Energy Conservation News articles from August 2001

Energy Conservation News archives from August 2001

OUTLOOK: Efficiency Legislation Under Fire by Analysts.
August 1, 2001... According to David Goldstein of the Natural Resources Defense Council (40 West 20th St., New York, NY 10011; Tel: 212/727-2700, Fax: 212/727-1773), the energy bill (H.R. 2511) passed by the House Committee on Ways and Means on July 17th has...

Was DOE Research Worth It?
August 1, 2001... According to "Energy Research at DOE: Was It Worth It?" just published by the National Research Council (Contact: National Academy Press; Tel: 202/334-3313 or 800/624-6242; Website: www.nap.edu), the payback on DOE's investment in energy...

GOVERNMENT: New York Funding Better Buildings.
August 1, 2001... According to Program Opportunity Notice (PON) No. 626-01, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is making available $750,000 in grant money for winning proposals to develop, demonstrate, or commercialize innovative building...

MA Grants Fund Renewables.
August 1, 2001... The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust (MRET; Website: www.mtpc.org/massrenew) has approved $1.82 million in funding for seven projects that will utilize a variety of renewable energy technologies. The awards are the first to be announced in...

Boosting Research into Cheaper Solar.
August 1, 2001... According to DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL; Website: www.nrel.gov/ncpv/) 19 universities and 14 companies are expected to receive a total of $40 million in funding for research and development into thin-film photovoltaic...

ENERGY MANAGEMENT/FINANCING Routers Improve Building Performance.
August 1, 2001... Cimetrics, Inc. (55 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111; Website: www.cimetrics.com), a developer of integrated building automation communication solutions designed for Networked Building Systems (NBS) has introduced new BR2 routers. These devices...

RESIDENTIAL: It's Not Just Efficiency That Matters.
August 1, 2001... As everyone in the building energy efficiency business knows, the drive to reduce air infiltration by "tightening up" buildings has been accompanied by indoor air quality (IAQ) problems. A new American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and...

COMMERCIAL: Controls Cut Electricity Costs.
August 1, 2001... Research engineers have shown that electricity costs for office buildings can be reduced by as much as 40% by running air conditioning overnight. "Pre-cooling" structures so that it takes less power to cool buildings during times of peak demand...

INDUSTRIAL: Heat-Treating Furnace Technology.
August 1, 2001... Delphi Automotive Systems (5725 Delphi Dr., Troy, MI 48098- 2815; Tel: 248/813-2000, Fax: 248/813-2670; Website: www.delphiauto.com) and the DOE have implemented nickel aluminide (Ni3Al) heat-treat fixtures developed jointly under a cooperative...

TRANSPORTATION: Fuel Economy Cheaper than Claimed.
August 1, 2001... A new ACEEE (1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036; Tel: 202/429-8873) study demonstrates that major improvements in the fuel economy of passenger vehicles are achievable at modest cost over the next 10 to 15 yr. by using...

Plasma Lamp Facilitates Coatings.
August 1, 2001... Vortek Industries (605 West Kent Ave., N., Vancouver, BC Canada V6P 6T7; Tel: 604/251-2451, Fax: 604/251 3356; Email: mailbox@vortek.com) has developed a 300,000-W radiant plasma source that is the most powerful lamp in the world. The device...

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Projects Advance Geothermal Energy.
August 1, 2001... The California Energy Commission has awarded grants to six projects that will continue to tap California's enormous geothermal energy resources. The Energy Commission made the funds available to maximize the production of steam to drive...

Tar Sands Costs Lowered.
August 1, 2001... There are more than 330 billion barrels of recoverable oil in Northern Alberta's tar sands. That's more than the total reserves in Saudi Arabia. Reducing the cost of production is critical, though, if these resources are to be economically...

Cutting Leakage from Steam Turbines.
August 1, 2001... Air in-leakage on turbine condenser systems, which can cost plant operators millions of dollars per year, is the focus of an ECN "spotlight" report this month. The condenser system is largely perceived as a very reliable workhorse that collects...

HVAC: Proposed Increase in A/C Standard.
August 1, 2001... A proposal by DOE to require a 20% increase in the minimum efficiency of central air conditioners and heat pumps has been strongly endorsed by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI). In a statement following the July 25th...

MOTORS: Adjustable Pump Has Broad Uses.
August 1, 2001... Dec & Associates, Inc. (3551 S. Monaco Pkwy., Suite 138, Denver, CO 80237) has recently started vending an energy saving, adjustable-horsepower water pump, called the Money $aver Pump. By simply turning a dial, consumers can change the...

5,000-Horsepower HTS Motor Demos.
August 1, 2001... American Superconductor Corp. (2 Technology Dr., Westborough, MA 01581-1727; Tel: 508/836-4200, Fax: 508/836- 4248; Website: www.amsuper.com) has demonstrated its first 5,000-hp, high-temperature superconductor (HTS) electric motor. The motor,...

INDUSTRY NEWS: BP to Expand PV Production.
August 1, 2001... BP (Britannic House, 1 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7BA, U.K.; Tel: +44-20-7496-4000, Fax: +44-20-7496-4630; Website: www.bp.com) has agreed in principle to acquire Agere Systems' manufacturing facility in Madrid as a base for a fivefold...

GE Power Picks Up Praxis Engineers.
August 1, 2001... GE Power Systems (1 River Rd., Schenectady, NY 12345; Tel: 518/385-2211, Fax: 518/385-9051; Website: www.gepower.com) will fully acquire Praxis Engineers, Inc. (852 N Hillview Dr., Milpitas, CA 95035-4544; Tel: 408/945-4282), a company that...

Patent for Advanced Catalyst.
August 1, 2001... According to Headwaters, Inc. (11778 Election Rd., No. 210, Draper, UT 84020-6808; Tel: 801/984-9400) Hydrocarbon Technology, Inc. (HTI) was recently granted a patent for an advanced iron-based catalyst to be used in converting gas to liquids...

Large Management System for Wisconsin.
August 1, 2001... SchlumbergerSema (5430 Metric Pl., Norcross, GA 30092-2550; Tel: 770/446-1991; Website: www.slb.com) has executed a 15- yr. agreement to provide information technology services to Wisconsin Electric-Wisconsin Gas (Wisconsin Energy, 231 W....

RESOURCES: ASHRAE Adds to Standard 90.1.
August 1, 2001... Eighteen more addenda have been approved for publication for the ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. The standard provides the minimum requirements for the design of...

Ultra-Efficient Vehicles Report Updated.
August 1, 2001... The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program is a cooperative venture of the federal government and the U.S. automotive industry to develop a midsize sedan that can attain a fuel efficiency of up to 80 mpg. Since PNGV's...

Appliance Reports Issued by EIA.
August 1, 2001... EIA has recently published four new reports in the Regional Energy Profiles Appliance Reports series. The series is now complete and presents reports for each of the nine U.S. Census Divisions. The reports compare long-term trends in market...

A Revolution in Lamps.
August 1, 2001... Revolution in Lamps: A Chronicle of 50 Years of Progress, Second Edition, edited by Raymond Kane and Heinz Sell, has just been published by the Fairmont Press. Written for designers, engineers, architects, and others involved with application...

CALENDAR.
August 1, 2001... September 24-26, 2001. Powering the Future 2001: New Strategies and Solutions for Deploying Distributed Power in the Marketplace, Chicago, IL. Contact: Hugh Olmstead, Intertech Conferences, 19 Northbrook Office Park, Portland, ME 04105; Tel:...