Green Energy News | June 27, 1999

June 27, 1999 – Vol.4 No.13

ENERGIES... week of June 27, 1999

EFFICIENCY BY THE BOOK. If home buyers don’t ask for energy efficient homes, and builders won’t build them without demand from the marketplace, how do you make sure energy frugal homes get built? Include energy efficiency in your building codes.

The model for this type of building code may be the latest version of California’s Energy Efficiency Building Standards. Making it as easy as possible for consumers and builders to understand, the Standards, including regulations, forms and manuals, are all posted on the Internet and available on CD-ROM. Questions can be answered by e-mail or by calling a hotline. Documents too, can be ordered via an automated fax line.

The new code will be revised every three years to reflect changes in technology, and it is flexible. Builders can use a performance based approach to meet the energy efficiency standards. That is, contractors can get “compliance credits” for building systems that exceed efficiency standards to offset systems that fall below. Visit the Building Standards at http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24 .

YEAR ONE RESULTS. The Center for Resource Solutions has issued a report card on its Green-e branding program for renewable energy marketers operating in California.

The Green-e Verification Report, compiled by independent auditors, states that marketers in California have sold more renewable energy than required under their certification. Over 90% of residential green power customers bought Green-e brand products, and non-residential business customers accounted for 20% of green power sales. The first year of energy deregulation has also spawned the development of 500 megawatts of new renewable power projects - 300 MW of which will be operating within the next year. Visit Green-e at http://www.green-e.org/ .

HYBRID VEHICLE BATTERY SPECS. Ergenics Inc has released the specifications for a prototype battery design developed specifically for hybrid electric vehicles. The demonstration 15 cell Nickel-Hydrogen Bipolar Segmented Battery produced a full capacity pulse discharge of 830 watts at 14 volts. The battery is 7 inches in diameter by 2 inches thick and weights 1.6 kilograms. Specific power is 520 watts per kilogram The design is scalable by adding more cells. A full size hybrid vehicle battery would need at least 240 cells.

Hybrid vehicles need bursts of battery power for acceleration and hill climbing. The battery was designed with the help of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Visit Ergenics at http://www.ergenics.com/ . (Revisit if necessary.)

HIGH QUALITY ALUMINUM. Generally speaking, recycled aluminum may not be of the highest quality. Primary quality aluminum billet - often smelted from bauxite ore - may be the best choice for safety critical parts and structures for lightweight cars of the future.

Hydro Aluminum Metal Products, a division of Norsk Hydro, will build the first aluminum remelt plant in the United States that can produce primary quality aluminum from scrap. Increasing the supply of high quality aluminum - up to 90,000 tons each year from this plant alone - will reduce the dependence on aluminum made from ore as well as improve recycling efforts nationwide. Visit Norsk Hydro at http://www.hydro.com/ .