- Utility Plans 500-Megawatt Solar Thermal Project in California
- FedEx Installs 904-Kilowatt Solar Power System
- Scientists Outline “Revolutionary” Solar Research Areas
- Ten DOE Facilities and Army Base Buy Renewable Energy Credits
- Report Lauds Initial Gains of FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership
California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative
Utility Plans 500-Megawatt Solar Thermal Project in California
Southern California Edison (SCE) and Stirling Energy Systems signed a 20-year power purchase agreement last week that calls for a 4,500-acre solar generating station to be built 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The 500-megawatt Stirling dish project includes an option to expand the project to 850 megawatts and is awaiting the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.
The project will be the first application of Stirling dish technology in the commercial electricity generation field. Stirling dish technology converts solar thermal energy to electricity by using a dish-shaped array of mirrors to focus the sun’s rays on the receiver end of a Stirling engine. The internal side of the receiver then heats hydrogen gas, causing it to expand. The expanding gas creates pressure that drives a piston, which turns a small electricity generator. See the press release from Edison International, the parent company of SCE.
FedEx Installs 904-Kilowatt Solar Power System
FedEx began operating California’s largest corporate solar power installation on August 9th. The 904-kilowatt system provides 80 percent of the energy required by the FedEx hub at Oakland International Airport. During periods when the energy generated by the system is greater than the facility’s needs, the surplus energy will be transferred into the grid for general use. Berkeley-based PowerLight Corporation designed and built the system. To power the facility, FedEx Express flew more than 300,000 Sharp solar cells from Japan to a Sharp facility in Memphis, where they were installed into 5,769 photovoltaic modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity. The system encompasses the entire 81,000 square foot area of roof across the facility’s two buildings. See the FedEx press release.
Scientists Outline “Revolutionary” Solar Research Areas
DOE’s Office of Science released a report on August 12th outlining 13 potential research areas that could lead to “revolutionary progress in bringing solar energy to its full potential in the energy marketplace.” The report is a result of a workshop earlier this year during which 200 scientists from the United States, Europe, and Asia convened to identify the most promising directions for solar research. Research in the recommended areas might result in molecular machines that turn sunlight into chemical fuel; smart materials that transfer captured solar energy with no energy loss; solar energy conversion devices that repair themselves; and more. See the DOE press release or download the full report (PDF 6.5 MB).
Ten DOE Facilities and Army Base Buy Renewable Energy Credits
Ten DOE facilities and an army base have purchased renewable energy credits worth 117.8 million kilowatt-hours per year for five years. The facilities include five DOE national laboratories: Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, Los Alamos, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Other DOE facilities included in the deal are the Golden Field Office and Central Regional Office (both part of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy); the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (operated for the DOE Office of Science); and the Pantex Plant and Kansas City Plant (both part of DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration). The army base at Fort Carson, Colorado, also purchased renewable energy credits.
DOE’s Western Area Power Administration coordinated the purchase for all of the facilities, including 15 million kilowatt-hours of credits for its own power needs. The credits will help support wind plants in Nebraska and California and biomass plants in California. See the Western press release.
Site News
California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative
The California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative is a joint initiative of federal, state, and non-governmental organizations interested in the acceleration of stationary fuel cell commercialization in the state of California. Its goals are to promote fuel cells as a means to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases; increase energy efficiency; promote energy reliability and security, energy diversity, and energy independence; and realize a sustainable energy future. It focuses on facilitating fuel cell installations throughout the state. See the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative Web site.
++++
| 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). |
Loading...