Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:September 8, 2004

*Energy Connectins

News and Events

Minnesota Utility to Award $22 Million to Renewable Projects

Xcel Energy announced last week its selection of 25 proposed renewable energy projects to receive $22 million from its Renewable Development Fund. The projects include seven efforts to draw on renewable energy in Minnesota, including two wind turbines, two anaerobic digesters, a biomass energy combined heat and power plant, a project to increase biomass use at a University of Minnesota steam plant, and a hydropower facility refurbishment. The remaining 18 projects are research efforts relating to biomass energy, solar cells, and hydrogen production. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is working with the University of Minnesota on two of the three solar-cell research projects. The Renewable Development Fund was established by Minnesota statute and is funded by the state’s ratepayers. The 25 selected projects are subject to final approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. See Xcel Energy press release or go directly to the selection report (PDF 351 KB).

Renewable Energy Powered the Republican National Convention

The Coalition of Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC) announced on August 26th that the 2004 Republican National Convention relied in part on renewable energy to minimize its environmental impact. The convention’s host committee bought enough renewable energy credits from New York’s Fenner Wind Farm to equal the anticipated energy use at Madison Square Garden. In addition, CERC bought enough renewable energy certificates from New York’s hydropower and landfill gas facilities to equal the electricity used by the 50,000 convention guests and delegates while staying at area hotels. CERC also bought carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gases emitted when the guests and delegates traveled to and from the convention. And, as previously announced by the convention, eight General Motors hybrid buses shuttled delegates and guests around the city. The convention concluded on Thursday, September 2nd. See the CERC press release (PDF 151 KB).

CERC is a non-partisan, non-profit coalition of more than 50 leading New York and Boston environmental organizations and businesses such as Union of Concerned Scientists, Saunders Hotel Group, CERES, Starwood Hotels, and New England Aquarium. The group provided similar services to the Democratic National Convention in late July. See CERC’s June 17th press release (PDF 471 KB).

Renewable energy certificates, also called tradable renewable certificates, are largely responsible for a large growth in green power sales in 2003, according to preliminary data from the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). The non-profit organization, which manages the Green-e certification program, found an 86-percent increase in Green-e-certified renewable electricity sales in 2003 compared with the previous year. Although utility green power sales to customers increased 12 percent, the sale of renewable energy certificates increased 12-fold. Unfortunately, a loss of green power sales in California after the state’s energy crisis led to a decline in retail sales of green power, as well as a decline in the number of customers buying retail green power in competitive power markets. See the CRS press release.

Speaking of green power, the Ninth National Green Power Marketing Conference is only a month away. The conference will be held in Albany, New York, from October 4th through the 6th. See the conference Web site.

Energy-Efficient Solar Homes Sprouting Up Nationwide

Energy-efficient homes that make good use of their solar energy resources are appearing in more and more communities throughout the United States. In Lakeport, California, for instance, a community of 90 energy-efficient solar homes is currently being built. Each home incorporates a 2.5-kilowatt solar power system from SunWize Technologies. The modular homes, built by Faqua in its factory in Oregon, are highly insulated and include low-emissivity windows and Energy Star appliances. The homes are al
so “affordable” by California standards: only $230,000 each, with the added advantage of low utility bills. See the SunWize press release (PDF 115 KB).

DOE and its home building partners are working toward a higher goal: so-called zero energy homes, which over the course of a year produce as much energy as they consume. In July, the fourth near-zero-energy Habitat for Humanity home was completed near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Located in Lenoir City, the house features an airtight exterior built of structural insulated panels and insulated pre-cast concrete walls, and helps keep cool using roof and wall coatings with infrared reflective pigments. Power from a grid-connected solar power system helps drive a geothermal heat pump that provides efficient space heating and cooling as well as hot water. Built with support from DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Habitat houses are part of DOE’s Building America program. See the ORNL press release.

Zero energy homes are the focus of the Solar Decathlon, a DOE competition in which teams from colleges and universities around the globe converge on Washington, D.C., to build energy-efficient, completely solar-powered homes. Nineteen teams from across the United States, as well as from Canada, Puerto Rico, and Spain, are gearing up for the 2005 competition, which is just over a year away. Find out the latest about the teams and the competition on the Solar Decathlon Web site; a 141-page review of the 2002 Solar Decathlon is also available (PDF 2.1 MB).

While you’re waiting for the 2005 Solar Decathlon, an event next month will give you an opportunity to visit solar homes in your own neighborhood. The 2004 National Solar Tour, sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society, will be held on October 2nd. To find solar tours in your area or to help organize a local tour, visit the National Solar Tour Web site.

NASA Releases Report on Crash of Helios Solar Plane

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released its final report last week on the crash of Helios, a solar-powered “flying wing” that suffered structural failure and fell into the Pacific Ocean during a long-duration test flight last summer. A review of the flight data concluded that atmospheric turbulence caused the plane’s wing tips to bend upward abnormally and then caused the entire wing to oscillate. The growing oscillations caused the Helios to gain speed until it suffered a structural failure. The accident investigation board determined that the mishap resulted from the inability to predict, using available analysis methods, the aircraft’s increased sensitivity to turbulence following modifications to allow long-duration flights. Specifically, the addition of a hydrogen-air fuel cell pod, hydrogen and oxygen storage tanks, and a battery backup system placed significant loads along the length of the flying wing, reducing the safety margins for the aircraft. See the press release from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center or go directly to the full report (PDF 2.6 MB).