Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:March 15, 2007

News and Events

• DOE to Award up to $168 Million to 13 Solar Energy Projects
• Solar Cell Researchers Awarded Prestigious Dan David Prize
• DOE Loan Guarantee Applications Led by Renewable, Efficiency Projects
• New Mexico Mandates More Renewable Power and Helps to Transmit It
• Hybrid Concept Vehicles Point to the Future for Honda and Toyota
• Bad Props Threaten Record Attempt by Biodiesel-Fueled Boat

Energy Connections

• EU Agrees to Cut Greenhouse Emissions and Boost Clean Energy by 2020
  

News and Events

DOE to Award up to $168 Million to 13 Solar Energy Projects

DOE announced last week that it has selected 13 industry-led solar technology projects to negotiate for up to $168 million in funding starting in the current fiscal year (2007) through fiscal year 2009. The teams will share more than 50 percent of the project costs, for a total value of up to $357 million over three years. The projects will help to increase the annual U.S. production capacity for photovoltaic (PV) systems from the 2005 level of 240 megawatts to 2,850 megawatts by 2010. Such an increase could reduce the cost of electricity produced by PV systems from the current level of 18 to 23 cents per kilowatt-hour to a more competitive 5 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The teams selected have formed Technology Pathway Partnerships, which include more than 50 companies, 14 universities, three non-profit organizations, and two DOE national laboratories: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. The projects focus on a variety of technologies, including concentrating PV systems; crystalline silicon solar cells; thin-film PV technologies; organic solar cells; PV-integrated roofing products; PV modules with integrated electronics, including inverters; and manufacturing systems for silicon ingots, solar cells, and PV modules. See the DOE press release, the Solar America Initiative Web site, and the press releases from Dow Chemical Company, Konarka Technologies, Inc., SunPower Corporation, and Practical Instruments (PDF 57 KB).

Solar Cell Researchers Awarded Prestigious Dan David Prize

Two solar cell researchers from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were awarded the Dan David Prize last week in Paris, France. Jerry Olson and Sarah Kurtz were selected for their “exceptional and profound contributions to the field of photovoltaic energy,” according to the prize committee. The two NREL researchers pioneered the multi-junction solar cell, which uses multiple layers of semiconductors to capture broad swaths of the solar spectrum, yielding a solar cell with high conversion efficiency. Spectrolab recently used a triple-junction solar cell to achieve a record 40.7 percent conversion efficiency, that is, it converts 40.7 percent of the incident sunlight into electricity. The Dan David Prize, now in its sixth year, is organized around the past, present, and future. This year’s future award focused on the “Quest for Energy,” and included Olson, Kurtz, and NASA climatologist James Hansen. The three will share a $1 million cash prize that accompanies the award. See the NREL press release and the Dan David Prize Web site.

DOE Loan Guarantee Applications Led by Renewable, Efficiency Projects

DOE has begun its preliminary review of pre-applications received last year for loan guarantees, of which nearly half are for biomass energy projects. Other leading categories are solar projects, which make up 12 percent of applications, and industrial energy efficiency projects, which make up 6 percent of applications. In terms of the requested loan guarantee amounts, however, advanced fossil energy projects make up 61 percent of the requested funds, followed by biomass projects at 14 percent, industrial energy efficiency projects at 10 percent, and solar energy projects at 7 percent. DOE has a difficult task in selecting among the 143 pre-applications, as they requested loan guarantees totaling more than $27 billion, while DOE currently has the authority to issue guarantees for only $4 billion in loans.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established the loan guarantee program for advanced energy technologies that reduce the emission of air pollutants or greenhouse gases. DOE issued a solicitation for pre-applications in August 2006, but funding to implement the program was not forthcoming until Congress passed a full-year continuing resolution in mid-February. That funding bill provided DOE with $7 million to fund its Loan Guarantee Office and gave DOE its current loan authority. DOE has requested $8.4 million to run the office in fiscal year 2008, along with the authority to guarantee up to $9 billion in loans. See the DOE press release and Loan Guarantee Program Web site.

New Mexico Mandates More Renewable Power and Helps to Transmit It

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed two bills into law last week that will dramatically increase the use of renewable energy within the state. Senate Bill 418 adds ne
w requirements to the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which formerly required the state’s public utilities to draw on renewable energy for 10 percent of their electricity needs by 2011. Under the new bill, public utilities must continue ramping up after 2011, drawing on renewable energy for 15 percent of their electricity needs by 2015 and 20 percent by 2020. The bill also requires rural electric cooperatives to draw on renewable energy for 5 percent of their electricity needs by 2015, increasing to 10 percent by 2020. The bill defines renewable energy as coming from new hydropower facilities, from fuel cells that are not fossil-fueled, and from biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal resources. See the full text of Senate Bill 418 (PDF 59 KB).

House Bill 188 establishes a Renewable Energy Transmission Authority that will help New Mexico export electricity produced from solar and wind energy and other renewable energy sources. The new seven-member authority will have the power to issue bonds to finance the construction of new transmission lines (and possibly energy storage facilities) to serve new renewable energy facilities that are not being served by the state’s utilities. The developers of the renewable energy projects will pay fees for using the transmission lines, thereby helping to repay the bonds. The two new bills will work together to encourage the construction of renewable energy power facilities within the state. See the governor’s press release and the full text of House Bill 188 (PDF 44 KB).

Hybrid Concept Vehicles Point to the Future for Honda and Toyota

Visitors to the Geneva International Motor Show, now underway in Switzerland, may be glimpsing the hybrid vehicle future for Honda and Toyota. Honda unveiled its Small Hybrid Sports Concept at the auto show, describing it as “how a future hybrid model might appear.” The two-door sports car is designed around a front-wheel-drive, 4-cylinder engine with Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system, mated to a continuously variable transmission. Although Honda implies that its concept vehicle is far from drivable, the design concept suggests that Honda may be looking for a two-seater hybrid design to replace its now-discontinued Insight. See the Honda press release and a selection of photos of the vehicle on display in Geneva.

Toyota is also looking toward the future with the unveiling of its Hybrid X concept vehicle, a four-door, four-seat model with a unique styling that suggests a somewhat flattened version of the Prius. Like the Honda concept vehicle, the Hybrid X features a roof made largely of glass, creating an open, airy feel for the vehicle occupants. Although the company has said little about the new vehicle, industry analysts are speculating that the design is a preview of the next-generation Prius. The 77th Geneva International Motor Show continues through March 18th. See the Toyota press release and Hybrid X Web page and the Geneva Motor Show Web site.

Bad Props Threaten Record Attempt by Biodiesel-Fueled Boat

futuristic speed boat fueled entirely with biodiesel left the island of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday on its bid to circle the world in less than 65 days, but as of Tuesday, it was struggling to reach its first port in Panama. The Earthrace boat, described by its inventors as a wave-piercing trimaran, is constructed of carbon and tevlar composites with a sleek, hydrodynamic shape stabilized by two outriggers. It also employs carbon composites for its propellers, and that technology appears to be the boat’s Achilles’ heel. On Sunday, the crew noticed unusual vibrations and traced them to the props, which had delaminated and started to fail. The crew cut the speed by half and still hoped to make it to Panama.

On Tuesday afternoon, the boat was northeast of the Panama Canal and appeared likely to make it into port, while the support team was struggling to obtain new props and get them delivered to Panama in time for the boat’s arrival. If they make it, there’s still a chance that the boat can continue its attempt to circle the world in less than 74 days, the record set by a British team in 1998. The crew might also choose to restart their record attempt in Panama. See the press releases on the Earthrace Web site; the current location of the boat, provided by Daestra New Zealand Ltd.; and the latest crew blogs and other information on the race, posted on Discovery Communications’ Turbo Web site.

Meanwhile, another new “green” boat is heading up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers on its way to its eventual home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Explorer features the first commercial implementation of a hybrid propulsion system designed by Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., allowing the boat to run on all-electric power for short periods. The boat’s owners plan to fuel its backup diesel engine with a biodiesel fuel blend. Its designers also worked with green builders to try to incorporate LEED green building standards into its construction. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and although it is an accepted standard for green buildings, its principles are new to the marine industry. Along with sustainable construction materials, the boat incorporates energy efficient windows; a well-insulated hull and deck; a system to recover heat from its engine; a smaller-than-normal chiller system; efficient lighting; and water-efficient toilets and plumbing fixtures. The Explorer will serve as a floating classroom for RiverQuest, a non-profit educational organization. See the RiverQuest Web site and description of the ship’s LEED features (PDF 141 KB).

Energy Connections

EU Agrees to Cut Greenhouse Emissions and Boost Clean Energy by 2020

The European Union (EU) agreed last week to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The agreement is the first major commitment for GHG reductions beyond the time frame of the Kyoto Protocol, which requires the EU to reduce its GHG emissions to 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. While committing unilaterally to cut its emissions, the EU intends to enter international negotiations with a target of cutting the GHG emissions of industrialized countries to 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and to further cut global GHG emissions to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. See the press release from the European Commission, and see the Web site for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for information on the Kyoto Protocol.

The EU heads of state also agreed to aggressive clean energy targets as part of their commitment to cut GHG emissions. The EU agreed to cut its global primary energy use by 20 percent by 2020. “Global primary” energy use counts all the energy consumed worldwide caused by any action in the EU, including, for instance, the energy used to produce any fuels, electricity, or products that are imported into the EU. The European Commission estimates that this will include a 13 percent cut in energy consumption within the EU. And although the EU already expects to fall short of its goal of using renewable energy for 12 percent of its energy by 2010, the EU heads of state have agreed to set a binding target of using renewable energy to meet 20 percent of the EU’s total energy needs by 2020. As part of that target, the EU agreed to replace at least 10 percent of its vehicle fuel with biofuels by 2020. See the European Commission document, “An Energy Policy for Europe,” on which the new agreement is based.

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