| The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved last week $2 billion in funding over the next three years for energy efficiency and conservation programs throughout the state. Referred to by the CPUC as "the most ambitious energy efficiency and conservation campaign in the history of the (U.S.) utility industry," the effort includes consumer rebates of up to $600 for appliances that carry the Energy Star label. It also provides $230 million per year for the state's Green Building Initiative, which aims to cut energy use in government buildings by 20 percent. The campaign includes online energy audits for homes and voluntary energy audits for businesses, schools, hospitals, and other buildings, followed up with design assistance and equipment rebates for energy efficiency improvements. Efforts will focus on specific markets, such as agricultural and food processing businesses, and will also include continued and new partnerships with local governments and universities and schools. Most programs will be offered through the state's four large utilities. According to the CPUC, the three-year campaign will cut energy costs for homes and businesses by more than $5 billion, eliminate the need to build three large power plants over the next three years, and reduce global warming pollution by an estimated 3.4 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2008, which is equivalent to taking about 650,000 cars off the road. See the CPUC press release. Ford Motor Company announced last week that it will increase its production of hybrid vehicles ten-fold by 2010, expanding its offerings to more than half the vehicle models. Currently, Ford produces about 24,000 hybrid vehicles per year through its only hybrid model, the Ford Escape Hybrid, but plans to boost that number to 250,000 in just five years. Ford recently unveiled its second hybrid, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, which goes on sale this fall, and the company plans to introduce hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Mazda Tribute by 2008. See the Ford press release on the Mercury Mariner Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid Web site. Ford also emphasized flexible-fuel vehicles in its announcement, noting that the 2006 models of the Ford F-150, Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car will all be able to be fueled with E85, an ethanol and gasoline mixture containing 85 percent ethanol. Ford said it could produce as many as 280,000 flexible-fuel vehicles in 2006. See the Ford press release on its hybrid and flexible-fuel vehicle plans. The Nuon Solar Team from the Netherlands has taken a commanding lead in the World Solar Challenge, a 1,870-mile solar race down the center of the Australian continent. On Tuesday, after three days of racing, the team's car, the "Nuna 3," was at Glendambo, a little more than 300 miles from Adelaide. Australia's Aurora Vehicle Association trails about 100 miles behind the Nuna 3, followed closely by the University of Michigan's "Momentum" and Ashiya University of Japan's "Sky Ace Tiga," in a tight battle for second, third, and fourth place. If the Nuon team continues to hold the lead, it will be their third consecutive win. In 2003, the team set a record time of 30 hours and 54 minutes, for an average speed of about 60 miles per hour. Since the race may already be decided by the time you read this, see the latest standings and reports from the road in the "On the Road" section of the World Solar Challenge Web site. A total of 22 teams from 10 countries are currently in the race, including three teams from the United States. Probably the most dramatic event in the race occurred during the qualifying rounds, when a wheel failed on the vehicle from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, causing it to flip over. Fortunately, the driver walked away with only a sprained wrist, and the team was able to fix the vehicle and remain in the race. See MIT's Web page and the September 24th entry in the University of Calgary's Weblog, both of which are posted on the World Solar Challenge Web site. Solar-powered and energy efficient homes, businesses, schools, and libraries throughout the country will open their doors to visitors this weekend, marking the 10th anniversary of the National Solar Tour. According to the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), attendance at this year's event is expected to go up sharply as Americans scramble for relief from rapidly increasing energy prices. Among the highlights of some of the tours: Little Rock, Arkansas, residents will start the tour at the Clinton Library, a showcase of solar energy and green building practices, and tours in three California cities will feature solar-powered homes that also charge electric vehicles. Organized by ASES, the tour is sponsored in part by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. See the ASES press release and the tour listings. Solar power systems provide a big benefit after natural disasters, such as hurricanes: They provide a source of power when the power grid is down, and they don't require any fuel. With that in mind, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Florida Solar Energy Center are providing solar electric charging stations to the town of Kiln, Mississippi, to help residents recover from Hurricane Katrina. The two organizations are providing two large 2-kilowatt charging stations that could recharge base radio stations or run a refrigerator. In addition, a smaller 600-watt system will allow people to recharge mobile phones, laptop computers, and hand-held radios. See the NREL press release. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a solar lighting company called SOL Inc. has also donated 30 solar-powered lights to the Louisiana State Police. And Carmanah Technologies, Inc., a Canadian company, has received orders for more than 500 of its solar-powered LED lights. Carmanah says most of the orders were for solar-powered marine navigation lights for the U.S. Coast Guard, but solar lights were also used to mark railroad bridges and helicopter landing pads. Carmanah held back other shipments in order to rush the orders to the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. See the SEIA Web site and the Carmanah press release. Biodiesel also played a role in recovery operations, as the Veggie Van Organization, a nonprofit advocacy group, partnered with West Central, a farmer-owned biodiesel company, and the Naples City Council in Florida to transport 13,000 gallons of biodiesel to help victims. The relief effort focused on smaller coastal towns south of New Orleans that were among the areas most severely affected by Hurricane Katrina. The donated fuel powered a former military ship owned by Sub Sea Research, as well as makeshift medical facilities and emergency generators aboard the vessel. The ship and an accompanying shrimp boat left Florida in mid-September and delivered about 15 tons of food, water, ice, and relief supplies to Louisiana. The volunteers then had to leave to avoid Hurricane Rita. See the National Biodiesel Board press release (PDF 21 KB) and the updates on the Veggie Van Web site. Download Adobe Reader. DOE released a draft strategic plan last week for accelerating the development and reducing the cost of new and advanced technologies that avoid or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The draft plan provides strategic direction for about $3 billion in federal spending for climate change-related technology research and development. The plan aims to reduce emissions from energy supply technologies, such as power plants, while also cutting emissions from the energy infrastructure and from the end users of energy, such as our cars and houses. Part of the strategy is to capture, store, and sequester carbon dioxide. The plan also aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide, such as methane. Among the energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and programs highlighted in the plan are the FreedomCAR program, the 21st Century Truck Partnership, the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy, methane-to-energy projects, distributed generation, and an increasing emphasis on wind energy, biomass energy, and solar power. The plan also emphasizes high-temperature superconductivity, energy storage, FutureGEN clean coal plants, and nuclear fission and fusion technologies. DOE is accepting public comments on the plan until November 2nd, and expects to release the final plan next year. The technologies developed under the Climate Change Technology Program will be used and deployed among the partners in the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development that was announced earlier this year. See the DOE press release and the draft strategic plan. |
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