U.S. DOE
Clean energy funding supports DOE's Industries of the Future program
Eight new energy efficiency research and development projects have been funded under the Department of Energy's (USDOE) Chemical Industry of the Future partnership. The new projects, jointly supported by USDOE and several chemical industry firms, will pool nearly $25 million of federal and private sector funding to support cost-shared partnerships over a three-year period. The new public-private partnerships are intended to help boost the chemical industry's energy efficiency, enhance its productivity and competitiveness, and protect and improve the environment. The Energy Department's share of the total funding will be $10.17 million over a three-year period. Seven chemical industry firms and organizations will contribute $14.81 million over the same three-year period.

The new public-private partnerships are intended to help boost the chemical industry's energy efficiency, enhance its productivity and competitiveness, and protect and improve the environment. USDOE's share of the total funding will be $10.17 million over a three-year period. Seven chemical industry firms and organizations will contribute $14.81 million over the same three-year period.

The Industries of the Future program works to create partnerships between industry, government, and supporting laboratories and institutions to accelerate technology research, development, and deployment. The strategy is being implemented in nine energy- and waste-intensive industries: agriculture, aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, metal casting, mining, petroleum, and steel to reduce their energy use and help maintain a cleaner environment.

The U.S. chemical industry is the world's largest producer of chemicals with annual industry shipments of more than $350 billion—and the largest trade surplus of any non-defense-related sector of the U.S. economy. The funding announced today will be used to support four areas identified by the industry as high-priority research and development areas, including materials of construction, separations, catalysis, and computational chemistry. For example, one of the eight projects will support the development of a new material-iron aluminide-which will eliminate soot and carbon formation from ethylene furnace tubes. This clogging of the furnace tubes is a major cause of process plant shutdowns.

For more information about the grants announced today, visit the Office of Industrial Technologies Web site at www.oit.doe.gov.

The Department of Energy researches, develops, and deploys clean, efficient, renewable energy technologies to help meet America's energy needs while protecting the environment and strengthening the economy. Energy technologies support and promoted by the department will play a key role in providing Clean Energy for the 21st Century.

Contact: Guillermo Meneses, (202) 586-5806

Publication gives overview of renewable energy opportunities
Choices for a Brighter Future: Perspectives on Renewable Energy (DOE/GO-1099-878), prepared by USDOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the Department's Office of Power Technologies, provides an overview of the opportunities for greater use of renewable energy in the United States.

The 32-page booklet looks at eight regions of the nation, plus Alaska and Hawaii. Available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161; (800) 55-6847 or (703) 605-6000. Also available at http://www.eren.doe.gov/power/choices.html.

Arizona
Lighting retrofit project completed
The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs has completed the retrofitting lighting project in all of their 91 buildings throughout the state. Jeff Seaton, Energy Manager, estimates that $115,359 will be saved per year by the retrofitting of these light fixtures. The total cost of the project was $489,000. The Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office provided $95,000 in funds to complete the projects. The project has a simple payback of 4.2 years.

Northern Arizona University has also completed the retrofitting of 1,751 light fixtures in 4 buildings at a total cost of $107,442. The project is estimated to save $23,000 annually. The Energy Office provided $47,902 through the State Energy Efficiency Demonstration program (SEED). The retrofitting of the four buildings was part of a campus-wide effort to retrofit all of their 90 buildings. Completion is expected by the end of January 2000. The project, which began in July 1999, will retrofit more than 40,000 fixtures.

Contact: Jim Westberg, (602) 280-1434; e-mail jimw@azcommerce.com

Iowa
High school students discuss energy issues at Iowa Energy Summit
Twenty-four students from four Iowa high schools attended the 1999 Iowa Energy Summit on November 12, 1999. The Iowa Energy Summit is a daylong conference for high school students to discuss Iowa's energy picture. In preparation for the Iowa Energy Summit, students wrote technical papers and "resolutions" about how Iowa's citizens, businesses, and industries should use and produce energy. The summit took place at the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy and Environmental Education in Cedar Falls.

Schools attending the Summit were: Burlington Community High School; Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville; Wahlert High School, Dubuque; and Albert City-Truesdale High School. Students debated six resolutions and passed three: Biomass Energy Production; Ethanol Awareness; and Harness the Wind and Grow the Grass -- The Ultimate Compromise.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education hosted the event. Pella Corporation, a national window manufacturer, was corporate sponsor.

Contact: Dewayne Johnson at (515) 281-7018; e-mail djohnso@max.state.is.us.
Web site: www.state.ia.us/dnr/energy

Massachusetts
Fuel cell demonstration project receives funding assistance
The Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources (DOER) has awarded the Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD) a $100,000 grant to help fund its new fuel cell demonstration project. Located at the now-closed Town of Braintree landfill, the fuel cell began operation this past summer and generates enough electricity to meet the average electric needs of approximately 200 households.

The 200kW fuel cell was manufactured by ONSI Corporation of South Windsor, Connecticut. Fuel cells generate electricity by an electrochemical process (similar to a battery) with no combustion or moving parts, and little noise or emissions. The Braintree fuel cell helps to reduce air pollution by capturing the methane gas that is naturally produced by decay in the landfill and using it to generate electricity. This process helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that escape into the air and contribute to global warming.

Originally used by NASA as part of the Apollo moon missions, fuel cells are increasingly being used to generate electricity in homes and businesses. They have the advantage of being small, quiet, clean, and efficient. Fuel cells are also being developed as an alternative power source for automobiles.

The Fuel Cell Demonstration Project is expected to run for five years and provide valuable information on the viability of fuel cells as an alternative source of electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy provided additional funding of $200,000 through its Climate Change Fuel Cell Program. To learn more about fuel cells and other sources of renewable energy, visit the Division of Energy Resources Web site at www.state.ma.us/doer.

Contact: Joyce McMahon, (617) 727-4732, ext. 134; e-mail: JoyceMcMahon@state.ma.us

Missouri
Energy Division reorganizes, changes name
As part of a reorganization that began in October, the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Energy has changed its name to the Energy Center to highlight its new customer-based structure.

"We've reorganized our agency to better identify with our customers, and we wanted a name that reflected our mission as a customer-service agency," said Anita Randolph, director of the newly named center. "An organization's name is a symbol of what it stands for, and we wanted our name to represent our commitment to reach out to the citizens we serve."

Changes recently implemented by the agency include the creation of four units that will deal with customer needs in specific sectors: Schools and Local Governments, State Government, Residential, and Business and Industry. The center also plans to add outreach staff in Kansas City and St. Louis and intends to set up an Energy Advisory Council that will provide public input the center can use to better meet the needs of Missouri citizens.

Energy use and production are closely linked to the health and well being of Missouri's people, environment, and economy. The Energy Center helps Missourians make wise choices in their use and production of energy to protect the environment and foster economic prosperity. The center advocates the use of energy-efficient practices and renewable and alternative energy technologies to safeguard Missouri's quality of life now and in the future.

Contact: Jim Muench, (573) 751-4000

New Hampshire
Conference on future technologies draws more than 200 teachers and students
More than 200 teachers and students from throughout the Northeast gathered in Concord, NH, November 5th and 6th to learn how renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle technologies can be used as subjects to improve classroom learning. The Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services (ECS), prime sponsor of the event, forecasts growing job opportunities for young people in these rapidly expanding industries. The increased use of these technologies will also reduce fossil fuel use and lower pollution levels caused by current energy and transportation systems, according to ECS and other conference planners.

The conference was organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), Greenfield, MA, and sponsored by the New Hampshire Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. NESEA is the nation's leading regional association involved in promoting the development of non-polluting energy sources. NESEA has years of experience working with teachers through its NESEA American Tour de Sol electric vehicle road rally.

Conference participants inspected electric bicycles, go-carts, and on-road vehicles along with student-installed solar and wind energy systems. Teachers learned how student projects such as energy audits of school buildings, student-built electric vehicles, and student-installed renewable energy systems can be used to motivate students and teach a variety of subjects that meet today's educational standards. The conference provided teachers with educational resources, examples on how to fund projects, and the basics of project research and development.

New Hampshire Department of Education, Department of Environmental Services, and New Hampshire Technical Institute staff assisted with conference planning. The conference, which organizers hope will become an annual event, also included workshops on Solar on Schools programs, renewable energy technology applications, and the Alliance to Save Energy's "Green Schools" programs. Exhibits included the "Sun Shack", a 30-foot long, student-built, solar and wind powered office on wheels. Computers in the Sun Shack's office monitor how much power is being produced and are programmed to be used by students to learn about renewable energy.

A listing of educational resources and conference speakers can be found on NESEA's Web site www.nesea.org.

Contact: Robin Read, (603) 271-2611

Texas
SECO moves to comptroller's office
Effective September 1, 1999, the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) moved from the General Services Commission to the Office of the State Comptroller. SECO's new Director is William E. "Dub" Taylor. Prior to SECO, Dub spent six years at the Texas Railroad Commission developing and administering the first state-sponsored consumer rebate program for energy-efficient appliances and equipment.

SECO's most highly visible program is the Texas LoanSTAR (Saving Taxes and Resources) Program which has served as a national model for state and federal loan programs for energy-efficiency retrofits. Legislatively mandated to be funded at a minimum of $95 million, the program has saved Texas taxpayers more than $74 million through energy-efficiency projects financed for state agencies, institutions of higher education, school districts, and local governments. The current interest rate for public schools is 4.04% and 4.25% for all other entities. The program's revolving loan mechanism allows borrowers to repay loans through the stream of cost savings realized from the retrofit projects.

Contact: Diane Stauffer, (512) 463-1931

CONSERVATION UPDATE is a free monthly publication prepared by the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, Division of Energy, with funding from the United States Department of Energy, to facilitate the transfer of current State Energy Program (SEP) and technical information among the states and territories. Please submit short articles that describe successful programs, solicit ideas, share reports, studies or evaluations, or announce new publications, personnel changes, office address changes, conferences, seminars and workshops. Submittals are due by the seventh of each month. Please send submittals, address corrections, or name changes to: CONSERVATION UPDATE, Division of Energy, 663 Teton Trail, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, phone (502) 564-7192, facsimile (502) 564-7484, email: landry@nrepc.nr.state.ky.us. Past issues are available upon request. For more information, contact Karen W. Landry, Editor, or John M. Stapleton, Director.

Visit the Division's Web site at www.nr.state.ky.us/nrepc/dnr/energy/dnrdoe.html

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