Conference Focuses on Nuclear Energy's Future

EarthVision Reports 08/23/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8180&start=1

ARGONNE, IL, August 23, 1999 - The worldwide future of nuclear energy will be the topic as scientists, engineers and policy-makers from around the world meet this summer in Wyoming.

The Global '99 conference, the world's premiere international conference on future nuclear systems, will be held August 29th to September 3rd at the Snow King Resort and Snow King Center in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Hosted by Argonne National Laboratory-West, this event is the fourth in a series of biannual conferences, with previous conferences being held in Seattle in 1993, Versailles in 1995, and Yokohama in 1997. The American Nuclear Society is sponsoring the conference along with more than two dozen cooperating international organizations.

Worldwide perspectives on nuclear technology will be presented in an opening session that features Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) as the keynote speaker, along with eminent scientists from Great Britain, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

Three plenary sessions will include:

Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century: Revisiting Our Assumptions is the theme of a plenary session with panel members from the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, and Stanford University. This session will analyze the world's assumptions regarding the deployment and promise of nuclear energy. Utility participation in the worldwide development of nuclear power with emphasis on the role of global politics, economics, and the environment will be examined in a plenary session led by Jim Sullivan, chairman of the Alabama Public Service Commission and president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. This panel includes Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and international utility leaders. The future of nuclear technology as viewed by young scientists from around the world. This session will allow three distinguished speakers to give their perspectives on the Future of Nuclear Technology and to invite a panel of young people representing universities, regulatory authorities, research organizations, and the industry itself to respond to their challenges.

More than 400 technical papers will be presented with half by authors outside the United States. Technical sessions will cover the nuclear fuel cycle and waste management; advanced nuclear energy concepts; Applications of nuclear technology other than power generation; and nuclear resources and infrastructure.

Registration is $450 for members of the American Nuclear Society, and $550 for non-members. Student registration is $50. For a registration package, contact Dr. Todd Allen, Argonne National Laboratory-West, P.O. Box 2528, Idaho Falls, ID 83403-2528, phone (208) 533-7760, e-mail todd.allen@anlw.anl.gov.

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[Interesting articles about new energy systems on August EarthVision site....]

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Energy Efficient House Joins Parade

EarthVision Reports 08/19/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8158&start=31

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program is a cosponsor of the Parade home that cuts energy use by an estimated 40 percent over model energy codes and 70 percent over the US average for a comparable size house. The Building America program works with lead builders to reduce energy use and construction waste in new housing. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provides technical support for this and other Building America projects around the country and detailed the house's features in a recent news release.

According to NREL, the Aimee Sporer Signature Home features advanced window glazings, computer-driven lighting, high performance heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, structural insulated panels to improve insulation, recycled beams and trusses to reduce lumber use and other state-of-the-art resource efficient products and systems. NREL building engineers estimate the combination of advanced products and design strategies reduces overall energy use by 40 percent.

"This environmentally friendly new home demonstrates that energy efficient products and designs can work in any structure and any climate," said Building America program manager George James. "All of the technologies and systems used in this house can also be used successfully in other houses."

In connection with the Parade of Homes NREL is sponsoring two consumer workshops on solar electricity for the new home Wednesday, Aug. 25 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. The workshops will be held in the basement of the Signature House. Space at each workshop is limited to 50 people. To make reservations call NREL at 303-275-4087.

The 1999 Parade of Homes takes a look at nine distinctive custom homes, all of which showcase the "Built Green" program, an environmentally sensitive and energy efficient way of building. The homes are built around an 18-hole golf course, feature the latest in digital technology, architecture, landscaping and interior design and range in price from $600,000 to $1.2 million. Tours are open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; no one is admitted to homes after 7 p.m. For more information, call 303-778-1444.

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Pennsylvania Offers $4 Million in Alternative Fuel Grants

EarthVision Reports 08/18/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8142&start=41

HARRISBURG, PA, August 18, 1999 - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced yesterday that it is allocating more than $4 million this year to its Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program. The state agency said in a statement that the program is designed to increase the use of alternative fuel vehicles and develop a refueling infrastructure in Pennsylvania. The statement said private individuals, school districts, colleges and universities, municipal authorities, political subdivisions, nonprofit organizations, and corporations or partnerships incorporated or registered in Pennsylvania are eligible for the grants.

The funds can be used to convert an existing gasoline vehicle to operate on an alternative fuel, to pay for the difference between an alternative fuel vehicle and a conventional gasoline or diesel vehicle, to purchase and install a refueling facility, or to evaluate new alternative fuel technologies. The agency considers alternative fuels to include compressed and liquefied natural gas (CNG and LNG, respectively), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), the alcohol fuels (methanol and ethanol), hydrogen, hythane, electricity, biomass, coal and soybean fuels.

Applications for the grants are available at the agency's homepage below, or by calling Lisa Osman of the Bureau of Air Quality at 717-772-3427.

Associated Link: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

http://www.dep.state.pa.us

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Canada Invests in Fuel Cell Research

EarthVision Reports 08/19/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8166&start=21

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August 19, 1999 - The government of Canada has announced the launch of the National Fuel Cell Research and Innovation Initiative, with a $30 million investment to further strengthen the industry's research and development.

John Manley, Minister of Industry; Ralph Goodale, Minister of Natural Resources; and Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) Raymond Chan, as part of the Initiative, inaugurated a new National Fuel Cell Research Facility at the National Research Council's (NRC) Innovation Centre on the University of British Columbia campus.

Fuel cells are energy-efficient, low polluting electrochemical systems that can provide power while meeting the need to ensure vehicles and industry become cleaner in the future. The entire field of fuel cell research has entered a phase of rapid development, with new discoveries and opportunities occurring almost daily.

"This investment in knowledge and innovation will strengthen our leading-edge fuel cell industry," said Minister Manley, while Minister Goodale said," Today's announcement illustrates my belief that our desire for a healthy environment and a vibrant economy can, and must, go hand-in-hand."

"This initiative is another positive partnership between Government and business providing Canadians and the world with creative and timely solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve our environment," said Secretary of State Chan on behalf of Environment Minister David Anderson.

The Canadian government said the new Initiative includes: the establishment of the National Fuel Cell Research Facility; a research and technology demonstration and deployment program supported by the NRC, Natural Resources Canada and the Climate Change Action Fund; and a $14 million fund, managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and NRC, designed to lever private sector support for new industry collaborations with researchers in NRC institutes and Canadian universities.

While the National Fuel Cell Research Facility is located in British Columbia, it will serve as an important link to research centres across Canada. Its work will help strengthen this key high-tech industry which in turn will lead to economic and environmental benefits. The Facility will also attract and develop a cluster of companies that will help support and expand Canada's fuel cell industry.

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Next Century Automobiles on Display

EarthVision Reports 08/19/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8157&start=31

NEW YORK, August 19, 1999 - The Museum of Modern Art in New York City is until September 21st featuring a special exhibition on alternative vehicles. The companion website (below) analyzes this new generation of cars, which will help confront the major social, economic, and environmental conditions facing the consumer and the automotive industry. Nine cars that are either in production or that soon will be are examined, with special attention given to their power sources; structures; the use of innovative materials such as composites, plastics, and aluminum; and their new forms of styling. The site also provides a public forum on the future of the automobile.

Associated Link: Different Roads: Automobiles for the Next Century
http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/differentroads/

Scientists Invent New and Inexpensive Fuel Cell

EarthVision Reports 08/13/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8110&start=71

SEATTLE, August 13, 1999 - Researcher at Northwestern University have developed an experimental fuel cell that runs on natural gas instead of pure hydrogen. The new technology, according to an article published today in the journal Nature, could lead to cheaper production of low-pollution power sources. Fuel cells, an alternative power source for cars, power plants and individual buildings, combine gas and oxygen to cause a chemical reaction to produce electricity, water, heat. The process produces virtually no pollutants. The Associated Press, in its take on the story, quoted experts at the U.S. Department of Energy as saying they were skeptical that the experiment, done in a controlled laboratory setting, could be applied to daily use.

The AP article also points out that utilities and auto makers are spending millions of dollars on researching fuel cells. However, while the technology exists, it is still too expensive for practical use. This new development could change all that, according to the Nature article.

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Automotive Fuel Cells Closer to Reality

EarthVision Reports 08/04/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8009&start=171

RICHLAND, WA, August 4, 1999 - The development of efficient, low or zero emission automobile fuel cells is closer to reality as scientists have shown it is technically feasibly to convert gasoline into hydrogen to power a fuel cell.

Since gasoline is currently readily available, scientists have been working on ways to use it as an energy source for fuel cells. With the development of an ultra compact fuel reformer, which converts the gasoline into hydrogen that common fuel cells use, researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory believe they are closer to achieving their goal.

According to the lab, tests have shown that through microtechnology, one of the most critical components of the fuel reformer can now be made at least 1/10 the size of current units without sacrificing efficiency. Systems required to generate and store hydrogen on a vehicle have heretofore been too large and costly to be practical. This demonstration shows that efficient steam reforming systems that can fit within cars powered by fuel cells can be made.

"This microtechnology is significant," said Dan Reicher, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Not only will it reduce the size and weight of on-board fuel reformers, but it also will decrease fuel cell system start-up time. DOE is funding this research as part of its commitment to advance the development of clean and efficient vehicles that will reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining the safety, comfort and convenience that consumers expect."

DOE said it hopes to validate automobile fuel cell systems that meet customer cost and performance expectations by 2004.

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Ford Invents New Hydrogen-Powered Engine

EarthVision Reports 08/18/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8141&start=41

DEARBORN, MI, August 18, 1999 - Ford Motor Company is on a roll when it comes to new environmental initiatives. In the latest development, the company said it is working on a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine that could be the next cleaner-burning alternative to the gasoline engine.

Company sources told The Associated Press that it will consider the engine a transition technology it can use until a fuel-cell powertrain can be perfected. Bill Bates, Ford's manager of alternative power sources, told AP that the new engine is a modified version of Ford's 2-liter Zetec four-cylinder gasoline engine. It gets 25 percent to 30 percent better fuel efficiency, Bates said. The article said the company plans to begin road-testing later this year.

AP said the new hydrogen engine is but one of several alternative power sources that Ford is researching. According to the article, Ford already has a fuel-cell-powered car, the P2000, which uses hydrogen gas.

Earlier in the week, Ford showed off its $1.5 million hydrogen filling station at its North American research complex in Dearborn.

Associated Link: Ford Motor Co.
http://www.ford.com/

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Ford Opens First Hydrogen Fueling Station

EarthVision Reports 08/17/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8125&start=61

DEARBORN, MI, August 17, 1999 - The Ford Motor Company opened its first hydrogen fueling station yesterday as part of its effort to launch a fuel cell-powered vehicle by 2004. A company spokesperson told Reuters that the $1.5 million station can refuel Ford's P2000 prototype car with either liquid or gaseous hydrogen. The hydrogen is then combined with oxygen in a fuel cell to create electricity. The only emission from a hydrogen fuel cell, is water. NASA's space shuttle also is powered on the same technology.

Ford vice president of research Bill Powers told Reuters that the station will help the company analyze the benefits of liquid versus gaseous hydrogen, different types of nozzles for refueling and different pressures for optimal use. The company said in a statement released this week that it also is researching a solid form of hydrogen for fuel cells. A Ford official was quoted at a conference in Philadelphia yesterday as saying the company plans to spend $1 billion on alternative fuel research over the next five years, including $400 million on hydrogen alone.

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Smart Solar Energy System Headed for the Public

EarthVision Reports 08/04/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8013&start=171

GAITHERSBURG, MD, August 4, 1999 - A novel system that uses the power of the sun to directly heat water is about to become commercially available after years of development and testing. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which has been conducting the tests, announced that an exclusive license has been granted to Four Seasons Solar Products Corp. of Holbrook, N.Y., to use the patented technology. According to NIST, the solar water heating system is the first to use photovoltaic (PV) cells and computer chips to harness and direct the sun's energy. PV cells convert energy from sunlight into electricity. The NIST system uses an array of these cells to transfer solar power to specially designed heating elements inside a hot water tank.

The system can use as many as six heating elements. A microprocessor monitors the energy produced by the photovoltaic cells, and then determines which heating element or combination of elements to use in the tank. According to NIST, this process enables the system to work very efficiently, taking advantage of the varying amounts of solar energy harvested throughout the day and optimizing the output from the solar cells.

Further, the system eliminates durability and reliability issues associated with previous solar thermal hot water systems. Solar thermal systems heat water by pumping water or an antifreeze solution through solar collector panels. These systems require the use of pipes and circulating pumps to transport the fluid from the storage tank through the solar collectors. The PV solar water heating system does not require a circulating pump or pipes to transport the collected energy to the storage tank; it uses conventional house wiring.

Engineers developed and tested the system at NIST's Gaithersburg campus. Several other successful pilot projects have shown that the system works well in different climates. For example, one system supplies hot water in the rest rooms at the Sugarlands Visitor's Center within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The system is also in use at the Florida Solar Energy Center and at two US military housing units in Okinawa.

Associated Link: National Institute of Standards and Technology
http://www.nist.gov

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U.S. President Bill Clinton Makes His Pitch for Cleaner Fuel

EarthVision Reports 08/13/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8107&start=71

WASHINGTON, August 13, 1999 - As expected, U.S. President Bill Clinton issued an executive order today that establishes a council to coordinate the federal government's effort to develop a biomass research program. The order also sets an ambitious goal of tripling use of bioenergy and bioproducts by 2010. As reported yesterday in Earthvision, Clinton's ultimate goal through this initiative is to replace coal, oil, natural gas and uranium with cleaner, renewable biomass energy. Today, The Associated Press reported that Clinton will appeal to Congress today to approve $242 million in his fiscal 2000 budget proposal for research and tax credits to promote energy efficiency, bioenergy and other clean energies. Clinton is expected to make his appeal during a visit to the Agriculture Department.

The White House issued a statement saying if its goal of of tripling biomass use by 2010 is met, annual greenhouse gas emissions would drop by more than 100 million tons, the equivalent of taking 70 million automobiles off the nation's roads. According to the statement, meeting the goal also would generate $15 billion to $20 billion in income for farmers and rural areas.

Associated Link: Clinton's remarks on bio energy
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/html/19990812.html

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Report: California to Benefit Greatly from Alternative Energy Production

EarthVision Reports 08/17/99
http://204.255.211.112/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=8126&start=61

SACRAMENTO, CA, August 17, 1999 - The state of California has enormous untapped potential in producing ethanol from such biomass sources as wood chips, rice straw, municipal trash and solid waste, according to a new report from the California Energy Commission. The unpublished report, which was issued today in draft form to elicit public comment, says ethanol -- a form of alcohol presently made from farm products like corn in the Midwest -- is seen as one of the most likely replacements for the gasoline oxygenate MTBE. MTBE (Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether) was banned in California in a recent Executive Order.

The Commission said in a press release that as a transportation fuel additive, the State's demand for ethanol could be as high as 1.1 billion gallons a year, nearly the current annual production of the entire United States. At present, only one small biomass-to-ethanol plant -- with a capacity to produce 7.5 million gallons of ethanol a year -- operates in California.

The 90-page report indicates that creating an industry to make a renewable liquid fuel from biomass sources offers a number of energy, environmental and economic benefits to the State's citizens. It may help reduce the production of greenhouse gases that may contribute to global climate change, while helping to solve the problem of how to dispose of large amounts of waste from cities, farms and forests. It could also, according to the report, create new jobs and tax revenues for the State's rural and urban areas.

Associated Link: Read the report

http://www.energy.ca.gov/reports/index.html

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CP&L to Merge With Florida Utility

Monday, August 23, 1999; 11:58 a.m. EDT
http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19990823/V000531-082399-idx.html

RALEIGH (AP) -- Carolina Power & Light Co. is buying Florida Progress Corp. for cash and stock worth $5.3 billion in a deal that will create the ninth-largest electric utility in the country.

The agreement announced Monday was approved over the weekend by the boards of directors at both companies.

The deal must also be approved by state regulators in the Carolinas as well as several federal agencies.

CP&L is buying Florida Progress at a premium, paying shareholders of the St. Petersburg-based utility $54 for each share of common stock -- 21 percent above Florida Progress's closing price Friday.

News of the deal boosted Florida Progress' stock 5 percent, or $2.37 1/2 to $36.25, in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. CP&L's shares sagged 7 percent, falling $2.75 to $36.25.

It is the biggest acquisition in CP&L history, making the Raleigh-based gas and electricity provider a key player in the booming Southeastern energy market.

The new holding company will have 2.5 million customers in three states and total revenue of about $6.7 billion, based on 1998 figures. The two utilities expect the merger to translate into savings of more than $100 million a year.

``This gives us the size and the scope we need to be successful in the future,'' said William Cavanaugh, CP&L's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

``It will enable us to increase earnings at a rate of 7 to 8 percent, and we will be operating in one of the best areas in the country the Carolinas and Florida,'' he said Sunday.

About 1,250 positions will be cut as a result of the merger, Cavanaugh said. The reductions will affect both companies, he said. Employees were to be told about the merger today.

CP&L employs 7,650 -- a number that includes positions at N.C. Natural Gas Corp., the company CP&L acquired last month. Florida Progress has 9,600 employees.

The new corporation, a yet-to-be-named holding company under which CP&L and its other businesses will be organized as subsidiaries, will eventually have 16,000 employees, a total reduction of around 7 percent.

About 44 percent of the job cuts will come from overlapping functions, including support services, accounting, treasury and legal services, Cavanaugh said.

While the company will try to scale back its employment numbers in coming months, there will be no layoffs until the merger has been completed next summer, CP&L said.

``We will try to manage this downsizing through attrition,'' Cavanaugh told the newspaper. ``It will be in the interest of both companies to manage the company such that we can minimize the amount of actual employees who lose their jobs.''

Cavanaugh, 60, will lead the new company as chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Richard Korpan, the head of Florida Progress, will retire as that company ceases to exist. He will serve on the board of the new holding company, which will be controlled by CP&L.

Florida Power Corp., the electric subsidiary of Florida Progress, will still be based in St. Petersburg. The license of its nuclear plant, Crystal River, will be transferred to CP&L pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

``This impacts a wide range of people and interests, including North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida ratepayers, shareholders and employees,'' said Jo Anne Sanford, chairwoman of the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

``Our review will focus on whether the action is justified by public convenience and necessity, and we look at these mergers to determine whether there's any adverse impact on ratepayers,'' Sanford said.

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Florida Progress' sale will mean Crystal River job cuts

By RICK CUNDIFF STAFF WRITER
August 24, 1999 Ocala (FL) Star-Banner

CRYSTAL RIVER -- The sale of Florida Progress to Carolina Power and Light will eventually cause job cuts at Florida Power's lone nuclear plant, a top company official said Monday.

The $5.3 billion deal agreed to over the weekend ties Crystal River Unit 3 into a utility that runs four other nuclear plants in North and South Carolina.

Streamlining operations eventually will lead to some job eliminations, said Roy Anderson, senior vice-president of Florida Power's Power Supply group.

"I would say, as for the impact up here, it will probably come from the nuclear plant," Anderson said.

The deal marks the end of Florida Power as an independent entity. CP&L agreed to purchase the utility's parent holding company for $54 a share, a move that effectively doubles the size of either company. The combined company will be headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., the home of CP&L.

"As a larger and stronger company, we together will be in a better position to compete," CP&L spokesman Mike Hughes said.

Company officials project a reduction of 1,250 employees in all areas. Where those cuts will come from is unclear at this point, Hughes said.

CP&L operates four nuclear plants in North and South Carolina.

CP&L's oldest nuclear unit, Robinson 2, located near Hartsville, S.C., has been operating since 1971, six years longer than Crystal River. While the company's track record with nuclear plants has had its ups and downs, it has improved in recent years, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Roger Hannah.

"Operating four nuclear units, they have had a number of years of experience," Hannah said. "In recent years, they have a pretty good performance record."

Crystal River Unit 3 was one of the selling points for CP&L's purchase decision, Hughes said.

An existing Florida Power staffing plan at CR-3 is expected to reduce staff by more than 75 people by next year, plant spokesman Mac Harris said.

Any further changes are likely to be 12 to 18 months away, said CP&L's Hughes. The proposed sale must be approved by both companies' shareholders, the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Rick Cundiff covers Dunnellon, McIntosh and community issues. He can be reached by e-mail at rcundiff@starbanner.com or by phone at 867-4130.