News Items from the American Wind Energy Association and editorials:

U.S. SENATE MAKES HISTORY, AGAIN, BY PASSING
NATIONAL RENEWABLES PORTFOLIO STANDARD
August 1st, 2003

Standard Calls for 10% of Nation's Electricity from
New Renewable Energy Sources by 2020

Washington, DC – The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) applauded last night’s passage by the U.S. Senate of the 2002 Senate energy bill that includes a national renewable energy portfolio standard ("renewables portfolio standard," or RPS), along with other key policy measures sought by the U.S. wind energy industry.

The bill's RPS provision requires 10% of the nation’s electricity to come from new renewable energy sources by 2020. Currently, approximately 2% of the nation’s electricity needs are generated by non-hydro renewable energy sources. In addition, the bill includes a three-year extension of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC) and a provision establishing a Small Turbine Investment Credit (STIC) for homes and farms installing small wind generators.

The Senate bill will now be sent to a joint House-Senate conference committee...READ MORE >

WIND ENERGY CAN RELIEVE NATURAL GAS SHORTAGE
June 18th, 2003

Clean, renewable, limitless domestic energy source
can sharply reduce need for natural gas in electricity generation

Washington, DC – Wind energy is already helping to reduce the current natural gas supply shortage in the US, and could be deployed rapidly over the next few years to bring it under control, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

The current supply shortage amounts to 3-4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (Bcf/day), according to energy experts, and the increasing use of gas for electricity generation is one of the major causes of the shortfall. But in many areas of the country where wind farms are generating electricity, they are directly helping to conserve vital natural gas supplies.

"We estimate that the wind farms already in place, and those that will be installed by the end of this year, will be saving about 0.5 Bcf/day in 2004," said AWEA executive director Randall Swisher. "That means the natural gas shortage would be 10-15% worse if it were not for the relatively small amount of wind generation we have today."

In addition, Swisher said, rapid expansion of the nation's wind turbine fleet could sharply boost wind generation over the next four years, increasing its output to the equivalent of 3 Bcf/day (about as much natural gas as the states of Colorado and Alaska produce today). "Wind plants can be permitted and built relatively quickly—typically, within one to two years," Swisher said. "AWEA has proposed specific transmission plans for 30,000 MW of wind in the Midwest and West. We believe that at least that much new wind development is feasible by the end of 2007 under strong policy leadership. AWEA expects a cumulative total of 6,000 MW of wind will have been installed in the U.S. by the end of this year."

The North American supply of natural gas is increasingly limited...READ MORE >

WIND FARMS DO NOT HURT PROPERTY VALUES, STUDY FINDS
May 20th, 2003

First-ever national analysis of data refutes claim
advanced by wind energy opponents

The presence of commercial-scale wind turbines does not appear to harm "viewshed" property values, according to a study the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) presented on May 20 at WINDPOWER 2003, the annual Conference and Exhibition of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Austin, Texas.

The REPP study is the first to systematically analyze property values data in order to examine the charge often voiced by wind farm opponents that wind development will lower the value of property within view of the turbines. Wind power has grown at an average rate of 24.5% in the U.S. over the past five years, and there are now utility-scale projects in 27 states across the country. A search by REPP for either European or U.S. studies on the effect of wind development on property values showed that no systematic review had yet been undertaken.

"We are pleased to see that the first systematic study on the issue of property values and wind power development yields the good news for landowners that wind projects do not harm viewshed property values," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. " It will be important to continue to collect data as more projects come online...READ MORE >


- posted by Daniel @ 11:44 PM

 
Additional Great Lakes regional stories available in the Windpower Monthly archives:

1. April, 2003 : A county with its eye on the future -- Oswego officials pull out all the stops to lure manufacturer
Oswego County in upstate New York is not only making a strong play to host a North American prototype of GE Wind's 3.6 MW turbine, officials are also keen to make the region a wind turbine manufacturing base and are even looking positively on plans for a small offshore wind farm in Lake Ontario. "It seems natural to diversify our power generating base with wind," says Michael Treadwell, Oswego County's chief economic development officer.


2. February, 2003 : Wind cheaper than gas in United states
From Dave Bradley, Buffalo, New York, US. The situation in the US regarding the cost of electricity from wind power and from gas is the opposite of what you describe in your cover story ("Annual power cost analysis: wind has only gas left to beat," January 2002). Electricity from wind is cheaper than the fuel cost of plants using natural gas and oil, even combined cycle ones where the fuel efficiency is 55%. This is especially true for areas of moderate wind speeds, such as the Great Lakes shoreline and near-shore regions, where our average wind speed is 7-8 m/s at turbine hub heights of near 80 meters.


3. July, 2001 : Bladerunners blow into Capitol Hill
Until last month "bladerunner" was slang for a wind technician in the field, but with hundreds of American Wind Energy Association conference delegates running the gauntlet of politicians on Capitol Hill, the term took on a whole new meaning. Instead of clashing swords on the hill, many found themselves sheathing their blades as congressmen agreed with them that it is time for action -- particularly on the task of extending the federal Production Tax Credit for wind energy. It seems the political tide is finally turning in wind's favour.


4. September, 1999 : United States Northeast provides new role model
America's north eastern states are showing themselves to be some of the most progressive in the country in making sure that electricity market deregulation also makes renewable energy available to all who want it. Nearly 200 MW of wind plant could well be up and running, or contracted, in the region within the next three years. In such a populated area of the US, this amount of development is bound to boost wind's profile considerably.


5. December, 1997 : Climate still low priority as emissions go on rising
Falling energy prices due to deregulation are making it so hard for renewables to penetrate the market that figures for future US emissions were being revised upwards only days after Clinton announced them. Most Americans do not consider the climate debate urgent and rank the threat of global warming well behind other environmental concerns, according to a recent survey. Only 25% say they worry a great deal about global warming.


6. October, 1997 : Great Lakes request for proposals


7. June, 1996 : SIGNS OF NEW LIFE IN A DEAD US MARKET
In America, major delays in proposed wind farms or the complete withdrawal of planned projects has reached virtually epidemic proportions with a number of large scale wind farms stagnating in uncertainty. Meantime a series of promising new markets are opening up. They include the huge potential for developing clusters of wind turbines across the Great Plains, the burgeoning interest in buying renewable energy under green pricing programmes and the keen interest being shown by Native Americans in using wind to become self sufficient in electricity supply. This major article assesses the current status of planned projects and discusses the liklihood of a new era for wind power in America away from mega-scale developments.potential for development of However, the new markets for wind will not realise their full potential without fundamental changes in both national attitude and the way electricity markets are structured. Even more important is the barrier of the unknown market; the US electricity business is undergoing a massive restructuring--not a climate conducive to investment in new power plant. Most experts agree that it will be a good three to four years before there is much movement in the country-wide market.
- posted by Daniel @ 11:33 PM

 
News briefs from Wind Power Monthly:
WIND.ALERT FOR AUGUST 2003 FROM WINDPOWER
MONTHLY

Here are your summaries of the top stories in the August 2003 issue
of Windpower Monthly. For a descriptive list of this month's full
contents just go to http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current


-------------------------
Special Issue: Annual Article Index 2002-2003
--------------------------
A fascinating overview of the world of wind power over the past year
is presented in this special article index issue. Much more than a
simple categorisation of headlines for the 966 stories published in
Windpower Monthly in the past 12 issues, the index contains
abstracts for all major articles. As such it provides subscribers with ...
(Go to http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus to read
more about this article)


-------------------------
News from the world of wind
-------------------------
The summer recess in the northern hemisphere has not been a quiet
one for the global wind business. Announcements of government
initiatives and major new projects last month, particularly in the UK,
North America and Ireland, contributed to the growing feeling that
2003 will go down in history as the year of the lull before the wind
power storm. Windpower Monthly's news coverage in this vacation
season brings you ... (Go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#news to read more)


-------------------------
Six gigawatt of offshore wind
-------------------------
With up to 6 GW of offshore wind projects ready at the starting
blocks, the UK government’s launch last month of ambitious
proposals for the next generation of offshore developments has the
industry buzzing. Twenty-nine wind power developers are being
invited by government to compete for site leases for development of
huge offshore wind plant in three strategic areas. It appears that
quality, not price, will sort the winners from the losers.


-------------------------
Ontario leads with massive mandate
-------------------------
The Ontario government is to introduce a green power standard
(GPS) that will add 3000 MW of new renewables capacity to the
Canadian province’s electricity system by 2014. Wind is expected to
take the lion's share. Ontario is the first of Canada's provinces to take
up the challenge laid down by federal government when it introduced
its Wind Power Production Incentive last year in the expectation that
provincial governments will play their part with pro-renewables
legislation.


-------------------------
Series of new projects in United States
-------------------------
Announcements of projects from Texas to Wisconsin to Washington
pushes up the number of wind power megawatts to come online this
year by almost 300 MW. Meantime, the line-up for construction next
year and in 2005 is growing ever longer, with news last month of
another 540 MW moving toward the starting blocks. We report on the
projects, the developers and the turbine suppliers in the August
issue.


-------------------------
Ireland grants series of major wind plant contracts
-------------------------
Onshore wind has scooped 90% of contracts awarded by the Irish
government under the latest round of its Alternative Energy
Requirement program. Onshore wind accounts for 280 MW, offshore
wind for 50 MW, with the remaining 35 MW going to biomass and
small scale hydro. And it doesn't stop there. The government has
plans to award another 140 MW of wind contracts if it can get EU
approval. We report, too, on the company that scored well over half
of the wind contracts granted so far.



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- posted by Daniel @ 4:08 PM

 
From ENN, the Canadian oil industry is being naughty! Read all about it in:
Oil industry looking for a free ride
- posted by Daniel @ 3:53 PM

 
Green Bean is rockin' the Alt Power Digest again today; several interesting energy stories:

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 15:03:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Energy bill nightmare for activists

Energy bill nightmare for activists
Republicans happy after approving Democratic
legislation

By Miguel Llanos
MSNBC

Aug. 1 — Not in their wildest nightmares did
environmentalists expect it to happen: Sen. Tom
Daschle, D-S.D., defied Republicans to approve the
Senate energy bill passed last year when Democrats
were in charge — and Republicans complied. Not only do
environmentalists have issues with the Democratic
bill, but they quickly realized that Republicans would
rewrite the bill more to their liking as it goes next
to a conference committee of House and Senate members.

“WITH THIS maneuver, the Senate has cut short needed
debate on America’s energy future and failed to
provide a responsible energy policy for the nation,”
the Sierra Club said shortly after the Senate late
Thursday passed the 2002 bill on an 84-14 vote.
“The Senate neglected to adequately debate and
vote on important issues such as reducing global
warming pollution; closing the light-truck fuel
economy loophole; requiring increased use of clean,
renewable energy sources; and providing consumer
protections against energy market manipulation,” the
Sierra Club added.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group was
just as angry. “There is no way that any conference
between the House energy bill, written by the
polluters for the polluters, and this Senate energy
bill, which was plundered by the polluters, will
produce the clean, safe energy policy that Americans
deserve,” USPIRG attorney Katherine Morrison said in a
statement. “We are headed to a conference committee
that will be dominated by allies of the polluters.”

VOW TO REWRITE BILL
Advertisement

Add local news and weather to the MSNBC home page.


Republicans reject the allegations, but
acknowledge they’ll be able to rework the Democratic
bill more to their liking.
“This is a day to smile and smile big,” Sen.
Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said Thursday night.
“The reason I’m smiling is because I’m going to
be rewriting that bill,” he said, referring to the
fact that, as chairman of the Senate energy committee,
he’ll preside over the House-Senate conference. “We’re
in the majority and we’ll write a completely different
bill.”
Among the changes promised by Domenici:
expanding nuclear power and opening more public lands
to oil and natural gas drilling.
It’s not clear if conferees would try to insert
language to allow drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The previously approved
House energy bill would, but neither the Democratic
nor Republican bill in the Senate called for that.


View differing perspectives on the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge
President Bush, who wants Congress to pass an
energy bill that allows refuge drilling, welcomed
Thursday’s vote. “The president looks forward to
working with the conferees to ensure that we enact a
balanced and comprehensive energy policy this year,”
the White House said.

DEMOCRATS’ GAME FACE
Daschle was also quick to welcome the deal,
saying Republicans “made us an offer we couldn’t
refuse.”
For Daschle and other Democrats in farm states,
the deal does improve the chances that Congress will
pass a provision to mandate and double the use of
corn-based ethanol as a gasoline additive.
Republicans are likely to keep the provision in
a conference bill since it is in both Democratic and
GOP bills.
But any final conference bill is likely to
favor Republican views on other energy and
environmental issues — from car mileage standards to
drilling on public lands.
A Daschle spokesman said that should a final
conference bill be unacceptable, Democrats would use a
filibuster — a tactic whereby lawmakers indefinitely
delay a vote by speaking on the floor.
And the spokesman for Democrats on the Senate
energy committee said that if Daschle hadn’t made the
offer, Republicans would have eventually passed their
own bill.

Energy map of america

At least this way, Bill Wicker said, the
conference starts off with a bill that has more
provisions acceptable to Democrats.
“As for the complaints about what will happen
in conference,” Wicker told MSNBC.com, “those are as
predictable as the GOP boasts about how they’re going
to fix things in conference.
“This is precisely what you would expect people
disappointed on both sides to say,” he added. “We are
aware of these concerns, and these forewarnings, and
we will deal with them at the appropriate time. For
now, we’re thrilled.”

‘A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL’
Thursday’s turn of events came as a surprise to
everyone, especially since the Senate had been mired
in debate over the Republican energy legislation.
That debate was going nowhere Thursday until
Daschle alluded to last year’s bill, saying in his
floor speech that it would have been a better way to
go.
Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., quickly
picked up on it and said that might just work for
Republicans. A closed-door meeting of GOP senators
followed as did the decision to take Daschle up on his
offer.
“It’s been a fascinating day,” Frist later told
reporters, adding that how the deal developed was “a
little bit unusual.”
Frist did have to negotiate with Democrats on
two issues: pledging time in the future to allow for
votes on climate change and electricity deregulation.
On climate change, a bipartisan amendment by
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman,
D-Conn., would set mandatory limits on emissions of
carbon dioxide and other gases that many scientists
fear are warming the Earth.
The Bush administration favors a voluntary, and
incentive-based approach.

LEAVE OUT REFUGE DRILLING?
One seasoned observer noted that while Daschle
benefits from the ethanol provision, his party will
lose the bigger energy battle as long as Republicans
don’t try for too much — particularly the
controversial idea of opening the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

"In essence, this effort will take any control the
Democrats had in crafting the bill and give it to a
conference run by Republicans,” said Frank Maisano, an
energy industry consultant with the lobbying firm
Bracewell & Patterson. “This could ignite a scenario
where Republicans craft a conference report that is
favorable, but not overtly partisan toward them, and
send it back to the Senate sometime next spring with
the ethanol mandate as its main ingredient.”
If that happens, Maisano added, Daschle and
other Democrats could have trouble with traditional
supporters if they support the bill. “This would place
Daschle and many of his ethanol-supporting Democrat
colleagues in a difficult spot,” he said, “just a few
months from the election” for president and Congress.


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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 15:06:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Fill it up with french-fry grease

August 06, 2003

Fill it up with french-fry grease
A San Diego gas station offers electricity, ethanol,
and biodiesel. Oh, yes, regular too.
By Randy Dotinga
You may catch a whiff of cooking grease at the most
environmentally friendly gas station in the world, but
don't blame the smell on the doughnut shop across the
street. The odor comes from pumps 9 and 10, which
dispense "biodiesel" fuel made from the sludge that
lurks in deep fryers everywhere.

Just a few feet away, you can fill 'er up with
electricity or ethanol fermented from the leftovers of
cheese production. Got a lactose- intolerant car?
Visit the adjoining showroom and check the selection
of alternatively fueled Ford vehicles. Or drop by the
nonprofit education center and learn why you should
bother worrying about the environment in the first
place.

In all, the 90,000-square-foot Regional Transportation
Center is a $15 million gamble on the eventual demise
of unleaded gasoline (still available from pumps 1 to
8.)

"There are huge market forces that inevitably make us
win the bet. Undoubtedly, we will run out of oil in
this world," says general manager Mike Lewis. "The
thing that's unknown is the timing. Whether this will
happen this year or in five decades is to be
determined."

For now, Mr. Lewis is just happy that the monster gas
station, the brainchild of a nearby Ford dealership,
is finally open after more than six years in the
works, more than three of them tied up in red tape.

"It's much easier from a regulatory, permitting, and
design-review perspective to build a good,
old-fashioned gas station that sells gasoline and
diesel," Lewis says.

The plan is to make money by resolving the dilemma of
which needs to come first - cars that can use
alternative fuels or gas stations that sell more than
gasoline. "We decided to build the chicken and the egg
in one place," says Lewis.

And which of the fuels on offer is best equipped to
promote clean skies, healthy trees, and fuller
pocketbooks? The diplomatic Lewis is mum on the
subject. "We're fuel-neutral," he says. "We want to be
the ethanol mecca, the natural-gas mecca, the
biodiesel mecca, and the electric-vehicle mecca."

He'll need plenty of patience to make his dream come
true. While California's aggressive antipollution laws
are inspiring other states, carmakers have bypassed
state laws that tried to force them to produce more
alternatively fueled cars.

The much ballyhooed electrical cars have turned out to
be a flop, and General Motors has stopped making them.
Natural gas and propane, meanwhile, haven't made much
of a dent outside of buses and fleet vehicles.

But there are signs of change. Ethanol - also known as
grain alcohol or just alcohol - is rapidly making its
way into ordinary gas tanks in the Golden State. To
comply with the federal Clean Air Act, refiners in
California are pulling an oxygenizing agent known as
MTBE out of gasoline in the state.

They're supposed to replace all the MTBE with ethanol
by the end of this year. "The market is here, and now
folks are waking up to the opportunity," says Neil
Koehler, director of the California Renewable Fuels
Partnership, a coalition of alternative-fuel
manufacturers and environmentalists.

Indeed, stand-alone ethanol (blended with a bit of
gasoline to keep people from drinking it) may soon
become the undisputed king of alternative fuels in
California. It's already popular in the Midwest, where
enthusiastic support from farmers have turned the fuel
- mostly fermented from corn, not cheese - into a
multibillion- dollar business.

An estimated 200,000 cars and trucks in the Golden
State are "hybrids" that can run on ethanol instead of
gasoline, although many of their owners probably don't
know that because there has been no place to buy
ethanol. In fact, the San Diego gas station's ethanol
dispenser is reportedly the only one west of Salt Lake
City.

"The problem has been that there's no fuel
distribution," Mr. Koehler says. "The oil companies
aren't terribly motivated to supply the fuel, and the
ethanol industry has been pretty infantile in
California."

The immediate goal is to build enough ethanol fuel
pumps so that a driver could travel from the Mexican
border to Oregon and never have to switch back to
regular unleaded gas, he says.

So far, however, the ethanol pump at the San Diego gas
station has received little attention from customers.
Most pull up to the unleaded gasoline pumps or turn to
the two types of environmentally friendly diesel fuel
- low-sulfur and biodiesel, the kind made from
recycled cooking grease.

David Kutnock, a water-quality tester filling up his
1985 Mercedes Benz with biodiesel, is one such
customer. "It would be nice to go off our dependence
on oil," he says, before considering a more pressing
matter - the appetizing smell that might start coming
out his exhaust pipe.

"Everybody will be pulling into McDonald's after me,
saying 'French fries sound good right about now.' "



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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 15:09:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Anaerobic bacteria and biogas

A small ally with large possibilities: Anaerobic
bacteria and biogas

By Mutaz Mango

The Jordan Biogas Company plant at Ruseifa, generating
1MW of power and designed to treat 60 tonnes of waste
per day; mostly from a slaughterhouse, vegetable
market and hotels' organic wastes. Receiving station
(furthest right) has waste manually separated and sent
to the 2,000 m3 anaerobic digester (largest tank)
where it is mixed with liquid waste and stays there
for about 28 days to be broken down by anaerobic
bacteria. The process produces biogas and high-grade
fertiliser (Photo by Mutaz Mango)

Two of the few certainties in nature are that humanity
produces waste and humanity requires energy. A
bacterial process that is part of our natural
environment can alleviate part of our heavy demands on
nature by treating waste and producing usable energy
at the same time.

Per day, a Jordanian produces an average of 800gms of
household waste and requires 120MJ of energy. The
waste usually finds its way into one of the nation's
25 landfills. Energy on the other hand is oil-import
reliant.

Apart from the new Ghabawi landfill 23km east of
Amman, waste management in Jordan is uncontrolled
dumping in landfills. Trucks bring in the waste to a
landfill, which is basically a hole in the ground, and
layers of rubbish are compressed by land-moving trucks
to a thickness of about 60cm, each layer separated by
about 15cm of soil. A final top layer a metre in depth
or greater covers it all, on which vegetation can be
grown.

Out of sight though does not mean out of harm. The
annual 1.5 million tonnes of landfill-wastes are like
underground biological reactors, whose outcome is
dictated by ingredients, temperature and humidity.

Over half of our annual household waste is made-up of
organic substances. The remainder is comprised of
glass, plastics, metals and other materials. Virtually
inert, these materials contain a various assortment of
chemicals that are toxic (such as detergent containers
and heavy metals present in disposable batteries).
Mixed with organic matter, the combination starts
forming a fluid substance called leachate that can
seep through the ground and permeate underground
waterways. Leachate is considered a great threat to
health as it also contains various types of bacteria
and viruses.

It is this threat that has led to lining the Ghabawi
landfill with high-density polyethylene, a tough inert
material. The landfill was selected for its low annual
precipitation, distance from populated areas, low land
porosity and depth of underground water. The JD16
million landfill currently has one 120-dunum cell in
operation, with 9 more cells planned to cover a total
area of 2,000 dunums. It is estimated that Ghabawi
will take all of Amman and Zarqa's waste for the next
two decades.

It has been said that one person's trash is another's
treasure. The landfill at Madaba rents out rights to
its waste for an annual JD100,000. The contractor
employs staff to manually separate the waste and sells
the various materials.

Apart from economic benefits, energy waste and
pollution is also costly to all. For example, the
amount of energy involved in making one `aluminium'
drinks can is equivalent to that needed to recycle 20.
Manufacture of one tonne of glass produces 384 tonnes
of mining waste, which can be reduced to a quarter if
recycled, according to Jordan Environment Society
(JES).

Recycling is the popular catch phrase, but a proper
infrastructure needs to exist for it to happen. This
infrastructure is built upon individual involvement.
In parts of Europe waste bins are divided into
categories. Over here, all municipal waste goes into
one container. JES now has some small-scale recycling
projects using separate bins, whose contents are sent
to appropriate plants. Paper waste, for example, is
sent to a paper plant in Zarqa for recycling.

This is part of a national initiative financed by
Global Environment Fund (GEF), Danish International
Development Agency (DANIDA) and the government, aiming
to increase awareness and create a master plan that
addresses the issue at a national scale.

Waste has no political borders. Gasses emitted from
landfills are poisonous and dangerous and if untreated
can play havoc with nature. According to the National
Energy Research Centre, a small-sized landfill emits
gasses equivalent to that from 60,000 cars, the
elimination of which is the same as planting 80,000
trees.

Then there is the famous greenhouse effect. Methane is
21 times more of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide
and will unabashedly flow out of a landfill if not
dealt with. Minor modifications to existing landfills
can reduce the gas outflow by 85 per cent.

A small-sized landfill receiving 100,000 tonnes of
waste a year (equivalent to that generated by 130,000
people) would produce 80 million cubic metres of
methane in its 20-year lifetime. As a greenhouse gas,
this is equivalent to 1.1 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide.

A more immediate threat from methane is its
flammability and toxicity. The odourless gas is
explosive and can seep into nearby settlements,
poisoning those who breathe it. Perforated pipes can
be placed in the landfill at various points to extract
the gas under negative pressure, and after minor
treatment, can turn a foe into a friend.

Methane is an energy source: Under atmospheric
pressure and room temperature a cubic metre contains
about 34 million joules of energy, a quarter of the
energy in an equivalent volume of gasoline. This gas
can be used to generate electricity in a gas turbine
or can be combusted to provide heat. The
aforementioned small-sized landfill can generate about
457 cubic metres of the gas per hour, which translates
to almost 5 GWh of energy per year. Bearing in mind
that total national electricity consumption is 6,900
GWh/year and that waste generated is 40 times more
than the small-sized landfill, almost three per cent
of electricity consumption can be covered by present
landfills. The country is literally sitting on
treasure.

Making practical use of this fact is the Jordan Biogas
Company (JBC) at Ruseifa. Financed by GEF and DANIDA
under the supervision of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), it was established in
1997 by the Municipality of Greater Amman and the
National Electric Power Company. A leading German
company in the field of renewable energy, Farmatic,
constructed the plant at the Ruseifa landfill. Methane
gas has been generating 1MW of electricity that is fed
into the national grid since May 2000.

The Ruseifa landfill, an old phosphate mine, closed
earlier this year after complaints by residents in the
nearby town about unpleasant odours. The landfill had
been receiving 2,400 tonnes of waste daily from Amman,
Zarqa and Balqa' since the late 1980s. Ever since the
first batch of waste was placed in the landfill,
bacteria started working on it.

Aerobic bacteria consume landfill waste until the air
runs out. Warmth created by the aerobes and moisture
in the oxygen-free waste become ideal conditions for
anaerobic bacteria to flourish. Acid-forming anaerobes
break down the long molecular chains in fats, proteins
and carbohydrates to smaller molecules, hydrogen and
carbon dioxide. Methanogenic anaerobes then convert
those products into methane and more carbon dioxide.
The resulting gas is called biogas and is generally
made up of about 60 per cent methane, 40 per cent
carbon dioxide and traces of other gasses, such as
hydrogen sulphide (substance that gives a landfill its
bad smell).

Gas with over 45 per cent methane can sustain
combustion, thus biogas can be burnt in a gas electric
generator and produce electricity at an efficiency of
about 30 per cent. The whole gas-forming process in
landfills takes roughly two years, but it can be
speeded up hundreds of times by the use of anaerobic
digesters.

Anaerobic digesters create ideal conditions for
anaerobes. A 2,000 cubic-metre digester exists at JBC
and is currently producing 80 m3 of biogas per hour
from 25 tonnes of waste per day, according to Hatem
Ababneh, JBC plant manager.

This gas, combined with landfill gas is currently
generating 1MW of energy and is expected to increase
to over 15MW in the near future, when new wells are
tapped into. To put matters into perspective though,
an average fossil fuel power plant produces 1,000 MW
of energy. Thus many biogas plants of this size are
needed to produce a substantial amount of power.

Investment costs seem to be discouraging, amounting to
about JD500,000 to equip a landfill with gas
extractors and power generators and JD1.4 million for
an anaerobic digester like JBC's (designed to receive
60 tonnes of waste per day).

Cost is relative, as such a plant would provide power
for over 20 years at a constant price. Between
start-up in May 2000 and 2002, the JBC has sold
electricity to the grid at an average 32 fils/kWh for
a profit of nearly JD160,000. There is also the
digested sludge produced from the anaerobic digester
that is a high-grade fertiliser valued at JD125,000
annually.

Biogas from sewage treatment plants was used as far
back as the late 1800s to power street lighting in the
UK. Why are there no other biogas projects in Jordan?
Lack of awareness and interest it seems. A workshop
organised by the National Energy Research Centre took
place last week in Madaba as part of an awareness
campaign targeting all governorates. The master plan
to be produced by the end of the year aims to
transform the nation's waste management into a more
constructive and profitable effort, explained Project
Manager Munther Bseiso from the National Energy
Research Centre.

It thus seems that microscopic bacteria can have
macroscopic effects on the economy and the
environment, all they need is some consideration and
effort from individuals and the nation as a whole.

Wednesday, August 6, 2003


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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 15:17:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Big purchasers can spark sustainability shift

Big purchasers can spark sustainability shift, study
says


05 August 2003
By GreenBiz.com


WASHINGTON, D.C. — Spending billions of dollars
annually on goods and services — often more than the
gross domestic product of entire countries —
corporations, international organizations,
universities, and other large institutions are key in
fostering the shift towards an environmentally
sustainable world, reports a new study from the
Worldwatch Institute.

Through their daily purchases, these mega-consumers
hold considerable sway over the health and stability
of many of the world's most fragile ecological
systems, says Worldwatch research associate Lisa
Mastny, author of the study.

“While environmentalists have worked for decades to
win the hearts and minds of individuals, some of the
world's biggest consumers have remained out of the
spotlight,“ says Mastny. “Yet their enormous and often
environmentally devastating purchases of everything
from gas-guzzling vehicle fleets to cancer-causing
cleaning supplies can have far greater consequences
for the future of our planet than the buying habits of
most individual households.“

In some industrial countries, government purchasing
accounts for as much as 25 percent of GDP. Government
procurement in the European Union alone totaled more
than $1 trillion in 2001, or 14 percent of GDP. In
North America, it reached $2 trillion, or about 18
percent of GDP.

Universities, too, spend billions of dollars each year
on everything from campus buildings to cafeteria food.
In the United States, colleges bought some $25 billion
in goods and services in 1999 — equivalent to nearly 3
percent of U.S. GDP. And the United Nations spent
nearly $14 billion on goods and services in 2000.

Because of the large-scale, systematic approach that
most institutions take in their purchasing, a single
decision made by one professional buyer or purchasing
department can have a tremendous ripple effect,
influencing the products used by hundreds or even
thousands of individuals.

“By that same token,“ says Mastny, “just one
environmentally focused purchasing policy or guidance
— if properly implemented and enforced — can bring
widespread benefits to an institution. By investing in
everything from energy-efficient lighting to organic
food, growing numbers of businesses, government
agencies, hospitals, and other organizations are not
only creating safer and healthier workplaces, but are
also saving money.“

If enough demand for green products is generated,
entire markets can shift. A few notable successes
point to the tremendous power of green purchasing:

* When the world's single largest computer buyer,
the United States government, was directed by
President Clinton in 1993 to buy only computer
equipment that met energy-efficiency standards
described under the government's EnergyStar program,
it set into motion a massive overhaul of the consumer
market. Today, largely as a result of this increased
demand, 95 percent of all monitors, 80 percent of
computers, and 99 percent of printers sold in North
America meet Energy Star standards.

* A high-profile campaign by the Rainforest Action
Network, aimed at pressuring leading U.S. home
improvement retailer Home Depot to improve its wood
buying practices, provided the impetus for the
company's adoption of a green purchasing policy in
1999. Within a year of this shift, retailers
accounting for well over one-fifth of the wood sold
for the U.S. home remodeling market announced that
they too would phase out endangered wood products and
favor wood coming from certified sustainably managed
forests. Two of the nation's biggest homebuilders also
pledged not to buy endangered wood.

* Government purchasing is credited with spurring
the rise of recycled paper to the level of standard
office supply in many European countries. And analysts
link a jump in the environmental performance of
Japanese electronics to that country's preeminence in
the green purchasing of computers and other high tech
products.

But while green purchasing initiatives are blossoming
in the world's wealthier nations, the question remains
of how to jumpstart a similar movement in the
developing world. Although overall resource use in
these countries is still relatively low compared to
industrial countries, rising consumer demand will make
strengthening local markets for environmentally sound
technologies — from renewable energy to non-chorine
bleached recycled paper — increasingly important.

Mastny says that one way institutions can help spread
green purchasing in developing countries is by using
their own procurements to strengthen local green
markets. By seeking to buy a greater portion of their
goods and services from local green suppliers, leading
international players like the United Nations, the
World Bank, and multinational corporations can not
only stimulate green markets, but also combat mounting
criticism about the environmental impacts of their
activities.

“Green purchasing will never be a magic solution to
the world's rampant resource consumption, but it does
offer tremendous opportunities for lessening the
impacts,“ says Mastny. “And as more and more
institutions realize the benefits of buying green — in
terms of employee health, the environment, and their
own bottom lines — groups that disregard environmental
factors risk being left behind.“


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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 15:18:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Dean Criticizes Bush Environmental Policy

Presidential Candidate Criticizes Bush Environmental
Policy

By RAYMOND PASCUAL
Contributing Writer
Friday, August 1, 2003

SAN FRANCISCO—In a green-themed speech, presidential
candidate and former Vermont governor Howard Dean
deeply criticized the Bush administration's approach
to environmental policy at a San Francisco hotel
Thursday.

"Today, we have a Republican president who seeks to
destroy this consensus and reverse decades of
responsible environmental policy," Dean told a
standing-room-only crowd of press and supporters.

Dean, considered one of the leading Democratic
presidential candidates and the most-storied "no-name"
candidate, tops eight other prominent party candidates
in the most recent California Field Poll.

Throughout his campaign speech, Dean repeatedly
emphasized the Bush administration's ties to big
business as reasons for what he called a poor
"environmental record."

He attacked Interior Deputy Secretary J. Stephen
Griles, a top Bush administration official, for his
repeated meetings with clients from the oil and mining
industries—industries that have lobbied to reduce
environmental restrictions.

"This is a classic case of conflict of interest and
breach of trust and the deputy secretary should
resign," Dean said.

Dean also complained about the deletion of the global
warming phenomena from the Environmental Protection
Agency's Draft Report on the Environment.

"The president doesn't believe global warming exists.
Whether it's uranium from Niger or global warming, the
Bush-Cheney administration is not one to let mere
facts stand in the way of its agenda," he said.

Dean briefly described his environmental strategy as
one that would have environmentally sound energy
policies, preserve open and "livable community" spaces
and restore U.S. world leadership on environmental
issues.

He said the United States ought to sever its reliance
on foreign sources of energy in the interest of
national security.

"The president isn't taking a stand on people stealing
our oil money. It flows through governments in the
Middle East to terrorist organizations who teach their
children to hate the United States," he said.

One of his administrative proposals is to work toward
a fuel efficiency of 40 miles per gallon by the year
2015. Such a proposal is expected to upset auto makers
in states with strong auto industries like Michigan, a
key electoral state.

Another proposal was to fund research for hybrid
gas-electric, hydrogen-powered and fuel cell-powered
vehicles.

"We're the most advanced technological country on the
face of this planet, and yet Japanese vehicles have
surpassed us in fuel efficiency," he said.

Dean also emphasized the need for the United States to
lead the world in addressing global environmental
concerns. He urged the U.S. government to work toward
an acceptable version of the Kyoto Protocol, a set of
world emissions standards the Bush administration
rejected.

"I ordered that emissions in Vermont be reduced to
levels below those required by the Kyoto Protocol,"
Dean said.

Dean's supporters gathered outside of the Union
Square-area hotel nearly an hour before the governor
arrived, holding signs and yelling pro-Dean chants.

"He has a progressive vision of the environment," said
Quinn Casttello, 23, a San Francisco resident. "He is
a complete contrast to the Bush administration, which
is despicable and arrogant."

The first Democratic party primary election will be
held in February 2004. Dean has remained competitive
in key primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire.


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- posted by Daniel @ 3:44 PM

 
A very graphic illustration of why it is so necessary for us to consider the environment in all our activities, economic and private, and act in concert with nature to the best of our ability. Read on in the Earth Policy Institute's story:


Eco-Economy Update 2003-6 Share with a friend or colleague.
For Immediate Release
Copyright Earth Policy Institute 2003
August 5, 2003

ds.

CHINA LOSING WAR WITH ADVANCING DESERTS
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update26.htm

Lester R. Brown

China is now at war. It is not invading armies that are claiming its
territory, but expanding deserts. Old deserts are advancing and new ones are
forming, like guerrilla forces striking unexpectedly, forcing Beijing to
fight on several fronts. And worse, the growing deserts are gaining
momentum, occupying an ever-larger piece of China's territory each year.

Desert expansion has accelerated with each successive decade since 1950.
China's Environmental Protection Agency reports that the Gobi Desert
expanded by 52,400 square kilometers (20,240 square miles) from 1994 to
1999, an area half the size of Pennsylvania. With the advancing Gobi now
within 150 miles of Beijing, China's leaders are beginning to sense the
gravity of the situation.

Overplowing and overgrazing are converging to create a dust bowl of historic
dimensions. With little vegetation remaining in parts of northern and
western China, the strong winds of late winter and early spring can remove
literally millions of tons of topsoil in a single day--soil that can take
centuries to replace.

For the outside world, it is these dust storms that draw attention to the
deserts that are forming in China. On April 12, 2002, for instance, South
Korea was engulfed by a huge dust storm from China that left people in Seoul
literally gasping for breath. Schools were closed, airline flights were
cancelled, and clinics were overrun with patients having difficulty
breathing. Retail sales fell. Koreans have come to dread the arrival of what
they now call "the fifth season"--the dust storms of late winter and early
spring. Japan also suffers from dust storms originating in China. Although
not as directly exposed as Koreans are, the Japanese complain about the dust
and the brown rain that streaks their windshields and windows.

Each year, residents of eastern Chinese cities such as Beijing and Tianjin
hunker down as the dust storms begin. In addition to having problems with
breathing and the dust that stings the eyes, people are constantly working
to keep dust out of homes and to clean doorways and sidewalks of dust and
sand. Farmers and herders, whose livelihoods are blowing away, are paying an
even heavier price.

A report by a U.S. embassy official in May 2001 after a visit to Xilingol
Prefecture in Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol) notes that although 97 percent of
the region is officially classified as grasslands, a third of the terrain
now appears to be desert. The report says the prefecture's livestock
population climbed from 2 million as recently as 1977 to 18 million in 2000.
A Chinese scientist doing grassland research in the prefecture says that if
recent desertification trends continue, Xilingol will be uninhabitable in 15
years.

A more recent U.S. embassy report entitled "Desert Mergers and Acquisitions"
says satellite images show two deserts in north-central China expanding and
merging to form a single, larger desert overlapping Inner Mongolia and Gansu
provinces. To the west in Xinjiang Province, two even larger deserts--the
Taklimakan and Kumtag--are also heading for a merger. Highways there are
regularly inundated by sand dunes.

In the deteriorating relationship between the global economy and the earth's
ecosystem, China is on the leading edge. A human population of 1.3 billion
and a livestock population of just over 400 million are weighing heavily on
the land. Huge flocks of sheep and goats in the northwest are stripping the
land of its protective vegetation, creating a dust bowl on a scale not seen
before. Northwestern China is on the verge of a massive ecological meltdown.

While overplowing is now being partly remedied by paying farmers to plant
their grainland in trees, overgrazing continues largely unabated. China's
cattle, sheep, and goat population tripled from 1950 to 2002. The United
States, a country with comparable grazing capacity, has 97 million cattle.
China has 106 million. But for sheep and goats, the figures are 8 million
versus 298 million. Concentrated in the western and northern provinces,
sheep and goats are destroying the land's protective vegetation. The wind
then does the rest, removing the soil and converting productive rangeland
into desert. (See data at
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update26_data.htm)

The fallout from the dust storms is social as well as economic. Millions of
rural Chinese may be uprooted and forced to migrate eastward as the drifting
sand covers their land. Expanding deserts are driving villagers from their
homes in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia provinces. An Asian Development
Bank assessment of desertification in Gansu Province reports that 4,000
villages risk being overrun by drifting sands.

The U.S. Dust Bowl of the 1930s forced some 2.5 million "Okies" and other
refugees to leave the land, many of them heading from Oklahoma, Texas, and
Kansas to California. But the dust bowl forming in China is much larger, and
during the 1930s the U.S. population was only 150 million--compared with 1.3
billion in China today. Whereas the U.S. migration was measured in the
millions, China's may eventually measure in the tens of millions. And as a
U.S. embassy report entitled "The Grapes of Wrath in Inner Mongolia" noted,
"unfortunately, China's twenty-first century 'Okies' have no California to
escape to--at least not in China."

Planting marginal cropland in trees helps correct some of the mistakes of
overplowing, but it does not deal with the overgrazing issue. Arresting
desertification may depend more on grass than trees--on both permitting
existing grasses to recover and planting grass in denuded areas.

Beijing is trying to arrest the spread of deserts by encouraging
pastoralists to reduce their flocks of sheep and goats by 40 percent, but in
communities where wealth is measured not in income but in the number of
livestock owned and where most families are living under the poverty line,
such cuts are not easy. Some local governments are requiring stall-feeding
of livestock with forage gathered by hand, hoping that this confinement
measure will permit grasslands to recover.

China is taking some of the right steps to halt the advancing desert, but it
has a long way to go to reduce livestock numbers to a sustainable level. At
this point, there is no plan in place or on the drawing board that will halt
the advancing deserts.

The entire world has a stake in China's winning the war with the advancing
deserts given its economic leadership role. But winning will not be easy. Qu
Geping, the Chairman of the Environment and Resources Committee of the
National People's Congress, estimates that the remediation of land in the
areas where it is technically feasible would cost $28.3 billion. Halting
the advancing deserts will require a massive commitment of financial and
human resources, one that may force the government to make a hard choice:
either build costly proposed south-north water diversion projects or battle
the advancing deserts that are marching eastward and could eventually occupy
Beijing.

# # #

This Update is adapted from Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a
Civilization in Trouble, being published September 10, 2003. Chapters 1 and
11 are online now for free downloading.
http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/index.htm

Additional data and information sources at
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update26_data.htm
or contact jlarsen@earth-policy.org
For reprint permissions contact rjkauffman@earth-policy.org



To receive Eco-Economy Updates by email, go to
http://www.earth-policy.org/Subscribe/index.htm or send email to
majordomo@earth-policy.org with subscribe public as the
message.
To remove your name, send email to public-requests@earth-policy.org with
unsubscribe as the message.

If you enjoy receiving this e-news, please recommend it to a friend or
colleague.
- posted by Daniel @ 12:57 AM

 
News from Alt Power Digest on Yahoo Groups:

(That Green Bean comes up with the best stuff...)

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 15:02:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Ed: Wanted: energy policy that works

EDITORIAL Wanted: energy policy that works

Monday, August 4, 2003
SF Chronicle

THIS COUNTRY sorely needs a fresh energy policy, one
that balances conservation with drilling, accepts
science over myth and provides fairness, not political
favors.

The Senate's vote on an energy bill does none of this.
Both parties colluded to pass the buck in a stunt that
lets Republicans and Democrats look good. It's
shameful nonsense, and California's senators, Barbara
Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, sensibly rejected the
move.

Faced with a deadlock, the Senate cut a last-minute
deal: drop the fight over the current bill, dust off
last year's energy bill and toss the whole issue to a
House and Senate negotiating committee, likely
dominated by Republicans. A House energy measure,
leaning heavily on drilling and industry tax breaks,
is already waiting there.

>From here on, don't expect sweet reason and common
sense. Democrats hope they have a major say because
last year's Senate bill was written by their party,
then in the majority. Republicans are rubbing their
hands because they will have the votes at the next
stop and can rewrite the 1,000-page package.

Politics aside, consider what's at stake. SUV mileage
upgrades are long gone from the debate, though fuel
imports remain a central addiction for the economy.
Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is
alive in the House bill, though the Senate may balk.

Other ingredients amount to political deals.
California drivers will be the dubious beneficiaries
of corn-based ethanol, popular in the grain-belt
Midwest but costly at the pump in this state. Mergers
of giant utility-holding companies will be easier
though regulatory checks on pricing won't be
toughened.

To squeeze out more energy, truly bad ideas are in the
works. Hydroelectric dam operators may have a freer
hand to operate, never mind the impacts on fish,
environment or recreation. More nuclear power plants
may be built via loan guarantees pushed by Sen. Pete
Domenici, the Republican chairman of the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee. He represents New
Mexico, a uranium mining center.

The Senate's energy wish list includes more
electricity from wind and renewable sources, a White
House office on climate change and a roster of which
companies are spewing out greenhouse gases.

These ideas represent science for the future and are
useful measures and inducement for change. But the
House bill has none of the provisions and GOP control
of the final package may cut them out.

A Mideast war, gyrating oil and gas prices and new
technologies all argue for an updated energy policy.
Instead of significant reforms, Washington appears
headed to the customary fixes -- more drilling, tax
breaks and political favors -- that don't work. It's
hardly an energy plan at all.


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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 15:07:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Hawaiian Wave-generated electricity tests set

Monday, August 4, 2003

Wave-generated electricity tests set
Kaneohe Marine Base may get power from a buoy system
offshore

By Bruce Dunford
Associated Press

Waters off Kaneohe will be used this fall to see if
those nonstop open-ocean swells that make Hawaii a
surfer's paradise can be tapped for cheap, clean
electricity.

Ocean Power Technologies Inc., of New Jersey, holds a
$9.5 million contract from the Office of Naval
Research to test if the bobbing of subsurface buoys
tethered to the ocean floor can efficiently generate
electricity for Marine Corps Base Hawaii-Kaneohe.


AP PHOTO / OCEAN POWER TECHNOLOGIES VIA U.S. NAVY

The Office of Naval Research has contracted with a New
Jersey firm to test the PowerBuoy wave energy power
converter, shown in a graphic representation at left.


The idea is to reduce the Navy's electricity costs and
dependence on oil at its shoreside bases around the
world, but the technological development would also
have applications for civilian uses.

"Everybody (at OPT) feels ... that we're doing
something that may be important to the world," said
George Taylor, president and chief executive officer
of the 15-person company he helped start in 1994.

Taylor grew up in Australia where he learned to surf
and appreciate the force of the waves curling around
him.

The pilot project's first phase calls for one of the
company's trademarked PowerBuoys to be given a
buoyancy to ride nine to 12 feet below the surface in
100 feet of water nearly a mile off the Kaneohe base's
Hilltop housing area.

As the swell passes, the 40-foot-long,
15-foot-diameter, vertically positioned PowerBuoy
moves up and down on a rigid pole anchored to the
bottom.

The up-and-down movement mechanically creates a flow
of hydraulic fluid to drive an electrical generator
housed in a canister on the ocean floor, said Don
Rochon, spokesman for the Pacific Division of the
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, which is
overseeing the project.

The motor generates direct current in a submerged
cable to an onshore transformer to create an average
20 kilowatts and up to a peak of 50 kilowatts of
alternating current plugged into the base's Hawaiian
Electric Co. grid, enough to serve five to eight
homes, Rochon said.

Several prototypes of the system have been
successfully tested off the New Jersey shore in
Tuckerton since 1998.

Project operators are waiting for lower swells usually
occurring in September to place the subsea electric
cables, after which the PowerBuoy will be deployed,
Rochon said.

The only visible part of the device will be a brightly
colored navigation mast sticking up to warn boaters to
avoid coming too close.

The contract calls for a second device to be deployed
and for a two- to five-year test period to see if the
project will be expanded for permanent use, Rochon
said.

"First, we have to prove the technology," he said.

Hawaii was chosen for the test because on average it
has the highest recorded wave power in the world.

The company said that in its technology, bigger is
better.

If it can develop a 100-megawatt system, the company
said its PowerBuoy technology can lower the cost of
generating electricity to 3 to 4 cents per
kilowatt-hour, slightly cheaper than electricity
generated from fossil fuels and much cheaper than wind
or solar energy systems.

A 1-megawatt system, the goal of the Hawaii project,
would generate power at a cost of 7 to 10 cents per
kilowatt-hour, including maintenance and operating
expenses as well as amortized capital costs of the
equipment, the company said.

A modular system based on an array of the small and
relatively inexpensive buoylike structures would
require low-cost maintenance for a lifetime of 30
years, according to OPT's Web site.

"We believe that this project will position the
company for expansion into the U.S. and the
international commercial marketplace," Taylor said.

To explain the global potential, the company's chief
financial officer, Charles Dunleavy, said waves
passing through a 10-by-10-mile area of ocean create
enough energy to meet the electricity needs of the
entire state of California.


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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 15:10:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Hotel Gets 250 kWe + Heat Fuel Cell

FuelCell Energy Completes Fuel Cell Installation at
Starwood's Sheraton Edison Hotel
8/4/03
DANBURY, Conn. &EDISON, N.J., Aug 4, 2003 (BUSINESS
WIRE) --

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL) and its U.S.
distribution partner, PPL EnergyPlus, a PPL
Corporation (NYSE: PPL) subsidiary, today announced
the installation of a clean and efficient Direct
FuelCell(R) (DFC(R)) power plant for Starwood Hotels
&Resorts, one of the world's largest hotel and leisure
companies.

The dedication ceremony marked the completion of the
installation, commissioning and testing of the DFC300A
power plant, which will provide 250 kilowatts of
electric power as well as heat to the Sheraton Edison
Hotel - Raritan Center in Edison, New Jersey. The
system provides about 25 percent of the hotel's
electricity and hot water.

'We are delighted to be working with Starwood as it
continues its vision and commitment to environmental
leadership with the first of two installations of DFC
power plants at its hotel properties this year,'said
FuelCell Energy Chairman and CEO Jerry D. Leitman.
'This unit represents PPL's fourth successful
installation, demonstrating its role as a premier
provider of ultra clean energy using our highly
efficient DFC power plants.'

'We are thrilled that our first hotel application of
fuel cell system technology has been completed and are
pleased to be working in conjunction with PPL on this
important initiative,'said John Lembo, Director of
Energy for Starwood. 'Having been the recipient of the
ENERGY STAR Partner(R) of the Year Award for the last
two years, Starwood Hotels & Resorts will continue to
adopt and implement environmentally safe and friendly
practices that save energy and protect the
environment. We feel that energy fuel cell technology
will play an important role in reducing harmful
emissions and reduce the hotels'overall energy costs.'

'Until recently, fuel cell energy technology was not
available commercially, and its practical use was very
limited,'said Micheal E. Kroboth, President of PPL
Energy Services Holdings. 'However fuel cells are now
part of a growing range of environmentally friendly
energy solutions that PPL is providing to our
customers. PPL is proud to supply Starwood with an
efficient, reliable on-site fuel cell energy system.'

The DFC300A uses natural gas that will be supplied by
NUI - Elizabethtown Gas of Bedminster, N.J.

The New Jersey Clean Energy Program provided $860,000
in funding to PPL as part of its incentive program to
encourage the use of clean and efficient technology.

PPL has an equity investment in FuelCell Energy and is
a distributor of its DFC products in the United
States. PPL will be installing two other DFC300A power
plants in New Jersey later this year, one at the
Sheraton Parsipanny Hotel and one at Ocean County
College in Toms River. PPL has previously installed
three other DFC300A power plants at end user sites,
including Air Station Cape Cod in Bourne, Mass. and
two at Zoot Enterprises, a credit processing company
in Bozeman, Mont.

Currently, DFC-based fuel cell power plants are
operating at 15 locations throughout the world and
have generated over 12 million kilowatt hours at
customer sites.

About Direct FuelCells

Direct FuelCells efficiently generate clean
electricity at distributed locations near the
customer, including hospitals, schools, universities,
hotels and other commercial and industrial facilities,
as well as in grid support applications for utility
customers. In essence, Direct FuelCells are like
large, continuously operating batteries that generate
electricity as long as fuel, such as natural gas, is
supplied. Since the fuel is not burned, there is no
pollution commonly associated with the combustion of
fossil fuels. Because hydrogen is generated directly
within the fuel cell module from readily available
fuels such as natural gas and wastewater treatment
gas, DFC power plants are ready today and do not
require the creation of a hydrogen infrastructure.
This high-efficiency technology generates more
electric power from less fuel and with less carbon
dioxide emissions than traditional methods using
combustion.

About FuelCellEnergy, Inc.

FuelCell Energy, Inc., based in Danbury, Connecticut,
is a world leader in the development and manufacture
of highly efficient hydrogen fuel cells for clean
electric power generation, currently offering DFC
power plant products ranging in size from 250
kilowatts to 2 megawatts for applications up to 50
megawatts.

The Company has developed commercial distribution
alliances for its carbonate Direct FuelCell technology
with MTU CFC Solutions Gmbh, a company of
DaimlerChrysler AG, in Europe; Marubeni Corporation in
Asia; and Caterpillar, PPL Energy Plus and Chevron
Energy Solutions, in the U.S. FuelCell Energy is
developing Direct FuelCell technology for stationary
power plants with the U.S. Department of Energy
through their Office of Fossil Energy's National
Energy Technology Laboratory. More information is
available at http://www.fuelcellenergy.com.

About PPL Corporation

PPL Corporation, headquartered in Allentown, Pa.,
controls or owns nearly 11,500 megawatts of generating
capacity in the United States, sells energy in key
U.S. markets, and delivers electricity to customers in
Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.

About Starwood Hotels &Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels &Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT)
is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in
the world, with more than 750 properties in more than
80 countries and 105,000 employees at its owned and
managed properties. With internationally renowned
brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator
and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St.
Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four
Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood
Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier
developers and operators of high quality vacation
interval ownership resorts.

This press release contains forward-looking
statements, including statements regarding the
Company's plans and expectations regarding the
development and commercialization of its fuel cell
technology. All forward-looking statements are subject
to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected.
Factors that could cause such a difference include,
without limitation, the risk that commercial field
trials of the Company's products will not occur when
anticipated, general risks associated with product
development, manufacturing, changes in the utility
regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy
prices, rapid technological change, and competition,
as well as other risks set forth in the Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The forward-looking statements contained herein speak
only as of the date of this press release. The Company
expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to
release publicly any updates or revisions to any such
statement to reflect any change in the Company's
expectations or any change in events, conditions or
circumstances on which any such statement is based.

SOURCE: FuelCell Energy, Inc.

FuelCell Energy, Inc. Steven P. Eschbach, CFA,
203-825-6000 seschbach@fce.com


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All-Energy News and Discussion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/All-Energy

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- posted by Daniel @ 1:47 PM

 
Also from The National Biodiesel Board,
A national biodiesel relay organized by grassroots biodiesel supporters is looking for a few good drivers. The “Biodiesel Now” relay, which takes place August 16 through August 28, is aimed at educating the public about the benefits of biodiesel. A group of volunteers will drive their diesel vehicles, fueled by biodiesel, from the West Coast to the East Coast. They will be stopping along the way to pass out information, talk to media and hand off the "Biodiesel Baton" to the next team.

Teams are in need of relay drivers from Butte, Montana to Madison, Wisconsin; Reno, Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah; and Miami to Atlanta.

If you would like to know more about the relay, visit www.biodieselnow.com or e-mail Suzanne Sumida or Nate Byrnes.
- posted by Daniel @ 11:38 PM

 
From the National Biodiesel Board monthly bulletin:

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) last week presented the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) with the National Energy Leadership Award at its meeting in Washington, D.C.

ISA and its farmer leaders were instrumental in passing groundbreaking state legislation this year. The bill, signed by the governor in June, will exempt biodiesel blends over 10% from state sales tax, which will make it much more cost competitive or even less expensive than petroleum diesel. It also gives a partial sales tax credit on blends below B10.

Rebecca Richardson, director of operations for ISA, and Darryl Brinkmann, a farmer leader from Illinois, accepted the award.

“Illinois farmer leaders, Rebecca, and other staff members have made a momentous difference in the biodiesel industry by pulling out all the stops to get this legislation through,” said Joe Jobe, NBB executive director. “They have created a model for other states to follow while positioning Illinois to be a leading state in both biodiesel use and production.”
- posted by Daniel @ 11:30 PM