Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:June 29, 2004

*News and Events

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Wins FutureTruck Competition
• GM and DaimlerChrysler Fuel-Cell Vehicles Help Deliver the Mail
• USDA Offers $13.2 Million for Biomass Energy Projects
• New 144-Megawatt Wind Power Plant Dedicated in Wyoming
• New York Olympics Bid Includes Wind- and Solar-Powered Stadium
• Connecticut Climate Change Act Signed into Law

Western Governors Launch Clean Energy Initiative

Western governors agreed unanimously last week to explore opportunities to develop “a clean, secure and diversified energy system for the West and to capitalize on the region’s immense energy resources.” The energy resolution, adopted at the annual meeting of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA), sets a preliminary goal of increasing the efficiency of energy use in the West by 20 percent by 2020, and also aims to develop 30,000 megawatts of clean energy in the West by 2015. “Clean energy,” as defined in the resolution, includes renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy, but also includes clean coal technologies and advanced natural gas technologies. The resolution calls for a study of policies to facilitate wind energy development throughout the region, and notes that the governors have been evaluating an initiative to develop 1,000 megawatts of concentrating solar power in the West. To carry through on the resolution, the WGA will establish a Clean and Diversified Energy Working Group composed of regional stakeholders, with a steering committee comprised of representatives from governor’s offices. The WGA represents the governors of 18 western states and of American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. See the WGA press release and the full energy resolution (PDF 34 KB).

A report issued by Western Resource Advocates (WRA) in late May found that the West could save at least $2 billion per year on electricity costs by 2020 if the region aggressively pursues energy efficiency while using renewable energy to supply 20 percent of the region’s electricity. Such actions would also cut emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide by more than 30 percent. See the WRA press release (PDF 18 KB) or go directly to the full report.

Innovative Solar Manufacturing Plant Opens in Canada

ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. opened Canada’s first full-scale solar cell manufacturing plant last week. The new highly automated plant is capable of producing 20 megawatts of solar cells per year using the company’s innovative Spheral Solar technology, in which thousands of silicon beads are bonded within sheets of aluminum foil. The result is a lightweight, flexible solar cell that could potentially be produced at lower costs because of the low amount of silicon used to produce each solar cell. See the ATS press release and the description of the manufacturing process on the Web site of Spheral Solar Power, an ATS subsidiary.

Spheral Solar technology was originally developed at Texas Instruments Inc. in the early 1990s. In July 2002, ATS announced that it was going to commercialize the process. See the story from the July 24th, 2002, edition of this newsletter.

Solar manufacturing is also continuing to increase in the United States. In April, Evergreen Solar announced that it had doubled its manufacturing capacity to 6 megawatts per year, and last week, DayStar Technologies, Inc. announced it will build an 18,000-square-foot manufacturing and research facility in Saratoga, New York. The New York State Department of Economic Development lured DayStar to New York from its present location in California by offering state and local economic incentives worth as much as $11 million. See the press releases from Evergreen Solar and DayStar Technologies.

The solar manufacturing news should provide plenty to talk about at the National Solar Energy Conference 2004 (also called SOLAR 2004), to be held in Portland from July 9th to the 14th, and Solar Power 2004, coming to San Francisco in late October. See the SOLAR 2004 and Solar Power 2004 Web sites.

New 106.5-Megawatt Wind Power Plant Planned for Oklahoma

FPL Energy LLC announced Monday that it will build, own, and operate a new 106.4-megawatt wind energy facility in Oklahoma. The Weatherford Wind Energy Center will be the state’s largest, weighing in with 4.5 megawatts more than the state’s current heavyweight, the Oklahoma Wind Energy Center, which was also built by FPL Energy. The new wind plant will be located near Weatherford, about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City. According to FPL Energy, the construction of the wind plant is contingent on the extension of the federal production tax credit for wind energy, which expired at the end of 2003. See the FPL Energy press release.

Demonstration Projects to Generate Hydrogen from Renewable Energy

Hydrogen is a clean fuel, combining with oxygen in fuel cells to produce only water vapor, but the overall clean
liness of a hydrogen energy system depends on how the hydrogen is produced. With that in mind, a number of projects around the country are aiming to produce hydrogen from renewable energy. In Maine, the Chewonki Foundation and the Hydrogen Energy Center are planning to use a combination of onsite solar power and purchased green power to generate hydrogen, which will be used to fuel three one-kilowatt fuel cells. The groups announced the purchase of the major system components last week, and the system should be complete by this winter. In Illinois, the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Illinois Coalition plan to build a hydrogen fueling station powered in part by wind and solar energy. Located at a regional airport near Chicago, the system will provide fuel to airport vehicles and heat and power for a building at the airport, and will serve as part of the Illinois Coalition’s hydrogen highway initiative. And finally, in Ames, Iowa, DOE’s Ames Laboratory is considering using two wind turbines to generate hydrogen. The Ames City Council agreed last week to cooperate with the laboratory on the project, which is in the planning stages. See the press releases from the Chewonki Foundation and IIT and the Ames City Council meeting minutes.

Energy Star Campaign Encourages Energy Saving at Home

The Energy Star program, a joint effort of DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, launched a new multi-year campaign in mid-June to encourage people to save energy in their homes. The campaign lists five easy steps for saving energy: changing your five most-used lights with lights that carry the Energy Star label, buying appliances and other products labeled with the Energy Star, being energy-efficient when heating and cooling your home, sealing and insulating your home, and spreading the word to your friends and family. The campaign features public service announcements on television and radio and in the print media. See the Energy Star campaign Web page, which includes links to the EPA press release, an Energy Star Action Guide, and the public service announcements for television.

The new campaign notes that the average home is responsible for twice the greenhouse gas emissions of a typical car, and delivers the message in a humorous way by contrasting simple efforts in the home with zany homegrown methods to save fuel in a car. Of course, there are number of practical, accepted ways to reduce the fuel you use when driving, including buying cars that achieve high fuel economies, buying a car that runs on alternative fuel, or modifying your car to allow it to run on an alternative fuel. For more information, see the DOE/EPA Web site for fuel economy, fueleconomy.gov.

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