Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for March 28, 2011
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.
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NOTE TO ALL:
For the seventh consecutive year, the WSU Energy Program Library's Energy-Related Bill Tracking Tool for the 2011 Legislative session of Washington State is now available.
COAL
The following two articles were carried in the January-February issue of Public Power Magazine; they point out the difficulties that coal plants face in the next few years:
- "The Trouble with Being Coal," by J. Edward Cichanowicz focuses on the financial drain that coal plant owners will face to meet or try to meet higher standards for emissions. It, also, touches on what is the main theme of the second article, immediately below: the high cost of converting a coal plant to a natural gas one.
- "Switching to Gas… Getting That Air Permit May Not Be So Easy," by Jennifer Seinfeld, compares costs and emissions between coal plants and coal plants to be converted to natural gas plants. For just one example, transmission costs can be formidable if not prohibitive depending on the location of the plant. There are other major costs which the author discusses. Additionally, the question of emissions is covered. Generally, natural gas plants represent dramatically reduced emissions from coal plants. However, a natural gas plant may not be able to meet emissions standards set for NO2. This, also, is discussed further.
ENERGY EFFICIENT BEHAVIOR and ENERGY AWARENESS
"Most Americans Improving Energy Efficiency at Home" is an article with the tag line "Fewer are knowledgeable about energy issues and sources of electrical power." The article sums up the results of the Harris Poll taken between February 14 and 21, 2011. It includes several of the Harris Poll tables that illustrate the points covered in the article. The poll reveals that most (84%) Americans report switching off lights and appliances that are not being used, have replaced standard incandescents with CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) (60%), use power strips (60%), use low-wattage bulbs (56%), use EnergyStar appliances (53%), and use less hot water (51%).
"Most Consumers OK with New Bulbs" by Wendy Koch, USA Today, February 18, 2011, is an article about a USA TODAY/Gallup poll, taken Feb 15 and 16, 2011. Of the 71% of Americans who report that have replaced standard incandescents with CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) or LEDs (light emitting diodes), the vast majority (84%) are happy with them.
LIGHTING
The following two items are related. The first discusses the toxicity of LEDs as determined by a university study; the second qualifies the applicability of the findings:
"Potential Environmental Impacts of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs): Metallic Resources, Toxicity, and Hazardous Waste Classification" was written by Seong-Rin Lim et al., from either the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Davis, or the School of Social Ecology and the Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine. This eight-page scholarly research paper from Environmental Science & Technology (an American Chemical Society Journal) was web-published December 7, 2010. Unlike fluorescent lighting which contains small amounts of mercury, LEDs do not. However, this paper takes issue with claims that LEDs are, therefore, environmentally safe. The scientist authors found LEDs are made with substances that drain the environment of needed resources. Additionally, substances in LEDs include toxic ones (other than mercury), and some of them are carcinogenic as well. The main danger LEDs pose to human health is in their end-of-life stage when their disposal could threaten soil and water. The authors argue that even low levels of environmental-depletion or of toxicity are unnecessary, since all the unfortunate materials used by manufacturers could be replaced by acceptable alternatives.
"Postings: from the desk of Jim Broderick" was written by James Broderick, Ph.D., SSL [solid state lighting] Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, and posted on the DOE EERE (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office) website on March 9, 2011. It points out some serious problems with the research done, mainly having to do with the products that were selected for analysis. They are, generally, not EnergyStar-certified products.
MOTORS
"Advanced Motor Design: New Motors Reach New Applications," by Dan Jones, Incremotion Associates, was published in the February 2011 issue of Control Engineering. Generally, three motor types are used for the technologies that developed after new materials, products, and simulation software were on the market. Of those three, the permanent magnet motor has the lion's share of compatible applications.
"When VFDs Can't Detect A Ground Fault," by staff, is a short article in the February 2011 issue of Maintenance Technology. High-resistance ground (HRG) electrical systems protect against arc-flash dangers, but, when paired with variable frequency drives (VFDs), they can negate the ground-fault protection built into the VFDs. A solution was devised for a refinery whereby protection against both arc and ground faults was secured.
POLICY
Two related articles about the city of Philadelphia, by Dan Sullivan, Managing Editor, BioCycle, were published in the February 2011 issue of that journal;
1. "Philadelphia Strives for Green Greatness" explains, in some detail, the policy effort of the city's new mayor. The city already has its 2007 Local Action Plan for Climate Change to use as its basis for sustainability. The new mayoral administration developed, after a year of research, the 2009 Greenworks Plan, which aims to make the city the greenest in the United States in six years. The article includes the sidebar "Carbon-Free Recycling and Organics Collection" which explains how the collection is handled for small businesses in the city.
2. "Fresh Produce on Every Corner" describes the Healthy Corner Store Initiative, an initiative from the private non-profit sector at the Philadelphia-based Food Trust that aims to improve health and the economy through nutritious foods. It now intersects with the application of Philadelphia's policy to improve health: the city's successful effort to get two ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) grants to prevent tobacco use and obesity in children. Better foods instruction in the schools is linked to the availability of those foods at local food marts (the "corner store").
WIND
The following three articles appeared in the February 2011 issue of Wind Systems:
1. "Avoiding Ground-Fault Arcing," by Curt Collins, explains what a grounding transformer is and why it is so important to the large wind farm.
2. "Increasing Generator Lifespan," by Olaf Kleesch, shows that certain upgrades are essential for the health and longevity of wind turbine generators.
3. "International Turbine Adaptation," by Troy Hewitt, points out that the advanced designs of turbines from Europe are not being adapted to meet U.S. and Canadian electrical codes, why they should be, and how to do it properly. The author lists the comparable standards used in Europe, Canada, and the United States; he explains the important differences among them.
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