| The Energy Department on August 14 announced funding totaling more than $55 million for 31 new projects designed to accelerate research and development of critical vehicle technologies that will improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs. Four Energy Department national laboratories—Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory—are among the recipients of the awards. Overall, institutions in 12 states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, as well as one in Washington, D.C.—will conduct research. The new projects aim to further the goals and objectives of the president's EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, as well as improvements in other vehicle technologies such as powertrains, fuel, tires, and auxiliary systems. Launched in 2012, the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge seeks to make the U.S. automotive industry the first to produce plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) that are as affordable and convenient as today's gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022. The selections announced are under two major topic areas. One includes critical technologies to meet the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, and consists of 19 projects aimed at reducing the cost and improving the performance of key PEV components. The second topic has 12 projects designed to develop and demonstrate dual-fuel/bi-fuel technologies to reduce petroleum usage: to accelerate growth in high-efficiency, cost-competitive engine and powertrain systems for light-duty vehicles; and to accelerate the introduction of advanced lubricants and coatings to increase the efficiency of vehicles on the road today, as well as future vehicles. Through the Advanced Vehicle Power Technology Alliance with the Energy Department, the Department of the Army is contributing an additional $3.7 million in co-funding to support projects focused on beyond-lithium-ion battery technologies and reducing friction and wear in powertrains. The Army will also test and evaluate fuel-efficient tires resulting from these projects at its facilities in Warren, Michigan. See the Energy Department news release and the complete list of awardees .   The United States continues to be a global leader in wind energy, ranking second in installed capacity in the world, according to two reports released on August 18 by the Energy Department and two of its national laboratories. After modest growth in 2013, total installed wind power capacity in the United States now stands at 61 gigawatts, which meets nearly 4.5% of electricity demand in an average year, according to the 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report, released by the Energy Department and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report also finds that wind energy prices are at an all-time low, with utilities selecting wind as a cost-saving option. The success of the U.S. wind industry has had a ripple effect on the U.S. economy, spurring more than $500 million in exports and supporting jobs related to development, siting, manufacturing, transportation, and other industries. See the 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report . In total, U.S. turbines in distributed applications, which accounted for more than 80% of all wind turbines installed in the United States last year, reached a cumulative installed capacity of more than 842 megawatts (MW)—enough to power 120,000 average U.S. homes—according to the 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report, released by the Energy Department and its Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This capacity is supplied by roughly 72,000 turbines across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In fact, a total of 14 states, including California, Iowa, and Nevada now each have more than 10 MW of distributed wind capacity. See the 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report and the Energy Department news release. Also, go to the Wind 3013 webpage for full coverage of the reports, including photos, video, interactive graphics, and more. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on August 11 announced that its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has defined three Wind Energy Areas offshore North Carolina. The areas total approximately 308,000 acres for potential commercial wind energy development. Each of the three Wind Energy Areas has been designed to make available areas that are attractive for commercial offshore wind development, while also protecting important viewsheds, sensitive habitats and resources, and minimizing space use conflicts with activities such as military operations, shipping, and fishing. The Wind Energy Areas announced include the Kitty Hawk Wind Energy Areas (about 122,000 acres), the Wilmington West Wind Energy Areas (about 52,000 acres), and the Wilmington East Wind Energy Areas (about 134,000 acres). Before any leases are offered for competitive auction, BOEM will complete an Environmental Assessment to determine potential impacts associated with issuing leases and approving site assessment activities in the Wind Energy Areas, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. BOEM is only considering the issuance of leases and approval of site assessment plans at this time. If leases are issued, any proposal for a commercial wind energy facility will require a construction and operations plan and a site-specific environmental analysis. This announcement builds on BOEM's recent activities to grow offshore renewable energy through the leasing of Wind Energy Areas. BOEM has awarded five commercial wind energy leases off the Atlantic coast: two non-competitive leases (for the proposed Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts and an area off Delaware's coast) and three competitive leases (two offshore Massachusetts-Rhode Island and another offshore Virginia). See the DOI news release. On August 15, the first 24 participants marked the successful completion of the Advanced Manufacturing Internship program, a pilot effort sponsored by the Energy Department. The ceremony took place at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee. Funded by the Energy Department's Advanced Manufacturing Office, Pellissippi State developed the curriculum and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) recruited participants from across the country. The students—14 veterans, three active-duty military personnel, two reservists, and five civilians—completed three weeks of classes at Pellissippi, two weeks of hands-on training at the Energy Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, and one week of carbon fiber composites training on ORNL's main campus. See the Energy Department news release and the Advanced Manufacturing Office website. |
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