EREN Network News

January 31, 2001

News and Events

• California Maintains but Softens Its Zero-Emissions Rules
• New York Doubles Its Support for Efficiency and Renewables
• California Adopts New Building Energy Efficiency Standards
• Texas, New York Encourage On-Site Power Generation
• Waste Gas to Power Fuel Cell in King County, Washington
• Energy-Efficient Home Wins ASHRAE Technology Award

• U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association

• Natural Gas Costs May Increase 31 Percent in 2001

News and Events

California Maintains but Softens Its Zero-Emissions Rules
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) voted last week to keep its mandate for automakers to sell zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) starting in 2003, but also modified the rules to include hybrid electric vehicles and to phase in the ZEV requirements. The new rules require automakers to produce at least 4,450 electric cars for sale California in 2003, but also require the production of an additional 100,000 cars that must either be hybrid electric vehicles or have extremely low emissions. The requirement for the production of low- emissions vehicles will increase to 400,000 by 2006. See the ARB Web site.

New York Doubles Its Support for Efficiency and Renewables
The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) announced last week its approval of a near doubling of its "Systems Benefits Charge," which funds the New York Energy $mart program. The program encourages energy efficiency and renewable energy in the state and also provides low-income energy assistance. The PSC extended the charge for five years and increased the amount collected annually from $78.1 million to $150 million. The funds are generated by a small surcharge on the cost of electricity and will increase in February. See the PSC press release (PDF 151 KB).

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) administers the New York Energy $mart program. In its December 2000 quarterly report, the agency estimated that the projects funded at that point — totaling $136 million — would save 580 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, cutting peak electricity demand by 137 megawatts. The energy savings will cut New Yorkers' energy bills by $67.8 million each year while creating 1,315 new jobs. The program helped to fund such facilities as the 11.5-megawatt Madison Wind Plant, microturbine installations totaling 350 kilowatts, and a 150-kilowatt photovoltaic system in Ithaca, New York. See the NYSERDA report (PDF 545 KB).

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) estimated that the increased funding will result in the construction of more than 200 megawatts of wind power capacity in the state — enough to meet the annual energy needs of 84,000 homes. See the AWEA press release.

California Adopts New Building Energy Efficiency Standards
The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved early this month new standards for the energy-efficient construction of buildings throughout the state. The updated standards place an increased emphasis on preventing wasteful leaks in air conditioning and heating ducts. Studies show that the ductwork in a typical new home loses between 20 and 30 percent of the cool air it carries in the summer. The new standards also require radiant barriers that reflect heat from the sun in attic spaces, and improved windows that will reduce the amount of solar heat that radiates into a home. See the CEC press release.

Texas, New York Encourage On-Site Power Generation
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) announced Monday that it has approved pre-certification standards for equipment used for on-site power generation. The standards allow nationally recognized testing laboratories to designate specific models of equipment as safe to interconnect to the Texas power distribution grid. Each customer can interconnect up to 10 megawatts of on-site power generation to the power grid. See the press release on the PUCT Web site.

The Texas approach is much like the approach already taken by the New York Public Service Commission (PSC). See the PSC Web site.

Speaking of New York, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) announced last week that it will provide financial incentives to businesses and government agencies that generate a portion of their own power this summer. In return for lower year-round rates, the organizations must agree to use their self-generation capabilities during peak usage hours throughout the summer. LIPA estimates that the self- generation capacity on Long Island could total 100 megawatts of power. Just one-tenth of that could save enough electricity to supply about 2,500 homes on a summer day. See the LIPA press release.

Whether you call it "self-generation" or "onsite power generation," the production of energy at or near the customer's location is what the power industry calls "distributed generation." Distributed generation, in turn, is part of a larger category called "distributed energy resources," which includes distributed ways of storing, transporting and saving energy. With an increasing U.S. interest in distributed generation technologies — ranging from natural-gas-powered microturbines or fuel cells to wind turbines or solar panels — DOE has chosen to establish a new Distributed Energy Resources Center at its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). See the press release on the NREL Web site.

Waste Gas to Power Fuel Cell in King County, Washington
FuelCell Energy, Inc. and King County, Washington, announced last week their plans to build a one-megawatt fuel-cell power plant at the county’s South Wastewater Treatment Facility in Renton, Washington. An anaerobic digester process — used to stabilize solids and reduce pathogenic microorganisms — will produce a methane-rich gas to power the fuel cell. The power plant is expected to start operating in late 2002 as part of a two-year demonstration project. See the press release on the FuelCell Energy Web site.

Energy-Efficient Home Wins ASHRAE Technology Award
An energy-efficient home — designed by two researchers at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) — has won a first-place Technology Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Otto Van Geet's house, designed by Van Geet and co-worker Paul Torcellini, uses solar energy for 90 percent of its energy needs and rang up only $100 in energy costs for all of 1999. See the NREL press release.

The Van Geet house was also a project of DOE's Building America program, which works with the home building industry to produce quality homes that use at least 50 percent less energy without costing more to build. See the project description on the Building America Web site.

Site News

U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association
This site provides a general overview of combined heat and power (also called cogeneration) and explains the association's 20-year plan for achieving growth in the industry. The site includes numerous reports and papers, case studies, presentations, policy alerts and press releases, as well as upcoming conferences and events.

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

Natural Gas Costs May Increase 31 Percent in 2001
DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released a projection of natural gas costs based on prices in its "Short Term Energy Outlook January 2001" and accounting for this year's harsh winter. For a household that paid $568 for natural gas for all of 1997, the 2001 cost is projected to total $746 — a 31 percent increase. The EIA projects natural gas prices dropping somewhat by the fourth quarter. See "Natural Gas Use in American Households."

One way to moderate natural gas costs is to lower your thermostat — the EIA notes that a one-degree-Fahrenheit lowering of the thermostat in a typical U.S. household would save $15 to $40 or more. See "Winter Energy Savings from Lower Thermostat Settings."

To take advantage of these energy savings without any loss in comfort, try using a programmable thermostat to turn down your heat at night and while you're not home. The thermostat can be set to turn the heat back up before you wake or before you return. By turning your thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 hours, you can save about 5 percent to 15 percent on your heating bill. See the "Automatic and Programmable Thermostat" fact sheet on the EREN Web site.

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