Green Energy News | September 3, 2000

September 3, 2000 – Vol.5 No.23

ENERGIES... week of September 3, 2000

STANDING FIRM. The 11 member California Air Resources Board (ARB) has voted unanimously to keep the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate in place. By 2003, 10 percent of new automobiles sold or leased in the state must have zero or near-zero tailpipe emissions.

The ruling is softened a bit by technicalities. Only 4 percent must be pure ZEV - now only battery electric cars meet this standard - but 6 percent can be near-zero emission known as Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (SULEV) to receive partial credit towards the 10 percent ruling. Nissan’s Sentra CA is the sole SULEV model that currently meets the standard. Automakers, too, who sell battery electric cars with better than 100 miles range can get extra credit for their efforts.

The Board received about 75,000 letters in support of the mandate - 50,000 of them delivered to California Governor Gray Davis by electric postal delivery vehicle. Testimony revealed that consumers were turned away from auto dealerships when they tried to get a ZEV. Cars were not available.

The hard work of organizations such as the California ZEV Alliance helped make this happen.

BLACKFEET WIND POWER PROJECT. The Blackfeet Indian Tribe and SeaWest WindPower have signed an agreement to build a 22 megawatt wind farm on the tribal Reservation in Montana. Taking advantage of reliable winds that blow down from the Rocky Mountains onto the Great Plains, Blackfeet Wind Power Project I will supply enough electricity for 6,000 homes.

The project will create jobs and a business opportunity for the Tribe. The Bonneville Power Administration is considering buying power from the Project. The Montana Power Company will provide a $1.5 million production subsidy in return for 3 megawatts capacity supplied at discounted rates. Visit SeaWest at http://www.seawestwindpower.com/ .

FUEL CELL FOR FUTURE FARM. As a demonstration project, TOR Energy will build a solid oxide fuel cell generator powered by biogas from treated manure from 200 head of dairy cattle. To be built on a model dairy farm in Connecticut, the Isis Bio-Cell Project will provide 25 kilowatts of electricity to the farm while heat and carbon dioxide exhaust will be fed into greenhouses to enhance plant growth. As they grow, plants inside will release oxygen back into the air.

OFF-THE-SHELF FUEL CELL. H Power has announced the availability of a new proton exchange membrane (PEM) 250 watt fuel cell. The Power PEM (tm) PS250 is available in portable or stationary rack-mounted models. The Power Pem was designed to replace batteries or small generator sets. It could also be used in small electric vehicles as a primary power source or in a hybrid battery/fuel cell configuration. Back-up power for a solar system is another possibility.

H Power was one of the first companies to offer commercially available PEM fuel cells.