Articles for February 23, 2009
ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a
weekly current awareness service provided by the Washington State University
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 Energy Newsbriefs archives at http://www.energy.wsu.edu/library/newsbriefs.cfm.
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.
DATA CENTERS
"The
Green Machine: IBM Unveils the 'Most Technologically Advanced, Energy-Efficient'
Data Center Ever Constructed" was written by Carol Brzozowski. This
article, four web pages long, is about two IBM data centers, one in Boulder, Colorado, and another in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, which is
to open in a few months. Both are designed for maximum energy efficiency with
particular attention to minimize energy consumption from cooling. See this
article in Distributed Energy, January/February 2009, beginning with the
first of four web-pages at http://www.distributedenergy.com/january-february-2009/the-green-machine-4.aspx
.
ENERGY DATA - RESIDENTIAL
On February 13, 2009, the
EIA (Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy) made
the following announcement:
The Energy Information Administration has released
the 2005 Residential Energy consumption Survey (RECS) public use microdata
files to the web for data users who wish to conduct their own detailed analysis
of U.S. residential energy consumption and expenditures. The files are in
comma-delimited format and can be accessed at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/recspubuse05/pubuse05.html
. All RECS data files from 1987 forward are also available through the same
site.
GREEN BUILDINGS
"Civic RESPONSIBILITY"
by Flavia Leite, Communications, Leo A Daly, describes a community services
building, designed and built for the City of Burbank in California. The
building includes highly efficient heating and cooling, lighting, and water
conservation systems. The R-values of the building envelope are 13 for some
walls and 21 for others. See this case study in Environmental Design + Construction (ED+C),
January 2009, at http://www.edcmag.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000490994
.
HVAC (HEATING,
VENTILATION, and AIR CONDITIONING)
"Underfloor Air Distribution 101" was co-authored
by Alex Teplitsky, Lead Commissioning Engineer, and Todd Stoehr, Mechanical
Engineer, both at Taylor Systems Engineering Inc. (TSE). The article describes
the technology of underfloor air distribution (UFAD) and compares UFAD to traditional
overhead systems. View this four web-page article originally published in the January
2009 issue of Buildings and carried in AllBusiness.com, posted
January 1, 2009, at http://www.allbusiness.com/construction/building-fixtures-mechanical-systems-hvac/11770298-1.html
.
The following two articles
on boilers appeared in the January 20, 2009 issue of
HPAC Heating/Piping/AirConditioning Engineering -
Fastrack
:
-
"Boilers
in the Electronic Age: Controls Manage Internal, External Systems"
was authored by David A. George. The article covers the changes in boiler technology over the last 25 years, recent changes in boiler controls technology,
and a suggested scenario for the future of boilers. View this article at http://hpac.com/fastrack/Boilers-in-the-Electronic-Age/
.
-
"Industrial-Boiler Replacement: Six Steps
to Help Ease Boiler-Replacement Woes," was written by Glenn Showers,
PE. He offers clear guidance in his explanations of the six steps: Plan
Ahead, Plan the Space, Choose a Fuel, Maximize Energy Efficiency, Ensure
Safety, and Obtain an Environmental Permit. See this article at http://hpac.com/fastrack/Industrial-Boiler-Replacement/
February 16, 2009
MICROHYDRO RESOURCES
"Small Hydroelectric (Microhydro) Turbine Installation
Businesses in the United States" is a web page with links to these microhydro business
resources from the online Source Guides directory. The same page has links to
other business resources as well. See the entire page at http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byGeo/US/byB/serv/install/byP/hydro/microhydroturbine/microhydroturbine.shtml
.
POLICY - AGRICULTURE; STATE
ENERGY EFFICIENCY; DEMAND RESPONSE
Agriculture, Climate Change, and Carbon Sequestration is a 16-page research report from the National
Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, an organization managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT).
The report was authored by Jeff Schahczenski, Executive Director of both the
Big Hole River Foundation and Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
(WSAWG), and Holly Hill; both are Specialists at NCAT. The report shows how
farming practices can result in carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas
reductions, how agriculture influences climate change and vice versa,
and how agriculture can make the most of the economic opportunities that
accompany both renewable energy generation and financial mechanisms such as
carbon taxes and cap-and-trade. The authors see a need for government and
agriculture to work together to transform the industry into one that is
economically successful as a result of its responsiveness to climate change imperatives. See the complete report at http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/carbonsequestration.pdf
.
State Energy Program and Activity Update, Winter 2009, is a 198-page document from NASEO
(National Association of State Energy Organizations) in which the State Energy
Program-related activities of each state, territory, and the District of
Columbia are listed and described. See this very informative report at
http://www.naseo.org/publications/SEP_Update_2009.pdf
.
"Study:
State Energy Efficiency All Over the Map" is a short article, by John
Gartner, about the new RMI (Rocky
Mountain Institute) report comparing the productivity of states to their consumption
of energy to see which states use less energy to produce more goods. The
article links to several items of interest in addition to the 26-page report,
Assessing
the State Electric Productivity Gap and the U.S. Efficiency Opportunity
, by
Natalie Mims, Mathias Bell, and Stephan Doig, all of RMI. See the article,
posted February 6, 2009, on the MatteR Network website, at http://www.matternetwork.com/2009/2/study-state-energy-efficiency-all.cfm
"Assessment
of Demand Response & Advanced Metering" is a 139-page, December 2008,
report from FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), by the Commission's
staff. The report discusses the increase in demand response activity from 2006
to 2008, reports on barriers to demand response programs that, in some states,
have been overcome, and suggests how FERC can further support demand response
in the future. See the complete report at http://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/12-08-demand-response.pdf
; the Executive Summary appears on page i (PDF-page 5).
UTILITIES
"Transforming America's
Power Industry: The Investment Challenge 2010-2030" was written by Marc
Chupka, Robert L. Earle, Peter S. Fox-Penner, and Ryan Hledik. This
66-page, November 2008 report, was prepared for the Edison Foundation. It
suggests that investment costs under four different scenarios will range from 1.5 to 2.0 trillion dollars. See the full report at http://www.brattle.com/_documents/UploadLibrary/Upload725.pdf
; the Executive Summary appears on pages v-xiv (PDF pages 7-16).
Past issues of
Energy
Newsbriefs
are available at http://www.energy.wsu.edu/library/newsbriefs.cfm.
Generally, subscription information
for the journals cited above can be found at the home page of their web
sites.
© 2009
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
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for any other use requires prior written permission from the Washington State
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