- DOE Offers $30 Million for Developing Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles
- Detroit Auto Show Features New Hybrid and Diesel Models
- Porsche to Offer a Hybrid Version of its Four-Door Panamera
- Sales of Compact Fluorescent Lights Jump to 20% of the Market
- U.S. Wind Power Capacity Surged Up 45% in 2007
- Drilling Complete on Australian Hot Dry Rock Project
- 2007 Ranks Among the Warmest Years on Record
DOE Offers $30 Million for Developing Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles
DOE announced on January 17th that it is offering $30 million over the next three years for companies to design and build plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and then test them in fleets located in geographically diverse areas. The PHEVs must be able to travel at least 10 miles using only their electric drives, although DOE would prefer vehicles that come closer to achieving the goal of a 40-mile electric range. The vehicles must be comparable to current production vehicles in terms of emissions, safety, comfort, and performance, and the projects must either involve a high-volume vehicle manufacturer or a company with the capability of producing vehicles in high volumes.
The selected projects are intended to address many of the critical barriers to achieving DOE’s goal of making PHEVs cost-competitive by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016. PHEVs with a 40-mile electric range would satisfy about 70% of all the average daily travel in the United States. DOE will fund up to half the cost of the selected projects, providing $7 million in fiscal year 2008 and an additional $23 million in fiscal years 2009 and 2010, subject to congressional appropriations. The first round of applications is due on February 13, and a second round will be due on April 30. See the FOA.
DOE has also signed a Memorandum of Intent with the State of Michigan and the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) to participate in a cooperative, pre-competitive research and development (R&D) alliance called the United States Automotive Partnership for Advancing Research and Technologies, or USAutoPARTs. OESA includes the suppliers of components, modules, systems, materials, and equipment used by the original equipment automotive industry. The new alliance will initially consist of three research consortia that will focus on lightweight materials; electrical and electronic thermal management; and engine combustion and emission after-treatment. Suppliers and others may choose to participate in one or more of the research consortia. USAutoPARTs will be located in Shelby Township, Michigan, in a 56,000-square-foot vehicle R&D center that was formerly operated by Delphi Corporation. See the DOE press release, the Vehicle Technologies Program Web site, and the Memorandum of Intent for USAutoPARTS (PDF 25 KB).
Detroit Auto Show Features New Hybrid and Diesel Models
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), now underway in Detroit, Michigan, features not only next-generation plug-in hybrids and electric and fuel cell vehicles, but also fuel-efficient hybrid and diesel models that may soon hit showroom floors. For instance, the Saturn division of General Motors Corporation (GM) unveiled the 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line 2 Mode hybrid, which will go on sale later this year.
The SUV will be the first front-wheel-drive vehicle to incorporate GM’s two-mode hybrid system, combining two small electric motors into an advanced transmission. Featuring a V-6 direct-injection engine, the new hybrid SUV is expected to achieve a 50% increase in fuel economy over the non-hybrid version. In contrast, the current Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid features a simpler motor/generator and achieves only a 20% improvement in fuel economy over the non-hybrid version. The Saturn Vue Green Line 2 Mode will accelerate to 60 miles per hour in about 7.3 seconds and can tow up to 3,500 pounds, while meeting strict California emissions standards. See the press release.
Honda arrived at the Detroit Auto Show without any new world premieres for hybrids, showing instead its fuel cell vehicle and the CR-Z hybrid sports car concept that was first unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. Honda President Takeo Fukui did, however, announce that Honda plans to introduce a future hybrid sports model based on the CR-Z concept. According to Fukui, Honda will also introduce a new hybrid small car next year, featuring a newly developed hybrid system that is more lightweight and compact. Honda expects the new hybrid to achieve a high fuel economy at a more affordable price. See the Honda press release and the article from this newsletter on the Tokyo Auto Show.
Like many other automakers, Honda is also shifting toward clean diesel engines that take advantage of the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel that is now available throughout the United States. Honda announced that it will incorporate a turbocharged clean diesel engine in an Acura model next year. Toyota is following suit, including a note in last week’s plug-in hybrid announcement of soon offering a clean diesel V8 in its Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs. Meanwhile, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz is looking a bit more toward the future. The company unveiled two versions of a compact SUV concept, each powered by a 4-cylinder clean diesel engine, as well as a diesel hybrid concept and a gasoline hybrid concept. See the press releases from Honda and Toyota, and Daimler Media.
Porsche to Offer a Hybrid Version of its Four-Door Panamera
Porsche AG announced in early January that it will develop a hybrid version of its upcoming four-door Panamera. The Porsche Panamera hybrid will position an additional clutch and electric motor between the engine and the transmission, allowing the hybrid system to disengage either the engine or the motor, or to engage both at once. According to Porsche, the hybrid system should allow the vehicle to achieve a fuel economy of about 26 miles per gallon, consuming 30% less fuel than the standard Panamera. The Panamera will make its world debut next year, but the hybrid version will have to wait until some future, unspecified date. See the Porsche press releases from January 7 and January 8.
Sales of Compact Fluorescent Lights Jump to 20% of the Market
The sales of Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) nearly doubled last year, according to the estimates of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2007, 290 million CFLs were sold, and the energy-saving bulbs now account for about 20% of the light bulb market in the United States. Energy Star-qualified CFLs use approximately 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
The sale of CFLs has been on the rise since 2006, when their market share jumped from 5% to almost 11%. Energy Star retail partners such as Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, Costco, Menards, Ace Hardware, and Sam’s Club have played an important role in educating consumers about the importance of saving energy and the value of these products. DOE and EPA also worked to promote the sales of CFLs throughout 2007 with their "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, which encourages people across the United States to sign a pledge to change at least one bulb in their house to an Energy Star-qualified CFL. The campaign has gathered over 1 million pledges so far. See the Change a Light, Change the World Web site.
An Energy Star CFL can save about $30 or more in energy costs over the length of its lifetime. If every U.S. household replaced just one light bulb in their homes with a CFL, the United States would save more than $600 million each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars. See the DOE press release and the Energy Star Web site.
U.S. Wind Power Capacity Surged Up 45% in 2007
The U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity in 2007, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). The rapid growth shatters all previous records and boosts the total U.S. wind power capacity by 45% in only one year. The growth even exceeded AWEA’s expectations for 4,000 MW of new capacity, a prediction made just two months ago. In fact, wind power provided 30% of the new generating capacity installed in the United States in 2007.
The total U.S. wind power capacity is now at 16,818 MW, with wind projects located in 34 states. AWEA estimates that in 2008, U.S. wind power facilities will generate 48 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, or about 1% of the nation’s electricity needs. AWEA expects similar capacity growth in 2008, although factors such as the availability of new wind turbines could have an impact on growth. The trade association tallies 3,520 MW of new wind power capacity currently under construction.
Texas leads the states in terms of new wind power capacity installed in 2007, with 1,618 MW of new capacity, further cementing the state’s lead in total installed wind power capacity. Among the largest projects built in 2007 are the 198-MW and 161.7-MW Twin Groves I and II wind plants in Illinois; the 264-MW Peetz Table and 300.5-MW Cedar Creek wind plants, both in Colorado; the 232.5-MW phase II of the Buffalo Gap wind plant in Texas; the 205.5-MW Fenton Wind Power Project in Minnesota; the 221.1-MW Klondike III wind plant in Oregon; and the 204.7-MW White Creek Wind Power Project in Washington. The Bluegrass Ridge wind farm is also noteworthy, as it’s the first utility-scale wind facility in Missouri. AWEA also estimates that at least 14 new wind power manufacturing facilities either opened or were announced in 2007. See the AWEA press release and the accompanying market report (PDF 238 KB).
Wind turbines are also getting bigger, as the largest turbines employed in last year’s wind projects was a 3-MW Vestas turbine, installed in California and Texas. Of the projects now under construction, one in California is employing a 4-MW Mitsubishi turbine. In October 2007, Clipper Windpower established the Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind in the United Kingdom to develop a 7.5-MW offshore wind turbine, called the "Britannia Project." At about the same time, American Superconductor Corporation teamed up with TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company to develop a 10-MW generator for use in offshore wind turbines. See the press releases from Clipper Wind and American Superconductor.
Drilling Complete on Australian Hot Dry Rock Project
The first commercial attempt to create a commercial geothermal power plant using hot dry rock technology reached a crucial milestone on Tuesday, when a production well successfully reached its target depth. Hot dry rock technology was invented to draw energy from deep underground areas where geothermal heat is abundant, but no water exists to carry the heat to the surface. To tap the energy in this hot dry rock, a well is drilled into it and water is injected at high pressure, forming fissures in the rock to create a geothermal "reservoir" consisting of water-impregnated fractured rock. At least one "production" well is then drilled into the reservoir to draw the hot water back to the surface. A completed facility would direct the hot fluid from the production well to a power plant, which would extract the heat from it to produce power, after which the cooled fluid would be injected back into the ground. See an explanation of the technology on the Web site of Geodynamics, Limited.
Geodynamics has been trying for years to establish a geothermal reservoir deep below the surface of the Australian outback. The company successfully completed its first well, Habanero 1, back in 2003 and established a reservoir late that year, but suffered multiple problems drilling its first production well, Habanero 2, which was eventually abandoned. The company began drilling its new production well, Habanero 3, in mid-August, 2007, but encountered problems by late October and suspended drilling. Drilling resumed in late November and proceeded until the drilling was finished yesterday. The well first intersected the fracture zone at a depth of 13,716 feet, at which time a hydraulic connection was established between Habanero 1 and 3. Drilling then continued to the target depth of 13,850 feet.
The well should be completed within the next week, as all that remains to do is to insert a liner into the well to maintain its integrity, and then add the valves and piping needed to control the well. At that point, the company will be able to perform flow testing on the reservoir to confirm that the two wells can produce hot geothermal fluid at the temperature and flow rate needed to sustain a geothermal power plant. See the January 22 announcement on the Geodynamics Web site.
2007 Ranks Among the Warmest Years on Record
2007 was either the second-warmest or fifth-warmest year on record for the globe, depending on which group of researchers you listen to. The Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS), a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, claims that 2007 ties with 1998 as the second-warmest year on record, but the National Climatic Data Center, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), puts 2007 in fifth place. And to muddle things further, the two agencies use different baselines for comparison: GISS says 2007 was 1.026 degrees Fahrenheit above the mean temperature for 1951-1980, while NOAA says 2007 was 0.99 degrees Fahrenheit above the average temperature for the entire 20th century.
Regardless of the rankings, the two agencies agree that the eight warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998, making the past decade a clear record-breaker. And as GISS notes, the warmth in 2007 occurred despite solar irradiance (the amount of energy Earth receives from the sun) reaching a minimum and a strong La Nina episode (a cooling in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean) developing late in the year, both factors that would tend to push down global temperatures. 2007 started with a warming boost from an El Nino event, which is a warming in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean, but that phenomenon faded quickly, confounding some predictions for 2007 to be a record-breaking year. See the press releases from GISS and NOAA and the analyses from GISS and NOAA.
Both GISS and the United Kingdom’s Met Office ("Met" being short for "Meteorological") agree on a separate matter: that 2008 will probably be cooler than 2007, but will still be among the warmest years on record. Both agencies expect the continuing La Nina to hold down global temperatures, while GISS also notes that solar irradiance will still be near its minimum. The Met Office expects 2008 to be the coolest year since 2000, but it uses yet another temperature baseline for comparison, so we won’t even mention its exact forecast. See the Met Office press release.
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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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