Articles for March 2, 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.
BUILDING DESIGN
ENGINEERING
"50 Ways to Improve
Sustainability," by Clark C. Bisel, PE, LEED AP, WSP Flack+Kurtz, urges
building design firms to improve the sustainability of both their own offices and
the designs they offer to their clients. Consulting-Specifying Engineer,
January 2009, at http://www.csemag.com/article/CA6629686.html.
CHP (COMBINED HEAT AND
POWER)
"Combined
Heat and Power in Action: Demonstration Projects Showcase Technologies," by
staff, gives summaries of and links to four case studies of CHP projects
including the Verizon Telecommunications Switching Center in Garden City, New
York; Arrow Linen, an industrial laundry facility near Prospect Park in
Brooklyn, New York; Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina; and the Ronald
Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and Air Force One Pavilion in Simi
Valley, California. See the article in Energy Matters, Winter 2009, at
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/energymatters/full_issue.cfm/volume=44#a297.
GREEN PRODUCTS
"Underwriters Laboratories Launches Green
Verification Service," by GreenBiz Staff, describes the new effort by UL (Underwriters
Laboratories) to enable manufacturers of green products to earn UL
recognition. See this article in GreenBiz, January 26, 2009, at http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/01/26/underwriters-labs-launches-green-service.
There is a UL website devoted to the new service; the website offers manufacturers
a way to have their products tested for "green-ness" and a database
for them to review products that are already UL green-verified. This website
is at http://www.ulenvironment.com/.
HVAC (HEATING,
VENTILATION, and AIR CONDITIONING)
The following three articles
appeared in the January 2009 issue of
Engineered
Systems
(ES):
-
"Chilled
Beams: The Science of Lab Cooling," by Geoffrey McMahon P.E., LEED
AP, Managing Principal, Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (Seattle office),
defines chilled beam technology and describes its application in a
research lab at the University of Washington's School of Medicine. See this case study at http://www.esmagazine.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000501481.
-
"Engineering
Economics Goes Green," by Larry Clark LEED AP, Director of Corporate
Business Development, Hill York, explains the modern economic tools that
must be applied if green costs are to be accurately measured. A
consideration of simple payback, says the author, is simply not enough. View
this article at http://www.esmagazine.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000502609.
-
"Simulation
Driven HVAC Design" was co-authored by Steve T. Maxson P.E., LEED AP,
and Barry J. Stamp P.E., LEED AP, Principal Shaffer • Baucom Engineering
& Consulting. It explains the uses and value of computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) modeling - CFD can, according to this article, save the
HVAC systems designer money and time. See this article at http://www.esmagazine.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000501513.
LIGHTING
"Shedding
Light on Energy: New Manhattan Office Tower Demonstrates How to Cut Energy
Usage Dramatically with Advanced Lighting System," was written by Michael
Jouaneh, Marketing Manager, Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. The lighting system
has so drastically reduced energy use that the annual energy savings are termed
"stunning." The system is well-described in this article. The
author has, also, included two sidebars, one with some of the building specs of
the New York Times Building, the other, "Green Features," describes
several very advanced green features of the building including its garden,
curtain wall, shading and dimmable lighting systems, on-site cogeneration, and
an underfloor heating and cooling system. See this article in
Sustainable
Facility
, February 2009, at http://www.sustainablefacility.com/Articles/Article_Rotation/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000510264.
POLICY
"Biomass:
A Federal Perspective," by Ron Kotrba, senior writer, Biomass Magazine,
is an interview with Valri Lightner, acting director, Biomass Program of the
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program at the U.S. Department of
Energy. This interview will give the reader a clear review of the state of our
federal Biomass Program, how it is investing time and expertise, and what is
expected in the field and by when. It, also, shows why the emphasis in the
program has been on biofuels with biopower and heat only of interest when they
are byproducts of a process that generates fuel. See this interesting
interview in Biomass Magazine, March 2009, at http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2468&q=&page=all.
"Recovery
Act Releases Funds for Transmission Projects," by staff, reports on the
expanded borrowing authority of federal power marketers, the Bonneville Power
Administration (BPA) and the Western Area Power Authority. See this article,
which explains some of the transmission plans for each, in
North American
Windpower
, February 25, 2009, at http://www.nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.3561.
SOLAR
"California Winery
Turns Three Acres Over to Solar Power," by ENR
(Engineering
News-Record)
staff, describes the recent venture of J. Lohr Vineyards and
Wines. The winery expects that the new 756 kW solar-tracking photovoltaic
installation will supply three-quarters of the winery's power needs. The
company, a leader in sustainable practices, generally, is also known to share
its experiences with sustainability - and, now, solar power - so that the large
wine industry all over California is likely to benefit. See this article in ENR
(Engineering News-Record), February 19, 2009, at http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2009/2009-02-19-091.asp.
WIND
"Growing Reliability Down
on the Wind Farm," by Kevin S. George, SKF USA Inc., shows the serious
maintenance challenges of wind turbines, particularly off-shore turbines. The
author urges the implementation of condition monitoring, a kind of proactive
maintenance measure that continuously monitors key aspects of working turbines.
See this article in Maintenance Technology, January 2009, at http://www.mt-online.com/article/0109-growing-reliability-down-on-the-wind-farm.
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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