GreenClips, A Summary of News on Sustainable Building Design
GreenClips, a summary of news on sustainable building design and related government and business issues is published every two weeks by email.  Architectural researcher and environmental consultant Chris Hammer of Sustainable Design Resources publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps planners, developers, building owners, designers, builders, and facility managers practice sustainable planning, development, building design, construction, and operation. 

Guidelines for Green Energy Advertising Adopted
William Sorrell, attorney general of Vermont, recently announced that the state has adopted the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) multistate Environmental Marketing Guidelines for Electricity. The guidelines were drafted by Sorrell's office and the Oregon Attorney General's Office, and serve as a set of standards intended for electricity providers to follow when advertising "green" products. The guidelines are intended for those 21 states that have already enacted electricity market restructuring legislation. Some energy providers claim "100% Renewable" or "Clean Energy," while others seek out "seal of approval" from recognized environmental organizations.  The guidelines stipulate that claims must be supported by reasonable facts and may be based on yearly averages, the same electricity may only be sold to one retail end-user, disclosures must be clear to avoid deception, statements must not overstate environmental benefits, the term "green" and other similar claims must be used with caution, the term "clean energy" means energy without significant emissions, "renewable energy" is energy that is naturally replenishable, and "seals of approval" must include name of the organization and criteria used in selection.  "Vermont has not yet moved to a competitive market for electricity," said Sorrell. "However, at such time as a decision is made to allow electric companies to compete, the NAAG guidelines will both help companies craft their Vermont advertisements in non-deceptive ways, and provide standards for analyzing advertisements for deceptions." Contact: Elliot Burg, Vermont Office of the Attorney General, phone 802-828-5507, website http://www.state.vt.us/atg/Environmental%20Marketing%20Guidelines.htm  .  Source: Vermont Office of Attorney General Release 2/7/2000 via EIN Renewable Energy Today 3/2/2000.

California Water Agencies Sign Up to Buy Green Electricity
In an arrangement finalized Feb. 24, the Association of California Water Agencies-Utility Service Agency (ACWA-USA) and Preferred Energy Services, Inc., (also known as Cleen 'N Green) signed an agreement that provides for the supply of electricity from renewable sources to public water agencies in California. The agreement calls for Preferred to provide 100% renewable power at below-utility prices for all participating water agency accounts using less than 50 kW. Preferred obtains energy from geothermal, biomass, small
scale hydropower (less than 30 MW capacity), wind and solar sources, all renewable sources more environmentally friendly than conventional power generation.  The agreement, Preferred said, will guarantee participating agencies that they will purchase green energy for prices below those offered by the state Power Exchange.  "In the waning years of the first phase of the transition to a deregulated electricity market in California, we've finalized a no-hassle, no-risk arrangement using renewable electricity, at a guaranteed, fixed-discount savings over staying with the Power Exchange," said ACWA-USA President Ed Horton. "Months of effort have paid off."  ACWA-USA is a joint powers authority formed by the Association of  California Water Agencies (a statewide Association whose 443 public agency members collectively are responsible for 90% of the water delivered in California) to provide utility services to its members. ACWA-USA currently provides electricity, natural gas, and energy efficiency services.  Under the agreement with Preferred Energy, water agencies will have the option of having the utility do the billing for services and for power generation. No new meters will be required to participate in this program.  Preferred Energy Services, Inc. has been selling power in California under the brand-name Cleen 'N Green Energy since the onset of  deregulation on March 31, 1998. More information is available on the firm's Web page at http://www.go-green.com .  Source: AWEA Wind Weekly 3/10/2000.

San Diego Newspaper Signs Up for Green Power
Tustin, CA-based utility Commonwealth Energy Corporation recently announced it will provide the green energy needs for Escondido's North County Times, a San Diego county-based newspaper. The North County Times made the switch from power generated by coal, oil, and nuclear sources, to power generated exclusively by renewable sources in part due to electricity deregulation in California.  Through the "green" power services contract, Commonwealth will offer the newspaper a flat rate throughout the year, for electricity produced using renewable resources during higher demand summer months.  "It's reassuring to see businesses that help shape the community, like the North County Times, make a proactive move towards using green power now that they can," said Commonwealth Energy vice president of sales and energy services Patrick Weller. "We were the first to provide a discount to residential and small business customers for using environmentally friendly energy. Now we are providing green power with economic advantages to commercial and industrial customers as well."  Weller pointed out that Commonwealth Energy will provide the green energy, but North County Times' current utility will still distribute the power in order to ensure reliability. Since 1998, Commonwealth Energy customer base in both California and Pennsylvania has grown to 95,000. It is licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and registered with the California Public Utilities Commission as Green-e certified. Most of its energy comes from geothermal sources. Contact: Commonwealth Energy, website  http://www.electric.com  .  Source: Commonwealth Energy Release 3/6/2000 via EIN Renewable Energy Today 3/8/2000.
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For more information on Green Power go to:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/   or   http://www.thegreenpowergroup.org/
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SNL Researching New PV Material
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) recently discovered a way to use the semiconductor alloy indium gallium arsenide nitride (InGaAsN) as a power source for photovoltaic systems in space communications satellites and for lasers in fiber optics. The scientists added nitrogen to gallium arsenide, a semiconductor material, which caused "crazy physics" to occur, leaving the material with characteristics suitable for satellite PVs and laser applications.  SNL said the material has the potential for a 40 percent efficiency rate when used in a state-of-the-art multi- layer cell, this would represent nearly double the efficiency rate of a standard silicon solar cell. The material is produced using a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process.  Scientists heat a gallium arsenide wafer to between 500 and 800 degrees Celsius in an MOCVD reactor, where gases containing indium, gallium, arsenic and nitrogen are able to flow together. The heat of the reactor causes the source chemicals to decompose, allowing the elements themselves to form a crystal on the wafer which is the InGaAsN alloy. The addition of nitrogen to gallium arsenide has a pronounced effect on gallium arsenide's bandgap structure, which is the minimum amount of energy needed for an electron to transfer from the valence band into the conduction band and create current. SNL said the nitrogen reduces gallium arsenide's bandgap energy by almost one-third.  The InGaAsN material was developed about 10 years ago by Hong Hou, who is now chief technology officer of EMCORE Corporation. Contact: Eric Jones, SNL, phone 505-844-8752, e-mail  edjones@sandia.gov  ; Andy Allerman, SNL, phone 505-845-3697, e-mail aaaller@sandia.gov  .  Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today 3/13/2000 via Sandia National Lab Release 3/8/2000.
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For more information on Renewable Resources go to:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/repis/
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RETScreen Renewable Energy Project Analysis Software
Natural Resources Canada's RETScreen Renewable Energy Project Analysis Software now provides users access to pertinent product specifications data and manufacturer contact information through its On-line Product Database. The database was introduced in August '99 and is available for download free-of-charge with the RETScreen software at http://retscreen.gc.ca  The database is built into the three new models of RETScreen's Version 99 and related data can be directly transferred into the spreadsheets as required, to ensure users get the maximum benefit from the software.  These three new models are in addition to the five existing RETScreen models, which CEDRL is currently upgrading.  Once upgraded, these first five models will also include the on-line product database.  The On-line Product Database houses information on: *   Solar water heaters; *   Ground-source heat pumps; *   Windows; *   Wind turbines; *   Small hydro turbines; *   Photovoltaic modules; *   Solarwalls; and *   Biomass heating systems.  If you are a manufacturer and your product falls into one of the above listed groups or pertains to one of the 8 RETScreen technologies and you would like information on your product included free-of-charge in the Product Database contact CEDRL e-mail:  rets-pdb@nrcan.gc.ca  .  RETScreen is a standardised and integrated renewable energy project analysis software developed by Natural Resources Canada's CANMET Energy Diversification Research Laboratory (CEDRL) in collaboration with +70 experts from industry and government.
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For more information on Educational Resources go to: http://www.thegateway.org
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Wind Energy Proves Popular With Working Assets Customers
Working Assets Long Distance, a socially responsible long-distance telephone and Internet service company that works with its customers to send messages to members of Congress and other decision-makers, said recently that its most popular issue last year was a push to support clean energy and extend the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).  The company said more than 40,000 members responded to its July, 1999, alert calling on members of the U.S. House of Representatives to extend the PTC.  "This credit is clearly one of the most important mechanisms available to spur development of clean, renewable wind energy at
cost-competitive rates," Working Assets noted in a January mailing that informed customers of the victory they had helped achieve.  Legislation including a two-and-a-half year extension of the PTC was passed by Congress in November and signed by President Clinton in December. In each monthly telephone bill, Working Assets highlights two issues, explaining what's at stake and who to contact to make a difference. Customers can place a call free of charge, ask Working Assets to send a Citizen letter on their behalf, or join a FaxFlash network.  Alerts are issued on a range of human rights, economic justice and environmental issues. Source: AWEA Wind Weekly 3/10/2000.

Senators Introduce Bill to Support Biomass
The U.S. Senate recently approved the National Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Act, a bill sponsored by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) that would work to expand the use of biomass as an alternative fuel source for electric power generation.  The measure allots $49 million for a six-year research and development (R&D) effort to be lead by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and would include researchers from Department of Energy's (DOE) national laboratories, various universities and industry.  "[The] conversion of biomass into bio-based industrial products offers outstanding potential for benefit to the national interest through improved strategic security and balance of payments, healthier rural economies, improved environmental quality, near-zero net greenhouse gas emissions, technology export, and sustainable resource supply," stated the bill.  The bill was sponsored by 19 other senators, including Senators Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Pete Domenici (R-NM). Legislators have also introduced a companion bill to the National Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Act in the House of Representatives. However, the bill has not yet come to the floor for a vote.  The bill will also provide USDA with $14 million to construct a ethanol research pilot plant and create a national advisory committee on sustainable fuels. Lugar noted that biomass is crucial to U.S. efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and reduce emissions of global warming gases. Contact: Office of Senator Lugar, phone 202-224-4814, e-mail senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov  .   Source: The Energy Report 3/13/2000 via EIN Renewable Energy Today 3/15/2000.
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For more information on legislative activities go to: http://www.kannerandassoc.com/fedenergybills.html
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The Changing Structure of the Electric Power Industry, 1999 Mergers and Other Corporate Communications
Since the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which opened the U.S. electric power industry to the start of competition, investor-owned electric utilities (IOUs) have been under pressure to cut costs, to become more efficient, and to expand their products and services. Mergers, acquisitions, asset divestitures, and other forms of corporate combinations have become widespread as IOUs seek to improve their positions in the increasingly competitive electric power industry.  Since 1992 IOUs have been involved in 26 mergers, and an additional 16 mergers are pending approval. One effect of these mergers is that the industry is becoming more concentrated. In 1992 the 10 largest IOUs owned 33 percent of total IOU-held generation capacity. By 1998 the 10 largest IOUs owned 39 percent. As more mergers are completed over the next few years, the 10 largest IOUs will own an estimated 51 percent of IOU-held generation capacity.  From the combinations that have taken place over the past few years, three trends have emerged: (1) an increase in the size of IOUs and the concentration of generation capacity within the IOU sector; (2) an expansion of IOUs, which once focused mainly on electricity production and delivery, into the natural gas industry (a trend that has been labeled “convergence” in the trade press and elsewhere); and (3) the move of many vertically integrated IOUs (i.e., utilities that own generation, transmission, and distribution assets) to exit the power generation business to become “wire” companies, enabling them to concentrate solely on operating their transmission and distribution systems. This report presents data about corporate combinations involving IOUs in the United States, discusses corporate objectives for entering into such combinations, and assesses their cumulative effects on the structure of the industry.  This report, which was published in December 1999, has many usefull graphs and statistics and can be access at:  http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/corp_str/corpcomb.html
Source: Elliott Boardman, Executive Director, AESP International 3/15/2000.
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For more information on marketing and market research go to: http://www.researchinfo.com/  or  http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/emaa/index.html
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U.S. DOE Program Funding Now Available Through State Energy Offices
The Initiative on Cooperative Programs with States for Research, Development, and Demonstration was posted on the Golden Field Office World Wide Web site recently.  It can be accessed at  http://www.eren.doe.gov/golden/solicitations.html
Source: Frank Vignola, Department of Physics, University of Oregon 3/13/2000.

Clean Cities Rebate Program
The U.S. Department of Energy requests applications from designated Clean Cities Coalitions for a dedicated Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) rebate program.  Through this RFP, DOE seeks to enable Coalitions to provide a $2K rebate for each dedicated AFV purchased.  The purpose of this RFP is to increase the concentration of AFV in designated Clean Cities Coalition regions, thereby stimulating investment in AFV refueling infrastructure and the manufacture of original equipment manufacture (OEM) vehicles.  Up to 80 grants expected.  Minimum grants, $10K per year each, with a project term of 3 years.  Proposals due 3/15/00.  For more info, contact Tammie Lawler, DOE, at  Tammie_Lawler@nrel.gov   or go to   http://www.eren.doe.gov/golden/solicitations.html   .  Refer to Sol# DE-PS36-00GO10498.  Source: The Seattle Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, Solicitation No. 69, 2/9/2000.
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For more information on funding solicitations go to: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
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