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Summer 2007 Newsletter

In this issue:

North Carolina school districts receive first plug-in hybrid electric school buses

"IC Corporation’s hybrid school bus revolutionizes the school bus industry," said Michael Cancelliere, vice president and general manager of IC Corporation. "Improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions helps school districts and the environment. IC Corporation is committed to environmental leadership and delivering value to our customers."

While the exterior of the school bus looks the same as a standard bus, it is powered with innovative new technology. The hybrid school bus project features Enova’s Charge Depleting System (or "Plug In"), which was extensively tested and evaluated at IC Corporation’s research and technology facility in Fort Wayne, Ind. With an overnight charge, this system utilizes a larger battery based on advanced battery chemistry that provides stored energy intended to be drawn down over the driving cycle, thus optimizing fuel economy. Depending on the route, fuel economy is expected to improve by 70-100 percent and reduce emissions by up to 90 percent.

"This project provides operational benefits to school districts, while also providing the reduced emissions desired by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a valuable return on investment to school boards," said Ewan Pritchard, P.E., Advanced Energy’s hybrid program manager.

The initial powertrain for the hybrid school bus will couple an International® VT365 V8 diesel engine with the 25/80-kilowatt hybrid-electric powertrain, incorporating a transmission, batteries and an electric motor. The system is based on a parallel architecture, allowing the system to utilize both diesel and electric power in a highly efficient manner.

The hybrid school buses are also outfitted with a proprietary GPS system called AWARETM Vehicle Intelligence that allows school officials to track the exact location and performance of the school bus via a password-protected site on the Internet.

The new bus is a result of a nationwide initiative called the Plug-In Hybrid Electric School Bus Project, led by Raleigh-based Advanced Energy, a non-profit corporation that initiated a buyer’s consortium of school districts, state energy agencies and student transportation providers. Among the partners that helped Advanced Energy bring the bus to Raleigh include:

• Duke Energy Carolinas
• Progress Energy
• Dominion North Carolina Power
• N.C. Department of Administration - State Energy Office
• N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Division of Air Quality
• N.C. Department of Public Instruction
• North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives

Later this, year other school districts around the country will be receiving the remaining IC Corporation hybrid school buses awarded in Advanced Energy’s bid - 19 total. The hybrid school buses are manufactured at IC Corporation’s plant in Conway, Ark. More information about the program is available www.hybridschoolbus.org.

N.C. State University design and construction team named Sustainable Design State Champion two consecutive years

The N.C. Sustainable Building Design Competition challenges students to create a design that incorporates green building practices in a way that is affordable and practical for actual construction. The student design must incorporate features and technologies addressing areas such as: energy efficiency, renewable energy, material selection, hazard mitigation, site planning, water efficiency, universal design, affordability, building science and indoor environmental air quality. In its seventh year, the competition involved more than 1,200 students, professors and professionals, and 10 colleges and universities.

"This student work displayed in this competition illustrates that a very comfortable, practical, contextual and sustainable house can be designed and built on a tight budget," said Randall Lanou, faculty advisor for the team. "Not only does it make one very well designed sustainable house available to a family with limited economic resources, it provides an example of how to do just that for many families."

The university was also Champion winner in last year’s competition, which qualified them to represent North Carolina in the National Natural Talent Design Competition, where they won first place. The national competition is coordinated by the Emerging Green Builders, a young professional group of the U.S. Green Building Council.

”The Design Competition is proving to local and national audiences that homes built with green building practices can be affordable and mainstream,” said Tracy Dixon, executive director for the program.

Second place winner was a Cape Fear Community College team from Wilmington, N.C. Third place winner was a team from Forsyth Technical Community College out of Winston-Salem, N.C. Two honorable mentions were awarded to teams from East Carolina University and Appalachian State University. The Pitt Community College team received the Founder’s Award for innovation. Participating schools included: Appalachian State University, Architectural and Construction College [Mogilev, Belarus], Cape Fear Community College, Coastal Carolina Community College, College of the Albemarle, East Carolina University, Forsyth Technical Community College, N.C. A&T University, N.C. State University and Pitt Community College.

The competition has made an international impact on understanding green building practices. In 2006, the competition began an international collaboration with the Architecture and Construction College in Mogilev, Republic of Belarus, started by Herb Burns, Dept. Chair of Architecture/Construction Tech. and Forsyth Technical Community College. Belarus students are competing in the North Carolina Sustainable Design Competition to understand how they might implement a similar program in their school and expand it to the rest of Belarus.

Program supporters include Advanced Energy, Architectural Energy Corporation, Building Green, Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, Duke Energy, Emerging Green Builders, N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Progress Energy, Self-Help, State Employees Credit Union Community Fund and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of North Carolina.