Green Energy News | July 2, 2000

July 2, 2000 – Vol.5 No.14

ENERGIES... week of July 2, 2000

WIND POWER - POWER ORDER. With steady and reliable breezes, the vast interior of the United States is fertile ground for wind farming. In an effort to further tap this resource FPL Energy has announced it will purchase 200 wind turbines - with an option for 600 more - from Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark. The order will fulfill FPL’s plans to add 500 - 1000 megawatts of wind energy in yet-to-be-determined locations in the west, mid-west or southwest U.S by the end of 2001. All turbines on order from Vestas are the model V-47 with a 660 kilowatt capacity.

FPL operates wind farms in four states totaling 870 megawatts capacity. Of that, 483 megawatts are owned by the company. Wind power equals 15 percent of FPL’s power generation portfolio. Visit FPL Energy at http://www.fplenergy.com/ , Vestas at http://www.vestas.dk/ .

FUEL CELL DEVELOPMENTS. Ballard Power Systems has received an additional $19 million from EBARA Corporation of Japan to bring its ownership in the Canadian firm to 11.4 percent.

EBARA’s interest in Ballard has been in the development of stationary fuel cell power plants. In one project EBARA is developing cogeneration systems combining Ballard power generators and EBARA absorption chillers. Another project involves building fuel cell generators which use methane gas from wastewater treatment as fuel.

Ballard, and spin-off company XCELLSIS Fuel Cell Engines, have also announced the successful conclusion of their fuel cell bus demonstration program with TransLink of Vancouver, and the beginning of the next phase of field trials of fuel cell bus engines with transit agencies in California. In revenue service under TransLink, three XCELLSIS powered buses operated for two years and 67,000 kilometers carrying more than 110,000 passengers. Next generation buses - 25 in all - will be operated as part of the California Fuel Cell Partnership program. Those fuel cell buses will be the last tested before being offered for sale in 2002. Visit Ballard at http://www.ballard.com/ , EBARA at http://www.ebara.co.jp/indexe.html .

LIGHTS WORKING EFFICIENTLY . It’s not just the light bulb that makes for energy efficient lighting. It’s also the fixture it’s in. The better a light fixture is at delivering light to where it’s needed, the fewer fixtures are required - and energy is saved.

BC Light Manufacturing is expanding its production facilities to meet world-wide demand for its line of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting. Where most research and development in efficient lighting has been in lamps and ballasts, BC has been at work developing light fixtures that, through proprietary enclosure material and engineered reflector angles, optimize the amount of light that reaches a work or public area. BC claims 98 percent of the light from their lamps reaches its intended destination, and energy savings from their light fixture can be up to 70 percent.

To increase overall energy efficiency the company also offers fixtures that are mechanically ventilated. Ducting on the lamps can redirect heat to become a source of space heating, or exhaust it to reduce air conditioning loads.

BC Light fixtures have been put to work in aircraft hangars, factories, warehouses, gymnasiums and greenhouses where better lighting has enhanced plant growth. Contact BC Light at bclight@island.net