Green Energy News | December 12, 1999

December 12, 1999 – Vol.4 No.37

ENERGIES... week of December 12, 1999

FUEL CELL VEHICLES ON-LINE. The California Fuel Cell Partnership will construct a 55,000 square foot demonstration, service, testing and refueling center for fuel cell vehicles in West Sacramento, California. As an Internet user you’ll be able to get a bird’s-eye view of daily operations at the facility when it opens late next year.

Within the center the diagnostic and repair shop - complete with dynamometer to test power output where rubber-meets-the-road - will have individual service bays for each of the vehicle partners; DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen. Outside the shop energy partners Arco, Shell and Texaco will operate a refueling station to dispense compressed or chilled liquid hydrogen for the test vehicles.

An Internet connected camera will offer daily views of the facility and vehicles in action. The facility will also be open to the public for tours and become headquarters for the Partnership.

The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a voluntary effort by the above mentioned firms, as well as Ballard Power Systems, the California Air Resources Board, and the California Energy Commission, to bring fuel cell vehicles into reality in California and elsewhere. The Partnership plans to place 50 fuel cell powered passenger cars and buses on the road between 2000 and 2003. Visit the Partnership and the facility when open at http://www.drivingthefuture.org/ .

RENEWABLE CHOICE GROWS. Consumers concerned where their electricity comes from - and have the ability to choose - now have more options.

Customers served by Portland (Oregon) General Electric (PGE) can now purchase Clean Wind Power or Salmon-Friendly Power (tm) renewable energy. With the programs residential customers can buy one or two 100 kilowatt blocks of electricity each month for $5 per block. Commercial and industrial customers can buy more than two blocks. One half the additional fees will be put towards the construction of new wind generation in the Pacific Northwest or for the restoration of salmon habitat, depending on the program chosen. The other half will be used for the purchase of higher-cost power bought from other qualifying renewable sources such as low impact hydro.

Renewable choice is also available in Europe and the UK. At least one firm, Unit-e (Unit Energy), will purchase power for customers from 100 percent renewable resources. Visit Salmon Friendly Power at For the Sake of Salmon at http://www.4sos.org/ and Unit-e http://www.unit-energy.co.uk/ .

STATE-OF-THE-ART WASTE-TO-ENERGY. Given the green light, so to speak, by U.S. Government and Pennsylvania state officials, a new technology for converting agricultural and other organic wastes for energy and other purposes was unveiled this week at a facility in Philadelphia.

Thermo-Depolymerization Process (TDP) developed by Changing World Technologies mimics the earth’s natural geological processes, albeit at an accelerated rate, to use water, organic waste, heat and pressure to make high quality oils, gases, carbon and specialty chemicals without hazardous byproducts. Visit Changing World at http://www.changingworldtech.com/ .