Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for August 13, 2012
ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the WSU Extension Energy Program Library and written by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe to receive an email notification of the publication of a new issue, go to the Energy Newsbriefs home.
Please be aware that although every URL is checked for accuracy prior to the publication of Energy Newsbriefs, URLs are, for various reasons, subject to change. Further, servers sometimes fail to connect to working URLs.
ENERGY STORAGE
"Electricity
Storage: Location, Location, Location…and Cost"
was Web-published in the June 29, 2012, issue of
Today in Energy, a daily publication on various energy topics from the
Energy Information Agency (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy. This issue offers text with a diagram
and links to information on pumped hydro, thermal storage, battery with wind,
distributed batteries, and more.
"Missing
Link," by Penelope B. Grenoble, is
a four-Web-page article published in the
June 2012 issue of Distributed Energy. It is a
discussion of the three leading technologies in the field of energy storage:
lead acid batteries, lithium ion batteries, and flywheels.
RETAIL STORES
"Starbucks
to Add a Shot of Energy Efficiency to Its Coffee Shops,"
by Ucilia Wang, was posted July 31, 2012, in the CleanTech section of the GigaOm
website. Ten Starbucks retail stores
will compete to be the one that makes coffee using the least energy; energy use
will be tracked minute by minute by in-store smart meters.
While this competition runs for 30 days,
beginning August 1, the larger project, of which it is a part, will continue for
one year. At the end of the
Starbucks story, there is some text about other programs to reduce energy in the
retail setting.
THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES
The following five articles appeared in the July 2012 issue of
Industrial Heating:
-
"Energy
vs. Safety – Trade-offs and Risks" was written by Richard J.
Martin. The complexity of industrial
processes requires special caution when adding energy efficiencies into the mix. The author shows how, in five
instances, introducing energy efficiency and maintaining safety can be a
challenge.
-
"Heating,"
by Daniel H. Herring, President of the Herring Group Inc., explains what is
involved with heating in the context of industrial processing. He focuses on loading parts into the
furnace and on critical temperatures for heating or cooling them. He includes a short section on some of
the effects of alloying elements on steel during heat treatment.
-
"How
to Reduce Energy Requirements for Efficient Vacuum-Furnace Operation,"
was co-authored by Nicholas R. Cordisco and Reàl J. Fradette, both of Solar
Manufacturing. The author suggests ways to increase energy efficiencies in vacuum furnace hot-zones,
variable-frequency drives, and more.
-
"Revolutionary
Backup for Molten-Metal Processes" was jointly written by Brian
Bradley, Unifrax I, LLC; Niagara Falls, N.Y., and by Luiz Carlos Simao, Unifrax
Brazil, Sao Paulo. The backup lining
in a steel transfer-ladle refractory is a Unifrax product, an insulating board
that lines the safety lining which, in turn, lines the working lining. The system is thought to enable high
temperatures with reduced thermal losses from conduction.
-
"Standard
Temperature and Pressure," by Art Morris, Thermart
Software, tackles the problem of figuring out the STP (standard temperature and
pressure) for a gas to be combusted in situations where calculations for heating
values must be made.
SOLAR – includes WORKFORCE
"IREC
and the SITN Release Best Practices Documents"
was posted June 6, 2012, on the website of SITN (Solar Instructor Training
Network of the U.S. Department of Energy), features, and links to, Best
Practices for speeding up the establishment of quality education and training
programs for solar workers. These
documents were developed by SITN and IREC (Interstate Renewable Energy Council,
Inc.).
The following two articles were posted on the website of
Solar Builder:
1.
"IKEA
Powers-Up 967-kW Solar Energy System at Orlando Store,"
by staff, posted on June 27, 2012, describes IKEA's 18th solar
installation in the U.S.
2.
"Life
after Death," by Debbie Sniderman, posted on May 14, 2012, shows
the uses that PV Modules have after their 20 to 30-year lifespan has ended. Generally, recycling is the best option
as, the author explains, 90% of the module is recyclable and 80% of that
recyclable material is glass.
TRIGENERATION
"New
Tri-Generation System at Police Station 100% Grant Funded,"
written by Mike Lauterborn and published by Fairfield's
HamletHub on June 9, 2012, describes the project to be developed for
the Fairfield, Connecticut, Police Department.
Annual energy savings are estimated at $50,000.
Past issues of Energy Newsbriefs are available here.
Generally, subscription information for the journals cited above can be found at the home page of their web sites.
© 2012 Washington State University Extension Energy Program. This publication contains material written and produced for public distribution. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted, provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, and that each is referenced by title with credit to the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. Copying, reprinting or dissemination, electronic or otherwise, for any other use requires prior written permission from the Washington State University Extension Energy Program.
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