Energy Conservation News articles from May 2000

Energy Conservation News archives from May 2000

OUTLOOK: Energy Start-Ups Get Big Boost in Texas.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI, 3925 W. Braker Lane, Austin, TX 78759; Tel: 512/305-0000, Fax: 512/305-0009) and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401-3393; Tel:...

Conservation Charges Upheld by Court.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... On April 19, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the DSM (demand-side management) and renewable charges that had been challenged as a violation of state and federal constitutional provisions in Shea v. Boston Edison, SJC-08160. The...

Power Shortage? Look Skyward.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... According to an article in the Spring 2000 issue of EPRI Journal, sun- facing photovoltaic arrays in stationary Earth orbit at an altitude of 22,300 miles would receive eight times as much sunlight as they would at the earth's surface, on...

Hope for Efficient Power from Coal.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The world's premier test facility for future power plants has achieved a major milestone - and in the process, raised prospects for a new type of coal utilization technology that could lead to more efficient and lower-cost electric power...

GOVERNMENT: Lab Promotes Solid Oxide FCs.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Inasmuch as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have very high efficiencies, their emissions of greenhouse gases are low relative to other power sources. This makes SOFCs one of the more promising clean-energy technologies for distributed power...

INTERNATIONAL: Overseas Wind Blows Strong.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Ringkoebing, Denmark), one of the world's larger wind turbine manufacturers, reports that the group's net revenues rose a whopping 66% last year to US$606 million. Profits jumped 131% to US$76.9 million. Vestas expects...

Greenpeace Cites Russia on Fuel Waste.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... According to Greenpeace (1436 U St. N.W., Washington, DC 20009-3997; Tel: 202/462-1177), the oil and natural gas that Russia loses in leaks and spills every year could provide enough extra energy for the country to close its nuclear power...

ENERGY MANAGEMENT/FINANCING Venture Aims to Integrate Software.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... SRS (Strategic Resource Solutions Corp. Cary, NC; Website: www.srs.net), a subsidiary of Carolina Power & Light (411 Fayetteville St., Raleigh, NC 27601; Tel: 919/546-6111, Fax: 919/546-2920; Website: www.cplc.com), will incorporate Silicon...

Motorola Seek Broader Acceptance.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... In early May, Motorola (1303 E. Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60196; Tel: 847/576-5000, Tel: 800/262-8509, Fax: 847/576-5372; Website: www.mot.com) announced a licensing agreement to market and expand the development of the SPATIA solution, a...

RESIDENTIAL: NiSource Offers Fuel-Cell Package.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... NiSource, Inc. (801 E. 86th Ave., Merrillville, IN 46410-6272; Tel: 219/853-5200, Fax: 219/647-5589; Website: www.yes2nisource.com) subsidiary EnergyUSA (www.energyusa.com) plans to install the first full-scale test unit of its residential...

Fuel-Cell Demo in Norway, Too.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. and Norske Shell are demonstrating a solid oxide fuel-cell power generation technology fueled by natural gas which could ultimately lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The demonstration is to take place...

Astris Energi Delivers Fuel Cell.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The European Subsidiary of Astris Energi, Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Website: www.astrisfuelcell.com), a developer of Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC) electrical power systems, has completed, tested, and delivered a 4-kW AFC generator to the...

Mortgages Subject of Upcoming Conference.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... According to the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET, P.O. Box 4561, Oceanside, CA 92052; Tel: 760/806-3448; Email: resnet@earthlink.net, Website: www.natresnet.org), the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA) has identified...

Fuel Pump Could Slash Bills.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Oil- and gas-fired heating equipment relies on electrical pumps and blowers to produce and distribute heated air or water throughout the home. On average, these electrical components account for $125 to $150 of the home's annual electric bill....

Carrier "Internet-Enables" Home Thermostats.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Carrier Corp. (One Carrier Pl., Farmington, CT 06034; Tel: 860/674- 3000, Tel: 800/227-7437, Fax: 860/674-3139; Website: www.carrier.com) has chosen emWare, Inc.'s (Emware, Inc., 1225 Fort Union Blvd., #220, Midvale, UT 84047-1889; Tel:...

Industrial: NASA Looks at Efficient Aircraft.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... NASA's Office of Aero-Space Technology has selected nine aeronautical concepts for awards as part of its Revolutionary Concepts program, which accelerates the exploration of high-risk, revolutionary-breakthrough technologies in atmospheric...

Plant Oil Could Cut Petroleum Demand.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... An innovative new research alliance involving Washington State University (WSU) could lead to scientific breakthroughs that will allow oil from crops to replace some petroleum fuels, lubricants, and petroleum-based chemicals in the production...

Switchgear Advances Distributed Generation.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... GRI (8600 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, IL 60631-3562) and GE Zenith Controls are engaged in joint research to develop an advanced grid interconnected switchgear system for the rapidly growing distributed-generation (DG) market. The new product...

TRANSPORTATION: Idling Trucks Waste Huge Amount of Fuel.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... According to estimates by Argonne National Laboratory (9700 S. Cass Ave., #D140, Argonne, IL 60439-4803; Tel: 630/252-4215), the average long-haul truck idles away up to $1,790 in profits each year. Instead of letting their engines idle,...

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Combining Fuel Cells with Gas Turbines.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... A very novel new type of fuel-cell power plant has been built and will begin a cross-country trip to its test installation in Irvine, California. It is the latest innovation in the Department of Energy's fuel-cell research program. The new...

Cost-Effective Wind Generation Nears.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Energy analysts rank wind power as the world's fastest growing new energy technology, spurred on in part by concerns over air pollution from conventional fossil fuel power plants and the risks of global warming. Worldwide, investment in...

APPLIANCES: DeMarco Wins Heat-Pump Patents.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... DeMarco Energy Systems (12885 N. Hwy. 183, #108A, Austin, TX 78750- 3223; Tel: 512/335-1494; Website: www.demarcoenergy.com) received notice that the basis for claims made within its second patent application for heat pumps have been found to...

Motorola Demos Low-Power Memory.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Motorola Labs (Tempe, AZ), the research arm of Motorola, Inc. (1303 E. Algonquin Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60196; Tel: 847/576-5000, Tel: 800/262- 8509, Fax: 847/576-5372; Website: www.mot.com), in conjunction with the DigitalDNA Laboratories of the...

Toshiba Makes SOFC Breakthrough.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Toshiba Corp. (1-1, Shibaura 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8001, Japan; Tel: +81-3-3457-2096, Fax: +81-3-3456-9202; Website: www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm) has achieved a major breakthrough in solar cells that is expected to lead directly to a...

30% Power Savings with Vitesse Chips.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Tyco Electronics Corp.'s (One Tyco Park, Exeter, NH 03833; Tel: 603/778-9700, Fax: 603/778-7330; Website: www.tyco.com) Fiber Optic Division recently introduced AMP Gigabit Ethernet SFF MT-RJ transceivers, or AMP Fibre Channel SFF MT-RJ...

New Standards for Water Heaters.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... New proposed standards for water heaters were published in the Federal Register on April 28, 2000. The standards are based on a detailed economic analysis performed by the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE will hold a public hearing on the...

HVAC: CO2 Explored as a Refrigerant Medium.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... After several years of laboratory testing, research scientists at NTNU and SINTEF (Sem Slandsvei 11, 7465 Trondheim; Tel: 73 59 72 00; Tel: 73 59 72 50; Website: www.energy.sintef.no) report having developed an effective and competitive...

MOTORS: Borealis Wins First Chorus Motor Patent.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... According to research and development specialist Borealis Technical, Ltd. (Website: www.borealis.com), on April 25, U.S. Patent 6,054,837 was issued for their "Poly Phase Induction Electrical Rotating Machine." Further Borealis patent...

INDUSTRY NEWS: SatCon's Q2 Revenues Increase.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... SatCon Technology Corp. (161 First St., Cambridge, MA 02142-1221; Tel: 617/661-0540, Fax: 617/661-3373; Website: www.satcon.com), a manufacturer of energy management products targeting the distributed power market, announced second quarter...

Power Efficiency Gets DoD Deal.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Power Efficiency Corp. (164 South St., Hackensack, NJ 07601-3109; Tel: 201/488-4040) has secured a five-year contract from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The agency serves as a distribution channel for the various divisions of the...

Silicon Energy Acquires Energy Concepts, Inc.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Silicon Energy (1250 Marina Village Pkwy., Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501; Tel: 510/749-9400, Tel: 877/749-9400, Fax: 510/749-6990; Website: www.siliconenergy.com), a provider of energy ebusiness and Enterprise Energy Management (EEM) solutions,...

Big Deal for ICF Consulting.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... ICF Consulting (9300 Lee Hwy., Fairfax, VA 22031; Tel: 703/934-3000, Fax: 703/934-3740; Website: www.icfconsulting.com) has received contracts valued at approximately $1 million from Southern California Edison (SCE, 2244 Walnut Grove Ave.,...

Texaco Takes $67 Million Stake in ECD.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Texaco (2000 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10650; Tel: 914/253- 4000, Fax: 914/253-7753; Website: www.texaco.com) is investing $67.3 million for a 20% stake in a fuel-cell and alternative energy company Energy Conversion Devices, Inc....

Cells Reduce Cost of Solar Power.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... AstroPower, Inc. (Solar Park, 461 Wyoming Rd., Newark, DE 19716-2000; Tel: 302/366-0400, Fax: 302/368-6474; Website: www.astropower.com) has introduced a new line of 8-in. solar cells and power modules. The new solar cells, which are the...

Demand for Insight Far Exceeds Availability.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90501-2746; Tel: 310/783-2000, Fax: 310/783-3900; Website: www.honda.com) is planning to increase the availability of its Insight gasoline-electric hybrid car - the first and...

RESOURCES: BPA Funds Solar Data Center.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... The Bonneville Power Administration (905 N.E. 11th Ave., Portland, OR 97208; Tel: 503/230-3000, Tel: 800/622-4520, Fax: 503/230-3816; Website: www.bpa.gov) will provide nearly $900,000 in funding over five years to the Regional Solar Radiation...

Latest Version of Energy Profiler.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Energy Interactive (EI, 101 Myrtle St., Oakland, CA 94607; Tel: 510/987- 7111; Fax: 510/987-7123; Website: www.energyinteractive.com) has released version 3.2 of Energy Profiler, an energy usage and pricing analysis software. Energy Profiler...

Building Energy Performance Predictions.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Energy analysis solutions provider GeoPraxis, Inc. (461 7th St. W., Sonoma, CA 95476-5976; Tel: 707/996-9408;Website: www.geopraxis.com/) has published an open-XML schema that will greatly facilitate the analysis of building energy and...

CALENDAR.
May 1, 2000... June 11-15, 2000, 13th World Hydrogen Energy Conference, Beijing, China. Contact: Tel: (86-10) 62180145. June 16-21, 2000, Solar 2000: Solar Powers Life - Share the Energy, Madison, WI. Contact: Midwest Renewable Energy Assn.; Tel:...