Energy User News articles from June 2002

Energy User News archives from June 2002

Senate energy legislation receives lukewarm reception.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... WASHINGTON, DC--A year after President Bush outlined his energy program, the Senate, after weeks of contentious debate, on April 25 passed a massive energy bill that seemed to have something for everyone but which was condemned as flawed by...

The British are coming: National Grid plugs into US, other deals may follow.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... WESTBOROUGH, MA--National Grid, which runs the United Kingdom's (UK) power transmission network, is poised for a series of multi-billion dollar acquisitions in North America, according to The Sunday Telegraph, London. The newspaper reports...

EUNLoad Profile.(utility ownership percentages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... INSIDE EUNLOAD PROFILE Utility Ownership Government Owned 15% Cooperatives 12% Shareholder Owned 73% Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Note: Table made from pie chart

General Electric Co. (EUNTicker).(resizing Power Systems segment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... General Electric Co. on April 11 said it planned to resize its Power Systems segment as demand for turbines softens. GE executives, speaking on an earnings conference call, said they expect to deliver a record number of turbines in the second...

The U.S. Senate. (EUNTicker).(energy-related derivatives)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The U.S. Senate rejected a proposal April 10 that would have required federal regulation of energy-related financial derivatives, an area of the electricity markets in which Enron was deeply involved. A supporter of the bill said that a...

Fluke Corporation. (EUNTicker).(acquires Reliable Power Meters)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Fluke Corporation, Everett, WA, has acquired California-based Reliable Power Meters for an undisclosed price. The sale of the power quality monitoring and analysis technology firm was finalized on April 15. The acquisition of RPM establishes...

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (EUNTicker).(nuclear power plants's safety measures)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says that as of April 13 nearly three-quarters of the nation's nuclear power plant operators are behind schedule on new federally mandated security upgrades, mostly dealing with truck bombs. Operators...

The Austin Energy Green Building Program. (EUNTicker).(wins award)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Austin Energy Green Building Program received the Green Building Program of the Year award during the 2002 National Green Building Conference, hosted by the National Association of Homebuilders Research Center March 25-27 in Seattle....

The world's first fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid power plant. (EUNTicker).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The world's first fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid power plant passed the 1000-hour proof-of-concept period in April, and the endurance phase of its test program is underway. Funding partners in the $16 million project include the U.S. Department...

Calendar.
June 1, 2002... JUNE 19-21 [CO.sup.2] Trading 2002: The North American Market. Park Hyatt Hotel, Philadelphia, PA. Eyeforenergy. For more information, contact: www.eyeforenergy.com 24-25 Strategic Energy Management USA: New techniques for corporate...

Passive fiber-optic daylighting prototype wins award from NAHB and Popular Science. (News).(National Association of Home Builders Research Center Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ATLANTA--A passive fiber-optic daylighting prototype was the recipient of a 2002 Science Innovative Housing Technology Award bestowed by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, Inc. (NAHB-RC) and Popular Science magazine....

California officials expect to avert power crisis, but future remains uncertain. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... SACRAMENTO, CA--California's energy crisis seems to be generally on hold for this summer, but energy officials are not so sure about the future. For now, the threat of blackouts appears be minimal, though July could be uncomfortably...

Nevada Power's legal case may be landmark. (News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is about to make one of its most important rulings in recent times, some observers say. The issue before FERC is nothing less than the sanctity of long-term contracts. Nevada...

Cable dispute may foreshadow more regional grid bickering. (News).(underwater cable from Connecticut under Long Island Sound)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NEW HAVEN, CT-SHOREHAM, NY--Upgrading the nation's creaky electric power grid may be more difficult than anticipated if the dispute over an underwater cable under Long Island Sound is any indication of squabbles likely to break out in other...

TVA considers joining grid that would serve 20 states. (News).(Tennessee Valley Authority)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's biggest public power producer, said on April 17 that it had agreed to explore ways to combine its transmission grids with a network that would span 20 Midwest and Southwest states...

The benefits of choice: does competition really exist?(Editorial)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... States such as Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania recently have begun to open their markets and allow energy users to purchase electricity from non-utility suppliers. Most states have allowed commercial and industrial gas consumers...

Dialogues with readers: searching for new insights on the interdependence of energy and information technologies. (Critical Issues).(Brief Article)(Column)
June 1, 2002... The focus of EUN's Mission Critical column, begun so ably by Mike Hellman and Lloyd Babbit, has been the increasing interdependence of energy, information technologies (IT), and organizational performance. EUN's readers are concerned with...

Energy metering: costly overhead or cost-effective conservation? sub-metering becomes an accepted energy-saving strategy.(includes related article on the evolution of metering)
June 1, 2002... Years ago, end-use or sub-metering seemed to be more the domain of the research scientist. Many of the national laboratories had complements of metering professionals. Several large utilities implemented metering and sub-metering for load...

Buildings online: real time and the future of the energy management business.
June 1, 2002... JOHN J. "JACK" MCGOWAN, CEM Peter Drucker, the management guru, once said, "The only function of a business is to create customer value and to innovate." For more than three decades now, the business of energy management has been...

How clean is coal? new options may make a plentiful energy source more acceptable.(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... When Vice President Dick Cheney recommended that the Department of Energy (DOE) invest $2 billion over the next 10 years in clean, coal-burning technology, it sounded like the call for a new era in coal. In fact, it was only a boost to a...

UPS system. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... UPS system offers seamless power protection for sensitive telecommunications applications such as computer networks, communication systems, and data centers. In the event of a utility power outage, the system seamlessly picks up the...

Power infrastructure management software. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Power infrastructure management software helps network managers increase efficiency and avoid downtime by providing real-time enterprise-level management. Users can monitor, configure, and assess their entire power infrastructure from a...

Soft load power transfer switches. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Soft load power transfer switches are described in brochure. The devices seamlessly transfer load between utility power and onsite generation with virtually no voltage or frequency transients, the manufacturer says. The switches also actively...

Power-quality solution. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Power-quality solution is a pre-engineered, pre-assembled, and pre-tested system delivering highly reliable premium power for mission critical applications. A virtual plug-and-play unit that focuses on the interconnection of the utility to...

[0] UPS system. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... UPS system provides enhanced service continuity to facilities served by a single power source, where momentary disruptions are of concern. Available in ratings from 380 V to 34.5 W, it provides back-up power to the entire facility for up to...

Meter configuration software. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Meter configuration software is used to program and read ABB's A3 ALPHA meter (a revenue-grade electronic meter). The software package includes new meter communication tasks that simplify programming and new load profile data options for...

Power conditioners. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Power conditioners remove damaging electrical noise and solve quality problems that wreak havoc with sensitive medical equipment, computer process control systems, robotic systems, and machinery. Units are available in sizes from small office...

Microprocessor-based relay provides protection, monitoring, and control of electrical generators. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Microprocessor-based relay provides protection, monitoring, and control of electrical generators. The enhancements include use of the Modbus communications protocol. Numerous power plants and industrial plants with distributed generation or...

Industrial standby generators. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Industrial standby generators come in 12 models with outputs ranging from 75 to 500 kW. Each unit is powered by a four-cycle direct injection Volvo diesel engine that meets EPA emissions standards for mobile off-highway equipment. The...

Digital power meter. (Products Literature & Services).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Digital power meter uses LonWorks power line carrier technology for real-time delivery of electric power consumption and power quality data over existing electric power wiring. This eliminates the need to run separate wiring to connect the...

Oil-free centrifugal compressor. (Products Literature & Services).
June 1, 2002... Oil-free centrifugal compressor uses magnetic bearings and variable-speed drive to deliver better IPLV efficiencies than conventional compressors, the manufacturer says. Magnetic-bearing technology reduces friction losses, mechanical wear,...

Damaging Enron memos may be 'smoking gun'. (News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... WASHINGTON, DC--On May 6, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released documents written by Enron Corp. lawyers that described the company's electricity trading strategies during California's power crisis. Two memos indicated that...

ISH-NA to anchor a variety of trade group events at North American debut. (News).(ISH North America 2002)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ATLANTA, GA--ISH North America (October 31-November 2) is rapidly becoming the "anchor" for a variety of industry-related events. ISH North America will host exhibitors from throughout North America and around the world. International...

Weather hedging: Chicago mercantile exchange weather futures prices.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Weather Hedging: Chicago Mercantile Exchange Weather Futures prices Each Degree Day valued at $100 Heating Degree Days Cooling Degree Days Location March April May ...

Ranking of gas utility prices by state commercial.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Ranking of Gas Utility Prices By State Commercial Rank State Price/Mcf 1 Hawaii $18.00 2 Maine $13.45 3 Rhode Island $11.25 4 District of Columbia...

Degree days for selected cities.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... DEGREE DAYS For Selected Cities April Monthly Monthly Deviation Monthly Deviation City Total from Norm from Last Year Atlanta 87 -51 -22 Baltimore...

Spot market gas: posted prices.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Spot Market Gas: Posted Prices May prices represent estimates of median prices for one-month spot transactions, Prices are not offers. Pipeline May-01 Apr-02 May-02 ANR, La. 4.80...

Electricity price comparison.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Electricity Price Comparison Rate Breakeven Rates Schedule ($)/kWh ...

Gas price comparison.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Gas Price Comparison Breakeven Rates ($)kWh January February March Large Office (150,000 [ft.sup.2]) Boston Gas ...