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Energy Industry Groups Renew Call for Energy Bill; Industry Skeptical of Success

by Stephanie I. Coehn A handful of energy industry representatives on Wednesday renewed their call for a comprehensive energy bill, pinning their hopes on a strengthened Republican majority in Congress to pass the thwarted legislation over the past four years. At the same time, however, they expressed reservations about their ability to garner enough support for the bill to move it successfully through Congress. "We still get no consideration, no attention from Congress," said Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Industry. Still, he added: "We're going to try again." Energy policy was one of the first issues hammered out by the administration early in its first term, but numerous contentious provisions set off partisan and regional disputes among lawmakers. The energy industry, often charged with having substantial sway in policy circles, said it will be difficult to revive a bill that lawmakers seem to have grown weary of pushing. "We sincerely and genuinely hope there is an urgency [to pass energy legislation]" next year, said Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute. Kuhn's name has circulated as a possible replacement for the top energy post in the administration in the wake of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's decision to […]

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Micro Methanol Fuel Cells Get UN Shipping Approval

At a meeting held today in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations (UN) Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods voted overwhelmingly to establish model regulations for shipping methanol fuel cartridges for micro fuel cell devices as cargo. The model regulations will be used by countries around the world to establish shipping requirements for methanol cartridges. The new UN shipping name, number and packaging instructions also will assist international air transport authorities in considering regulations to allow passengers to carry and use these cartridges on-board airplanes. A final vote by the full UN Committee formally adopting the proposal is expected early next week. From the United States to Europe and Asia, consumer electronic manufacturers are developing micro fuel cell technologies to power the next generation of laptop computers, cellular phones and other essential modern devices. Using methanol as a hydrogen carrier fuel, micro fuel cells represent a completely new portable power technology that will significantly increase run times for consumer electronic devices. "This action by the world's leading transport safety experts provides the essential framework for moving methanol fuel cartridges around the globe," said Methanol Institute President and CEO John Lynn. "Coupled with strong national and international design and […]

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Sparking Fuel Cell Production

by Ken Silverstein Fuel cell production may be about to accelerate. Two industrial heavyweights are advancing their pilot program to generate electricity from fuel cells that can be cleaner and more efficient than centrally located power plants. The Dow Chemical Co. and General Motors Corp. will integrate earlier fuel cell research and apply it to Dow's Texas operations in Freeport at its chemical and plastics production facility. The effort will now use multiple fuel cells and produce as much as 1 megawatt of electricity. In a potential third stage that would occur in 2007, Dow would pursue large-scale commercialization and make up to 400 fuel cells for use at its own plants that would generate 35 megawatts of power, or enough to power 2 percent of Dow's Texas operations. That's the type of arrangement that the Bush administration hoped would form to help enable the so-called hydrogen economy?something that the president has heavily promoted. With two giants committed to the technology, economies of scale could develop that would improve quality and bring costs down. New applications will eventually emerge to help meet industrial and commercial needs, as well as those of the automotive sector. The benefits to Dow and GM […]

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RAN Places Full Page NY Times Ad to Challenge Ford

The New York Times yesterday published a full-page open letter from Michael Brune, executive director of Rainforest Action Network, to Bill Ford, Jr., chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company, highlighting the automaker's longstanding last place EPA fuel efficiency ranking, broken promises and greenwashing. Under the headline "Gas guzzling is un-American," the letter calls on Ford to reclaim its spirit of innovation and lead the United States to a future free from oil. In the letter Mr. Brune reminds Mr. Ford that more than 50 percent of America's oil supply now comes from conflict regions like the Middle East and that more that 100 million Americans currently live in cities that exceed federal health guidelines for air quality. "We've cured polio, put a man on the moon and decoded the human genome," writes Mr. Brune. "Surely the car company that revolutionized transportation in its first decade in business can produce a fleet of zero emission vehicles by 2020." Said Sarah Connolly, a grassroots leader with the Jumpstart Ford Campaign, "Polls show that Americans are growing extremely concerned about the devastating effect that oil addiction and global warming will have on their children's future. The time is long overdue for Americans […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:December 1, 2004

News and Events Dow and GM to Build One-Megawatt Fuel Cell Installation Universities and Companies Aim to Convert Biomass to Energy Kansas Governor Halts Wind Power in Tallgrass Prairies West Coast States Strengthen Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts FedEx Uses Hybrid Trucks for Holiday Charity Deliveries Car-Sharing Company Plans Nationwide Expansion Site NewsState Technologies Advancement Collaborative Launches New Site Energy ConnectionsNew Technology Uses Nuclear Power to Produce Hydrogen News and EventsDow and GM to Build One-Megawatt Fuel Cell InstallationDow Chemical Company and the General Motors Corporation launched the second phase of their joint fuel cell demonstration project on Monday. The companies will now build a one-megawatt fuel cell pilot plant and integrate it into Dow’s Texas Operations facility in Freeport, Texas. The system will be fueled with hydrogen that is produced as a byproduct at the chemical plant, and will feed power into the plant’s power distribution grid. According to GM, the new facility will provide valuable experience in “learning to work with real-world hydrogen that has some impurities in it, and not the pure hydrogen you get in a lab setting.” See the Dow press release and Web site.Another one-megawatt fuel cell installation is in the works for California: FuelCell […]

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