Energy Newsbriefs
Articles for October 29, 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.
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BUILDINGS
"Project: 1315 Peachtree," by staff, appeared in the September 2012 issue of
Building Operating Management. This article describes the major
renovation of, and addition to, an Atlanta office building while achieving LEED
Platinum and enabling the first floor public library to remain in operation
throughout the work.
Part 1: Office Renovation for Architecture Firm Achieves LEED Platinum
Part 2: Green Features Reduce Energy Consumption 58 Percent
The following case studies were carried in the September 2012 issue of
Interiors & Sources:
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"Building
a New Port" by Elianne Halbersberg, showcases the new
headquarters for the Port of Portland (Oregon); it was designed to achieve LEED
Platinum certification. It employs a
ground-source heating and cooling system unlike any other in the country.
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"Facing
Forward, Still Looking Back," by AnnMarie Martin, Senior
Editor and E-Content Director, Interiors & Sources, is a case study
of the Hays County Government Center in San Marcos, Texas. The new facility is very up-to-date
with an emphasis on modern technologies and attention to "green" or sustainable
features such as using local limestone and having and attracting visitors to use
a central staircase to conserve the energy that the elevator would use. On the other hand, it is steeped in
tradition. It has a stunning rotunda
as a reminder of the bronze-domed, historic, former courthouse located close by. Additionally, its orientation is
another nod to the past: "The building even faces south, as do all courthouses
in Texas, with its back to the north – a subtle reference to the Civil War."
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"On
the Horizon: Salt Lake City Public Safety Building,"
by Adam Moore, Managing Editor, Interiors & Sources, is about the
city's under-construction Public Safety Building which is a near net-zero energy
building that is expected to earn at least LEED-Silver certification.
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"Tech
Meets West," by Robert Nieminen, Editor,
Interiors & Sources, features the
new City Hall building in Chandler, Arizona.
Aimed for LEED-Gold certification, it is located in the walkable,
historic downtown to solidify that area as the core of Chandler and to avoid
sprawl. It was designed with both
the community's past and future in mind.
Minimized western exposure, expansive daylighting, and other strategies
should result in dramatic energy savings.
In one, more unusual, artistic feature, a "second skin" on part of the
façade is in narrow strips of perforated steel that move according to wind
patterns. These strips protect the
building from the sun, as well.
ENERGY STORAGE
"Solving
the Energy Storage Dilemma," by staff, was published in
the September 2012 issue of Public Power Magazine.
The quick review of, as yet,
unsatisfactory options, segues into what is suggested is a better possibility:
pumped hydro or compressed air energy storage (CAES).
LIGHTING
"Lighting" is a four-part article by Hayden McKay, AIA, FIALD, FIES, Principal
of Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design (HLB), and carried in the September 2012
issue of Building Operating Management. The author
stresses the planning and preparation required before a successful lighting
upgrade can get underway. Interestingly, a daylighting strategy can be
implemented in many existing buildings, and, of course, controls will maximize
daylighting's potential to save energy and increase the comfort of building
occupants:
Part 1: 10 Questions To Ask Before A Lighting Upgrade Begins
Part 2: Determining Goals Of Lighting Upgrade Can Lead To Different Solution
Part 3: Lighting Upgrade Mock-Ups Help Make Options Clear
Part 4: Daylighting and Controls Can Be Part Of Lighting Upgrades
POLICY
"Food
Fight" was authored by Allan Gerlat, News Editor of
Waste Age and waste360.com; it is a four-Web-page article published in the September
2012 issue of Waste Age. Which is the preferable way to dispose
of organic materials is under review here: composting
vs. landfilling – for LFTG (landfill gas-to-energy) projects. The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency) has a position on it, and that is included in the article. Also, the EU (European Union) has, over
the years, been looking into the comparative costs (financial and environmental)
of both. A 2002 study,
Economic Analysis of Options for Managing Biodegradable Municipal Waste: Final Report to the European Commission,
by Eunomia Research and Consulting, taking into consideration the differing
approaches of its member countries, includes this statement:
On the balance of evidence that has been presented, it seems that a policy of
source separation will be justified where the collection system for
source-separated biowastes is carried out in such a way as to optimise costs.
Furthermore, where the costs of composting itself are kept to a reasonable
level, it becomes likely that the net cost increase will be minimal, and may
become negative (as is already the case in several countries) as costs for other
treatments increase. It is worth noting that the costs of landfilling and
incineration have shown a tendency to rise (owing to controls on pollutants
etc.) whereas those for enclosed composting and anaerobic digestion have, if
anything, shown a tendency to fall. The costs for composting are likely to be
lower under mandatory separate collection to the extent that this increases
typical plant scale.
Another (2009) EU study,
Final Report - Assessment of the Options to Improve the Management of Bio-Waste in the European Union:
ANNEX E: Approach to estimating costs, jointly developed by Eunomia
Research and Consulting and by Arcadis, refers to the earlier study and, with
modeling, identifies costs in quite specific areas. The cost estimations take into
consideration the variations (from one EU country to the next) of composting
vs. landfilling in both capital
expenditures and operating expenditures.
WIND
The following three articles appeared in the September 2012 issue of
Wind Systems:
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"Making
the Cut with HGG Profiling Machines" was authored by Andreas
Petrosino, Marketing and Communications Manager, Leica Geosystems, Hexagon. Steel profile cutting is discussed
generally and then, more specifically, in the context of the manufacture of
certain foundation structures for off-shore wind farms.
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"Using
Sealants, Lubricants and Surface Treatments in Turbine Manufacturing"
was written by Jason Spencer, Director of Business and Market Development,
Adhesive Technologies, Henkel Corporation.
These products are described and how they protect and extend the life of
wind turbines is discussed.
-
"Wind
Turbine Capacity Frontier from SCADA" was jointly authored by
Xiupeng Wei and Anoop Verma, both Doctoral Students, and Andrew Kusiak, Ph.D.,
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial
Engineering; all of the University of Iowa.
Turbine performance compromised by faults and the resulting repair time
and cost can be minimized by data envelopment analysis (DEA), which is
well-described by the authors.
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© 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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