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DOE announced on November 8th that it will invest
$21.7 million in researching the next generation of photovoltaic (PV)
solar cell technology. DOE selected a total of 25 research projects, led
by 15 universities and 6 companies, to receive an average of $900,000
over the next three years. The research projects will employ
nanotechnologies, dyes, organic solar cells, multiple-layer solar cells,
and unique manufacturing techniques in their attempts to create the next
generation of solar cells. By 2015, the effort is expected to yield
prototype cells and processes, which may be available for
commercialization shortly thereafter. See the
DOE press release and the "Future Generation Photovoltaic Devices
and Processes Selections" presentation on the Solar America Initiative
Web site (PDF
2.2 MB).
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Among the DOE awardees is Wakonda Technologies
Inc., a company that plans to produce large-area, high-efficiency solar
devices by applying multiple thin films of semiconductor material onto a
flexible metal-foil substrate. Wakonda Technologies claims to have
developed a proprietary surface treatment that allows the metal foil to
simulate an expensive crystalline semiconductor material, such as
germanium. The company plans to exploit this technology with a process
that employs low-cost thin-film manufacturing techniques to create
high-efficiency solar cells.
November 8th was a good day for Wakonda
Technologies; on the same day that DOE announced its advanced PV awards,
the company was named the Clean Energy Entrepreneur of the Year at the
20th Industry Growth Forum, sponsored by DOE's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL). NREL's Industry Growth Forum is the leading clean
energy venture event in the United States, and it attracted more than
400 participants this year. The forum is unique in the real-time
feedback and strategic advice its panel offers to its entrepreneurial
participants. To claim the Entrepreneur of the Year award, Wakonda
Technologies beat out 31 competitors, earning a prize of $10,000. See
the
NREL press release and the
Wakonda Technologies Web site.
The U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency
industries created jobs for 8.5 million people in 2006, while generating
more than a trillion dollars in sales, $100 billion in profits, and $150
billion in increased federal, state, and local government tax revenues,
according to a new report from the American Solar Energy Society (ASES).
The report notes that it's difficult to define the energy efficiency
industry, but even focusing on the renewable energy industry, it found
196,000 people directly employed by the industry, a total of 452,000
jobs created, and revenues of $39.2 billion in 2006.
Looking forward to 2030, the report examines
three scenarios: a "business as usual" scenario, with no major policy
changes; a moderate scenario that includes incremental policy advances;
and an advanced scenario of aggressive growth in renewable energy and
energy efficiency. In the "business as usual" scenario, the jobs created
by renewable energy increase 190% by 2030, while jobs created by energy
efficiency increase by 85%. In the moderate scenario, the jobs created
by renewable energy increase nearly 7-fold, while jobs created by energy
efficiency more than double. And in the advanced scenario, the jobs
created by renewable energy increase 17-fold, while jobs created by
energy efficiency quadruple. In the advanced scenario, renewable energy
revenues increase to nearly $600 billion, while energy efficiency
revenues increase to almost $4 trillion. The report also includes a case
study on renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in Ohio. See
the
ASES press release and the full report (PDF
1.2 MB).
Download Adobe Reader.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
announced last week that it now expects 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind
power capacity to be installed in 2007. That represents an increase of
one-third over AWEA's previous projections for the year, which were last
updated in August. AWEA's third quarter market report concludes that the
wind industry added more than 2,300 MW of wind power in the first three
quarters of 2007, while more than 5,000 MW of wind power are currently
under construction. According to AWEA's tally, 13,885 MW of wind power
capacity are now installed in the United States.
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Shown here
during its construction, Missouri's first utility-scale wind
facility was dedicated in late September. See a
larger version of this photo.
Credit: Wind Capital Group |
In the third quarter alone, 1,251 MW of wind
power were installed throughout the country, including 600 MW in Texas,
further cementing that state's leadership in wind power capacity.
Another 264 MW of wind power were built in Colorado, elevating that
state to sixth place in terms of installed wind power capacity. In
Washington State, 140 MW of wind power were installed, pushing that
state into fourth place, while the first utility-scale wind power
facility was completed in Missouri. Built near King City, Missouri, by
the Wind Capital Group and John Deere Wind Energy, the 56.7-MW Blue
Grass Ridge Wind Farm features 2.1-MW wind turbines from Suzlon Wind
Energy Corporation and was dedicated in late September. The Wind Capital
Group is also building two other wind facilities in Missouri that will
have a combined capacity of 100.4 MW. See the
AWEA press release, AWEA's third quarter market report (PDF
1.5 MB), the
Wind Capital Group Web site, and the
press release on the Missouri wind farm dedication from the
Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Download Adobe Reader.
The boom in U.S. wind power capacity is being met
with increased investment in wind power manufacturing facilities in the
heart of the country. In late September, Siemens Power Generation
celebrated the grand opening of its new wind turbine blade factory in
Fort Madison, Iowa, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The
311,000-square-foot factory is expected to produce 600 wind turbine
blades each year and should employ 260 people by year's end. The
facility manufactures 148-foot-long, 12-ton blades for the company's
2.3-MW wind turbines installed in the United States. In October, Iowa
Governor Chet Culver announced that Hendricks Industries plans to build
a manufacturing plant for wind turbine towers in Keokuk, which is also
on the Mississippi River. The 347,000-square-foot facility will employ
350 people, and the company will also employ 22 people at a project to
expand the city's port. Also in October, LM Glasfiber broke ground on a
new wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in Little Rock, Arkansas,
which is on the Arkansas River. The new facility is expected to begin
operations in early 2008 and will eventually employ more than 1,000
people. See the press releases from
Siemens,
Governor Culver, and
LM Glasfiber.
A combination of state renewable energy
requirements and voluntary "green power" purchases of renewable energy
are causing the demand for renewable energy to exceed the supply,
according to a recent report from DOE's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory. Published in late October, the report notes that green power
purchases reached 12 million megawatt-hours in 2006, a three-fold
increase from 2003. Meanwhile, 25 states and the District of Columbia
have enacted laws that require renewable energy to provide from 2% to
30% of each state's electricity supply within the next 5 to 15 years.
Noting that most of the new renewable energy
capacity is currently in the form of wind power, the report projects
near-term renewable energy capacity increases using two scenarios: a
steady increase of 4,000 megawatts (MW) per year through 2010, and an
increase that accelerates to 7,000 MW per year by 2010. Assuming a
continued growth in green power of 35% per year, and taking into account
the amount of renewable power required by the states, the report finds
that demand for renewable power is already slightly exceeding the
supply. In the "steady increase" scenario, supply lags further and
further behind demand through 2010, while the "accelerating supply"
scenario comes much closer to meeting demand, but still falls short.
The report concludes that there is a national
need to accelerate renewable energy deployment from all energy sources
to meet the burgeoning demand for renewable power. It also notes that
future policy changes could increase the demand or slow the increase in
the supply, while a supply shortage could drive up costs in the green
power market and discourage the voluntary purchasing of renewable power.
See the NREL report on the Green Power Network Web site (PDF
521 KB).
Download Adobe Reader.
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The Cadillac
Escalade Hybrid was unveiled at the South Florida International
Auto Show in early November. See a
larger version of this photo.
Credit: © GM Corp. |
Both Cadillac and Porsche are introducing the
U.S. public to their future hybrid sport utility vehicles (SUVs) this
month. Last week, Cadillac unveiled the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid at
the South Florida International Auto Show in Miami. Employing General
Motors' 2-Mode hybrid system, which incorporates two small electric
motors into the transmission, the Escalade Hybrid is expected to achieve
a 45% increase in fuel economy in city driving, compared to the standard
Escalade. The 2-Mode hybrid system will debut this year in the 2008
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid, and the first
2-Mode hybrid transmissions started rolling off the assembly line at
General Motor's Baltimore Transmission Plant in late October. See the
GM press release.
The Escalade's electrically variable transmission
is mounted to a V-8 engine that operates on the modified Atkinson cycle,
delaying the closure of the intake valve to allow the engine to suck air
more easily into its cylinders. Under low-load conditions, the engine
also deactivates four of its eight cylinders, a feature that Cadillac
calls "Active Fuel Management." To make the most of its hybrid features,
the Escalade Hybrid also features an electrically driven compressor for
its air conditioning and electrically driven power steering. The vehicle
will go on sale next summer. See the
Escalade Hybrid Web site and the Cadillac press release (PDF
819 KB).
Download Adobe Reader.
Meanwhile, Porsche AG is preparing to introduce
its Cayenne Hybrid to North American audiences at the Los Angeles Auto
Show, which starts on Friday. The Cayenne Hybrid is expected to achieve
26 miles per gallon under tougher European standards and will go on sale
"before the end of this decade," according to Porsche. The company is
also reminding the auto show attendees of its history by displaying the
electric-drive Lohner-Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche's first major project
from back in 1900. It features in-wheel electric motors, and in 1901,
Porsche added a combustion engine that powered an electric generator,
thereby creating the world's first hybrid electric vehicle. See the
Porsche press release.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is
updating the federal procurement of biobased products under its
BioPreferred Program. The update will clarify the preference process in
the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), which will in turn make it
easier for federal procurement officials and manufacturers to
participate in the program. The regulations, which outline the uniform
policies for federal procurement, are the single most important
guidelines to procurement officials and contractors. With the update to
the FAR, agencies across the federal government and their contractors
will be required to give procurement preference to biobased products
that meet certain qualifications. According to USDA research, more than
10,000 biobased products are commercially available for purchase. USDA
rulemaking will seek to speed the qualification of as many of these
products as possible for federal procurement preference. See the
USDA press release.
The USDA's BioPreferred Program requires federal
buyers and their contractors to give preference to qualified biobased
products, which are made from agricultural, forestry, or marine
materials. Biobased products often displace petroleum-based products, so
they provide a way to lessen U.S. dependence on petroleum. The program
was enacted as part of the 2002 Farm Bill. See the
BioPreferred Program Web site. |
Report: The World Must Help China and India Handle Energy Growth
Energy developments in China and India are transforming the global
energy system as a result of their sheer size, according to a new report
from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA's "World Energy
Outlook 2007" warns that global energy consumption could increase "well
over 50%" by 2030. Energy use in China and India could double by 2030,
providing nearly half the world's growth in energy consumption. If that
happened, global carbon dioxide emissions from energy use would increase
by 57%. The world's oil production would also be increasingly
concentrated in the Middle East, and the IEA notes that "it is very
uncertain" whether supplies would keep up with demand. "A supply-side
crunch in the period to 2015, involving an abrupt escalation in oil
prices, cannot be ruled out," notes the IEA. And of course, things will
be even worse if the world experiences faster growth than currently
anticipated.
Fortunately, the IEA also sees the possibility for a brighter energy
future. Measures to improve energy efficiency could cause global carbon
dioxide emissions to level off in the 2020s. The savings would be
greatest in China and India, suggesting that international efforts to
help those countries achieve greater energy efficiencies could be
fruitful for both world energy security and for addressing global
climate change. But even in this energy efficient scenario, carbon
dioxide emissions would still end up about 25% above current levels by
2030.
If the world decides to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of
carbon dioxide at around 450 parts per million (a goal often cited by
climate scientists), global emissions would have to peak in 2012 and
fall sharply below 2005 levels by 2030, according to the IEA. That could
be achieved through a combination of aggressive energy efficiency
measures, greater use of renewable and nuclear energy sources, and
widespread deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies, says
the report. But to make this a reality would require "exceptionally
quick and vigorous policy action by all countries, and unprecedented
technological advances," according to the IEA. The report stresses that
the next 10 years will be crucial for shifting the world's energy supply
toward a cleaner, more efficient, and more secure path. See the
IEA press release. |
