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

December 05, 2007

News and Events

• DOE Provides $5.2 Million for Concentrating Solar Power
• DOE Creates a $7.2 Million Clean Energy Commercialization Fund
• DOE Invests $7.7 Million in Biomass Gasification for Biofuels
• Google Aims to Make Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal Power
• Energy Efficient "Super Boiler" Reaches its First Anniversary
• Rockefeller Center Switches to LED Christmas Lights

Site News

• EERE Project Management Center Web Site and Newsletter

Energy Connections

• U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dropped 1.5% in 2006, Says EIA

News and Events

DOE Provides $5.2 Million for Concentrating Solar Power

DOE announced last week that $5.2 million will be divided between 12 projects to fund the development of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The 12 CSP projects are focused on lowering the cost of components and developing energy storage technologies. CSP systems capture the sun's heat and convert it into electricity, using rows of trough-shaped mirrors, rows of flat mirrors arranged to mimic a trough (called "linear Fresnel reflective technologies"), dish-shaped mirrors, or large fields of flat mirrors that concentrate the sun's heat on a tall "power tower."

The projects aim to develop low-cost mirrors and other components for solar troughs, improved Stirling engines for converting the heat from solar dishes into electricity, and molten salt technologies for both linear Fresnel reflective technologies and solar power towers. Molten salt systems operate at high efficiency and allow for storage of the molten salt for conversion into electricity when it is needed, even at night. In addition, one project will develop a compressed air energy storage system for solar dishes, using the compressed air to essentially turbocharge a microturbine that will be fueled with natural gas. The eight companies that are working on the 12 projects are located in California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington. See the DOE press release.

DOE's investment in CSP technology is part of the Solar America Initiative, which aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional power by 2015. Need to learn more about CSP? Consider attending the CSP Summit 2008, which will be held in San Francisco, California, on January 28th and 29th. See the Web sites for the Solar America Initiative Web site and the CSP Summit.

DOE Creates a $7.2 Million Clean Energy Commercialization Fund

DOE announced last week that it will establish a $7.2 million commercialization fund that will be divided among three DOE national laboratories: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will receive up to $4 million, Oak Ridge National Laboratory up to $2.5 million, and Sandia National Laboratories up to $700,000. The three national laboratories will use the funds for clean energy technologies that have advanced beyond the research stage, moving the technologies toward commercial viability though prototype development, demonstration projects, market research, and other deployment activities. The new fund was announced in conjunction with the above announcement on solar thermal power funding. See the DOE press release.

The DOE emphasis on commercialization comes at a good time, as U.S. venture capital investments in the "CleanTech" sector reached a record high for the first three quarters of 2007. According to data from Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), 158 deals resulted in $2.6 billion invested in CleanTech, which includes clean energy as well as other environmental products. Solar energy garnered the lion's share of the investments, with 35 deals worth a total of $664.6 million, while the relatively mature wind power industry drew only four deals worth $62.9 million. One of the largest single venture capital deals was a $77 million investment in Heliovolt Corporation, a maker of thin-film solar cells. See the NVCA press release (PDF 38 KB). Download Adobe Reader.

Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union have submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organization to remove trade barriers to clean energy technologies and services. The proposal calls for eliminating worldwide tariffs on a specific list of climate-friendly technologies, as well as a commitment by most countries to eliminate trade barriers for a wide range of environmental technologies and services. See the press release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

DOE Invests $7.7 Million in Biomass Gasification for Biofuels

DOE announced on Tuesday that four cellulosic biofuel projects will receive up to $7.7 million in funding over the next three years. When combined with the industry cost share, more than $15.7 million will be invested in the four projects from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2010. The four projects will be headed up by Emery Energy Company of Salt Lake City, Utah; Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa; Research Triangle Institute of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; and the Southern Research Institute of Birmingham, Alabama.

The projects will investigate the thermochemical conversion process of turning switchgrass, corn stover, and the non-edible parts of other organic materials into biofuel. The four projects will develop technologies for converting biomass into a gas at high temperatures (a process called gasification); for removing tars, oils, and other impurities from the resultant high-temperature "syngas;" and for cooling the gas for use in other processes. Syngas is typically converted into biofuels such as ethanol with the use of a catalyst, but Iowa State University is teaming with ConocoPhilips in a project that will feed the syngas directly into a petroleum refinery. See the DOE press release.

Including this new funding, DOE has announced more than $1 billion in multi-year funding for biofuels research and development this year. This includes $385 million for commercial-scale biorefineries, $200 million for pilot-scale biorefineries working on novel refining processes, more than $400 million for bioenergy centers, and $23 million for developing more efficient microbes for ethanol refining. For more information on these funding announcements, see the February 28, March 27, and June 26 press releases from DOE.

Google Aims to Make Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal Power

Can a company that built its reputation on software tools and computer server farms parlay that expertise into a clean energy revolution? Google believes that it can. The company plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on both renewable energy research and development and related investments in 2008, with the goal of making renewable energy less expensive than coal power. That goal is embodied in the name of the new initiative, "RE<C," which will initially focus on advanced solar thermal power, wind power, enhanced geothermal systems, and other potential breakthrough technologies. RE<C is currently hiring engineers and energy experts to achieve those goals.

RE<C will be part of Google's commercial enterprise, but it will also work with Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org. Google.org is currently teamed up with two companies that could have potential for RE<C: eSolar, Inc., which envisions combining many 25-megawatt solar power tower facilities to form large solar power plants; and Makani Power Inc., which envisions capturing high-altitude winds through some type of aerial wind turbine. See the Google press release, the Google Clean Energy Web page, and the Web sites for eSolar and Makani Power.

Energy Efficient "Super Boiler" Reaches its First Anniversary

An industrial boiler that delivers 94% thermal efficiency and produces fewer emissions than conventional boilers has operated successfully for a full year, producing high-pressure steam for a rubber parts manufacturer. DOE helped to celebrate the first anniversary of the "Super Boiler" on November 30th at Specification Rubber Products, Inc., in Alabaster, Alabama, where the new boiler has consistently produced a fuel-to-steam efficiency of 93% to 94% and has reduced the annual consumption of natural gas by 13%. The Super Boiler was produced through the DOE-sponsored research and development of the Gas Technology Institute and its partner, Cleaver-Brooks, Inc. By 2020, DOE estimates that this technology could save more than 185 trillion Btu of natural gas, which is enough to fuel more than two million households. See the DOE press release.

The U.S. industrial sector accounts for more than 32% of the nation's energy use, and boilers account for approximately one-third of this energy. DOE regularly works with manufacturers through its Save Energy Now assessments, a part of the DOE Industrial Technologies Program in which energy experts assess, analyze, and identify energy-saving opportunities at some of the nation's most energy-intensive facilities. Since 2005, DOE has conducted more than 300 industrial energy assessments and identified more than $645 million in potential energy savings. For more information, or to apply for an energy assessment, see the Save Energy Now Web site.

While the Industrial Technologies Program has funded the development of specific technologies, like the Super Boiler, and has worked with a large number of industrial manufacturers through its Save Energy Now initiative, the program is now expanding its Save Energy Now activities to the state level. To begin this transition, the program has awarded $950,000 the State Energy Offices in 19 states, or about $50,000 per state. Those offices will pay subcontractors to perform a total of 96 energy audits at industrial facilities. DOE has also formed a voluntary partnership with the State of Wisconsin, which will train and certify 20 industrial energy assessors within the state to perform 100 energy assessments at Wisconsin industries over the next three years. DOE and Wisconsin will share the cost of six energy assessments at dry-mill ethanol plants, which typically use large amounts of natural gas. The Wisconsin partnership could serve as a model for other state-level efforts. See the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Progress Alerts on the state funding and the Wisconsin partnership.

Rockefeller Center Switches to LED Christmas Lights

For residents and for visitors from throughout the world, the holiday season in New York City has to include a visit to Rockefeller Center to see its impressive outdoor Christmas tree. But this year, the Big Apple is a bit greener, as the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit with LED lights. The tree's 30,000 LED lights are strung on five miles of wire and will reduce the tree's energy consumption by about 63%. LED (light-emitting diode) lights are now popping up in holiday lighting displays throughout the country, and they're an excellent choice at home as well. According to the latest holiday lighting fact sheet from the EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse, LED mini-lights draw about 0.08 watts per bulb, compared to 0.48 watts for a standard incandescent mini-light and 6 watts for the larger traditional screw-in bulbs. See the fact sheet (PDF 178 KB). Download Adobe Reader.

For Rockefeller Center, though, the Christmas tree is just the most visible aspect to an energy efficient makeover. Up on the rooftop of 35 Rockefeller Plaza is ... no, it's not Santa Claus, it's a new 70-kilowatt solar power system, using 363 solar panels provided by GE Energy. And any airborne sleighs will have to avoid landing on Radio City Music Hall, because it now sports an 18,000-square-foot green roof (does that mean the Rockettes won't get their presents this year?). The green roof, consisting of desert plants that require little water, will have a cooling effect on midtown Manhattan and will keep more than half a million gallons of water out of New York's storm water and wastewater system. And last but not least, a new ice making and storage plant will make ice at night, when energy demand is low, and use it for cooling Rockefeller Center during the day. So even when the skating rink closes for the year, there will still be ice at Rockefeller Center! See the press releases from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and GE Energy.

Site News

EERE Project Management Center Web Site and Newsletter

The Project Management Center (PMC) within DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) consolidates the efforts that were previous directed by DOE's regional offices. The PMC's tasks are distributed between the Golden Field Office in Golden, Colorado, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which has major facilities in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Web site includes information about business opportunities, meetings, and workshops. See the EERE PMC Web site.

The EERE PMC has also launched a monthly online newsletter. Originally intended to inform stakeholders about EERE's transition from regional offices to the PMC, the newsletter now covers emerging topics of interest, with a focus each month on a specific EERE program. It includes copious links to additional Web resources, including multimedia, and as of November, it also includes links to DOE press releases and speeches on EERE topics. To receive an email notification when a new issue is posted, send an email to John Horst of the Golden Field Office at John.Horst@go.doe.gov. See the PMC Newsletter.

Energy Connections

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Dropped 1.5% in 2006, Says EIA

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions declined by 1.5% in 2006 to the equivalent of 7,075.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA). The drop was mainly due to a 1.8% decline in carbon dioxide emissions from energy use and industrial processes, which is a half-percent larger decline than originally estimated by EIA back in June. Part of that decline was a 0.5% decrease in overall energy demand, caused partly by mild weather and partly in response to high energy prices. But the lion's share of the decline was caused by a decline in the carbon intensity of electric generation, in other words, power plants are producing less carbon dioxide. That's partly due to an increased use of natural gas for power production, but it's also caused by "a greater reliance on non-fossil fuel energy sources," including renewable energy.

While U.S. greenhouse gas emissions dropped in 2006, the economy actually grew by 2.9%. That, in turn, caused greenhouse gas intensity—the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per unit of gross domestic product—to decrease by 4.2%, a fact that caught the attention of President Bush. Greenhouse gas intensity is now 625 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per million 2000 constant dollars of GDP, while President Bush has set a goal to reach 553.7 metric tons by 2012. "This puts us well ahead of the goal," said President Bush. See the EIA press release; the White House press release; and the full report (PDF 1.3 MB). Warning: the report downloads very slowly. Download Adobe Reader.

The EIA results give credence to a new report from McKinsey & Company, which concludes that the United States can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 4,500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. The report finds that about 40% of these emissions cuts would involve energy efficiency improvements that would generate net economic benefits over their lifetime. These benefits could help offset the costs of more expensive options, including a shift to more efficient power plants and a greater use of renewable energy. Another major finding is that there is no silver bullet: no one technology or approach can yield deep cuts in emissions. See the McKinsey report.

This newsletter is funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is also available on the EERE Web site. You can subscribe to the EERE Network News using our simple online form, and you can also update your email address, add a subscription to EERE Progress Alerts, or unsubscribe using our "Change My Subscription" page.

If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact the editor, Kevin Eber.