Green Energy News | January 21, 2001

January 21, 2001 – Vol.5 No.43

ENERGIES... week of January 21, 2001

WASTE OR RESOURCE? Anyone who doesn’t believe that people are a wasteful lot should visit the landfill dump of a major city. Endless truckloads of trash build into mountains that are constantly re-landscaped by roving bulldozers. These mountains change so often that the terrain is hardly recognizable from one week to the next. Recycling programs reclaim easily marketable solid waste, yet by far most of what we throw away gets buried, dumped or incinerated.

This doesn’t have to be. Solid waste could become a source of energy as well as packaging or construction material, according to Tor Energy. The company’s Plasma Energy Converter (PEC) through its non-incineration process that includes pyrolysis - the decomposition of matter in the absence of oxygen - can convert solid waste into energy-rich gas and a glass-like slag. Combustible gas produced by the PEC of carbon-based trash can be used in industrial processes or to generate electricity. Non-carbon based materials - glass and metals - could become a useful commodity. Other byproducts are reprocessed.

WIND NORWAY. While we may think of Norway as an oil rich country, its domestic power supply is actually heavily dependent on hydropower. Soon, windpower could supplement the nation’s hydro.

In Norway energy demand peaks in winter, coincidentally its windiest season. But its hydropower relies on rain and snow melt from earlier in the year. By adding windpower, less hydro is needed in winter, and the energy stored in reservoirs can be preserved for spring, summer and fall.

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate has given three concessions to build wind power plants in Stadtlandet - 70 megawatts, Smola - 150 megawatts, and Hitra - 56 megawatts, all to be built by Statkraft and expected to be subsidized by the government. The nation has the potential to have 14 terrawatt-hours of wind energy developed which would supply 10 percent of the nation’s electric power needs. Visit the Bellona Foundation at http://www.bellona.no/ .

MANDATE FOR FCV’S AND EV’S. Both fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and electric vehicle (EV) proponents should be pleased with possible approval of amendments by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) of its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Those amendments, according to fuel cell maker Ballard, would pave the way for the commercialization of FCV’s in the state.

Amendments, which still need final review, include, allowing fuel cell vehicles that are fueled by methanol or petroleum to be included in ZEV sales calculations, the inclusion of an incentive to further develop advanced electric vehicle components, and the elimination of CARB’s biennial review process. Ford announced to CARB officials that it intends to meet its ZEV requirement in 2003. Visit CARB at http://www.arb.ca.gov/ .

MICROTURBINE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH. According to Primen, an energy related market intelligence company, sales and shipments of microturbines grew by more than 300 percent in 2000. Last year more than 1200 units were shipped, up from 300 the year before, and Primen expects at least 3500 to delivered in 2001, possibly as many as 5500. Visit Primen at http://www.primen.com/ .