ENERGY FLASHES

ADVICE COMES FREE: If you have questions about conservation or renewable energy, call the Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service (CAREIRS), a no-cost information "hot line" sponsored by the United States Department of Energy. You'll be provided with a written response to your question, along with a technical publication or fact sheet, bibliography, or brochure. And if CAREIRS can't answer your query, it'll direct you to a source that can. There are three toll-free numbers: 800/233-3071 (for Alaska and Hawaii residents), 800/462-4983 (for Pennsylvania residents), and 800/523-2929 (for residents of all other states)

A STUDY DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY CROPS THAT CAN BE PROFITABLY GROWN FOR ENERGY USE is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A preliminary screening of some 600 native species—each of which was evaluated for its ability to produce commercially extractable energy products such as hydrocarbons and oils—has turned up nearly 80 promising cultivars. Of these, 12 will be selected for an intensive study that could eventually reveal new income opportunities for farmers.

N0, THIS COUNTRY'S WILDERNESS AREAS ARE NOT HIDING VAST RESERVES OF OIL AND GAS, according to a recently released two-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The analysis reports that only 4% of the 74 million acres now protected as wilderness (or under study as candidates for that designation) show a high probability of containing petroleum wealth. The survey's findings are, of course, in direct contrast to the claims of Reagan Administration officials who would prefer to open up wilderness areas to mining and drilling.

A NEW ENERGY SOURCE FOR THE BIG APPLE: An experimental fuel-cell power plant capable of generating up to 4.8 megawatts should be feeding current to Consolidated Edison Company's power grid by the time you read this. In what is essentially the reverse of the electrolysis of water (the breaking down of H20 into its component elements by introducing a current into an electrolytic solution), the facility's fuel cells make water by combining hydrogen (extracted from naphtha or natural gas) with oxygen (from the air) . . . and in the process yield electricity and heat. Although the electrochemical technology is still in its infancy (generating cells were first developed by NASA for use in space), many scientists expect subsequent refinements to lead to widespread domestic applications. In fact, a prototype 40-kilowatt fuel cell (it's about the size of a small car) has been providing hot water and electricity for a Portland, Oregon coin-op laundry for well over a year!

U.S. OIL COMPANIES HAVE A VIRTUAL STRANGLEHOLD ON THE COUNTRY'S PHOTOVOLTAIC INDUSTRY, now that Standard Oil Company of Indiana (Amoco) has purchased Solarex, the nation's second-largest PV firm (Arco Solar is first in size, and Exxon's Solar Power is ranked third). Alternative-energy proponents say that the petroleum concerns that dominate domestic photovoltaics have little incentive to produce better or lower-cost products and are therefore stagnating the industry's development.

BEWARE OF BURNING SCRAP WOOD FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES IN HOME HEATERS OR FIREPLACES. Outdoor-grade lumber is often treated with chromate copper arsenate (CCA), a preservative that—when burned—gives off fumes containing a dangerous combination of arsenic, chromium, and copper. Hair and fingernail samples taken from members of one family who'd been using such material for fuel-and who'd been suffering from respiratory problems, muscle cramps, headaches, and hair loss—revealed levels of arsenic hundreds of times higher than normal.

AUTOMOBILE "REMANUFACTURING" FACTORIES ARE SPRINGING UP across the country. For thousands of dollars less than it takes to replace a worn-out auto with a new one, the specialists completely disassemble a vehicle—engine and all—and renovate the car from the ground up. They discard and replace all worn or damaged parts . . . clean and/or remill the remaining components . . . put the whole thing back together . . . run the vehicle through the same quality-control tests that new machines receive . . . and deliver the "used" car in showroom condition, complete with a one-year guarantee. Remanufacturing, in fact, is quickly catching on in a number of fields: Computers, locomotives, and ships are only a few of the many products now being turned out by such factories.

THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME BUGS IN WIND-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY: A researcher at Texas Technical University has discovered that the residue from insects that have smashed against, and stuck to, a wind-turbine blade can change the prop's surface configuration enough to diminish the device's energy output by 20% or more. The recommended "high tech" solution: Hose those blades down occasionally.

THE DIESEL AUTOMOBILE'S POPULARITY IS RUNNING OUT OF GAS, according to a study by Texaco, Inc. In 1980, 76% of diesel car owners said they'd probably buy another. But in 1982 only 22% favored a repeat purchase .... SOLAR ENERGY IS HOT IN SAUDI ARABIA, where various sun-supported technologies are producing not only power but light for road tunnels and fresh water from the sea .... THE SOVIET UNION'S $4 BILLION PLUS "ATOMMASH" MANUFACTURING PLANT is suffering from cost overruns and may never be completed, partly because of the unstable ground on which it was built (Russian engineers may try freezing the supporting earth) .... Meanwhile, here in the U.S., NUCLEAR GENERATING FACILITIES ARE COSTING FIVE TO TEN TIMES AS MUCH AS PROJECTED: well over $2 billion each (and in some cases more than twice that figure) .... A 100-MEGAWATT WIND PARK is planned for Medicine Bow, Wyoming . . . and 11 ACRES OF SOLAR PONDS at Fort Benning, Georgia are providing some 6,500 soldiers with hot water for showers and laundry.