Energy Conservation News articles from October 2002

Energy Conservation News archives from October 2002

OUTLOOK: Ethanol Firms To Reduce Pollution.
October 1, 2002... The Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Minnesota have entered into settlements with 12 ethanol plants in Minnesota for alleged Clean Air Act violations. The settlements are the first agreements to...

Plastic Promising for Spintronics.
October 1, 2002... Conventional electronics encode computer data based on a binary code of ones and zeros, depending on whether an electron is present in a void within the material. But in principle, the direction of a spinning electron -- either "spin up" or...

GOVERNMENT: Connecticut Funds Solar PV Program.
October 1, 2002... The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF, 999 West St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067) has commenced its Photovoltaic (PV) Program for commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. Interested parties must submit a pre-application by December 13,...

State Policies Impact CHP Installations.
October 1, 2002... With the deregulation of energy markets, state governments are looking for ways to encourage diversification of power production resources such as combined heat and power. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's (ACEEE, 1001...

Buying in Bulk Is The Efficient Way.
October 1, 2002... An analysis by Berkeley Lab researcher Jeffrey Harris, of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD) and Francis Johnson, formerly of Berkeley Lab and now with the Stockholm Environment Institute, looks at the potential savings from...

LADWP Solar Program Expanded.
October 1, 2002... In unprecedented action to increase, expand and extend the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (111 N. Hope St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; Tel: 213/367-1338; Fax: 213/367-1455) Solar Incentive Program, the Board of Commissioners has approved...

RESIDENTIAL: Reflective Tubing Improves Skylights.
October 1, 2002... Solatube International Inc. (2210 Oak Ridge Way, Vista, CA 92083; Website: http://www.solatube.com) is using a new reflective tubing material, Spectralight Infinity, in its skylights. Spectralight Infinity can transfer up to 500% more daylight...

Homeowners Interested In On-Site Generation.
October 1, 2002... Significant numbers of American homeowners seem closer to taking energy matters into their own hands and generating their household supply of electricity, according to the latest national consumer survey conducted by RKS Research & Consulting...

HUD Looks at Existing Homes.
October 1, 2002... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) has published a new report entitled, PATH Technology Roadmap: Energy Efficiency in Existing Homes (see...

COMMERCIAL: Clarus Provides Onsite Solution.
October 1, 2002... Clarus Energy (www.clarusenergy.com) has implemented an onsite power generation solution for BD Biosciences that is expected to reduce energy costs by more than 20%. The solution was operational on September 23, 2002 and supplies approximately...

PowerCold Awarded Second Contract.
October 1, 2002... PowerCold Corporation's wholly owned subsidiary, Ultimate Comfort Systems, Inc. (UCS), has signed a $250,000 engineering and equipment contract for a new Denver, CO Wingate Inn hotel. PowerCold's patented Integrated Piping System and customized...

Syracuse U. Installs Measurement Meters.
October 1, 2002... A grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has enabled Syracuse University to become the first energy consumer in Central New York to install technology that allows minute-to-minute monitoring of the...

Technology Facilitates Battery Backups.
October 1, 2002... Thanks to new energy-efficiency technology, 112 different California cities, towns and counties will keep their traffic signals safely operating even if the electricity goes out, and other local governments will join them soon. Already more...

Portable Classrooms That Are Cooler, Quieter.
October 1, 2002... Approximately two million children in California attend school in relocatable classrooms, also known as portables. Are these buildings as environmentally healthy and energy-efficient as they can be? Berkeley Lab scientists recently tested an...

INDUSTRIAL: Simple Solutions In Extreme Places.
October 1, 2002... Yellowstone's hot spring bacteria could boost the efficiency of many industrial processes, from the bleaching of fabric to the sterilization of fruits and vegetables, say scientists at DOE's Idaho National Engineering and environment...

Cost Savings for Refiners.
October 1, 2002... According to results of a new EPRI (3412 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304) study, the implementation of advanced distillation technology in the California petroleum and chemical industry could bring significant operating and capital cost...

Results found:.
October 1, 2002... * Annual thermal energy savings. If a conservative 25% of all existing distillation within the state is revamped using advanced distillation, the annual thermal energy savings is estimated to be 52 trillion BTU. Another 5 trillion BTU in annual...

Climate Trust Signs $1.2 Million Contract.
October 1, 2002... The Climate Trust of Portland, OR has committed $1.2 million to helping Sure Power Corporation (30 Main St., No. 405, Danbury, CT 06810-3040; Tel: 203/743-4237) install highly reliable and efficient onsite power generation systems that reduce...

WorldWater to Install Solar Pump.
October 1, 2002... WorldWater Corp. (55 Rte. 31 South Pennington, NJ 08534; Tel: 609/818-0700; Fax: 609/818-0720; Website: http://www.worldwater.com) has signed a contract for $891,000 to drive a 300 horsepower compressor pumping system with its proprietary...

TRANSPORTATION: Fuel Cells Power Japan Railway Study.
October 1, 2002... H Power Corp. (60 Montgomery St., Belleville, NJ 07109; Tel: 973/450-4400; Fax: 973/450-9850; Website: http://www.hpower.com), a fuel cell manufacturing & development company, has shipped PEM fuel cell systems, in conjunction with its marketing...

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION GTI $1.4 Million for POGT Development.
October 1, 2002... The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded the Gas Technology Institute (GTI, 1700 South Mount Prospect Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804) a $1.48 million research contract for the development of a partial oxidation gas turbine (POGT) for...

Agreement Focuses on Uranium Enrichment.
October 1, 2002... Oak Ridge National Laboratory and USEC Inc. have signed an agreement worth $121 million to develop and demonstrate a highly efficient uranium enrichment technology that could greatly reduce United States dependence on foreign energy sources....

Chips Could Increase Geothermal Output.
October 1, 2002... Geothermal power plants could become more productive and widespread by using Power Chips (see http://www.powerchips.gi), a new nano-scale technology for converting heat directly into electricity. Geothermal power is a clean, renewable process...

NaS Battery System Shaves Peak Power.
October 1, 2002... The first Power Quality/Peak Shaving (PQ/PS) Battery System to utilize sodium sulfur battery technology in North America that also utilizes ABB Power Electronics' PCS/Power Conditioning System (Voltage Source Inverters) has officially debuted...

APPLIANCES: GTI "Kicks Off" Residential Test.
October 1, 2002... The first research project at GTI's (1700 S Mount Prospect Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804; Tel: 847/768-0500) new Residential/Commercial Appliances Laboratory - testing of a 5-ton, residential/light commercial gas air-conditioning system - has...

Advanced Materials for Heat Pumps.
October 1, 2002... An article (Quantum Dot Superlattice Thermoelectric Materials and Devices by T. C. Harman, P. J. Taylor, M. P. Walsh and B. E. LaForge at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Lexington, MA) in the Sept 27th edition of Science, (American...

A Way Out of the Wiring Crisis.
October 1, 2002... Infineon Technologies (P.O. Box 80 09 49, D-81609 Muenchen, Germany; Website: http://www.infineon.com) researchers have found a SOLID way out of the impending wiring crisis of the semiconductor industry. Researchers of the Munich-based company...

Efficient Displays Focus of Contract.
October 1, 2002... Universal Display Corporation (375 Phillips Blvd., Ewing, NJ 08618; Tel: 609/671-0980; Fax: 609/671-0995; Website: http://www.universaldisplay.com), a developer of flat panel display technology, has been awarded a two-year $2,013,725...

RESOURCES: Attic Ventilation Not Always Best Solution.
October 1, 2002... For more than 50 years, practice has held that the principal way to control moisture in attics has been to ventilate them. There are other methods to effectively control moisture and incorporate attic ventilation into a broader strategy. These...

MN Releases Two Efficiency Studies.
October 1, 2002... The State Energy Office at the MN Department of Commerce (85 7th Place East, Suite 500, St. Paul, MN 55101; Tel: 651/296-5175) has just released a new report: Energy Conservation Strategies for Air Supported Structures. A provision in MN code...

CALENDAR.
October 1, 2002... November 5-7, 2002, Energy Efficiency Business Week 2002, Prague Congress Centre, Czech Republic. Contact: SEVEn, The Energy Efficiency Centre, Slezsk 7, 120 56 Prague 2, Czech Republic; Tel: +420-2-24252115; Fax: +420-2-24247597, E-mail:...