Electricity consumption from renewable energy sources is continuing to show strong growth in the United States. Wind energy has been growing the fastest, with consumption increasing 50% from 1990 to 1994 (from 0.024 to 0.036 quads), according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 1995

Renewable Energy Annual. The photovoltaics industry is growing annually, but most PV modules are sold for remote applications rather than power generation. PV module shipments increased 24% during 1994, capping a decade of increases that averaged 16% per year. Total U.S. module production is now about 26 peak megawatts (MW). PV module exports (18 peak MW in 1994) have increased at an average rate of 27% per year since 1985.

Energy consumption in the U.S. during 1995 totaled 87.2 quads or quadrillion Btu (92 x 1018 J), according to the March 1996

Monthly Energy Review, published by the DOE Energy Information Administration. This record level represents an increase of 1.8% over 1994 consumption.

The March 1996 issue of

Energy Design Update reports that fire tests at a laboratory in California have demonstrated that spray-applied cellulose insulation can be a more effective fire stop than conventional wood firestops in a 2x4 wall. The testing was done as part of an effort to gain Uniform Building Code (UBC) approval for the insulation as a firestop material in walls. Builder Bruce Patton of Escondido, California is attempting to patent the process.

The Minnesota legislature is considering a statewide carbon tax of $50 per ton on all fuels and electricity consumed in the state, according to the 8 March 1996

Global Environmental Change Report. The law, which is given little chance of passage this year, would tax nuclear-generated electricity but exempt renewable energy sources. The new tax would be revenue-neutral, reducing income and property taxes by an amount equal to the new revenue generated. The tax would increase the price of electricity by about 1.2¢/kWh, the price of gasoline and fuel oil by 13¢/gallon (3¢/liter), and natural gas by 15¢/thousand cubic feet (0.5¢/m³).

Miraflex^®, the new binderless fiberglass from Owens Corning Fiberglas (OCF), has done so well since its introduction that the company has been unable to keep up with demand and was forced late last year to curtail its distribution (see

EBN

Vol. 4, No. 1). The product should again be available nationally on May 1st. OCF plans to expand Miraflex throughout more of the company’s product line, but won’t say whether this new type of fiberglass might ever replace their standard product. (OCF: 419/248-6097).

William McDonough Architects, of Charlottesville, Virginia was awarded a contract for design of a new environmental studies building at Oberlin College with extensive green design goals.

Motorists in Germany can now save on their auto insurance rates if they use public transportation. As reported in the February 23rd issue of

Global Environmental Change Report the German insurance company Rheinland (Neuss) has begun offering a 10% discount for policyowners who hold annual passes for the national railway system or for a regional public transit system.

is cosponsor of the upcoming conference Use of Recycled Wood and Paper in Building Applications, which will be held on September 9-11, 1996 in Madison, Wisconsin. The conference should be the best forum to date for the exchange of information relating to use of recycled wood and paper in building applications. For information, see the Calendar of Events.

A group of evangelical Christians is urging support of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), according to a January 31 article in

The New York Times. Dr. Calvin DeWitt, who helped found the Evangelical Environmental Network, said in the article that the Endangered Species Act is “the Noah’s Ark of our day” and that “Congress and special interests are trying to sink it.” The Evangelical Network, representing over 1,000 local churches, has launched a nationwide drive to create “Noah” congregations that are pledged to support endangered species.

Wood and paper recycling could be used to achieve 10-20% of the U.S. carbon reduction goal, according to scientists at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. Recycling wood and paper reduces net carbon emissions by reducing timber harvesting, which in turn increases the amount of carbon sequestered by living trees, and by saving energy used to process raw materials. By the year 2010, they concluded, the combined effects could offset 20 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions per year—up to 30 million with more aggressive use of recycled wood and paper products in building construction. Total net carbon emissions in the U.S. are about 1.2 billion metric tonnes per year, and the U.S. goal is a reduction of 10% from 1990 levels by the year 2000.