Energy Conservation News articles from March 1999

Energy Conservation News archives from March 1999

OUTLOOK: ASHRAE Criticized for Proposed 90.1 Standard.
March 1, 1999... In a widely circulated letter to energy and buildings industry participants, Mark Krebs, director, market planning at Laclede Gas Co. (720 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63101; Tel: 314/342-0714) takes ASHRAE (1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA...

GOVERNMENT: NSF Looking for R&D Proposals.
March 1, 1999... The National Science Foundation's small business innovation research program (NSF SBIR Program Office, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 550, Arlington, VA 22230; Fax: 703/306-0337) is seeking new proposals for funding of energy efficiency- related...

Ethanol Given Push by Grants.
March 1, 1999... The Dept. of Energy (DOE) awarded $1 million to recipients of its "Bridge to the Corn Ethanol Industry" initiative at the National Conference on Ethanol Policy and Marketing. The DOE initiative is designed to help expand domestic ethanol...

Options Evaluated for Army Heating Systems.
March 1, 1999... A just published report by the Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL Technical Report 99/23, January 1999) authored by Michael K. Brewer, Thomas E. Durbin, Chris Dilks, Roch A. Ducey, Vicki L. Van...

INTERNATIONAL: Shell Brings Low Cost Solar.
March 1, 1999... Oil giant Shell (30 Carel van Bylandtlaan, 2596 HR The Hague, The Netherlands; Tel: +31-70-377-3395, Fax: +31-70-377-4848; http://www.shell.com) has launched the world's first large scale commercial solar electrification project that will...

ENERGY MANAGEMENT/FINANCING : Extending Battery Life in UPS Systems.
March 1, 1999... EPRI and Constellation Energy Source, Inc. report the first-ever installation of a UL-approved flywheel energy storage device in an existing uninterruptible power supply (UPS) installation. The aim was to "provide a cost-effective ride through...

Alcoa Jumps into Energy Services.
March 1, 1999... Alcoa, Inc. (Alcoa Corporate Center, 201 Isabella St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212- 5858; Tel: 412/553-4545, Fax: 412/553-4498, Website: http://www.alcoa.com) has acquired a 50% interest in privately-held C.C. Pace Energy Services, LLC (4401 Fair...

More Ways to Save On-Line.
March 1, 1999... Prosper NRG Marketing (136 Northwoods Blvd., Columbus, OH 43235-4728; Tel: 614/846-0146, Fax: 614/846-0156, Website: http://www.4prosper.com) has launched an internet energy quote system called NRG Quote. NRG Quote utilizes Prosper's instant...

RESIDENTIAL: Sun Power Pioneers Photovoltaic Program.
March 1, 1999... Residents of the Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, who install solar photovoltaic systems can now receive up to $3,000 in cash incentives. The new program--Sun Power Pioneers--is sponsored by the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE, PO...

COMMERCIAL: Canada Seeks Building Designs.
March 1, 1999... Does an $80,000 (Canadian) incentive to incorporate energy efficiency into your next design project pique your interest? Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering financial support to successfully incorporate energy efficiency into building...

INDUSTRIAL: Running a Factory on Solar Power.
March 1, 1999... Bentley Mills (14641 East Don Julian Rd., City Of Industry, CA), a division of Interface, Inc. (2859 Paces Ferry Rd., Suite 2000, Atlanta, GA 30339; Tel: 770/437-6800, Fax: 706/882-1891, Website: http://www.ifsia.com), a manufacturer of...

Cutting 20 kWh/ton Off Steelmaking.
March 1, 1999... Praxair, Inc. (39 Old Ridgebury Rd., Danbury, CT 06810-5113; Tel: 203/837-2000, Fax: 203/837-2450, Website: http://www.praxair.com) has started-up its patented CoJet coherent jet technology on a 135-ton electric arc furnace at the Birmingham...

Dow Increases BTU Value of Gas.
March 1, 1999... The Technology Group for GAS/SPEC (Website: http://www.gastreating.com) products and services at The Dow Chemical Co. (2030 Dow Center, Midland, MI 48674; Tel: 517/636-1000, Fax: 517/636-1830, Website: http://www.dow.com) is introducing...

E-Source Looks at T&D Upgrades.
March 1, 1999... E-Source (1033 Walnut St., No. 2, Boulder, CO 80302-5114; Tel: 303/440-8500, Website: http://www.esource.com) has recently completed field work from its most extensive attitudinal study on electric reliability entitled, Reliability in the...

TRANSPORTATION: Exhaust System Boosts Engine Performance.
March 1, 1999... A new automobile exhaust system reduces pollution and boosts engine power at the same time. The single design takes the place of multiple parts in the standard auto exhaust assembly, including the manifold, muffler and catalytic converter. A...

DOE Funds Fuel Cell Research.
March 1, 1999... The Energy Dept. has selected 16 firms and educational institutions in 9 states to make an estimated $70 million in awards to fund new research in advanced fuel cells and high efficiency automotive engines. These awards support the goal of the...

Lasers Improve Engine Efficiency.
March 1, 1999... An automobile engine with 30% greater fuel efficiency than current models but that also meets U.S. emission standards is the goal of a Vanderbilt University engineer who is using advanced laser technology to help develop the next generation of...

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Cheap Solar Getting Closer.
March 1, 1999... Researchers at the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently took another step toward reduced costs and increased competitiveness for solar energy by setting a world record for thin-film solar cell efficiency. The measurement...

DOE Looks at Reducing Well Operating Costs.
March 1, 1999... Nevtah Capital Management Corp. (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) and Petroleum Asset Management Co. (Pamco) have agreed to shift their current priorities and focus from the acquisition and production of stripper oil well leases to the continued...

Heavy Oil Upgrade Improves Economics.
March 1, 1999... Gulf Canada Resources, Ltd. (401 Ninth Ave. SW, PO Box 130, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2H7, Canada; Tel: 403/233-4000, Fax: 403/233-5143, Website: http://www.gulf.ca) and Ensyn Group, Inc. have signed an agreement under which Gulf will fund a $19...

Technology Cuts Cost of Solar.
March 1, 1999... Fire, Wind, and Rain Technologies (3920 E. Huntington Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86004; Tel: 520/ 526-1133 or 800/588-9816, Website: http://www.firewindandrain.com) has developed a battery charger for solar electric systems that delivers 25% more...

HVAC: DeMarco Energy Files Second Patent.
March 1, 1999... DeMarco Energy Systems (11615 Angus Rd., Austin, TX 78759-4078; Tel: 512/250- 0881, Website: http://www.demarcoenergy.com) has filed another patent application in the U.S. Patent office for an invention that relates to heat pumps that are...

MOTORS: Drive Automates Manufacturing Lines.
March 1, 1999... MagneTek, Inc. (26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214; Tel: 615/316-5100, Fax: 615/316-5195, Website: http://www.magnetek.com) has developed a variable speed motor drive, called Smart Trac, that can automate manufacturing lines without...

LIGHTING: Sylvania System Provides Savings.
March 1, 1999... Sylvania Lighting Services has introduced and is marketing a new retrofit lighting system that provides a myriad of benefits to the end user including significant energy savings, longer lamp life, and warranty and service enhancements that...

EnergySaver Cuts Lighting Cost.
March 1, 1999... According to Electric City Corp. (1280 Landmeier Rd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-2410; Tel: 847/228-7666, Website: http://www.electriccity.com), Jan Electric, a licensed distributor for Electric City Corp., sold five EnergySaver units to...

INDUSTRY NEWS.
March 1, 1999... ENERGY CONSERVATION STOCK WATCH PRICE COMPANY NAME SYMBOL A/O 2/26 52 WK HI 52 WK LO MAGNETEK MAG 10 7/8 20 11/16 8 15/16 SATCON SATC 5 _ ...

Onsite Gets Projects Worth $7 Million.
March 1, 1999... Onsite Sycom Energy Corp. (701 Palomar Airport Rd., Suite 200, Carlsbad, CA 92009; Tel: 760/931-2400, Fax: 760/931-2405) has signed contracts for projects with total construction costs of approximately seven million dollars with six...

CES/Way Wins DOE Award.
March 1, 1999... CES/Way International, Inc. has won a DOE contract valued as high as $150 million to install energy savings measures at federal facilities throughout the northeast U.S. CES/Way, the energy services subsidiary of Sempra Energy Solutions (101...

EUA Cogenex Team Wins DOE Awards.
March 1, 1999... The DOE has awarded EUA Cogenex Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastern Utilities Associates (One Liberty Sq., Boston, MA 02109; Tel: 617/357-9590, Fax: 617/357-7320, Website: http://www.eua.com), a contract to provide energy savings...

RESOURCES: Building Simulation List on Internet.
March 1, 1999... According to Jason Glazer of GARD Analytics (1028 Busse Hwy., Park Ridge, IL 60068-1802; Tel: 847/698-5685, Fax: 847/698-5600), GARD is sponsoring a new BLDG-SIM (building simulation) internet mailing list, Website:...

Website Sells AC Drives.
March 1, 1999... ABB (PO Box 8131, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland; Tel: +41-1-317-7334, Fax: +41-1- 311-7958, Website: http://www.abb.com) has launched an innovative e-commerce website, the first to sell low-horsepower AC drives. The site, located at...

Energyshop.Com Informs Consumers.
March 1, 1999... M3 + W Energy, Inc. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) has expanded its Energyshop.com website. Energyshop.com is an internet-based interactive site that helps energy consumers and marketers meet and conduct business. Energyshop.com addresses the...

Software Evaluates Energy Technology.
March 1, 1999... Natural Resources Canada has announced the availability of a new software tool for evaluating renewable energy technology projects. The software can be downloaded free of charge at the following website: http://retscreen.gc.ca. The software,...

CALENDAR.
March 1, 1999... April 8-9, 1999, Fundamentals of Lighting Efficiency, Denver, CO. Contact: Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), 4025 Pleasantdale Rd., Suite 420, Atlanta, GA 30340; Tel: 770/925-9633, Fax: 770/925-9633. April 19-23, 1999, Affordable...