Friday, July 31, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 6:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Jetstream Wind Plans Hydrogen Power Plant
SustainableBusiness.com
Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Jetstream Wind announced plans to build what it says will be the world's first utility-scale, zero-emissions hydrogen power plant ...
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VentureBeat

BlackLight Power signs sixth utility deal to produce power from water
VentureBeat
The cost will be far lower than solar, wind or nuclear energy. Fractional Hydrogen (f/H) systems can help accelerate independence from fossil fuels. ...
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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 6:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Venture capital gets back in the cleantech game
The Associated Press
From April to June, businesses devoted to energy generation, such as wind, solar, geothermal and hydrogen power, drew the most investment. ...
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Hydrogen Funding Reversal Provides a Cautionary Tale
BNET
Take wind for example; support for wind power has grown steadily, and turbines are popping up in many of the same states that are carpeted with ...
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Everything Green Radio

Everything Green Radio:

 

http://www.everythinggreenradio.com/

 

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 6:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Proactive Investors USA & Canada

Hydrogenics receives orders for two fuel cell power modules
Proactive Investors USA & Canada
Canadian hydrogen power systems manufacturer Hydrogenics Corporation (TSX: HYG)(NASDAQ: HYGS) announced it has secured two delivery contracts for two fuel ...
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BP targets $1bn savings as profits fall by 53pc
Telegraph.co.uk
Its priorities are wind power in the US, solar power in Germany, hydrogen power in the US and biofuels in the UK. "BP has now thrown down the gauntlet to ...
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Green Ink: It Was Oil Speculators, After All
Wall Street Journal Blogs
India is set to make official its massive bet on solar power—20 gigawatts by 2020—in Reuters. Kenya is betting on wind power to bring power to rural poor, ...
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New Gig Harbor Business Making It Easier to Be Green
Gig Harbor Life
He plans to offer monthly workshops on topics like solar and wind power to spread his environmentally friendly message. “I use most of these things in my ...
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts

Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 6:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Is the ocean Florida's untapped energy source?
CNN - USA
A hydrogen by-product is collected on a ship. Imagine if your utility company could harness the ocean's current to power your house, cool your office, ...
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In Print: Exxon goes green. Really.
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
Also in your absence the fed reinstated R&D money for hydrogen cars. But that still doesn't use the liquids system big oil has deployed. ...
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POWER Bangladesh 2009 International Expo - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Autochannel (press release) (press release)
... Wind Power Engineering; Hydrogen Power Engineering; Geothermal Power Engineering; Minor Hydro-Power Engineering; Solar Power Engineering; v Industrial ...
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Hydrogenics Awarded Two Renewable Energy Projects in Europe
Earthtimes (press release)
In France, the power modules will be used for energy generation to supplement photovoltaic and wind power at the new headquarters of the Abalone Group, ...
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Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 6:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Fuel cells, energy conversion and mathematics
Hindu
This necessitates collecting energy from ambient sources including wind, solar, and geothermal power, and converting it into appropriate forms for ...
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Saturday, July 18, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Hydrogen power plant proposed for Molokai
Maui News - Wailuku,HI,USA
Jetstream Wind believes it can provide consistent power to the grid using renewable sources without any of the emissions that come with generating hydrogen ...
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Friday, July 17, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 6:12 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

BBC News

Apollo's fuel-cell power legacy
BBC News - UK
"The fuel cell is a fuel conversion device that converts hydrogen to electricity," she told the BBC World Service's One Planet programme. ...
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Firm to Build First Utility-Scale Hydrogen Power Plant
CleanTechnica - San Francisco,CA,USA
A New Mexico-based company has announced plans to build what it is calling, the world's first utility-scale, zero-emissions hydrogen power plant. ...
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INTERVIEW - Storing power in electric cars shows potential - GE
Reuters India - Mumbai,India
Many energy researchers believe electric car batteries could solve the problem of intermittent power generation from wind turbines and, perhaps, solar power ...
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New geothermal heat extraction process may deliver clean power ...
Gaea Times - Kolkata,West Bengal,India
March 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A tiny microbe that converts carbon dioxide and water to methane with a bit of solar or wind power, can be a new energy source ...
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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts
Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 6:12 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

New Mexico company to develop hydrogen power plant
The Associated Press
... first utility-scale, zero-emissions hydrogen power plant. Jetstream Wind Inc. officials said Wednesday that the plant would use electricity from wind, ...
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The challenge for green energy: how to store excess electricity
guardian.co.uk - UK
But suddenly, with rapid technological advances and growing economies of manufacturing scale, wind power is now nearly at grid parity — meaning it costs ...
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A History of America's Nuclear Power Experience
The Heartland Institute - Chicago,IL,USA
While Tucker does not oppose either solar or wind power, he points out they require 100 times more land than either coal or nuclear power plants. ...
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COLUMN-Free markets alone cannot bring climate action: John Kemp
Forbes - NY,USA
... and long payback times needed for capital intensive technologies such as nuclear power, wind and hydrogen fuel cells to reduce carbon emissions. ...
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Dithering on climate research
Livemint - Delhi,Delhi,India
... that mitigate climate change, which includes clean fuel generators such as solar cells, wind power, hydrogen and fuel cells, among other such devices. ...
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Scientific Alliance newsletter 16th July 2009
Cambridge Network - Cambridge,UK
If the government really does rely on wind power in this way, we are going to see the lights go out on a regular basis, at least during winter. ...
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New 'Green' Power Line in Works for Central Valley
Valley Voice - Visalia,CA,USA
SCE made a deal for more wind from Oregon, for example. Two weeks ago, a plan to build a huge hydrogen-based 390-mw power plant in the middle of Kern ...
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This Week's News/Opinion
Weekly Alibi - Albuquerque,NM,USA
D. The New Mexico company plans to harvest wind and solar energy to generate hydrogen, which would in turn be used to produce electricity for about 6000 ...
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 6:14 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Washington Post

Morning Fix: Winners and Losers, Sotomayor Day 1
Washington Post - United States
TX will have enough wind generated power to light 6 million homes by 2012. Time for the rest of the nation to catch up. "I have not read an op-ed attributed ...
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MIT Technology Review

GE Announces Zero Energy House Project
MIT Technology Review - Cambridge,MA,USA
TooMany : This is all about the power of the coal and oil interests in Congress. These industries know... joelsapp : Hydrogen is not the way out of our C02 ...
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New Electric Grid: Costly, Unnecessary Boondoggle?
EV World - Papillion,NE,USA
But plans to string new high-voltage lines to bring wind power from the midsection of the country to the coasts, where most of the demand is, ...
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Examiner.com

Pickens Plan aims to make Trucking American made
Examiner.com - USA
Mike, has been an alternative energy advocate for about ten years and has a fairly extensive knowledge on hydrogen fuel in particular, mostly focused on the ...
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Fossil-free future
The Star - Sheffield,England,UK
There, one of its low-cost electrolysers uses solar power to split water into oxygen, which is released into the atmosphere, and hydrogen, which is stored ...
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Producing hydrogen from urine


http://www.physorg.com/news165836803.html
You do two things at motorway services: fill up one tank and empty another. US chemists have combined refuelling your car and relieving yourself by creating a new catalyst that can extract hydrogen from urine.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 6:12 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Times Online

Number of wind turbines to quadruple under Renewable Energy Strategy
Times Online - UK
Power generated from sun, wind and waves will tend not to coincide with demand; surely the answer is to convert surpluses to hydrogen rather than simply ...
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Boone Pickens finds dry hole in the wind
SmartPlanet.com - London,UK
Power plants, by themselves, are only about 50% efficient, according to a 2008 posting at AllExperts.com. Losses in a hydrogen cycle are even higher. ...
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(*Note from Dan: This kind of crud article really irks me. Just because he’s switched to several smaller projects instead of one large project due to transmission access doesn’t mean he’s given up on the overall idea.)

Renewable Energy Stocks and Green Stocks Directory Preview of ...
InvestorIdeas.com (press release) - Point Roberts,WA,USA
For example, other applications that could benefit by using AccelRate technology include solar and/or wind power systems, emergency systems, remote control ...
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Exide Technologies Announces New Collaborations to Advance Lead ...
GlobeNewsWire (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
The new agreement is another example of Exide's commitment to future lead-acid battery technologies and follows recent collaborations with Axion Power ...
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Reviewing the Evidence for Climate Realism
The Epoch Times - New York,NY,USA
Hydrogen is also flammable and hard to contain. Wind and solar energy are not substantive solutions. It takes thousands of windmills to equal one large ...
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USDA seeks applicants for energy projects
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
Renewable energy projects eligible for the grants include those that produce energy from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydropower and hydrogen-based ...
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POWER POLITICS: West Virginia redefines dirty energy as "alternative"
Facing South - Durham,NC,USA
That includes more than 38000 pounds of hydrochloric acid, 11000 pounds of sulfuric acid, more than 9000 pounds of hydrogen fluoride, 183 pounds of mercury ...
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Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 6:11 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

LA Investment Capital Announces Energy Joint Venture with ...
1888 Press Release (press release) - Alief,TX,USA
The enormous investment pouring into solutions such as solar energy, wind power, and fuel cells indicate a global recognition of an escalating problem, ...
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A (not so) dangerous idea
TheChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada
We have wind in abundance. We have what are surely the best tidal prospects anywhere. We can make hydrogen for long-term storage, and use our natural gas ...
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Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 6:13 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Dallas Morning News

Check out one of the world's largest repositories of space ...
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
Around the corner is the rocket sled, Sonic Wind II, that tested the effects of rapid acceleration and deceleration. While Americans advanced speed, ...
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Clyburn taking part in SC meeting on energy
The State - Columbia,SC,USA
... nuclear energy and wind, solar and hydrogen energy. Representatives from several contractors and power companies are also slated to attend, ...
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As I See It: The Green Gap
IT Jungle - New York,NY,USA
Solar, wind, biomass, hydro-electric, hydrogen, fuel cells, battery technology, green construction, organic farming, green urban planning, high speed rail, ...
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Saturday, July 11, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 6:14 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

BP closes alternative energy division.
Motley Fool - USA
This comes on the heels of T. Boone Pickens abandonment of his wind power venture earlier this week. The 81-year old capitalist was going to invest $10 ...
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USDA program offers opportunities to develop renewable energy ...
Wauneta Breeze - Wauneta,NE,USA
A wide range of projects may be funded under the REAP program such as wind, solar, biomass, methane digestion, geothermal, hydrogen, and hydropower ...
See all stories on this topic

Why The Future of Transportation Fuel Is Hydrogen 1 comment
Seeking Alpha - New York,NY,USA
Fourth, hydrogen fuel produced from water using energy from clean energy sources such as wind, solar or concentrated solar is the ultimate evolution of this ...
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Friday, July 10, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 6:12 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Jetstream Wind, Inc. to Hold Press Conference on Podcast July 16
Newswire Today (press release) - London,UK
Details will be revealed about the revolutionary construction and development of this utility-scale hydrogen power plant that will produce electricity and ...
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PV Tech

Taiwanese government announces initiatives to boost renewable ...
PV Tech - London,England,UK
... firstly to focus on solar energy and light emitting diodes (LEDs) and second to promote wind power generation, biofuels, hydrogen energy and fuel cells. ...
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MIT Technology Review

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Funding Restored
MIT Technology Review - Cambridge,MA,USA
... atrocities on the workers, just like taliban have blown up... wjflaman : Could wind mills be effectively purposed to harness wind power in Afghanistan? ...
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DailyTech

Hydrogen Storage Advances With Self-Healing Metal Hydride
DailyTech - Chicago,IL,USA
Hydrogen is considered one of the potential fuel source of the future. From using solar and wind energy to generate hydrogen as a power storage scheme, ...
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Charlotte Business Journal

Will suit help or hamper renewables?
Charlotte Business Journal - Charlotte,NC,USA
“We are the Saudi Arabia of wind,” he said in a recent interview, employing an often-used metaphor. “But how do we get the power from North Dakota to ...
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CNET News

Where the US government researches a nuclear future
CNET News - San Francisco,CA,USA
Wind power is .30+ kwh and solar is more than that. That's a fact. Most uranium comes from deserts of australia these days so i don't know where the strip ...
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We've got the power to build
The Star - Sheffield,England,UK
ITM has developed a low cost electrolyser, which uses electricity from solar panels and wind generators to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. ...
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BP Closes Alternative Energy Division
NPR - USA
Unidentified Man: Like wind power, solar, hydrogen. I mean, there's so many other alternatives that are real. More importantly, those things work. ...
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Thursday, July 09, 2009

Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

From: Google Alerts  
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 6:13 AM
Subject: Google Alert - hydrogen, wind, power

 

Google News Alert for: hydrogen, wind, power

Politico

we still import too much oil
Politico - Washington,DC,USA
The goal is to move cars and light trucks to battery or hydrogen as quickly as possible. We'll get there, but a battery will not move an 18-wheeler. ...
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The categories and how to enter
guardian.co.uk - UK
This category includes new technologies that can reduce carbon emissions for transport, such as renewable bio-fuels, improved road vehicles and hydrogen for ...
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Bill would aim to boost production of natural gas
The Detroit News - Detroit,MI,USA
Natural gas produces virtually no particulate emissions, making it cleaner than diesel But unlike solar or wind power, natural gas is not a renewable source ...
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Bay District ponders development – July 8, 2009
Arcata Eye - Arcata,CA,USA
“If we can generate hydrogen using wave and wind energy, we can charge electric vehicles, “ he remarked. A panel of 12 local leaders, including Bay ...
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Bill would boost natural gas vehicles
The Detroit News - Detroit,MI,USA
But unlike solar or wind power, natural gas is not a renewable source of energy, and some environmentalists oppose expanding its use. ...
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World's First-hydrogen Powered Yacht With A Fully Integrated ...
Science Daily (press release) - USA
These include a hydrogen fuel cell that powers an auxiliary electric motor and renewable energies (solar, wind, hydro power sources) for onboard power ...
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Hartford Courant

Campers Get Look At Cutting Edge Hydrogen Fuel
Hartford Courant - United States
"The problem with many renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, is that they can only produce power when the sun is out or when the wind is blowing ...
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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

EERE: Automaker Loans, Recovery Act Funds, and Offshore Wind Power Leasing


EERE: Automaker Loans, Recovery Act Funds, and Offshore Wind Power Leasing

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable E  nergy EERE Network News

A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The EERE Network News is also available on the Web at: www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm

June 24, 2009

News and Events

Energy Connections

  • Copenhagen Report: "Climate Inaction is Inexcusable"

News and Events

Clean Energy Emphasized at the Americas Energy and Climate Symposium

Energy efficiency and renewable energy were the major focus of energy ministers and other government leaders from throughout the Americas last week, as they converged on Lima, Peru, for the Americas Energy and Climate Symposium. At the symposium, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a Low Carbon Communities Program, which will assist countries in developing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs that will reduce the carbon footprint of their urban communities. Through the initiative, DOE will partner with participating countries to develop building energy standards and to adopt modern urban planning strategies, including transit-oriented development. DOE will provide technical assistance and limited funding to help achieve those goals. Energy leaders also announced the development of a Regional Energy Efficiency Center, supported by Peru, and a Regional Wind Center, supported by Mexico.

The symposium was the first major energy event after the Summit of the Americas in April, where President Barack Obama announced the formation of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). The president invited all Western Hemisphere countries to be part of a united effort under the ECPA, and since then, the regional response has been overwhelmingly positive across all five elements of the ECPA: energy efficiency, renewable energy, cleaner fossil fuels, critical infrastructure, and energy development to help alleviate poverty. The Americas Energy and Climate Symposium took place on June 15 and 16 and was hosted by the Government of Peru. See the symposium announcement from the Institute of the Americas and the DOE press release.

DOE also announced on Tuesday that Energy Secretary Chu has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Minister Marcelo Tokman of the Chilean National Energy Commission to further collaboration between the two nations. The memorandum establishes an institutional framework between Chile and the United States, allowing DOE to provide its technical expertise in support of a new Renewable Energy Center in Chile. The new center will work to identify developments and best practices in renewable energy technologies from around the world, disseminating its findings within Chile and throughout the region. The two countries will also collaborate on other high-priority energy issues, including energy efficiency technologies and the establishment of two pilot solar power projects in northern Chile. See the DOE press release.

DOE Awards $8 Billion in Loans for Advanced Vehicle Technologies

A photo of Secretary Chu standing at a podium and smiling, with several rows of people seated behind him with a large Ford logo over their heads. The heads of the audience are visible in the foreground.

Energy Secretary Chu announced the loans to Ford employees in Detroit, Michigan.
Credit: DOE

DOE announced $8 billion in conditional loan agreements on Tuesday for Ford Motor Company; Nissan North America, Inc.; and Tesla Motors, Inc. to fund the development of advanced vehicle technologies. The loan commitments include a $5.9 billion loan to Ford for upgrading factories in five states to produce 13 more fuel-efficient models, a $1.6 billion loan to Nissan to build advanced electric vehicles and advanced batteries, and a $465 million loan to Tesla Motors to manufacture its new electric sedan. These are the first conditional loans released under DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program, which is using an open, competitive process to provide about $25 billion in loans to companies that produce cars or vehicle components in the United States. To qualify, companies must propose projects that increase fuel economy to at least 25% above 2005 fuel economy levels.

Ford Motor Company will receive its loans through 2011, using the funds to upgrade its engine plants in Dearborn, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; and Lima, Ohio, and to upgrade its transmission plants in Livonia, Michigan; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Sharonville, Ohio. Ford will also upgrade its assembly plants in Chicago, Illinois; Louisville, Kentucky; Dearborn, Michigan; Wayne, Michigan; and Kansas City, Missouri, converting two of the truck factories into assembly plants for cars. In addition, the Ford loans will finance advances in traditional combustion engines and electrified vehicles and help raise the fuel efficiency of more than two dozen popular models.

Nissan aims to manufacture a cost-competitive electric vehicle with a lithium-ion battery pack in Smyrna, Tennessee, and plans to eventually reach a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. Tesla Motors will use its funding to finance a California-based manufacturing facility for the Tesla Model S sedan, an all-electric sedan that can be recharged at a conventional 120-volt or 220-volt outlet. Production will begin in 2011 and ramp up to 20,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2013. See the DOE press release and the ATVM Loan Program.

DOE Delivers $453 Million in Recovery Act Funds for Weatherization

DOE delivered more than $453 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to 14 states and the District of Columbia last week, allowing those states to dramatically expand their weatherization assistance programs. The programs improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families, helping the families to lower their energy bills. The new funds will help the states achieve their collective goal of weatherizing 165,000 homes, creating new green jobs while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. States may spend up to 20% of the funds to hire and train new workers. In addition to the District of Columbia, DOE delivered the funds to California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

The new funds represent 40% of the total weatherization funds available to those states under the Recovery Act and follow the award of 10% of the funds in March to support planning and ramp-up activities. The states join Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, and Oregon in receiving half of the funds available to them under the Recovery Act. The second half of the weatherization funds will be released when the states meet the reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act. Details on the funds awarded to each state, as well as the weatherization goals set by each state, can be found in the DOE press release. See also the Web site for DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program.

DOE Awards $49 Million for Clean Energy in Michigan and Iowa

DOE announced on Monday its award of more than $49 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Michigan and Iowa. Under DOE's State Energy Program, states have proposed plans to prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Michigan will receive more than $32.8 million to focus on four three-year goals: reducing energy use in public buildings by 20% by 2012, creating markets for renewable energy systems, establishing green communities, and creating green jobs. Iowa will receive more than $16.2 million to expand the Building Energy Smart Iowa Program, including funds for workforce training and public information projects. Iowa plans to provide grants of up to $100,000 to public, private, and non-profit entities across the state for energy training, with monitoring provided by Iowa Workforce D evelopment.

The funds are part of the Obama Administration's national strategy to support job growth while making a historic down payment on clean energy. The Recovery Act appropriated $3.1 billion to the State Energy Program, giving priority to achieving national goals of energy independence while helping to stimulate local economies. For Michigan and Iowa, the new funds represent 40% of the State Energy Program funds available to them under the Recovery Act, following an initial 10% of the funds that were awarded to support planning activities. The second half of the funds will be released when the states meet the reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by the Recovery Act. See the DOE press releases for the funding awarded to Iowa and Michigan.

Offshore Wind Power Leases Issued for Delaware and New Jersey Coasts

The new exploratory leases may spur the development of offshore wind power in the United States.
Credit: GE Energy

The U.S. Department of the Interior issued five exploratory leases on Tuesday for wind power development off the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey. The first-ever federal leases for offshore wind power in the United States were awarded to Deepwater Wind, LLC; the Delaware and New Jersey subsidiaries of Bluewater Wind LLC; and the New Jersey subsidiary of Fishermen's Energy LLC. The leases authorize data gathering activities, allowing for construction of meteorological towers on the Outer Continental Shelf at sites that range from 6 to 18 miles offshore. (Back in 2002, Cape Wind Associates received approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to erect a meteorological tower off the coast of Massachusetts, but the federal process at that time did not involve a lease.) The new leaseholders will share their data with the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) to help the agency evaluate future offshore wind power proposals. See the Interior Department press release, the MMS Renewable Energy Program Web site, and for reference, the Cape Wind press release from 2002.

The exploratory leases are a key step for a number of proposed projects, including one off the coast of Delaware and four off the coast of New Jersey. Bluewater Wind proposes to build a 450-megawatt (MW) wind power facility off the coast of Delaware and a 350-MW wind power facility off the coast of New Jersey. Other New Jersey projects include a 330-MW wind power facility proposed by Fishermen's Energy and a 350-MW project proposed by Deepwater Wind and PSEG Renewable Generation, under a partnership called Garden State Offshore Energy.

Report: Demand Response Could Cut U.S. Peak Power Demand by 20%

The extensive use of demand response could potentially cut the peak power demand in the United States by up to 20% in the next decade, according to a new report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Demand response gives utilities the ability to cut large commercial and industrial loads and to control other customer's use of air conditioning, refrigeration, and other large electrical appliances. For instance, demand response could cause your air conditioner to delay its next cycle or to cycle less often in times of high demand, usually in exchange for a credit on your power bill. More sophisticated means of demand response include the use of smart meters and "dynamic" utility pricing that varies with demand, so that customers are motivated to reduce or delay their electrical use during times of peak demand.

The new FERC report examines four scenarios: business as usual, which follows current trends in demand response; expanded business-as-usual, in which all states offer demand response programs, more customers participate, smart meters are partially deployed, and 5% of customers choose dynamic pricing; the "achievable participation" scenario, in which everyone has smart meters, dynamic pricing is the default, and other demand response programs are available for those who opt out of dynamic pricing; and the full participation scenario, which is an estimate of how much cost-effective demand response would take place if everyone had smart meters and participated in dynamic pricing, with help from such devices as "smart" thermostats and appliances that respond to utility prices. FERC acknowledges that the full participation scenario is more a measure of what is possible to achieve rather than what is practically achievable.

Looking ahead to 2019, the FERC report projects a 38-gigawatt (GW) reduction in peak load under business as usual, equal to 4% of the projected peak load; an 82-GW peak load reduction under expanded business-as-usual, equal to 9% of peak load; a 138-GW peak load reduction under the achievable participation scenario, equal to 14% of peak load; and a 188-GW peak load reduction under the full participation scenario, which yields a 20% reduction in peak load. The full participation scenario results in essentially no growth in U.S. peak power demand over the next decade. In this scenario, much of the load savings is achieved through dynamic pricing, combined with smart devices. The FERC report also includes a state-by-state breakdown of the four scenarios, providing a guide for legislators and utility commissioners as they evaluate their policy options for demand response. See the FERC press release and the full report (PDF 16 MB). Download Adobe Reader.

Energy Connections

Copenhagen Report: "Climate Inaction is Inexcusable"

The most up-to-date report on climate science notes that global temperatures, sea levels, and frequency of extreme weather events are all increasing beyond the patterns of natural variability within which our contemporary society and economy have developed. That doesn't bode well for the future of global economies and of civilization itself, nor on the ecosystems that our civilization depends on, unless global societies rise to meet the challenge of climate change.

The report, based on a scientific congress held in Copenhagen in March, is an attempt to update the 2007 synthesis report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has already become outdated. For instance, the IPCC report acknowledged a lack of understanding of the dynamic processes that cause polar ice to melt, so the report left those effects out and projected a sea level rise of up to 59 centimeters (23 inches) by 2100. New observations have nearly doubled that projection to one meter, or 39 inches, an increase that would threaten many islands, shorelines, and low-lying wetlands.

The report also provides updates on our understanding of ocean surface temperatures and heat content, indicating that ocean warming is about 50% greater than the IPCC had reported. The new report also notes the rapid reduction in Arctic sea ice in the summer. It also notes that a decreasing amount of carbon dioxide emissions are removed by natural "carbon sinks" on land and in the ocean, thereby amplifying the effect of future carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile, new studies have shown that societies and ecosystems are highly vulnerable to even modest levels of climate change, and a global temperature rise of more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels will cause "major societal and environmental disruptions."

To help mitigate these disruptions, the world must limit its greenhouse gas emissions through such measures as heavily promoting energy efficiency while shifting to low-carbon energy sources, such as renewable energy. The report also identifies the eastern half of the United States as one of two critical agriculture centers for the future of the world. Given the availability of a wide range of tools and approaches to deal with climate change, the report concludes that "inaction is inexcusable." See the press release from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the full re port (PDF 5.6 MB). Download Adobe Reader.

This newsletter is funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is also available on the EERE Web site. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor, Kevin Eber.

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