Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for August 20, 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.
BIOENERGY
"Biomass
Roadmap" (move to page 8),
by Jerry Perkins, Editor, Biofuels Journal, appeared in
the Second Quarter Issue (2012) of that publication. It
is a report of the 21-page,
A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the
Biofuel Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) by 2022,
published June 23, 2012. The USDA
Roadmap emphasizes the importance of taking a regional approach – and
establishing a supply of 20-billion gallons of advanced biofuels – to meet the
RFS goal.
"Forget
First to Market," by Luke Geiver, Features Editor,
Biomass Magazine, was published in the July 2012 issue of that journal. The author explains why the
production of biofuels and renewable chemicals has to be pitch-perfect in terms
of quality and reliability production for the manufacturer to achieve success in
the market.
BUILDINGS and NEIGHBORHOODS
"Columbia
Campus Plan Scores NYC’s First LEED-ND Platinum Certification,"
by Erin Weaver, was published in the vol. 21, no. 7 (July 2012), issue of
Environmental Building News. Columbia University is planning its
17-acre Manhattanville campus in West Harlem and its attention to siting,
transportation, and other issues has been recognized with LEED-ND (neighborhood
development) certification – the first in New York City and the first for any
university campus plan.
"University
of Iowa Shapes New Dorm to Meet Student Expectations,"
by Diane Heldt, Reporter, KCRG-TV, was posted on that television station's
website on July 5, 2012. It
describes the design changes that accommodate energy efficiency and student
expectations. The energy-related
features are "green" electrical outlets that, when not in use, turn off the
power, and occupancy sensors for both lighting and heating and cooling. While this dorm is a new building,
some of the design changes are being incorporated into older dorms as they are
updated and, in some cases, extensively remodeled.
CONSERVATION
"Analysis:
Northwest On Track With Energy-Saving Goals,"
by Rob Manning, was posted on the OPB website on July 9, 2012. This very brief article reports on
the analysis of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on the progress of
the region's efforts to conserve energy on a scale large enough to avoid
building much new power generation.
INDUSTRIAL
The following four case studies appeared in the July 2012 issue (focused on
woodworking plants) of Compressed Air Best Practices:
-
"Optimizing
the Specific Power of Part Loaded Compressed Air Systems"
was authored by Ron Marshall for the Compressed Air Challenge®. Part-loaded compressors, although
necessary in many cases, are much more inefficient than fully-loaded ones. This article reports on ways to
maximize the efficiency of part-loaded compressors.
-
"Furniture
Maker Goes with Tri-Lobe Blowers," by Michael Camber, Kaeser
Compressors, shows why the stability this furniture maker needed to hold down
product during cutting was appropriate air flow rather than deeper vacuum
levels.
-
"Furniture
Factory Expands Production While Reducing Energy Costs"
was written by Hank van Ormer, Air Power USA.
This is an in-depth view of how the company took stock of its current
(oversized) compressed air systems, one in each of the four buildings that share
one site, forecasted its future needs, and, then, developed compressed air
systems that would serve those needs.
-
"How
Efficient Are Those Pneumatic Valves?" by Richard F. Bullers, SMC Corporation
of America, describes the design changes for pneumatic valves after the Oil
Embargo pointed out how profligate we had become in our energy use. The valves now are much more
efficient and have a much longer lifespan.
POLICY
"Smart
Grid Technologies Can Reduce Power Outages, but Legislative Action Is Needed"
was posted on the NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) website
on July 6, 2012. Power outage
problems are identified and suggestions are offered for maximizing smart grid
technologies for fast and effective responses to outages.
2011 Wind Technologies Market Report
is a just released, 93-page document from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Office at the U.S. Department of Energy; it includes an Executive Summary
that begins on page iii. The report
has sections on trends in installation, the wind industry, cost, performance,
and price. It, further, includes
discussions of policy and market drivers and attempts at forecasting with an
explanation of the difficulty of forecasting within any but the broadest of
ranges after 2013.
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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