Energy Analysis Newsletter — July 2008
Energy analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) encompasses a broad range of energy analysis in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), NREL programs and initiatives, and the energy analysis community. Here is the latest news on energy analysis activities at NREL:
David Kline
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July Seminar: Wind Supply Curves for China
On July 10, NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and DOE/EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) will present a seminar discussing development of wind supply curves. China's national energy plans call for 30 GW of new wind installations by 2020, and many analysts believe that more aggressive targets could be reached. In support of China's wind efforts, analysts at NREL have recently worked with Chinese partners to assess the potential of specific wind-prospect areas. The group developed planning and assessment methods that combine economic calculations and geographic information into a "geospatial supply curve" (GSC).
This seminar, presented by David Kline of NREL, will describe the concept of the GSC, how it can be applied to China's wind power planning, and how it can be extended and applied elsewhere. (See the related publication below.)
For more information on the seminar series — including log-in and call-in information for remote access — visit the Web site.
Upcoming seminars
July 17, 2008 (BONUS)
"Environmental Impacts and Costs of Energy: Methodology and Results of the ExternE Project of the EU" — Ari Rabl (Ecole des Mines de Paris)
August 14, 2008
"EnergyPlus and SketchUp: Integrating Building Energy Performance into Design" — Drury Crawley (U.S. DOE)
October 9, 2008
"Meta Analysis of Renewable Energy Scenarios" — Gail Mosey (NREL)
Publications and Web Sites
Some of the documents in this section are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs.
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Developing Wind Supply Curves
NREL staff members David Kline, Donna Heimiller, and Shannon Cowlin have published the report, "A GIS Method for Developing Wind Supply Curves" (PDF 632 KB). This report describes work conducted by NREL as part of the Wind Technology Partnership sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This project has developed methods that the National Development and Reform Commission intends to use in the planning and development of China's 30 GW of planned wind capacity. Because of China's influence within the community of developing countries, the methods and the approaches here may help foster wind development in other countries. (See the related seminar above.)
APEC Biofuels
SEAC staff member Anelia Milbrandt worked with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to develop a Web site on the development and deployment of biofuels in APEC economies. The APEC Biofuels site serves as a common platform for sharing biofuels information among members as well as the general public. The biofuels industry in the APEC region consists of two distinct sectors, ethanol and biodiesel. Fuel ethanol production within the region in 2007 was estimated at approximately 27,600 million liters, mainly produced in the United States, China, Canada, Australia, and Thailand. Biodiesel production in 2007 was approximately 4,400 million liters with the majority of the production coming from the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Australia, and Canada. The site provides an overview on biofuels, a summary of APEC biofuels activities, information on current biofuels status in each member economy, and information on the APEC Biofuels Task Force.
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Telecommunications Industry and Distributed Generation
SEAC analyst Alison Wise presented "Laying the Groundwork: Lessons Learned from the Telecommunications Industry for Distributed Generation" (PDF 341 KB) at the 2008 CTSI Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Conference and Trade Show on June 1-5. The presentation talked about the telecommunications industry, its growing pains in the past, and the lessons that can be applied to the growing distributed generation (DG) "industry." The technology shifts and stakeholders involved with the historic market transformation of the telecommunications sector mirror similar factors involved in distributed generation today. An examination of these factors may inform best practices when approaching the conduits necessary to accelerate the shifting of our nation's energy system to cleaner forms of generation and use. The paper explores potential correlation and outlines the lessons that can be learned from this comparison.
Analysts Meet With Stakeholders
Bob Westby provided an invited presentation on "NREL Greenhouse Gas Management Strategies" at the White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) Federal Environmental East Symposium on June 2-4. Symposium participants shared experiences with federal agencies in the Implementation Progress of Executive Order 13423 — Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management.
SEAC Center Director Doug Arent participated in the Council on Competiveness meeting on "Energy Security, Innovation, and Sustainability" in Virginia on June 3-4. The meeting was the third Progressive Dialogue hosted by Council President Debra Wince-Smith, and focused on key issues related to energy, sustainability, and effects on U.S. competiveness.
Ron Benioff accompanied DOE Assistant Secretary Andy Karsner and other key DOE officials on a visit to Israel, which resulted in signing of a bilateral implementation agreement to advance cooperation on joint public-private R&D projects. The initial emphasis will be on biofuels, solar, electric vehicle battery, and energy-water technologies and systems. NREL initiated an analysis of policies that Israel can use to accelerate renewable energy development, as well as enhanced collaboration with key companies and research institutions in Israel. The lab also is planning a U.S. visit for Israeli researchers, and developing draft guidelines for the U.S.-Israel working group.
SEAC staff member Alicen Kandt presented at the National Defense Center for Energy and Environment Information Exchange for Sustainable Facilities in Washington, D.C., on June 9. She discussed identifying potential renewable energy and energy efficiency applications and the integrated design process.
Doug Arent was requested to give remarks related to biofuels and the global food crisis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Task Force meeting co-chaired by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) on June 17 in Washington, D.C. His briefing focused on technical and government actions that might be considered in addressing perceptions of the impacts of biofuels on food pricing and availability.
For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis Web site.
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