwork for exploring a regional system of trading emissions credits for greenhouse gases. The agreement was adopted at the annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.

The region's Climate Change Action Plan sets a short-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, and sets a mid-term goal of reducing the emissions to at least 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The short- term goal is less restrictive than the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for a U.S. reduction of greenhouse gases to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The plan's long-term goal, which has no specific timeframe, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 75 to 85 percent below current levels. See the press release from New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen.

See also the full agreement, with a link to the action plan, on the conference Web site.

The agreement follows the adoption of a comprehensive national energy policy at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) early this month. The NGA's policy included the support of renewable energy sources and the promotion of conservation and efficiency as two of its ten principles. See the press release on the NGA Web site.

New York Governor George Pataki did his part last week, announcing that the state will establish the first business park in the country that is specifically devoted to promoting the development of new, clean energy technologies. The Saratoga Technology Energy Park will be located on a 280-acre site in Malta, New York. See the governor's press release.

Study Says Large-Scale U.S. Wind Power Program is Needed
The United States should make a large investment in wind energy to help the nation's energy supply and address global warming, says a study published last week in the journal Science. Two engineers from Stanford University prepared the study, which concludes that the low cost of electricity production from coal fails to account for its health and environmental costs, which the study estimates at between 2.0 and 4.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. Given that added cost, the authors conclude that "wind energy is unequivocally less expensive than is coal energy." They suggest the federal and state governments encourage wind power through either direct investments or tax credits. See the Stanford press release.

In mid-August, California provided an example of how states can invest in wind power. The state's Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that it had signed two 12-year contracts with Whitewater Energy Corporation for a total of 108 megawatts of wind power. The state will pay $60 per megawatt for the wind power. See the August 17th press release on the DWR Web site.

Wind Turbines Online in Wisconsin, Kansas; Planned for Iowa
FPL Energy, LLC dedicated its new 30-megawatt Montfort Wind Farm in Wisconsin last week. The Iowa County facility is the largest in the state, generating enough power for 10,500 Wisconsin homes. See the FPL Energy press release.

FPL Energy is also involved, along with UtiliCorp United, in the installation of the largest wind facility in Kansas — a 110-megawatt facility near Montezuma. The companies announced last week that they have started up the first few turbines at the site, although construction won't be complete until year end. See the August 21st press release by selecting "New Releases" and then "Non-Financial Releases" on the UtiliCorp Web site.

Meanwhile, Waverly Light and Power in Iowa announced early this month its plans to install a 900-kilowatt turbine just north of town. The municipal utility was a wind energy pioneer in the Midwest — its first turbine, an 80-kilowatt unit installed in 1993, will be replaced with the new turbine. See the August 8th press release on the Waverly Light and Power Web site.

Utility Promotion Sells 250,000 Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Although energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs pay for themselves many times over in energy savings, many consumers gulp when they see the up-front cost. And that price is surely an obstacle, as proven by Portland General Electric (PGE) late last month. The utility handed out 10 coupons for $6 per bulb to customers of Home Depot stores in the Portland-Salem area of Oregon, bringing the two-pack cost for the bulbs down from $12.48 to only 48 cents. The nine participating stores nearly sold out of the bulbs, selling roughly 250,000 bulbs in three days. The utility estimates that a previous mailing of coupons to its customers led to 100,000 compact fluorescent bulb purchases, and it will continue to mail coupons each month through December. See the PGE press release.

PGE's August mailing includes three $6 coupons, including one for an outdoor compact fluorescent bulb and one for a compact fluorescent torchiere lamp. See the PGE press release.

Toyota Introduces New Fuel-Cell Prototype
Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled last week its latest prototype fuel-cell vehicle, the FCHV-4. Based on the Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), the FCHV-4 is powered by a 90-kilowatt fuel cell in combination with a nickel-metal hydride battery and regenerative braking, which uses the energy of braking to recharge the battery. Running on high-pressure hydrogen, the vehicle achieves a top speed of nearly 95 miles per hour, has a range of more than 155 miles, and achieves triple the fuel efficiency of a regular gasoline-powered car. Toyota is road-testing the vehicle in Japan and the United States, with the U.S. tests being carried out through the California Fuel Cell Partnership. See the Toyota press release.

See also the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

Ford Motor Company also debuted a hydrogen-fueled car last week, but this one uses an internal combustion engine. The P2000 concept vehicle achieves extremely low emissions using a modified version of the 2.0-liter engine found in the Ford Focus. The engine's efficiency is 25 to 30 percent better than the gasoline-powered version. Ford believes the vehicle can help lead to a hydrogen infrastructure while fuel cells continue to be developed. See the August 21st press release on the Ford Web site.

Researchers Use Photosynthesis to Produce Hydrogen
Hydrogen-fueled vehicles are nice, but the question is, how is the hydrogen produced? Currently, fossil fuels are the least expensive source of hydrogen. However, researchers at the University of Tennessee and DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently used photosynthesis to produce hydrogen from sunlight. The researchers extracted two photosynthetic complexes from spinach plants; called Photosystem I and Photosystem II, the two work together to produce carbohydrates for the plant. By attaching platinum atoms to the Photosystem I complexes, the researchers were able to produce hydrogen from visible light.

Unfortunately, the process required the use of an added chemical that makes the overall process impractical, but the achievement shows potential. The researchers hope next to combine the platinum-Photosystem I complexes with the Photosystem II complexes, forming a molecular system that can convert light and water directly into hydrogen, without help from an added chemical. See the University of Tennessee announcement

The University of Tennessee research isn't the first attempt to convert sunlight into hydrogen using photosynthesis: a technique using algae and a much different scientific approach was announced in February 2000. See the February 23, 2000, edition of EREN Network News.

Site News

International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles
This association was established to provide the natural gas vehicle (NGV) industry with an international forum and an advocate for NGVs. It now has 500 corporate and individual members in 35 countries. The site includes general information about NGVs, including what they are, their advantages, and infrastructure requirements. It also includes a discussion group, frequently asked questions section, NGV statistics, and information about NGV standards.

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

Energy Facts and Tips

Data Centers Use Less Energy Than Expected
With the growth of the Internet, a debate has raged in energy circles over its effects on U.S. and world energy use. Internet optimists point at the efficiencies offered by Internet commerce, while pessimists note the apparently large energy requirements of the computer infrastructure needed to keep the Internet running smoothly. One of the clearest examples of the latter is data centers — also called server farms — which house hundreds or thousands of the computers needed to serve up files for Web pages. Many recent data center installations have requested huge power needs that could swiftly tap a utility's resources. Media reports of data center power requirements ranging as high as 445 megawatts — the size of a typical power plant — within a small geographic area certainly seem to support the viewpoints of the Internet pessimists.

A new report from DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) clears up the picture a bit. Taking a close look at data centers, an LBL researcher found that data centers greatly exaggerate their power requirements, in part due to overblown growth projections and a need to appear bigger and better than the competition. The power estimates also assume that computer equipment will use its nameplate rated power at all times, which is far from true. Estimates also tend to confuse total floor space with computer-room floor space. Using a combination of measurements and calculations, the report finds that data centers use at most 50 watts per square foot, including the energy needed for cooling the room. Using an estimate of the total square footage of data centers in the United States, the report finds that at most the centers would require 475 megawatts of power, and would consume just 0.12 percent of the electricity produced in the United States. While clearing up the Internet debate somewhat, the report may be particularly of interest to anyone designing a new data center!

See the report, including some background on the Internet energy-use debate, on the LBL Web site.

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