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Billings Re-Energized
Years ago, as chairman of the Billings Energy Corp., Roger Billings issued a stern warning. If the United States did not change its energy policies, he forecast, someday it would "pay for foreign oil with American blood."

The country didn't listen. Billings, who in 1965 had built the world's first hydrogen-powered car as a high school science project, subsequently formed his corporation to pursue his work in hydrogen energy technology. But he set that dream aside in 1984, selling the corporation and concentrating on combining his other passions—education and computer technology.

Indeed, Billings became a force in both fields. He helped found the International Academy of Science, a non-accredited, alternative-education institution of higher learning with a charter to promote the flow of scientific R&D into the marketplace. And Billings made a name for himself and his products in the IT industry, developing his own microcomputer line, the Billings Computer System, and founding the Billings Computer Corp. He developed WideBand, a high-speed networking design, and the WideBand Corp. went public in 2000. He developed a computer-based learning system called Acellus that is widely used in U.S. schools.

But through the years he kept an eye on renewable energy development, especially his old love, hydrogen. Before he sold his energy corporation, Billings had advanced and perfected internal combustion engine conversion to hydrogen, and invented ways to overcome such obstacles as nitric oxide air pollution and the safe storage of hydrogen onboard a vehicle. His exhaustive efforts finally resulted in metal hydride storage, for which he received a number of patents.

Today, Billings is pursuing his dream: incorporating the use of hydrogen into widespread, practical applications. He has re-formed the Billings Energy Corp. and said it will continue the development and commercialization of a Billings Fuel Cell and other technologies, including metal hydride storage and hydrogen production equipment. He currently is raising $100 million from private investors. Billings said he was encouraged to re-start the hydrogen dream by two recent developments: the US $1.2 billion fuel cell development plan endorsed by President Bush, and the Euro 5 billion hydrogen plan announced by the European Union.

"This is a day I have dreamed of for a long time. I have long known the benefits of a hydrogen energy system, and at last I think I am going to live to see it come about," Billings said when he re-established the Billings Energy Corp. "Of course I aim to be right in the middle of it, making it happen." For more information, go to www.billingsenergy.com.

• As a high school student, Roger Billings designed a hydrogen car. Ninety high-school students have been racing solar-powered cars for two weeks from Texas to Florida. Click here to go to that story.

• For more news on diverse forms of renewable energy, including fuel-cell-powered buses, click here.

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Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it...
-- Anne de Lenclos, 1620-1705, a French courtesan

Who also said:
Love never dies of starvation, but often of indigestion.

Hmmm...she did live to be 85!

Send questions! Do you have a question about any aspect of solar energy or other renewables? Send it to SUN-Enews here.

Previous Question
Q1, Vol. I, Issue 14
Is there anyone out there still using passive solar technology as we do-Trombe walls-at our home in central New Mexico? I'd love to hear from people still using passive solar.
-- Jane Underhill, Belen, NM
No answers yet! Do you have an answer or comment? Send it here.
Please include your name and location.

Solar Fiesta in New Mexico
The New Mexico Solar Energy Association will celebrate its fourth annual Solar Fiesta on Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21. This year's event will be held at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC), 12th St. and Menaul Blvd., Albuquerque, NM. General admission is $3 for non-NMSEA members, and free for NMSEA members, teachers and children under age 12.

Workshops and exhibits will include solar financing, PV: grid-tied and remote, green building, solar water pumping and heating and energy careers. A comprehensive listing of workshop titles and times will be posted on the nmsea.org website after Sept. 1.

The Albuquerque Public Schools are sponsoring a special Kids' Korner, where an ongoing series of interactive workshops will be held for kids of all ages. Presenters include the Explora Science Center & Children's Museum of Albuquerque, Public Service Co. of NM, Talking Talons, The Up&Atom program of the National Atomic Museum and the NM Museum of Natural History and Science. The Pueblo House Children's Museum at the IPCC also will hold an open house. For more information, go to www.nmsea.org.

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High School Students in Solar Challenge
More than 90 high school students in the United States raced hand-built, solar-powered cars across a 1,500-mile course from Texas to Florida. The eighth annual Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge took nine days to travel through Louisiana and Mississippi before the finish line at the Central Florida State Energy Center in Cocoa, FL. The cars used Dell computers and wireless technology to monitor solar battery usage and weather patterns, and to track competitors with global positioning systems.

The Winston Solar Challenge was established 10 years ago to help motivate students in science and engineering. The Challenge, a part of the Winston School in Dallas, teaches high school students around the world how to build roadworthy solar cars and then provides a safe environment for them to display their solar cars. On even-numbered years, students race at the Texas Motor Speedway; on odd-numbered years, the teams drive cross-country to share their projects with millions of people.

The 2003 Dell-Winston Solar Challenge began at the Dell world headquarters in Round Rock, TX. We will announce the winners next week (they were still on course at press time), but if you can't wait—go to www.winstonsolar.org/race/index.html.

Hawaii Tax Credit Shows Good ROI
The recent extension of the state of Hawaii's 35 percent income tax credit for solar energy until Jan. 1, 2008 promises to keep the solar industry busy for the foreseeable future. "Solar water heating is an investment which benefits our entire economy," said Theodore E. Liu, director of the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. "Economic analyses for residential solar water heaters show that US $1.82 in tax revenue is generated for every US $1 that the state invests through tax credits. Our return on investment (ROI) is very good."

Hawaii is the nation's per-capita leader in solar water heating installations with 85,000 systems, each of which saves an estimated 4.6 barrels of imported oil, according to the department. Hawaii is also the state that is most dependent on petroleum, with 90 percent of its primary energy derived from oil—all of which must be imported.

Latest on U.S. Energy Bill
The U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee's chairman's bill includes approximately US $79 million for solar research programs, near the administration request, with US $5 million allocated for concentrating solar power (CSP.) The Zero Energy Buildings program funding has been moved into the Department of the Interior appropriations bill; numbers are not available for this section.

The U.S. Senate bill contains approximately US $89.6 million for all solar programs, with US $5 million of this for CSP and minimal earmarks. A House amendment to the bill, designed to restore US $30 million to renewable-energy research funding by removing funds from that portion of the Yucca Mountain project that is additional to the administration request, was defeated in a roll-call vote, 153-251. Debate focused almost exclusively on the advisability of removing funding from the Yucca Mountain project.
-- Source: Solar Energy Industries Association

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Greenpeace and Students Win One
The University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously last week in favor of a clean energy and green building policy. The vote follows a yearlong "UC Go Solar!" campaign run by students across the state and Greenpeace. The campaign called for the regents to adopt a comprehensive clean energy and green building policy to make UC a national leader in environmental stewardship.

"The Green Building Policy and Clean Energy Standard will provide UC with an important new set of guidelines for environmental sustainability," said George M. Marcus, chair of the regents' Grounds and Buildings Committee. "We greatly value the committed work of the student groups and others with whom the university worked in partnership to develop this new policy."

Specifically, the University of California policy mandates:

• That 10MW (equivalent to power used by 5,000 homes) of renewable energy are installed across the 10 campuses (Currently only 40MW of solar energy are grid-connected in California and 52MW total in the U.S.);

• The purchase of 10 percent of the university's utility purchased energy from clean energy sources immediately, ramping up to 20 percent by 2017, enough to power 26,000 homes;

• All new campus building across the state (except acute-care facilities) will be built to green building standards;

• Reduction of system-wide energy use to 10 percent below 2000 levels by 2014 in order to reduce consumption of non-renewable energy sources.

U.S. Administration Draws UCS Fire
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has criticized the Bush administration for stacking its summit on natural gas prices with representatives from the fossil-fuel industry and ignoring wind, solar and other renewable energy sources as important solutions to the natural gas crisis. According to the UCS, not a single renewable energy industry representative, analyst or advocate was invited to speak at the U.S. Department of Energy/National Petroleum Council Natural Gas Summit.

"The Department of Energy's own Energy Information Administration has found that increasing our use of renewable energy resources will displace large quantities of natural gas and lower natural gas prices," said Marchant Wentworth, UCS Washington representative for energy. "Increasing our use of renewable energy from 2 percent today to 20 percent by 2020 would save enough gas to meet the current needs of three-quarters of all U.S. households."

To submit solar political news or opinion pieces, click here.

Solar Glossary
A short list of common terms:
Passive solar—Harvesting the sun's radiant heat through greenhouse windows, Trombe walls, transpired solar walls, brick floors and other non-electric uses.

Solar hot water—Sometimes called solar thermal; usually involves storing solar energy in a heat storage device to heat water for household or commercial use. It also can be used to heat a home through baseboard radiators or embedded floor tubing, as well as to heat and cool swimming pools.

Solar electric—Using the sun's energy to run electrical systems, excluding electric heating elements.

Grid-tied and off the grid—Remaining on the electric grid after converting to a solar-electric system is called "grid-tied." A solar electric system that stands alone and is not connected to the electric utility is considered "off the grid."

Net metering—When you convert to solar energy and remain hooked to the larger electric utility, you have an automatic backup if your solar system does not generate as much electric power as you need to use on any given day. On the other hand, most of the time your solar system will generate more power than you are using, and will let that generation flow into the larger electric "grid." Most states now have "net metering" laws that allow you to connect your renewable energy system to the grid and bank your electrons there, literally making your meter spin backward and reducing your electric bill, often to a credit rather than a debit charge. To download a table of state net metering programs, click here.

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Crime Lab Gets $800,000 Solar Rebate
One of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States has received one of the largest rebates—US $799,890—from its local utility. The rebate is from the Self-Generation Incentive Program of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which covers up to half the cost of on-site generation systems using solar, wind or other renewable energy technology.

PowerLight installed the 200kW system over 23,000 square feet to generate 80 percent of the peak power demand for the San Mateo County Forensic Laboratory and Coroner's Office. The system already is reducing electricity bills by $75,000 on an annual basis.

"San Mateo County recently inaugurated this beautiful, new crime lab, and with it, we mark the beginning of a new era for the challenge of forensic science," said Don Horsley, San Mateo County sheriff. "The new building adopts the important ideals of the use of sustainable building materials, and employs passive, energy-saving techniques. The half-acre of solar panels that make up the lab's roof produce enough energy in the daytime to power 200 houses, and this rebate saved San Mateo taxpayers nearly $800,000."

PG&E's rebate is for commercial consumers, while the California Energy Commission offers a similar program for residential customers who install solar or wind systems.

Largest Airport Installation Opens
The largest solar energy installation at any airport in the world has been commissioned at the new Terminal 2 at Munich Airport in Germany. The system will generate 445,000kWh per year with BP Solar modules, and will displace emission of GHG by 12,000 tons over its 30-year life. The installation cost Eur 2.6 million and will be amortized over three years. A trial run in June saw output at 14 percent above forecast.

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Fuel Cell Buses Delivered
The first Mercedes-Benz Citaro city bus with fuel cell drive was handed over by DaimlerChrysler to the Lord Mayor of Madrid at this spring's UITP World Congress in Madrid. It is the first of three buses equipped with this zero-emission technology to be operated by the local public transport authorities of Madrid in daily line service.

By the end of 2003, a total of 30 Mercedes-Benz buses will be supplied to 10 European cities. The European Commissions supports the test program—the most comprehensive for fuel cell vehicles on a global scale to date—with EUR 21 million allocated under the CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe) and ECTOS (Ecological City Transport System) projects. The forthcoming fleet test will be staged in the European cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Porto, Reykjavik, Stockholm and Stuttgart.

The goal is to test both the vehicles' engineering and the necessary infrastructure, as well as to gain new findings with respect to the technology's acceptance by the public. The zero-emission and low-noise operation of these buses is considered a significant advantage, especially in urban traffic. Dr. Thomas Weber, the DaimlerChrysler board member with responsibility for research and technology, predicted, "Passengers will be quite taken by the low noise levels and high comfort of this bus as it cruises through the city—and it's completely emission-free in operation. City bus operation is the ideal proving ground for testing the fuel cell as a vehicle propulsion system for the future under real-world conditions. This is a crucial condition for helping fuel cell drive on to its breakthrough."

UK Offshore Wind Farms Expanded
Offshore wind farms with the potential to power one in six United Kingdom households have been approved for development by the country's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). These proposals for the next generation of offshore wind farms could provide up to six gigawatts (GW) of new energy generation by 2010, enough to power 15 percent of all households in the country.

Three strategic areas of shallow waters—the ideal environment for locating offshore wind turbines—have been identified by the Crown Estate and the DTI as appropriate for development; Thames Estuary, Greater Wash and North West.

This will be the second round of leasing to be announced for offshore wind farm development in the UK. The first round, which was announced in December 2000, resulted in 17 proposals from developers, two of which are under construction: at North Hoyle, near Rhyl, and Scroby Sands near Great Yarmouth. Eventually, round one development should result in more than 500 turbines, generating 1.5GW—enough to power all the households in the city of Manchester.

Round two is far more ambitious, with each farm comprising hundreds rather than tens of wind turbines. The energy produced will be sufficient to power more than 3.5 million households—or almost 9 million people, which is more than the population of Greater London, twice that of Scotland and three times Wales'. Site leases for the second phase of wind farms will be awarded in the autumn and construction is expected to begin in the next few years.

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