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
August/September 2005

 

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!

 

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." – Edmund Burke

In This Issue...

News...

• Congress Passes Energy Bill
• Wal-Mart "Experimental Store" Uses Solar, Wind, and Energy Efficiency
• Lawmakers Add a Month to Daylight Savings Time
• New Website Seeks Solar Installer Listings
• DOE and USCAR Invest $195 Million in Energy-Efficient Vehicles
• New National Coalition to Promote Wind Power
• G8 Leaders Commit to Clean Energy Technologies at Summit
• DOE Launches New State Portal for Efficiency and Renewables

Funding Oportunities
Website Spotlight
Mark Your Calendars!
Tip of the Month

 

News

Congress Passes Energy Bill
A new national energy bill is awaiting the President's signature, after successfully passing both House and Senate. Among the bill's many provisions are tax credits for the purchase of hybrid-electric cars, tax breaks for energy conservation improvement in homes, and financial incentives for renewable energy resources, such as construction of wind turbines.
Get the full story at www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/29/energy.bill.ap/index.html.

Wal-Mart "Experimental Store" Uses Solar, Wind, and Energy Efficiency
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the king of the "big-box" store, has launched an experiment near Dallas, Texas, to see how its retail outlets might lessen their environmental impact. The new "Wal-Mart Experimental Store" in McKinney features a total of 50 kilowatts of solar power systems integrated into the Garden Center 's canopy, the roof of the entry vestibules, the facade of the front entry, and the roof of the Tire and Lube Express. The store also features a 50-kilowatt wind turbine that will supply about 5 percent of the store's electricity needs.

The building features a white reflective roof to reduce its cooling loads and a reduced building height to reduce its need for heating and cooling. It uses radiant floor heat, in which hot water runs through the concrete slab that forms the floor, and uses displacement ventilation, an energy efficient way to distribute conditioned air throughout the store. The store even captures the waste heat from its refrigeration equipment, using it to heat water for the restrooms and for the radiant floor heating system. The heating system is also fueled with waste cooking oil and used automotive oil. The store's efficient lighting system is automatically dimmed to make the best use of daylighting and is also dimmed slightly at night. LED lighting is employed inside grocery cases to avoid adding unnecessary heat. According to Wal-Mart, the company "hopes to learn new environmental conservation best management practices and benchmarks that will serve as future design standards in the retail industry." Find out more at www.walmartfacts.com/newsdesk/article.aspx?id=1241.

Lawmakers Add a Month to Daylight Savings Time
As part of new energy legislation, the House and Senate have reached an agreement that will extend the length of daylight savings time by four weeks. Daylight savings time will start three weeks earlier—the second Sunday in March—and end a week later. “Extending daylight saving time makes sense, especially with skyrocketing energy costs. "My daylight saving amendment is one small piece of the overall energy package, and with oil at $60 a barrel and gas at $2.50 a gallon, every bit of conservation helps,” said Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), who introduced the bill. The measure was approved by the Energy Conference Committee on July 21. Get more information at http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/22/congress.daylighttime.ap/index.htm l.

New Website Seeks Solar Installer Listings
The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) has announced that a new website, Findsolar.com, will launch in September 2005 as a resource to link consumers to solar professionals. Companies that install and service solar systems are encouraged to apply immediately for free listing on the website. The website also will help consumers estimate the costs and savings from a solar system in their specific geographic area. The "Solar Estimator" includes up-to-date information on local electricity rates, solar resources, and incentives. The website is a joint project of ASES, Solar Electric Power Association, Energy Matters LLC, and U.S. Department of Energy.

DOE and USCAR Invest $195 Million in Energy-Efficient Vehicles
DOE and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) recently announced an agreement to develop advanced high-performance batteries for electric, hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicle applications. USCAR facilitates cooperative research among DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation. The agreement could reach $125 million over five years; combined with a similar $70-million agreement signed in May, the total joint investments in vehicle technologies could reach $195 million over the next five years.

As part of the new agreement, DOE's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program and USCAR's U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) will split the cost of research and development for a number of new battery materials and technologies that have the potential to increase energy storage and charge/discharge performance, improve durability and reliability, and reduce cost. Lear more at: www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=18322&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE .

New National Coalition to Promote Wind Power
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently announced that a broad national coalition of wind energy advocates are forming the largest pro-wind energy development organization of its kind in the United States. According to AWEA, "Wind Energy Works!" will actively and aggressively engage in the public conversation over the merits of wind energy, educate the public about the many benefits of wind energy development, and "act as a counterbalance to the misinformation being spread by wind energy opponents in communities across the country." Get the scoop at http://www.awea.org/news/news06Jul05_WEW.html .

G8 Leaders Commit to Clean Energy Technologies at Summit
Leaders of the world's eight largest industrialized nations have adopted a 38-point plan of action to address the related issues of climate change, clean energy, and sustainable development. During last week's two-day summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, the Group of Eight (G8)—comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—agreed that climate change is a serious and long-term challenge that has the potential to affect every part of the globe, and acknowledged that the use of energy from fossil fuels, and other human activities, contribute in large part to increases in greenhouse gases associated with the warming of Earth's surface. The G8 statement noted that "we know enough to act now to put ourselves on a path to slow and, as the science justifies, stop and then reverse the growth of greenhouse gases."

The G8 agreed to a plan of action that calls for the promotion of greater energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, surface transport, aviation, industry, power generation, and other sectors. The agreement also calls for further efforts to promote renewable energy technologies and hydrogen technologies. Notable among those efforts is the G8's plan to launch a Global Bioenergy Partnership to support biomass and biofuels deployment. Learn more at www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/PostG8_Gleneagles_Communique.pdf.

DOE Launches New State Portal for Efficiency and Renewables
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has opened a new portal to web-based state information. Called EERE State Activities & Partnerships , the new website organizes links to hundreds of state-specific Web pages published by EERE and its technology development programs, including such information as DOE grants to the states, resource maps, project databases, and contacts. The new portal also includes the latest state energy news, publications, and statistics. Visit the website at http://www.eere.energy.gov/states/ .

Funding Opportunities

 

Industrial Assessment Center
T he U.S. Department of Energy has announced its intent to request proposals from colleges or schools of engineering in the U.S. for the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program. The IAC Program enables small and medium-sized manufacturers to have comprehensive assessments performed at no cost to the manufacturer. Teams of engineering faculty and students from the Centers conduct assessments and provide training to help regional manufacturers operate more efficiently and improve competitiveness. The RFP will open on or about October 10, 2005 , with proposals due January 17, 2006 . For more information, go to:
e-center.doe.gov/iips/faopor.nsf/UNID/EF9F07FCCC4B6F4D8525703E006D1794?OpenDocument .

Bikes Belong
The American bicycle industry invites applications for the Bikes Belong Coalition Grants Program. The mission of this program is to put more people on bicycles more often. Priority is given to organizations that are directly involved in building coalitions for bicycling by collaborating the efforts of bicycle industry and advocacy groups. Up to $100K is available, with individual awards not to exceed $10K. Responses are due August 29 and November 28, 2005 . For more information, call the Coalition at (303) 449-4893 or visit www.bikesbelong.org.

 

Website Spotlight

 

Renewable Energy Policy Project
Looking for credible, up-to-date information about renewable energy? Check out the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) website. REPP works to supports the advancement of renewable energy technology through policy research, and seeks to define growth strategies for renewables that respond to competitive energy markets and environmental needs. Its website includes links to a number of REPP Issue Briefs, Research Reports, and Initiatives, many of which are downloadable. Learn more at www.repp.org/ .

 

 

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!

 

Photovoltaic Design and Installation
August 22-September 2, 2005
Carbondale, CO
Learn how to use PV technology to produce your own electricity from the sun through practical design and installation of PV systems! Participants will learn system sizing, site analysis, hardware specification, and component selection. www.solarenergy.org/workshops/workshop.php?id=3.

Solar Home Design Online
September 6-14, 2005
Online
Learn how to use PV technology to produce your own electricity from the sun through practical design and installation of PV systems! Participants learn system sizing, site analysis, hardware specification and component selection. The workshop covers typical applications and case study examples and is intended for the beginner who wants to use PV or for those seeking employment in the solar industry. www.solarenergy.org/workshops/workshop.php?id=15.

Fueling the Future: Prices, Productivity, Policies, and Prophesies
September 18-21, 2005
Denver, CO
This event will explore fossil fuel reliance and reserves, non-conventional energies and renewables and our progress towards clean, inexpensive, stable, and secure energy supplies. www.usaee.org/energy/.

Tip of the Month:

Cool Your Buildings Naturally With Energy-Efficient Landscaping
These days, everyone is looking for ways to stay cool in the summer's heat. Did you know that you can help keep your home and business cool, and improve your property's aesthetics at the same time, with energy-efficient landscaping? Planting the right type of trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges in the right places can:

• Cut summer and winter energy costs dramatically
• Protect your buildings from winter wind and summer sun
• Reduce consumption of water, pesticides, and fuel for landscaping and lawn maintenance
• Help control noise and air pollution

For more information, see DOE's fact sheet Landscaping for Energy Efficiency at:
www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/factsheets/landscape.html.

 

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