Editor’s Note: As a follow-up to the recent announcement of Recovery Act funding for energy efficiency improvements in manufacturing and in the information and communication technology industries, DOE issued two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs). The first, titled "Recovery Act: Deployment of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems, District Energy Systems, Waste Energy Recovery Systems, and Efficient Industrial Equipment," is available on the DOE Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) Web site (PDF 368 KB) or by searching the public opportunities on FedConnect for reference number DE-FOA-0000044. The second, titled "Energy Efficient Information and Communication Technology," is also available on the ITP Web site (PDF 192 KB) or by searching the public opportunities on FedConnect for reference number DE-FOA-0000107. Applications for the two FOAs are due by July 14 and July 21, respectively.
Reports: Climate Change is Already Impacting the US and World
Climate change is already having visible impacts in the US, and the choices made now will determine the severity of future impacts, according to a new federal report, "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States." It finds that Americans are being affected by increases in extreme weather, droughts, and wildfires caused by climate change. The future could hold more frequent and intense heat waves, increased heavy downpours, reduced summer runoff, increasing insect infestations, more wildfires, an increasingly acidic ocean, and local sea-level rises of more than three feet.
These climate changes could disrupt energy, water, and transportation systems; hurt crop and livestock production, fisheries, and tourism; increasingly threaten coastal homes and infrastructure, while losing coastal land to rising seas; and harm human health. The report also examines climate change impacts by sector and region.
A product of the interagency U.S. Global Change Research Program, the report notes that implementing sizable and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible would significantly reduce the pace and overall amount of climate change. See the press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the report Web page.
The new study is in line with recent reports that tackle climate change globally, in some cases finding even more drastic impacts. A report from the National Science Foundation (NSF) finds signs of a changing climate in nearly every part of the globe, from the icy polar regions to Earth’s equatorial ecosystems.
A report from "The Lancet" and the University College London (UCL) declares climate change as the biggest health threat of this century, because of its impacts on heat waves, disease transmission, and the security of food, water, and sanitation.
That conclusion is backed up by a Global Humanitarian Forum report, which finds that climate change currently accounts for 300,000 deaths per year, and by 2030, that number could rise to a half million people per year. The report also finds that climate change impacts the lives of 325 million people today, causing economic losses of $125 billion per year, and by 2030, it could affect more than twice as many people at nearly triple the economic cost, reaching $340 billion annually.
Part of that impact on people’s lives is the need to flee rising seas, floods, and drought areas, and a new report from Columbia University, the United Nations University, and CARE International finds that such displacements are already underway. The report cites other studies indicating that 25-50 million people could be displaced by 2010, and that number could rise to nearly 700 million people by 2050. See the NSF press release, report Web site, and Web page for the report PDF files; the UCL press release, which links to the full report; the GHF press release and full report (PDF 2.6 MB); and the Columbia University press release, which links to the full report.
Federal Agencies Assist with Clean Energy Development in the West
DOE and other federal agencies announced they will help the West tap its clean energy potential and create green jobs. DOE and the Western Governor’s Association (WGA) released a joint report that takes the first steps toward identifying areas in the West with potential for large-scale renewable energy developments and low environmental impacts.
The "Western Renewable Energy Zones – Phase 1 Report" identifies geographic areas with at least 1,500 megawatts (MW) of high-quality renewable energy resources within a 100-mile radius, excluding environmentally sensitive areas and other high-value lands. The report identifies 37 "hubs" for renewable energy development in 11 western states, as well as 15 hubs in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia (including one that straddles the border with the United States), plus 2 hubs in Mexico’s Baja California. The states, provinces, and Baja California are all part of the same transmission network, the Western Interconnect. The hubs have not yet been screened for wildlife sensitivities.
The hubs cluster together in the sunny, geothermally active Desert Southwest and along the windy eastern border of the region, but renewable energy hubs are present in every western state and province. Combined, the hubs have enough clean energy resources to potentially support nearly 200,000 MW of renewable power, including 95,219 MW of wind power, 86,921 MW of solar power, 4,478 MW of geothermal power, 8,452 MW of hydropower (all in Canada), and 3,720 MW of biomass power.
Focusing only on the US, and excluding the hub that straddles the Canadian border, the hubs could potentially support more than 180,000 MW of renewable power, including 93,655 MW of wind power, 81,930 MW of solar power, 4,138 MW of geothermal power, and 2,573 MW of biomass power. That’s enough to generate about 453 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
For comparison, the entire U.S. generating capacity equaled roughly a million megawatts in 2007 and generated 4.16 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The U.S. hubs might also support an estimated 25,810 MW of geothermal power that would draw on resources that haven’t been discovered yet, but are inferred to be present based on our knowledge of each area’s geology. See the WGA press release and the full report (PDF 1.5 MB).
Going forward, federal agencies and the WGA will screen the hubs for wildlife sensitivities, thereby identifying what will be known as Western Renewable Energy Zones. To help with that effort, DOE, the Interior Department, and the Department of Agriculture have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the WGA to enhance state wildlife data systems with improved mapping and data. This work will help minimize the impact of energy development on wildlife corridors and key habitats.
Once the Western Renewable Energy Zones are identified, DOE and the WGA will then form a plan for transmission lines to deliver the renewable energy from the zones to the region’s cities and will evaluate the relative economic costs of delivering that power. That work will provide a foundation for future development of renewable energy and electric transmission systems in the West.
Taking full advantage of the renewable energy potential in the West will require long-term, coordinated transmission planning across the US. To help achieve that goal, DOE announced $80 million in new funding under the ARRA, including a $60 million solicitation to support regional transmission system planning. The remaining $20 million will support additional transmission and demand analysis to be performed by DOE’s national laboratories and by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
DOE is also offering $50 million in ARRA funds to help states and public utility commissions throughout the country to accelerate reviews of the large number of electric utility requests expected under the Recovery Act. An additional $39.5 million in Recovery Act funding will be available for state governments to ensure the resiliency of the electrical grid. The funds can be used by cities and states to hire or retrain staff in order to address such issues as integrating smart grid technology into the transmission network. See the DOE press release.
DOE Offers $240 Million for Fuel-Efficient Cars and Trucks
DOE released a $240 million solicitation last week to develop high-efficiency trucks and passenger vehicles. The funding includes approximately $110 million from the ARRA and $130 million from DOE annual appropriations – each project will receive funding from only one of the two sources.
The solicitation is divided into two areas: system-level technologies for efficient Class 8 trucks and advanced technology powertrains for passenger vehicles. Class 8 trucks are defined as heavy-duty commercial trucks weighing over 33,000 pounds, including tractor-trailers, and the goal is to increase vehicle freight efficiency by 50%.
Awardees will develop and test vehicles with advanced engines and other fuel-saving features, such as improved aerodynamics, reduced vehicle weight, lower rolling resistance, hybrid technologies, and idle reduction technologies. If the tests are successful, they could lead to a full-scale demonstration vehicle within the next three to five years.
The second part of the solicitation aims to accelerate development of efficient engine and powertrain systems for passenger vehicles. For gasoline-fueled vehicles, awardees will aim to achieve at least a 25% improvement in fuel economy compared to today’s typical vehicles, while diesel-fueled vehicles will target at least a 40% improvement.
The new powertrains can include improvements to in-cylinder combustion, engine mechanics, waste heat recovery, friction reduction, emission control, fuels, and materials, and they can also include electrification technologies and reduced ancillary loads. Awardees will develop the engines and test them on a dynamometer, which simulates typical loads on the engine. Engines that perform well during dynamometer testing could be integrated into a test vehicle within the next three to five years. Applications are due on September 9. See the DOE press release and the solicitation on grants.gov, or search the public opportunities on FedConnect for reference number DE-FOA-0000079.
Ohio State University Wins First Year of EcoCAR Challenge
A team of students from Ohio State University earned top honors at the EcoCAR competition last week for their design of an extended-range electric vehicle (EV). The three-year competition, officially called "EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge," tests the engineering acumen of university students from across North America, as they endeavor to convert a 2009 Saturn VUE into an EV with improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. While achieving those goals, the teams must also retain the vehicle’s performance and consumer appeal.
The teams could explore such electrification options as fuel cells, EVs, hybrids, plug-in hybrids (hybrids with oversized battery packs that can be plugged in to recharge), and extended-range EVs (with an engine and generator to extend their range). The competition is sponsored by DOE and General Motors Corporation (GM) and is being managed by DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory. 17 universities from the US and Canada are participating.
For its first year, students were tasked with designing the vehicle, drawing on advanced software and computer modeling tools to achieve optimal fuel efficiency and minimal emissions. Ohio U’s design recharges the battery pack using a 1.8-liter Honda engine fueled with E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) to achieve a three-fold increase in fuel economy relative to the production version of the Saturn VUE.
About half the teams chose an extended-range EV, while one team chose a full-function EV, two chose fuel cell-powered plug-in hybrids, and six chose plug-in hybrids. All of the teams employ lithium-ion battery packs with plug-in capability, and all of the teams that used liquid fuels designed their vehicles for renewable fuels. Next comes the hard part, as the teams actually have to build what they designed. In the final year, teams refine their vehicles to near-showroom quality. See the EcoCAR challenge Web site, the press releases from GM and OSU, and the OSU EcoCAR Web site.
U.S. Government Orders 14,105 More Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) ordered 14,105 fuel-efficient vehicles on June 1, using $210 million in funds from the ARRA. The vehicles will be used in federal fleets, and they include 2,933 Chrysler vehicles, 7,024 Ford vehicles, and 6,348 General Motors vehicles. Each new vehicle will have a higher fuel economy than the one it replaces. Combined with an April purchase of 3,100 hybrid sedans, the new purchase increases the total number of new fuel-efficient vehicles purchased with Recovery Act funds to 17,205, at a total cost of $287 million.
That falls just short of a commitment made in April by President Obama for the GSA to purchase about 17,600 fuel-efficient vehicles by June 1, in part because the GSA purchased more hybrids than it originally intended. The GSA had planned to order 2,500 hybrid sedans, but ended up ordering 3,100 hybrids. Hybrids are generally more expensive than conventional fuel-efficient vehicles, so buying more of them leaves less money for ordering other vehicles. By September 30, the GSA will spend another $15 million to order advanced technology buses and electric vehicles for use in the federal fleet. See the GSA press release and the article from this newsletter on the previous purchase.
DOE to Invest $49 Million in 24 Solar Projects and Solar Training
DOE announced last week its selection of 24 projects to research, develop, and design new manufacturing and product improvements that could cut costs for a substantial segment of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry in the near future. The competitively-selected projects will be eligible for a total of up to $22 million in Recovery Act funds, which will be matched by more than $50 million in cost-shared funding from private partners.
The projects include new manufacturing processes, films, and coatings for solar PV devices; monitoring devices that can be used to control the manufacturing process or for quality control; and entire solar power systems. The projects also include efforts to recycle scraps of solar-grade silicon produced during manufacturing, employ an ion beam to reduce the reflectance of solar modules, increase the light absorption of a solar cell by creating pits on its surface with a laser, trap light within thin crystalline silicon solar cells using diffraction gratings, and develop materials that "downshift" high-energy ultraviolet light to a lower-energy light that can be efficiently converted into electricity in a solar cell. See the list of the 24 new solar projects.
DOE also announced plans to offer up to $27 million to develop the nation’s infrastructure for solar installation training. DOE will fund this effort using $5 million from the Recovery Act, as well as $22 million in annual appropriations. The funds will go to a single national organization that will facilitate the development and distribution of model training curricula, best practices in training, and information on solar career pathways. A select number of regional training centers that also receive funding to offer solar instructors advanced courses on solar technologies, instructional design, and course development. The funds will help create green jobs by ensuring that a trained workforce is ready to support significant growth in solar energy. See the DOE press release.
USDA Awards $49 Million for Biomass Energy Projects in 14 States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week its selection of 23 biomass energy projects, which will create biomass jobs in 14 states that will receive $49 million in funding from the ARRA. The funds will help create markets for small-diameter and low-value trees removed during forest restoration activities.
The wood will be used to fire boilers for heating systems in schools and other facilities, to provide heat for a cement plant, as fuel for biomass power systems and combined heat and power systems (also known as cogeneration systems), and as a source of firewood and pellets for wood stoves. It will also be co-fired with coal in a coal power plant in Colorado, while Oregon will evaluate the value of in-woods, portable pyrolysis units that would convert biomass into a biobased oil. Biomass pyrolysis involves heating wood to high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, causing the organic compounds in the wood to break down. The USDA also awarded $8 million for biomass projects not related to energy production. See the USDA press release and the full list of projects (PDF 125 KB).
The USDA also announced in early May that it planned to award $224 million in Recovery Act funds to 110 projects that would make improvements to ecosystems and reduce hazardous fuels, such as underbrush and small trees in dense forests. While most of those projects aren’t related to energy production, some are, including two projects in Arizona; and one each in California, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, and South Carolina; five in Oregon; and one project that spans both Oregon and Washington.
Those projects aim to direct at least some of their wood towards power generation, combined heat and power generation, heating for schools, industrial heat production, firewood sales, and the production of wood pellets for stoves. The Colorado project will co-fire the wood with coal in a coal-fired power plant. Note that additional projects may direct biomass to energy projects, but may not have explicitly declared that in their project summary. See the USDA press release and the full list of projects (PDF 146 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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