EREN Network News

November 10, 1999

News and Events

• Report: Reliability of U.S. Electricity Threatened
• Combined Heat and Power System Dedicated at Textile Plant
• Fuel Cell Company Posts Power-Production Milestone
• Microturbines Use Waste Gas to Power Oil Rigs in Field Test
• Southern Company to Market Flywheel-Based Power System

Site News

• European Union Renewable Energy Centers Agency (EUREC)
• Wood Heat Web Site Moves

Energy Facts and Tips

• Report: U.S. Carbon Emissions to Increase through 2020

About this Newsletter

News and Events

Report: Reliability of U.S. Electricity Threatened
A report released last week by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) finds that the reliability of the U.S. power grid is being threatened, while the technologies that will solve the problem are advancing too slowly. EPRI's "Electricity Technology Roadmap" stresses the need to increase electric reliability while addressing environmental concerns. The report says such advances as superconducting cables and renewable energy technologies can help achieve these goals. The report blames a lack of financial incentives and declining investments in energy research and development for delaying the wide-spread commercial application of these technologies.

"Our nation's future stability and prosperity are seriously threatened by the shrinking support for energy research and development…," said Kurt Yeager, president and CEO of EPRI. "We're essentially shutting down the engine for our booming, technology-driven economy and jeopardizing the environment at the same time." For more information, see the EPRI press release.

The report itself is posted on the EPRI Web site.

Combined Heat and Power System Dedicated at Textile Plant
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson helped dedicate a new facility Monday that will generate eight megawatts of electricity while producing steam for the Malden Mills textile factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Such combined heat and power systems use energy more efficiently than facilities that produce only steam or electricity. The efficient, clean-burning system at Malden Mills will save the company up to $1 million in energy costs each year. For more information, see the DOE press release.

The system supports DOE's Combined Heat and Power Challenge, an initiative to double the use of combined heat and power systems in the United States by 2010. For more information, see the initiative's Web site on EREN.

Fuel Cell Company Posts Power-Production Milestone
FuelCell Energy, Inc., announced in late October that its 250-kilowatt fuel-cell power plant in Danbury, Connecticut, has generated more than one million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The demonstration power plant has been available to produce power more than 95 percent of the time since it was commissioned in March 1999. For more information, see the company press release.

In related news, Proton Energy Systems announced that it has received a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to develop a kilowatt-scale version of its regenerative fuel cell. The unique fuel cell is fueled by hydrogen but can also be recharged from an electrical power supply. Although developed for space applications, the fuel cell has the potential to be adapted for commercial and residential power needs, according to the company. For more information, see the Proton Energy Systems press release.

An alternate approach to fuel-cell systems is being taken by Metallic Power, Inc., which recently demonstrated its zinc/air fuel cell in an electric utility cart. The fuel cell runs off zinc pellets that generate electricity as they react with the oxygen in air. A "recycling unit" uses electricity to regenerate the pellets. The system has weight and performance advantages over lead-acid batteries, although the energy efficiency of the system is only about 50 percent. For more information, see the Metallic Power press release.

Microturbines Use Waste Gas to Power Oil Rigs in Field Test
PanCanadian Petroleum Limited announced last week that it is in the final phase of testing four microturbines to generate electricity at its Canadian oil fields. Microturbines are essentially small jet engines attached to high-speed generators. They provide an efficient means of producing on-site electricity from natural gas.

The microturbines, manufactured by Capstone Turbine Corporation of California, will each use up to 9,000 cubic feet per day of natural gas from the oil fields that would otherwise be "flared off"—burned as waste. The microturbines will each produce up to 28 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power two oil-well screw pumps. For more information, see the press release under "Pressroom" on the Capstone Web site.

In related news, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced late last month that it was starting field tests of nine microturbines in cooperation with the Electric Power Research Institute. DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies is providing partial funding for the field tests. For more information, see the NRECA press release.

Southern Company to Market Flywheel-Based Power System
Southern Company announced late last month that it has joined a partnership with Active Power, Inc. and MGE UPS SYSTEMS, INC. to market a flywheel-based uninterruptible power supply system for commercial applications. The system spins a 31-inch steel disk at high speeds to store energy; the largest system can produce 400 kilowatts of electricity for a 15-second period. The disk spins on magnetic bearings in a near vacuum to keep energy losses to a minimum. For more information, see the Southern Company press release.

See also the Active Power Web site.

Site News

European Union Renewable Energy Centers Agency (EUREC)
EUREC was established in 1991 to strengthen and rationalize the European research, development, and deployment efforts on renewable energy technologies. Members include Europe's most respected renewable energy research organizations, ranging from national centers to academic institutions. The site includes information about EUREC's current projects and highlights their members' expertise.

Wood Heat Web Site Moves
The Wood Heat Organization, Inc., mentioned in last week's edition of EREN Network News, has just finished expanding and updating their Web site. The Web site is now located at: http://www.woodheat.org/.

For this and other recent additions see the EREN Web site.

Energy Facts and Tips

Report: U.S. Carbon Emissions to Increase through 2020
The continued growth in U.S. energy demand will lead to rising emissions of carbon dioxide through 2020, says a new report by DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA). The "Annual Energy Outlook 2000," released yesterday, predicts that U.S. carbon emissions will increase to 33 percent more than 1990 levels by 2010. That's roughly the target date for U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (which are dominated by carbon dioxide) to be cut to 7 percent less than 1990 levels, according to the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. The United States has signed but not ratified the international treaty.

The EIA projects that U.S. energy use will increase at a rate of 1.1 percent per year in the coming decades. By 2020, the country is projected to use 27 percent more energy than it did in 1998, causing carbon emissions to increase to 47 percent more than 1990 levels. According to the report, the growth in demand for transportation fuels will also increase U.S. oil consumption, causing the United States to import 64 percent of its oil, up from 52 percent in 1998. For more information, see the early release of the report on the EIA Web site.

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