Energy User News articles from September 2003

Energy User News archives from September 2003

Pressure mounts to pass US energy legislation.
September 1, 2003... WASINGTON, DC -- Determined to pass an energy bill any energy bill--before the start of its month long summer recess, the Senate put a stunning end to months of haggling over energy policy when the body voted 84-14 to put last year's omnibus...

Massive outage jolts more than 50 million customers.(August 14, 2003)
September 1, 2003... The largest power outage in North American history took about nine seconds on the afternoon of Thursday, August 14, to hit some 50 million customers from New York to Michigan and parts of Canada. Disruption of air and rail travel, massive...

PG&E National Energy Group Inc.(EUN Ticker)(bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... PG&E National Energy Group Inc., the power generation and energy trading unit of PG&E Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 8. The filing comes a little more than two years after Pacific Gas & Electric, PG&E's primary...

The Energy Information Administration (EIA).(EUN Ticker)(U. S. electricity demand in third quarter of 2003 will be estimated 1072.0 billion kilowatt hours )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted that U. S. electricity demand in the third quarter of 2003 will be an estimated 1072.0 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), up from a previous forecast of 1042.2 kWh. One year ago, actual U.S....

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).(EUN Ticker)(Reports that hydro power generation this year in Pacific Northwest looks set to match average seen in years past)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) reported that hydro power generation this year in the Pacific Northwest looks set to match the average seen in years past, adding that it did not anticipate problems in meeting the region's energy...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).(EUN Ticker)(FERC said on July 9 that trading volume of U.S. wholesale electricity market is currently limited by a lack of market participants )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said on July 9 that the trading volume of U.S. wholesale electricity market is currently limited by a lack of market participants but is nevertheless on the rebound. The staff report also noted...

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.(EUN Ticker)(Urged all 50 of nation's governors and their state energy agencies to join Department's Smart Energy Campaign)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham urged all 50 of the nation's governors and their state energy agencies to join the Department's Smart Energy Campaign, a communications campaign to educate consumers, homeowners, and businesses on the need to...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).(EUN Ticker)(Will contribute $13 million toward $26 million project to install high-temperature superconductor (HTS) cable in Albany, NY)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will contribute $13 million toward a $26 million project to install a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) cable in Albany, NY, a lead company in the project announced. SuperPower, Inc. will lead a project...

Exelon Generation.(EUN Ticker)(Exelon Generation announced that Fore River Generating Station in Weymouth, MA, has begun commercial operations)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Exelon Generation announced on July 31 that Fore River Generating Station located in Weymouth, MA, has begun commercial operations. Fore River is an 800-MW natural gas unit that has two combined cycle gas turbines and one steam turbine. All...

EUN calendar.(News)(Calendar)
September 1, 2003... SEPTEMBER 21-24 EEI National Accounts, Sheraton New Orleans, New Orleans, LA. Edison Electric Institute. For more information, call: (202) 508-5000 or visit: www.eei.org. 22-24 CHP Roadmap Workshop, Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza,...

FERC lacks data to oversee power market, General Accounting Office says.(News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- The General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a report on July 30 that concluded that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is hampered in overseeing U.S. electricity markets at...

Research shows promise for solid-state lighting.(News)(Research advances at Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories and at GE Global Research )
September 1, 2003... Separate research advances at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories and at GE Global Research are encouraging for two different approaches to making solid-state lights. Lights made from solid-state materials, including...

High-efficiency generator design validated.(News)(General Electric)
September 1, 2003... SCHENECTADY, NY -- General Electric (GE) reports that a demonstration model for a new, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) generator has been successfully tested. The development program is expected to lead to a higher efficiency generator...

Renewable Energy heralded as best management practice.(News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- EPA Acting Administrator Linda Fisher on July 9 praised U.S. companies for their commitment to green power through the Green Power Partnership, a new EPA voluntary program working to standardize green power procurement as part...

Law school energy project influences decision on DG rates.(News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... WHITE PLAINS, NY -- The New York State Public Service Commission issued an order on July 29 approving new rates for Con Edison's standby electric delivery service to customers that produce some of their own electricity through onsite generation...

EEI pledges support on DOE energy efficiency campaign.(News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- Commenting on the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) announcement July 19 of a new "Smart Energy" campaign, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) pledged its full support of DOE's nationwide effort to encourage customers to use...

Back to basics: letters take a less political tone.(Letters)
September 1, 2003... Dear Editor: Your publication is useful, and the July article, "Energy Software Tools," by Bill Shadish with Bion Howard's sidebar was no exception. It was nicely conceived and presented. I particularly appreciated Mr. Howard's...

Point-counterpoint.(Letters)
September 1, 2003... Dear Editor, What a sham! To let your political beliefs spill onto the pages of this "'professional" newsletter is beyond approach. I received my first issue of Energy User News (May 2003) this morning and looked forward to reading about...

Expands on fundamentals.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... Dear Editor: John Fetters' Applying New Lighting Technology provides very useful information. But his statement, "A common mistake made is to use instant-start ballasts for switching applications when upgrading fluorescent systems,"...

The first stone: blackouts a foreseeable result of destructuring.(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... No matter the cause of the August 14 blackout that crippled large swaths of the Northeast and the Midwest, federal and state regulators, executives, and legislators have to take the lion's share of the blame. Instead, they began running for...

Energy and wireless Internet: what's the connection?(Management Information Systems)
September 1, 2003... The rapid growth of the wireless Internet became evident to me when my family recently visited four universities, all of which touted their wireless Internet access. The technology, called Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), makes it possible to...

Unraveling the mystery of grid interconnection: small-scale distributed generation projects have unique requirements.
September 1, 2003... Although the easing of the power crisis in California and other changing marketplace dynamics have dissipated some of the hype surrounding distributed generation (DG), a growing number of energy users can reap the benefits of this point-of-use...

Hot and cold: thermal challenges in the data center.
September 1, 2003... As predicted by Moore's Law, the number of transistors on a given chip size has doubled every 18 months. In 1971, Intel's 4004 microprocessor had 2300 transistors and required less than a watt of power. Pentium 4 processors now contain more...

External factors affect BCS market; more installations expected in 2004.
September 1, 2003... Installing a building control system (BCS) multiplies its factory-shipped value by a factor of 8 to 10. Figure 1 shows how the product value increases along its path to installation. Up to 75% of the final total value comprises installation and...

Long-term reliability requires constant vigilance; critical applications must be protected.
September 1, 2003... Critical applications require uninterruptible power of a high quality. The most basic of these systems, such as the systems used to supply the critical branch of power in hospitals, utilize automatic throw-over switches. The most advanced...

LED indirect luminaires.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... LED indirect luminaires have two dimmable 54-W T5HO lamps with wide-distribution reflectors for primary illumination. The 80 blue or white LEDs mounted in twin laminated clear-tempered glass panels are powered by an invisible low-voltage power...

Microprocessor controller.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Microprocessor controller increases processing power and flexibility for power applications. The controller includes more programmable features than earlier controllers. An LCD display indicates source availability, exercise time delay...

Dedicated function protection.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Dedicated function protection relays are compact and offer digital adjustment capabilities. Relays include phase, current, thermistor, and motor rotation (zero speed) monitors. Their compact size offers installation flexibility because they are...

Multipoint remote network monitor.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Multipoint remote network monitor uses modem connections to allow users to view and download information from any of the company's data loggers anywhere in the world. One unit connects eight instruments to one PC. The monitor currently works...

Industrial, commercial, and HVAC motors.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Industrial, commercial, and HVAC motors meet or exceed the new National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) premium efficiency standards. The standards were used in determining the design and construction of the following complete motor...

Electronic meter.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Electronic meter designed for basic voltage and current monitoring applications is compact, has programmable voltage and current transformer ratios, and provides true RMS measurements for measurement of distorted waveforms. It is designed to...

Ac and dc drives.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Ac and dc drives feature protected chassis enclosures, selectable feedback with option boards, auto-tune, compact size, and application programs. Design features include peak overload capacity of 150% for 30 s, 200% for 1 s, and assignable...

Web-based auditing engine.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Web-based auditing engine is available to users of foAudits from the makers of the hand-held energy tool. In addition, the firm offers a service to completely handle audits, including hosting, database backups, audit creation, and audit...

Infrared hygrometer/thermometer.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Infrared hygrometer/thermometer allows users to measure surface temperature and humidity without contact. The IR thermometer provides measurements ranging from -58 to 932[degrees]F (-50 to 500[degrees]C) in locations that are unsafe or hard to...

Rack and power management software.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Rack and power management software delivers control for UPS and environmental monitoring products for single, multiple, and redundant UPS environments. A familiar browser interface provides secure remote access (up to 128-bit SSL encryption) to...

Four-quadrant drives.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Four-quadrant drives offer efficient utilization of electricity (i.e., power factor), high levels of harmonic mitigation, and the ability to run at full power in 80% brownout conditions, the manufacturer says. The ultra-compact drives--up to...

Integrated lighting automation system.(Metering, HVAC/R, and Electrical Components)
September 1, 2003... Integrated lighting automation system provides automated on/off light switching, full-range dimming, real-time monitoring of a building's lighting system, and load shedding for peak demand reduction. The system addresses five lighting-related...

Bush panel aims to speed energy drilling in west.(News)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- The Bush administration on July 31 said it had formed a committee to find faster ways for oil and natural gas companies to obtain drilling permits on federal lands in the Rocky Mountains, Reuters reports. The newly...

Poll shows Americans concerned about natural gas prices.(News)
September 1, 2003... ARLINGTON, VA -- A Luntz Research Companies poll has found that Americans are seriously concerned about the dramatic increase in natural gas prices and electricity costs. The poll of 800 Americans also found that 86% of respondents want the...

Alliance to Save Energy shares 'Best Practices' with DOE.(News)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- Manufacturers looking for assistance with energy-related plant technologies may now consult the National Inventory of Manufacturing Assistance Programs (NIMAP). The database, created by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) for...

IECA says natural gas pricing hurting manufacturers.(News)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- In a July 18, 2003 letter to the United States Congress and Governors, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) says the increase in natural gas inventories is a good news/bad news story. The letter says, "The...

Ten northeast states to cooperate to lower carbon emissions.(News)
September 1, 2003... New York Governor George Pataki announced July 29 that nine other northeast states have agreed to join New York in a regional strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The governors of Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire,...

Interior Secretary Norton addresses gas crisis.(News)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- Interior Secretary Gale Norton on July 22 highlighted Department of the Interior initiatives underway to tackle natural gas shortages, which are causing higher prices for American families, and touted studies on methane...

BACnet testing standard published by ASHRAE.(News)
September 1, 2003... KANSAS CITY, MO -- The compatibility of systems and equipment with BACnet can now be tested with a standard approved for publication by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). ASHRAE Standard...

Study claims new EPA rules could increase pollution.(News)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- A study released July 29 shows that the new rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to alter the Clean Air Act's "New Source Review" permit requirements could allow nearly 1.6 million more tons of air...

DOE awards $75 million for hydrogen fuel cells.(News)
September 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Energy (DOE) announced on July 17th that it will award a total of $75 million to 13 films and educational institutions for research in advanced fuel cells for vehicles and buildings. The projects will tackle...

Statistics, trends and energy data.(Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... DEGREE DAYS For Selected Cities July Monthly Monthly Monthly Deviation Deviation City Total from Norm from Last Year Atlanta 410 -18...

26th WEEC: new directions for sustainability, energy policy, and profitability.
September 1, 2003... The World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC), now in its 26th year, is the nation's No. 1 conference and exposition on strategies and technologies to manage energy effectively. Attendees will find out how to make their facilities sustainable...

2003 Efficient Building Awards.(Energy user news: energy management for the commercial, industrial and institutional markets)
September 1, 2003... The tradition of excellence continues. Once again, Energy User News will present its annual Efficient Building Awards at this year's WEEC. The awards recognize innovations in building management and energy efficiency--in either retrofits or new...

Special events.
September 1, 2003... "YOU ARE INVITED..." Conference delegates are invited to attend the Reception sponsored by TAC, followed by the AEE Banquet on Tuesday night, Opening Ceremonies and Luncheon in Exhibit Hall on Wednesday, Luncheon in Exhibit Hall on Thursday...

Conference-at-a-glance.
September 1, 2003... OPENING SESSION "STRATEGIC ENERGY POLICY DIRECTION"--WEDNESDAY / NOVEMBER 12, 2003 / 8:45-11:00 AM Chair: LAWRENCE L. GOOD, C.E.M., Good Consulting * 8:45-9:15 am The Georgia Brass Band and the U.S. Army Forces Command Color Guard...

Program agenda.
September 1, 2003... Program subject to change without notice DAY ONE CONCURRENT AFTERNOON SESSIONS / WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003 / 2:30-5:10 PM WEEC / Session A HVAC Nuts and Bolts Chair: JON R. HAVILAND, P.E., C.E.M., C.L.E.P.,...

Learn from these recognized industry experts at this year's conference program.
September 1, 2003... WARREN KW Energy Engineering Session E2 / Wednesday PM HEIZER Interface Engineering Session A3 / Thursday AM COOKE National Energy Technology Laboratory Session D3 / Thursday PM VAIDYA ...

Association for Facilities Engineering[R].
September 1, 2003... Monday, November 10--Friday, November 14--Earn 2.6 CEU AEE or AFE Member Preregistration Fee: $975*Onsite Fee: $1025 Non-Member Preregistration Fee: $1130*Onsite Fee: $1180 Certified Plant Engineer Program AFE's CPE Program provides a...

Hotel accomodations.
September 1, 2003... Blocks of rooms have been reserved for WEEC attendees at several downtown Atlanta hotels convenient to the Georgia World Congress Center. Details on hotel reservations will be mailed to participants upon receipt of registration. Hotel room...

CEU credit for WEEC conference participants.
September 1, 2003... Continuing Education Units (CEU) credit will be granted to 26th WEEC conference attendees. Each full conference registrant will receive two units of credit. Only those registered for the complete three-days program will qualify for this credit....

2-day preconference seminars.
September 1, 2003... Monday and Tuesday, November 10-11, 2003 * 9:00 am-5:00 pm AEE or AFE Member, Government, or Nonprofit Fee: $950 Non-Member Fee: $1050/1.6 CEU SEMINAR: Energy Management: Skills Update 2004 ABOUT THE SEMINAR Updated annually with...

1-day seminars.
September 1, 2003... Tuesday, November 11 * 9:00 am-5:00 pm Fee: $480 / 0.8 CEU SEMINAR: Using Excel and Interval Meter Data to Understand Loads and Cut Energy Costs ABOUT THE SEMINAR This seminar is designed to provide participants with a background...

Tuesday 1-day preconference seminars.
September 1, 2003... Tuesday, November 11 * 9:00 am-5:00 pm Fee: $480 / 0.8 CEU SEMINAR: Installing, Commissioning, Operating, and Maintaining Effective Lighting Systems ABOUT THE SEMINAR Effective building lighting systems use less energy, save money,...