| The Solar Decathlon team from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University took first place in both the Dwelling and Architecture competitions on Monday, giving the team a narrow early lead in the competition. On Tuesday, the University of Colorado team won the Communications contest, vaulting it into third place. Eighteen teams from 13 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Spain, are competing in the Solar Decathlon, which challenges student teams to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The teams have built their 18 solar homes on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., forming a temporary solar village. See the Solar Decathlon Web site. The Dwelling, Architecture, and Communications competitions were the first three of ten competitions at the event, and teams from California Polytechnic State University (in second place on Tuesday), the New York Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, Cornell University, Universidad de Puerto Rico, and the University of Maryland also scored high in those competitions. But scores in five of the competitions—Comfort Zone, Appliances, Hot Water, Lighting, and Getting Around—are tallied in real time as the competition progresses, so the standings can shift quickly based on the performance of each house. Check the current status by clicking on "Updated Scores & Standings" on the Scores and Standings page of the Solar Decathlon Web site. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman officially opened the competition on October 6th. Secretary Bodman announced that the Solar Decathlon will now be a biannual event, and successful proposals for the 2007 event will be awarded grants of $100,000 each, up from the current award of $5,000. DOE also released the request for proposals (RFP) for the 2007 event. See the DOE press release and Secretary Bodman's comments, and access the RFP on the Solar Decathlon 2007 page of the Solar Decathlon Web site. Johnson Controls Inc. announced Tuesday that it is forming a joint venture with Saft to develop, manufacture, and sell advanced batteries for hybrid electric vehicles. Saft is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of advanced technology batteries. The news follows Johnson Controls' dedication of its new Lithium Ion Battery Research and Development Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 28th. The new facility contains state-of-the-art equipment for fabricating advanced lithium ion batteries for use in hybrid vehicles. See the September 28th and October 11th press releases from Johnson Controls.  |  This coating equipment in the Johnson Controls' new battery development laboratory is used to produce battery electrodes.
Credit: Johnson Controls | DOE is praising the new facility, which will help Johnson Controls complete an automotive battery development project being funded through DOE's cooperative agreement with the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). The 18-month project aims to develop an abuse-tolerant lithium ion battery with extended life and significantly improved power-to-weight performance. The total program cost is projected to be $8,572,333, with DOE providing about one-third of the cost, $2.85 million. See the DOE press release. DOE's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program works with industry to develop advanced transportation technologies that reduce the nation's use of imported oil and increase our energy security. Lithium ion battery technology has been identified as a critical enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient vehicles. DOE recently signed a five-year extension of the cooperative agreement with the USABC to develop advanced battery technologies for use in hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles. See the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program Web site. DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the annual "Energy Star Change a Light, Change the World Campaign" last week, urging U.S. consumers to change at least one light in their home with one that carries an Energy Star label. If every U.S. household does that, the country will save $600 million in energy bills, save enough energy to light 7 million homes, and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 1 million cars. DOE and EPA named October 5th as "Energy Star Change a Light Day" and were joined by governors of 29 states, plus the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. See the EPA press release and the campaign's Web page. According to a new annual report from EPA, Energy Star and other voluntary programs reduced U.S. energy bills by nearly $10 billion in 2004, while avoiding 57 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and saving enough energy to power 25 million homes. More than 1.5 billion Energy Star products have been purchased, while more than 2,500 builders have constructed more than 360,000 Energy Star homes. Starting next July, though, homes will have to meet higher energy efficiency standards to earn the Energy Star label. See the EPA press releases on the report and the new Energy Star standards, or download the full report (PDF 1.8 MB). Download Adobe Reader. The EPA is also taking energy savings to heart. In response to President Bush's recent directive to all federal agencies on energy conservation, EPA is taking immediate actions to conserve natural gas, electricity, gasoline, and diesel fuel in all its buildings in Washington, D.C. The EPA is adjusting the temperatures in its buildings to an average of 68 degrees, removing unnecessary light bulbs in some of its hallways, turning off the historic fountains in the courtyard areas, and limiting the courtyard lighting at night and turning it off during the day. See the EPA press release. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that 11 biomass research, development, and demonstration projects have been selected to receive $12.6 million in funds for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, a joint effort of DOE and the USDA. The projects will be carried out in Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., and include producing biofuels and bioproducts from woody biomass sources, such as straw, switchgrass, and corn stover; converting biofuel byproducts into useful chemicals; gasifying biomass; combining a biomass digester with a cogeneration system; and examining possible incentives for biomass energy. See the USDA press release. In late September, the USDA selected 171 projects in 42 states to receive more than $14.6 million under its Value Added Producer Grant program. Of those, 32 projects in 14 states were related to biofuels and renewable energy. Businesses and producers in California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin will receive grants to assess the feasibility of marketing ethanol, biodiesel, wind power, and other types of renewable energy. See the USDA press release and the full list of recipients (PDF 24 KB). Download Adobe Reader. Recent actions in New Mexico and North Carolina will increase the use of alternative fuels in those states. In New Mexico, Governor Bill Richardson signed an executive order in late September requiring cabinet-level state agencies, public schools, and institutions of higher education to meet 15 percent of their transportation fuel needs with ethanol or biodiesel by 2010. The order also requires those agencies and schools to buy alternative-fuel or hybrid vehicles for 75 percent of their vehicle purchases each year. The governor also signed an order requiring state agencies to reduce their fuel use, and urging the rest of the state to follow suit. See the governor's executive orders. In North Carolina, Governor Mike Easley signed a bill into law in late September that will create a fund to allow state agencies to purchase alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure. The state currently earns credits through the Energy Policy Act of 1992 because of its purchases of B20 (a blend of 20 percent biodiesel with diesel fuel) by its Department of Transportation and E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol with gasoline) by the State Motor Fleet Management. Senate Bill 1149 allows the state to sell these credits, generating funds that will further increase the state's use of alternative fuels. It also extends to 2011 a 35 percent tax credit for renewable energy equipment, expands the residential credit to include solar pool heating, and raises the nonresidential credit ceiling by a factor of ten, to $2.5 million. See the related press release from the North Carolina Solar Center and see the full text of the bill on the North Carolina General Assembly Web site. Meanwhile, Minnesota became the first state to implement a statewide biodiesel requirement in late September. All diesel fuel sold in the state now contains at least 2 percent biodiesel. According to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), the state now leads the nation with its annual biodiesel production capacity of 63 million gallons. See the NBB press release (PDF 39 KB). Download Adobe Reader. New energy efficiency standards for both residential and nonresidential buildings took effect on October 1st in California. The changes require duct insulation in commercial buildings and prescribe a variety of energy efficiency measures, including cool roofs, well-sealed ducts, daylighting, and high efficiency heating and cooling. Most of the mandatory changes relate to indoor and outdoor lighting, encouraging technologies such as fluorescent lights, occupancy sensors, and dimmers. According to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), these changes will help homeowners save up to 75 percent on lighting costs. To help builders comply with the new standards, the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at the University of California at Davis has published a "Residential Design Lighting Guide." See the California Energy Commission (CEC) Web site for the complete standards, the PG&E press release for an explanation of the standards, and the CLTC Web site for the builder's guide. The new standards also require a check for leaky ducts in most California homes when a new central furnace or air conditioner is installed. Duct systems that leak 15 percent or more must be sealed to reduce the leaks. According to the CEC, independent research has shown that the average California home has ducts that leak away 30 percent of the conditioned air. See the CEC press release and Web page on the new requirements. |
No comments:
Post a Comment