Energy Conservation News articles from December 2002

Energy Conservation News archives from December 2002

OUTLOOK: Eliminating "Perverse" Regulatory Barriers.
December 1, 2002... In a move to increase energy efficiency and encourage emissions reductions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized changes in the rules governing the New Source Review (NSR) program. EPA also announced a proposed rule to...

Discovery Could Yield Full Spectrum Solar Cell.
December 1, 2002... Researchers in the Materials Sciences Division (MSD) of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (www.lbl.gov/), working with crystal- growing teams at Cornell University and Japan's Ritsumeikan University, have learned that the band gap of the...

Renewable Industry Sets Highs, Lows.
December 1, 2002... According to EIA's just-released, Renewable Energy Annual 2001, shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules expanded 11% to nearly 98,000 peak kW in 2001. An 80% surge in domestic shipments to a record 36,310 peak kW led this growth,...

GOVERNMENT: Getting More from Corn.
December 1, 2002... The National Corn Growers Association, Archer Daniels Midland (4666 Faries Pkwy., Decatur, IL 62525; Tel: 217/424-5200, Fax: 217/424-6196; Website: www.admworld.com) and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Website:...

Trivial Saving from SUV Fuel Plan.
December 1, 2002... The Bush administration has offered a proposal to raise SUV fuel economy 1.5 mpg by 2007. But, according to a statement by Dan Lashof, science director of the NRDC Climate Center, "the White House is floating a trivial solution to a serious...

INDUSTRIAL: Waste Steam to Generate Electricity.
December 1, 2002... Borden Chemical, Inc. (180 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215; Tel: 614/225-4000; Website: www.bordenchem.com) is installing a combined heat and power (CHP) system to capture waste process steam and use it to generate an estimated $100,000 worth...

Waste Beverage to Ethanol Plant.
December 1, 2002... A new waste beverage-to-ethanol plant is being built in Ohio. The new ethanol plant will be built by Genahol, Inc. (346 Beall Ave., Wooster, OH 44691-3520; Tel: 330/264-7474) at the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) landfill outside...

Energy Needs May Limit Quantum Computers.
December 1, 2002... The energy required to create an accurate quantum computer may limit the ability of scientists to make these novel devices small, fast, cheap, and efficient, says a University of Arkansas researcher. Julio Gea-Banacloche, professor of physics,...

For Fraser Papers, "Grease" Is the Word.
December 1, 2002... A Wisconsin company has discovered a resourceful way to recycle cooking oil and grease after the last French fry is cooked. Burbank Grease Services, a part of the Anamax Group (P.O. Box 10067, Green Bay, WI 54307-0067), collects these used...

TRANSPORTATION: Argonne Opens Vehicle Test Facility.
December 1, 2002... The Advanced Powertrain Research Facility, North America's only independent testing facility for engines, fuel cells, electric drives, and energy storage, opened for business in mid-November at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National...

Fleets Lead Way to Efficient Vehicles.
December 1, 2002... Fleets can play an important role in introducing more fuel- efficient vehicles into the U.S. passenger vehicle stock but need some encouragement to do so, according to a new study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE,...

Integrated Unit Cuts Power Losses.
December 1, 2002... According to International Rectifier (233 Kansas St., El Segundo, CA 90245; Tel: 310/726-8000, Fax: 310/322-3332; Website: www.irf.com), they are now producing the first Active Integrated Rectifier Regulator (AIRR) for automotive alternators....

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION: Study Reveals Efficiency Potential in SW.
December 1, 2002... The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP, 2260 Baseline Rd., Suite 212, Boulder, CO 80302; Tel: 303/447-0078, Fax: 303/786- 8054; Website: www.swenergy.org) has released the results of its study outlining the potential for energy...

Hydrogenics to Lead Bus Development.
December 1, 2002... Hydrogenics Corp. (5985 McLaughlin Rd., Mississauga, Ontario L5R 1B8, Canada; Tel: 905/361-3660, Fax: 905/361-3626; Website: www.hydrogenics.com), a designer and manufacturer of fuel cell technology, has been contracted by Natural Resources...

APPLIANCES: INDEEP Database Publicly Available.
December 1, 2002... Since its development, access to the INDEEP database of end-use (including appliance efficiency program) data was restricted to the countries that participated. Some years ago it became possible to buy access to the database, information, and...

Heat Pipe Cools Laptops.
December 1, 2002... Laptops make laps hot, as users of mobile lightweight computers sometimes learn dramatically. And things could get worse: upcoming chips may produce 100 W per square centimeter-the heat generated by a light bulb-creating the effect of an...

MOTORS: Saving on Motor Energy Costs.
December 1, 2002... Recent studies carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute for systems and innovation research have shown that the necessary measures needed to lower electricity costs would be profitable in less than 3 years. Motor driven systems such as pumps,...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Amtech Commences Pilot Program.
December 1, 2002... Amtech Lighting Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of ABM Industries, Inc. (160 Pacific Ave., Suite 222, San Francisco, CA 94111; Tel: 415/733-4000, Fax: 415/733-5122; Website: www.abm.com), has been awarded a multi-year, multi-million dollar...

BP Solar Repositions for Growth.
December 1, 2002... In a move to facilitate continued growth, BP Solar (989 Corporate Dr., Linthicum, MD 21090; Tel: 301/698-4200, Fax: 301/698-4201; Website: www.bbsolar.com) says it wants to reposition its operations to concentrate on its key markets supported...

Two Ribbons in One Furnace.
December 1, 2002... Evergreen Solar, Inc. (259 Cedar Hill St., Marlborough, MA 01752; Tel: 508/357-2221, Fax: 508/357-2279; Website: www.evergreensolar.com) has developed the latest advancement in its proprietary String Ribbon technology for manufacturing solar...

Solena Secures Equity Funding.
December 1, 2002... Solena Group, Inc. (1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004-3002; Tel: 202/682-2405), a provider of renewable energy technology, has raised $10 million from an investment syndicate led by Montreal-based Hydro-Quebec CapiTech, Inc. and...

RESOURCES: ASHRAE Manual Simplifies Design.
December 1, 2002... Encouraging users to apply the principles of energy conservation when designing buildings and systems is the intent of a new user's manual for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE, 1791 Tullie...

Fairmont Publishes New Efficiency Titles.
December 1, 2002... New Technologies for Energy Efficiency, by Michael F. Hordeski, has just been published by Fairmont Press. The needs of the new economy have had the effect of stressing the existing energy infrastructure to the point of crisis. The current...

Middle Atlantic Appliance Report 2001.
December 1, 2002... The EIA has just released a comprehensive evaluation of appliance market and holdings covering the Middle Atlantic States (see www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/appli/mid_atl.html). The three States of the Middle Atlantic Census Division-New Jersey,...

CALENDAR.
December 1, 2002... February 24-26, 2003. 2003 RESNET Conference, San Diego, CA. Contact: Residential Energy Services Network, P.O. Box 4561, Oceanside, CA 92052-4561; Tel: 760/806-3448; Website: http://www.natresnet.org/conference/ March 17-19, 2003. Texas...