Welcome to the Arkansas Renewable
Energy e-newsletter! This newsletter is a bi-monthly
feature of the Arkansas Renewable Energy website. Visit
the website at www.arkansasrenewableenergy.org for more
information on solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable
energy resources!
Arkansas Renewable Energy News
April/May 2006
Welcome to the Arkansas Renewable Energy e-newsletter! This newsletter is a bi-monthly feature of the Arkansas Renewable Energy website. Visit the website at www.arkansasrenewableenergy.org for more information on solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable energy resources!
"A Healthy Ecology is the Basis for a Healthy Economy." – Claudine Schneider, U.S. Representative
In This Issue...
News...
- Fayetteville to Host 2006 Solar Splash
- Grand Opening Scheduled for Stuttgart Biodiesel Facility
- BioBased Systems Named Outstanding Environmental Business
- Texas Gaining on California's Wind Capacity
- Trade Group: Geothermal Energy Experiences Strong Growth
- Governors Endorse 25x'25 Initiative
- Indiana is Future Home to World's Largest Biodiesel Plant
- Magazine Concludes Two Hybrids Pay for Themselves in Gas Savings
- Firm Predicts Clean Energy Markets Will Quadruple in 10 Years
- DOE to Partner with GE in Offshore Wind Project
- Ethanol Production Increased Last Year, Fell Short of Demand
- Wind Energy Capacity Up 25 Percent
Funding Opportunities
Website Spotlight
Mark Your
Calendars!
Tip of the Month
Fayetteville to Host 2006 Solar Splash
Fayetteville will be alive with competition June 21-25, when the annual Solar Splash comes to town. Solar Splash is the World Championship of solar/electric boating. It is an international intercollegiate competition that includes Visual Displays, Workmanship, Solar Slalom, Sprint and Endurance events. The University of Arkansas team won awards in 2002, 2004, and 2005.
www.solarsplash.com/ &
www.ee.uark.edu/solarboat/
Grand Opening Scheduled for Stuttgart Biodiesel Facility
Patriot BioFuels will hold a grand opening at its 31,000-square-foot facility in Stuttgart at 10 a.m.
on April 21. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., will be the featured speaker. The facility—the first of its type in Arkansas—will produce alternative fuels made from agricultural products such as soybeans. Unlike petroleum-based fuels, biofuels are renewable and clean-burning, reducing emissions and other negative environmental impact.
www.patriotbio.com/applications.php
BioBased Systems Named Outstanding Environmental Business
BioBased Systems of Rogers has been chosen as recipient of the Arkansas Sierra Club's 2006 Outstanding Environmental Business award. BioBased Systems manufacturers spray foam insulation made from soy. The product is more environmentally friendly than its chemical-based insulation counterparts and also provides an economic boon to the state's soybean farmers. The company was honored at the 2006 Conservation Awards Banquet in Little Rock on April 15.
http://nwanews.com/nwat/news/39343/ & http://www.biobased.net/
Texas Gaining on California's Wind Capacity
California has historically been the nation's leader in wind energy capacity. However, rankings from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) indicate that Texas is making strong gains on the leader. According to AWEA, Texas gained 702 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity in 2005, for a total of 1,995 MW of wind power, while California gained only 54 MW, for a total of 2,150 MW. The new 210-MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Taylor County made a healthy contribution to Texas' gain.
www.awea.org/news/Annual_Industry_Rankings_Continued_Growth_031506.html
Trade Group: Geothermal Energy Experiences Strong Growth
New projects in the western U.S. could mean a significant increase in geothermal energy production, says the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). GEA's most recent assessment of geothermal development identifies 45 new projects in the western states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Utah, which could collectively provide between 1,817.9 MW and 2094.9MW of new electric power for the grid.
www.geo-energy.org/publications/pressReleases/2006%20US%20Geothermal%20Update%20Release.pdf
Governors Endorse 25x'25 Initiative
Governors from Montana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Indiana have become the latest leaders to pledge their support for the 25x'25 Initiative. The initiative seeks to promote the concept of providing 25 percent of the nation's energy supply from renewable resources by 2025. The initiative has gained the support of members of the agriculture, forestry, and environmental communities, as well as local and state leaders, since an Ag and Forestry Renewable Energy Summit held in early March.
www.25x25.org/press_release_03_22_06.php
Indiana is Future Home to World's Largest Biodiesel Plant
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has announced plans for the world's largest biodiesel plant, to be built near Claypool, about 40 miles west of Fort Wayne. The facility will be one of the first biodiesel production plants to be fully integrated with a soybean processing plant. Some 260,000 metric tons of soybean oil will be converted into 80 million gallons of biodiesel each year. The plant will employ about 85 people, as well as some 300 people during its construction.
www.in.gov/serv/presscal?PF=gov2&Clist=196&Elist=85999
Magazine Concludes That Two Hybrids Pay for Themselves in Gas Savings
Consumer Reports announced a rare revision of one of its articles, correcting a story that found the extra cost of hybrid vehicles is not reclaimed through savings on gasoline. In fact, a recalculation by the consumer magazine concluded that the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid will save their owners about $400 and $300, respectively, over the first five years and 75,000 miles of driving, thanks in part to federal tax credits. Other hybrids would cost their owners from $1,900 to $5,500 more than their gasoline-only counterparts. However, some states offer incentives that tip the scale more in favor of hybrid vehicles, a factor not accounted for by the magazine.
www.consumerreports.org/main/content/special/press_release.jsp
Firm Predicts Clean Energy Markets Will Quadruple in 10 Years
Firm Predicts Clean Energy Markets Will Quadruple in 10 Years
Clean energy markets grew to $40 billion in 2005 and could quadruple by 2015, says "Clean Energy Trends 2006," a new report from Clean Edge, Inc. The report examines biofuels, wind power, solar photovoltaic systems, and the fuel cell and distributed hydrogen markets, and predicts rapid growth for each. But it also warns of challenges facing each industry, including distribution channels for biofuels, rising steel costs for building wind turbines, a shortage of silicon for solar cells, and the slow adoption of fuel cells and hydrogen. Despite these challenges, the report calls clean energy "one of the fastest-growing technology sectors on the planet."
www.nthpower.com/press/trends2006.pdf
DOE to Partner with GE in Offshore Wind Project
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has signed a $27 million contract with the General Electric Company (GE) to develop a new offshore wind power system over the next several years. The goal of the project is to design, fabricate, and test an offshore wind turbine that could produce power at a cost of 5 cents per kilowatt-hour, about half the current cost. GE expects the turbine to produce 5 to 7 megawatts of power, nearly double the capacity of GE's largest commercial wind turbine. The advanced wind system will include innovative foundations, construction techniques, rotor designs, and drivetrains, as well as electrical components designed for the harsh offshore environment.
www.energy.gov/news/3309.htm
Ethanol Production Increased Last Year, Fell Short of Demand
The U.S. ethanol industry produced a record 3.9 billion gallons of fuel in 2005, according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). In December, ethanol fuel production reached 364.4 million gallons, but fell short of demand, which increased to 403.2 million gallons. DOE's Energy Information expects demand to increase sharply in 2006. According to RFA, there are 96 U.S. ethanol plants, collectively capable of producing 4.4 billion gallons annually. Another 33 ethanol plants and eight major expansions are underway, which have a capacity of more than 2 billion gallons annually.
www.ethanolrfa.org/media/press/rfa/view.php?id=577
Wind Energy Capacity Up 25 Percent
2005 also was a record year for the wind energy industry, which saw an increase in capacity of 11,769 megawatts (MW). According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the world's total installed wind power capacity stood at 59,322 MW at the end of 2005, a 25 percent increase over the previous year. The United States installed the most new wind power capacity in 2005, but Germany still leads in terms of total installed wind capacity.
www.gwec.net/uploads/media/Statistics2005_170206.pdf
Funding Opportunities
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Grants
and Guaranteed Loans
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $11.385 million in funding for competitive grants and $176.5 million for guaranteed loans to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. The funds are available for agricultural producers and rural small businesses under the USDA's Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. For renewable energy systems, the minimum grant request is $2,500 and the maximum is $500,000. For energy efficiency improvements, the minimum acceptable grant request is $1,500 and the maximum is $250,000. Grant applications are due by May 12, and loan applications are due by July 3.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-1923.htm
Website Spotlight
Consumer's Guide to Renewable Energy in Arkansas
Looking for information on solar, wind, or alternative fuels? Check out the new publication Consumer's Guide to Renewable Energy in Arkansas. Produced by the Arkansas Energy Office, this 31-page publication introduces readers to solar, wind, and renewable fuel technologies, and includes information on financial incentives, links to additional information, a list of Arkansas' renewable energy dealers, and more.
Download the entire publication at: www.arkansasrenewableenergy.org/consumers_guide.pdf.
Mark Your Calendars!
Here's a sample of the many upcoming events focusing
on energy issues.
For a more complete list, see our Events
Calendar!
Biodiesel Fuel
May 1-5, 2006
Carbondale, CO
Learn the fundamentals of this alternative fuel source that can be used in any diesel engine. Participants will make biodiesel fuel with locally available materials and learn how to make a biodiesel processor to make their own biodiesel.
Get the details at www.solarenergy.org/workshops/workshop.php?id=18
Clean Cities Congress and Expo 2006
May 7-10, 2006
Phoenix, AZ
Interested in non-fossil fuels? With its theme of "Fueling Economic Solutions," this event is sure to hit the mark!
Don't miss the feature presentations on alternative fuels.
Learn more at www.afvi.org/PhoenixCongress2006/index.html
WindPower 2006
June 4-7, 2006
Pittsburgh, PA
Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about wind energy technologies and to promote your company as a wind energy leader by participating in the WINDPOWER 2006 Conference and Exhibition!
Find out more at: www.eshow2000.com/awea/
Tip of the Month:
Insulate your Hot Water Tank
Although most newer water heaters have adequate insulation built into the tank design, older water heaters lose a significant amount of heat through the tank walls. This heat loss can account for 25 percent of the yearly cost of heating domestic hot water. Unless your water heater has an insulation value of R-24 or higher, you can cost-effectively reduce these losses with a water heater tank wrap. Tank wraps come in a variety of sizes for individual water heaters, and can reduce standby heat losses by 25 to 45 percent and water heating energy costs by as much as 10 percent.
To learn more, see DOE’s "Insulate Your Water Heater Tank for Energy Savings" at: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13070
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