Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for November 29, 2010
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.
AGRICULTURE
"Composting Biosolids into High Quality Agricultural Product (Israel)," by Dan Sullivan, Managing Editor, BioCycle, was published in the October 2010 issue of that trade journal. This is a fine discussion of some of the problems – and their solutions – encountered in developing a successful composting enterprise in a hot and arid climate.
BIOFUELS
"Exploring A Second Generation Biofuel," by Joan Melcher, was published in the October 2010 issue of BioCycle. It describes the advantages of using Camelina sativa as a biofuel for jet planes, how one company is developing improved strains of this plant (using a new refinery technology for the oil), and other information of interest.
BUILDINGS
"Top 10 LEED Projects" is the cover story in the October/November 2010 issue of Interiors & Sources. It explains the latest direction that LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) will be taking, that is, it will pay close attention to the connection between the design of a building for energy savings and building's actual performance once it is in use. The article, also, links to case studies of the journal's annual picks for the top ten LEED buildings projects across North America:
1. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is the first in the list of ten. Another article about it has already been reviewed in a previous issue of Energy Newsbriefs:
"A Monumental Feat," by Colin Rohlfing, LEED AP, Senior Associate, HOK, is a case study of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. It is the world's largest LEED-Platinum project. The article highlights the design of the densely positioned campus buildings and joining walkways, all of which are shaded by one fantastic, solar-paneled, cool roof designed with lattice work that allows hundreds of thousands of bits of daylight through large skylights. The roofing material is designed to remain cool in the desert sun and to hold up under a constant salt-water breeze.
2. Democracy Now! Studios, in New York City, has, also, earned LEED-Platinum certification. The building was a warehouse re-purposed for TV and radio broadcasting. This was a project that concentrated on sustainability. Concrete flooring and brick walls were left without any new covering and outside windows were reused as internal, area dividers. All furniture introduced into the building was pre-existing. Additionally, daylighting is a major feature.
3. Herman Miller Showroom is a LEED-Platinum, re-purposed warehouse in Los Angeles. A great deal of attention was given to the recycling and re-use of construction waste, in addition to efficient heating and cooling, and lighting and daylighting efficiencies through occupancy sensors.
4. Group Goetz Architects has a new, LEED-Platinum corporate headquarters in Washington D.C. It features daylighting- and occupancy-controlled lighting and a kind of commissioning (enhanced commissioning) that focuses on the operating efficiencies of building systems.
5. The Benedictine Women of Madison's Holy Wisdom Monastery is a LEED-Platinum facility in Madison, Wisconsin. The monastery includes many energy-efficient features including white roofing, highly reflective paving, and permeable concrete.
6. Alan B. Miller Hall at William and Mary is the newest addition to the Williamsburg, Virginia, college and has achieved LEED-Gold certification. The architecture of the building is in keeping with the older style of the rest of the campus. However, the design of the building systems includes much attention to saving water as well as energy. Additionally, an adjacent parking lot was recovered as a garden for native plant species.
7. Allsteel/Gunlocke Resource Center is a LEED-Canada-Gold re-purposed facility in Toronto, Ontario. It is a showroom for the office furnishings of both companies. It encourages the use of nearby public transportation or alternatives by supplying few parking spaces, and its reduced energy needs are offset by renewable power purchases.
8. The Phoenix Companies Inc. is a project that has earned LEED-EB (Existing Building) Silver certification for its innovative approach to the renovation of Phoenix Company's own landmark building in Hartford, Connecticut.
9. Emory Conference Center Hotel is a new LEED-Silver facility in Atlanta, Georgia. The Center was built with a connection to the rest of the hotel. The sustainable approach includes low-irrigation landscaping focused on biodiversity, water and energy reductions, and more.
10. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is a LEED-Silver new building in Flower Mound, Texas. Its energy-saving features include a reflective roof, LED lighting, and motion-sensor faucets.
COGENERATION
The following three articles were published in the September-October issue of Cogeneration & On-Site Power Production:
1. "ORC Technology with Biomass: Its Use for Wood Pellet Production" was authored by Ilaria Peretti, Country Manager, Biomass Department of Turboden, Brescia, Italy. It explains Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology and its successful application in distributed, biomass-based energy.
2. "Performance Monitoring," by Vincenzo Piscitelli, General Manager, Centro Energia Teverola, is discussed in the context of his Centro Energia cogeneration power plant in Teverola, Italy. This is a case study.
3. "Trigeneration in Fibre Making with Rolls-Royce Engines," by staff, is a case study of a plant in Spanish Basque country. The article includes the sidebar "Rolls-Royce Engines Power Spanish Sludge-Drying Plant.
CONSUMER EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES
EnergySavers.gov: Stay Warm, Save Money is a website, revised (and re-named) seasonally, from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of the U.S. Department of Energy. The site is now offering many tips for energy savings for the fall and winter.
LivingEfficiently.org is a website developed by the Alliance to Save Energy. It offers advice for achieving energy savings at home, at work, at school, and on the road.
HVAC/R (HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION)
The following five case studies, by staff, were published in the October issue of Engineered Systems (ES):
1. "Alaska City Asks Air Handlers to Handle 175-mph" describes the heating and cooling design for an expanded power house on the windy Aleutian Islands.
2. "Chilled Beams Teach Quiet Cooling to Architecture Students" shows a new architecture school's focus on sustainability and LEED proficiency and its attention to training its students in chilled beam technology and advanced energy recovery.
3. "Colorful PP-R Piping Shines in Tight Mechanical Room(s) Installation" explains how two small closets hold all the mechanical equipment for a historic building with retail space and three floors added for apartments to total 6,500 square feet. An alternative to copper piping was needed and found.
4. "Engineering Firm Uses Software to Solve Demand Mystery, Avoid Rate Hike" shows why a LEED-Platinum building was seriously under-performing once it was occupied, and what steps were taken to bring the building's energy use in line with design expectations.
5. "Optimization Process Locates Cure for Pharma Lab’s Energy Ailments" describes an engineering firm's HVAC system redesign that dramatically reduces the energy use of a research lab in San Diego, California.
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.
© 2010 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.