*News and Events
DOE, EPA Announce Fuel Economy Leaders for Model Year 2004
Japanese Automakers Look to the Future at Tokyo Auto Show
Thirteen of 22 Cars Complete the World Solar Challenge
Big Wind Energy Projects Hit the Great Plains
USDA, Rural Electric Coops to Advance Efficiency, Renewables
St. Lawrence Hydropower Station Earns New 50-Year License
*Energy Connections
EIA: U.S. Energy Use Increased 1 Percent in 2002
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NEWS AND EVENTS
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<DOE, EPA Announce Fuel Economy Leaders for Model Year 2004
DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the latest edition of the Web-based “Fuel Economy Guide” on October 23rd. The latest edition of the guide includes fuel economy, emissions, and safety data for all model year 2004 vehicles sold in the United States. It also includes fuel-saving tips and additional information
on advanced-technology vehicles, including hybrid electric, alternative fuel, and fuel-cell vehicles. See the Fuel Economy Guide: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
For the fourth year in a row, hybrid electric vehicles are at the top of the fuel efficiency list, and with the new, larger Toyota Prius, hybrids also lead three vehicle classes: the Honda Insight leads the two-seaters, the Honda Civic Hybrid leads the compact cars, and the Toyota Prius leads the midsize cars. The bottom of the list is mostly
dominated by the Italian sports cars — Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati — with one domestic entry: the four-wheel-drive Ford F150 pickup. See the October 23rd press releases from DOE and the EPA at:
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Although the Honda Insight remains at the top of the list, its impact on the total U.S. fleet of vehicles is negligible, since Honda has sold only 1,036 of the vehicles this year. Honda’s sales of the Civic Hybrid are much greater: 13,707 vehicles in 2002, and 17,177 through the end of September this year. However, the new Toyota Prius may
dwarf those numbers, as Toyota plans to produce 36,000 Prius vehicles for the U.S. market in 2004. See the October 23rd press release on the Honda Media Newsroom Web site at:
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Japanese Automakers Look to the Future at Tokyo Auto Show
While Honda and Toyota currently lead the world in the production of hybrid electric vehicles with high fuel efficiencies, their concept vehicles at the Tokyo Auto Show, now underway, suggest an intent to use hybrid technology for more high-powered performance in the future. Toyota stands out with its Lexus “LF-S,” a sedan powered by a hybrid electric V8 engine; its “SU-HV1,” a sport utility vehicle that combines a 3.3-liter V6 engine with a 120-kilowatt motor, boosted by a 50-kilowatt motor on the rear axle; and its “CS&S,” a sports car that marries a 1.5-liter engine to a 50-kilowatt motor. Toyota’s CS&S aims to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 8.6 seconds while achieving a fuel economy of nearly 78 miles per gallon. Toyota is also displaying the “Fine-N,” a fuel cell car that uses four 25-kilowatt wheel-mounted motors. See the press releases, images, videos, and detailed information on Toyota’s Tokyo Auto Show Web site:
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Honda brought its own vision of high-performance hybrid technology to the Tokyo Auto Show. The “IMAS,” which looks like a Honda Insight on steroids, incorporates Honda’s newest hybrid power system into a carbon-bodied two-seater that weighs slightly more than 1,500 pounds. Honda estimates the vehicle would achieve more than 94 miles to the gallon. Honda also introduced the “ASM,” a hybrid electric minivan, and the fuel-cell-powered “KIWAMI,” a wedge-shaped sedan that uses an ultracapacitor for energy storage. See Honda’s Tokyo Auto Show Web
site at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Meanwhile, Daihatsu and Subaru are threatening to topple the Honda and Toyota hybrid electric dynasty. Daihatsu debuted the “UFE-II,” a four- seat hybrid that looks like an Insight, weighs less than 1,300 pounds, and achieves the lowest aerodynamic drag yet (0.19), all of which yields an astounding 140 miles per gallon. Subaru unveiled the
“B9 Scrambler” — a two-seat sports car featuring its new hybrid power system — and the all-electric “R1e” mini-car. See the Daihatsu and Subaru press releases at:
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Other Japanese automakers focused mainly on fuel cell vehicles and advanced internal-combustion engines. Nissan unveiled its “EFFIS” fuel cell car, which uses a lithium-ion battery and an efficient motor with two output shafts that can be controlled independently. Mitsubishi brought its new fuel cell vehicle to the show, and also introduced the “i,” a small, lightweight car that uses an advanced gasoline engine to achieve low emissions and a fuel economy of 62 miles per gallon. And Mazda debuted the “RX-8 Hydrogen RE,” which features a rotary engine
that burns hydrogen. See Nissan’s October 14th press release, Mitsubishi’s October 15th press release, and the Mazda press release at: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/,
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Thirteen of 22 Cars Complete the World Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge ended yesterday in Australia, and 13 of the 22 cars that entered the race reached the finish line near Adelaide under their own power. For the leaders, the race was over last week: the Nuon Solar Team from the Netherlands finished the course on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 22nd, winning the race with an average speed of about 60 miles per hour. The second-place team — from Melbourne, Australia — reached the finish line an hour and forty-three minutes behind the Dutch team. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in third, finishing early in the morning on Thursday, October 23rd. Three other vehicles finished that day,
followed by three more the next day, two more the day after that, and the final two on Sunday, October 26th. The World Solar Challenge is a grueling course, stretching nearly 1,900 miles down the center of the Australian continent. See the “Latest Updates” and “Media” pages on the World Solar Challenge Web site at:
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The Nuon Solar Team earned its second consecutive win at the World Solar Challenge — and achieved its second consecutive world-record speed — by relying heavily on technology developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). The team’s vehicle, the Nuna II, used 3,000 triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar cells, which convert more than
24.5 percent of the sunlight that hits them into electricity. The craft also featured 46 lithium-ion batteries (providing five kilowatt- hours of electrical energy storage), an advanced aerodynamic shape, and a carbon-fiber body reinforced with a plastic called aramide, which is used in space suits for protection against micrometeorites.
See the ESA press release at:
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Big Wind Energy Projects Hit the Great Plains
New wind power plants went online this month in the Great Plains states of North and South Dakota — the first large wind facilities in those states — while construction began on a new large wind plant on the plains of western Colorado.
Both North and South Dakota gained 40 megawatts of wind power as FPL Energy completed the North Dakota I Wind Energy Center and the South Dakota Wind Energy Center in the first half of October. Basin Electric Power Cooperative is buying all the power from the two sites, each of which draws on 27 1.5-megawatt wind turbines manufactured by GE Wind Energy. Last week, FPL Energy completed its second wind project in North Dakota, the North Dakota II Wind Energy Center, a 21-megawatt project that will provide power to the Otter Tail Power
Company. The facility consists of 14 of the 1.5-megawatt GE Wind Energy turbines. See the press releases from Basin Electric and the Otter Tail Power Company at:
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The Colorado plains will soon host the state’s largest wind power plant, a 162-megawatt facility near Lamar, about 100 miles east of Pueblo. PPM Energy, Inc. and Shell WindEnergy, Inc. are building the Colorado Green Wind Project using — you guessed it — 108 1.5-megawatt wind turbines from GE Wind Energy. Xcel Energy is buying
all the power produced by the new facility, which should be complete by year-end. See the PPM Energy press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
PPM Energy is active in California, as well: the company is building the 22-megawatt Mountain View III wind facility in Riverside County, near the Arizona border. FPL Energy is also gaining more wind energy assets in California, but is buying rather than building them: the company is acquiring 130 megawatts of wind power capacity that is
currently owned by Enron. The $80-million deal is subject to regulatory approval and acceptance at a bankruptcy auction, scheduled for early December. See the PPM Energy and FPL Energy press releases at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
http://www.fplenergy.com/news/2003/contents/03115.shtml
http://www.fplenergy.com/news/2003/contents/03115.shtml
USDA, Rural Electric Coops to Advance Efficiency, Renewables
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed an agreement with rural electric cooperatives last week to increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in rural areas by removing technical and market barriers. The USDA signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to identify cost-effective, voluntary opportunities for rural electric cooperatives to partner with farmers and ranchers to reduce greenhouse gases. The agreement includes — but is not limited to — the use of
renewable energy, energy efficiency, fuel cells, microturbines, and biobased products. The agreement identifies areas for public-private cooperation in research, standards development, and education. See the USDA press release at: [sorry this link is no longer available]
The agreement also calls for NRECA to assist member cooperatives toward a goal of increased use of renewable power technologies, including biomass co-fired power plants, biomass gasification power plants, animal waste-to-energy projects, landfill-methane power projects, and wind and solar energy. NRECA will also support the development of industry standards fo
r the interconnection of distributed power sources to the electrical grid. A link to the full agreement is included in the NRECA press release, posted on the NRECA Web site at:
r the interconnection of distributed power sources to the electrical grid. A link to the full agreement is included in the NRECA press release, posted on the NRECA Web site at:
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St. Lawrence Hydropower Station Earns New 50-Year License
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a new 50-year operating license to the 912-megawatt St. Lawrence-FDR hydropower project last week. The New York Power Authority (NYPA) owns the project, located on the St. Lawrence River near Massena, New York. The project regulates the water levels in Lake Ontario by controlling its flow to the Atlantic Ocean. It has been producing power since 1958.
The relicensing of the facility involved a complicated settlement agreement among Native Americans, conservation groups, and local, state, and federal officials from both the United States and Canada. It includes a $24 million fund for fish enhancement and mitigation and the construction of a fish ladder to assist the upstream passage of
the American eel. See the FERC press release at:
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New York Governor George E. Pataki lauded the new license, which NYPA applied for two years ago. The original license was due to expire this month. Although the St. Lawrence project is aging, NYPA is currently spending more than $254 million on a 15-year modernization and upgrade for the project’s turbine generators. NYPA aims to complete the upgrade in 2013. See the governor’s press release at:
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ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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EIA: U.S. Energy Use Increased 1 Percent in 2002
U.S. energy use held nearly steady in 2002, according to a new report by DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. energy use increased about 1 percent above 2001 levels, but is still 1.4 percent lower than the energy consumption in 2000 and only 0.6 percent greater than 1999 consumption levels. By sector, the trends in energy use reflect trends in the U.S. economy as a whole, with residential energy use increasing 3.4 percent and accounting for most of the overall increase. In contrast, the use of energy for transportation increased 0.9 percent, commercial energy use increased 0.5 percent, and industrial energy use increased only 0.02 percent. The energy
intensity of the economy — measured in energy use per dollar of gross domestic product — continued its downward trend, and is now at 10.31 thousand Btu (British thermal units) per dollar, adjusted to 1996 dollars. A decrease in energy intensity suggests that the U.S. economy is using energy more efficiently.
As already noted in EIA’s Renewable Trends Report, issued in late August, the use of renewable energy increased about 10.8 percent in 2002, due largely to a 21.2 percent increase in hydropower use as the West bounced back from the 2001 drought. Wind power experienced the fastest growth of all renewable technologies, increasing nearly
59 percent over 2001 levels. See the EIA’s Annual Energy Review 2002
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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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