December 1, 1994

From: Edward Beardsworth
To: UFTO Subscribers

Happy Holidays!–almost. Getting to be that time when you think of the year as already over, but UFTO has a very full month ahead.

1. On-site briefing and needs assessments are set at NYSEG, Boston Edison and NSP…risky places to travel to in December, but I plan to be lucky with the weather.

2. The last of the “previous reports”, Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) is enclosed. (You already have 3 reports, ORNL, NIST, and ANL.) Livermore was the first place we went. LLNL has just looked over a final draft, and helped update some of the organizational information, however the technical material is essentially as it was a year ago. LLNL will provide new information to us as it arises. Some new ideas in fuel cells and work in ground penetrating radar will be coming soon.

3 The trip to National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden CO, November 21 and 22, was quite successful. See the attached sheet of “hot” items. The detailed report is in preparation.

4. Labs to visit: I’m making arrangements to go to LBL and Sandia. You’ve heard from ETEC outside LA, and there’s one vote for going there. How do the rest of you feel?

5. I attended a DOE meeting in San Francisco mid November. It was one of 3 “stakeholder” meetings around the country for the DOE Fossil Energy International Progam to get input on how it could best help with the export of U.S. fuels, technology and know how. Several interesting items came to light–see attachment.

6. Another connection you may want to know about, if you don’t already: E Source, Inc. is a small company in Boulder CO that spun off from the Rocky Mountain Institute several years ago. They provide excellent detailed information about efficient end-use technology. It’s a subscription/membership service, and each of your companies already belong! The contact person in your utility is most likely in your marketing group. You may see different uses and value in this data resource, e.g. to help assessing technology and developing new business strategies. To find out who the subscriber is in your company, call E Source at 303-440-8500. (Tell them I sent you.)

7. Our contacts at NIST led to an open invitation for any of us to visit the Center for Environmental Engineering at the Univ. of Maryland at College Park MD. Dr. Reinhard Radermacher, Director, sent me some information about their capabilities and expertise in energy conversion cycles, heat transfer and thermophysical properties of materials. They have a membership program as well. Their phone # is 301-405-5286.

8. FEEDBACK–please! Reactions, suggestions, criticisms, requests! Any items pique your interest? Have you tried calling anyone at a lab yet? Let me know how it goes.

9. Save-the-best-for-last department: We have verbal commitments to join from two new subscribers, Texas Utilities and Electricité de France!

National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)

In the first official UFTO visit, I went to NREL in Golden CO on November 21 and 22, for two very full days of meetings. The full report is in preparation. Meanwhile, here are some “time-sensitive” or special items of interest:

• Distributed Utility Valuation: new two phase program in planning stage. Phase one will be a collaboration between NREL and 10-12 utilities to investigate the institutional (i.e. regulatory) issues. Funding would be 1/2 from NREL and the other half from the utilities (about $10K each). In Phase 2, contractors would work with individual utilities, so that competitive aspects can be handled separately from the (phase 1) aspects that can and should be in a more public forum. The feeling is that this cannot be an EPRI undertaking because of the regulatory aspects.
Contact Lynn Coles 303-275-4699

• Hybrid Solar Thermal — new concept to dramatically lower front end financial risk, by using solar heat as preheater for a gas turbine, instead of a dedicated steam plant. GT could be used stand-alone, and use of the solar would cut fuel consumption (reduce CO2). Looking for interested utilities or IPPs. Contact: Tom Williams 303-275-3602

• “Smartco” — brainstorming concept of the utility of the future that integrates generation, transmission with end use in a technology-based grand optimization, and combines talents in finance, marketing, and high technology. DOE seed program looking for 1-2 utilities to think it through and estimate benefits. Contact is Gary Nakarado, 303-275-3072

• Federal-Utility Partnership Program (FEMP) — Brings to a utility all the Federal government “customers” in the service territory, for concentrated effort to improve efficiency of government buildings by linking to utility DSM and energy savings programs. (Environment Act requires all Fed. buildings to increase effic. by 30% by 2005.) Utility Working Group is forming subcommittees and will hold its 3rd meeting December 6 in Atlanta (at AEE meeting). Contact is Bob Westby 303-275-6021 or Nancy Carlisle 303-275-6034. Program director in DOE is Mark Ginsberg — contact is Lou Harris at 202-586-9794.

• Biomass Power/Climate Change Action Program Item 26 — new RFP due in December for follow-ons to the 10 venture program site-specific feasibility studies done over past 2 years. New entrants welcome. Must involve a dedicated feedstock (i.e. closed loop for CO2) and generation. (Can include ethanol.) Contact is Rich Bain 303-275-2946

• Hydrogen — NREL provides technical oversight for the DOE national program. An RFP has been/will be issued for “any” H2 application. Contact Cathy Gregoire 303-275-2919

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Here’s an unusual (non-NREL) item: Dr. Tom Marrero of the University of Missouri-Columbia heads a program to develop a way to transport coal in pipelines, not as a slurry, but in compressed “logs”. It’s been under development with DOE funding for several years, and is ready for a demo! He promised to send some information which hasn’t arrived as yet, but if anyone is interested, let me know and I’ll track it down.

DOE Fossil International Program Meeting
Nov. 1994
Items of Interest

Contact Miles Greenbaum, International Programs Manager, Office of Fossil Energy, for information on their “Regional Implemenation Plans” (Africa, E. Europe, Pacific Rim, Russia/NIS, S. Asia/N East, W. Europe, and W Hemisphere). Tel # 301-903-2796

1. The Office of Fossil Energy will issue a RFI soon for Clean Coal Projects in Foreign Countries, as a means to support the goals of reducing Greenhouse Gases. (Increased efficiency leading to lower CO2 emissions.) There will be a conference in Washington on or about Dec. 14. Copies will be sent to everyone on the clean coal mailing list, but to be sure, you can contact Jerry Pell at 301-903-9447. (Note how many birds you could kill with this one stone!)

AID is already funding projects in Poland, administered by DOE, to reduce pollution from low stacks in the city of Krakow, under the Clean Energy Fuels Efficiency Program. Howard Feibus is the DOE program manager 301-903-3348.

2. As you’ve seen in the press, Secretary O’Leary has led a couple of very successful trade missions, to China, India and Pakistan. U.S. business representatives go along at their own expense, after a thorough preparation on opportunities in the target country, and come back with signed contracts for big projects! The extensive briefing materials prepared for these trips, and summaries about the results, are available (but are not “published”) from DOE. You can also get information about future trips, and how to apply to go along.
Contact Dawn Schrepel, DOE Trade Mission Coordinator, at 800-860-1097. (very sharp!)

The Dept of Commerce’s International Trade Administration also has an energy office: Andy Vitali is Director of the Office of Energy Infrastructure. tel 202-482-1466. Others in that group include Joe Yancik (Div. Director, Energy), Les Garton (renewables), and Katherine Viel (electric utilities).

Commerce also has a Trade Information Center, 800-USATRADE. They’ll connect you with country and or industry experts, and explain Federal export assistance centers.

Other resources: Overseas Private Investment Corp, and US Trade & Development Agency. Call me for details if there’s interest.

3 The U.S. Energy Association: Contact John Rasmussen, USEA, 1620 Eye St. NW, Suite 210, Washington DC, 20006, tel 202-331-0415.

The USEA is the USA’s official link to the World Energy Council, which puts on the major “World Energy Conference” every 3 years. The next WEC is in Houston in 1996, and there will be a “warmup” meeting in Houston May 8-12, 1995 on the Strategic Value of Fossil Fuels, sponsored by USEA and DOE.

Working with AID (Agency for International Development) the USEA has arranged 10 partnerships between US utilities and countries in E. Europe. (Two UFTO members are in this program, e.g. Comm•Ed with Poland, and Boston Edison with Romania.) EEI is the partner for Russia, owing to the huge size of the utility there. The issues dealt with are mostly management, efficiency of operation, finance, budgets, and business planning. [Our ANL report mentioned this program.]

4. The National Coal Council, is not the National Coal Association. It’s a non-profit that advises DOE, and has a series of publications. Contact James McAvoy, 703-527-1191