Energy Conservation News articles from November 1999

Energy Conservation News archives from November 1999

OUTLOOK: Still Battling Over ASHRAE Standard.
November 1, 1999... In a November 5 press release, ASHRAE (1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-2305; Tel: 404/636-8400) announced it has denied natural gas utility industry appeals over provisions of ASHRAE Standard 90.1- 1999. Previously, ECN reported that...

Home Efficiency Could Double.
November 1, 1999... A just released Owens Corning (One Owens Corning Pkwy., Toledo, OH 43659; Tel: 419/248-8000, Fax: 419/248-5337, Website: www.owenscorning.com) sponsored study reveals that the number of American homeowners making energy-savings repairs could...

GOVERNMENT: More Funding from DOE.
November 1, 1999... According to the November 1st edition of the Federal Register (Volume 64, Number 210), the DOE has announced a competitive solicitation for applications for grants and cooperative agreements for information dissemination, public outreach,...

INTERNATIONAL: Incentives Offered in Singapore.
November 1, 1999... According to a recently released International Market Insight report, after the introduction of an energy efficiency incentive three years ago, the Singapore Ministry of the Environment (ENV) established a committee headed by the Ministry of...

ENERGY MANAGEMENT/FINANCING Datapult Wins Major Contract.
November 1, 1999... Datapult Billing Services (c/o AEP, 1 Riverside Plaza, Columbus, OH 43215; Tel: 877/328-2785, Website: www.aepes.com/datapultor) has been selected to provide utility bill consolidation, rate analysis and bill verification for Speedway...

Companies Help Curtail Load.
November 1, 1999... Silicon Energy Corp. (1250 Marina Village Pkwy., Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501; Tel: 510/749-9400, Fax: 510/749-6823, Website: www.siliconenergy.com), a supplier of enterprise energy management software, and Planergy Services, Inc. (Barton Oaks...

RESIDENTIAL: ORNL Helping to Cool Roofs.
November 1, 1999... Light-colored roofs that reflect the sun's heat can save consumers money, and the DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is working with the roofing industry to predict the amount of savings and establish standards to help consumers...

NSF Funds Research on Advanced Housing.
November 1, 1999... The directorate for engineering of the National Science Foundation (NSF, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230; Tel: 703/306-1234, Website: www.nsf.gov) has just announced a research initiative in support of the President's Partnership for...

COMMERCIAL: Pacific Power Offers Incentive.
November 1, 1999... Building owners looking for long-term savings through energy efficiency upgrades got good news this month as Pacific Power (700 NE Multnomah, Portland, OR 97232; Tel: 503/813-5000, Fax: 503/813- 7247, Website: www.pacificorp.com) has just...

All-Optical Router Cuts Electric Use.
November 1, 1999... Lucent Technologies (600 Mountain Ave., Murray Hill, NJ 07974; Tel: 908/582-8500, Fax: 908/508-2576, Website: www.lucent.com) has introduced the first high-capacity, all-optical router--capable of directing 10 times the traffic of today's...

Tests Assess Microturbines.
November 1, 1999... A distributed electricity generation demonstration project started by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's (4301 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1, Arlington, VA 22203-1860; Tel: 703/907-5500) Cooperative Research Network (CRN) and...

INDUSTRIAL: New Lasers Use Less Energy.
November 1, 1999... CO2 lasers or conventional solid-state lasers are used in industrial production for welding, cutting, drilling, hardening, marking, cleaning, coating, and rapid prototyping. "The main shortcoming with solid-state lasers used up until now,"...

Efficient Production of Steel Pipe and Tubes.
November 1, 1999... The DOE recently awarded a $3.3 million grant to the Timken Co. (1835 Dueber Ave. SW., Canton, OH 44706-2798; Tel: 330/438-3000, Fax: 330/471-3810, Website: www.timken.com) for the research and development of controlled thermo-mechanical...

TRANSPORTATION: Presidential Award to Alternative Fuel.
November 1, 1999... Lower cost alternative fuels may be one step closer to popular use thanks to the combination of two new technologies. This marriage of technologies is expected to have such a positive impact on the environment that it has just earned one of...

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Yet Another Leap for Photovoltaics.
November 1, 1999... A solar cell that can convert sunlight to electricity at a record- setting 32% efficiency has been developed by the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401- 3393, Website: www.nrel.gov) and...

Solar Powers Combined Cycle.
November 1, 1999... A new design for a solar power system has the potential to use solar energy and natural gas in combined cycle power plants. The Weizmann Institute of Science is constructing the world's first power plant that uses solar energy to directly...

ENERGY EXPLORATION/DEVELOPMENT Microdrilling Gets More Energy but Uses Less.
November 1, 1999... In exploring for oil and gas in the 21st century, smaller may be better. DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory has announced recent field experiments that have enhanced prospects for "microdrilling" technology--a concept that could offer a...

More Coal--Faster, Cheaper and Cleaner.
November 1, 1999... New CSIRO technology means that coal mines can now extract fine coal particles 10 times faster than conventional methods and at a quarter of the cost. CSIRO researcher Bruce Firth says the installed price of the new device, called...

Combustion Facility Adds Capabilities.
November 1, 1999... A laboratory dedicated to detailed scientific observation of how alternative fuels, including plant-based biofuels, operate in a working engine is among the new capabilities that were unveiled on November 18th at an event celebrating expansion...

REFRIGERATION: Advanced Controllers Have Fast Payback.
November 1, 1999... Advanced Refrigeration Technologies (ART, La Quinta, CA) is participating in a new energy efficiency incentive program developed by San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E, 101 Ash St., San Diego, CA 92101; Tel: 619/696-2034, Fax: 619/233-6875,...

Thermoelectric Cooling Still Has Promise.
November 1, 1999... A July 30 article in Science, "Thermoelectric Cooling and Power Generation," indicates that thermoelectric research is still very much alive at Cornell University. According to Francis DiSalvo, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, who...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Onsite Snares Big Contract.
November 1, 1999... Onsite Energy Corp. (701 Palomar Airport Rd., Suite 200, Carlsbad, CA 92009; Tel: 760/931-2400, Fax: 760/931-2405, Website: www.onsitesycom.com) has been selected by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) to provide a wide range of...

Capstone Signs Up More Distributors.
November 1, 1999... Capstone Turbine Corp. (18700 Oxnard St., Tarzana, CA 91356-1413; Tel: 818/774-9600), developer and manufacturer of the first commercial microturbine system for the distributed energy market, has entered into an agreement with D&B Engineering...

Engine Maker Goes High Tech.
November 1, 1999... Metallic Power (6082 Corte del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009; Tel: 760/804-7600, Fax: 760/804-7604, Email: info@metallicpower.com, Website: www.metallicpower.com), a developer of rapidly refuelable zinc/air fuel cells, is partnering with Briggs &...

Advanced Refrigeration Commences Trading.
November 1, 1999... As of Oct. 28th ART's common stock has been cleared for a quotation under the symbol ARGT on the NASD over the counter bulletin board. ART manufactures and holds the patent to an evaporator fan controller that has been proven to save...

Alliance Creates Software Solution.
November 1, 1999... SunGard Energy Systems (1285 Drummers Ln., Suite No. 300, Wayne, PA 19087-1572; Tel: 610/341-8700, Website: www.sungard.com) and Siemens Power Systems Control, a division of Siemens AG (Wittelsbacherplatz 2, D-80312 Munich, Germany; Tel:...

American Superconductor Creates Motor Unit.
November 1, 1999... American Superconductor Corp. (2 Technology Dr., Westborough, MA 01581; Tel: 508/836-4200, Fax: 508/836-4248, Website: www.amsuper.com) has created a business unit focused on the design, development, and manufacture of high temperature...

RESOURCES: Efficiency Guides for Vehicles, Homes.
November 1, 1999... The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 801, Washington, D.C. 20036; Tel: 202/429- 8873, Website: www.aceee.org) has published a new edition of its booklet, the "Consumer Guide to Home...

Simulation Makes Design Cost-Effective.
November 1, 1999... The use of 3D simulation has substantially reduced the construction costs of new heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) installations. The basic principle behind HRSGs is to utilize the energy from exhaust gas that is otherwise simply...

CALENDAR.
November 1, 1999... December 1-2, 1999, Business Energy Solutions Expo, Orlando, FL. Contact: Josh Pursell, Show Manager; Tel: 770/279-4390. July 23-28, 2000, ENERGEX 2000, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: Kathleen J. Moon, PGI Exhibitions, 8989 Rio San Diego Dr.,...