Energy articles from January 2001

Energy archives from January 2001

Will a Word to the Wise be Sufficient?(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... We've all heard that hackneyed expression: "A word to the Wise is sufficient, or perhaps should be sufficient." But, when it comes to public policy, it's not lost on anyone that the Wise are not necessarily the ones making the important...

California Choices.(will reduced demand or increased capacity control energy crisis)
January 1, 2001... Should utlities add more capacity or encourage customers to reduce demand? In January 2001, California businesses experienced rolling blackouts as part of its "most severe power shortage ever." Searching for interim supply solutions, the...

Seeking Solutions.(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes solutions to California energy crisis)
January 1, 2001... FERC looks for ways to end California energy crisis. California's $1.2 trillion per year economy is on the brink of a serious reversal as this winter's regional electricity crisis has grown way beyond analysts' worst nightmare scenarios....

Monitoring Demand.(2001 Annual Energy Outlook report released by Department of Energy)
January 1, 2001... How much can efficiency gains or tchnological advances really save? The Department of Energy has just released its 2001 Annual Energy Outlook. The Outlook provides a wide ranging analysis of future energy trends for all forms of energy over...

An Independent EU.(securing European energy)
January 1, 2001... Developing a European strategy for energy security. The European Union is the second largest energy consumer in the world, and the largest energy importer. The Union accounts for 14 to 15 percent of world energy consumption, though it is...

IN BRIEF: Information Technology.(report on electricity used by office and network equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Infotech energy consumption overestimated. How much electricity is used to power information technology in the U.S.? Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division's (EETD) End-Use Energy Forecasting Group, led by Jonathan Koomey,...

Destabilizing Wealth.(petro-staes particularly vulnerable to political and economic internal strife)
January 1, 2001... Dependence on petroleum revenues leaves petro-states vulnerable to strife. Some analysts believe that the high dependence on petroleum revenues in the petro-states - Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Algeria, Libya, Venezuela, and...

No Pressure to Drill.(oil and gas exploration and development spending cut)
January 1, 2001... U.S. energy majors cut spending for exploration and development According to just released data collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in their Financial Reporting System - FRS (and published in Performance Profiles of...

EU Launches Efficiency Debate.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The European Commission (European Commission, MO34 05/113, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Bruxelles; Tel: (32-2) 296 19 55) has adopted a green paper on European energy strategy that clearly calls for more energy efficiency and cleaner energy...

Report Documents Fuel Economy.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Just released data published in Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends, 1975-2000 (EPA, Office of Transportation and Air Quality Library, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; Tel: 734/214-4311) documents that since...

Center to Build Bioenergy.(new National Bioenergy Center will focus on technology bioenergy development and information)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Near the conclusion of former Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson's term he announced the creation of a new Energy Department center that promises to strengthen the bioenergy industry, enhance America's energy security and help manage energy's...

Getting PV onto the Grid.(connecting electricity-producing photovoltaic solar systems to power grids)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A new way to safely, simply and effectively connect electricity-producing photovoltaic (PV) solar systems to utility company power grids has been developed by the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories. Already several...

Yet Another 200 kW ONSI Unit Installed.(North Central Bronx Hospital generates electricity from fuel cell power plant)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) has gained the distinction of being among the first medical facilities in the country to generate electricity from a fuel cell power plant. "This project demonstrates the suitability of this cutting-edge...

New Offerings from PJM and Powerweb.(PJM Technologie Inc. contract with Powerweb Technologies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... PJM Technologies, Inc. (PJM Tech, 22 Commerce Rd # D, Fairfield, NJ 07004-1604; Tel: 973/227-2224), a wholly-owned unregulated subsidiary of PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., has entered into a commercial arrangement with Powerweb Technologies (415...

Savings from EnergyGateway.com.(online energy procurement program)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... According to Procter & Gamble (One Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202; Tel: 513/983-1100; Fax: 513/ 983-9369;website:http:// www.pg.com), they have achieved significant savings in energy costs through an online procurement program....

Static Var Compensator Leads to Energy Savings.(ABB Power T&D Company Inc. to deliver Static Var Compensator to Cascade Steel Rolling Mills)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A U.S. unit of ABB, the global technology company, has won a contract to deliver a sophisticated reactive power compensation system to Cascade Steel Rolling Mills of McMinnville, OR. The deal is worth about $3 million to ABB. The twelve-month...

Will ZEV Worsen Air Pollution?(Zero Emission Vehicle mandate in California)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Howard Gruenspecht, a Resident Scholar at Resources for the Future and the recently departed Director of Economic, Electricity, and Natural Gas Analysis at the U.S. Department of Energy, has completed a very interesting monograph discussing...

Reducing Power Plant Mercury Emissions.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to study toxic air pollution from power plants. EPA reported its latest study to Congress in February 1998. That 1998 study concluded that of all toxic pollution examined, mercury posed the greatest...

Converting Coal Wastes to Clean Energy.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Three new technologies that can help the nation's coal industry turn waste into energy are now ready for scale up, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Each of the three recover carbon-rich materials that in the past have been discarded...

Software Models Plant Safety.(nuclear power plant safety)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories have released updated computer software that models the complex physical phenomena that occur as a nuclear power plant accident progresses through time. The software,...

Yucca Mountain Still Controversial.
January 1, 2001... Public Citizen, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) and members of Nevada's congressional delegation have called for a federal investigation into the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) attempt to help the nuclear industry win...

Sensors Are a New Energy Saving Device.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... With the use of a new sensing device developed by Virginia Tech electrical engineers, energy intensive industries, including companies that specialize in transportation, power, glass, steel, and aluminum, should find that they can become less...

Sensor Monitors Steel Production.(energy-reduction project)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A new sensor developed to facilitate energy conservation in steel production has proven successful following a one-week prototype trial. The laser-based system, which measures the composition of gases exiting a steel-melting furnace, was...

Wireless Monitor Lifts Pipeline Revenues.(Midcoast Energy Resources Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Midcoast Energy Resources, Inc. is a rapidly growing independent pipeline company that specializes in the construction, acquisition and operation of both interstate and intrastate pipelines for industrial end-users and oil and gas producers....

Impact of Blackouts Is Staggering.(California will lose hundreds of millions)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... According to a study released by E source, the impact of financial losses resulting from the recent January blackouts in California will be unparalleled in the history of the state. In "Reliability in the Emerging Electricity Marketplace: The...

Real-Time Pricing Reduces Energy Bills.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... When power shortages loom, a drop in demand of only 2.5 percent drops wholesale prices by 24 percent, according to an analysis just released by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, 3412 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304). With power...

Gas Turbine Losses Strain Insurere.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... In the past decade, gas turbines have emerged as a core component of modern power plants. This trend has been followed by a growing need for insurance coverage for these plants. The insurance industry is responding, but officials warn that...

Dams Reconsidered.(report cites environmental and economic concerns)
January 1, 2001... The benefits of hydropower have come at a high price. Hydroelectricity provides nearly 20 percent of the World's electricity supply. And, the 45,000 dams associated with such electricity are located in more than 140 countries. For the last...

Political Lending.
January 1, 2001... How the World Bank's policies have influenced its spending on energy. Since 1992, when the World Bank significantly changed its energy lending policy, there has been a substantial increase in worldwide private sector participation in the...

Waiting for Supercon.
January 1, 2001... Estimating markets for high temperature superconducting power devices Over the next 20 years, electricity sales in the U.S. are projected to increase at an average annual rate of 1.4 percent. We have constructed a model of the electric...

Technological Fixes.
January 1, 2001... Look to high technology for new ways to save energy. When electricity became practical, methods of generation, transmission, and use were evidently in their infancy, and efficiency of application was clearly less important. Today,...