*News and Events
EERE Research Grants Available to Small Businesses
Hydrogen Technology Projects Slated for Michigan, California
HelioVolt and NREL to Advance Thin-Film Solar Power
NRDC Opens Highly Energy Efficient Building in California
CEC Approves New Energy Efficiency Standards for Buildings
CEC Committee Recommends Approval of New Geothermal Plant
*Site News
Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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EERE Research Grants Available to Small Businesses
DOE recently issued its fiscal year 2004 solicitation for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs. Although the solicitations cover a wide range of energy technologies, several grants are being offered through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Specifically, EERE is seeking grant applications for research in lighting technologies, energy efficient membranes, materials for industrial energy systems, sensors and controls, and innovative waste heat recovery methods. EERE is also seeking grant applications for projects to develop new renewable energy sources, including materials and components for solar energy systems, low-head hydropower systems, and hydrogen production via electrolysis, using wind or solar photovoltaic systems. See the EERE solicitation at:
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Grant applications are due by January 6, 2004. The full SBIR/SBTT solicitation, including all necessary forms and submission requirements, is posted on the DOE Office of Science Web site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Hydrogen Technology Projects Slated for Michigan, California
Michigan and California will soon feature innovative projects that demonstrate the infrastructure needed for the future hydrogen economy, thanks to the efforts of DTE Energy and Stuart Energy.
In Michigan, DTE Energy is planning to build a hydrogen energy pilot project that will include on-site hydrogen production using biomass and solar power, hydrogen storage and distribution, vehicle fueling, and on-site power production using fuel cell technology. The five-year project will cost $3 million and will produce about 100,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, in addition to enough compressed hydrogen gas to fuel three vehicles per day. The project will be located at Detroit Edison’s Southfield Station. DOE, the State of Michigan, and the City of Southfield are partners on the project. See the November 4th press release on the DTE Energy Web site at:
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In California, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has awarded a contract to Stuart Energy Systems Corporation to build a hydrogen energy station that will produce power while fueling vehicles. The project, to be built in early 2004, will generate hydrogen via electrolysis of water and will then compress it and store it. In addition to a fuel dispenser for vehicles, the system will feed a 120-kilowatt power system that will use a hydrogen-fueled internal
combustion engine to generate power. See the November 17th press release from Stuart Energy at:
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HelioVolt and NREL to Advance Thin-Film Solar Power
DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced last week that it will team up with HelioVolt Corporation to advance the technology for making thin-film Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) solar cells. The HelioVolt process involves depositing two thin films of chemicals on a surface such as glass and then rapidly heating them to form a bond. NREL and HelioVolt are collaborating under a six-month Cooperative Research and Development Agreement valued at $100,000, for which HelioVolt is supplying $75,000 of its own funds. [sorry this link is no longer available]
NRDC Opens Highly Energy Efficient Building in California
Santa Monica may now be home to one of the “greenest” buildings in the nation with the opening last week of the new Southern California office of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The new building reduces electricity consumption 60 to 75 percent by maximizing natural light and using efficient fixtures and appliances,
task lighting, dimmable electronic ballasts, occupancy sensors, and extra insulation. Its air conditioning system uses “displacement ventilation,” in which cool air is supplied at floor level to displace the hot air, which rises to the ceiling and is extracted from the building. The building also meets 20 percent of its electricity needs through rooftop solar cells. It is being considered by the U.S. Green Building Council for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Version 2 Platinum green building rating — the highest possible level of sustainable design — and may become the first structure in the United States to achieve this status. See the NRDC press release and online “tour” at:
For more information on LEED ratings, see the USGBC Web site at:
According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
(ASHRAE, displacement ventilation systems, such as the one in the NRDC building, have the potential to improve indoor air quality while saving energy. Although many Scandinavian countries use them, the systems are less common in the
(ASHRAE, displacement ventilation systems, such as the one in the NRDC building, have the potential to improve indoor air quality while saving energy. Although many Scandinavian countries use them, the systems are less common in the
United States. To encourage their use, ASHRAE released new design guidelines for the systems in late October. See the ASHRAE press release at:
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CEC Approves New Energy Efficiency Standards for Buildings
California is destined to be the location for many more energy efficient buildings, since the California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved updated building standards for energy efficiency. The new standards take effect in October 2005, and will yield more than 500 megawatts in energy savings for the state by 2008. The new
standards include the use of “cool roofs” and efficient lighting, as well as measures to encourage greater use of daylighting, better sealing of ducts, and improved window glazing. See the November 5th press release and the new building standards on the CEC Web site at:
http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html
http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html
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The upgraded building standards are supported by a recent study of green buildings, which found that green designs typically add about 2 percent extra to the cost of a building, while yielding savings over the life of the building that total 20 percent of the building costs. In other words, the savings are 10 times the initial investment. The study, released in October, was prepared by the Capital E group with help from DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It was developed for the Sustainable Buildings Task Force, a group of more than 40 California state agencies. See the report on the Capital E Group Web site at:
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CEC Committee Recommends Approval of New Geothermal Plant
A new 185-megawatt geothermal power plant moved one step closer to reality last week, as the siting committee of the California Energy Commission (CEC) recommended that the full commission approve the project. If constructed, the Salton Sea Unit 6 Geothermal Power Project will be the largest geothermal power plant in the country, harvesting energy from hot brines drawn from deep underground, then reinjecting the warm waste water back into the geothermal reservoir. CE Obsidian Energy, LLC plans to begin power production at the plant
in 2005. The CEC will vote on the project on December 17th. See the November 14th press release on the CEC Web site at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/index.html
The new plant will be located on the southeast shore of the Salton Sea. For more information, see the CEC’s Salton Sea Geothermal Documents page at:
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SITE NEWS
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Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association
www.rima.net
The Reflective Insulation Manufacturers Association (RIMA) represents reflective insulation and radiant barrier manufacturers and other companies active within the industry. It educates the marketplace on the benefits of reflective insulation technologies and represents members’ interests in establishing ASTM (America Society for Testing and Materials) standards for testing and installation procedures.
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| Kevin Eber is the Editor of EREE Network News, a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). |
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