 |  A worker installs door components on the frame of the Ford Focus FCV. The fuel cell and battery pack are built into the floor of the vehicle.
Credit: Ford Motor Company | Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of a fuel-cell-powered Focus sedan last week, the first vehicle in a fleet to be deployed in five cities. The Focus Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) features a fuel cell stack from Ballard Power Systems, a nickel metal hydride battery pack, and regenerative braking that uses a brake-by-wire electro-hydraulic system. Ford is building an evaluation fleet of Focus FCVs for demonstration programs in Orlando, Florida; Sacramento, California; and Taylor, Michigan, as part of DOE's Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project. Ford will also demonstrate the vehicle in fleets in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Berlin, Germany. Ford is working with BP to build a network of hydrogen fueling stations in these cities to support the vehicles. While some BP stations will use near-term hydrogen production technologies, like reforming natural gas, others will generate hydrogen from renewable energy resources. See the Ford press release. While Ford is rolling out its Focus FCVs, a growing number of automakers are investigating fuel cell vehicles. That fact was clearly demonstrated when the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) held its 2004 Road Rally in mid-September. The event featured fuel cell vehicles from DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen. According the CaFCP, "Never before have so many manufacturers had their fuel cell vehicles on the road together." See the CaFCP press release. Companies are also inserting fuel cells into a wide variety of vehicles. For example, BOC, an industrial gas company, has teamed with Cellex Power Products Inc. to build a fuel-cell-powered forklift. Honda has built a scooter that uses the Honda fuel cell stack. Hydrogenics Corporation is supplying fuel cell drives for a number of projects, including groundskeeping equipment for The Toro Company, an aircraft tow tractor for the U.S. Air Force, and a van for the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. But topping them all is the German company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW), which has built a submarine with a hydrogen fuel cell drive for the German Navy. According to HDW, the submarine is capable of remaining submerged "for weeks at a time." See the press releases from BOC, Honda, Hydrogenics, and HDW. Toyota Motor Sales announced last week that it will double the number of Prius hybrid-electric vehicles for sale in the United States in 2005. Although the company has sold 100,000 of the vehicles in the United States since they first went on sale in mid-2000, the company now expects to sell 100,000 in 2005 alone. The boost in projected sales is the second for Toyota, which originally planned to sell 36,000 of its 2004 models, but increased its sales plan in December to 47,000 vehicles. Globally, Toyota has sold more than a quarter-million hybrid vehicles since it began selling the Prius in Japan in December 1997. See the Toyota press release. One place where the Toyota Prius has found a home is at Hoffman-La Roche Inc., which has 20 of its sales representatives using the vehicles in a pilot program. Roche plans to continually integrate the Toyota Prius, the Ford Escape Hybrid, and other clean vehicles into its 1,400-car U.S. sales force, eventually replacing the entire fleet. The effort is part of the pharmaceutical company's commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent over the next five years. See the Roche press release. New actions by the governors of Hawaii and Minnesota aim to significantly increase the use of ethanol as a motor fuel in those states. In Hawaii, Governor Linda Lingle signed new administrative rules to implement a law requiring at least 85 percent of Hawaii's gasoline to contain at least 10 percent ethanol, beginning in April 2006. An estimated 40 million gallons of ethanol are needed to meet the requirement, but Hawaii's sugar cane industry is estimated to be capable of producing 90 million gallons of year in the near-term, and more than 400 million gallons as a mature industry. See the governor's press release. In Minnesota, Governor Tim Pawlenty announced an initiative to double the amount of ethanol in the state's fuel, from today's 10 percent blend to an E-20 blend, which contains 20 percent ethanol. The proposed mandate will take effect when at least half the new vehicles sold in the state have warranties that allow E-20, or by 2010, whichever comes first. The governor is sending letters to all major auto manufacturers, requesting that they update their warranties to cover the use of E-20. In addition, the governor signed an executive order to cut the state government's use of gasoline in half by 2015 and cut its use of diesel fuel by a quarter by 2015. The state will use increased fuel efficiency, alternative fuels, and reductions in miles driven in order to meet its goals. See the governor's press release. Thanks in part to such state initiatives, the U.S. ethanol fuel industry continues to grow. The industry has set all-time monthly production records each month this year, with the latest record at 222,000 barrels per day in June (announced on September 8th). Currently, 81 ethanol plants nationwide have the capacity to produce over 3.4 billion gallons annually, and 11 ethanol plants are under construction. See the press releases from the Renewable Fuels Association. After completing its first full year of operation, the Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc. has plenty to show for it, having served more than 16,000 households and businesses in about 100 communities across the state. The nonprofit agency offers programs that encourage energy efficiency and wind and solar energy use, and also provides about $1 million each year to support a range of renewable energy projects. According to the agency's 2003 annual report, released last week, those combined efforts yielded enough energy savings and clean energy to power 23,000 Oregon homes. The Energy Trust's accomplishments include supporting thousands of energy efficiency projects, 78 solar electric projects, and the 41-megawatt Combine Hills wind project. The Energy Trust provides its services to customers of Pacific Power, Portland General Electric, and NW Natural (a natural gas utility) and is funded through those customers' utility bills. See the Energy Trust of Oregon's press release (PDF 31 KB), annual report (PDF 1.5 MB), and Web site. Download Acrobat Reader. DOE announced last week that it is offering grants to small businesses that are developing new energy technologies. DOE's solicitations for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs offer grants of up to $100,000 for small businesses to evaluate the scientific or technical merit and feasibility of energy technologies that appear to have commercial potential. This year, the bulk of the grants will go towards manufacturing-related projects in accordance with Executive Order 13329, "Encouraging Innovation in Manufacturing," signed by President Bush in February. Each grant application must relate to a specific DOE technical topic. Topics listed under the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy include solar photovoltaic technologies; sensors for wind turbines; systems to draw energy from tides, waves, and ocean currents; hydrogen storage technologies; advanced materials for fuel cells, bioproducts, lighting products, and lightweight vehicles; advanced power electronics; sensors and controls for geothermal systems, vehicles, industrial processes, and heating and cooling systems; innovative waste heat recovery technologies; novel cooling systems; and a variety of chemical processes. Related topics listed under the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences include solid-state lighting; capacitors and lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles; hydrogen pipelines, compressors, and storage tanks; advanced membranes for energy-efficient chemical separations; nanotechnologies for chemical processes; and new chemical processes that eliminate the use of solvents. Applications are due by December 13th. See the SBIR and SBTT solicitations. For more information, see the newly updated fact sheets for the SBIR and STTR programs. |  This wind turbine on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation is a prime example of a tribal renewable energy project.
Credit: Robert Gough | DOE announced last week that it is now accepting applications for two types of grants to Native American tribes that wish to pursue renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. DOE is accepting applications for grants of up to $300,000 for tribes to conduct feasibility studies, hardware demonstrations, and pre-development activities for renewable energy projects. In addition, tribes can apply for grants of up to $150,000 to conduct strategic planning, energy options analysis or resource planning, organizational development, and human capacity building related to energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. The application deadlines for the two types of grants are February 4th and January 20th, respectively. See the announcement on the DOE Tribal Energy Program Web site. |
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