DOE Awards $104M for Efficiency-Related Facilities at National Labs
On November 18, DOE announced its selection of eight energy efficiency test facilities to be built at seven of its national labs with the help of $104.7 million in ARRA funds.
The facilities will support the development and improvement of energy efficiency technologies of strategic national interest. Specifically, the funding will go toward reducing production costs of carbon fiber manufacturing by reducing vehicle weight; improving efficiency and lowering costs for car batteries; and exploring advanced technologies for net-zero-energy buildings. The effort will leverage the combined intellectual and technical resources of DOE’s national labs. The eight national labs are in California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Fuel efficient, advanced vehicles will benefit from both the carbon fiber and battery projects. Carbon fiber composites are extremely strong and lightweight and have the potential to increase fuel economy by drastically reducing the weight of vehicles. Though frequently employed in race cars and high-performance "supercars," carbon fiber composites are currently too expensive for more affordable vehicles. To address that problem, the new Carbon Fiber Technology Center at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee will investigate novel manufacturing processes and alternative feedstocks to lower carbon fiber costs from the current $10-$20 per pound to under $5 per pound.
For vehicle batteries, Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois will construct three battery R&D facilities: one for fabricating prototype battery cells, one for scaling up production of battery-related materials, and one for analyzing batteries after they’ve been subjected to performance tests. In addition, the Idaho National Lab will establish a High Energy Battery Test Facility, New Mexico’s Sandia National Lab will enhance its Battery Abuse Testing Lab, which subjects batteries to conditions such as overcharging, deep discharge, short circuits, fire, and heat. And to help keep batteries from being exposed to excessive heat, Colorado’s National Renewable Energy Lab will establish the Battery Thermal and Life Test Facility, which will enable researchers to develop lower cost, more robust thermal management systems and battery designs.
Net-zero-energy buildings technologies will be furthered by three projects. Oak Ridge National Lab will develop the Integrated Net-Zero Energy Buildings Research Lab, which will include a research platform for commercial buildings; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California will build and operate the National User Facility for Net-Zero Energy Buildings Research, which will allow for integrated testing of building technologies; and the National Energy Technology Lab will build a 35,000-square-foot Performance Verification Laboratory to perform nearly 17,000 verifications tests per year on a broad range of residential and commercial appliances. See the DOE press release.
DOE Awards $45M for Wind Turbine Test Facility in South Carolina
On November 23, DOE announced the selection of Clemson University to receive up to $45 million in ARRA funds for a wind energy test facility that will enhance the performance, durability, and reliability of utility-scale wind turbines. To be located near Charleston, South Carolina, the Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing facility will enable the U.S. to expand development and testing of large-scale wind turbine drive-train systems.
The facility will feature power analysis equipment capable of performing highly accelerated endurance testing of drive systems for land-based and offshore wind turbines rated at 5-15 MW. The primary piece of test equipment is a dynamometer, which consists of an electric motor, a gearbox, and a monitoring and control system that work together to simulate the effects of varying wind conditions on turbine drive-trains. (A similar, but smaller, dynamometer test facility is located at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.)
Dynamometer tests of drive-trains are required to demonstrate compliance with wind turbine design standards. They also reduce wind turbine costs, secure product financing, and reduce the technical and financial risk of deploying new wind turbine models. Operated as a non-profit organization, the new facility will be located at the Charleston Naval Complex and will be a part of the Clemson University Restoration Institute campus. See the DOE press release and the DOE Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program Web site.
DOE to Invest $18M in Small Businesses Focused on Clean Energy
DOE announced on November 23 more than $18 million in funding from the ARRA to support small business innovation research, development and deployment of clean energy technologies. In this first phase of funding, 125 grants of up to $150,000 each will be awarded to 107 small advanced technology firms competitively selected from 950 applicants across the U.S.
Companies that demonstrate successful results with their new technologies and show potential to meet market needs will be eligible for $60 million in a second round of grants in the summer of 2010. Grants relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy include energy efficiency technologies for buildings and industries, water and solar technologies, and technologies related to the Smart Grid. Grants will also support technologies to address water use in power plants, power plant cooling technologies, materials and technologies for advanced gas turbines, and technologies to reduce industrial greenhouse gases.
In terms of energy efficiency in buildings, the grants went to technologies for advanced air conditioning and refrigeration; thermal load shifting, which uses thermal storage (such as ice) to shift building cooling loads to off-peak hours; cool roofs, which are reflective, light-colored roofs that deflect heat from buildings; and "smart building" technologies, which employ sensors and advanced controls to minimize power use.
For industrial efficiency, the grants went to sensors and controls for efficient industrial processes; technologies for improving efficiency and environmental performance in the cement industry; low-cost manufacturing processes for innovative nanomaterials; novel approaches to recover heat from waste water streams; technologies to mitigate heat losses, fouling, and scaling in manufacturing operations; and technologies to reduce heat and energy losses in energy-intensive manufacturing processes, including distillation and dewatering systems.
For renewable energy systems, the grants went toward advances in hydropower systems or subsystems; new approaches to wave and current energy technologies and ocean thermal energy conversion systems; advanced solar technologies; solar-powered systems that produce fuels; and concentrating solar systems for distributed applications.
Grants focused on the Smart Grid were awarded for power-line sensor systems; smart controllers for household appliances; and technologies to support electric vehicles and customer-located energy generation systems, such as solar systems and wind turbines. See the DOE press release.
DOE Awards $620M for Smart Grid & Energy Storage Projects
DOE awarded on November 24 a total of $620 million in ARRA funds for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems, as well as large-scale energy storage systems.
The 16 Smart Grid demonstration projects, which include smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies, will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale. This Recovery Act funding will leverage $1 billion from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally.
DOE will award $435 million to support 16 fully integrated, regional Smart Grid demonstrations in 21 states, representing over 50 utilities and electricity organizations with a combined base of almost 100 million customers. Projects include streamlined communication technologies that allow different parts of the grid to "talk" to each other in real time; sensing and control devices that help grid operators monitor and control electricity flows to avoid disruptions and outages; smart meters and in-home systems that empower consumers to reduce energy use and save money; on-site energy storage options; and on-site and renewable energy sources that can be integrated into the electrical grid.
For example, utility Con Ed will demonstrate a secure Smart Grid in New York and New Jersey that will offer grid monitoring and automated control of transmission lines and will better accommodate renewable power generation. The system, which will include lower Manhattan, will accommodate electric vehicle charging stations, and will feature customer systems designed to help expand the use of renewable energy and lead to greater customer participation in the electricity system.
An additional 16 awards for a total of $185 million will help fund utility-scale energy storage projects that will enhance the reliability and efficiency of the grid, while reducing the need for new electricity plants. Improved energy storage technologies will allow for expanded integration of renewable energy resources like wind and solar PV systems, and will improve frequency regulation and peak energy management.
The selected projects include advanced battery systems, flywheels, and compressed air energy systems. One recipient is 44 Tech Inc., which is getting $5 million to partner with Carnegie Mellon University to demonstrate a sodium-ion battery for grid applications. The project will showcase a new, low-cost, long-life, highly efficient, stationary battery that uses proven and fully novel cell chemistry. See the DOE press release, and a complete list of the projects (PDF 59 KB).
FTC Proposes New Output-Based Labels for Light Bulbs
The days of referring to a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) as being "equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb" may soon be over, as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed new labels for light bulbs based on light output rather than energy consumption.
The marketplace has been changing quickly with the emergence of newer, more energy-efficient technologies-such as CFLs and light-emitting diode (LED) products-as traditional incandescent bulbs are phased out. The proposed labels provide consumers with information to help them choose among different bulb types.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) seeks public comments on new labels that emphasize lumens, not watts, as the measure of bulb brightness. This information, along with estimated energy cost information, would appear on the front of light bulb packages.
The back of the package would display a "Lighting Facts" label modeled after the "Nutrition Facts" label for food packages. The Lighting Facts label would provide information about brightness, energy cost, the bulb’s expected life, color temperature (whether the bulb provides "warm" or "cool" light), as well as wattage. The label also would require disclosures for bulbs containing mercury. The bulb’s output in lumens-and a mercury disclosure for bulbs that contain mercury-would also have to be on the bulb itself. The NOPR was published in the Federal Register on November 10, and comments are due by December 28.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires the FTC to consider the effectiveness of current bulb labeling requirements and explore alternative labeling approaches. As the first step, the FTC issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking last year, seeking comments on existing labeling requirements and possible labeling alternatives, and then held a public roundtable to gather more information. See the FTC press release, and the Federal Register Notice (PDF 663 KB), which includes samples of the proposed labels.
Fuel Economy for New Vehicles Rises for Fifth Straight Year
The average fuel economy of cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. for Model Year (MY) 2009 is estimated at 21.1 miles per gallon (mpg), an increase of 0.1 mpg over last year’s figure, according to the U.S. EPA. The EPA bases its fuel economy estimates on sales projected by automakers prior to the launch of the model year – because of the economic climate, the EPA is uncertain about this year’s projection.
EPA adjusted last year’s projection upward based on actual sales, as consumers bought more fuel-efficient vehicles than automakers expected. As a result, the average fuel economy for MY 2008 is now 21 mpg, up from the estimated 20.8 mpg, which means that fuel economy rose 0.4 mpg for MY 2008. That adjustment also lowered the estimated fuel economy gain for MY 2009.
This marks the first time that data for carbon emissions are included in the annual report, "Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2009." The report confirms that average carbon emissions decreased and fuel economy increased for the past five model years.
Average carbon emissions decreased by 39 grams per mile, or 8%, and average fuel economy increased by 1.8 mpg, or 9%, since 2004. This trend reverses a long period of decreasing fuel economy from 1987-2004, and returns average fuel economy to early 1980s levels. The report also provides data on carbon emissions, fuel economy, and technology characteristics of new light-duty vehicles, including cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickup trucks. See the EPA press release and the report.
++++
EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Loading...