Nebraska map showing 32 towns that saved $6.5 million on electric bills
Each of Arnold's 679 residents (35 miles north of
Gothenburg) saved about $250 on their electric bills,
but they don't know it. Beginning in 1988, the local
utility began installing equipment to curtail residents'
electric use during certain times of the year.
To partially pay for the equipment, the utility borrowed
money at no-interest from a fund maintained by NMPP
Energy, an organization of locally-owned electric
systems. Since 1988, Arnold's locally-owned utility
has been able to pile up $168,598 in savings.
Electric users in 31 other Nebraska towns have
also saved money as well more than $6.5 million
over the past 15 years.
Simple Solutions
Many times, it's the simplest modifications to a
town's electric system that reaps the biggest dollar
savings year after year. For some towns, the equipment
is nothing more complicated than a monitor to let
utility staff know when certain limits are within
reach. When electric use approaches the limit, utility
staff activate the town's siren, letting townsfolk know
to turn off unnecessary electricity-using equipment.
A town's size is no hindrance to being able to save
local residents money. Wilcox, 25 miles south of Kearney,
has only 349 residents. Yet since 1987, people living
there have each saved $135 on their electric bills,
about a dollar a month for the past ten years.
North Platte A Big Winner
Most, but not all, of the towns applying for loans
have fewer than 2,000 people. The first loans from NMPP's
fund went to South Sioux City and Wood River in 1983. But,
North Platte residents have saved $2.3 million since their
management system was installed in 1985. This is more than
one-third of all the savings in the state since the loans
were first offered.
Load management systems are used by utilities to reduce
their customers' use of electricity during certain periods
to avoid having to buy very costly "peak" power.
Utilities contract for electric supplies based on a prediction
of how much energy will be needed for any given time. In the
summer, many utilities try a variety of methods to avoid
exceeding the predicted amount of electrical use to avoid
additional charges. In some towns, these charges have totaled
tens of thousands of dollars for exceeding the prediction for
only a few hours on just one day of an entire year.
$50,000 Goes A Long Way
In 1983, the Energy Office established a no-interest
revolving loan fund at NMPP Energy with $50,000 in oil
overcharge trust funds. The Electrical Load Management
Loan Fund was one of the first uses of oil overcharge
funds in the state and one of the first uses of
revolving loan funds in the nation. Since 1983, the
loan fund has revolved more than ten times, issuing
loans totaling more than $500,000.
In 1982, Nebraska began receiving oil overcharge funds
as a result of various court actions against actions oil
companies that overcharged their customers during the period
of price controls from 1973 to 1981. Since direct
compensation to injured consumers seemed unrealistic, the
courts ordered the money recovered from lawsuits be distributed
to the states to fund efforts that provide indirect restitution
to injured energy consumers. States were directed to use the money,
within parameters established by the courts, to fund energy
assistance and conservation programs.
Load management is one of a variety of means utilities have
used to keep the state's electric rates among the lowest in the
nation.
Any of NMPP Energy's 96 Nebraska members can apply for no
interest loans to finance load management equipment. For more
information about installing or upgrading your town's electrical
load management system, contact Tim Sutherland or Rich
Small at NMPP Energy at 402-474-4759.
Once a month, a team of 16 gather in a room
to carve
up a kind of pie, only they call it a technical assistance
review. At stake are housing projects all across the state.
The 16 provide technical assistance and evaluate and
recommend funding for people and organizations that want
to build or rehabilitate affordable houses in Nebraska.
This year, the nearly $6 million pie is a lot bigger
about $4 million larger than last year. This is the
first year $3.8 million from the Affordable Housing
Trust Fund is available. In 1997, the Legislature
dedicated $4 million a year for six years to increase
the number of affordable houses. Other funds in the
pie are $1.2 million from the HOME/Community
Development Block Grant Program, $250,000
in Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and $500,000
in Dollar and Energy Saving Loans from the Energy
Office. This is the first year the Energy Office has
set aside loan funds for these projects.
35,000 Homes Needed
A 1996 study estimated that Nebraska would need
nearly 35,000 more affordable homes between 1995
and 2000. Generally, housing affordability means
that owners or renters spend 30 percent or less
of their income for housing and utilities. The
1996 study also found that, "nearly one in four
Nebraskans pay more than 30 percent of their gross
income for rent and utilities."
Since 1995, the Energy Office has been a part of the
affordable housing team, but recently the agency added
more staff time to the effort. Others on the review
team are staff from the state's Department of Economic
Development, Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, and
federal Departments of Housing and Urban Development
and Agriculture.
When team members say "technical assistance," it really
means help is on the way. Help can be learning how to:
assess needs in a community and financial resources,
acquire regional and community support,
create infrastructure,
design a project, select a development team, and
apply for financing.
The state and federal funds can be used for building
single and multi-family rentals and single family homes
for sale as well as rehabilitation and preservation of
existing housing. Applicants must also meet minimum
requirements such as approval of a regional priority
plan for their area, evidence of site control, proper
zoning, an environmental review of the site, a site
review by a team member, and specific applicant program
requirements from the funding sources.
But back to cutting up the pie. Funding requests are
evaluated on community need and market analysis, ability
to meet the community's affordable housing needs,
construction and financial feasibility, community or
neighborhood support, and organizational and management
capacity.
Project financing is limited to $80,000 in tax credits,
$350,000 in block grants, and $20,000 in loans for single
family homes and $60,000 for multi-family homes. The new
trust funds are allocated on a case-by-case basis and
limited by region, number of applications, and scoring
and ranking criteria.
Maxing The Limits
Team members seek to make the best use of limited
resources. With an eye to aesthetics and livability
standards, the members' objective is to recommend
funding for as many qualified, affordable housing
units as possible. Cost per unit, funds allocated
per unit, and funds/tax credits per occupant are also
important factors in evaluating applications.
While project approval rests with the three agencies
that control the funding, any project that has received
the team's recommendation has been financed.
Assistance is provided year-round, but financing
applications are limited to three times a year.
Applications for funds in 1998 can be submitted
between May 1 and June 30 and August 1 and September
30. The first application period ended March 31.
Funding decisions are generally known 45 days after
the applications periods close.
For more information about the state's affordable
housing efforts, contact any of the review team members
listed in the box above.
State Government Moves To Renewables and Energy
Efficiency
In January, Governor Nelson signed his first
executive order of 1998, requiring state agencies
to aggressively incorporate energy conservation and
renewable energy into their future activities.
"I feel it is vitally important that Nebraska
continues to rank among the nation's leaders in
promoting energy conservation, and in the development
and use of renewable fuels. And I believe agencies
in state government can set an example for all
Nebraskans to follow," Nelson said.
According to the Governor, the effort targets five areas:
All state agencies will be required to use renewable
energy technologies and conservation techniques wherever
cost-effective, available and practical, especially in
building design, transportation and remote locations.
The plan calls for the Roads Department to operate
entirely on renewable fuels by 2025.
All state agencies, wherever practical, shall use only
renewable energy in all operations by 2025.
The state's Board of Educational Lands and Funds will
draft a plan to allow building renewable energy facilities
on state land.
State agencies should purchase electricity produced
from renewable resources.
Yearly, the governor will recognize a state agency
that has demonstrated the greatest commitment to
increasing the use of renewable energy.
"Increasing reliance on domestic renewable resources and
reducing dependence on irreplaceable fossil fuels is vital
for our national security. Development of renewable energy
will create jobs, diversify the industrial base, create
tremendous opportunities for rural development and enhance
the stability of the state economy by producing a value-added
product. The use of renewable energy and increasing energy
efficiency will reduce our air and water pollution," Nelson said.
Building on the Past
The Department of Roads already has one solar powered
rest area near Lincoln and may plan others as they are
rebuilt. The agency has also begun using solar powered
informational signs on the interstate.
Nearly one out of every five vehicles in the state's
fleet uses 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline
and more of these vehicles will be purchased. Currently,
the Roads Department has about 100 vehicles using biodiesel,
a 10 percent soy oil and 90 percent diesel blend. The
agency has recently begun experimenting with an ethanol
by-product instead of using salt on icy highways.
Several years ago, the state began incorporating
energy efficient lighting systems in facilities across
Nebraska. According to the Department of Administrative
Services, savings from the lighting replacements save
about $45,000 yearly.
The Sun Shines Bright
The Governor said the executive order has spurred
architects designing the Department of Corrections'
new prison to incorporate energy conservation and
solar energy wherever possible.
Nebraska's Energy Director, Bob Harris, said his
agency took representatives from the state's Building
Division, Game & Parks Commission, Roads Department,
and Corrections to the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory in Colorado to acquaint the state's
building professionals with the latest information
for including solar technology in numerous applications.
"The advances made in wind and solar technologies are
remarkable," Harris said. "We are rapidly approaching
the point where these technologies will be cost
competitive with electricity produced from
inexpensive fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas."
Call, fax or mail your request for any of these
recently issued or restocked publications. Supplies of some
titles are limited, so act fast.
All publications are provided free of charge.
Direct your requests to Jerry Loos in the
Energy Office.
Biofuels for Transportation: The Road from Research
to the Marketplace. An elemental primer on biofuels
including ethanol from biomass and biodiesel and the effect
these fuels can have on global warming. The roles of the
federal government and its energy laboratories play in the
research process is also detailed.
Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at
Home. This newly updated 36-page full color publication
includes practical advice on installing additional insulation,
do-it-yourself weatherizing, energy efficient lighting,
appliance options and ways to reduce hot water use. The
booklet also offers energy-wise suggestions such as: To save
energy, place the kitchen sink faucet lever in the cold
position when using small amounts of water. Placing the
lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water
even though it never reaches the faucet
Global Change and Agriculture. This special
issue of Agricultural Research features
reprints from two earlier issues. The topics include
"Preparing Agriculture for a Changing World" and
"FACEing the Future." Both articles detail the global
climate change work being performed by the Agricultural
Research Service.
1998 Calendars
NMPP Energy's "Energy Is..." calendar featuring
artwork from fifth grade students that won the energy
company's 8th annual contest.
The Miami-Dade County Climate Wise calendar
features 12 of the region's Climate Wise industrial
partners and why these companies have benefited
from joining this voluntary pollution prevention effort.
1998 Fuel Economy Guide. One of the agency's
most frequently requested publications has been updated
for 1998. Copies of the U.S. Department of Energy's
Fuel Economy Guide for Model Year 1998 are
now available. The Guide can be used as an
aide to consumers considering the purchase of a new
vehicle. The estimates of miles per gallon listed for
each new vehicle are from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Taking an Alternative Route: Fueling the
Future This U.S. Department of Energy
publication provides an excellent overview of
current regulations and options for using
alternate transportation fuels such as biodiesel,
electricity, ethanol, methanol, natural gas and propane.
Tips for Energy Savers. The original on which
the updated publication (see above listing) is based.
Still a perennial favorite of consumers.
The American Farm: Harnessing the Sun to Fuel
the World A photo-filled booklet that explores
American agriculture's new crop options. Tomorrow's
farms may be the producers of more than just food,
but energy crops as well. The potential role of
trees and prairie grasses in the farms of the future
is also considered.
Editor's Note: This is the
fifth in a periodic series on energy events in Nebraska.
State's Oldest Hydropower Plant Was A Manufacturing Magnet
An 1892 brochure with 100 pictures heralded the
advantages of businesses relocating to "the midway
city of the continent, the electric city of the West."
Residents of the town envisioned their city becoming
the Minneapolis of the Plains. In just ten years from 1880
to 1890 the town's population had grown from 1,800 to more
than 8,000. Twenty-five different manufacturing industries
had already put down roots flour and oat mills, cracker
factory, packinghouse, cannery, brick works, machine shops,
foundry, iron works and others. But the crowning jewel was
the cotton mill, the second largest industrial structure
in the state.
A cotton mill in Nebraska?
Yes, Kearney residents worked hard to make their
industrial empire a reality. The key to attracting
the manufacturing firms was waterpower and hydroelectric
power made possible by the Kearney Canal, a 24-mile
channel of water diverted from the Platte River.
An estimated 400 home weatherization professionals
are expected to attend a regional training conference
in Omaha August 24-27.
Decades of Dreams
Old photos of Kearney, Nebraska
As early as 1873, locals dreamed of providing irrigation
to farms in the Platte Valley. W. W. Patterson took that
idea and improved on it. Patterson hoped to construct a
canal from the Platte River to a reservoir above the city.
The canal would provide irrigation and the reservoir would
generate waterpower.
In 1882, Kearney Canal and Water Supply began construction
of the canal, but work was halted by lack of funds. George
Frank of Corning, Iowa, bought the company and completed
the project in 1886.
Around 1887, using waterpower to produce electricity
was considered. By April 1888, the Canal Company completed
construction of the power plant and electricity began
flowing to the city and its vibrant industries.
Cotton Comes, But It's Not Cheap
It was the Canal Company's next owner, H. D. Watson
of Greenfield, Massachusetts, who began luring eastern
manufacturers to Kearney. Among the manufacturers were
the five Cumnock brothers, known as the "Cotton Kings."
Erecting a cotton mill came at a steep price for the
city. The Cumnocks wanted a subsidy of $250,000,
exemption from city taxes for ten years and free waterpower
for five years, with a guaranteed waterpower rate thereafter.
It was illegal for the city to grant the tax exemption, but
the other conditions were met.
While the cotton mill reportedly
cost $400,000 to build, it probably was closer to $250,000.
In essence, the Cumnocks got a new mill free-of-charge,
although, obsolete machinery from an eastern mill was put
in the Nebraska mill.
By September 1892, the mill was in operation and its
first shipment of 76,000 yards of sheeting was shortly
on its way to Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. With a daily
capacity of 26,000 yards of unbleached muslin, annual
output was valued at $3.4 million.
Kearney's electric plant grew to the point that it
generated 2,725 horsepower from a collection of turbines
and engines. Electricity use was gradually moving beyond
just powering industry. Sixty-eight miles of electric
lines spread through the city and more than 3,000
lights were in use. The Kearney Street Railway cars
were converted to electricity and operated over a 5.5
mile route.
Boom to Bust
Almost as soon as the cotton mill began operations,
Kearney's economic boom lost its steam and the nationwide
depression of 1893 put an end to the city's manufacturing
dreams. All the fledgling industries, except the cotton mill,
vanished as rapidly as they had sprung up. By 1900, Kearney's
population shrank as well, losing 2,400 people.
The cotton mill operated until 1901, but it sustained
tremendous economic losses. A number of factors made
it unprofitable the cotton was imported from Texas,
coal was needed most of the year because the canal and
reservoir froze, and sales of cotton goods were
less than robust because of the lack of population.
But these factors did not cause the mill's demise. Much
like the Nebraska of today, it was a shortage of labor.
Because few Nebraskans wanted to work in confining
manufacturing plants, the mill imported all of its
laborers.
By 1902, Kearney's industries were gone, but electricity
had become part of the lives of the residents.
From 1898 to 1919, the canal and power company was
sold four times with owners stretching from Kearney
to Missouri. The advent of public power brought stabilization
and continuity of ownership. In the 1930s, Consumers Public
Power District bought the canal company. Today, we know
the former Consumers as Nebraska Public Power District.
Frozen in Time
Kearney's hydropower facility is believed to be the oldest
in the state. Today, it has just one generator - dating from
1920 - with a capacity of 1,490 kilowatts of electricity.
In 1987, citizens, and civic, university and utility concerns
began efforts to preserve the Kearney hydropower plant.
Renamed the Spillway Park and Museum, preservation was planned
in three phases. The first phase, restoration fo the hydro
plant and planting trees and shrubs was completed in 1997.
The second phase calls for construction of two new bridges
to enhance the scenic walkways of the grounds. The final
phase includes restoring of the power plant building and
converting it to a museum.
It might surprise you to know that buying a bigger
room air conditioning unit won't necessarily make you
feel more comfortable during the hot summer months.
In fact, a room air conditioner that's too big for the
area it is supposed to cool will perform less efficiently
and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit.
This is because room units work better if they run for
relatively long periods of time than if they are
continually switching off and on. Longer run times allow
air conditioners to maintain a more constant room temperature.
Running longer also allows them to remove a larger amount of
moisture from the air, which lowers humidity and, more
importantly, makes you feel more comfortable.
Sizing is equally important for central air conditioning
systems, which need to be sized by professionals. If you
have a central air system in your home, set the fan to shut
off at the same time as the cooling unit (compressor).
In other words, don't use the systems central fan to
provide circulation, but instead use circulating fans
in individual rooms.
Tips to Keep Your Cool
Whole house fans help cool your home by pulling
cool air through the house and exhausting warm air
through the attic. They are effective when operated
at night and when the outside air is cooler than
the inside.
Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible
in the summer. The less difference between the indoor
and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling
bill will be. When it is 90 outside, a 78 air conditioner
setting can feel very comfortable.
Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than
normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will
not cool your home any faster and could result in
excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
Set the fan speed on high except in very humid
weather. When it's humid, set the fan speed on low.
You'll get better cooling, and slower air movement
through the cooling equipment allows it to remove
more moisture from the air, resulting in greater
comfort.
Consider using an interior fan in conjunction
with your window air conditioner to spread the
cooled air more effectively through your home
without greatly increasing your power use.
Don't place lamps or television sets near your
air conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses
heat from these appliances, which can cause the air
conditioner to run longer than necessary.
Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning
units but do not block the airflow. A unit operating
in the shade uses less electricity than the same one
operating in the sun.
Unexpected Money Savers
Programmable thermostat
You can save as much as ten percent a year on your
heating and cooling bills by simply turning your
thermostat back ten to 15 degrees for eight hours
each day. You can do this automatically without
sacrificing comfort by installing an automatic
setback or programmable thermostat.
Using a programmable thermostat, you can adjust
the times you turn on the air conditioning according
to a pre-set schedule. As a result, you don't operate
the equipment as much when you are asleep or when the
house or part of the house is not occupied.
Programmable thermostats can store and
repeat multiple daily settings (six or more
temperature settings a day) that you can
manually override without affecting the rest
of the daily or weekly program. When shopping
for a programmable thermostat, be sure to look
for the Energy Star label.
And Even More Ideas...
For more information on cooling, contact:
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute
703-524-8800 or www.ari.org
The Nebraska Energy Quarterly features
questions asked about 6% Dollar and Energy Saving Loans.
Loan forms may be obtained from participating
lenders or the Energy Office.
Loans to date: 13,947 for $90.2 million
Questions and Answers...
6% Dollar and Energy Saving Loans
Rebuild Nebraska
is a federal/state effort
to recruit businesses and multi-family housing owners
to voluntarily agree to improve the energy efficiency
of their buildings and reduce waste. The building and
system improvements planned by Rebuild partners can be
financed with Dollar and Energy Saving Loans.
When can contracts for these projects
be signed and the work begun on the improvements?
Rebuild Nebraska
projects as
well as Climate Wise projects being made by manufacturers
may not be contracted for or undertaken prior to the
Energy Office signing a Commitment Agreement for its
share of the funds with the lender, if the improvements
are being financed with a Dollar and Energy Saving Loan.
If the borrower begins the project before
a Commitment
is signed, the borrower will not be able to finance the
improvement with a low interest loan.
If timelines prohibit the borrower
from waiting until
the Energy Office has signed a Commitment Agreement with
the lender, the borrower should seek funding for the
project with a conventional loan or through other
community, state, or federal financing that may be
available.
Besides Dollar and Energy Saving
Loans, are
there other ways for commercial and multi-family building
owners and manufacturers to finance energy efficiency
and waste minimization projects?
There are numerous financing options from
self-financed
to federal grants and loans available to building owners
and manufacturers.
The Energy Office's Financing Your
Improvements
explores several basic ways of financing improvements and
details 36 specific options currently available in Nebraska
as well as contacts for more information.
To obtain a copy of Financing Your
Improvements,
contact Jack Osterman in the Energy Office.
What must be done to qualify for a
Dollar and Energy
Saving Loan when furnaces fail in the winter or are
"red-tagged" as unsafe to operate?
In situations such as these, the
lender needs to
provide the Energy Office with an explanation of
the emergency furnace problem and the specifics on
the new equipment to be installed.
As soon as this information is received
from the
lender, the Energy Office verifies the new equipment
meets the requirements for a Dollar and Energy Saving
Loan, then notifies the lender that the borrower may
proceed with the replacement furnace. However, the
lender still needs to submit all the applicable loan
paperwork to obtain a commitment of Energy Office
funds for the furnace.
Replacement equipment must not
be installed
prior to the lender receiving notification from the
Energy Office that the replacement equipment qualifies.
Should the emergency situation arise when the Energy
Office is closed, the replacement may be installed,
but the lender needs to contact the Energy Office as
soon as the Office opens to verify the equipment that
was installed meets loan criteria.
Extreme caution
should be used by lenders in these cases to make
certain that equipment meeting Energy Office standards
has been installed and the replacement was a justified
emergency the equipment was "red-tagged," emitting
carbon monoxide or the heat exchanger was cracked that
couldn't be postponed until the Office re-opened.
An estimated 400 home weatherization
professionals are expected to attend a regional
training conference in Omaha August 24-27.
The attendees from 12 states an area encompassing
Montana to Louisiana and North Dakota to New Mexico
will be attending up to 50 different sessions where
work skills can be honed and new techniques and
theories learned.
The federally-funded weatherization program makes free
energy saving improvements in the homes of needy Americans,
especially the elderly. In 1997, the Energy Office made
weatherization improvements in 1,255 homes in Nebraska.
The regional office of the U.S. Department of Energy
selected Omaha as the conference site. The Energy Office
will be aided by an eight-member regional planning
committee that will select topics and trainers for workshops
at the event. A professional conference planner will round
out the events planning team.
The Energy Office, the conference host, is also
responsible for providing logistics and on-site
support for the event. For more information about
the Weatherization Assistance Program or the late
summer conference, contact Pete Davis
in the Energy Office.
In late February, the Energy Office added
more than $660,000 to the Dollar and Energy Saving Loan
fund. All but $200,000 of the funds will be used to
finance improvements in existing buildings.
The $200,000 will
be added to the mortgage revolving fund that provides
lower cost financing for new homes that meet stringent
energy use guidelines. Since local lenders that offer
the loans provide half the money for a loan, the
$460,000 that was recently added will finance about
$920,000 in energy efficiency improvements.
These new funds were part of a plan for use of a
larger amount, $789,674, in oil overcharge funds
that were submitted by the Governor to the Legislature
for review.
Oil overcharge funds are received by the state as a
result of various court actions against oil companies
that overcharged their customers during the period of
federal price controls form 1973 to 1981. States can
only use the money, within parameters established
by the courts, to fund energy assistance and conservation
programs.
Under the plan, the Low-Income Weatherization
Assistance Program operated by the Energy Office
also received $117,214 for making energy saving
improvements in homes of needy Nebraskans.
Native American tribal governments in the state
will also receive $5,223.
The United States continues to consume more than
one-fourth of the world's oil production, but it
produces only about one-tenth of the oil. The
transportation sector currently accounts for
approximately two-thirds of all U.S. petroleum
use and roughly one-fourth of total U.S. energy
consumption.
Futurists tread where meteorologists and economists
wouldn't even dare. While weather forecasters feel
confident about looking five days ahead and economists
will gaze only one or two quarters ahead with trepidation,
futurists throw caution to the wind and shoot ahead
30 years and more to the world to come.
To find out what the world of tomorrow will look
like, a George Washington University professor and
two students compiled a survey of which technologies
are likely to emerge in the next 30 years. Their
findings appeared in the November/December issue of
The Futurist.
"This is the best available knowledge that we can
pull together. It is the best scientific consensus
from a panel of 50 international authorities,"
Professor William Halal said.
While the findings identified 85 likely technological
advances establishing a permanent base on the moon by
2028, entertainment on demand by 2003 and the majority
of farmers will have adopted organic or alternative
farming methods including a 50 percent reduction
in fertilizers and pesticides by 2012 the Quarterly
has focused on only the advances in energy technologies.
2010
About 10 percent of energy comes from
alternate energy sources such as geothermal,
hydroelectricity and solar. (77% probability)
Note: According to the Energy Information Administration,
nearly eight percent of the nation's energy needs
were met by renewable resources in 1997.
2011
Biological materials such as grasses,
trees and other forms of organic matter are used to
supply about 10 percent of energy needs. (60% probability)
2016
Energy efficiency improves by 50 percent
through innovations in transportation, industrial processing,
environmental control and related fields. (61% probability)
2017
Fuel cells that convert other forms
of energy to electricity are commonly used about
one-third of the time. (53% probability)
2020
Fission nuclear power is used for about
half of all electricity generation. Fission energy is
the result of splitting an atom's nucleus and is the
type of technology used in current nuclear plants.
Hydrogen becomes routinely used in energy systems.
(50% probability)
2026
Fusion nuclear energy is used commercially
for electricity production. Fusion is based on the release
of energy that occurs when atomic nuclei are combined under
extreme heat and pressure and is similar to the sun's method
of producing energy. (50% probability)
The Department of Energy’s
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
(EERE) provides fact sheets, brochures, videos
and publications on energy efficiency and renewable
energy.
Mailing Address
Office of the Assistant Secretary
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Mail Stop EE-1
Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585
At this site, you can find 21 different factsheets
on such topics as energy-efficient windows, solar
hot water heating, loose-fill insulations, solar
power and landscaping for energy efficiency. While
the factsheets cover technical information, the
material is presented in a down-to-earth way and
contain resource lists for further information. The
factsheets can be viewed as text-only documents or
with graphics HTML and PDF, respectively.
In accordance with the American
Disabilities Act, the state will provide
reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities.
If you need reasonable accommodation to participate
in any program or activity listed in this
publication, please contact the Energy Office
at 402-471-2186 to coordinate arrangements.
Upon request, this publication may be available
in alternative formats.
This material was prepared with the support of
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grant No.
DE-FG47-92CE60410. However, any opinions, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein
are those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the views of DOE.
