Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:August 20, 2003

*News and Events

Secretary Abraham Leads Power Outage Investigation

*Energy Connections

Blackout Spurs Interest in Renewables & Efficiency

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham dispatched teams of investigators over the weekend to the Northeast and Upper Midwest to begin onsite investigations into what caused the nation’s worst power outage last week.

DOE Awards $17.3 Million for Renewables and Efficiency

Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced last week that DOE will provide $17.3 million for 187 efficiency and renewable energy projects. State energy offices will use these funds to improve the energy efficiency of schools, homes, and other buildings; promote energy efficient industrial technologies; and support renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass. Some projects will create opportunities for distributed energy resources.

As part of DOE’s Smart Energy Campaign, several regional energy forums are taking place across the country. At one such forum last week — DOE’s Regional Natural Gas Forum in St. Paul, Minnesota–David Garman, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, encouraged energy conservation as one solution to impending natural gas shortages. Garman also stated the importance of increasing the production and storage of natural gas. For more of David Garman’s remarks to the Natural Gas Forum see the August 14th press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]

DOE Releases 25-Year Strategic Plan

Last week, DOE released a far-reaching 25-year plan spelling out a general vision as well as specific technologies and projects it hopes to develop in the next 25 years. The plan is committed to clean coal and nuclear, but also supports renewable energy and energy efficiency, with the underlying principle that a diversity of energy sources can help provide stability and guard against price spikes.

Between 2003 and 2008, weatherize approximately 771,000 homes of low-income families.
By 2010, bring down the cost of the hydrogen equivalent of a gallon of gas to $1.50.
By 2010, accomplish FreedomCAR technical milestones established with industry partners.
By 2012, develop and demonstrate technologies that can reduce emissions more than 70 metric tons of carbon (MMTCE) and equivalent green house gases (and 117 MMTCE by 2020).
By 2015, evaluate policy instruments that foster the delivery of commercial quantities of hydrogen based on the economic success for hydrogen research and development.
By 2015, develop technologies that allow a decision by industry to commercialize fuel-cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure.
By 2025, have renewable energy sources (excluding hydropower) reach 12.0 quadrillion Btu (quads), nearly double the energy production of 6.46 quads in the year 2000.
By 2025, develop and demonstrate technologies to bring systems that generate both heat and power within 90 percent efficiency.
By 2025, have solid-state lighting reduce energy demand for lighting by one-fifth compared to that of 2000.

Download the Strategic Plan at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]

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While stocks for companies involved in fuel cells, distributed generation, and superconductivity traded high on the NASDAQ Friday following the nation’s worst blackout, companies and not for profits across the nation capitalized on the power loss to promote everything from conservation and high performance building design to new technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells. “The major power outage that struck cities in the United States and Canada on Thursday serves as a graphic illustration of the need to reduce energy use,” says a press release issued Friday by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and A
ir Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Along with the press release, ASHRAE issued a plan for Emergency Energy Use Reduction for building owners advising them on myriad ways to reduce their energy use, such as modifying building controls systems, moving building functions to the exterior day lit area of buildings, and powering down equipment when not in use.

See the August 15th ASHRAE press release at:
[sorry this link is no longer available]