NYSERDA
Press Releases - 1999
Media inquiries should be addressed to Tom Collins at (518) 862-1090, ext. 3250.
- New Technology Helps Clothing
Manufacturer Stay Competitive - 11/23/99
- South Glens Falls Paper
Waste-to-Fuel Component Demo Wins Presidential Green Chemistry
Challenge Award - 7/7/99
- NYSERDA and Baskin Livestock Find
Environmental Value in Worms - 6/14/99
- NYSERDA Helping AirFlow Develop
Improved Catalytic Converter - 4/28/99
- Capital District Receives Clean
City Designation - 4/26/99
- Capital Region Company’s
Technology Will Improve Landfill Gas Recovery - 3/15/99
- NYSERDA Project to Develop a Hybrid-Electric VehicleWithout the
Vehicle - 2/24/99
New Technology Helps Clothing
Manufacturer Stay Competitive
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, November 23, 1999
CONTACT: Gary Davidson, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3289
Albany, NY -- Faced with the decision to upgrade its facility
or move elsewhere, G. W!ll!kers!, a family-owned children’s
clothing manufacturer in Arkville (Delaware County), called
upon New York State to help it comply with discharge limits
for the local wastewater treatment plant. The company needed
to remove all clothing dye from its wastewater before releasing
it to the Margaretville Wastewater Treatment plant, which
meant investing in on-site treatment equipment. G. W!ll!kers!
approached the Catskill Watershed Corporation, which in turn
contacted the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
Together, these organizations applied for R&D funding
from NYSERDA to demonstrate a wastewater treatment system
to remove the dye from the wastewater, enabling the company
to remain in the area.
After being treated at the Margaretville Wastewater Treatment
Plant, wastewater from G. W!ll!kers! is released into the
Catskill-Delaware water system. This system supplies 90 percent
of New York City’s drinking water and provides water
to many Hudson Valley communities. To preserve water quality
and public health, the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) required G. W!ll!kers! to remove all traces
of clothing dye from its wastewater. To further complicate
things for G. W!ll!kers!, DEP mandated that the treated effluent
contain no traces of chlorine. Chlorine represents the cheapest
and easiest method of wastewater treatment. The only alternative
for G. W!ll!kers! was to close its facility and move elsewhere.
And, since water is inexpensive and treating it with chlorine
prior to discharging it carried minimal costs, moving was
an attractive option compared with investing in new treatment
technologies.
“Strictly from an economic standpoint, it wasn’t
very practical for G. W!ll!kers! to invest in a new treatment
system to comply with the environmental regulations placed
upon it,” said NYSERDA President F. William Valentino.
“The real motivation in looking for a solution was the
company’s concern for the environment and a desire to
keep its 55 jobs in New York. Their concerns and our mission
came together perfectly. We use innovative technologies to
improve a company’s environmental performance and save
jobs.”
NYSERDA’s project helped G. W!ll!kers! evaluate its
entire process to reduce the amount of dye, water and energy
used at the facility. The company elected to switch to a hot-
fiber reactive process, which uses a mechanical/chemical process
to remove dye from process water without the need for chlorine.
In addition, the new process will save G. W!ll!kers! about
300,000 gallons of water a year while reducing the amount
of dye that ends up in the wastewater and generating substantially
less scrap fabric -- leading to additional annual savings
of about $50,000 through greater efficiency and greater accuracy
in achieving exact color shades, consequently reducing working
losses. These improvements will help G. W!ll!kers! remain
and thrive in Arkville, where it has been since its inception
in 1989.
“This project was essential for us to stay
in Arkville,” said Andy McArdle, Vice President of G.
W!ll!kers! “The cooperation we received from New York
State and the Catskill Watershed Corporation allowed is to
comply with environmental regulations in a way that also reduces
our waste production, energy and water use. These types of
initiatives help small manufacturers like us remain in New
York State and still stay competitive.”
The cost for the project was nearly $300,000, with NYSERDA
providing about $147,000. The remaining funds were provided
by G. W!ll!kers! and the Catskill Watershed Corporation. Martint,
Inc., a designer and installer of innovative wastewater treatment
and recycling systems, conducted the work.
NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, supports research
to develop technologies that help New York save energy and
reduce emissions. NYSERDA also helps New York State businesses
develop energy and environmental products, commercializing
the type of high-value-added products that give New York State
businesses a real chance to compete in the expanding global
marketplace.
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112399-22
South Glens Falls
Paper Waste-to-Fuel Component Demo Wins Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge Award
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, July 7, 1999
CONTACT: Raymond Hull, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3356
Albany, Jul 7--A decade-long quest to turn paper mill
sludge and municipal solid waste into fuel and other marketable
chemicals has won national recognition. The Biofine, Inc.,
South Glens Falls plant was one of five Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge awards given last week by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority helped fund the effort and nominated
its contractor Biofine, Inc. of Waltham, MA for its chemistry
demonstration.
“Green chemistry” aims to reduce or eliminate the
use or generation of hazardous substances. The process developed
by Biofine, Inc. converts cellulose waste into levulinic acid,
an important building block in the manufacture of commodity
chemicals and fuels.
The Biofine process converts waste cellulose fibers from
pulp and paper- making or municipal trash to levulinic acid,
used to create many products, such as printing inks, magnetic
tapes and additives for gasoline and ethanol-based fuels.
“This is a significant development in the search for
diminished pollution through a profitable commercialization
of a chemical process. Costly to dispose of waste becomes
a feedstock to produce useful chemicals including some that
may become a component to a New York-grown corn-based fuel.
Collectively, this is an R&D home run. We congratulate
Biofine, Incorporated,” said F. William Valentino,
President of NYSERDA
“The Biofine technology offers a versatile answer
to two of society’s most pressing environmental questions--the
disposal of solid wastes and the economic displacement of
fossil fuel use,” said Dr. Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO
of Biofine, Inc. “It provides an economically viable
route from cellulosic biomass to a wide range of chemicals
and fuel. ”
New York municipalities spend more than $1.2 billion annually
to dispose of 25 million tons of waste, much of which is cellulose.
Similarly, the state’s paper making industry spends more
than $5 million per year to landfill 144,000 tons of sludge,
also containing cellulose. Successfully scaled-up, this process
could use increasing amounts of this costly waste as a feedstock,
creating a future profit from a current liability.
The U.S. Department of Energy, Northeast Regional Biomass
Program and the Saratoga County Economic Development Corp.
were instrumental in the facility’s $4 million construction.
It is capable of converting 500 tons of sludge into high-purity
levulinic acid per year.
The award was presented to Biofine, Inc. at a U.S. EPA ceremony
last week at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.
NYSERDA, a public-benefit corporation, helps develop new
energy and environmental programs and products, including
New York Energy $martSM.
NYSERDA’s funding comes from the State’s investor-owned
utilities, a voluntary contribution from the New York Power
Authority and limited NYSERDA funds.
###
NYSERDA and Baskin
Livestock Find Environmental
Value in Worms
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, June 14, 1999
CONTACT: Gary Davidson, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3289
Albany, NY -- They tunnel through the ground unnoticed by
most, quietly aerating and fertilizing soil. They eagerly
consume waste we throw away and turn it into valuable top
soil for use in gardens and farms. They are earthworms and
their hard work and effort has finally been recognized by
Baskin Livestock of Batavia (Genesee County) and the New York
State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
who are collaborating on a new project using worms to convert
cattle waste into a marketable top soil. Currently, cattle
waste is often spread on farmland for fertilizer.
Federal and State regulators are looking at restricting the
practice of land spreading cattle waste. If not spread properly,
this practice can lead to substantial runoff of the nutrients
found in the waste, which ultimately end up in our streams,
rivers, and reservoirs. One problem that results from this
runoff is the presence of algae blooms in lakes and reservoirs,
where the excess nutrients in the water provide an abundant
food supply for the algae to thrive. The process Baskin Livestock
and NYSERDA are developing, known as continuous flow vermiculture,
has the potential to control the agricultural runoff of nutrients.
It also is an energy-efficient form of composting.
“It’s important that we find a solution
to agricultural runoff,” said NYSERDA President F. William
Valentino. “Continuous flow vermiculture has the promise
of not only controlling runoff, but also generating an additional
product that the farmer can sell. In addition, it should require
only a minimal investment of time on the farmer’s part.”
For the project, Baskin Livestock will operate a system that
will initially process 3,500 tons of cattle waste per year.
The waste will be added to a processing bin containing earthworms
that will digest it and convert it to a stabilized soil product.
The new waste is added to the top of the bin where the worms
are located. As the waste is consumed and digested, the top
soil filters to the bottom of the bin where it is removed
for packaging. As part of the project, samples of this soil
product will be analyzed and used for plant growth demonstrations
to prove its value as a fertilizing agent. Further studies
will be conducted to identify potential markets for the product.
“We currently feed our cattle recycled products
from the human food chain, such as cannery corn waste and
candy waste, that in the past would have gone to the landfill,”
said Susan Blackburn of Baskin Livestock. “With the adoption
of vermicomposting, we will complete our recycling loop. From
cattle food to cattle manure, we will recycle everything.
The vermicompost can either be sold to another consumer such
as a nursery or land applied without any fear of odor or runoff.”
Initial tests show that the nutrients needed for plant growth
are found in higher
concentrations and are more easily absorbed by plants in
the top soil processed by worms than in other plant growth
media. It is also expected that the vermicompost will improve
moisture retention in the soil and suppress pest problems.
If used on a large scale, these qualities will significantly
reduce the amount of energy consumed for pumping irrigation
water and manufacturing pesticides and inorganic fertilizers.
The study will include testing the vermiculture system under
a variety of operating conditions to demonstrate its flexibility
and optimize the process for maximum productivity.
NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, supports research
to develop technologies that help New York save energy and
reduce emissions. NYSERDA also helps New York State businesses
develop energy and environmental products, commercializing
the type of high-value-added products that give New York State
businesses a real chance to compete in the expanding global
marketplace.
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061499-11
NYSERDA Helping AirFlow
Develop Improved
Catalytic Converter
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, April 28, 1999
CONTACT: Gary Davidson, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3289
Albany, NY -- Motor vehicles generate about 30 percent of
the pollutants that lead to smog formation in the United States.
In an effort to control air pollution, modern automobiles
are equipped with catalytic converters, which decompose harmful
emissions into less harmful products. A common problem for
conventional catalytic converters is that their performance
erodes over time due to the harsh environment in which they
operate. A different approach to designing and building catalytic
converters might extend their life and help vehicles maintain
the emissions performance for which they were originally designed.
To this end, AirFlow Catalyst Systems, Inc. of Rochester
has begun a project with support from the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and NASA to design
a more durable, less costly catalytic converter. AirFlow initially
intends to market it’s new catalytic converter as a replacement
part that could be installed into conventional vehicles to
help them regain and maintain optimum emissions performance.
Conventional catalytic converters rely on platinum and other
precious metals (catalysts) deposited onto the device’s
internal surfaces. These catalysts increase the rate of reactions
occurring among the hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and oxygen
molecules found in vehicular emissions in a way that accelerates
their transformation to carbon dioxide. AirFlow’s device
is based on technology NASA developed for purifying gases
inside lasers. It incorporates new materials that improve
the durability of catalytic converters so they would have
a longer useful life. It also reduces the amount of precious
metals required, lowering the cost of the device. The device
offers a relatively low-cost approach to reducing emissions
on older cars and on new vehicles, the device could help manufacturers
more easily comply with federal requirements for emission
system durability without resorting to strategies that sacrifice
fuel economy.
“In our pursuit to clean up vehicular emissions,
we’ve designed more and more elaborate control systems,”
said NYSERDA President F. William Valentino. “The performance
of these systems erodes rapidly over time so that many of
the vehicles on our roads are not meeting the emissions standards
they were originally designed for. AirFlow’s device promises
to greatly increase the useful life of catalytic converters
so that vehicles operate more efficiently for a longer period
of time, which will have a great impact on air quality.”
AirFlow’s device also promises to lower “cold-start”
emissions, because it will begin operating at lower temperatures
than conventional catalytic converters. A significant portion
of vehicular emissions are generated during this cold-start
period, before the engine has had a chance to warm up. A device
that begins operating at lower temperatures would reduce overall
emissions and would be particularly beneficial in cold weather
and on vehicles that are mostly used for short trips.
AirFlow Catalyst has completed the first stage of its strategy
-- validating the technology for use on automobiles. It now
is in phase two -- technology and product development. “We
expect State and federal inspection programs to boost demand
for our catalyst products,” said Hugh Ogle, Executive
Vice President of AirFlow. “Federal legislation introduced
in recent years requires that all cars be tested for catalytic-converter
performance during their annual inspection. This has created
a large aftermarket for catalytic converters and that’s
where our focus is.”
NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, supports research
to develop technologies that help New York save energy and
reduce emissions. NYSERDA also helps New York State businesses
develop energy and environmental products, commercializing
the type of high-value-added products that give New York State
businesses a real chance to compete in the expanding global
marketplace.
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042899-07
Capital District Receives Clean
City Designation
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, April 26, 1999
CONTACT: Gary Davidson, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3289
Schenectady, NY -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized
the Capital District as a “Clean City” today at
a ceremony held at Schenectady County Community College. The
recently formed Capital District Clean Communities (CDCC)
is the sixth region in New York State to receive this designation.
Dan W. Reicher, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy at DOE officiated the ceremony, which
was attended by several local and State officials.
Clean Cities is a voluntary program sponsored by DOE that
encourages local communities to develop implementation plans
for alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs). AFVs are vehicles fueled
by natural gas, electricity, methanol, ethanol, propane, or
a combination of these and traditional fuels. Designation
as a Clean City is an acknowledgment of the partnerships formed
to introduce AFVs in the Capital District. It also provides
access to federal funds and assistance for acquiring AFVs
and developing the needed fueling infrastructure.
Within each Clean City, local and State government agencies
collaborate with local companies, associations, and utilities
to develop plans for placing AFVs on the roadways. The objectives
of the Clean Cities program are to improve air quality by
reducing vehicular emissions and improve energy security by
reducing the transportation sector’s reliance on imported
petroleum products. Currently, the State’s transportation
sector is about 99 percent dependent on petroleum, 80 percent
of which is imported from other countries.
In addition to air-quality benefits and reduced petroleum
imports, AFVs represent a burgeoning industry where New York
companies can grow and create new jobs. As New York’s
high-tech companies look for new markets, many find they have
the expertise to provide controls
and components for AFVs. In the Capital District, Nova Bus,
a CDCC stakeholder, is manufacturing hybrid-electric buses
with Lockheed Martin (Johnson City, NY) for use in New York
City.
The Capital District group has established goals of placing
more than 200 AFVs into service, increasing the fueling infrastructure
to support those vehicles, recruiting more stakeholders, and
informing the public of the benefits of AFVs. CDCC has 40
active stakeholders, including Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation,
Schenectady County, the Environmental Business Association
of New York State, the NYS Department of Transportation, the
NYS Office of General Services, the NYS Department of Environmental
Conservation, the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA), New York Power Authority, CDTA, Environmental Advocates,
and many others. Other New York State Clean Cities organizations
are operating in Central New York, Western New York, the Genesee
Region, Greater Long Island, and the City of White Plains.
There are approximately 70 Clean Cities organizations in the
U.S.
At the ceremony, DOE provided special Awards to three participants
that made great strides in their AFV programs: Niagara Mohawk
Power Corporation, Schenectady County, and Shenendehowa Central
School District.
Niagara Mohawk has been a leader in the Capital District
Clean Communities since its inception. Along with Schenectady
County, NiMo has recruited many of the members, developed
the program plan, and hosted bi-monthly meetings to help make
the CDCC a success. In addition, Niagara Mohawk assumed the
coordinator role on several occasions. The incidental items
NiMo donated to CDCC helped the organization defer costs and
attain its goals.
In 1996, Schenectady County opened a compressed natural gas
fueling station and began converting some of its vehicle fleet
to natural gas with a grant from NYSERDA. The county has 30
AFVs in its fleet including passenger cars, vans, and pick-ups.
Schenectady County is also converting a snow plow to operate
on a mixture of natural gas and diesel. The county has also
become a registered motor fuel distributor, allowing it to
dispense natural gas to other public agencies and private
businesses operating in or traveling through Schenectady.
In addition the county has dedicated its resources to coordinating
the Capital District Clean Communities program.
Shenendehowa Central School District was motivated to purchase
AFVs as a result of residents’ concerns about air quality.
Out of a fleet of 173 buses, 28 now run on natural gas. This
is the highest proportion of AFVs in any school bus fleet
in New York State. The buses travel approximately 100 miles
per day, well within the 150-200 mile fuel capacity, and the
district is using a CNG compressor on loan from Niagara Mohawk
to fuel the buses. The school district has plans to acquire
its own compressor and expand their natural gas bus fleet.
With the large State vehicle fleet and extensive public transit
system, the Capital District presents many opportunities to
expand the alternative fuel industry. Over the past year,
the State fleet has purchased approximately 200 electric,
natural gas, propane, and methanol vehicles for use statewide.
The incremental cost of these vehicles was paid for through
the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. In addition, the
Clean-Fuel Bus Program, also funded by the Bond Act, awarded
funds for three electric buses to be operated in downtown
Albany by the Capital District Transportation Authority.
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042699-06
Capital Region
Company’s Technology Will Improve Landfill Gas Recovery
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, March 15, 1999
CONTACT: Gary Davidson, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3289
Albany, NY -- Far from being static mountains of garbage,
landfills are dynamic systems naturally converting waste into
potentially valuable resources. Long after they’re closed,
solid waste landfills generate gases from the natural decomposition
process of wastes. As much as 55 percent of the gas generated
is methane, which can be collected and used for energy production.
While this is not news to the solid waste management community,
in many cases the gas produced within our landfills is flared
or vented due to the poor economics of capturing it. The New
York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
is working with Landfill Technologies, Inc., a West Sand Lake
(Rensselaer County) company to demonstrate a better system
for capturing landfill gases.
Typically, landfill gas is extracted using vertical wells
that are drilled through the waste at the end of the landfill’s
operating life. This method requires specialized equipment
and tools for drilling into mountains of garbage at costs
that exceed $80 per foot. In many cases, a landfill simply
may not generate enough gas with vertical wells to warrant
the expense of installing a system. Vertical wells also fail
to capture any of the gas produced during the landfill’s
operating life, which generally escapes into the atmosphere.
As a greenhouse gas, methane escaping from landfills can contribute
to global warming and climate change. In addition, performance
of vertical wells is often hampered by water that collects
in the piping.
Under a NYSERDA-supported project, Landfill Technologies
is demonstrating a system of horizontal gas extraction wells,
called HYEX, that is placed in the waste during the landfill’s
operating life. Landfill Technologies will demonstrate its
systems at landfills in Albany, Colonie, Delaware County,
and a location yet to be determined. The system will capture
gases generated from decomposing waste in the landfill while
waste is being added. At a targeted installation cost of about
$20 per foot, the system is cheaper to install and installation
requires no special equipment, training or skilled labor.
Information gathered from these demonstration sites will help
Landfill Technologies market its system to landfill operators
that are reluctant to purchase and install unproven technologies.
“Landfill Technologies’ system promises
to make the capture and use of methane from our State’s
landfills more practical and economical,” said NYSERDA
President F. William Valentino. “Our hope is that our
project exposes landfill operators to horizontal wells and
ultimately increases the amount of energy we capture from
our landfills. Like most of us, landfill operators don’t
rush out to purchase something without first investigating
it. This project will provide them with objective information
regarding the performance of horizontal gas extraction wells.”
Collectors for the system are placed in the waste and covered
by additional waste during normal operations. Their horizontal
orientation minimizes the buildup of water or other substances
that might inhibit gas collection. In addition, operators
can inject these collectors with leachate, water, or other
substances to enhance gas production within the landfill.
Injecting leachate increases decomposition, making more space
available for additional waste, and treats the leachate. Generally
leachate is collected and shipped to wastewater treatment
facilities for proper disposal at a substantial cost to the
landfill operators.
“Our prototypes were first developed at the
Albany landfill to control odors from fugitive gas emissions,”
said David Hansen, President of Landfill Technologies. “The
volume of gas the system extracted was surprisingly high and
it is now providing fuel for a 1.9-megawatt electric generator.
These new NYSERDA-sponsored installations will provide additional
experience and data to build a national market for this product.”
According to Gregg Nolte, Deputy Commissioner for the City
of Albany’s Department of General Services, where a prototype
of the gas extraction system was already installed, “Installation
of the horizontal collection pipes at the Rapp Road Waste
Management Facility has been an integral part of our operations.
By installing these pipes as the landfill is being filled,
we can control the gases and odors escaping to the atmosphere
and individual control of the horizontal piping grid allows
the city to draw more actively on a specific area producing
problematic gases.”
NYSERDA, a public-benefit corporation, performs research
to develop technologies that help New York State save energy
and reduce emissions. NYSERDA also helps New York State businesses
develop and commercialize new high-value-added energy and
environmental products, giving those businesses a chance to
compete in the expanding global marketplace. Funding for NYSERDA's
research program comes from the State's investor-owned utilities,
a voluntary contribution from the New York Power Authority,
and limited NYSERDA funds.
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031599-03
 |
 |
| Piping for Landfill Technologies' HYEXTM
System |
Piping system installed at Town of Colonie's landfill |
| |
|
 |
 |
| Once installed, the horizontal gas extraction system
allows operators to continue adding waste |
Compaction equiment rolls over installed extraction
wells |
All photos available in electronic format upon request. Contact
Gary Davidson of NYSERDA at (518) 862-1090, ext. 3289.
NYSERDA Project to Develop a Hybrid-Electric VehicleWithout the
Vehicle
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE, February 24, 1999
CONTACT: Gary Davidson, NYSERDA
(518) 862-1090, ext. 3289
Albany, NY -- It’s no secret that one of the largest
impediments to the widespread use of hybrid-electric vehicles
is cost. Until hybrid-electric vehicles are produced on a
larger scale, they will remain substantially more expensive
than conventional vehicles and will therefore face difficulties
penetrating various markets. The New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is working with Alternative
Fuels Technologies Corporation (AFTCO) of Jamaica, Queens
to develop a hybrid-electric power train that addresses the
issue of high vehicle cost by leaving out the vehicle.
Most efforts to develop hybrid-electric vehicles have focused
on developing an entire vehicle from the ground up. For this
project, AFTCO plans to design, develop, and test only the
power train, which can be retrofitted into existing vehicles.
Urban delivery vehicles and other fleet vehicles are commonly
refurbished with new or rebuilt engines, transmissions, or
other power train components to keep them on the road. AFTCO’s
concept is to begin refurbishing these vehicles with hybrid-electric
components, giving the vehicle operators the benefits of hybrid-electric
technology without the expense of a new vehicle.
“NYSERDA has been at the forefront of hybrid-electric
vehicle technology, but its acceptance has been limited by
its cost,” said NYSERDA President F. William Valentino.
“By focusing on retrofit technology, Alternative Fuels
Technologies has the potential to rapidly expand the market
by eliminating the cost associated with developing an entire
vehicle. Also, focusing on urban delivery vehicles places
the technology where it provides the most benefit to air quality.”
AFTCO’s power train will incorporate low-cost, standard
commercial components to further reduce costs and simplify
service and maintenance. The system will be designed to accommodate
a wide range of light- and medium-duty delivery trucks. For
the NYSERDA project, AFTCO will design and install its systems
into a test vehicle that will undergo a series of tests to
simulate routine commercial operations. Should this test vehicle
prove adequate, AFTCO will work with a fleet operator to test
it in commercial service, which should provide valuable information
to make further refinements and improvements.
“Our relationship with some of the nation’s
largest fleets has helped us identify a need for the development
of a cost-sensitive clean-fuel hybrid-electric powertrain
that can be quickly installed in most existing long-life vehicles
or vehicles requiring extended-range service,” said Michael
Digonis, President of AFTCO. “My staff and I look forward
to working with NYSERDA in the development of this unique
demonstration project, which has great commercial value and
even greater long-term benefits for our urban quality of life.”
Hybrid-electric vehicles can potentially improve vehicle
efficiency by 30 percent and reduce tailpipe emissions by
more than 50 percent while providing performance comparable
to conventional vehicles. Compared to conventional vehicles,
hybrid-electric vehicles use smaller engines running at near-constant
speeds that are close to the engine’s peak efficiency
point. Many hybrid-electric vehicles also incorporate regenerative
braking to capture the energy normally lost during braking
and store it in batteries for later use. Regenerative braking
also greatly reduces the wear and tear on braking systems,
which are generally the largest maintenance expense for larger
vehicles. These features make the hybrid-electric design ideal
for stop-and-go traffic common in urban locations.
NYSERDA, a public-benefit corporation, performs research
to develop technologies that help New York State save energy
and reduce emissions. NYSERDA also helps New York State businesses
develop and commercialize new high-value-added energy and
environmental products, giving those businesses a chance to
compete in the expanding global marketplace. Funding for NYSERDA's
research program comes from the State's investor-owned utilities,
a voluntary contribution from the New York Power Authority,
and limited NYSERDA funds.
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022499-02
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