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This hybrid-electric utility truck was developed jointly
by International and Eaton.
Credit: International
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Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman opened an exhibition of
energy-efficient clean diesel and advanced hybrid commercial vehicles in Washington, D.C.,
last week. The exhibition featured vehicles from Allison, Caterpillar,
Cummins, Eaton, International, Oshkosh,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Volvo. Several of the
vehicles were developed as part of DOE's 21st Century Truck Partnership, a
government and industry initiative to develop advanced technologies for
fuel-efficient commercial vehicles. Held at a conference of the Society of
Automotive Engineers, the exhibition was cosponsored by the Diesel
Technology Forum. See the DOE
press release and Secretary
Bodman's remarks at the event.
Roughly a quarter of the vehicles that travel on U.S.
highways are commercial vehicles. In the absence of significant technology
development, DOE projections show a doubling in fuel use for commercial
trucks by 2050. To reduce that growth in fuel use, DOE's 21st Century Truck
Partnership aims to increase the fuel economy of new long-haul trucks by
nearly 80 percent in the next 15 years. More information on the 21st
Century Truck Partnership is available on DOE's FreedomCAR
and Vehicle Technologies Program Web site.
A specially modified hybrid-electric Honda Insight achieved nearly 100
miles per gallon (mpg) over a 150-mile course last weekend, falling just
short of the "100 MPG Challenge" at the National 2005 Tour de Sol.
The 17th annual Tour de Sol—billed
as "a sustainable energy and transportation festival and competition"—was held last Friday through Monday
in Sarasota Springs and Albany, New York, and featured more than 60
hybrid, electric, and bio-fueled vehicles.
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Mitsubishi is developing a battery-powered electric
vehicle, a technology abandoned by most major automakers.
Credit: Mitsubishi Motors
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The Tour de Sol also featured a 500-mile Monte Carlo-style road rally,
which was won by a Honda Insight that averaged 79 mpg, a Toyota Prius that
averaged 61 mpg, and a biodiesel-fueled Volkswagen Passat that averaged 77
mpg. Other innovative vehicles at the Tour de Sol included two
biodiesel-fueled hybrid vehicles and a biodiesel-fueled DaimlerChrysler
Smart vehicle that achieved 67 mpg. And actually, there was one vehicle at
the Tour de Sol that achieved better than 100 mpg, but that was because of
an electrical boost: Valence Corporation and Energy Control Systems
Engineering modified a Toyota Prius to carry a high-capacity lithium-ion
battery pack charged with 9 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Their
"plug-in" Prius achieved 102 mpg over a 150-mile course. See the Tour de Sol Web site
and the press releases from Valence
Corporation and the tour's sponsor, the Northeast Sustainable Energy
Association (MS Word
80 KB).
While a number of homemade electric vehicles were present at the Tour de
Sol, the current paucity of commercial electric vehicles may soon be
addressed by Mitsubishi Motors. The company is developing a compact
electric vehicle called the Colt EV, which draws on a lithium-ion battery
pack to power four 20-kilowatt, in-wheel electric motors. See the Mitsubishi
Motors press release.
Minnesota Doubles Ethanol Requirement to 20 Percent Blend
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed into law last week a bill that
will double the amount of ethanol used in gasoline throughout the state.
Currently, Minnesota
law requires all gasoline sold within the state to include 10 percent
ethanol. Under the new legislation, all gasoline sold within the state
would have to include 20 percent ethanol by 2013. However, the new ethanol
mandate will not take effect if ethanol has already replaced 20 percent of
the state's motor vehicle fuel by 2010. See the governor's press
release and the full
text of the bill, Senate File Number 4.
U.S.
production of ethanol fuel continues to grow, as the industry set a monthly
production record of 245,000 barrels per day in February. Currently, 86
ethanol plants nationwide have the capacity to produce more than 3.8
billion gallons annually, and another 16 plants and three major expansions
are under construction. The most recent addition is Iowa's 17th ethanol plant, which started
production yesterday near Steamboat Rock. Construction also started last
week on the first large-scale ethanol fuel facility in Colorado. Sterling Ethanol, LLC is
building a plant in northeast Colorado
that will produce 42 million gallons of ethanol per year. Colorado's current major supplier of
ethanol fuel is Coors, which reclaims about 1.2 million gallons of ethanol
per year from waste beer at its brewery in Golden. See the Renewable Fuel
Association's press releases on the production record, the new Iowa plant, and the Colorado plant, as well
as its list of ethanol
production facilities.
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GE Energy's wind turbines are providing a pot of gold
for the company.
Credit: GE Energy ©2004,
General Electric Company
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GE Energy, a business unit of the General Electric Company (GE),
announced Monday that it expects its 2005 revenues for wind energy to
exceed $2 billion, a 300 percent increase over 2002, its first year of wind
energy operations. GE Energy has received order and commitments for 2,400
megawatts of new wind power capacity worldwide, including 1,650 megawatts
in the United States.
That represents two-thirds of the new wind capacity to be installed this
year, according to the latest projection by the American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA). See the GE
press release.
The success of its wind energy business may be one of the driving forces
for "ecomagination," a GE initiative announced last week that
includes a doubling of the company's investments in research and
development for clean energy. By 2010, GE intends to invest $1.5 billion
annually in cleaner technologies, up from $700 million in 2004. GE also
intends to double its revenues from environmentally preferable products,
including (but not limited to) wind and solar energy, technologies and
materials that make energy production and consumption more efficient, and
cleaner and more efficient transportation technologies. GE also intends to
increase its energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 1
percent by 2012. At currently projected growth rates, the company's
greenhouse gas emissions would increase 40 percent by 2012 without energy
efficiency improvements. See the GE
press release.
Although wind power is booming this year, the industry saw slow growth
in the United States
in 2004, with only 389 megawatts of new wind capacity installed. That in
turn caused little change in AWEA's annual ranking of the top states for
wind power capacity as well as the largest wind facilities, the leading
wind power owners, the top manufacturers, and the utilities that buy the
most wind power. California and Texas continued to
lead the states in wind power capacity in 2004. See AWEA's May 12th press release,
and for comparison, see the AWEA press release from
last year.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued standard
procedures last week for the interconnection of small power generating
equipment to power grids. The new procedures are meant to reduce the
uncertainty, time, and costs associated with connecting systems to the grid
that have generating capacities of 20 megawatts or less. The rule directs
public utilities to offer non-discriminatory, standardized interconnection
service for small generators and to provide technical procedures for
connecting to the grid. Public utilities will also have to provide a Small
Generator Interconnection Agreement, which contains the contractual
provisions for the interconnection and spells out who pays for improvements
to the utility's electric system, if needed to complete the
interconnection. The rule allows simpler interconnection for systems of 2
megawatts or less, and even simpler procedures for systems of 10 kilowatts
or less that use inverters. The rule applies only to interconnections with
facilities already subject to FERC jurisdiction and does not apply to local
distribution facilities. See the FERC press
release and the final rule (PDF
705 KB). Download
Acrobat Reader.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA),
interconnection standards can have a significant impact on the number of
renewable energy and distributed energy systems installed within a state.
In New Jersey, for instance, an easy-to-understand process that allows for
expedited processing with fixed fees has caused a solar power boom. For
businesses, New Jersey allows interconnection and net metering for
facilities as large as two megawatts. SEIA credits the standard with a 550
percent growth in solar capacity within the state over the past three
years. See the SEIA
press release.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)—representing 30 developed countries
that share a commitment to democratic government and a market
economy—announced last week
that 27 of its member countries, including the United States, have agreed
to special financing terms for renewable energy and water projects in
developing countries. The agreement allows extended repayment terms of 15
years for those projects—compared
to 12-year terms for conventional power projects—under a two-year trial period
that begins on July 1st. The renewable energies covered by the agreement
include wind energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, solar energy, and
biomass energy. See the OECD
press release.
The financing terms were agreed to by the participants in the
Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, a non-binding agreement
first established in 1978 and most recently updated in late January. The
agreement aims to create a level playing field for exports by setting
strict limits on the financing that exporting countries can offer. By
loosening the restrictions for renewable energy and water projects, the
participants aim to encourage sustainable development projects in
developing countries. According to the latest version of the agreement, the
participants currently include Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand,
Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States, and 19 countries in
the European Community that are members of the OECD. See the latest version
of the agreement (PDF
308 KB). Download
Acrobat Reader.
Renewable energy financing is as much an issue within the United States
as it is for U.S. exports. To address the issue at home, the second annual
"Renewable Energy Finance Forum - Wall Street" will be held in
New York City on June 23rd and 24th. The forum is co-sponsored by the
American Council On Renewable Energy and Euromoney Energy Events. See the forum
Web page.
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