DOE and USDA to Invest Up to $18.4 Million in Biomass Projects
DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they will invest up to $18.4 million in 31 biomass research, development, and demonstration projects over the next three years. The projects will be run by a variety of universities and private businesses in 16 states and will focus mainly on developing improved crops for biofuel production and on researching cheaper ways to produce biofuels, bioproducts, and energy from a variety of sources.
They will explore a diverse range of crops, including sugarcane and guayule, a desert shrub that produces rubber, and will employ some unusual conversion technologies, such as microwaves, liquid salts, and solar thermal energy. Of the $18,449,089 to be invested, $13,225,554 will be provided by USDA and $5,223,535 will be provided by DOE. See the list of all 31 projects in the DOE press release.
Venture Capital Firms to Work with Three DOE National Laboratories
DOE has chosen three venture capital firms to participate in DOE’s Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) pilot program. Each firm will select an entrepreneur that will be placed in one of three DOE national laboratories to identify commercially viable laboratory-developed technologies and to help bring those technologies to market. DOE has selected Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers to work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; ARCH Venture Partners to work with Sandia National Laboratory; and Foundation Capital to work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
According to the terms of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), each laboratory will host one entrepreneur at a time. DOE will provide $100,000 for each entrepreneur, with each venture capital firm contributing at least $100,000 of their own. The entrepreneurs will work directly with the laboratory staff to locate commercially viable technologies and will then conduct technology assessments, evaluate market opportunities, formulate preliminary business cases, and propose business structures in order to bring these technologies into the commercial market. See the DOE press releases about the selected firms and the original FOA.
Daimler and GM to Launch Hybrids with Lithium-Ion Batteries
Daimler AG and General Motors Corporation (GM) announced plans to incorporate lithium-ion battery packs into upcoming hybrid electric vehicles. Daimler announced the 2009 Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHYBRID sedan will feature a lithium-ion battery pack that will be integrated into the car’s climate control system to keep the battery at its optimal operating temperature. The vehicle will achieve about 30 miles per gallon despite its 299-horsepower power plant that can accelerate the car to 100 kilometers per hour (about 62 miles per hour) in only 7.3 seconds.
Mercedes-Benz is also in the process of introducing around 20 new "BlueEFFICIENCY" versions of its existing models, cutting fuel consumption up to 12% through improved aerodynamics, electric steering, lightweight materials, low-rolling-resistance tires, and other features. The company is displaying three BlueEFFICIENCY models at the Geneva Motor Show. See the Daimler Media press release about the battery technology, as well as the press release on Mercedes-Benz at the Geneva Motor Show.
GM will follow a year after Daimler, employing a lithium-ion battery in a more powerful second-generation version of its belt-driven alternator-starter GM Hybrid System. Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd. will supply the lithium-ion battery that will make the new GM system three times more powerful than the current GM Hybrid System, allowing GM hybrids to achieve a 20% increase in fuel economy.
The GM Hybrid System is currently available on the Saturn Vue Green Line SUV, and GM claims the use of lithium-ion battery will allow the system to be used in a wide range of vehicles throughout the world. But even though GM is in the process of rolling out a new line of SUVs and pickups featuring its new Two-Mode Hybrid system, the company has not announced plans to incorporate a lithium-ion battery into that system.
GM is showcasing its new hybrid technology in the Saab 9-X BioPower Hybrid concept car, which debuted yesterday at the Geneva Auto Show. The car features a turbocharged engine that is optimized to run on E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. See the GM press releases about the GM Hybrid System and the SAAB 9-X BioPower Hybrid (PDF 30 KB).
The move toward lithium-ion batteries in hybrid vehicles could serve as a stepping stone to plug-in hybrid vehicles, which are expected to rely on lithium-ion batteries. Plug-in hybrids are hybrid vehicles outfitted with a more-powerful battery pack, allowing them to travel 20 to 60 miles on electric power alone. The vehicles can be plugged in at night to recharge the batteries, allowing the vehicles to avoid using gasoline when used for short trips. Ideally, plug-in hybrids would allow commuters to drive to work and back without using gasoline, thereby dramatically cutting gasoline consumption. See the description of plug-in hybrids on the Web site for Plug-In Partners, a national grassroots initiative to promote plug-in hybrids.
Europeans Add Their Unique Style to Green Cars at Geneva
The Geneva Motor Show opens to the public tomorrow, and this year visitors will be treated to a variety of "green" concept vehicles from some of Europe’s most innovative designers. Italy’s Italdesign Giugiaro, for instance, is unveiling the Quaranta, a mostly carbon fiber and aluminum sports car built around Toyota’s hybrid system and featuring 250 watts of solar cells integrated into its roof. The vehicle appears to be fully driveable and features a mid-engine design with an extra motor mounted on the front axle. (see photo at top of article).
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Morgan Motor Company applies its distinctive swooping fenders to a fuel cell vehicle, the Morgan LifeCar. (Note that the Morgan Web site shows the car sporting front fender skirts, but recent media photos show it without them, making it considerably easier to drive!) See the Italdesign Giugiara press release (PDF 653 KB) and photo gallery and the Morgan LifeCar Web page.
Lotus is a more familiar name to U.S. drivers, and Lotus Engineering is displaying a version of the Lotus Exige that can run on any blend of gasoline, ethanol, and methanol. The Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel is also the most powerful version of the Exige yet, reaching 60 miles per hour in only 3.88 seconds. Lotus is using the car to talk up a technology that can convert carbon dioxide into alcohol for use as fuel, a seemingly world-changing technology that has one major drawback: it requires hydrogen, and producing that hydrogen would require a significant amount of energy. The Geneva Motor Show continues through March 16. See the Lotus press release (PDF 4.9 MB) and the Geneva Motor Show Web site.
New Mexico Act Requires Utilities to Save Energy
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill last week that requires the state’s electric and natural gas utilities to provide their customers with cost-effective energy efficiency resources. By 2014, the state’s electric utilities must achieve energy efficiency gains equal to 5% of their total sales in 2005, increasing to 10% of their 2005 sales by 2020. The utilities could achieve these gains through such efforts as a rebate program for energy efficient appliances, home weatherization programs, or programs to give away or discount compact fluorescent light bulbs.
To help the utilities meet their goals, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission must identify and remove disincentives and barriers to such energy efficiency programs, including one key item: the commission must provide public utilities an opportunity to earn a profit on their energy efficiency programs. In fact, when such programs perform satisfactorily, the commission must provide a profit that "is financially more attractive than supply-side resources."
The new act allows utilities to recover their costs and any commission-approved incentives through either an increase in base rates or a special fee added to utility bills. The act also provides a mechanism for utilities to fall short of their goals, requiring them to justify the shortfall, to set new goals, and to gain commission approval for lowering the goals. See the governor’s press release (PDF 49 KB) and the full text of the energy act (PDF 48 KB).
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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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