Energy Conservation News articles from September 1999

Energy Conservation News archives from September 1999

OUTLOOK: DOE Comments on Conservation Code.
September 1, 1999... The Department of Energy (DOE) has made an initial evaluation of the 1998 version of the International Code Council (ICC), International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and has concluded that the IECC would, overall, achieve greater energy...

Trouble in the Efficiency CAF.
September 1, 1999... For five straight years, the House of Representatives has passed a Transportation Department spending bill with language banning government studies on changing the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. It passed its transportation...

Weather Assumptions Decrease Energy Forecast.
September 1, 1999... Beginning with the September 7, 1999, release of its "Short-Term Energy Outlook," the Energy Information Administration (EIA Reports, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585) has adopted weather premises that reflect a 3-decade-long...

GOVERNMENT: Paying People to Conserve.
September 1, 1999... Electric grid managers in New England have quietly resurrected an old program which permits big power users to obtain cash bonuses for ramping down electric usage during periods when rolling blackouts are threatened. Big commercial and...

DOE Announces Building Agreements.
September 1, 1999... The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has granted $8.2 million in funding for the initial phase of 19 cooperative agreements for building efficiency research and development projects to help reduce energy consumption and pollution. The agreements...

INTERNATIONAL: Ghana to Save $400 Million.
September 1, 1999... Ghana can save more than $400 million and reduce refrigeration carbon emissions by 230,000 tons by the year 2010 if energy conservation measures are strictly adhered to, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has reported. A survey by 5 energy-related...

RESIDENTIAL: Model House Cuts Use by 40%.
September 1, 1999... An outstanding house in the 1999 Denver Metro Parade of Homes proves that a model of modern design can also be a showcase of energy efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program is a cosponsor of the Parade home...

Siemens Introduces Solar Kits for Homes.
September 1, 1999... Siemens Solar (4650 Adohr Lane, Camarillo, CA 93012-8508; Tel: 805/482-6800), a large manufacturer of solar photovoltaic cells and modules, is now offering pre-engineered solar kits that enable homeowners to harness the power of the sun in a...

COMMERCIAL: District Cooling at Brooklyn College.
September 1, 1999... At a groundbreaking ceremony held at Brooklyn College on September 16, Con Edison Solutions and Brooklyn College officials announced an energy performance agreement and the commencement of construction on a new 10,000-ton capacity central...

BPA Proposes Conservation Discounts.
September 1, 1999... Bonneville Power Administration (905 N.E. 11th Ave., Portland, OR 97208; Tel: 503/230-3000, Fax: 503/230-3816; Website: bpa.gov) has come out with new rate proposals that include conservation and renewables discounts as an incentive for...

INDUSTRIAL: Efficient Production of Industrial Gases.
September 1, 1999... Featuring "shards of soccer-ball-shaped molecules jumbled in space and linked together," a new material shows promise for more efficiently producing nitrogen and oxygen (a multibillion dollar industry), DuPont Co. and University of Delaware...

Where's the Savings in Green Manufacturing?
September 1, 1999... Conserving enough natural resources to support future generations is the goal of sustainability. An approach that has intuitive appeal is substituting renewable resources for finite ones. But an analysis presented at the just-concluded meeting...

Microturbines Turn on Flare Gas.
September 1, 1999... Capstone Turbine Corp. (18700 Oxnard St., Tarzana, CA 91356-1413; Tel: 818/774-9600), developer and manufacturer of the first commercial microturbine power generator for the distributed energy market, has installed and commissioned its first...

Scientists Recover Energy Value of Tires.
September 1, 1999... Every year more than 700 million new car and truck tires are manufactured and there is not much use for them as a waste material. Most old tires are buried or burned. According to the chief of the Australian CSIRO's (Commonwealth Scientific and...

TRANSPORTATION: NASA Projects Have Efficiency Implications.
September 1, 1999... NASA has selected three advanced aeronautical concepts as quick starts in its Revolutionary Concepts (REVCON) project, which encourages the development of ideas that could lead to revolutionary experimental planes. The selected concepts are...

Ford Tries Out Hydrogen Station.
September 1, 1999... Ford Motor Co. has opened the first filling station in North America that can refuel vehicles with either liquid or gaseous hydrogen. It is the second such filling station in the world. The refueling station is at Ford's North American Research...

First Insulated Auto Reduces Energy Use.
September 1, 1999... Car makers in Detroit traditionally have met automobile interior cooling requirements with the use of large, heavy, and inefficient air conditioners, typically of the same size that would be used to cool a small house. Now, researchers at the...

Advanced Vehicle Projects Selected.
September 1, 1999... An Indianapolis-based consortium has been selected by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to help develop advanced technologies for medium- and heavy-duty transportation needs. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater awarded 3 projects worth...

UTILITIES/POWER GENERATION Gasifying Recycled Plastic Waste.
September 1, 1999... Foster Wheeler Corp.'s (Perryville Corporate Park, Clinton, NJ 08809- 4000; Tel: 908/730-4000, Fax: 908/730-4100; Website: fwc.com) subsidiary, Foster Wheeler Service Oy (Varkaus, Finland), has been awarded a contract by Corenso United Oy Ltd....

Technology Converts Atmospheric Heat.
September 1, 1999... After 7 years and $3.4 million, Entropy Systems, Inc., (ESI, 8150 Market St., Youngstown, OH 44512-6255; Tel: 330/726-2051; Website: entropysystems.com) claims to have developed engine technology that produces power by absorbing heat from...

HVAC: Cooperation Yields Better Understanding.
September 1, 1999... In 1990, the International Energy Agency established a program called Annex 18 to consider the thermophysical properties of the leading, environmentally acceptable alternatives to the CFC refrigerants. The objectives were to provide a forum in...

MOTORS: Inverters Help Save Energy.
September 1, 1999... Electrical power is often delivered or stored in a form different from what's needed for a particular use. So, to get power to the people, a device called an inverter is needed to convert incoming power from, say, direct current (DC) to...

Company Claims Torque Breakthrough.
September 1, 1999... Substantial improvements in electric motor torque have been announced by Borealis Motor Manufacturing Ltd. (c/o Borealis Exploration Ltd., P.O. Box 926, Suite 3C, Centre Plaza, Horse Barrack Lane, Gibraltar) following beta tests of the...

Revised Standards Released by NEMA.
September 1, 1999... NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Assn. (1300 N. 17th St., Suite 1847, Rosslyn, VA 22209; Tel: 703/841-3200, Fax: 703/841-3300; Website: nema.org), in cooperation with Global Engineering Documents (15 Inverness Way E., Englewood, CO...

LIGHTING: Traffic Lights Cut Electricity Costs.
September 1, 1999... Thanks to the help of state government and the local municipal utility, Sacramento County will replace existing incandescent red traffic signals with new, more energy efficient modules at 118 intersections. The change should save the county...

Lab Looking at Energy Efficient Torchieres.
September 1, 1999... Lighting systems researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab; Website: lbl.gov) and the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) will work together under a cooperative research and...

INDUSTRY NEWS: ONSITE SYCOM Gets $1.4 Million.
September 1, 1999... ONSITE Energy Corp. (ONSITE SYCOM Energy Corp.), the nation's largest independent accredited energy service company, has signed a $1.4 million contract with Sanwa Bank to retrofit an energy-efficient mechanical/lighting system for the Sanwa...

CALENDAR.
September 1, 1999... October 6-8, 1999, Energy Efficiency Business Week: 6th International Conference and Exhibition, Prague, Czech Republic. Contact: SEVEN; Fax: +420 2 242 47597; Email: seven@svn.cz. October 14-15, 1999, Capitalizing on the Electric...