From Policy to Compliance: Federal Energy Efficient Product Procurement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeMates, Laurèn; Scodel, Anna

Federal buyers are required to purchase energy-efficient products in an effort to minimize energy use in the federal sector, save the federal government money, and spur market development of efficient products. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)’s Energy Efficient Product Procurement (EEPP) Program helps federal agencies comply with the requirement to purchase energy-efficient products by providing technical assistance and guidance and setting efficiency requirements for certain product categories. Past studies have estimated the savings potential of purchasing energy-efficient products at over $500 million per year in energy costs across federal agencies.1 Despite the strong policy support for EEPP and resourcesmore » available, energy-efficient product purchasing operates within complex decision-making processes and operational structures; implementation challenges exist that may hinder agencies’ ability to comply with purchasing requirements. The shift to purchasing green products, including energy-efficient products, relies on “buy in” from a variety of potential actors throughout different purchasing pathways. Challenges may be especially high for EEPP relative to other sustainable acquisition programs given that efficient products frequently have a higher first cost than non-efficient ones, which may be perceived as a conflict with fiscal responsibility, or more simply problematic for agency personnel trying to stretch limited budgets. Federal buyers may also face challenges in determining whether a given product is subject to EEPP requirements. Previous analysis on agency compliance with EEPP, conducted by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), shows that federal agencies are getting better at purchasing energy-efficient products. ASE conducted two reviews of relevant solicitations for product and service contracts listed on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO), the centralized website where federal agencies are required to post procurements greater than $25,000. In 2010, ASE estimated a compliance rate of 46% in 2010, up from an estimate of 12% in 2008. Our work updates and expands on ASE’s 2010 analysis to gauge agency compliance with EEPP requirements.« less

Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong; ...

2015-10-07

In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong

In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

Identifying Inefficient Single-Family Homes With Utility Bill Analysis: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casey, S.; Krarti, M.; Bianchi, M.

2010-08-01

Differentiating between energy-efficient and inefficient single-family homes on a community scale helps identify and prioritize candidates for energy-efficiency upgrades. Prescreening diagnostic procedures can further retrofit efforts by providing efficiency information before a site-visit is conducted. We applied the prescreening diagnostic to a simulated community of homes in Boulder, Colorado and analyzed energy consumption data to identify energy-inefficient homes.

Performance and economic analysis of a plug and play regenerative brake for improving energy efficiency for traction elevators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeraputra, Chuttchaval; Tiptipakorn, Supun

2017-05-01

This paper presents performance and economic analysis of a plug and play regenerative brake for improving energy efficiency for traction elevators. The proposed regenerative brake recycles the energy loss of a dynamic brake and feeds into the grid while an elevator inverter is operating in the braking mode. According to field measurement of energy consumption, it reveals that the efficiency can be improved as much as 18%. The prototype of a regenerative brake 12 kW, 400V, 3ϕ is developed and tested on an elevator simulator. It is shown that it can transfer energy out of a DC capacitor before the dynamic brake kicks in. Further, an economic analysis is provided to carry out the payback period and the present worth equivalent to confirm economic feasibility.

Factors affecting energy and nitrogen efficiency of dairy cows: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Phuong, H N; Friggens, N C; de Boer, I J M; Schmidely, P

2013-01-01

A meta-analysis was performed to explore the correlation between energy and nitrogen efficiency of dairy cows, and to study nutritional and animal factors that influence these efficiencies, as well as their relationship. Treatment mean values were extracted from 68 peer-reviewed studies, including 306 feeding trials. The main criterion for inclusion of a study in the meta-analysis was that it reported, or permitted calculation of, energy efficiency (Eeff; energy in milk/digestible energy intake) and nitrogen efficiency (Neff; nitrogen in milk/digestible nitrogen intake) at the digestible level (digestible energy or digestible protein). The effect of nutritional and animal variables, including neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber (ADF), digestible energy, digestible protein, proportion of concentrate (PCO), dry matter intake, milk yield, days in milk, and body weight, on Eeff, Neff, and the Neff:Eeff ratio was analyzed using mixed models. The interstudy correlation between Eeff and Neff was 0.62, whereas the intrastudy correlation was 0.30. The higher interstudy correlation was partly due to milk yield and dry matter intake being present in both Eeff and Neff. We, therefore, also explored the Neff:Eeff ratio. Energy efficiency was negatively associated with ADF and PCO, whereas Neff was negatively associated with ADF and digestible energy. The Neff:Eeff ratio was affected by ADF and PCO only. In conclusion, the results indicate a possibility to maximize feed efficiency in terms of both energy and nitrogen at the same time. In other words, an improvement in Eeff would also mean an improvement in Neff. The current study also shows that these types of transverse data are not sufficient to study the effect of animal factors, such as days in milk, on feed efficiency. Longitudinal measurements per animal would probably be more appropriate. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative Review of a Dozen National Energy Plans: Focus on Renewable and Efficient Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Logan, J.; James, T. L.

2009-03-01

Dozens of groups have submitted energy, environmental, and economic recovery plans for consideration by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This report provides a comparative analysis of 12 national proposals, focusing especially on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) market and policy issues.

A Comparative Review of a Dozen National Energy Plans. Focus on Renewable and Efficient Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Logan, Jeffrey; James, Ted L.

2009-03-01

Dozens of groups have submitted energy, environmental, and economic recovery plans for consideration by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This report provides a comparative analysis of 12 national proposals, focusing especially on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) market and policy issues.

Energy Efficiency Potential in the U.S. Single-Family Housing Stock

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J.; Christensen, Craig B.; Horowitz, Scott G.

Typical approaches for assessing energy efficiency potential in buildings use a limited number of prototypes, and therefore suffer from inadequate resolution when pass-fail cost-effectiveness tests are applied, which can significantly underestimate or overestimate the economic potential of energy efficiency technologies. This analysis applies a new approach to large-scale residential energy analysis, combining the use of large public and private data sources, statistical sampling, detailed building simulations, and high-performance computing to achieve unprecedented granularity - and therefore accuracy - in modeling the diversity of the single-family housing stock. The result is a comprehensive set of maps, tables, and figures showing themore » technical and economic potential of 50 plus residential energy efficiency upgrades and packages for each state. Policymakers, program designers, and manufacturers can use these results to identify upgrades with the highest potential for cost-effective savings in a particular state or region, as well as help identify customer segments for targeted marketing and deployment. The primary finding of this analysis is that there is significant technical and economic potential to save electricity and on-site fuel use in the single-family housing stock. However, the economic potential is very sensitive to the cost-effectiveness criteria used for analysis. Additionally, the savings of particular energy efficiency upgrades is situation-specific within the housing stock (depending on climate, building vintage, heating fuel type, building physical characteristics, etc.).« less

76 FR 43287 - Building Energy Standards Program: Determination Regarding Energy Efficiency Improvements in the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-20

... determined that the quantitative analysis of the energy consumption of buildings built to Standard 90.1-2007... Determination 3. Public Comments Regarding the Preliminary Determination II. Summary of the Comparative Analysis... Analysis B. Quantitative Analysis 1. Discussion of Whole Building Energy Analysis 2. Results of Whole...

Gaining Campaign Support through Peer Networking: An Impact Analysis of Energy Efficiency Projects in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mustafa, Hasrina

2010-01-01

This article presents a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of two community projects on energy efficiency held in Malaysia in January 2008. Specifically, the study was undertaken to compare levels of attitudes and practices of energy efficiency between baseline and post-campaign survey; compare electricity consumptions before, one month after,…

Energy efficiency in waste-to-energy and its relevance with regard to climate control.

PubMed

Ragossnig, Arne M; Wartha, Christian; Kirchner, Andreas

2008-02-01

This article focuses on systematically highlighting the ways to optimize waste-to-energy plants in terms of their energy efficiency as an indicator of the positive effect with regard to climate control. Potentials for increasing energy efficiency are identified and grouped into categories. The measures mentioned are illustrated by real-world examples. As an example, district cooling as a means for increasing energy efficiency in the district heating network of Vienna is described. Furthermore a scenario analysis shows the relevance of energy efficiency in waste management scenarios based on thermal treatment of waste with regard to climate control. The description is based on a model that comprises all relevant processes from the collection and transportation up to the thermal treatment of waste. The model has been applied for household-like commercial waste. The alternatives compared are a combined heat and power incinerator, which is being introduced in many places as an industrial utility boiler or in metropolitan areas where there is a demand for district heating and a classical municipal solid waste incinerator producing solely electrical power. For comparative purposes a direct landfilling scenario has been included in the scenario analysis. It is shown that the energy efficiency of thermal treatment facilities is crucial to the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted.

Analysis of the Dependence between Energy Demand Indicators in Buildings Based on Variants for Improving Energy Efficiency in a School Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skiba, Marta; Rzeszowska, Natalia

2017-09-01

One of the five far-reaching goals of the European Union is climate change and sustainable energy use. The first step in the implementation of this task is to reduce energy demand in buildings to a minimum by 2021, and in the case of public buildings by 2019. This article analyses the possibility of improving energy efficiency in public buildings, the relationship between particular indicators of the demand for usable energy (UE), final energy (FE) and primary energy (PE) in buildings and the impact of these indicators on the assessment of energy efficiency in public buildings, based on 5 variants of extensive thermal renovation of a school building. The analysis of the abovementioned variants confirms that the thermal renovation of merely the outer envelope of the building is insufficient and requires the use of additional energy sources, for example RES. Moreover, each indicator of energy demand in the building plays a key role in assessing the energy efficiency of the building. For this reason it is important to analyze each of them individually, as well as the dependencies between them.

Energy Efficiency Appliance Standards: Where do we stand, how far can we go and how do we get there? An analysis across several economies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letschert, Virginie E.; de la Rue du Can, Stephane; McNeil, Michael A.

This paper analyses several potential savings scenarios for minimum energy performance standard (MEPS) and comparable programs for governments participating i n the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, of the Clean Energy Ministerial, which represent over 60% of primary energy consumption in the world. We compare projected energy savings from the main end uses in the residential sector using three energy efficiency scenarios: (1) recent achievements, (2) cost-effective saving potential, and (3) energy efficiency technical potential. The recent achievement scenario (1) evaluates the future impact of MEPS enacted or under development between 2010 and 2012. The cost-effective potential scenariomore » (2) identifies the maximum potential for energy efficiency that results in net benefits to the consumer. The best available technology scenario (3) re presents the full potential of energy efficiency considering best available technologies as candidates for MEPS and incentive programs. We use the Bottom Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS), developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in collaboration with the Collaborative Labelling and Appliances Standards Program (CLASP), to provide a consistent methodology to com pare the different scenarios. This paper focuses on the main end uses in the residential sector. The comparison of the three scenarios for each economy provides possible opportunities for scaling up current policies or implementing additional policies. This comparison across economies reveals country best practices as well as end uses that present the greatest additional potential savings. The paper describes areas where methodologies and additional policy instruments can increase penetration of energy efficient technologies. First , we summarize the barriers and provide remedial policy tools/best practices, such as techno-economic analysis, in response to each barriers that prevent economies from capturing the full cost-effective potentials of MEPS (Scenario 1 to 2). Then, we consider the possible complementary policy options, such as incentive pro grams, to reach the full technical potential of energy efficiency in the residential sector (Scenario 2 to 3).« less

Fuel cell on-site integrated energy system parametric analysis of a residential complex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simons, S. N.

1977-01-01

A parametric energy-use analysis was performed for a large apartment complex served by a fuel cell on-site integrated energy system (OS/IES). The variables parameterized include operating characteristics for four phosphoric acid fuel cells, eight OS/IES energy recovery systems, and four climatic locations. The annual fuel consumption for selected parametric combinations are presented and a breakeven economic analysis is presented for one parametric combination. The results show fuel cell electrical efficiency and system component choice have the greatest effect on annual fuel consumption; fuel cell thermal efficiency and geographic location have less of an effect.

Energy analysis and agriculture: an application to US Corn Production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smil, V.; Nachman, P.; Long, T.V. II

1983-01-01

Changes in farming technology have increased the amount and cost of energy used in crop production, raising the question of whether energy efficiency in agriculture has remained constant, decreased, or increased. Despite some studies to the contrary, the authors assert that all essential energy used, both directly and indirectly, in US corn farming has remained constant in relation to crop production during the past two decades. Using a detailed process of energy analysis that takes into account various management and technological changes, they trace and quantify the energy cost of corn production from 1945-1947 and forecast its changes through 1984.more » They conclude that the energy efficiency of corn farming has not declined, and find that future technological and process improvements, led by conservation measures, will likely increase its energy efficiency in the 1980s. 39 references, 33 figures, 88 tables.« less

Energy and exergy analysis of cookstove by using Cedrus deodara (deodar wood) and saccharum officinarum (sugar cane) waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chouhan, A. P. Singh; Yaseen, S.; Pruthi, A.

2017-07-01

Deodar (Cedrus deodara) wood collected from the Kashmir region in India. This study is focused on energy and exergy analysis of cook stove by using deodar wood, demand of a cookstove is higher in rural areas. In ancient time U-shaped and three stone cook stove was used, but they emitted greenhouse gases CO and CO2 in the environment and these toxic emissions are also dangerous for human being and the environment. Sampada model cook stove used for the analysis of energy an exergy by using water boiling test with using deodar wood and bagasse samples and a mixture of wood and bagasse also used. Wood and bagasse characterized for the ultimate, proximate, calorific value before the water boiling test of the cookstove. Results carried out that the efficiency of cook stove with deodar wood was 33.33 % and exergy calculated 2.1 % and energy efficiency and energy efficiency by using bagasse were 23.23 % and 0.43 %, respectively, and wood and bagasse mixture ratio given energy and exergy efficiencies for ratios 75:25 is the best ratio of energy production. These results indicated that deodar wood is more stable because thermal stability of wood is greater than bagasse. Deodar is a suitable source for the combustion purposes of higher energy production.

The comparative impact of the market penetration of energy-efficient measures: A sensitivity analysis of its impact on minority households

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bozinovich, L.V.; Poyer, D.A.; Anderson, J.L.

1993-12-01

A sensitivity study was made of the potential market penetration of residential energy efficiency as energy service ratio (ESR) improvements occurred in minority households, by age of house. The study followed a Minority Energy Assessment Model analysis of the National Energy Strategy projections of household energy consumption and prices, with majority, black, and Hispanic subgroup divisions. Electricity and total energy consumption and expenditure patterns were evaluated when the households` ESR improvement followed a logistic negative growth (i.e., market penetration) path. Earlier occurrence of ESR improvements meant greater discounted savings over the 22-year period.

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Accomplishments in the Energy Efficient Engine Component Development and Integration program during the period of April 1, 1981 through September 30, 1981 are discussed. The major topics considered are: (1) propulsion system analysis, design, and integration; (2) engine component analysis, design, and development; (3) core engine tests; and (4) integrated core/low spool testing.

Structural Decomposition Analysis of China’s Industrial Energy Consumption Based on Input-Output Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, X. Y.; Zhou, J. Q.; Wang, Z.; Deng, L. C.; Hong, S.

2017-05-01

China is now at a stage of accelerated industrialization and urbanization, with energy-intensive industries contributing a large proportion of economic growth. In this study, we examined industrial energy consumption by decomposition analysis to describe the driving factors of energy consumption in China. Based on input-output (I-O) tables from the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) website and China’s energy use data from 1995 to 2011, we studied the sectorial changes of energy efficiency during the examined period. The results showed that all industries increased their energy efficiency. Energy consumption was decomposed into three factors by the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. The increase in production output was the leading factor that drives up China’s energy consumption. World Trade Organization accession and financial crises had great impact on the energy consumption. Based on these results, a series of energy policy suggestions for decision-makers has been proposed.

Updated estimation of energy efficiencies of U.S. petroleum refineries.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palou-Rivera, I.; Wang, M. Q.

2010-12-08

Evaluation of life-cycle (or well-to-wheels, WTW) energy and emission impacts of vehicle/fuel systems requires energy use (or energy efficiencies) of energy processing or conversion activities. In most such studies, petroleum fuels are included. Thus, determination of energy efficiencies of petroleum refineries becomes a necessary step for life-cycle analyses of vehicle/fuel systems. Petroleum refinery energy efficiencies can then be used to determine the total amount of process energy use for refinery operation. Furthermore, since refineries produce multiple products, allocation of energy use and emissions associated with petroleum refineries to various petroleum products is needed for WTW analysis of individual fuels suchmore » as gasoline and diesel. In particular, GREET, the life-cycle model developed at Argonne National Laboratory with DOE sponsorship, compares energy use and emissions of various transportation fuels including gasoline and diesel. Energy use in petroleum refineries is key components of well-to-pump (WTP) energy use and emissions of gasoline and diesel. In GREET, petroleum refinery overall energy efficiencies are used to determine petroleum product specific energy efficiencies. Argonne has developed petroleum refining efficiencies from LP simulations of petroleum refineries and EIA survey data of petroleum refineries up to 2006 (see Wang, 2008). This memo documents Argonne's most recent update of petroleum refining efficiencies.« less

Energy efficiency analysis of the manipulation process by the industrial objects with the use of Bernoulli gripping devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savkiv, Volodymyr; Mykhailyshyn, Roman; Duchon, Frantisek; Mikhalishin, Mykhailo

2017-11-01

The article deals with the topical issue of reducing energy consumption for transportation of industrial objects. The energy efficiency of the process of objects manipulation with the use of the orientation optimization method while gripping with the help of different methods has been studied. The analysis of the influence of the constituent parts of inertial forces, that affect the object of manipulation, on the necessary force characteristics and energy consumption of Bernoulli gripping device has been proposed. The economic efficiency of the use of the optimal orientation of Bernoulli gripping device while transporting the object of manipulation in comparison to the transportation without re-orientation has been proved.

Performance analysis of CO(2) emissions and energy efficiency of metal industries in China.

PubMed

Shao, Chaofeng; Guan, Yang; Wan, Zheng; Chu, Chunli; Ju, Meiting

2014-02-15

Nonferrous metal industries play an important role in China's national economy and are some of the country's largest energy consumers. To better understand the nature of CO(2) emissions from these industries and to further move towards low-carbon development in this industry sector, this study investigates the CO(2) emissions of 12 nonferrous metal industries from 2003 to 2010 based on their life-cycle assessments. It then classifies these industries into four "emission-efficiency" types through cluster analysis. The results show that (1) the industrial economy and energy consumption of China's nonferrous metal industries have grown rapidly, although their recent energy consumption rate shows a declining trend. (2) The copper, aluminum, zinc, lead, and magnesium industries, classified as high-emission industries, are the main contributors of CO(2) emissions. The results have implications for policy decisions that aim to enhance energy efficiency, particularly for promoting the transformation of low-efficiency industries to high-efficiency ones. The study also highlights the important role of policy development in technological innovations, optimization, and upgrades, the reduction of coal proportion in energy consumption, and the advancement of new energy sources. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Efficiency of industrial energy conservation and carbon emission reduction in Liaoning Pro-vince based on data envelopment analysis (DEA)method.

PubMed

Wang, Li; Xi, Feng Ming; Li, Jin Xin; Liu, Li Li

2016-09-01

Taking 39 industries as independent decision-making units in Liaoning Province from 2003 to 2012 and considering the benefits of energy, economy and environment, we combined direction distance function and radial DEA method to estimate and decompose the energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction efficiency of the industries. Carbon emission of each industry was calculated and defined as an undesirable output into the model of energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency. The results showed that energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency of industries had obvious heterogeneity in Liaoning Province. The whole energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction efficiency in each industry of Liaoning Province was not high, but it presented a rising trend. Improvements of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency were the main measures to enhance energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency, especially scale efficiency improvement. In order to improve the energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency of each industry in Liaoning Province, we put forward that Liaoning Province should adjust industry structure, encourage the development of low carbon high benefit industries, improve scientific and technological level and adjust the industry scale reasonably, meanwhile, optimize energy structure, and develop renewable and clean energy.

Exergy Based Analysis for the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems of the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clem, Kirk A.; Nelson, George J.; Mesmer, Bryan L.; Watson, Michael D.; Perry, Jay L.

2016-01-01

When optimizing the performance of complex systems, a logical area for concern is improving the efficiency of useful energy. The energy available for a system to perform work is defined as a system's energy content. Interactions between a system's subsystems and the surrounding environment can be accounted for by understanding various subsystem energy efficiencies. Energy balance of reactants and products, and enthalpies and entropies, can be used to represent a chemical process. Heat transfer energy represents heat loads, and flow energy represents system flows and filters. These elements allow for a system level energy balance. The energy balance equations are developed for the subsystems of the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The use of these equations with system information would allow for the calculation of the energy efficiency of the system, enabling comparisons of the ISS ECLS system to other systems as well as allows for an integrated systems analysis for system optimization.

Building Efficiency Evaluation and Uncertainty Analysis with DOE's Asset Score Preview

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2016-08-12

Building Energy Asset Score Tool, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is a program to encourage energy efficiency improvement by helping building owners and managers assess a building's energy-related systems independent of operations and maintenance. Asset Score Tool uses a simplified EnergyPlus model to provide an assessment of building systems, through minimum user inputs of basic building characteristics. Asset Score Preview is a newly developed option that allows users to assess their building's systems and the potential value of a more in-depth analysis via an even more simplified approach. This methodology provides a preliminary approach to estimating amore » building's energy efficiency and potential for improvement. This paper provides an overview of the methodology used for the development of Asset Score Preview and the scoring methodology.« less

Energy Engineering Analysis Program. Lighting Survey of Selected Buildings, Pine Bluff Arsenal, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Volume 2A: Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-06-01

Energy efficient, 30 and 40 watt ballasts are Rapid Start, thermally protected, automatic resetting. Class P, high or low power factor as required...BALLASTS Energy efficient, 30 ana 40 watt Rapic Start, thermally protected, automatic resetting. Class P. high power factor, CEM, sound rated A. unless...BALLASTS Energy efficient, 40 Watt Rapid Start, thermally protected, automatic resetting, Class P, high power factor, CBM, sound rated A, unless

Options to improve energy efficiency for educational building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahan, Mafruha

The cost of energy is a major factor that must be considered for educational facility budget planning purpose. The analysis of energy related issues and options can be complex and requires significant time and detailed effort. One way to facilitate the inclusion of energy option planning in facility planning efforts is to utilize a tool that allows for quick appraisal of the facility energy profile. Once such an appraisal is accomplished, it is then possible to rank energy improvement options consistently with other facility needs and requirements. After an energy efficiency option has been determined to have meaningful value in comparison with other facility planning options, it is then possible to utilize the initial appraisal as the basis for an expanded consideration of additional facility and energy use detail using the same analytic system used for the initial appraisal. This thesis has developed a methodology and an associated analytic model to assist in these tasks and thereby improve the energy efficiency of educational facilities. A detailed energy efficiency and analysis tool is described that utilizes specific university building characteristics such as size, architecture, envelop, lighting, occupancy, thermal design which allows reducing the annual energy consumption. Improving the energy efficiency of various aspects of an educational building's energy performance can be complex and can require significant time and experience to make decisions. The approach developed in this thesis initially assesses the energy design for a university building. This initial appraisal is intended to assist administrators in assessing the potential value of energy efficiency options for their particular facility. Subsequently this scoping design can then be extended as another stage of the model by local facility or planning personnel to add more details and engineering aspects to the initial screening model. This approach can assist university planning efforts to identify the most cost effective combinations of energy efficiency strategies. The model analyzes and compares the payback periods of all proposed Energy Performance Measures (EPMs) to determine which has the greatest potential value.

Monitoring of energy efficiency of technological modes of gas transport using modern gas-turbine equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golik, V. V.; Zemenkova, M. Yu; Shipovalov, A. N.; Akulov, K. A.

2018-05-01

The paper presents calculations and an example of energy efficiency justification of the regimes of the equipment used. The engineering design of the gas pipeline in the part of monitoring the energy efficiency of a gas compressor unit (GCU) is considered. The results of the GCU characteristics and its components evaluation are described. The evaluation results of the energy efficiency indicators of the gas pipeline are presented. As an example of the result of the analysis, it is proposed to use gas compressor unit GCU-32 "Ladoga" because of its efficiency and cost effectiveness, in comparison with analogues.

Energy-Efficient Design for Florida Educational Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida Solar Energy Center, Cape Canaveral.

This manual provides a detailed simulation analysis of a variety of energy conservation measures (ECMs) with the intent of giving educational facility design teams in Florida a basis for decision making. The manual's three sections cover energy efficiency design considerations that appear throughout the following design processes: schematic…

Chapter 13: Assessing Persistence and Other Evaluation Issues Cross-Cutting Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W; Violette, Daniel M.

Addressing other evaluation issues that have been raised in the context of energy efficiency programs, this chapter focuses on methods used to address the persistence of energy savings, which is an important input to the benefit/cost analysis of energy efficiency programs and portfolios. In addition to discussing 'persistence' (which refers to the stream of benefits over time from an energy efficiency measure or program), this chapter provides a summary treatment of these issues -Synergies across programs -Rebound -Dual baselines -Errors in variables (the measurement and/or accuracy of input variables to the evaluation).

76 FR 40646 - Notice of Availability of Preliminary Plan for Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-11

..., Assistant General Counsel for Legislation, Regulation, and Energy Efficiency, U.S. Department of Energy... ineffectively used. Related to appliance efficiency standards rulemakings, two comments expressed concern that... encouraged DOE to streamline its reporting databases to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance costs...

Moab, Utah: Using Energy Data to Target Carbon Reductions from Building Energy Efficiency (City Energy: From Data to Decisions)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team, Office of Strategic Programs

This fact sheet "Moab, Utah: Using Energy Data to Target Carbon Reductions from Building Energy Efficiency" explains how the City of Moab used data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) and the State and Local Energy Data (SLED) programs to inform its city energy planning. It is one of ten fact sheets in the "City Energy: From Data to Decisions" series.

South Lake Tahoe, California: Using Energy Data to Partner on Building Energy Efficiency Actions (City Energy: From Data to Decisions)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team, Office of Strategic Programs

This fact sheet "South Lake Tahoe, California: Using Energy Data to Partner on Building Energy Efficiency Actions" explains how the City of South Lake Tahoe used data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) and the State and Local Energy Data (SLED) programs to inform its city energy planning. It is one of ten fact sheets in the "City Energy: From Data to Decisions" series.

Analysis of Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards for Residential General Service Lighting in Chile

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letschert, Virginie E.; McNeil, Michael A.; Leiva Ibanez, Francisco Humberto

2011-06-01

Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) have been chosen as part of Chile's national energy efficiency action plan. As a first MEPS, the Ministry of Energy has decided to focus on a regulation for lighting that would ban the sale of inefficient bulbs, effectively phasing out the use of incandescent lamps. Following major economies such as the US (EISA, 2007) , the EU (Ecodesign, 2009) and Australia (AS/NZS, 2008) who planned a phase out based on minimum efficacy requirements, the Ministry of Energy has undertaken the impact analysis of a MEPS on the residential lighting sector. Fundacion Chile (FC) and Lawrencemore » Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) collaborated with the Ministry of Energy and the National Energy Efficiency Program (Programa Pais de Eficiencia Energetica, or PPEE) in order to produce a techno-economic analysis of this future policy measure. LBNL has developed for CLASP (CLASP, 2007) a spreadsheet tool called the Policy Analysis Modeling System (PAMS) that allows for evaluation of costs and benefits at the consumer level but also a wide range of impacts at the national level, such as energy savings, net present value of savings, greenhouse gas (CO2) emission reductions and avoided capacity generation due to a specific policy. Because historically Chile has followed European schemes in energy efficiency programs (test procedures, labelling program definitions), we take the Ecodesign commission regulation No 244/2009 as a starting point when defining our phase out program, which means a tiered phase out based on minimum efficacy per lumen category. The following data were collected in order to perform the techno-economic analysis: (1) Retail prices, efficiency and wattage category in the current market, (2) Usage data (hours of lamp use per day), and (3) Stock data, penetration of efficient lamps in the market. Using these data, PAMS calculates the costs and benefits of efficiency standards from two distinct but related perspectives: (1) The Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) calculation examines costs and benefits from the perspective of the individual household; and (2) The National Perspective projects the total national costs and benefits including both financial benefits, and energy savings and environmental benefits. The national perspective calculations are called the National Energy Savings (NES) and the Net Present Value (NPV) calculations. PAMS also calculate total emission mitigation and avoided generation capacity. This paper describes the data and methodology used in PAMS and presents the results of the proposed phase out of incandescent bulbs in Chile.« less

Complex analysis of energy efficiency in operated high-rise residential building: Case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korniyenko, Sergey

2018-03-01

Energy conservation and human thermal comfort enhancement in buildings is a topical issue of modern architecture and construction. The innovative solution of this problem makes it possible to enhance building ecological and maintenance safety, to reduce hydrocarbon fuel consumption, and to improve life standard of people. The requirements to increase of energy efficiency in buildings should be provided at all the stages of building's life cycle that is at the stage of design, construction and maintenance of buildings. The research purpose is complex analysis of energy efficiency in operated high-rise residential building. Many actions for building energy efficiency are realized according to the project; mainly it is the effective building envelope and engineering systems. Based on results of measurements the energy indicators of the building during annual period have been calculated. The main reason of increase in heat losses consists in the raised infiltration of external air in the building through a building envelope owing to the increased air permeability of windows and balcony doors (construction defects). Thermorenovation of the building based on ventilating and infiltration heat losses reduction through a building envelope allows reducing annual energy consumption. Energy efficiency assessment based on the total annual energy consumption of building, including energy indices for heating and a ventilation, hot water supply and electricity supply, in comparison with heating is more complete. The account of various components in building energy balance completely corresponds to modern direction of researches on energy conservation and thermal comfort enhancement in buildings.

Measurement and decomposition of energy efficiency of Northeast China-based on super efficiency DEA model and Malmquist index.

PubMed

Ma, Xiaojun; Liu, Yan; Wei, Xiaoxue; Li, Yifan; Zheng, Mengchen; Li, Yudong; Cheng, Chaochao; Wu, Yumei; Liu, Zhaonan; Yu, Yuanbo

2017-08-01

Nowadays, environment problem has become the international hot issue. Experts and scholars pay more and more attention to the energy efficiency. Unlike most studies, which analyze the changes of TFEE in inter-provincial or regional cities, TFEE is calculated with the ratio of target energy value and actual energy input based on data in cities of prefecture levels, which would be more accurate. Many researches regard TFP as TFEE to do analysis from the provincial perspective. This paper is intended to calculate more reliably by super efficiency DEA, observe the changes of TFEE, and analyze its relation with TFP, and it proves that TFP is not equal to TFEE. Additionally, the internal influences of the TFEE are obtained via the Malmquist index decomposition. The external influences of the TFFE are analyzed afterward based on the Tobit models. Analysis results demonstrate that Heilongjiang has the highest TFEE followed by Jilin, and Liaoning has the lowest TFEE. Eventually, some policy suggestions are proposed for the influences of energy efficiency and study results.

Economic Analysis of Energy-Efficiency Measures: Tribal Case Studies with the Yurok Tribe, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acker, Thomas L.; Auberle, William M.; Eastwood, John D.; Laroche, David R.; Slack, Robert P.; Smith, Dean H.; Ormond, Amanda S.

2005-01-01

The results of three energy-efficiency case studies conducted with three different Native American tribes in the western United States is presented. The case studies demonstrate that energy-efficiency is economically feasible and has the potential to reduce air pollution, and can potentially help tribes meet other important tribal objectives.

Analysis and performance assessment of a new solar-based multigeneration system integrated with ammonia fuel cell and solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine combined cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siddiqui, Osamah; Dincer, Ibrahim

2017-12-01

In the present study, a new solar-based multigeneration system integrated with an ammonia fuel cell and solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine combined cycle to produce electricity, hydrogen, cooling and hot water is developed for analysis and performance assessment. In this regard, thermodynamic analyses and modeling through both energy and exergy approaches are employed to assess and evaluate the overall system performance. Various parametric studies are conducted to study the effects of varying system parameters and operating conditions on the energy and exergy efficiencies. The results of this study show that the overall multigeneration system energy efficiency is obtained as 39.1% while the overall system exergy efficiency is calculated as 38.7%, respectively. The performance of this multigeneration system results in an increase of 19.3% in energy efficiency as compared to single generation system. Furthermore, the exergy efficiency of the multigeneration system is 17.8% higher than the single generation system. Moreover, both energy and exergy efficiencies of the solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine combined cycle are determined as 68.5% and 55.9% respectively.

76 FR 57982 - Building Energy Codes Cost Analysis

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-19

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Docket No. EERE-2011-BT-BC-0046] Building Energy Codes Cost Analysis Correction In notice document 2011-23236 beginning on page... heading ``Table 1. Cash flow components'' should read ``Table 7. Cash flow components''. [FR Doc. C1-2011...

Exergetic analysis of autonomous power complex for drilling rig

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebedev, V. A.; Karabuta, V. S.

2017-10-01

The article considers the issue of increasing the energy efficiency of power equipment of the drilling rig. At present diverse types of power plants are used in power supply systems. When designing and choosing a power plant, one of the main criteria is its energy efficiency. The main indicator in this case is the effective efficiency factor calculated by the method of thermal balances. In the article, it is suggested to use the exergy method to determine energy efficiency, which allows to perform estimations of the thermodynamic perfection degree of the system by the example of a gas turbine plant: relative estimation (exergetic efficiency factor) and an absolute estimation. An exergetic analysis of the gas turbine plant operating in a simple scheme was carried out using the program WaterSteamPro. Exergy losses in equipment elements are calculated.

Industrial Energy Audit Guidebook: Guidelines for Conducting an Energy Audit in Industrial Facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hasanbeigi, Ali; Price, Lynn

Various studies in different countries have shown that significant energy-efficiency improvement opportunities exist in the industrial sector, many of which are cost-effective. These energy-efficiency options include both cross-cutting as well as sector-specific measures. However, industrial plants are not always aware of energy-efficiency improvement potentials. Conducting an energy audit is one of the first steps in identifying these potentials. Even so, many plants do not have the capacity to conduct an effective energy audit. In some countries, government policies and programs aim to assist industry to improve competitiveness through increased energy efficiency. However, usually only limited technical and financial resources formore » improving energy efficiency are available, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Information on energy auditing and practices should, therefore, be prepared and disseminated to industrial plants. This guidebook provides guidelines for energy auditors regarding the key elements for preparing for an energy audit, conducting an inventory and measuring energy use, analyzing energy bills, benchmarking, analyzing energy use patterns, identifying energy-efficiency opportunities, conducting cost-benefit analysis, preparing energy audit reports, and undertaking post-audit activities. The purpose of this guidebook is to assist energy auditors and engineers in the plant to conduct a well-structured and effective energy audit.« less

Analysis of Energy Intensive Enterprises under EU Emission Trading System in Latvia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahare, Dace; Rosa, Marika

2011-01-01

Climate change and global warming has become one of the main topics worldwide. The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) was established to limit climate change, providing regulations which encourage companies to invest in cleaner production and more energy efficient production. Latvian energy intensive enterprises are operating under the EU ETS from the year 2005. The main goal of this paper is to provide an analysis of energy intensive installations in terms of their energy efficiency. Additionally, an analysis of EU ETS phase III which will start to operate in 2013 under new, more stringent rules has been conducted by modelling three Latvian energy intensive enterprise operations under this phase and estimating the barriers to meet the goal of the EU ETS phase III.

Design of Standards and Labeling programs in Chile: Techno-Economic Analysis for Refrigerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letschert, Virginie E.; McNeil, Michael A.; Pavon, Mariana

2013-05-01

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a global leader in the study of energy efficiency and its effective implementation through government policy. The Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Department of LBNL’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division provides technical assistance to help federal, stat e and local government agencies in the United States, and throughout the world, develop long-term strategies, policy, and programs to encourage energy efficiency in all sectors and industries. In the past, LBNL has assisted staff of various countries government agencies and their con tractors in providing methodologies to analyze cost-effectiveness of regulations and asses s overall national impacts ofmore » efficiency programs. The paper presents the work done in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy (MoE) in Chile and the Collaborative Labeling Appliance Standards Programs (CLASP) on designing a Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and ext ending the current labeling program for refrigerators.« less

Energy distribution analysis in boosted HCCI-like / LTGC engines – Understanding the trade-offs to maximize the thermal efficiency

DOE PAGES

Dernotte, Jeremie; Dec, John E.; Ji, Chunsheng

2015-04-14

A detailed understanding of the various factors affecting the trends in gross-indicated thermal efficiency with changes in key operating parameters has been carried out, applied to a one-liter displacement single-cylinder boosted Low-Temperature Gasoline Combustion (LTGC) engine. This work systematically investigates how the supplied fuel energy splits into the following four energy pathways: gross-indicated thermal efficiency, combustion inefficiency, heat transfer and exhaust losses, and how this split changes with operating conditions. Additional analysis is performed to determine the influence of variations in the ratio of specific heat capacities (γ) and the effective expansion ratio, related to the combustion-phasing retard (CA50), onmore » the energy split. Heat transfer and exhaust losses are computed using multiple standard cycle analysis techniques. Furthermore, the various methods are evaluated in order to validate the trends.« less

Next Step for STEP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, Claire; Bremner, Brenda

2013-08-09

The Siletz Tribal Energy Program (STEP), housed in the Tribe’s Planning Department, will hire a data entry coordinator to collect, enter, analyze and store all the current and future energy efficiency and renewable energy data pertaining to administrative structures the tribe owns and operates and for homes in which tribal members live. The proposed data entry coordinator will conduct an energy options analysis in collaboration with the rest of the Siletz Tribal Energy Program and Planning Department staff. An energy options analysis will result in a thorough understanding of tribal energy resources and consumption, if energy efficiency and conservation measuresmore » being implemented are having the desired effect, analysis of tribal energy loads (current and future energy consumption), and evaluation of local and commercial energy supply options. A literature search will also be conducted. In order to educate additional tribal members about renewable energy, we will send four tribal members to be trained to install and maintain solar panels, solar hot water heaters, wind turbines and/or micro-hydro.« less

Cost-effectiveness Analysis on Measures to Improve China's Coal-fired Industrial Boiler

DOE PAGES

Liu, Manzhi; Shen, Bo; Han, Yafeng; ...

2015-08-01

Tackling coal-burning industrial boiler is becoming one of the key programs to solve the environmental problem in China. Assessing the economics of various options to address coal-fired boiler is essential to identify cost-effective solutions. This paper discusses our work in conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis on various types of improvement measures ranging from energy efficiency retrofits to switch from coal to other fuels in China. Sensitivity analysis was also performed in order to understand the impacts of some economic factors such as discount rate and energy price on the economics of boiler improvement options. The results show that nine out ofmore » 14 solutions are cost-effective, and a lower discount rate and higher energy price will result in more energy efficiency measures being cost-effective. Both monetary and non-monetary barriers to energy-efficiency improvement are discussed and policies to tackle these barriers are recommended. Our research aims at providing a methodology to assess cost-effective solutions to boiler problems.« less

Efficiency limit factor analysis for the Francis-99 hydraulic turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Y.; Zhang, L. X.; Guo, J. P.; Guo, Y. K.; Pan, Q. L.; Qian, J.

2017-01-01

The energy loss in hydraulic turbine is the most direct factor that affects the efficiency of the hydraulic turbine. Based on the analysis theory of inner energy loss of hydraulic turbine, combining the measurement data of the Francis-99, this paper calculates characteristic parameters of inner energy loss of the hydraulic turbine, and establishes the calculation model of the hydraulic turbine power. Taken the start-up test conditions given by Francis-99 as case, characteristics of the inner energy of the hydraulic turbine in transient and transformation law are researched. Further, analyzing mechanical friction in hydraulic turbine, we think that main ingredients of mechanical friction loss is the rotation friction loss between rotating runner and water body, and defined as the inner mechanical friction loss. The calculation method of the inner mechanical friction loss is given roughly. Our purpose is that explore and research the method and way increasing transformation efficiency of water flow by means of analysis energy losses in hydraulic turbine.

EFAB Report: Municipal Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Discusses the challenges and steps leading up to EE retrofits; describes financing mechanisms; references several reports that provide more in-depth analysis; and lists financial resources available to support municipalities’ efforts in energy efficiency

Thermodynamic analysis of alternate energy carriers, hydrogen and chemical heat pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, K. E.; Carty, R. H.; Conger, W. L.; Soliman, M. A.; Funk, J. E.

1976-01-01

The paper discusses the production concept and efficiency of two new energy transmission and storage media intended to overcome the disadvantages of electricity as an overall energy carrier. These media are hydrogen produced by water-splitting and the chemical heat pipe. Hydrogen can be transported or stored, and burned as energy is needed, forming only water and thus obviating pollution problems. The chemical heat pipe envisions a system in which heat is stored as the heat of reaction in chemical species. The thermodynamic analysis of these two methods is discussed in terms of first-law and second-law efficiency. It is concluded that chemical heat pipes offer large advantages over thermochemical hydrogen generation schemes on a first-law efficiency basis except for the degradation of thermal energy in temperature thus providing a source of low-temperature (800 K) heat for process heat applications. On a second-law efficiency basis, hydrogen schemes are superior in that the amount of available work is greater as compared to chemical heat pipes.

An energy-efficient, adiabatic electrode stimulator with inductive energy recycling and feedback current regulation.

PubMed

Arfin, Scott K; Sarpeshkar, Rahul

2012-02-01

In this paper, we present a novel energy-efficient electrode stimulator. Our stimulator uses inductive storage and recycling of energy in a dynamic power supply. This supply drives an electrode in an adiabatic fashion such that energy consumption is minimized. It also utilizes a shunt current-sensor to monitor and regulate the current through the electrode via feedback, thus enabling flexible and safe stimulation. Since there are no explicit current sources or current limiters, wasteful energy dissipation across such elements is naturally avoided. The dynamic power supply allows efficient transfer of energy both to and from the electrode and is based on a DC-DC converter topology that we use in a bidirectional fashion in forward-buck or reverse-boost modes. In an exemplary electrode implementation intended for neural stimulation, we show how the stimulator combines the efficiency of voltage control and the safety and accuracy of current control in a single low-power integrated-circuit built in a standard .35 μm CMOS process. This stimulator achieves a 2x-3x reduction in energy consumption as compared to a conventional current-source-based stimulator operating from a fixed power supply. We perform a theoretical analysis of the energy efficiency that is in accord with experimental measurements. This theoretical analysis reveals that further improvements in energy efficiency may be achievable with better implementations in the future. Our electrode stimulator could be widely useful for neural, cardiac, retinal, cochlear, muscular and other biomedical implants where low power operation is important.

Using learning curves on energy-efficient technologies to estimate future energy savings and emission reduction potentials in the U.S. iron and steel industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karali, Nihan; Park, Won Young; McNeil, Michael A.

Increasing concerns on non-sustainable energy use and climate change spur a growing research interest in energy efficiency potentials in various critical areas such as industrial production. This paper focuses on learning curve aspects of energy efficiency measures in the U.S iron and steel sector. A number of early-stage efficient technologies (i.e., emerging or demonstration technologies) are technically feasible and have the potential to make a significant contribution to energy saving and CO 2 emissions reduction, but fall short economically to be included. However, they may also have the cost effective potential for significant cost reduction and/or performance improvement in themore » future under learning effects such as ‘learning-by-doing’. The investigation is carried out using ISEEM, a technology oriented, linear optimization model. We investigated how steel demand is balanced with/without the availability learning curve, compared to a Reference scenario. The retrofit (or investment in some cases) costs of energy efficient technologies decline in the scenario where learning curve is applied. The analysis also addresses market penetration of energy efficient technologies, energy saving, and CO 2 emissions in the U.S. iron and steel sector with/without learning impact. Accordingly, the study helps those who use energy models better manage the price barriers preventing unrealistic diffusion of energy-efficiency technologies, better understand the market and learning system involved, predict future achievable learning rates more accurately, and project future savings via energy-efficiency technologies with presence of learning. We conclude from our analysis that, most of the existing energy efficiency technologies that are currently used in the U.S. iron and steel sector are cost effective. Penetration levels increases through the years, even though there is no price reduction. However, demonstration technologies are not economically feasible in the U.S. iron and steel sector with the current cost structure. In contrast, some of the demonstration technologies are adapted in the mid-term and their penetration levels increase as the prices go down with learning curve. We also observe large penetration of 225kg pulverized coal injection with the presence of learning.« less

Avoided electricity subsidy payments can finance substantial appliance efficiency incentive programs: Case study of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leventis, Greg; Gopal, Anand; Rue du Can, Stephane de la

Numerous countries use taxpayer funds to subsidize residential electricity for a variety of socioeconomic objectives. These subsidies lower the value of energy efficiency to the consumer while raising it for the government. Further, while it would be especially helpful to have stringent Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for appliances and buildings in this environment, they are hard to strengthen without imposing a cost on ratepayers. In this secondbest world, where the presence of subsidies limits the government’s ability to strengthen standards, we find that avoided subsidies are a readily available source of financing for energy efficiency incentive programs. Here, wemore » introduce the LBNL Energy Efficiency Revenue Analysis (LEERA) model to estimate the appliance efficiency improvements that can be achieved in Mexico by the revenue neutral financing of incentive programs from avoided subsidy payments. LEERA uses the detailed techno-economic analysis developed by LBNL for the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative to calculate the incremental costs of appliance efficiency improvements. We analyze Mexico’s tariff structures and the long-run marginal cost of supply to calculate the marginal savings for the government from appliance efficiency. We find that avoided subsidy payments alone can finance incentive programs that cover the full incremental cost of refrigerators that are 27% more efficient and TVs that are 32% more efficient than baseline models. We find less substantial market transformation potential for room ACs primarily because AC energy savings occur at less subsidized tariffs.« less

Real world programs, real world strategies, real world successes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogan, K.

1997-12-31

This paper presents a very brief overview of market opportunities for using energy efficient technology. A brief summary of greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change concludes that the threat of global warming must be taken seriously. It is stated that there are numerous technologies available which can reduce energy use by up to 50%, while offering attractive rates of return. Market analysis has identified a trillion dollar market for high efficiency products and services over the next decade. Three main areas of business opportunity for capitalizing on the growing market for energy efficiency are identified: (1) using efficient energymore » technology in-house, (2) marketing energy efficient products, and (3) international markets.« less

Household adoption of energy and water-efficient appliances: An analysis of attitudes, labelling and complementary green behaviours in selected OECD countries.

PubMed

Dieu-Hang, To; Grafton, R Quentin; Martínez-Espiñeira, Roberto; Garcia-Valiñas, Maria

2017-07-15

Using a household-based data set of more than 12,000 households from 11 OECD countries, we analyse the factors underlying the decision by households to adopt energy-efficient and water-efficient equipment. We evaluate the roles of both attitudes and labelling schemes on the adoption of energy and water-efficient equipment, and also the interaction and complementarity between energy and water conservation behaviours. Our findings show: one, 'green' social norms and favourable attitudes towards the environment are associated with an increased likelihood of households' adoption of energy and water-efficient appliances; two, households' purchase decisions are positively affected by their awareness, understanding, and trust of labelling schemes; and three, there is evidence of complementarity between energy conservation and water conservation behaviours. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production efficiencies of U.S. electric generation plants: Effects of data aggregation and greenhouse gas and renewable energy policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynes, Melissa Kate

Over the last few decades there has been a shift in electricity production in the U.S. Renewable energy sources are becoming more widely used. In addition, electric generation plants that use coal inputs are more heavily regulated than a couple decades ago. This shift in electricity production was brought on by changes in federal policy -- a desire for electricity produced in the U.S. which led to policies being adopted that encourage the use of renewable energy. The change in production practices due to policies may have led to changes in the productivity of electric generation plants. Multiple studies have examined the most efficient electric generation plants using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. This study builds on past research to answer three questions: 1) Does the level of aggregation of fuel input variables affect the plant efficiency scores and how does the efficiency of renewable energy input compare to nonrenewable energy inputs; 2) Are policies geared toward directly or indirectly reducing greenhouse gas emissions affecting the production efficiencies of greenhouse gas emitting electric generation plants; and 3) Do renewable energy policies and the use of intermittent energy sources (i.e. wind and solar) affect the productivity growth of electric generation plants. All three analysis, presented in three essays, use U.S. plant level data obtained from the Energy Information Administration to answer these questions. The first two essays use DEA to determine the pure technical, overall technical, and scale efficiencies of electric generation plants. The third essay uses DEA within the Malmquist index to assess the change in productivity over time. Results indicate that the level of aggregation does matter particularly for scale efficiency. This implies that valuable information is likely lost when fuel inputs are aggregated together. Policies directly focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions may improve the production efficiencies of greenhouse gas emitting electric generation plants. However, renewable energy policies do not have an effect on productivity growth. Renewable energy inputs are found to be as efficient if not more efficient than traditional energy sources.

Rising Above the Water: New Orleans Implements Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Practices Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This fact sheet describes the technical assistance that the U.S. Department of Energy, through its National Renewable Energy Laboratory, provided to New Orleans, Louisiana, which helped the city incorporate energy efficiency into its rebuilding efforts for K-12 schools and homes following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. NREL also provided support and analysis on energy policy efforts.

Approaches to the Organization of the Energy Efficient Activity at the Regional Level in the Context of Limited Budget Resources during the Transformation of Energy Market Paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vakulenko, Ihor; Myroshnychenko, Iuliia

2015-12-01

The research is devoted to the problem of the assessment of the integrated projects investment efficiency, energy saving and energy efficiency measures for social and municipal buildings within the course aimed at the reduction of the natural gas consumption and its replacement by alternative fuel types, that is important for a number of European countries, and Ukraine in particular. The objectives of the research are as follows: comparative assessment of the quality of integrated and element-by-element approaches to energy saving encompassing investment, environmental, social and organizational aspects; the formulation of practical recommendations to improve the efficiency of development and implementation of integrated programs in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency. It is proposed to use the methodology of system analysis with the elements of deduction that is practical and that allows to set key factors that influence the processes of energy replacement and energy efficiency increase, as well as factors that constrain them.

Energy optimization analysis of the more electric aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yitao; Deng, Junxiang; Liu, Chao; Li, Sen

2018-02-01

The More Electric Aircraft (MEA) underlines the utilization of the electrical power to drive the non-propulsive aircraft systems. The critical features of the MEA including no-bleed engine architecture and advanced electrical system are introduced. Energy and exergy analysis is conducted for the MEA, and comparison of the effectiveness and efficiency of the energy usage between conventional aircraft and the MEA is conducted. The results indicate that one of the advantages of the MEA architecture is the greater efficiency gained in terms of reduced fuel consumption.

76 FR 43298 - Building Energy Standards Program: Preliminary Determination Regarding Energy Efficiency...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-20

... Methodology II. Summary of the Comparative Analysis A. Qualitative Analysis 1. Discussion of Detailed Textual... used for this preliminary determination. II. Summary of the Comparative Analysis DOE carried out both a...

Analysis of railroad energy efficiency in the United States.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-01

The purpose of this study is to provide information about railroad fuel efficiency that may be useful in evaluating transportation energy policies and assessing the sustainability of potential projects. The specific objectives are to (1) develop rail...

Technology Prioritization: Transforming the U.S. Building Stock to Embrace Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abdelaziz, Omar; Farese, Philip; Abramson, Alexis

2013-01-01

The U.S. Buildings sector is responsible for about 40% of the national energy expenditures. This is due in part to wasteful use of resources and limited considerations made for energy efficiency during the design and retrofit phases. Recent studies have indicated the potential for up to 30-50% energy savings in the U.S. buildings sector using currently available technologies. This paper discusses efforts to accelerate the transformation in the U.S. building energy efficiency sector using a new technology prioritization framework. The underlying analysis examines building energy use micro segments using the Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Outlook and other publically availablemore » information. The tool includes a stock-and-flow model to track stock vintage and efficiency levels with time. The tool can be used to investigate energy efficiency measures under a variety of scenarios and has a built-in energy accounting framework to prevent double counting of energy savings within any given portfolio. This tool is developed to inform decision making and estimate long term potential energy savings for different market adoption scenarios.« less

Technology and Performance Analysis Tools | Energy Analysis | NREL

Science.gov Websites

optimize renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies for your project. Many of these tools can be the consumer or energy professional. Biomass Scenario Model (BSM) Determine which supply chain changes (BLCC) Analyze capital investments in buildings. Includes the Energy Escalation Rate Calculator 2.0-15

Sharing success: State energy program special projects results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

2000-03-15

The State Energy Program was created in 1996 by an act of Congress through the consolidation of the State Energy Conservation Program (SECP) and the Institutional Conservation Program (ICP). Formerly, SECP provided funding for a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, and ICP assisted schools and hospitals with technical analysis and installation of energy conservation measures. Through these programs, more than 8,000 specific State conservation projects have been implemented since 1983 and more than 69,000 buildings have been made more energy efficient since 1979. The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy recognized the valuemore » of delivering programs through the States and created Special Projects in 1996. This report is an overview of State Energy Program operations, strategic focus, activities and accomplishments.« less

Measuring energy efficiency in economics: Shadow value approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khademvatani, Asgar

For decades, academic scholars and policy makers have commonly applied a simple average measure, energy intensity, for studying energy efficiency. In contrast, we introduce a distinctive marginal measure called energy shadow value (SV) for modeling energy efficiency drawn on economic theory. This thesis demonstrates energy SV advantages, conceptually and empirically, over the average measure recognizing marginal technical energy efficiency and unveiling allocative energy efficiency (energy SV to energy price). Using a dual profit function, the study illustrates how treating energy as quasi-fixed factor called quasi-fixed approach offers modeling advantages and is appropriate in developing an explicit model for energy efficiency. We address fallacies and misleading results using average measure and demonstrate energy SV advantage in inter- and intra-country energy efficiency comparison. Energy efficiency dynamics and determination of efficient allocation of energy use are shown through factors impacting energy SV: capital, technology, and environmental obligations. To validate the energy SV, we applied a dual restricted cost model using KLEM dataset for the 35 US sectors stretching from 1958 to 2000 and selected a sample of the four sectors. Following the empirical results, predicted wedges between energy price and the SV growth indicate a misallocation of energy use in stone, clay and glass (SCG) and communications (Com) sectors with more evidence in the SCG compared to the Com sector, showing overshoot in energy use relative to optimal paths and cost increases from sub-optimal energy use. The results show that energy productivity is a measure of technical efficiency and is void of information on the economic efficiency of energy use. Decomposing energy SV reveals that energy, capital and technology played key roles in energy SV increases helping to consider and analyze policy implications of energy efficiency improvement. Applying the marginal measure, we also contributed to energy efficiency convergence analysis employing the delta-convergence and unconditional & conditional beta-convergence concepts, investigating economic energy efficiency differences across the four US sectors using panel data models. The results show that, in terms of technical and allocative energy efficiency, the energy-intensive sectors, SCG and textile mill products, tend to catch the energy extensive sectors, the Com and furniture & fixtures, being conditional on sector-specific characteristics. Conditional convergence results indicate that technology, capital and energy are crucial factors in determining energy efficiency differences across the US sectors, implying that environmental or energy policies, and technological changes should be industry specific across the US sectors. The main finding is that the marginal value measure conveys information on both technical and allocative energy efficiency and accounts for all costs and benefits of energy consumption including environmental and externality costs.

Energy efficiency analysis: biomass-to-wheel efficiency related with biofuels production, fuel distribution, and powertrain systems.

PubMed

Huang, Wei-Dong; Zhang, Y-H Percival

2011-01-01

Energy efficiency analysis for different biomass-utilization scenarios would help make more informed decisions for developing future biomass-based transportation systems. Diverse biofuels produced from biomass include cellulosic ethanol, butanol, fatty acid ethyl esters, methane, hydrogen, methanol, dimethyether, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and bioelectricity; the respective powertrain systems include internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles based on gasoline or diesel ICEs, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, sugar fuel cell vehicles (SFCV), and battery electric vehicles (BEV). We conducted a simple, straightforward, and transparent biomass-to-wheel (BTW) analysis including three separate conversion elements--biomass-to-fuel conversion, fuel transport and distribution, and respective powertrain systems. BTW efficiency is a ratio of the kinetic energy of an automobile's wheels to the chemical energy of delivered biomass just before entering biorefineries. Up to 13 scenarios were analyzed and compared to a base line case--corn ethanol/ICE. This analysis suggests that BEV, whose electricity is generated from stationary fuel cells, and SFCV, based on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with an on-board sugar-to-hydrogen bioreformer, would have the highest BTW efficiencies, nearly four times that of ethanol-ICE. In the long term, a small fraction of the annual US biomass (e.g., 7.1%, or 700 million tons of biomass) would be sufficient to meet 100% of light-duty passenger vehicle fuel needs (i.e., 150 billion gallons of gasoline/ethanol per year), through up to four-fold enhanced BTW efficiencies by using SFCV or BEV. SFCV would have several advantages over BEV: much higher energy storage densities, faster refilling rates, better safety, and less environmental burdens.

Energy Efficiency Analysis: Biomass-to-Wheel Efficiency Related with Biofuels Production, Fuel Distribution, and Powertrain Systems

PubMed Central

Huang, Wei-Dong; Zhang, Y-H Percival

2011-01-01

Background Energy efficiency analysis for different biomass-utilization scenarios would help make more informed decisions for developing future biomass-based transportation systems. Diverse biofuels produced from biomass include cellulosic ethanol, butanol, fatty acid ethyl esters, methane, hydrogen, methanol, dimethyether, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and bioelectricity; the respective powertrain systems include internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles based on gasoline or diesel ICEs, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, sugar fuel cell vehicles (SFCV), and battery electric vehicles (BEV). Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a simple, straightforward, and transparent biomass-to-wheel (BTW) analysis including three separate conversion elements -- biomass-to-fuel conversion, fuel transport and distribution, and respective powertrain systems. BTW efficiency is a ratio of the kinetic energy of an automobile's wheels to the chemical energy of delivered biomass just before entering biorefineries. Up to 13 scenarios were analyzed and compared to a base line case – corn ethanol/ICE. This analysis suggests that BEV, whose electricity is generated from stationary fuel cells, and SFCV, based on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with an on-board sugar-to-hydrogen bioreformer, would have the highest BTW efficiencies, nearly four times that of ethanol-ICE. Significance In the long term, a small fraction of the annual US biomass (e.g., 7.1%, or 700 million tons of biomass) would be sufficient to meet 100% of light-duty passenger vehicle fuel needs (i.e., 150 billion gallons of gasoline/ethanol per year), through up to four-fold enhanced BTW efficiencies by using SFCV or BEV. SFCV would have several advantages over BEV: much higher energy storage densities, faster refilling rates, better safety, and less environmental burdens. PMID:21765941

Modeling Pumped Thermal Energy Storage with Waste Heat Harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abarr, Miles L. Lindsey

This work introduces a new concept for a utility scale combined energy storage and generation system. The proposed design utilizes a pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) system, which also utilizes waste heat leaving a natural gas peaker plant. This system creates a low cost utility-scale energy storage system by leveraging this dual-functionality. This dissertation first presents a review of previous work in PTES as well as the details of the proposed integrated bottoming and energy storage system. A time-domain system model was developed in Mathworks R2016a Simscape and Simulink software to analyze this system. Validation of both the fluid state model and the thermal energy storage model are provided. The experimental results showed the average error in cumulative fluid energy between simulation and measurement was +/- 0.3% per hour. Comparison to a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model showed <1% error for bottoming mode heat transfer. The system model was used to conduct sensitivity analysis, baseline performance, and levelized cost of energy of a recently proposed Pumped Thermal Energy Storage and Bottoming System (Bot-PTES) that uses ammonia as the working fluid. This analysis focused on the effects of hot thermal storage utilization, system pressure, and evaporator/condenser size on the system performance. This work presents the estimated performance for a proposed baseline Bot-PTES. Results of this analysis showed that all selected parameters had significant effects on efficiency, with the evaporator/condenser size having the largest effect over the selected ranges. Results for the baseline case showed stand-alone energy storage efficiencies between 51 and 66% for varying power levels and charge states, and a stand-alone bottoming efficiency of 24%. The resulting efficiencies for this case were low compared to competing technologies; however, the dual-functionality of the Bot-PTES enables it to have higher capacity factor, leading to 91-197/MWh levelized cost of energy compared to 262-284/MWh for batteries and $172-254/MWh for Compressed Air Energy Storage.

No Cost – Low Cost Compressed Air System Optimization in Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dharma, A.; Budiarsa, N.; Watiniasih, N.; Antara, N. G.

2018-04-01

Energy conservation is a systematic, integrated of effort, in order to preserve energy sources and improve energy utilization efficiency. Utilization of energy in efficient manner without reducing the energy usage it must. Energy conservation efforts are applied at all stages of utilization, from utilization of energy resources to final, using efficient technology, and cultivating an energy-efficient lifestyle. The most common way is to promote energy efficiency in the industry on end use and overcome barriers to achieve such efficiency by using system energy optimization programs. The facts show that energy saving efforts in the process usually only focus on replacing tools and not an overall system improvement effort. In this research, a framework of sustainable energy reduction work in companies that have or have not implemented energy management system (EnMS) will be conducted a systematic technical approach in evaluating accurately a compressed-air system and potential optimization through observation, measurement and verification environmental conditions and processes, then processing the physical quantities of systems such as air flow, pressure and electrical power energy at any given time measured using comparative analysis methods in this industry, to provide the potential savings of energy saving is greater than the component approach, with no cost to the lowest cost (no cost - low cost). The process of evaluating energy utilization and energy saving opportunities will provide recommendations for increasing efficiency in the industry and reducing CO2 emissions and improving environmental quality.

A systematic methodology for the robust quantification of energy efficiency at wastewater treatment plants featuring Data Envelopment Analysis.

PubMed

Longo, S; Hospido, A; Lema, J M; Mauricio-Iglesias, M

2018-05-10

This article examines the potential benefits of using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for conducting energy-efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). WWTPs are characteristically heterogeneous (in size, technology, climate, function …) which limits the correct application of DEA. This paper proposes and describes the Robust Energy Efficiency DEA (REED) in its various stages, a systematic state-of-the-art methodology aimed at including exogenous variables in nonparametric frontier models and especially designed for WWTP operation. In particular, the methodology systematizes the modelling process by presenting an integrated framework for selecting the correct variables and appropriate models, possibly tackling the effect of exogenous factors. As a result, the application of REED improves the quality of the efficiency estimates and hence the significance of benchmarking. For the reader's convenience, this article is presented as a step-by-step guideline to guide the user in the determination of WWTPs energy efficiency from beginning to end. The application and benefits of the developed methodology are demonstrated by a case study related to the comparison of the energy efficiency of a set of 399 WWTPs operating in different countries and under heterogeneous environmental conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 10873 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Small Electric Motors

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-09

... design option to be technologically feasible if it is in use by the respective industry or if research.... Baseline Motor Performance 3. Higher Efficiency Motor Designs a. Electrical Steel b. Thermal Analysis c... a variety of provisions designed to improve energy efficiency. Part A of Title III (42 U.S.C. 6291...

Assessing National Employment Impacts of Investment in Residential and Commercial Sector Energy Efficiency: Review and Example Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, David M.; Belzer, David B.; Livingston, Olga V.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) modeled the employment impacts of a major national initiative to accelerate energy efficiency trends at one of two levels: • 15 percent savings by 2030. In this scenario, efficiency activities save about 15 percent of the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) Reference Case electricity consumption by 2030. It is assumed that additional energy savings in both the residential and commercial sectors begin in 2015 at zero, and then increase in an S-shaped market penetration curve, with the level of savings equal to about 7.0 percent of the AEO 2014 U.S. national residential and commercial electricity consumptionmore » saved by 2020, 14.8 percent by 2025, and 15 percent by 2030. • 10 percent savings by 2030. In this scenario, additional savings begin at zero in 2015, increase to 3.8 percent in 2020, 9.8 percent by 2025, and 10 percent of the AEO reference case value by 2030. The analysis of the 15 percent case indicates that by 2030 more than 300,000 new jobs would likely result from such policies, including an annual average of more than 60,000 jobs directly supporting the installation and maintenance of energy efficiency measures and practices. These are new jobs resulting initially from the investment associated with the construction of more energy-efficient new buildings or the retrofit of existing buildings and would be sustained for as long as the investment continues. Based on what is known about the current level of building-sector energy efficiency jobs, this would represent an increase of more than 10 percent from the current estimated level of over 450,000 such jobs. The more significant and longer-lasting effect comes from the redirection of energy bill savings toward the purchase of other goods and services in the general economy, with its attendant influence on increasing the total number of jobs. This example analysis utilized PNNL’s ImSET model, a modeling framework that PNNL has used over the past two decades to assess the economic impacts of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) energy efficiency programs in the buildings sector.« less

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR: Utility Bill Analysis on Homes Participating in Austin Energy's Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belzer, D.; Mosey, G.; Plympton, P.

2007-07-01

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) is a jointly managed program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This program focuses on improving energy efficiency in existing homes via a whole-house approach to assessing and improving a home's energy performance, and helping to protect the environment. As one of HPwES's local sponsors, Austin Energy's HPwES program offers a complete home energy analysis and a list of recommendations for efficiency improvements, along with cost estimates. To determine the benefits of this program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) collaborated with the Pacific Northwest Nationalmore » Laboratory (PNNL) to conduct a statistical analysis using energy consumption data of HPwES homes provided by Austin Energy. This report provides preliminary estimates of average savings per home from the HPwES Loan Program for the period 1998 through 2006. The results from this preliminary analysis suggest that the HPwES program sponsored by Austin Energy had a very significant impact on reducing average cooling electricity for participating households. Overall, average savings were in the range of 25%-35%, and appear to be robust under various criteria for the number of households included in the analysis.« less

EPA Webinar on the Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Manual

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

existing EPA EE/RE SIP guidance, policies and programs in the jurisdiction, electric energy system, roles and responsibilities of key state energy-related organizations, emission benefits, screening analysis

Evaluation strategy of regenerative braking energy for supercapacitor vehicle.

PubMed

Zou, Zhongyue; Cao, Junyi; Cao, Binggang; Chen, Wen

2015-03-01

In order to improve the efficiency of energy conversion and increase the driving range of electric vehicles, the regenerative energy captured during braking process is stored in the energy storage devices and then will be re-used. Due to the high power density of supercapacitors, they are employed to withstand high current in the short time and essentially capture more regenerative energy. The measuring methods for regenerative energy should be investigated to estimate the energy conversion efficiency and performance of electric vehicles. Based on the analysis of the regenerative braking energy system of a supercapacitor vehicle, an evaluation system for energy recovery in the braking process is established using USB portable data-acquisition devices. Experiments under various braking conditions are carried out. The results verify the higher efficiency of energy regeneration system using supercapacitors and the effectiveness of the proposed measurement method. It is also demonstrated that the maximum regenerative energy conversion efficiency can reach to 88%. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 54117 - Building Energy Standards Program: Preliminary Determination Regarding Energy Efficiency...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-03

... Response to Comments on Previous Analysis C. Summary of the Comparative Analysis 1. Quantitative Analysis 2... preliminary quantitative analysis are specific building designs, in most cases with specific spaces defined... preliminary determination. C. Summary of the Comparative Analysis DOE carried out both a broad quantitative...

An Assessment Model for Energy Efficiency Program Planning in Electric Utilities: Case of the Pacific of Northwest U.S.A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iskin, Ibrahim

Energy efficiency stands out with its potential to address a number of challenges that today's electric utilities face, including increasing and changing electricity demand, shrinking operating capacity, and decreasing system reliability and flexibility. Being the least cost and least risky alternative, the share of energy efficiency programs in utilities' energy portfolios has been on the rise since the 1980s, and their increasing importance is expected to continue in the future. Despite holding great promise, the ability to determine and invest in only the most promising program alternatives plays a key role in the successful use of energy efficiency as a utility-wide resource. This issue becomes even more significant considering the availability of a vast number of potential energy efficiency programs, the rapidly changing business environment, and the existence of multiple stakeholders. This dissertation introduces hierarchical decision modeling as the framework for energy efficiency program planning in electric utilities. The model focuses on the assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs and proposes to bridge the gap between technology screening and cost/benefit evaluation practices. This approach is expected to identify emerging technology alternatives which have the highest potential to pass cost/benefit ratio testing procedures and contribute to the effectiveness of decision practices in energy efficiency program planning. The model also incorporates rank order analysis and sensitivity analysis for testing the robustness of results from different stakeholder perspectives and future uncertainties in an attempt to enable more informed decision-making practices. The model was applied to the case of 13 high priority emerging energy efficiency program alternatives identified in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. The results of this study reveal that energy savings potential is the most important program management consideration in selecting emerging energy efficiency programs. Market dissemination potential and program development and implementation potential are the second and third most important, whereas ancillary benefits potential is the least important program management consideration. The results imply that program value considerations, comprised of energy savings potential and ancillary benefits potential; and program feasibility considerations, comprised of program development and implementation potential and market dissemination potential, have almost equal impacts on assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs. Considering the overwhelming number of value-focused studies and the few feasibility-focused studies in the literature, this finding clearly shows that feasibility-focused studies are greatly understudied. The hierarchical decision model developed in this dissertation is generalizable. Thus, other utilities or power systems can adopt the research steps employed in this study as guidelines and conduct similar assessment studies on emerging energy efficiency programs of their interest.

ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 Determination of Energy Savings: Qualitative Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halverson, Mark A.; Rosenberg, Michael I.; Hart, Philip R.

2014-09-04

This report provides a final qualitative analysis of all addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010 (referred to as Standard 90.1-2010 or 2010 edition) that were included in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 (referred to as Standard 90.1-2013 or 2013 edition). All addenda in creating Standard 90.1-2013 were evaluated for their projected impact on energy efficiency. Each addendum was characterized as having a positive, neutral, or negative impact on overall building energy efficiency.

Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact Analyses of Supermarket Refrigeration Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fricke, Brian A; Bansal, Pradeep; Zha, Shitong

This paper presents energy and life cycle climate performance (LCCP) analyses of a variety of supermarket refrigeration systems to identify designs that exhibit low environmental impact and high energy efficiency. EnergyPlus was used to model refrigeration systems in a variety of climate zones across the United States. The refrigeration systems that were modeled include the traditional multiplex DX system, cascade systems with secondary loops and the transcritical CO2 system. Furthermore, a variety of refrigerants were investigated, including R-32, R-134a, R-404A, R-1234yf, R-717, and R-744. LCCP analysis was used to determine the direct and indirect carbon dioxide emissions resulting from themore » operation of the various refrigeration systems over their lifetimes. Our analysis revealed that high-efficiency supermarket refrigeration systems may result in up to 44% less energy consumption and 78% reduced carbon dioxide emissions compared to the baseline multiplex DX system. This is an encouraging result for legislators, policy makers and supermarket owners to select low emission, high-efficiency commercial refrigeration system designs for future retrofit and new projects.« less

Solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reinhardt, K.C.; Lamp, T.R.; Geis, J.W.

1996-12-31

An analysis was performed to determine the impact of various power system components and mission requirements on the size of solar-powered high altitude long endurance (HALE)-type aircraft. The HALE unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has good potential for use in many military and civil applications. The primary power system components considered in this study were photovoltaic (PV) modules for power generation and regenerative fuel cells for energy storage. The impact of relevant component performance on UAV size and capability were considered; including PV module efficiency and mass, power electronics efficiency, and fuel cell specific energy. Mission parameters such as time ofmore » year, flight altitude, flight latitude, and payload mass and power were also varied to determine impact on UAV size. The aircraft analysis method used determines the required aircraft wing aspect ratio, wing area, and total mass based on maximum endurance or minimum required power calculations. The results indicate that the capacity of the energy storage system employed, fuel cells in this analysis, greatly impacts aircraft size, whereas the impact of PV module efficiency and mass is much less important. It was concluded that an energy storage specific energy (total system) of 250--500 Whr/kg is required to enable most useful missions, and that PV cells with efficiencies greater than {approximately} 12% are suitable for use.« less

Eco-development and energy efficient technologies in Russia: prospects and reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurakova, Oksana

2017-10-01

The article highlights the concept of eco-standards in Russia, and discusses new technologies that allow to build energy-efficient houses in the form of countryside real estate. Special attention is given to the principle of heat production based on the use of individual facilities, power centers mini thermal power plants, as well as to ways to reduce water consumption at home. Presents analysis of the advantages projects “built-to-suit” for the introduction of the energy efficient technologies. Justified idea and principles of “green construction” in Russia in the real estate market. Conclusion about the effectiveness of the use, opportunities and development of energy efficient technologies.

Commercial Building Energy Asset Rating Program -- Market Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCabe, Molly J.; Wang, Na

2012-04-19

Under contract to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, HaydenTanner, LLC conducted an in-depth analysis of the potential market value of a commercial building energy asset rating program for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The market research objectives were to: (1) Evaluate market interest and need for a program and tool to offer asset rating and rapidly identify potential energy efficiency measures for the commercial building sector. (2) Identify key input variables and asset rating outputs that would facilitate increased investment in energy efficiency. (3) Assess best practices and lessons learned from existing nationalmore » and international energy rating programs. (4) Identify core messaging to motivate owners, investors, financiers, and others in the real estate sector to adopt a voluntary asset rating program and, as a consequence, deploy high-performance strategies and technologies across new and existing buildings. (5) Identify leverage factors and incentives that facilitate increased investment in these buildings. To meet these objectives, work consisted of a review of the relevant literature, examination of existing and emergent asset and operational rating systems, interviews with industry stakeholders, and an evaluation of the value implication of an asset label on asset valuation. This report documents the analysis methodology and findings, conclusion, and recommendations. Its intent is to support and inform the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on the market need and potential value impacts of an asset labeling and diagnostic tool to encourage high-performance new buildings and building efficiency retrofit projects.« less

Improving building energy efficiency in India: State-level analysis of building energy efficiency policies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Sha; Tan, Qing; Evans, Meredydd

India is expected to add 40 billion m2 of new buildings till 2050. Buildings are responsible for one third of India’s total energy consumption today and building energy use is expected to continue growing driven by rapid income and population growth. The implementation of the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) is one of the measures to improve building energy efficiency. Using the Global Change Assessment Model, this study assesses growth in the buildings sector and impacts of building energy policies in Gujarat, which would help the state adopt ECBC and expand building energy efficiency programs. Without building energy policies, buildingmore » energy use in Gujarat would grow by 15 times in commercial buildings and 4 times in urban residential buildings between 2010 and 2050. ECBC improves energy efficiency in commercial buildings and could reduce building electricity use in Gujarat by 20% in 2050, compared to the no policy scenario. Having energy codes for both commercial and residential buildings could result in additional 10% savings in electricity use. To achieve these intended savings, it is critical to build capacity and institution for robust code implementation.« less

HOOPER BAY HOUSING ANALYSIS AND ENERGY FEASIBILITY REPORT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SEA LION CORPORATION; COLD CLIMATE HOUSING RESEARCH CENTER; SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHY BREATHING

2012-12-30

Sea Lion applied for and received a grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) towards this end titled Energy Efficiency Development and Deployment in Indian Country. The initial objectives of the Hooper Bay Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study were to demonstrate a 30% reduction in residential/commercial energy usage and identify the economic benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures to the Tribe through: (1) partnering with Whitney Construction and Solutions for Healthy Breathing in the training and hire of 2 local energy assessors to conduct energy audits of 9 representative housing models and 2 commercial units in the community. These homes aremore » representative of 52 homes constructed across different eras. (2) partnering with Cold Climate Housing Research Center to document current electrical and heating energy consumption and analyze data for a final feasibility report (3) assessing the economics of electricity & heating fuel usage; (4) projecting energy savings or fossil fuel reduction by modeling of improvement scenarios and cost feasibility The following two objectives will be completed after the publication of this report: (5) the development of materials lists for energy efficiency improvements (6) identifying financing options for the follow-up energy efficiency implementation phase.« less

Status and Analysis on Effects of Energy Efficiency Standards for Industrial Boilers in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ren; Chen, Lili; Liu, Meng; Ding, Qing; Zhao, Yuejin

2017-11-01

Energy conservation and environmental protection is the basic policy of China, and is an important part of ecological civilization construction. The industrial boilers in China are featured by large quantity, wide distribution, high energy consumption and heavy environmental pollution, which are key problems faced by energy conservation and environmental protection in China. Meanwhile, industrial boilers are important equipment for national economy and people’s daily life, and energy conservation gets through all segments from type selection, purchase, installation and acceptance to fuel management, operation, maintenance and service. China began to implement such national mandatory standards and regulations for industrial boiler as GB24500-2009 The Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Grades of Industrial Boilers and TSG G002-2010 Supervision Regulation on Energy-Saving Technology for Boilers since 2009, which obviously promote the development of energy conservation of industrial boilers, but there are also some problems with the rapid development of technologies for energy conservation of industrial boilers. In this paper, the implementation of energy efficiency standards for industrial boilers in China and the significance are analyzed based on survey data, and some suggestions are proposed for the energy efficiency standards for industrial boilers.

Targeting Net Zero Energy at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burman, K.; Kandt, A.; Lisell, L.

2012-05-01

This paper summarizes the results of an NREL assessment of Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), Kaneohe Bay to appraise the potential of achieving net zero energy status through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and hydrogen vehicle integration. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense's U.S. Pacific Command partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assess opportunities for increasing energy security through renewable energy and energy efficiency at Hawaii military installations. DOE selected Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), Kaneohe Bay, to receive technical support for net zero energy assessment and planning funded through the Hawaiimore » Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI). NREL performed a comprehensive assessment to appraise the potential of MCBH Kaneohe Bay to achieve net zero energy status through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and hydrogen vehicle integration. This paper summarizes the results of the assessment and provides energy recommendations. The analysis shows that MCBH Kaneohe Bay has the potential to make significant progress toward becoming a net zero installation. Wind, solar photovoltaics, solar hot water, and hydrogen production were assessed, as well as energy efficiency technologies. Deploying wind turbines is the most cost-effective energy production measure. If the identified energy projects and savings measures are implemented, the base will achieve a 96% site Btu reduction and a 99% source Btu reduction. Using excess wind and solar energy to produce hydrogen for a fleet and fuel cells could significantly reduce energy use and potentially bring MCBH Kaneohe Bay to net zero. Further analysis with an environmental impact and interconnection study will need to be completed. By achieving net zero status, the base will set an example for other military installations, provide environmental benefits, reduce costs, increase energy security, and exceed its energy goals and mandates.« less

Valuing Residential Energy Efficiency in Two Alaska Real Estate Markets: A Hedonic Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pride, Dominique J.

Alaska households have high home energy consumption and expenditures. Improving the energy efficiency of the housing stock can reduce home energy consumption, thereby reducing home energy expenditures and CO2 emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of a home may also increase its transaction price if the energy efficiency improvements are capitalized into the value of the home. The relationship between energy efficiency and transaction prices in the Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska residential real estate markets is examined. Using a hedonic pricing framework and difference-in-differences analysis, the impact of the Alaska Home Energy Rebate program on the transaction prices of single-family homes in the Fairbanks and Anchorage housing markets from 2008 through 2015 is examined. The results indicate that compared to homes that did not complete the program, homes that completed the program sell for a statistically significant price premium between 15.1% and 15.5% in the Fairbanks market and between 5% and 11% in the Anchorage market. A hedonic pricing framework is used to relate energy efficiency ratings and transaction prices of homes in the Fairbanks and Anchorage residential real estate markets from 2008 through 2015. The results indicate that homes with above-average energy efficiency ratings sell for a statistically significant price premium between 6.9% and 17.5% in the Fairbanks market and between 1.8% and 6.0% in the Anchorage market.

Increased energy efficiency of a steel foundry plant by using a cleaner production quick-E-scan methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmeni, Zelda; Pan, Xiaowei

2017-07-01

The Quick-E-Scan methodology is a simple and quick method that is used to achieve operational energy efficiency as opposed to detailed energy audits, which therefore offers a no cost or less cost solutions for energy management programs with a limited budget. The quick-E-scan methodology was used to assesses a steel foundry plant based in Benoni through dividing the foundry into production sections which entailed a review of the current processes and usage patterns of energy within the plant and a detailed analysis of options available for improvement and profitable areas in which energy saving measures may be implemented for an increase energy efficiency which can be presented to management of the company.

Energy in the environment and the second law of thermodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, R. F.

1972-01-01

The relationship between the consumption of energy by technological cultures and the second law of thermodynamics is discussed. The analysis is based on a description of the operation of a mechanical device which consumes energy. It is concluded that the flow of energy in manifold spontaneous conditions, which play a vital role in the operation of any technological process, remove most of the energy flow path from the control of the operator. It is stated that the increased efficiency of a process can benefit the environment only as much as this efficiency enables the total energy input to be reduced for a given level of production and increasing efficiency cannot meet the problems of an increased rate of energy utilization.

Energy demand and thermal comfort of HVAC systems with thermally activated building systems as a function of user profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pałaszyńska, Katarzyna; Bandurski, Karol; Porowski, Mieczysław

2017-11-01

Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS) are a way to use building structure as a thermal energy storage. As a result, renewable energy sources may be used more efficiently. The paper presents numerical analysis of a HVAC system with TABS energy demand and indoor thermal comfort of a representative room in a non-residential building (governmental, commercial, educational). The purpose of analysis is to investigate the influence of a user profile on system performance. The time span of the analysis is one year - a typical meteorological year. The model was prepared using a generally accepted simulation tool - TRNSYS 17. The results help to better understand the interaction of a user profile with TABS. Therefore they are important for the development of optimal control algorithms for energy efficient buildings equipped with such systems.

Reducing Transaction Costs for Energy Efficiency Investments and Analysis of Economic Risk Associated With Building Performance Uncertainties: Small Buildings and Small Portfolios Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Langner, R.; Hendron, B.; Bonnema, E.

2014-08-01

The small buildings and small portfolios (SBSP) sector face a number of barriers that inhibit SBSP owners from adopting energy efficiency solutions. This pilot project focused on overcoming two of the largest barriers to financing energy efficiency in small buildings: disproportionately high transaction costs and unknown or unacceptable risk. Solutions to these barriers can often be at odds, because inexpensive turnkey solutions are often not sufficiently tailored to the unique circumstances of each building, reducing confidence that the expected energy savings will be achieved. To address these barriers, NREL worked with two innovative, forward-thinking lead partners, Michigan Saves and Energi,more » to develop technical solutions that provide a quick and easy process to encourage energy efficiency investments while managing risk. The pilot project was broken into two stages: the first stage focused on reducing transaction costs, and the second stage focused on reducing performance risk. In the first stage, NREL worked with the non-profit organization, Michigan Saves, to analyze the effects of 8 energy efficiency measures (EEMs) on 81 different baseline small office building models in Holland, Michigan (climate zone 5A). The results of this analysis (totaling over 30,000 cases) are summarized in a simple spreadsheet tool that enables users to easily sort through the results and find appropriate small office EEM packages that meet a particular energy savings threshold and are likely to be cost-effective.« less

Experiences in autotuning matrix multiplication for energy minimization on GPUs

DOE PAGES

Anzt, Hartwig; Haugen, Blake; Kurzak, Jakub; ...

2015-05-20

In this study, we report extensive results and analysis of autotuning the computationally intensive graphics processing units kernel for dense matrix–matrix multiplication in double precision. In contrast to traditional autotuning and/or optimization for runtime performance only, we also take the energy efficiency into account. For kernels achieving equal performance, we show significant differences in their energy balance. We also identify the memory throughput as the most influential metric that trades off performance and energy efficiency. Finally, as a result, the performance optimal case ends up not being the most efficient kernel in overall resource use.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaygusuz, K.

Exergy analysis is a general method for efficiency analysis of systems and processes. The use of the exergy concept and the analysis of ultimate efficiencies of processes is more or less still limited to the academic world. There are several reasons why its industrial use is still limited. To overcome some of the difficulties in industrial applications of energy analysis, it has made use of exergy analysis. The chemical exergy of a substance is the maximum work that can be obtained from it by taking it to chemical equilibrium with the reference environment at a constant temperature and pressure. Themore » first law analysis gives only the quantity of energy, while the second law defines the quality of energy also. The projected increase in coal utilization in power plants makes it desirable to evaluate the energy content of coal both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the present study, the chemical exergies of some coals of good quality in Turkey were calculated with the BASIC program by using second law analysis and the results were given as tabulated.« less

Analysis on effects of energy efficiency regulations & standards for industrial boilers in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ren; Chen, Lili; Zhao, Yuejin; Liu, Meng

2017-11-01

The industrial boilers in China are featured by large quantity, wide distribution, high energy consumption and heavy environmental pollution, which are key problems faced by energy conservation and environmental protection in China. Meanwhile, industrial boilers are important equipment for national economy and people’s daily life, and energy conservation gets through all segments from type selection, purchase, installation and acceptance to fuel management, operation, maintenance and service. China began to implement such national mandatory standards and regulations for industrial boiler as GB24500-2009 The Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Grades of Industrial Boilers and TSG G002-2010 Supervision Regulation on Energy-Saving Technology for Boilers since 2009, which obviously promote the development of energy conservation of industrial boilers, but there are also some problems with the rapid development of technologies for energy conservation of industrial boilers. In this paper, the implementation of energy efficiency standards for industrial boilers in China and the significance are analyzed based on survey data, and some suggestions are proposed for the energy efficiency standards for industrial boilers. Support by Project 2015424050 of Special Fund for quality control Research in the Public Interest

The effect of dephasing on the thermoelectric efficiency of molecular junctions.

PubMed

Zimbovskaya, Natalya A

2014-07-09

In this work we report the results of theoretical analysis of the effect of the thermal environment on the thermoelectric efficiency of molecular junctions. The environment is represented by two thermal phonon baths associated with the electrodes, which are kept at different temperatures. The analysis is carried out using the Buttiker model within the scattering matrix formalism to compute electron transmission through the system. This approach is further developed so that the dephasing parameters are expressed in terms of relevant energies, including the thermal energy, strengths of coupling between the molecular bridge and the electrodes and characteristic energies of electron-phonon interactions. It is shown that the latter significantly affect thermoelectric efficiency by destroying the coherency of electron transport through the considered system.

The reaction efficiency of thermal energy oxygen atoms with polymeric materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koontz, S. L.; Nordine, Paul

1990-01-01

The reaction efficiency of several polymeric materials with thermal-energy (0.04 eV translational energy), ground-state (O3P) oxygen atoms was determined by exposing the materials to a room temperature gas containing a known concentration of atomic oxygen. The reaction efficiency measurements were conducted in two flowing afterglow systems of different configuration. Atomic oxygen concentration measurements, flow, transport and surface dose analysis is presented in this paper. The measured reaction efficiencies of Kapton, Mylar, polyethylene, D4-polyethylene and Tedlar are .001 to .0001 those determined with high-energy ground-state oxygen atoms in low earth orbit or in a high-velocity atom beam. D4-polyethylene exhibits a large kinetic isotope effect with atomic oxygen at thermal but not hyperthermal atom energies.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lychuk, Taras; Evans, Meredydd; Halverson, Mark A.

This report provides analysis of the Russian energy efficiency market for the building sector from the perspective of U.S. businesses interested in exporting relevant technologies, products and experience to Russia. We aim to help U.S. energy efficiency and environmental technologies businesses to better understand the Russian building market to plan their market strategy.

The Impact of DOE Building Technology Energy Efficiency Programs on U.S. Employment, Income, and Investment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scott, Michael J.; Roop, Joseph M.; Schultz, Robert W.

2008-07-31

To more fully evaluate its programs to increase the energy efficiency of the U.S. residential and commercial building stock, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) assesses the macroeconomic impacts of those programs, specifically on national employment, wage income, and (most recently) investment. The analysis is conducted using the Impact of Sector Energy Technologies (ImSET) model, a special-purpose 188-sector input-output model of the U.S. economy designed specifically to evaluate the impacts of energy efficiency investments and saving. For the analysis described in the paper, ImSET was amended to provide estimates of sector-by-sector capital requirementsmore » and investment. In the scenario of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Buildings Technology (BT) program, the technologies and building practices being developed and promoted by the BT program have the prospect of saving about 2.9×1015 Btu in buildings by the year 2030, about 27% of the expected growth in buildings energy consumption by the year 2030. The analysis reported in the paper finds that, by the year 2030, these savings have the potential to increase employment by up to 446,000 jobs, increase wage income by $7.8 billion, reduce needs for capital stock in the energy sector and closely related supporting industries by about $207 billion (and the corresponding annual level of investment by $13 billion), and create net capital savings that are available to grow the nation’s future economy.« less

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRUCK EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGIES IN CLASS 8 TRACTOR-TRAILERS BASED ON A TRACTIVE ENERGY ANALYSIS USING MEASURED DRIVE CYCLE DATA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LaClair, Tim J; Gao, Zhiming; Fu, Joshua S.

2014-01-01

Quantifying the fuel savings that can be achieved from different truck fuel efficiency technologies for a fleet s specific usage allows the fleet to select the combination of technologies that will yield the greatest operational efficiency and profitability. This paper presents an analysis of vehicle usage in a commercial vehicle fleet and an assessment of advanced efficiency technologies using an analysis of measured drive cycle data for a class 8 regional commercial shipping fleet. Drive cycle measurements during a period of a full year from six tractor-trailers in normal operations in a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier were analyzed to develop amore » characteristic drive cycle that is highly representative of the fleet s usage. The vehicle mass was also estimated to account for the variation of loads that the fleet experienced. The drive cycle and mass data were analyzed using a tractive energy analysis to quantify the fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions benefits that can be achieved on class 8 tractor-trailers when using advanced efficiency technologies, either individually or in combination. Although differences exist among class 8 tractor-trailer fleets, this study provides valuable insight into the energy and emissions reduction potential that various technologies can bring in this important trucking application.« less

Life cycle assessment of pyrolysis, gasification and incineration waste-to-energy technologies: Theoretical analysis and case study of commercial plants.

PubMed

Dong, Jun; Tang, Yuanjun; Nzihou, Ange; Chi, Yong; Weiss-Hortala, Elsa; Ni, Mingjiang

2018-06-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) pyrolysis and gasification are in development, stimulated by a more sustainable waste-to-energy (WtE) option. Since comprehensive comparisons of the existing WtE technologies are fairly rare, this study aims to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) using two sets of data: theoretical analysis, and case studies of large-scale commercial plants. Seven systems involving thermal conversion (pyrolysis, gasification, incineration) and energy utilization (steam cycle, gas turbine/combined cycle, internal combustion engine) are modeled. Theoretical analysis results show that pyrolysis and gasification, in particular coupled with a gas turbine/combined cycle, have the potential to lessen the environmental loadings. The benefits derive from an improved energy efficiency leading to less fossil-based energy consumption, and the reduced process emissions by syngas combustion. Comparison among the four operating plants (incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, gasification-melting) confirms a preferable performance of the gasification plant attributed to syngas cleaning. The modern incineration is superior over pyrolysis and gasification-melting at present, due to the effectiveness of modern flue gas cleaning, use of combined heat and power (CHP) cycle, and ash recycling. The sensitivity analysis highlights a crucial role of the plant efficiency and pyrolysis char land utilization. The study indicates that the heterogeneity of MSW and syngas purification technologies are the most relevant impediments for the current pyrolysis/gasification-based WtE. Potential development should incorporate into all process aspects to boost the energy efficiency, improve incoming waste quality, and achieve efficient residues management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy and Energy Cost Savings Analysis of the 2015 IECC for Commercial Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Jian; Xie, YuLong; Athalye, Rahul A.

As required by statute (42 USC 6833), DOE recently issued a determination that ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 would achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings subject to the code compared to the 2010 edition of the standard. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted an energy savings analysis for Standard 90.1-2013 in support of its determination . While Standard 90.1 is the model energy standard for commercial and multi-family residential buildings over three floors (42 USC 6833), many states have historically adopted the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for both residential and commercial buildings. This report provides an assessment as to whether buildingsmore » constructed to the commercial energy efficiency provisions of the 2015 IECC would save energy and energy costs as compared to the 2012 IECC. PNNL also compared the energy performance of the 2015 IECC with the corresponding Standard 90.1-2013. The goal of this analysis is to help states and local jurisdictions make informed decisions regarding model code adoption.« less

76 FR 64904 - Building Energy Standards Program: Final Determination Regarding Energy Efficiency Improvements...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-19

... Determination 3. Public Comments Regarding the Preliminary Determination II. Summary of the Comparative Analysis... the Department to finalize this determination. II. Summary of the Comparative Analysis DOE carried out...

Estimating returns to scale and scale efficiency for energy consuming appliances

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blum, Helcio; Okwelum, Edson O.

Energy consuming appliances accounted for over 40% of the energy use and $17 billion in sales in the U.S. in 2014. Whether such amounts of money and energy were optimally combined to produce household energy services is not straightforwardly determined. The efficient allocation of capital and energy to provide an energy service has been previously approached, and solved with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under constant returns to scale. That approach, however, lacks the scale dimension of the problem and may restrict the economic efficient models of an appliance available in the market when constant returns to scale does not hold.more » We expand on that approach to estimate returns to scale for energy using appliances. We further calculate DEA scale efficiency scores for the technically efficient models that comprise the economic efficient frontier of the energy service delivered, under different assumptions of returns to scale. We then apply this approach to evaluate dishwashers available in the market in the U.S. Our results show that (a) for the case of dishwashers scale matters, and (b) the dishwashing energy service is delivered under non-decreasing returns to scale. The results further demonstrate that this method contributes to increase consumers’ choice of appliances.« less

Performance analysis of different rice-based cropping systems in tropical region of Nepal.

PubMed

Pokhrel, Anil; Soni, Peeyush

2017-07-15

Energy inputs, environmental impacts and economic outputs are the main concerns in today's agricultural production systems. The current study investigated the energy, environmental and financial performances of different rice-based cropping systems (CSs). The CSs studied were: Rice-Wheat-Fallow (R-W-F), Rice-Wheat-Maize (R-W-M), Rice-Wheat-Mungbean (R-W-Mu), Rice-Lentil-Maize (R-L-M), Rice-Lentil-Mungbean (R-L-Mu), Rice-Garlic (R-G) and Rice-Onion (R-O). Primary data were collected from 210 randomly selected farms by using structured questionnaire. In this study, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to analyze the technical efficiencies of the farms in order to estimate their energy inputs saving potential, under different CSs. Among the studied systems, R-W-M, R-L-M and R-W-Mu were found energy efficient, R-L-Mu, R-W-F and R-W-Mu were efficient considering their greenhouse gas emissions, and R-G, R-O and R-L-M were more profitable systems. Based on the combined energy, environmental and economic criteria, we conclude that R-L-M, R-L-Mu and R-W-M are the most energy, environmentally and economically efficient CSs as compared to other systems in the study. The mean technical efficiency scores of farms indicated a considerable potential of reducing energy inputs (18-34%), without compromising the economic return of the majority farms under different CSs. The results of this study support eco-efficient CSs with modern production technologies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative Financial Analysis of Alternative Energy Efficiency Shareholder Incentive Mechanisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cappers, Peter; Goldman, Charles; Chait, Michele

2008-08-03

Rising energy prices and climate change are central issues in the debate about our nation's energy policy. Many are demanding increased energy efficiency as a way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the total cost of electricity and energy services for consumers and businesses. Yet, as the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPEE) pointed out, many utilities continue to shy away from seriously expanding their energy efficiency program offerings because they claim there is insufficient profit-motivation, or even a financial disincentive, when compared to supply-side investments. With the recent introduction of Duke Energy's Save-a-Watt incentive mechanism andmore » ongoing discussions about decoupling, regulators and policymakers are now faced with an expanded and diverse landscape of financial incentive mechanisms, Determining the 'right' way forward to promote deep and sustainable demand side resource programs is challenging. Due to the renaissance that energy efficiency is currently experiencing, many want to better understand the tradeoffs in stakeholder benefits between these alternative incentive structures before aggressively embarking on a path for which course corrections can be time-consuming and costly. Using a prototypical Southwest utility and a publicly available financial model, we show how various stakeholders (e.g. shareholders, ratepayers, etc.) are affected by these different types of shareholder incentive mechanisms under varying assumptions about program portfolios. This quantitative analysis compares the financial consequences associated with a wide range of alternative incentive structures. The results will help regulators and policymakers better understand the financial implications of DSR program incentive regulation.« less

Assessment of Energy Efficiency Improvement in the United States Petroleum Refining Industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morrow, William R.; Marano, John; Sathaye, Jayant

2013-02-01

Adoption of efficient process technologies is an important approach to reducing CO 2 emissions, in particular those associated with combustion. In many cases, implementing energy efficiency measures is among the most cost-effective approaches that any refiner can take, improving productivity while reducing emissions. Therefore, careful analysis of the options and costs associated with efficiency measures is required to establish sound carbon policies addressing global climate change, and is the primary focus of LBNL’s current petroleum refining sector analysis for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The analysis is aimed at identifying energy efficiency-related measures and developing energy abatement supply curves andmore » CO 2 emissions reduction potential for the U.S. refining industry. A refinery model has been developed for this purpose that is a notional aggregation of the U.S. petroleum refining sector. It consists of twelve processing units and account s for the additional energy requirements from steam generation, hydrogen production and water utilities required by each of the twelve processing units. The model is carbon and energy balanced such that crud e oil inputs and major refinery sector outputs (fuels) are benchmarked to 2010 data. Estimates of the current penetration for the identified energy efficiency measures benchmark the energy requirements to those reported in U.S. DOE 2010 data. The remaining energy efficiency potential for each of the measures is estimated and compared to U.S. DOE fuel prices resulting in estimates of cost- effective energy efficiency opportunities for each of the twelve major processes. A combined cost of conserved energy supply curve is also presented along with the CO 2 emissions abatement opportunities that exist in the U.S. petroleum refinery sector. Roughly 1,200 PJ per year of primary fuels savings and close to 500 GWh per y ear of electricity savings are potentially cost-effective given U.S. DOE fuel price forecasts. This represents roughly 70 million metric tonnes of CO 2 emission reductions assuming 2010 emissions factor for grid electricity. Energy efficiency measures resulting in an additional 400 PJ per year of primary fuels savings and close to 1,700 GWh per year of electricity savings, and an associated 24 million metric tonnes of CO 2 emission reductions are not cost-effective given the same assumption with respect to fuel prices and electricity emissions factors. Compared to the modeled energy requirements for the U.S. petroleum refining sector, the cost effective potential represents a 40% reduction in fuel consumption and a 2% reduction in electricity consumption. The non-cost-effective potential represents an additional 13% reduction in fuel consumption and an additional 7% reduction in electricity consumption. The relative energy reduction potentials are mu ch higher for fuel consumption than electricity consumption largely in part because fuel is the primary energy consumption type in the refineries. Moreover, many cost effective fuel savings measures would increase electricity consumption. The model also has the potential to be used to examine the costs and benefits of the other CO 2 mitigation options, such as combined heat and power (CHP), carbon capture, and the potential introduction of biomass feedstocks. However, these options are not addressed in this report as this report is focused on developing the modeling methodology and assessing fuels savings measures. These opportunities to further reduce refinery sector CO 2 emissions and are recommended for further research and analysis.« less

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Texas single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Indiana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Indiana single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Colorado single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Idaho

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Idaho single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Arizona

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Arizona single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Nebraska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Nebraska single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Michigan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Michigan single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Vermont

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Vermont single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Wisconsin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Wisconsin single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Missouri

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Missouri single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Wyoming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Wyoming single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Virginia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Virginia single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Washington

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Washington single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Montana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Montana single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Minnesota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Minnesota single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Illinois

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Illinois single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Utah

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Utah single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Efficiency Analysis of Waveform Shape for Electrical Excitation of Nerve Fibers

PubMed Central

Wongsarnpigoon, Amorn; Woock, John P.; Grill, Warren M.

2011-01-01

Stimulation efficiency is an important consideration in the stimulation parameters of implantable neural stimulators. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of waveform shape and duration on the charge, power, and energy efficiency of neural stimulation. Using a population model of mammalian axons and in vivo experiments on cat sciatic nerve, we analyzed the stimulation efficiency of four waveform shapes: square, rising exponential, decaying exponential, and rising ramp. No waveform was simultaneously energy-, charge-, and power-optimal, and differences in efficiency among waveform shapes varied with pulse width (PW) For short PWs (≤ 0.1 ms), square waveforms were no less energy-efficient than exponential waveforms, and the most charge-efficient shape was the ramp. For long PWs (≥0.5 ms), the square was the least energy-efficient and charge-efficient shape, but across most PWs, the square was the most power-efficient shape. Rising exponentials provided no practical gains in efficiency over the other shapes, and our results refute previous claims that the rising exponential is the energy-optimal shape. An improved understanding of how stimulation parameters affect stimulation efficiency will help improve the design and programming of implantable stimulators to minimize tissue damage and extend battery life. PMID:20388602

Energy Efficiency: Transportation and Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubell, Michael S.; Richter, Burton

2011-11-01

We present a condensed version of the American Physical Society's 2008 analysis of energy efficiency in the transportation and buildings sectors in the United States with updated numbers. In addition to presenting technical findings, we include the report's recommendations for policy makers that we believe are in the best interests of the nation.

A First Law Thermodynamic Analysis of Biodiesel Production from Soybean

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patzek, Tad W.

2009-01-01

A proper First Law energy balance of the soybean biodiesel cycle shows that the overall efficiency of biodiesel production is 0.18, i.e., only 1 in 5 parts of the solar energy sequestered as soya beans, plus the fossil energy inputs, becomes biodiesel. Soybean meal is produced with an overall energetic efficiency of 0.38, but it is not a fossil…

Development of Composite Materials with High Passive Damping Properties

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-15

frequency response function analysis. Sound transmission through sandwich panels was studied using the statistical energy analysis (SEA). Modal density...2.2.3 Finite element models 14 2.2.4 Statistical energy analysis method 15 CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS OF DAMPING IN SANDWICH MATERIALS. 24 3.1 Equation of...sheets and the core. 2.2.4 Statistical energy analysis method Finite element models are generally only efficient for problems at low and middle frequencies

City of San Antonio, Texas Better Buildings Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyer, Liza C.; Hammer, Mary C.

2014-06-30

The San Antonio Better Buildings Program is a unified single-point-of-service energy efficiency delivery mechanism targeting residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and public buildings. This comprehensive and replicable energy efficiency program is designed to be an effective demand side management initiative to provide a seamless process for program participants to have turn-key access to expert analysis, support and incentives to improve the performance of their in-place energy using systems, while reducing electrical energy use and demand.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: South Dakota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

2017-11-02

Energy used by South Dakota single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: South Carolina

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

2017-11-02

Energy used by South Carolina single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Rhode Island

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilson, Eric J

Energy used by Rhode Island single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Photovoltaic technology for sustainability: An investigation of the distributed utility concept as a policy framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Letendre, Steven Emery

The U.S. electric utility sector in its current configuration is unsustainable. The majority of electricity in the United States is produced using finite fossil fuels. In addition, significant potential exists to improve the nation's efficient use of energy. A sustainable electric utility sector will be characterized by increased use of renewable energy sources and high levels of end-use efficiency. This dissertation analyzes two alternative policy approaches designed to move the U.S. electric utility sector toward sustainability. One approach is labeled incremental which involves maintaining the centralized structure of the electric utility sector but facilitating the introduction of renewable energy and efficiency into the electrical system through the pricing mechanism. A second policy approach was described in which structural changes are encouraged based on the emerging distributed utility (DU) concept. A structural policy orientation attempts to capture the unique localized benefits that distributed renewable resources and energy efficiency offer to electric utility companies and their customers. A market penetration analysis of PV in centralized energy supply and distributed peak-shaving applications is conducted for a case-study electric utility company. Sensitivity analysis was performed based on incremental and structural policy orientations. The analysis provides compelling evidence which suggests that policies designed to bring about structural change in the electric utility sector are needed to move the industry toward sustainability. Specifically, the analysis demonstrates that PV technology, a key renewable energy option likely to play an important role in a renewable energy future, will begin to penetrate the electrical system in distributed peak-shaving applications long before the technology is introduced as a centralized energy supply option. Most policies to date, which I term incremental, attempt to encourage energy efficiency and renewables through the pricing system. Based on past policy experience, it is unlikely that such an approach would allow PV to compete in Delaware as an energy supply option in the next ten to twenty years. Alternatively, a market-based, or green pricing, approach will not create significant market opportunities for PV as a centralized energy supply option. However, structural policies designed to encourage the explicit recognition of the localized benefits of distributed resources could result in PV being introduced into the electrical system early in the next century.

Smart Manufacturing Technologies and Data Analytics for Improving Energy Efficiency in Industrial Energy Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nimbalkar, Sachin U.; Guo, Wei; Wenning, Thomas J.

Smart manufacturing and advanced data analytics can help the manufacturing sector unlock energy efficiency from the equipment level to the entire manufacturing facility and the whole supply chain. These technologies can make manufacturing industries more competitive, with intelligent communication systems, real-time energy savings, and increased energy productivity. Smart manufacturing can give all employees in an organization the actionable information they need, when they need it, so that each person can contribute to the optimal operation of the corporation through informed, data-driven decision making. This paper examines smart technologies and data analytics approaches for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costsmore » in process-supporting energy systems. It dives into energy-saving improvement opportunities through smart manufacturing technologies and sophisticated data collection and analysis. The energy systems covered in this paper include those with motors and drives, fans, pumps, air compressors, steam, and process heating.« less

An Analysis of the Economic Effects of U.S. Energy Efficiency Standards

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

effect, with a supporting income effect. [Ref. 5:pg. 94] A recent study, by Hurst and White, highlights this consumer behavior and outlines the difficulty...of correlating economic savings from energy efficiency to consumer behavior . (Ref. 6:pg. 31] Conclusions from the study revealed that, on average... consumer behavior , utilities had developed consumer rebate programs rewarding efficient appliance purchasers with discounts on their monthly bills. [Ref

A Framework to Survey the Energy Efficiency of Installed Motor Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, Prakash; Hasanbeigi, Ali; McKane, Aimee

2013-08-01

While motors are ubiquitous throughout the globe, there is insufficient data to properly assess their level of energy efficiency across regional boundaries. Furthermore, many of the existing data sets focus on motor efficiency and neglect the connected drive and system. Without a comprehensive survey of the installed motor system base, a baseline energy efficiency of a country or region’s motor systems cannot be developed. The lack of data impedes government agencies, utilities, manufacturers, distributers, and energy managers when identifying where to invest resources to capture potential energy savings, creating programs aimed at reducing electrical energy consumption, or quantifying the impactsmore » of such programs. This paper will outline a data collection framework for use when conducting a survey under a variety of execution models to characterize motor system energy efficiency within a country or region. The framework is intended to standardize the data collected ensuring consistency across independently conducted surveys. Consistency allows for the surveys to be leveraged against each other enabling comparisons to motor system energy efficiencies from other regions. In creating the framework, an analysis of various motor driven systems, including compressed air, pumping, and fan systems, was conducted and relevant parameters characterizing the efficiency of these systems were identified. A database using the framework will enable policymakers and industry to better assess the improvement potential of their installed motor system base particularly with respect to other regions, assisting in efforts to promote improvements to the energy efficiency of motor driven systems.« less

Firm performance and the role of environmental management.

PubMed

Lundgren, Tommy; Zhou, Wenchao

2017-12-01

This paper analyzes the interactions between three dimensions of firm performance - productivity, energy efficiency, and environmental performance - and especially sheds light on the role of environmental management. In this context, environmental management is investments to reduce environmental impact, which may also affect firm competitiveness, in terms of change in productivity, and spur more (or less) efficient use of energy. We apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique to calculate the Malmquist firm performance indexes, and a panel vector auto-regression (VAR) methodology is utilized to investigate the dynamic and causal relationship between the three dimensions of firm performance and environmental investment. Main results show that energy efficiency and environmental performance are integrated, and energy efficiency and productivity positively reinforce each other, signifying the cost saving property of more efficient use of energy. Hence, increasing energy efficiency, as advocated in many of today's energy policies, could capture multiple benefits. The results also show that improved environmental performance and environmental investments constrain next period productivity, a result that would be in contrast with the Porter hypothesis and strategic corporate social responsibility; both concepts conveying the notion that pro-environmental management can boost productivity and competitiveness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy efficiency evaluation of tree-topology 10 gigabit ethernet passive optical network and ring-topology time- and wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jingjing; Yang, Chuanchuan; Zhang, Qingxiang; Ma, Zhuang; Huang, Xingang; Geng, Dan; Wang, Ziyu

2015-09-01

Higher capacity and larger scales have always been the top targets for the evolution of optical access networks, driven by the ever-increasing demand from the end users. One thing that started to attract wide attention not long ago, but with at least equal importance as capacity and scale, is energy efficiency, a metric essential nowadays as human beings are confronted with severe environmental issues like global warming, air pollution, and so on. Here, different from the conventional energy consumption analysis of tree-topology networks, we propose an effective energy consumption calculation method to compare the energy efficiency of the tree-topology 10 gigabit ethernet passive optical network (10G-EPON) and ring-topology time- and wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical network (TWDM-PON), two experimental networks deployed in China. Numerical results show that the ring-topology TWDM-PON networks with 2, 4, 8, and 16 wavelengths are more energy efficient than the tree-topology 10G-EPON, although 10G-EPON consumes less energy. Also, TWDM-PON with four wavelengths is the most energy-efficient network candidate and saves 58.7% more energy than 10G-EPON when fully loaded.

Single-Family Energy Auditor Job Task Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Head, Heather R.; Kurnik, Charles W.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to develop and maintain the resources under the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals (GHEP) project. As part of the GHEP strategy to increase the quality of work conducted for single-family, residential energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Energy Professionals Job Task Analysis are used as the foundation for quality training programs and trainers.

Numerical prediction of the energy efficiency of the three-dimensional fish school using the discretized Adomian decomposition method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yinwei

2018-06-01

A three-dimensional modeling of fish school performed by a modified Adomian decomposition method (ADM) discretized by the finite difference method is proposed. To our knowledge, few studies of the fish school are documented due to expensive cost of numerical computing and tedious three-dimensional data analysis. Here, we propose a simple model replied on the Adomian decomposition method to estimate the efficiency of energy saving of the flow motion of the fish school. First, the analytic solutions of Navier-Stokes equations are used for numerical validation. The influences of the distance between the side-by-side two fishes are studied on the energy efficiency of the fish school. In addition, the complete error analysis for this method is presented.

ResStock Analysis Tool | Buildings | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Contact Eric Wilson to learn how ResStock can benefit your approach to large-scale residential energy analysis by combining: Large public and private data sources uncovered $49 billion in potential annual utility bill savings through cost-effective energy efficiency

Commercial Building Energy Saver, API

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hong, Tianzhen; Piette, Mary; Lee, Sang Hoon

2015-08-27

The CBES API provides Application Programming Interface to a suite of functions to improve energy efficiency of buildings, including building energy benchmarking, preliminary retrofit analysis using a pre-simulation database DEEP, and detailed retrofit analysis using energy modeling with the EnergyPlus simulation engine. The CBES API is used to power the LBNL CBES Web App. It can be adopted by third party developers and vendors into their software tools and platforms.

Project Earth Lover

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Slobotski, Stephanie,

2011-09-01

Under this project, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska (PTN) will conduct An Energy Options Analysis (EOA) to empower Tribal Leadership with critical information to allow them to effectively screen energy options that will further develop the Tribe's long-term strategic plan and energy vision. The PTN will also provide community workshops to enhance Tribal Members' capabilities, skills and awareness of energy efficiency and conservation technology and practices. A 90- minute workshop will be conducted at each of the 5 sites and one-hundred tribal members will receive an erergy efficiency kit.

Energy performance of areas for urban development (Arkhangelsk is given as example)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popova, Olga; Glebova, Yulia

2017-01-01

The present research provides an overview and analysis of the legal framework and the technology to increase energy save and energy efficiency. The challenges of the mentioned activities implementation in urban areas are revealed in the paper. A comparison was made of the principal methods of increasing energy efficiency that is based on payback period. The basic shortcomings of the methods used are found. The way of capital reproducing assets acquisition is proposed with consideration of the rate of wear and tear and upgrading of urban residential development. The present research aims at characterizing energy sustainability of urban areas for forming the information basis that identifies capital construction projects together within the urban area. A new concept - area energy sustainability is introduced in the study to use system-structural approach to energy saving and energy efficiency. Energy sustainability of the area as an integral indicator of the static characteristics of the territory is considered as a complex involving the following terms: energy security, energy intensity and energy efficiency dynamic indicators of all the components of the power system of the area. Dimensions and parameters of energy sustainability of the area are determined. Arkhangelsk is given as example.

Transportation energy data book

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

The Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 27 is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the Office of Planning, Budget Formulation, and Analysis, under the Energy Efficiency and R...

Transportation energy data book

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

The Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 25 is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the Office of Planning, Budget Formulation, and Analysis, under the Energy Efficiency and R...

Concerted drive to cut carbon footprint.

PubMed

2015-04-01

In 2013 Peter Sellars, head of Profession for Estates & Facilities Policy at the Department of Health, successfully bid for £50 million from the Treasury to help finance a range of 'spend-to-save' energy efficiency initiatives across the NHS in England. In all 117 energy efficiency projects were initiated across 48 English NHS organisations--funded through a dedicated NHS Energy Efficiency Fund. An independent analysis for the DH, NHS Energy Efficiency Fund Final Report, Summary 2014, by Professor Alan Short of Cambridge University's Department of Architecture, says the projects are already on track to save 100.6 million kg of CO2 annually, and some 2.4% of the entire 2012 NHS building energy-related carbon footprint, delivering annual energy savings of 160.5 million kWh (equivalent to boiling 3.34 billion cups of tea a year.) The Report--reproduced in large part here--summarises the schemes' preliminary outcomes, and makes recommendations for policy-makers implementing similar energy-saving funding schemes in the future.

A new approach on the upgrade of energetic system based on green energy. A complex comparative analysis of the EEDI and EEOI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faitar, C.; Novac, I.

2016-08-01

In recent years, many environmental organizations was interested to optimize the energy consumption which has become, today, one of the main concerns to the whole world. From this point of view, the maritime industry, has strove to optimize the fuel consumption of ship through the development of engines and propulsion system, improve the hull design, or using alternative energies, this way making a reduction in the amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere. The main idea of this paper is to realize a complex comparative analysis of Energy Efficiency Design Index and Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator which are calculated in two cases: first, in a classical approach for a crude oil super tanker ship and second, after the energy performance of this ship has been improved by introducing alternative energy sources on board.

Compact, Energy-Efficient High-Frequency Switched Capacitor Neural Stimulator With Active Charge Balancing.

PubMed

Hsu, Wen-Yang; Schmid, Alexandre

2017-08-01

Safety and energy efficiency are two major concerns for implantable neural stimulators. This paper presents a novel high-frequency, switched capacitor (HFSC) stimulation and active charge balancing scheme, which achieves high energy efficiency and well-controlled stimulation charge in the presence of large electrode impedance variations. Furthermore, the HFSC can be implemented in a compact size without any external component to simultaneously enable multichannel stimulation by deploying multiple stimulators. The theoretical analysis shows significant benefits over the constant-current and voltage-mode stimulation methods. The proposed solution was fabricated using a 0.18 μm high-voltage technology, and occupies only 0.035 mm 2 for a single stimulator. The measurement result shows 50% peak energy efficiency and confirms the effectiveness of active charge balancing to prevent the electrode dissolution.

Energy-efficient sensing in wireless sensor networks using compressed sensing.

PubMed

Razzaque, Mohammad Abdur; Dobson, Simon

2014-02-12

Sensing of the application environment is the main purpose of a wireless sensor network. Most existing energy management strategies and compression techniques assume that the sensing operation consumes significantly less energy than radio transmission and reception. This assumption does not hold in a number of practical applications. Sensing energy consumption in these applications may be comparable to, or even greater than, that of the radio. In this work, we support this claim by a quantitative analysis of the main operational energy costs of popular sensors, radios and sensor motes. In light of the importance of sensing level energy costs, especially for power hungry sensors, we consider compressed sensing and distributed compressed sensing as potential approaches to provide energy efficient sensing in wireless sensor networks. Numerical experiments investigating the effectiveness of compressed sensing and distributed compressed sensing using real datasets show their potential for efficient utilization of sensing and overall energy costs in wireless sensor networks. It is shown that, for some applications, compressed sensing and distributed compressed sensing can provide greater energy efficiency than transform coding and model-based adaptive sensing in wireless sensor networks.

Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Automated Demand Response in Industrial Refrigerated Warehouses in California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lekov, Alex; Thompson, Lisa; McKane, Aimee

2009-05-11

This report summarizes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's research to date in characterizing energy efficiency and open automated demand response opportunities for industrial refrigerated warehouses in California. The report describes refrigerated warehouses characteristics, energy use and demand, and control systems. It also discusses energy efficiency and open automated demand response opportunities and provides analysis results from three demand response studies. In addition, several energy efficiency, load management, and demand response case studies are provided for refrigerated warehouses. This study shows that refrigerated warehouses can be excellent candidates for open automated demand response and that facilities which have implemented energy efficiencymore » measures and have centralized control systems are well-suited to shift or shed electrical loads in response to financial incentives, utility bill savings, and/or opportunities to enhance reliability of service. Control technologies installed for energy efficiency and load management purposes can often be adapted for open automated demand response (OpenADR) at little additional cost. These improved controls may prepare facilities to be more receptive to OpenADR due to both increased confidence in the opportunities for controlling energy cost/use and access to the real-time data.« less

Energy and exergy assessments for an enhanced use of energy in buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncalves, Pedro Manuel Ferreira

Exergy analysis has been found to be a useful method for improving the conversion efficiency of energy resources, since it helps to identify locations, types and true magnitudes of wastes and losses. It has also been applied for other purposes, such as distinguishing high- from low-quality energy sources or defining the engineering technological limits in designing more energy-efficient systems. In this doctoral thesis, the exergy analysis is widely applied in order to highlight and demonstrate it as a significant method of performing energy assessments of buildings and related energy supply systems. It aims to make the concept more familiar and accessible for building professionals and to encourage its wider use in engineering practice. Case study I aims to show the importance of exergy analysis in the energy performance assessment of eight space heating building options evaluated under different outdoor environmental conditions. This study is concerned with the so-called "reference state", which in this study is calculated using the average outdoor temperature for a given period of analysis. Primary energy and related exergy ratios are assessed and compared. Higher primary exergy ratios are obtained for low outdoor temperatures, while the primary energy ratios are assumed as constant for the same scenarios. The outcomes of this study demonstrate the significance of exergy analysis in comparison with energy analysis when different reference states are compared. Case study II and Case study III present two energy and exergy assessment studies applied to a hotel and a student accommodation building, respectively. Case study II compares the energy and exergy performance of the main end uses of a hotel building located in Coimbra in central Portugal, using data derived from an energy audit. Case study III uses data collected from energy utilities bills to estimate the energy and exergy performance associated to each building end use. Additionally, a set of energy supply options are proposed and assessed as primary energy demand and exergy efficiency, showing it as a possible benchmarking method for future legislative frameworks regarding the energy performance assessment of buildings. Case study IV proposes a set of complementary indicators for comparing cogeneration and separate heat and electricity production systems. It aims to identify the advantages of exergy analysis relative to energy analysis, giving particular examples where these advantages are significant. The results demonstrate that exergy analysis can reveal meaningful information that might not be accessible using a conventional energy analysis approach, which is particularly evident when cogeneration and separated systems provide heat at very different temperatures. Case study V follows the exergy analysis method to evaluate the energy and exergy performance of a desiccant cooling system, aiming to assess and locate irreversibilities sources. The results reveal that natural gas boiler is the most inefficient component of the plant in question, followed by the chiller and heating coil. A set of alternative heating supply options for desiccant wheel regeneration is proposed, showing that, while some renewables may effectively reduce the primary energy demand of the plant, although this may not correspond to the optimum level of exergy efficiency. The thermal and chemical exergy components of moist air are also evaluated, as well as, the influence of outdoor environmental conditions on the energy/exergy performance of the plant. This research provides knowledge that is essential for the future development of complementary energy- and exergy-based indicators, helping to improve the current methodologies on performance assessments of buildings, cogeneration and desiccant cooling systems. The significance of exergy analysis is demonstrated for different types of buildings, which may be located in different climates (reference states) and be supplied by different types of energy sources. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Analysis of regional total factor energy efficiency in China under environmental constraints: based on undesirable-minds and DEA window model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuying; Li, Deshan; Li, Shuangqiang; Jiang, Hanyu; Shen, Yuqing

2017-06-01

With China’s entrance into the new economy, the improvement of energy efficiency has become an important indicator to measure the quality of ecological civilization construction and economic development. According to the panel data of Chinese regions in 1996-2014, the nearest distance to the efficient frontier of Undesirable-MinDS Xeon model and DEA window model have been used to calculate the total factor energy efficiency of China’s regions. Study found that: Under environmental constraints, China’s total factor energy efficiency has increased after the first drop in the overall 1996-2014, and then increases again. And the difference between the regions is very large, showing a characteristic of “the east is the highest, the west is lower, and lowest is in the central” finally, this paper puts forward relevant policy suggestions.

Electrokinetic Analysis of Energy Harvest from Natural Salt Gradients in Nanochannels.

PubMed

He, Yuhui; Huang, Zhuo; Chen, Bowei; Tsutsui, Makusu; Shui Miao, Xiang; Taniguchi, Masateru

2017-10-13

The Gibbs free energy released during the mixing of river and sea water has been illustrated as a promising source of clean and renewable energy. Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one major strategy to gain electrical power from this natural salinity, and recently by utilizing nanochannels a novel mode of this approach has shown improved power density and energy converting efficiency. In this work, we carry out an electrokinetic analysis of the work extracted from RED in the nanochannels. First, we outline the exclusion potential effect induced by the inhomogeneous distribution of extra-counterions along the channel axis. This effect is unique in nanochannel RED and how to optimize it for energy harvesting is the central topic of this work. We then discuss two important indexes of performance, which are the output power density and the energy converting efficiency, and their dependence on the nanochannel parameters such as channel material and geometry. In order to yield maximized output electrical power, we propose a device design by stepwise usage of the saline bias, and the lengths of the nanochannels are optimized to achieve the best trade-off between the input thermal power and the energy converting efficiency.

Energy Efficiency and Performance Limiting Effects in Thermo-Osmotic Energy Conversion from Low-Grade Heat.

PubMed

Straub, Anthony P; Elimelech, Menachem

2017-11-07

Low-grade heat energy from sources below 100 °C is available in massive quantities around the world, but cannot be converted to electricity effectively using existing technologies due to variability in the heat output and the small temperature difference between the source and environment. The recently developed thermo-osmotic energy conversion (TOEC) process has the potential to harvest energy from low-grade heat sources by using a temperature difference to create a pressurized liquid flux across a membrane, which can be converted to mechanical work via a turbine. In this study, we perform the first analysis of energy efficiency and the expected performance of the TOEC technology, focusing on systems utilizing hydrophobic porous vapor-gap membranes and water as a working fluid. We begin by developing a framework to analyze realistic mass and heat transport in the process, probing the impact of various membrane parameters and system operating conditions. Our analysis reveals that an optimized system can achieve heat-to-electricity energy conversion efficiencies up to 4.1% (34% of the Carnot efficiency) with hot and cold working temperatures of 60 and 20 °C, respectively, and an operating pressure of 5 MPa (50 bar). Lower energy efficiencies, however, will occur in systems operating with high power densities (>5 W/m 2 ) and with finite-sized heat exchangers. We identify that the most important membrane properties for achieving high performance are an asymmetric pore structure, high pressure resistance, a high porosity, and a thickness of 30 to 100 μm. We also quantify the benefits in performance from utilizing deaerated water streams, strong hydrodynamic mixing in the membrane module, and high heat exchanger efficiencies. Overall, our study demonstrates the promise of full-scale TOEC systems to extract energy from low-grade heat and identifies key factors for performance optimization moving forward.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, R.A.; Downing, B.R.; Pearce, T.C.

The consumption of primary energy by diesel, petrol and electric versions of a light van was compared under high-density urban traffic conditions. The vehicles were driven repeatedly round a 10km route in Central London and measurements of fuel consumption, distance travelled and time were made for each route section. Multiple regression analysis established vehicle sensitivities to variations in average speed, payload, road type, regenerated energy (electric vehicle), kinetic energy, weather and driver. The diesel vehicle used primary energy more efficiently than either the petrol or the electric vehicle over the entire speed range observed, the ratio of energy consumption (diesel:petrol:electric)more » being 100:185:198 at the average speed during the experiment (17.58km/h). The petrol vehicle was more efficient than the electric over most of the speed range, but was less efficient at speeds below about 14km/h. It is concluded that the diesel vehicle is the most efficient for urban delivery duties.« less

Single-Family Quality Control Inspector Job Task Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Head, Heather R; Kurnik, Charles W

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to develop and maintain the resources under the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals (GHEP) project. As part of the GHEP strategy to increase the quality of work conducted for single-family, residential energy-efficiency retrofits, the Home Energy Professionals Job Task Analysis are used as the foundation for quality training programs and trainers.

Benchmarks of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandor, Debra; Chung, Donald; Keyser, David

The Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center (CEMAC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), provides objective analysis and up-to-date data on global supply chains and manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Benchmarks of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing sheds light on several fundamental questions about the global clean technology manufacturing enterprise: How does clean energy technology manufacturing impact national economies? What are the economic opportunities across the manufacturing supply chain? What are the global dynamics of clean energy technology manufacturing?

Evaluating Domestic Hot Water Distribution System Options With Validated Analysis Models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weitzel, E.; Hoeschele, M.

2014-09-01

A developing body of work is forming that collects data on domestic hot water consumption, water use behaviors, and energy efficiency of various distribution systems. A full distribution system developed in TRNSYS has been validated using field monitoring data and then exercised in a number of climates to understand climate impact on performance. This study builds upon previous analysis modelling work to evaluate differing distribution systems and the sensitivities of water heating energy and water use efficiency to variations of climate, load, distribution type, insulation and compact plumbing practices. Overall 124 different TRNSYS models were simulated. Of the configurations evaluated,more » distribution losses account for 13-29% of the total water heating energy use and water use efficiency ranges from 11-22%. The base case, an uninsulated trunk and branch system sees the most improvement in energy consumption by insulating and locating the water heater central to all fixtures. Demand recirculation systems are not projected to provide significant energy savings and in some cases increase energy consumption. Water use is most efficient with demand recirculation systems, followed by the insulated trunk and branch system with a central water heater. Compact plumbing practices and insulation have the most impact on energy consumption (2-6% for insulation and 3-4% per 10 gallons of enclosed volume reduced). The results of this work are useful in informing future development of water heating best practices guides as well as more accurate (and simulation time efficient) distribution models for annual whole house simulation programs.« less

Wideband piezoelectric energy harvester for low-frequency application with plucking mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiraki, Yasuhiro; Masuda, Arata; Ikeda, Naoto; Katsumura, Hidenori; Kagata, Hiroshi; Okumura, Hidenori

2015-04-01

Wireless sensor networks need energy harvesting from vibrational environment for their power supply. The conventional resonance type vibration energy harvesters, however, are not always effective for low frequency application. The purpose of this paper is to propose a high efficiency energy harvester for low frequency application by utilizing plucking and SSHI techniques, and to investigate the effects of applying those techniques in terms of the energy harvesting efficiency. First, we derived an approximate formulation of energy harvesting efficiency of the plucking device by theoretical analysis. Next, it was confirmed that the improved efficiency agreed with numerical and experimental results. Also, a parallel SSHI, a switching circuit technique to improve the performance of the harvester was introduced and examined by numerical simulations and experiments. Contrary to the simulated results in which the efficiency was improved from 13.1% to 22.6% by introducing the SSHI circuit, the efficiency obtained in the experiment was only 7.43%. This would due to the internal resistance of the inductors and photo MOS relays on the switching circuit and the simulation including this factor revealed large negative influence of it. This result suggested that the reduction of the switching resistance was significantly important to the implementation of SSHI.

The Global Experience of Deployment of Energy-Efficient Technologies in High-Rise Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potienko, Natalia D.; Kuznetsova, Anna A.; Solyakova, Darya N.; Klyueva, Yulia E.

2018-03-01

The objective of this research is to examine issues related to the increasing importance of energy-efficient technologies in high-rise construction. The aim of the paper is to investigate modern approaches to building design that involve implementation of various energy-saving technologies in diverse climates and at different structural levels, including the levels of urban development, functionality, planning, construction and engineering. The research methodology is based on the comprehensive analysis of the advanced global expertise in the design and construction of energy-efficient high-rise buildings, with the examination of their positive and negative features. The research also defines the basic principles of energy-efficient architecture. Besides, it draws parallels between the climate characteristics of countries that lead in the field of energy-efficient high-rise construction, on the one hand, and the climate in Russia, on the other, which makes it possible to use the vast experience of many countries, wholly or partially. The paper also gives an analytical review of the results arrived at by implementing energy efficiency principles into high-rise architecture. The study findings determine the impact of energy-efficient technologies on high-rise architecture and planning solutions. In conclusion, the research states that, apart from aesthetic and compositional interpretation of architectural forms, an architect nowadays has to address the task of finding a synthesis between technological and architectural solutions, which requires knowledge of advanced technologies. The study findings reveal that the implementation of modern energy-efficient technologies into high-rise construction is of immediate interest and is sure to bring long-term benefits.

Energy and economic analysis of total energy systems for residential and commercial buildings. [utilizing waste heat recovery techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maag, W. L.; Bollenbacher, G.

1974-01-01

Energy and economic analyses were performed for an on-site power-plant with waste heat recovery. The results show that for any specific application there is a characteristic power conversion efficiency that minimizes fuel consumption, and that efficiencies greater than this do not significantly improve fuel consumption. This type of powerplant appears to be a reasonably attractive investment if higher fuel costs continue.

Potential use and the energy conversion efficiency analysis of fermentation effluents from photo and dark fermentative bio-hydrogen production.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhiping; Li, Yameng; Zhang, Huan; He, Chao; Zhang, Quanguo

2017-12-01

Effluent of bio-hydrogen production system also can be adopted to produce methane for further fermentation, cogeneration of hydrogen and methane will significantly improve the energy conversion efficiency. Platanus Orientalis leaves were taken as the raw material for photo- and dark-fermentation bio-hydrogen production. The resulting concentrations of acetic, butyric, and propionic acids and ethanol in the photo- and dark-fermentation effluents were 2966mg/L and 624mg/L, 422mg/L and 1624mg/L, 1365mg/L and 558mg/L, and 866mg/L and 1352mg/L, respectively. Subsequently, we calculated the energy conversion efficiency according to the organic contents of the effluents and their energy output when used as raw material for methane production. The overall energy conversion efficiencies increased by 15.17% and 22.28%, respectively, when using the effluents of photo and dark fermentation. This two-step bio-hydrogen and methane production system can significantly improve the energy conversion efficiency of anaerobic biological treatment plants. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nuclear Hybrid Energy System: Molten Salt Energy Storage (Summer Report 2013)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabharwall, Piyush; mckellar, Michael George; Yoon, Su-Jong

2013-11-01

Effective energy use is a main focus and concern in the world today because of the growing demand for energy. The nuclear hybrid energy system (NHES) is a valuable technical concept that can potentially diversify and leverage existing energy technologies. This report considers a particular NHES design that combines multiple energy systems including a nuclear reactor, energy storage system (ESS), variable renewable generator (VRG), and additional process heat applications. Energy storage is an essential component of this particular NHES because its design allows the system to produce peak power while the nuclear reactor operates at constant power output. Many energymore » storage options are available, but this study mainly focuses on a molten salt ESS. The primary purpose of the molten salt ESS is to enable the nuclear reactor to be a purely constant heat source by acting as a heat storage component for the reactor during times of low demand, and providing additional capacity for thermo-electric power generation during times of peak electricity demand. This report will describe the rationale behind using a molten salt ESS and identify an efficient molten salt ESS configuration that may be used in load following power applications. Several criteria are considered for effective energy storage and are used to identify the most effective ESS within the NHES. Different types of energy storage are briefly described with their advantages and disadvantages. The general analysis to determine the most efficient molten salt ESS involves two parts: thermodynamic, in which energetic and exergetic efficiencies are considered; and economic. Within the molten salt ESS, the two-part analysis covers three major system elements: molten salt ESS designs (two tank direct and thermocline), the molten salt choice, and the different power cycles coupled with the molten salt ESS. Analysis models are formulated and analyzed to determine the most effective ESS. The results show that the most efficient idealized energy storage system is the two tank direct molten salt ESS with an Air Brayton combined cycle using LiF-NaF-KF as the molten salt, and the most economical is the same design with KCl MgCl2 as the molten salt. With energy production being a major worldwide industry, understanding the most efficient molten salt ESS boosts development of an effective NHES with cheap, clean, and steady power.« less

Energy Analysis of n-Dodecane Combustion in a Hetero/Homogeneous Heat-Recirculating Microreactor for Portable Power Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waits, C. M.; Tolmachoff, E. D.; Allmon, W. R.; Zecher-Freeman, N. E.

2016-11-01

An energy analysis is presented for n-dodecane/air combustion in a heat recirculating Inconel microreactor under vacuum conditions. Microreactor channels are partially coated with platinum enabling operating with coupled heterogeneous and homogeneous reactions. The radiant efficiency, important for thermophotovoltaic energy conversion, was found to decrease from 57% to 52% over 5 different runs covering 377 min of operation. A similar decrease in combustion efficiency was observed with 6%-8% energy lost to incomplete combustion and 5%- 6% lost through sensible heat in the exhaust. The remaining thermal loss is from unusable radiation and conduction through inlet and outlet tubing. Changes in the Inconel microreactor geometry and emissivity properties were observed.

Efficient micromagnetics for magnetic storage devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escobar Acevedo, Marco Antonio

Micromagnetics is an important component for advancing the magnetic nanostructures understanding and design. Numerous existing and prospective magnetic devices rely on micromagnetic analysis, these include hard disk drives, magnetic sensors, memories, microwave generators, and magnetic logic. The ability to examine, describe, and predict the magnetic behavior, and macroscopic properties of nanoscale magnetic systems is essential for improving the existing devices, for progressing in their understanding, and for enabling new technologies. This dissertation describes efficient micromagnetic methods as required for magnetic storage analysis. Their performance and accuracy is demonstrated by studying realistic, complex, and relevant micromagnetic system case studies. An efficient methodology for dynamic micromagnetics in large scale simulations is used to study the writing process in a full scale model of a magnetic write head. An efficient scheme, tailored for micromagnetics, to find the minimum energy state on a magnetic system is presented. This scheme can be used to calculate hysteresis loops. An efficient scheme, tailored for micromagnetics, to find the minimum energy path between two stable states on a magnetic system is presented. This minimum energy path is intimately related to the thermal stability.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Friese, Ryan; Khemka, Bhavesh; Maciejewski, Anthony A

Rising costs of energy consumption and an ongoing effort for increases in computing performance are leading to a significant need for energy-efficient computing. Before systems such as supercomputers, servers, and datacenters can begin operating in an energy-efficient manner, the energy consumption and performance characteristics of the system must be analyzed. In this paper, we provide an analysis framework that will allow a system administrator to investigate the tradeoffs between system energy consumption and utility earned by a system (as a measure of system performance). We model these trade-offs as a bi-objective resource allocation problem. We use a popular multi-objective geneticmore » algorithm to construct Pareto fronts to illustrate how different resource allocations can cause a system to consume significantly different amounts of energy and earn different amounts of utility. We demonstrate our analysis framework using real data collected from online benchmarks, and further provide a method to create larger data sets that exhibit similar heterogeneity characteristics to real data sets. This analysis framework can provide system administrators with insight to make intelligent scheduling decisions based on the energy and utility needs of their systems.« less

First-Annual Global Clean Energy Manufacturing Report Shows Strong Domestic Benefits for the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

EERE Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) commissioned the Clean Energy Manufacturing Analysis Center to conduct the first-ever annual assessment of the economic state of global clean energy manufacturing. The report, Benchmarks of Global Clean Energy Manufacturing, makes economic data on clean energy technology widely available.

The NASA Energy Conservation Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaffney, G. P.

1977-01-01

Large energy-intensive research and test equipment at NASA installations is identified, and methods for reducing energy consumption outlined. However, some of the research facilities are involved in developing more efficient, fuel-conserving aircraft, and tradeoffs between immediate and long-term conservation may be necessary. Major programs for conservation include: computer-based systems to automatically monitor and control utility consumption; a steam-producing solid waste incinerator; and a computer-based cost analysis technique to engineer more efficient heating and cooling of buildings. Alternate energy sources in operation or under evaluation include: solar collectors; electric vehicles; and ultrasonically emulsified fuel to attain higher combustion efficiency. Management support, cooperative participation by employees, and effective reporting systems for conservation programs, are also discussed.

Industrial energy-efficiency improvement program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1980-12-01

The industrial energy efficiency improvement program to accelerate market penetration of new and emerging industrial technologies is described. Practices which will improve energy efficiency, encourage substitution of more plentiful domestic fuels, and enhance recovery of energy and materials from industrial waste streams are enumerated. Specific reports from the chemicals and allied products; primary metals; petroleum and coal products; stone, clay, and glass, paper and allied products; food and kindred products; fabricated metals; transportation equipment; machinery (except electrical); textile mill products; rubber and miscellaneous plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; lumber and wood; and tobacco products are discussed. A summary on progress in the utilization of recovered materials, and an analysis of industrial fuel mix is presented.

Technical support document: Energy conservation standards for consumer products: Dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers including: Environmental impacts; regulatory impact analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1990-12-01

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act as amended (P.L. 94-163), establishes energy conservation standards for 12 of the 13 types of consumer products specifically covered by the Act. The legislation requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider new or amended standards for these and other types of products at specified times. This Technical Support Document presents the methodology, data and results from the analysis of the energy and economic impacts of standards on dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers. The economic impact analysis is performed in five major areas: An Engineering Analysis, which establishes technical feasibility and product attributesmore » including costs of design options to improve appliance efficiency. A Consumer Analysis at two levels: national aggregate impacts, and impacts on individuals. The national aggregate impacts include forecasts of appliance sales, efficiencies, energy use, and consumer expenditures. The individual impacts are analyzed by Life-Cycle Cost (LCC), Payback Periods, and Cost of Conserved Energy (CCE), which evaluate the savings in operating expenses relative to increases in purchase price; A Manufacturer Analysis, which provides an estimate of manufacturers' response to the proposed standards. Their response is quantified by changes in several measures of financial performance for a firm. An Industry Impact Analysis shows financial and competitive impacts on the appliance industry. A Utility Analysis that measures the impacts of the altered energy-consumption patterns on electric utilities. A Environmental Effects analysis, which estimates changes in emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides, due to reduced energy consumption in the home and at the power plant. A Regulatory Impact Analysis collects the results of all the analyses into the net benefits and costs from a national perspective. 47 figs., 171 tabs. (JF)« less

Product lifetime, energy efficiency and climate change: A case study of air conditioners in Japan.

PubMed

Nishijima, Daisuke

2016-10-01

This study proposed a modelling technique for estimating life-cycle CO2 emissions of durable goods by considering changes in product lifetime and energy efficiency. The stock and flow of durable goods was modelled by Weibull lifetime distributions and the trend in annual energy efficiency (i.e., annual electricity consumption) of an "average" durable good was formulated as a reverse logistic curve including a technologically critical value (i.e., limit energy efficiency) with respect to time. I found that when the average product lifetime is reduced, there is a trade-off between the reduction in emissions during product use (use phase), due to the additional purchases of new, more energy-efficient air conditioners, and the increase in emissions arising from the additional production of new air conditioners stimulated by the reduction of the average product lifetime. A scenario analysis focused on residential air conditioners in Japan during 1972-2013 showed that for a reduction of average lifetime of 1 year, if the air conditioner energy efficiency limit can be improved by 1.4% from the estimated current efficiency level, then CO2 emissions can be reduced by approximately the same amount as for an extension of average product lifetime of 1 year. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid cars now, fuel cell cars later.

PubMed

Demirdöven, Nurettin; Deutch, John

2004-08-13

We compare the energy efficiency of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles as well as conventional internal combustion engines. Our analysis indicates that fuel cell vehicles using hydrogen from fossil fuels offer no significant energy efficiency advantage over hybrid vehicles operating in an urban drive cycle. We conclude that priority should be placed on hybrid vehicles by industry and government.

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The design of an energy efficient commercial turbofan engine is examined with emphasis on lower fuel consumption and operating costs. Propulsion system performance, emission standards, and noise reduction are also investigated. A detailed design analysis of the engine/aircraft configuration, engine components, and core engine is presented along with an evaluation of the technology and testing involved.

Hybrid Cars Now, Fuel Cell Cars Later

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demirdöven, Nurettin; Deutch, John

2004-08-01

We compare the energy efficiency of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles as well as conventional internal combustion engines. Our analysis indicates that fuel cell vehicles using hydrogen from fossil fuels offer no significant energy efficiency advantage over hybrid vehicles operating in an urban drive cycle. We conclude that priority should be placed on hybrid vehicles by industry and government.

San Carlos Apache Tribe - Energy Organizational Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rapp, James; Albert, Steve

2012-04-01

The San Carlos Apache Tribe (SCAT) was awarded $164,000 in late-2011 by the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Tribal Energy Program's "First Steps Toward Developing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency on Tribal Lands" Grant Program. This grant funded:  The analysis and selection of preferred form(s) of tribal energy organization (this Energy Organization Analysis, hereinafter referred to as "EOA").  Start-up staffing and other costs associated with the Phase 1 SCAT energy organization.  An intern program.  Staff training.  Tribal outreach and workshops regarding the new organization and SCAT energy programs and projects, including two annual tribalmore » energy summits (2011 and 2012). This report documents the analysis and selection of preferred form(s) of a tribal energy organization.« less

A High Efficiency Boost Converter with MPPT Scheme for Low Voltage Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Mingjie; Wang, Kunpeng; Zhu, Qingyuan; Liao, Wei-Hsin

2016-11-01

Using thermoelectric elements to harvest energy from heat has been of great interest during the last decade. This paper presents a direct current-direct current (DC-DC) boost converter with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) scheme for low input voltage thermoelectric energy harvesting applications. Zero current switch technique is applied in the proposed MPPT scheme. Theoretical analysis on the converter circuits is explored to derive the equations for parameters needed in the design of the boost converter. Simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis and equations. A prototype of the designed converter is built using discrete components and a low-power microcontroller. The results show that the designed converter can achieve a high efficiency at low input voltage. The experimental efficiency of the designed converter is compared with a commercial converter solution. It is shown that the designed converter has a higher efficiency than the commercial solution in the considered voltage range.

Coherent transport and energy flow patterns in photosynthesis under incoherent excitation.

PubMed

Pelzer, Kenley M; Can, Tankut; Gray, Stephen K; Morr, Dirk K; Engel, Gregory S

2014-03-13

Long-lived coherences have been observed in photosynthetic complexes after laser excitation, inspiring new theories regarding the extreme quantum efficiency of photosynthetic energy transfer. Whether coherent (ballistic) transport occurs in nature and whether it improves photosynthetic efficiency remain topics of debate. Here, we use a nonequilibrium Green's function analysis to model exciton transport after excitation from an incoherent source (as opposed to coherent laser excitation). We find that even with an incoherent source, the rate of environmental dephasing strongly affects exciton transport efficiency, suggesting that the relationship between dephasing and efficiency is not an artifact of coherent excitation. The Green's function analysis provides a clear view of both the pattern of excitonic fluxes among chromophores and the multidirectionality of energy transfer that is a feature of coherent transport. We see that even in the presence of an incoherent source, transport occurs by qualitatively different mechanisms as dephasing increases. Our approach can be generalized to complex synthetic systems and may provide a new tool for optimizing synthetic light harvesting materials.

Thermodynamic, energy efficiency, and power density analysis of reverse electrodialysis power generation with natural salinity gradients.

PubMed

Yip, Ngai Yin; Vermaas, David A; Nijmeijer, Kitty; Elimelech, Menachem

2014-05-06

Reverse electrodialysis (RED) can harness the Gibbs free energy of mixing when fresh river water flows into the sea for sustainable power generation. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of RED power generation, and assess the membrane power density. First, we present a reversible thermodynamic model for RED and verify that the theoretical maximum extractable work in a reversible RED process is identical to the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Work extraction in an irreversible process with maximized power density using a constant-resistance load is then examined to assess the energy conversion efficiency and power density. With equal volumes of seawater and river water, energy conversion efficiency of ∼ 33-44% can be obtained in RED, while the rest is lost through dissipation in the internal resistance of the ion-exchange membrane stack. We show that imperfections in the selectivity of typical ion exchange membranes (namely, co-ion transport, osmosis, and electro-osmosis) can detrimentally lower efficiency by up to 26%, with co-ion leakage being the dominant effect. Further inspection of the power density profile during RED revealed inherent ineffectiveness toward the end of the process. By judicious early discontinuation of the controlled mixing process, the overall power density performance can be considerably enhanced by up to 7-fold, without significant compromise to the energy efficiency. Additionally, membrane resistance was found to be an important factor in determining the power densities attainable. Lastly, the performance of an RED stack was examined for different membrane conductivities and intermembrane distances simulating high performance membranes and stack design. By thoughtful selection of the operating parameters, an efficiency of ∼ 37% and an overall gross power density of 3.5 W/m(2) represent the maximum performance that can potentially be achieved in a seawater-river water RED system with low-resistance ion exchange membranes (0.5 Ω cm(2)) at very small spacing intervals (50 μm).

Reducing supply chain energy use in next-generation vehicle lightweighting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanes, Rebecca J.; Das, Sujit; Carpenter, Alberta

Vehicle lightweighting reduces the amount of fuel consumed in a vehicle's use phase, but depending on what lightweight materials replace the conventional materials, and in what amounts, the manufacturing energy may increase or decrease. For carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), a next-generation lightweighting material, the increase in vehicle manufacturing energy is greater than the fuel savings, resulting in a net increase in energy consumption over a vehicle's manufacturing and use relative to a standard non-lightweighted car. [1] This work explores ways to reduce the supply chain energy of CFRP lightweighted vehicles through alternative production technologies and energy efficiency improvements. Themore » objective is to determine if CFRP can offer energy savings comparable to or greater than aluminum, a conventional lightweighting material. Results of this analysis can be used to inform additional research and development efforts in CFRP production and future directions in lightweight vehicle production. The CFRP supply chain is modeled using the Material Flows through Industry (MFI) scenario modeling tool, which calculates 'mine to materials' energy consumption, material inventories and greenhouse gas emissions for industrial supply chains. In this analysis, the MFI tool is used to model the supply chains of two lightweighted vehicles, an aluminum intensive vehicle (AIV) and a carbon fiber intensive vehicle (CFV), under several manufacturing scenarios. Vehicle specifications are given in [1]. Scenarios investigated cover alternative carbon fiber (CF) feedstocks and energy efficiency improvements at various points in the vehicle supply chains. The alternative CF feedstocks are polyacrylonitrile, lignin and petroleum-derived mesophase pitch. Scenarios in which the energy efficiency of CF and CFRP production increases are explored using sector efficiency potential values, which quantify the reduction in energy consumption achievable when process equipment is upgraded to the most efficient available. Preliminary analyses indicate that producing CF from lignin instead of polyacrylonitrile, the most commonly used feedstock, reduces energy consumption in the CFRP supply chain by 7.5%, and that implementing energy efficient process equipment produces an additional 8% reduction. Final results will show if these potential reductions are sufficient to make the CFV energy savings comparable with AIV energy savings. [1] Das, S., Graziano, D., Upadhyayula, V. K., Masanet, E., Riddle, M., & Cresko, J. (2016). Vehicle lightweighting energy use impacts in US light-duty vehicle fleet. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 8, 5-13.« less

Analysis of the Future Effects of the Fuel Shortage and Increased Small Car Usage Upon Traffic Deaths and Injuries

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-01-01

The Automotive Energy Efficiency Project is concerned with the examination of technological options for improving the fuel efficiency of highway vehicles. This examination includes an analysis of the effects of existing and proposed mandated standard...

[Ecological management model of agriculture-pasture ecotone based on the theory of energy and material flow--a case study in Houshan dryland area of Inner Mongolia].

PubMed

Fan, Jinlong; Pan, Zhihua; Zhao, Ju; Zheng, Dawei; Tuo, Debao; Zhao, Peiyi

2004-04-01

The degradation of ecological environment in the agriculture-pasture ecotone in northern China has been paid more attentions. Based on our many years' research and under the guide of energy and material flow theory, this paper put forward an ecological management model, with a hill as the basic cell and according to the natural, social and economic characters of Houshan dryland farming area inside the north agriculture-pasture ecotone. The input and output of three models, i.e., the traditional along-slope-tillage model, the artificial grassland model and the ecological management model, were observed and recorded in detail in 1999. Energy and material flow analysis based on field test showed that compared with traditional model, ecological management model could increase solar use efficiency by 8.3%, energy output by 8.7%, energy conversion efficiency by 19.4%, N output by 26.5%, N conversion efficiency by 57.1%, P output by 12.1%, P conversion efficiency by 45.0%, and water use efficiency by 17.7%. Among the models, artificial grassland model had the lowest solar use efficiency, energy output and energy conversion efficiency; while the ecological management model had the most outputs and benefits, was the best model with high economic effect, and increased economic benefits by 16.1%, compared with the traditional model.

Energy and Environment Division annual report, 1978

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Camp, J.A.

1978-01-01

Research activities of this Division are reported under nine separate programs, namely: Energy Analysis; Solar Energy; Energy-Efficient Buildings; Chemical Process Research and Development; Environmental Research; Atmospheric Aerosol Research; Oil Shale Research; Instrumentation Development; and Combustion Research. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the nine programs, each of which contained several individual research summaries, with responsible researchers listed. All of the abstracts will appear in Energy Research Abstracts (ERA), and five will appear in Energy Abstracts for Policy Analysis (EAPA).

Impacts of Energy Research and Development With Analyses of Price-Andersen Act & Hydro Relicensing

EIA Publications

2002-01-01

This report deals primarily with the Research and Development provisions of S. 1766, organized across four areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy, fossil energy, and nuclear energy. The provisions are assessed using the results from Annual Energy Outlook 2002 and other side cases, rather than a direct quantitative analysis.

FY 2009 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Annual Report: A Year of Energy Transformation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2010-01-01

This FY2009 Annual Report surveys the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) accomplishments in renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, commercialization and deployment of technologies, and strategic energy analysis. It offers NREL's vision and progress in building a clean, sustainable research campus and reports on community involvement.

ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 Preliminary Determination: Qualitative Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halverson, Mark A.; Hart, Reid; Athalye, Rahul A.

2014-03-01

Section 304(b) of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA), as amended, requires the Secretary of Energy to make a determination each time a revised version of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is published with respect to whether the revised standard would improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings. When the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issues an affirmative determination on Standard 90.1, states are statutorily required to certify within two years that they have reviewed and updated the commercial provisions of their building energy code, with respect to energy efficiency, to meet or exceed the revised standard. This report provides a preliminarymore » qualitative analysis of all addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010 (referred to as Standard 90.1-2010 or 2010 edition) that were included in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 (referred to as Standard 90.1-2013 or 2013 edition).« less

Managing carbon emissions in China through building energy efficiency.

PubMed

Li, Jun; Colombier, Michel

2009-06-01

This paper attempts to analyse the role of building energy efficiency (BEE) in China in addressing climate change mitigation. It provides an analysis of the current situation and future prospects for the adoption of BEE technologies in Chinese cities. It outlines the economic and institutional barriers to large-scale deployment of the sustainable, low-carbon, and even carbon-free construction techniques. Based on a comprehensive overview of energy demand characteristics and development trends driven by economic and demographic growth, different policy tools for cost-effective CO(2) emission reduction in the Chinese construction sector are described. We propose a comprehensive approach combining building design and construction, and the urban planning and building material industries, in order to drastically improve BEE during this period of rapid urban development. A coherent institutional framework needs to be established to ensure the implementation of efficiency policies. Regulatory and incentive options should be integrated into the policy portfolios of BEE to minimise the efficiency gap and to realise sizeable carbon emissions cuts in the next decades. We analyse in detail several policies and instruments, and formulate relevant policy proposals fostering low-carbon construction technology in China. Specifically, Our analysis shows that improving building energy efficiency can generate considerable carbon emissions reduction credits with competitive price under the CDM framework.

Development of new methodologies for evaluating the energy performance of new commercial buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Suwon

The concept of Measurement and Verification (M&V) of a new building continues to become more important because efficient design alone is often not sufficient to deliver an efficient building. Simulation models that are calibrated to measured data can be used to evaluate the energy performance of new buildings if they are compared to energy baselines such as similar buildings, energy codes, and design standards. Unfortunately, there is a lack of detailed M&V methods and analysis methods to measure energy savings from new buildings that would have hypothetical energy baselines. Therefore, this study developed and demonstrated several new methodologies for evaluating the energy performance of new commercial buildings using a case-study building in Austin, Texas. First, three new M&V methods were developed to enhance the previous generic M&V framework for new buildings, including: (1) The development of a method to synthesize weather-normalized cooling energy use from a correlation of Motor Control Center (MCC) electricity use when chilled water use is unavailable, (2) The development of an improved method to analyze measured solar transmittance against incidence angle for sample glazing using different solar sensor types, including Eppley PSP and Li-Cor sensors, and (3) The development of an improved method to analyze chiller efficiency and operation at part-load conditions. Second, three new calibration methods were developed and analyzed, including: (1) A new percentile analysis added to the previous signature method for use with a DOE-2 calibration, (2) A new analysis to account for undocumented exhaust air in DOE-2 calibration, and (3) An analysis of the impact of synthesized direct normal solar radiation using the Erbs correlation on DOE-2 simulation. Third, an analysis of the actual energy savings compared to three different energy baselines was performed, including: (1) Energy Use Index (EUI) comparisons with sub-metered data, (2) New comparisons against Standards 90.1-1989 and 90.1-2001, and (3) A new evaluation of the performance of selected Energy Conservation Design Measures (ECDMs). Finally, potential energy savings were also simulated from selected improvements, including: minimum supply air flow, undocumented exhaust air, and daylighting.

Thermodynamics of greenhouse systems for the northern latitudes: analysis, evaluation and prospects for primary energy saving.

PubMed

Bronchart, Filip; De Paepe, Michel; Dewulf, Jo; Schrevens, Eddie; Demeyer, Peter

2013-04-15

In Flanders and the Netherlands greenhouse production systems produce economically important quantities of vegetables, fruit and ornamentals. Indoor environmental control has resulted in high primary energy use. Until now, the research on saving primary energy in greenhouse systems has been mainly based on analysis of energy balances. However, according to the thermodynamic theory, an analysis based on the concept of exergy (free energy) and energy can result in new insights and primary energy savings. Therefore in this paper, we analyse the exergy and energy of various processes, inputs and outputs of a general greenhouse system. Also a total system analysis is then performed by linking the exergy analysis with a dynamic greenhouse climate growth simulation model. The exergy analysis indicates that some processes ("Sources") lie at the origin of several other processes, both destroying the exergy of primary energy inputs. The exergy destruction of these Sources is caused primarily by heat and vapour loss. Their impact can be compensated by exergy input from heating, solar radiation, or both. If the exergy destruction of these Sources is reduced, the necessary compensation can also be reduced. This can be accomplished through insulating the greenhouse and making the building more airtight. Other necessary Sources, namely transpiration and loss of CO2, have a low exergy destruction compared to the other Sources. They are therefore the best candidate for "pump" technologies ("vapour heat pump" and "CO2 pump") designed to have a low primary energy use. The combination of these proposed technologies results in an exergy efficient greenhouse with the highest primary energy savings. It can be concluded that exergy analyses add additional information compared to only energy analyses and it supports the development of primary energy efficient greenhouse systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mundaca, Luis; Neij, Lena; Worrell, Ernst

The growing complexities of energy systems, environmental problems and technology markets are driving and testing most energy-economy models to their limits. To further advance bottom-up models from a multidisciplinary energy efficiency policy evaluation perspective, we review and critically analyse bottom-up energy-economy models and corresponding evaluation studies on energy efficiency policies to induce technological change. We use the household sector as a case study. Our analysis focuses on decision frameworks for technology choice, type of evaluation being carried out, treatment of market and behavioural failures, evaluated policy instruments, and key determinants used to mimic policy instruments. Although the review confirms criticismmore » related to energy-economy models (e.g. unrealistic representation of decision-making by consumers when choosing technologies), they provide valuable guidance for policy evaluation related to energy efficiency. Different areas to further advance models remain open, particularly related to modelling issues, techno-economic and environmental aspects, behavioural determinants, and policy considerations.« less

Power allocation strategies to minimize energy consumption in wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Kailas, Aravind

2011-01-01

The wide scale deployment of wireless body area networks (WBANs) hinges on designing energy efficient communication protocols to support the reliable communication as well as to prolong the network lifetime. Cooperative communications, a relatively new idea in wireless communications, offers the benefits of multi-antenna systems, thereby improving the link reliability and boosting energy efficiency. In this short paper, the advantages of resorting to cooperative communications for WBANs in terms of minimized energy consumption are investigated. Adopting an energy model that encompasses energy consumptions in the transmitter and receiver circuits, and transmitting energy per bit, it is seen that cooperative transmission can improve energy efficiency of the wireless network. In particular, the problem of optimal power allocation is studied with the constraint of targeted outage probability. Two strategies of power allocation are considered: power allocation with and without posture state information. Using analysis and simulation-based results, two key points are demonstrated: (i) allocating power to the on-body sensors making use of the posture information can reduce the total energy consumption of the WBAN; and (ii) when the channel condition is good, it is better to recruit less relays for cooperation to enhance energy efficiency.

Airside HVAC BESTEST: HVAC Air-Distribution System Model Test Cases for ASHRAE Standard 140

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Judkoff, Ronald; Neymark, Joel; Kennedy, Mike D.

This paper summarizes recent work to develop new airside HVAC equipment model analytical verification test cases for ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 140, Standard Method of Test for the Evaluation of Building Energy Analysis Computer Programs. The analytical verification test method allows comparison of simulation results from a wide variety of building energy simulation programs with quasi-analytical solutions, further described below. Standard 140 is widely cited for evaluating software for use with performance-path energy efficiency analysis, in conjunction with well-known energy-efficiency standards including ASHRAE Standard 90.1, the International Energy Conservation Code, and other international standards. Airside HVAC Equipment is a common area ofmore » modelling not previously explicitly tested by Standard 140. Integration of the completed test suite into Standard 140 is in progress.« less

Engineering management technologies of increasing energy efficiency processes in the investment and construction projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisovich Zelentsov, Leonid; Dmitrievna Mailyan, Liya; Sultanovich Shogenov, Murat

2017-10-01

The article deals with the problems of using the energy-efficient materials and engineering technologies during the construction of buildings and structures. As the analysis showed, one of the most important problems in this sphere is the infringement of production technologies working with energy-efficient materials. To improve the given situation, it is offered to set a technological normal at the design stage by means of working out the technological maps studying the set and the succession of operations in details, taking in mind the properties of energy-efficient materials. At Don State Technical University (DSTU) the intelligent systems of management are being developed providing organizational and technological and also informational integration of design and production stages by means of creating the single database of technological maps, volumes of work and resources.

[Environment and energy in hospitals: assessment of usage and impact of Health Facilities in the Lombardy Region].

PubMed

Brioschi, A; Capolongo, S; Buffoli, M

2010-01-01

The research moves from the current global and local context and from shared development strategies. From the observation and the analysis of contemporary environmental and energy issues and redefined directions of growth of human activity, it is addressing the question of environmental sustainability and energy conservation of building hospital systems. The work has developed a field survey relating the specific topic of energy saving and efficiency of the Park Hospital in the Italian Lombardy Region. This has been articulated in a diagnosis of technology and efficiency of regional hospitals, implemented through a census, and in a subsequent identification of interventional cases, in order to show its economic, environmental and health performance of the energy efficiency consumption and the environmentally sound.

NREL's OpenStudio Helps Design More Efficient Buildings (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2014-07-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created the OpenStudio software platform that makes it easier for architects and engineers to evaluate building energy efficiency measures throughout the design process. OpenStudio makes energy modeling more accessible and affordable, helping professionals to design structures with lower utility bills and less carbon emissions, resulting in a healthier environment. OpenStudio includes a user-friendly application suite that makes the U.S. Department of Energy's EnergyPlus and Radiance simulation engines easier to use for whole building energy and daylighting performance analysis. OpenStudio is freely available and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

Energy Engineering Analysis Program (EEAP), Limited Energy Study-Lighting Fort Campbell, Kentucky: Volume 1-Sections 1-5

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-23

Buildings, and Blanchfield Hospital buildings B and C. The energy conservation opportunities (ECOs) evaluated were high efficiency interior and exterior lighting, and indoor lighting controls . Cost estimates were prepared.

Estimate of Cost-Effective Potential for Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards in 13 Major World Economies Energy Savings, Environmental and Financial Impacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letschert, Virginie E.; Bojda, Nicholas; Ke, Jing

2012-07-01

This study analyzes the financial impacts on consumers of minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS) for appliances that could be implemented in 13 major economies around the world. We use the Bottom-Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS), developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), to analyze various appliance efficiency target levels to estimate the net present value (NPV) of policies designed to provide maximum energy savings while not penalizing consumers financially. These policies constitute what we call the “cost-effective potential” (CEP) scenario. The CEP scenario is designed to answer the question: How high can we raise the efficiency bar in mandatory programsmore » while still saving consumers money?« less

Efficient Coding and Energy Efficiency Are Promoted by Balanced Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Currents in Neuronal Network

PubMed Central

Yu, Lianchun; Shen, Zhou; Wang, Chen; Yu, Yuguo

2018-01-01

Selective pressure may drive neural systems to process as much information as possible with the lowest energy cost. Recent experiment evidence revealed that the ratio between synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) in local cortex is generally maintained at a certain value which may influence the efficiency of energy consumption and information transmission of neural networks. To understand this issue deeply, we constructed a typical recurrent Hodgkin-Huxley network model and studied the general principles that governs the relationship among the E/I synaptic current ratio, the energy cost and total amount of information transmission. We observed in such a network that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic current ratio in the network by which the information transmission achieves the maximum with relatively low energy cost. The coding energy efficiency which is defined as the mutual information divided by the energy cost, achieved the maximum with the balanced synaptic current. Although background noise degrades information transmission and imposes an additional energy cost, we find an optimal noise intensity that yields the largest information transmission and energy efficiency at this optimal E/I synaptic transmission ratio. The maximization of energy efficiency also requires a certain part of energy cost associated with spontaneous spiking and synaptic activities. We further proved this finding with analytical solution based on the response function of bistable neurons, and demonstrated that optimal net synaptic currents are capable of maximizing both the mutual information and energy efficiency. These results revealed that the development of E/I synaptic current balance could lead a cortical network to operate at a highly efficient information transmission rate at a relatively low energy cost. The generality of neuronal models and the recurrent network configuration used here suggest that the existence of an optimal E/I cell ratio for highly efficient energy costs and information maximization is a potential principle for cortical circuit networks. Summary We conducted numerical simulations and mathematical analysis to examine the energy efficiency of neural information transmission in a recurrent network as a function of the ratio of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. We obtained a general solution showing that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic ratio in a recurrent network at which the information transmission as well as the energy efficiency of this network achieves a global maximum. These results reflect general mechanisms for sensory coding processes, which may give insight into the energy efficiency of neural communication and coding. PMID:29773979

Efficient Coding and Energy Efficiency Are Promoted by Balanced Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Currents in Neuronal Network.

PubMed

Yu, Lianchun; Shen, Zhou; Wang, Chen; Yu, Yuguo

2018-01-01

Selective pressure may drive neural systems to process as much information as possible with the lowest energy cost. Recent experiment evidence revealed that the ratio between synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) in local cortex is generally maintained at a certain value which may influence the efficiency of energy consumption and information transmission of neural networks. To understand this issue deeply, we constructed a typical recurrent Hodgkin-Huxley network model and studied the general principles that governs the relationship among the E/I synaptic current ratio, the energy cost and total amount of information transmission. We observed in such a network that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic current ratio in the network by which the information transmission achieves the maximum with relatively low energy cost. The coding energy efficiency which is defined as the mutual information divided by the energy cost, achieved the maximum with the balanced synaptic current. Although background noise degrades information transmission and imposes an additional energy cost, we find an optimal noise intensity that yields the largest information transmission and energy efficiency at this optimal E/I synaptic transmission ratio. The maximization of energy efficiency also requires a certain part of energy cost associated with spontaneous spiking and synaptic activities. We further proved this finding with analytical solution based on the response function of bistable neurons, and demonstrated that optimal net synaptic currents are capable of maximizing both the mutual information and energy efficiency. These results revealed that the development of E/I synaptic current balance could lead a cortical network to operate at a highly efficient information transmission rate at a relatively low energy cost. The generality of neuronal models and the recurrent network configuration used here suggest that the existence of an optimal E/I cell ratio for highly efficient energy costs and information maximization is a potential principle for cortical circuit networks. We conducted numerical simulations and mathematical analysis to examine the energy efficiency of neural information transmission in a recurrent network as a function of the ratio of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. We obtained a general solution showing that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic ratio in a recurrent network at which the information transmission as well as the energy efficiency of this network achieves a global maximum. These results reflect general mechanisms for sensory coding processes, which may give insight into the energy efficiency of neural communication and coding.

Thermodynamic limits to the efficiency of solar energy conversion by quantum devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buoncristiani, A. M.; Byvik, C. E.; Smith, B. T.

1981-01-01

The second law of thermodynamics imposes a strict limitation to the energy converted from direct solar radiation to useful work by a quantum device. This limitation requires that the amount of energy converted to useful work (energy in any form other than heat) can be no greater than the change in free energy of the radiation fields. Futhermore, in any real energy conversion device, not all of this available free energy in the radiation field can be converted to work because of basic limitations inherent in the device itself. A thermodynamic analysis of solar energy conversion by a completely general prototypical quantum device is presented. This device is completely described by two parameters, its operating temperature T sub R and the energy threshold of its absorption spectrum. An expression for the maximum thermodynamic efficiency of a quantum solar converter was derived in terms of these two parameters and the incident radiation spectrum. Efficiency curves for assumed solar spectral irradiance corresponding to air mass zero and air mass 1.5 are presented.

The thermodynamic efficiency of ATP synthesis in oxidative phosphorylation.

PubMed

Nath, Sunil

2016-12-01

As the chief energy source of eukaryotic cells, it is important to determine the thermodynamic efficiency of ATP synthesis in oxidative phosphorylation (OX PHOS). Previous estimates of the thermodynamic efficiency of this vital process have ranged from Lehninger's original back-of-the-envelope calculation of 38% to the often quoted value of 55-60% in current textbooks of biochemistry, to high values of 90% from recent information theoretic considerations, and reports of realizations of close to ideal 100% efficiencies by single molecule experiments. Hence this problem has been reinvestigated from first principles. The overall thermodynamic efficiency of ATP synthesis in the mitochondrial energy transduction OX PHOS process has been found to lie between 40 and 41% from four different approaches based on a) estimation using structural and biochemical data, b) fundamental nonequilibrium thermodynamic analysis, c) novel insights arising from Nath's torsional mechanism of energy transduction and ATP synthesis, and d) the overall balance of cellular energetics. The torsional mechanism also offers an explanation for the observation of a thermodynamic efficiency approaching 100% in some experiments. Applications of the unique, molecular machine mode of functioning of F 1 F O -ATP synthase involving direct inter-conversion of chemical and mechanical energies in the design and fabrication of novel, man-made mechanochemical devices have been envisaged, and some new ways to exorcise Maxwell's demon have been proposed. It is hoped that analysis of the fundamental problem of energy transduction in OX PHOS from a fresh perspective will catalyze new avenues of research in this interdisciplinary field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Second law analysis of a conventional steam power plant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Geng; Turner, Robert H.; Cengel, Yunus A.

1993-01-01

A numerical investigation of exergy destroyed by operation of a conventional steam power plant is computed via an exergy cascade. An order of magnitude analysis shows that exergy destruction is dominated by combustion and heat transfer across temperature differences inside the boiler, and conversion of energy entering the turbine/generator sets from thermal to electrical. Combustion and heat transfer inside the boiler accounts for 53.83 percent of the total exergy destruction. Converting thermal energy into electrical energy is responsible for 41.34 percent of the total exergy destruction. Heat transfer across the condenser accounts for 2.89 percent of the total exergy destruction. Fluid flow with friction is responsible for 0.50 percent of the total exergy destruction. The boiler feed pump turbine accounts for 0.25 percent of the total exergy destruction. Fluid flow mixing is responsible for 0.23 percent of the total exergy destruction. Other equipment including gland steam condenser, drain cooler, deaerator and heat exchangers are, in the aggregate, responsible for less than one percent of the total exergy destruction. An energy analysis is also given for comparison of exergy cascade to energy cascade. Efficiencies based on both the first law and second law of thermodynamics are calculated for a number of components and for the plant. The results show that high first law efficiency does not mean high second law efficiency. Therefore, the second law analysis has been proven to be a more powerful tool in pinpointing real losses. The procedure used to determine total exergy destruction and second law efficiency can be used in a conceptual design and parametric study to evaluate the performance of other steam power plants and other thermal systems.

10 CFR 436.11 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Life Cycle Cost Analyses § 436.11 Definitions. As used in this subpart— Base Year means the fiscal year in which a life cycle cost analysis is conducted. Building energy system means an energy conservation... building that improve energy efficiency and are life cycle cost effective and that involve energy...

Technical Assistance | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Multi-Wind Heat Smart Grid Project. Advancing Energy Solutions in Alaska NREL provides analysis mission to transfer knowledge and innovation to solve the nation's energy challenges. The goal of this transportation energy efficiency and reduce transportation energy costs State Technical Assistance-solar market

Formation of the Integral Ecological Quality Index of the Technological Processes in Machine Building Based on Their Energy Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egorov, Sergey B.; Kapitanov, Alexey V.; Mitrofanov, Vladimir G.; Shvartsburg, Leonid E.; Ivanova, Natalia A.; Ryabov, Sergey A.

2016-01-01

The aim of article is to provide development of a unified assessment methodology in relation to various technological processes and the actual conditions of their implementation. To carry the energy efficiency analysis of the technological processes through comparison of the established power and the power consumed by the actual technological…

Efficient transformer study: Analysis of manufacture and utility data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burkes, Klaehn; Cordaro, Joe; McIntosh, John

Distribution transformers convert power from the distribution system voltage to the end-customer voltage, which consists of residences, businesses, distributed generation, campus systems, and manufacturing facilities. Amorphous metal distribution transformers (AMDT) are also more expensive and heavier than conventional silicon steel distribution transformers. This and the difficulty to measure the benefit from energy efficiency and low awareness of the technology have hindered the adoption of AMDT. This report presents the cost savings for installing AMDT and the amount of energy saved based on the improved efficiency.

Thermodynamics of photon-enhanced thermionic emission solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reck, Kasper, E-mail: kasper.reck@nanotech.dtu.dk; Hansen, Ole, E-mail: ole.hansen@nanotech.dtu.dk; CINF Center for Individual Nanoparticle Functionality, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby 2800

2014-01-13

Photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) cells in which direct photon energy as well as thermal energy can be harvested have recently been suggested as a new candidate for high efficiency solar cells. Here, we present an analytic thermodynamical model for evaluation of the efficiency of PETE solar cells including an analysis of the entropy production due to thermionic emission of general validity. The model is applied to find the maximum efficiency of a PETE cell for given cathode and anode work functions and temperatures.

Energy Efficiency of Biogas Produced from Different Biomass Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begum, Shahida; Nazri, A. H.

2013-06-01

Malaysia has different sources of biomass like palm oil waste, agricultural waste, cow dung, sewage waste and landfill sites, which can be used to produce biogas and as a source of energy. Depending on the type of biomass, the biogas produced can have different calorific value. At the same time the energy, being used to produce biogas is dependent on transportation distance, means of transportation, conversion techniques and for handling of raw materials and digested residues. An energy systems analysis approach based on literature is applied to calculate the energy efficiency of biogas produced from biomass. Basically, the methodology is comprised of collecting data, proposing locations and estimating the energy input needed to produce biogas and output obtained from the generated biogas. The study showed that palm oil and municipal solid waste is two potential sources of biomass. The energy efficiency of biogas produced from palm oil residues and municipal solid wastes is 1.70 and 3.33 respectively. Municipal solid wastes have the higher energy efficiency due to less transportation distance and electricity consumption. Despite the inherent uncertainties in the calculations, it can be concluded that the energy potential to use biomass for biogas production is a promising alternative.

International Experience in Standards and Labeling Programs for Rice Cookers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Nan; Zheng, Nina

China has had an active program on energy efficiency standards for household appliances since the mid-1990s. Rice cooker is among the first to be subject to such mandatory regulation, since it is one of the most prevalent electric appliances in Chinese households. Since first introduced in 1989, the minimum energy efficiency standard for rice cookers has not been revised. Therefore, the potential for energy saving is considerable. Initial analysis from CNIS indicates that potential carbon savings is likely to reach 7.6 million tons of CO2 by the 10th year of the standard implementation. Since September 2007, CNIS has been workingmore » with various groups to develop the new standard for rice cookers. With The Energy Foundation's support, LBNL has assisted CNIS in the revision of the minimum energy efficiency standard for rice cookers that is expected to be effective in 2009. Specifically, work has been in the following areas: assistance in developing consumer survey on usage pattern of rice cookers, review of international standards, review of international test procedures, comparison of the international standards and test procedures, and assessment of technical options of reducing energy use. This report particularly summarizes the findings of reviewing international standards and technical options of reducing energy consumption. The report consists of an overview of rice cooker standards and labeling programs and testing procedures in Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Thailand, and Japan's case study in developing energy efficiency rice cooker technologies and rice cooker efficiency programs. The results from the analysis can be summarized as the follows: Hong Kong has a Voluntary Energy Efficiency Labeling scheme for electric rice cookers initiated in 2001, with revision implemented in 2007; South Korea has both MEPS and Mandatory Energy Efficiency Label targeting the same category of rice cookers as Hong Kong; Thailand's voluntary endorsement labeling program is similar to Hong Kong in program design but has 5 efficiency grades; Japan's program is distinct in its adoption of the 'Top Runner' approach, in which, the future efficiency standards is set based on the efficiency levels of the most efficient product in the current domestic market. Although the standards are voluntary, penalties can still be evoked if the average efficiency target is not met. Both Hong Kong and South Korea's tests involve pouring water into the inner pot equal to 80% of its rated volume; however, white rice is used as a load for its tests in Hong Kong whereas no rice is used for tests in South Korea. In Japan's case, water level specified by the manufactures is used and milled rice is used as a load only partially in the tests. Moreover, Japan does not conduct heat efficiency test but its energy consumption measurements tests are much more complex, with 4 different tests are conducted to determine the annual average energy consumption. Hong Kong and Thailand both set Minimum Allowable Heat Efficiency for different rated wattages. The energy efficiency requirements are identical except that the minimum heat efficiency in Thailand is 1 percentage point higher for all rated power categories. In South Korea, MEPS and label's energy efficiency grades are determined by the rice cooker's Rated Energy Efficiency for induction, non-induction, pressure, nonpressure rice cookers. Japan's target standard values are set for electromagnetic induction heating products and non-electromagnetic induction heating products by different size of rice cookers. Specific formulas are used by type and size depending on the mass of water evaporation of the rice cookers. Japan has been the leading country in technology development of various types of rice cookers, and developed concrete energy efficiency standards for rice cookers. However, as consumers in Japan emphasize the deliciousness of cooked rice over other factors, many types of models were developed to improve the taste of cooked rice. Nonetheless, the efficiency of electromagnetic induction heating (IH) rice cookers in warm mode has improved approximately 12 percent from 1993 to 2004 due to the 'low temperature warming method' developed by manufacturers. The Energy Conservation Center of Japan (IEEJ) releases energy saving products database on the web regularly, on which the energy saving performance of each product is listed and ranked. Energy saving in rice cookers mostly rest with insulation of the pot. Technology developed to improve the energy efficiency of the rice cookers includes providing vacuum layers on both side of the pot, using copper-plated materials, and double stainless layer lid that can be heated and steam can run in between the two layers to speed the heating process.« less

Representing energy efficiency diagnosis strategies in cognitive work analysis.

PubMed

Hilliard, Antony; Jamieson, Greg A

2017-03-01

This article describes challenges encountered in applying Jens Rasmussen's Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) framework to the practice of energy efficiency Monitoring & Targeting (M&T). Eight theoretic issues encountered in the analysis are described with respect to Rasmussen's work and the modeling solutions we adopted. We grappled with how to usefully apply Work Domain Analysis (WDA) to analyze categories of domains with secondary purposes and no ideal grain of decomposition. This difficulty encouraged us to pursue Control Task (ConTA) and Strategies (StrA) analysis, which are under-explored as bases for interface design. In ConTA we found M&T was best represented by two interlinked work functions; one controlling energy, the other maintaining knowledge representations. From StrA, we identified a popular representation-dependent strategy and inferred information required to diagnose faults in system performance and knowledge representation. This article presents and discusses excerpts from our analysis, and outlines their application to diagnosis support tools. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A combination of selected mapping and clipping to increase energy efficiency of OFDM systems

PubMed Central

Lee, Byung Moo; Rim, You Seung

2017-01-01

We propose an energy efficient combination design for OFDM systems based on selected mapping (SLM) and clipping peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction techniques, and show the related energy efficiency (EE) performance analysis. The combination of two different PAPR reduction techniques can provide a significant benefit in increasing EE, because it can take advantages of both techniques. For the combination, we choose the clipping and SLM techniques, since the former technique is quite simple and effective, and the latter technique does not cause any signal distortion. We provide the structure and the systematic operating method, and show the various analyzes to derive the EE gain based on the combined technique. Our analysis show that the combined technique increases the EE by 69% compared to no PAPR reduction, and by 19.34% compared to only using SLM technique. PMID:29023591

Analysis and performance assessment of a fragment retransmission scheme for energy efficient IEEE 802.11 WLANs.

PubMed

Mafole, Prosper; Aritsugi, Masayoshi

2016-01-01

Backoff-free fragment retransmission (BFFR) scheme enhances the performance of legacy MAC layer fragmentation by eliminating contention overhead. The eliminated overhead is the result of backoff executed before a retransmission attempt is made when fragment transmission failure occurs within a fragment burst. This paper provides a mathematical analysis of BFFR energy efficiency and further assesses, by means of simulations, the energy efficiency, throughput and delay obtained when BFFR is used. The validity of the new scheme is evaluated in different scenarios namely, constant bit rate traffic, realistic bursty internet traffic, node mobility, rigid and elastic flows and their combinations at different traffic loads. We also evaluate and discuss the impact of BFFR on MAC fairness when the number of nodes is varied from 4 to 10. It is shown that BFFR has advantages over legacy MAC fragmentation scheme in all the scenarios.

Energy service contracts in regional engineering center for small and medium businesses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil'manshin, I. R.; Kashapov, N. F.

2014-12-01

The analysis of the energy service contracts development in Russia is given in the article. The role of the Complex learning centres in the field of energy efficiency in the promotion of energy service contracts is described. The reasons of constraining the development of energy service contracts are described.

75 FR 29933 - Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Design Standards for New Federal Buildings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-28

... guidance, discount rates, and energy price projections are determined annually by FEMP and the Energy... Technology Handbook 135: ``Energy Price Indices and Discount Factors for Life-Cycle Cost Analysis.'' FEMP... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 10 CFR Parts 433 and 435 [Docket No. EE-RM/STD-02-112] RIN 1904-AC13 Energy...

Scout: An Impact Analysis Tool for Building Energy-Efficiency Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harris, Chioke; Langevin, Jared; Roth, Amir

Evaluating the national impacts of candidate U.S. building energy-efficiency technologies has historically been difficult for organizations with large energy efficiency portfolios. In particular, normalizing results from technology-specific impact studies is time-consuming when those studies do not use comparable assumptions about the underlying building stock. To equitably evaluate its technology research, development, and deployment portfolio, the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office has developed Scout, a software tool that quantitatively assesses the energy and CO2 impacts of building energy-efficiency measures on the national building stock. Scout efficiency measures improve upon the unit performance and/or lifetime operational costs of an equipmentmore » stock baseline that is determined from the U.S. Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Outlook (AEO). Scout measures are characterized by a market entry and exit year, unit performance level, cost, and lifetime. To evaluate measures on a consistent basis, Scout uses EnergyPlus simulation on prototype building models to translate measure performance specifications to whole-building energy savings; these savings impacts are then extended to a national scale using floor area weighting factors. Scout represents evolution in the building stock over time using AEO projections for new construction, retrofit, and equipment replacements, and competes technologies within market segments under multiple adoption scenarios. Scout and its efficiency measures are open-source, as is the EnergyPlus whole building simulation framework that is used to evaluate measure performance. The program is currently under active development and will be formally released once an initial set of measures has been analyzed and reviewed.« less

Analysis of Energy Consumption for Ad Hoc Wireless Sensor Networks Using a Bit-Meter-per-Joule Metric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, J. L.

2002-04-01

In this article, we present a system-level characterization of the energy consumption for sensor network application scenarios. We compute a power efficiency metric -- average watt-per-meter -- for each radio transmission and extend this local metric to find the global energy consumption. This analysis shows how overall energy consumption varies with transceiver characteristics, node density, data traffic distribution, and base-station location.

The aircraft energy efficiency active controls technology program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hood, R. V., Jr.

1977-01-01

Broad outlines of the NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program for expediting the application of active controls technology to civil transport aircraft are presented. Advances in propulsion and airframe technology to cut down on fuel consumption and fuel costs, a program for an energy-efficient transport, and integrated analysis and design technology in aerodynamics, structures, and active controls are envisaged. Fault-tolerant computer systems and fault-tolerant flight control system architectures are under study. Contracts with leading manufacturers for research and development work on wing-tip extensions and winglets for the B-747, a wing load alleviation system, elastic mode suppression, maneuver-load control, and gust alleviation are mentioned.

Performance, Emission, Energy, and Exergy Analysis of a C.I. Engine Using Mahua Biodiesel Blends with Diesel

PubMed Central

Panigrahi, Nabnit; Mohanty, Mahendra Kumar; Mishra, Sruti Ranjan; Mohanty, Ramesh Chandra

2014-01-01

This paper presents an experimental investigation on a four-stroke single cylinder diesel engine fuelled with the blends of Mahua oil methyl ester (MOME) and diesel. The performance emission, energy, and exergy analysis has been carried out in B20 (mixture of 80% diesel by volume with 20% MOME). From energy analysis, it was observed that the fuel energy input as well as energy carried away by exhaust gases was 6.25% and 11.86% more in case of diesel than that of B20. The unaccounted losses were 10.21% more in case of diesel than B20. The energy efficiency was 28%, while the total losses were 72% for diesel. In case of B20, the efficiency was 65.74 % higher than that of diesel. The exergy analysis shows that the input availability of diesel fuel is 1.46% more than that of B20. For availability in brake power as well as exhaust gases of diesel were 5.66 and 32% more than that of B20. Destructed availability of B20 was 0.97% more than diesel. Thus, as per as performance, emission, energy, and exergy part were concerned; B20 is found to be very close with that of diesel. PMID:27350999

Performance, Emission, Energy, and Exergy Analysis of a C.I. Engine Using Mahua Biodiesel Blends with Diesel.

PubMed

Panigrahi, Nabnit; Mohanty, Mahendra Kumar; Mishra, Sruti Ranjan; Mohanty, Ramesh Chandra

2014-01-01

This paper presents an experimental investigation on a four-stroke single cylinder diesel engine fuelled with the blends of Mahua oil methyl ester (MOME) and diesel. The performance emission, energy, and exergy analysis has been carried out in B20 (mixture of 80% diesel by volume with 20% MOME). From energy analysis, it was observed that the fuel energy input as well as energy carried away by exhaust gases was 6.25% and 11.86% more in case of diesel than that of B20. The unaccounted losses were 10.21% more in case of diesel than B20. The energy efficiency was 28%, while the total losses were 72% for diesel. In case of B20, the efficiency was 65.74 % higher than that of diesel. The exergy analysis shows that the input availability of diesel fuel is 1.46% more than that of B20. For availability in brake power as well as exhaust gases of diesel were 5.66 and 32% more than that of B20. Destructed availability of B20 was 0.97% more than diesel. Thus, as per as performance, emission, energy, and exergy part were concerned; B20 is found to be very close with that of diesel.

Preliminary Analysis of the Jobs and Economic Impacts of Renewable Energy Projects Supported by the §1603 Treasury Grant Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steinberg, Daniel; Porro, Gian; Goldberg, Marshall

This analysis responds to a request from the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the direct and indirect jobs and economic impacts of projects supported by the §1603 Treasury grant program. The analysis employs the Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models to estimate the gross jobs, earnings, and economic output supported by the construction and operation of the large wind (greater than 1 MW) and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects funded by the §1603 grant program.

Preliminary Analysis of the Jobs and Economic Impacts of Renewable Energy Projects Supported by the ..Section..1603 Treasury Grant Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steinberg, D.; Porro, G.; Goldberg, M.

This analysis responds to a request from the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the direct and indirect jobs and economic impacts of projects supported by the Section 1603 Treasury grant program. The analysis employs the Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models to estimate the gross jobs, earnings, and economic output supported by the construction and operation of the large wind (greater than 1 MW) and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects funded by the Section 1603 grant program.

Preliminary Analysis of the Jobs and Economic Impacts of Renewable Energy Projects Supported by the §1603Treasury Grant Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steinberg, Daniel; Porro, Gian; Goldberg, Marshall

2012-04-01

This analysis responds to a request from the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the direct and indirect jobs and economic impacts of projects supported by the §1603 Treasury grant program. The analysis employs the Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models to estimate the gross jobs, earnings, and economic output supported by the construction and operation of the large wind (greater than 1 MW) and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects funded by the §1603 grant program.

Computation of full energy peak efficiency for nuclear power plant radioactive plume using remote scintillation gamma-ray spectrometry.

PubMed

Grozdov, D S; Kolotov, V P; Lavrukhin, Yu E

2016-04-01

A method of full energy peak efficiency estimation in the space around scintillation detector, including the presence of a collimator, has been developed. It is based on a mathematical convolution of the experimental results with the following data extrapolation. The efficiency data showed the average uncertainty less than 10%. Software to calculate integral efficiency for nuclear power plant plume was elaborated. The paper also provides results of nuclear power plant plume height estimation by analysis of the spectral data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romero, R.; Singh, R.P.; Brown, D.

A thermal-energy accounting study was conducted at an apple processing plant. An analysis is given of thermal energy use and thermal efficiencies of an apple-juice single-effect evaporator and an apple-sauce cooker. 3 refs.

Hybrid Pressure Retarded Osmosis-Membrane Distillation System for Power Generation from Low-Grade Heat: Thermodynamic Analysis and Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, SH; Yip, NY; Cath, TY

2014-05-06

We present a novel hybrid membrane system that operates as a heat engine capable of utilizing low-grade thermal energy, which is not readily recoverable with existing technologies. The closed-loop system combines membrane distillation (MD), which generates concentrated and pure water streams by thermal separation, and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), which converts the energy of mixing to electricity by a hydro-turbine. The PRO-MD system was modeled by coupling the mass and energy flows between the thermal separation (MD) and power generation (PRO) stages for heat source temperatures ranging from 40 to 80 degrees C and working concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, andmore » 4.0 mol/kg NaCl. The factors controlling the energy efficiency of the heat engine were evaluated for both limited and unlimited mass and heat transfer kinetics in the thermal separation stage. In both cases, the relative flow rate between the MD permeate (distillate) and feed streams is identified as an important operation parameter. There is an optimal relative flow rate that maximizes the overall energy efficiency of the PRO-MD system for given working temperatures and concentration. In the case of unlimited mass and heat transfer kinetics, the energy efficiency of the system can be analytically determined based on thermodynamics. Our assessment indicates that the hybrid PRO-MD system can theoretically achieve an energy efficiency of 9.8% (81.6% of the Carnot efficiency) with hot and cold working temperatures of 60 and 20 degrees C, respectively, and a working solution of 1.0 M NaCl. When mass and heat transfer kinetics are limited, conditions that more closely represent actual operations, the practical energy efficiency will be lower than the theoretically achievable efficiency. In such practical operations, utilizing a higher working concentration will yield greater energy efficiency. Overall, our study demonstrates the theoretical viability of the PRO-MD system and identifies the key factors for performance optimization.« less

Hybrid pressure retarded osmosis-membrane distillation system for power generation from low-grade heat: thermodynamic analysis and energy efficiency.

PubMed

Lin, Shihong; Yip, Ngai Yin; Cath, Tzahi Y; Osuji, Chinedum O; Elimelech, Menachem

2014-05-06

We present a novel hybrid membrane system that operates as a heat engine capable of utilizing low-grade thermal energy, which is not readily recoverable with existing technologies. The closed-loop system combines membrane distillation (MD), which generates concentrated and pure water streams by thermal separation, and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), which converts the energy of mixing to electricity by a hydro-turbine. The PRO-MD system was modeled by coupling the mass and energy flows between the thermal separation (MD) and power generation (PRO) stages for heat source temperatures ranging from 40 to 80 °C and working concentrations of 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mol/kg NaCl. The factors controlling the energy efficiency of the heat engine were evaluated for both limited and unlimited mass and heat transfer kinetics in the thermal separation stage. In both cases, the relative flow rate between the MD permeate (distillate) and feed streams is identified as an important operation parameter. There is an optimal relative flow rate that maximizes the overall energy efficiency of the PRO-MD system for given working temperatures and concentration. In the case of unlimited mass and heat transfer kinetics, the energy efficiency of the system can be analytically determined based on thermodynamics. Our assessment indicates that the hybrid PRO-MD system can theoretically achieve an energy efficiency of 9.8% (81.6% of the Carnot efficiency) with hot and cold working temperatures of 60 and 20 °C, respectively, and a working solution of 1.0 M NaCl. When mass and heat transfer kinetics are limited, conditions that more closely represent actual operations, the practical energy efficiency will be lower than the theoretically achievable efficiency. In such practical operations, utilizing a higher working concentration will yield greater energy efficiency. Overall, our study demonstrates the theoretical viability of the PRO-MD system and identifies the key factors for performance optimization.

Conversion efficiency of an energy harvester based on resonant tunneling through quantum dots with heat leakage.

PubMed

Kano, Shinya; Fujii, Minoru

2017-03-03

We study the conversion efficiency of an energy harvester based on resonant tunneling through quantum dots with heat leakage. Heat leakage current from a hot electrode to a cold electrode is taken into account in the analysis of the harvester operation. Modeling of electrical output indicates that a maximum heat leakage current is not negligible because it is larger than that of the heat current harvested into electrical power. A reduction of heat leakage is required in this energy harvester in order to obtain efficient heat-to-electrical conversion. Multiple energy levels of a quantum dot can increase the output power of the harvester. Heavily doped colloidal semiconductor quantum dots are a possible candidate for a quantum-dot monolayer in the energy harvester to reduce heat leakage, scaling down device size, and increasing electrical output via multiple discrete energy levels.

Opportunities for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Multi-Modal Intra-City Freight Movement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walkowicz, Kevin; Duran, Adam

This poster focuses on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's analysis of opportunities for freight movement energy savings via optimization and integration of existing/emerging intra-city goods delivery modes as well as an assessment of the efficacy and energy consumption impact of new technologies.

The conservation nexus: valuing interdependent water and energy savings in Arizona.

PubMed

Bartos, Matthew D; Chester, Mikhail V

2014-02-18

Water and energy resources are intrinsically linked, yet they are managed separately--even in the water-scarce American southwest. This study develops a spatially explicit model of water-energy interdependencies in Arizona and assesses the potential for cobeneficial conservation programs. The interdependent benefits of investments in eight conservation strategies are assessed within the context of legislated renewable energy portfolio and energy efficiency standards. The cobenefits of conservation are found to be significant. Water conservation policies have the potential to reduce statewide electricity demand by 0.82-3.1%, satisfying 4.1-16% of the state's mandated energy-efficiency standard. Adoption of energy-efficiency measures and renewable generation portfolios can reduce nonagricultural water demand by 1.9-15%. These conservation cobenefits are typically not included in conservation plans or benefit-cost analyses. Many cobenefits offer negative costs of saved water and energy, indicating that these measures provide water and energy savings at no net cost. Because ranges of costs and savings for water-energy conservation measures are somewhat uncertain, future studies should investigate the cobenefits of individual conservation strategies in detail. Although this study focuses on Arizona, the analysis can be extended elsewhere as renewable portfolio and energy efficiency standards become more common nationally and internationally.

Placement and efficiency effects on radiative forcing of solar installations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burg, Brian R.; Ruch, Patrick; Paredes, Stephan

2015-09-28

The promise for harnessing solar energy being hampered by cost, triggered efforts to reduce them. As a consequence low-efficiency, low-cost photovoltaics (PV) panels prevail. Conversely, in the traditional energy sector efficiency is extremely important due to the direct costs associated to fuels. This also affects solar energy due to the radiative forcing caused by the dark solar panels. In this paper we extend the concept of energy payback time by including the effect of albedo change, which gives a better assessment of the system sustainability. We present an analysis on the short and medium term climate forcing effects of differentmore » solar collectors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and demonstrate that efficiency is important to reduce the collector area and cost. This also influences the embodied energy and the global warming potential. We show that a placement of a high concentration photovoltaic thermal solar power station outside of the city using a district cooling system has a double beneficial effect since it improves the solar conversion efficiency and reduces the energy demand for cooling in the city. We also explain the mechanisms of the current economic development of solar technologies and anticipate changes.« less

Power Budget Analysis for High Altitude Airships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H.; Elliott, James R.; King, Glen C.

2006-01-01

The High Altitude Airship (HAA) has various potential applications and mission scenarios that require onboard energy harvesting and power distribution systems. The energy source considered for the HAA s power budget is solar photon energy that allows the use of either photovoltaic (PV) cells or advanced thermoelectric (ATE) converters. Both PV cells and an ATE system utilizing high performance thermoelectric materials were briefly compared to identify the advantages of ATE for HAA applications in this study. The ATE can generate a higher quantity of harvested energy than PV cells by utilizing the cascaded efficiency of a three-staged ATE in a tandem mode configuration. Assuming that each stage of ATE material has the figure of merit of 5, the cascaded efficiency of a three-staged ATE system approaches the overall conversion efficiency greater than 60%. Based on this estimated efficiency, the configuration of a HAA and the power utility modules are defined.

Utilizing Commercial Real Estate Owner and Investor Data to Analyze the Financial Performance of Energy Efficient, High-Performance Office Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cloutier, Deborah; Hosseini, Farshid; White, Andrew

Evidence has shown that owning and operating energy-efficient, high-performance, “green” properties results in multiple benefits including lower utility bills, higher rents, improved occupancy, and greater net operating income. However, it is difficult to isolate and control moderating factors to identify the specific drivers behind improved financial performance and value to investors that results from sustainability in real estate. DOE is interested in facilitating deeper investigation of the correlation between energy efficiency and financial performance, reducing data acquisition and matching challenges, and developing a stronger understanding of how sustainable design and energy efficiency impact value. DOE commissioned this pilot study tomore » test the logistical and empirical procedures required to establish a Commercial Real Estate Data Aggregation & Trends Analysis lab, determine the potential benefits available through the lab, and contribute to the existing body of evidence in this field.« less

Spectrum splitting using multi-layer dielectric meta-surfaces for efficient solar energy harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Yuhan; Liu, He; Wu, Wei

2014-06-01

We designed a high-efficiency dispersive mirror based on multi-layer dielectric meta-surfaces. By replacing the secondary mirror of a dome solar concentrator with this dispersive mirror, the solar concentrator can be converted into a spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system with higher energy harvesting efficiency and potentially lower cost. The meta-surfaces are consisted of high-index contrast gratings (HCG). The structures and parameters of the dispersive mirror (i.e. stacked HCG) are optimized based on finite-difference time-domain and rigorous coupled-wave analysis method. Our numerical study shows that the dispersive mirror can direct light with different wavelengths into different angles in the entire solar spectrum, maintaining very low energy loss. Our approach will not only improve the energy harvesting efficiency, but also lower the cost by using single junction cells instead of multi-layer tandem solar cells. Moreover, this approach has the minimal disruption to the existing solar concentrator infrastructures.

Energy efficiency procedures for agricultural machinery used in onion cultivation (Allium fistulosum) as an alternative to reduce carbon emissions under the clean development mechanism at Aquitania (Colombia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochoa, K.; Carrillo, S.; Gutierrez, L.

2014-06-01

Climate change has both causes and consequences over agriculture. This paper focuses on the first element and presents scenarios for ASOLAGO -an onion cropper's association in Colombia with 250 members- to reduce their carbon footprint. It evaluates a case study at "La Primavera" farm using a methodology approved by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Land preparation and crop irrigation were analyzed as stages in order to propose energy efficiency alternatives for both the farm and the association. They include field efficiency, fuel economy and energy efficiency from biofuels for the first stage as well as solar and wind energy supply for the second. A cost-benefit analysis to generate additional income selling additional power produced by the system to the National Grid was done.

International Experiences with Quantifying the Co-Benefits of Energy-Efficiency and Greenhouse-Gas Mitigation Programs and Policies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Christopher; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Price, Lynn

Improving the efficiency of energy production and consumption and switching to lower carbon energy sources can significantly decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and reduce climate change impacts. A growing body of research has found that these measures can also directly mitigate many non-climate change related human health hazards and environmental damage. Positive impacts of policies and programs that occur in addition to the intended primary policy goal are called co-benefits. Policy analysis relies on forecasting and comparing the costs of policy and program implementation and the benefits that accrue to society from implementation. GHG reduction and energy efficiency policies andmore » programs face political resistance in part because of the difficulty of quantifying their benefits. On the one hand, climate change mitigation policy benefits are often global, long-term, and subject to large uncertainties, and subsidized energy pricing can reduce the direct monetary benefits of energy efficiency policies to below their cost. On the other hand, the co-benefits that accrue from these efforts’ resultant reductions in conventional air pollution (such as improved health, agricultural productivity, reduced damage to infrastructure, and local ecosystem improvements) are generally near term, local, and more certain than climate change mitigation benefits and larger than the monetary value of energy savings. The incorporation of co-benefits into energy efficiency and climate mitigation policy and program analysis therefore might significantly increase the uptake of these policies. Faster policy uptake is especially important in developing countries because ongoing development efforts that do not consider co-benefits may lock in suboptimal technologies and infrastructure and result in high costs in future years. Over the past two decades, studies have repeatedly documented that non-climate change related benefits of energy efficiency and fuel conversion efforts, as a part of GHG mitigation strategies, can be from between 30% to over 100% of the costs of such policies and programs strategies. Policy makers around the world are increasingly interested in including both GHG and non-GHG impacts in analyses of energy efficiency and fuel switching policies and programs and a set of methodologies has matured from the efforts of early moving jurisdictions such as the European Union, the United States, and Japan.« less

Commercial Building Energy Asset Score

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

This software (Asset Scoring Tool) is designed to help building owners and managers to gain insight into the as-built efficiency of their buildings. It is a web tool where users can enter their building information and obtain an asset score report. The asset score report consists of modeled building energy use (by end use and by fuel type), building systems (envelope, lighting, heating, cooling, service hot water) evaluations, and recommended energy efficiency measures. The intended users are building owners and operators who have limited knowledge of building energy efficiency. The scoring tool collects minimum building data (~20 data entries) frommore » users and build a full-scale energy model using the inference functionalities from Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS). The scoring tool runs real-time building energy simulation using EnergyPlus and performs life-cycle cost analysis using FEDS. An API is also under development to allow the third-party applications to exchange data with the web service of the scoring tool.« less

An energy analysis of torrefaction for upgrading microalga residue as a solid fuel.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Hsin; Huang, Ming-Yueh; Chang, Jo-Shu; Chen, Chun-Yen; Lee, Wen-Jhy

2015-06-01

The torrefaction characteristics and energy utilization of microalga Chlamydomonas sp. JSC4 (C. sp. JSC4) residue under the combination of temperature and duration are studied by examining contour maps. The torrefaction temperature on the contour line of solid yield has a trend to linearly decrease with increasing duration. An index of relative energy efficiency (REE) is introduced to identify the performance of energy utilization for upgrading biomass. For a fixed energy yield, the optimal operation can be found to maximize the heating value of the biomass and minimize the solid yield. The energy utilization under the combination of a high temperature and a short duration is more efficient than that of a low temperature and a long duration. The maximum REE along the contour line of energy yield is always exhibited at the highest temperature (300°C) where the energy efficiency can be enlarged by a factor of at least 2.36. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced electrocaloric analysis and energy-storage performance of lanthanum modified lead titanate ceramics for potential solid-state refrigeration applications.

PubMed

Zhang, Tian-Fu; Huang, Xian-Xiong; Tang, Xin-Gui; Jiang, Yan-Ping; Liu, Qiu-Xiang; Lu, Biao; Lu, Sheng-Guo

2018-01-10

The unique properties and great variety of relaxer ferroelectrics make them highly attractive in energy-storage and solid-state refrigeration technologies. In this work, lanthanum modified lead titanate ceramics are prepared and studied. The giant electrocaloric effect in lanthanum modified lead titanate ceramics is revealed for the first time. Large refrigeration efficiency (27.4) and high adiabatic temperature change (1.67 K) are achieved by indirect analysis. Direct measurements of electrocaloric effect show that reversible adiabatic temperature change is also about 1.67 K, which exceeds many electrocaloric effect values in current direct measured electrocaloric studies. Both theoretical calculated and direct measured electrocaloric effects are in good agreements in high temperatures. Temperature and electric field related energy storage properties are also analyzed, maximum energy-storage density and energy-storage efficiency are about 0.31 J/cm 3 and 91.2%, respectively.

Scalable methodology for large scale building energy improvement: Relevance of calibration in model-based retrofit analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heo, Yeonsook; Augenbroe, Godfried; Graziano, Diane

2015-05-01

The increasing interest in retrofitting of existing buildings is motivated by the need to make a major contribution to enhancing building energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption and CO2 emission by the built environment. This paper examines the relevance of calibration in model-based analysis to support decision-making for energy and carbon efficiency retrofits of individual buildings and portfolios of buildings. The authors formulate a set of real retrofit decision-making situations and evaluate the role of calibration by using a case study that compares predictions and decisions from an uncalibrated model with those of a calibrated model. The case study illustratesmore » both the mechanics and outcomes of a practical alternative to the expert- and time-intense application of dynamic energy simulation models for large-scale retrofit decision-making under uncertainty.« less

Trends in Austrian Resource Efficiency: An Exergy and Useful Work Analysis in Comparison to Material Use, CO2 Emissions, and Land Use

PubMed Central

Warr, Benjamin; Magerl, Andreas

2016-01-01

Summary In the past few years, resource use and resource efficiency have been implemented in the European Union (EU) environmental policy programs as well as international sustainable development programs. In their programs, the EU focuses on four resource types that should be addressed: materials, energy (or carbon dioxide [CO2] emissions), water, and land. In this article, we first discuss different perspectives on energy use and present the results of a long‐term exergy and useful work analysis of the Austrian economy for the period 1900–2012, using the methodology developed by Ayres and Warr. Second, we discuss Austrian resource efficiency by comparing the presented exergy and useful work data with material use, CO2 emissions, and land‐use data taken from statistical sources. This comparison provides, for the first time, a long‐term analysis of Austrian resource efficiency based on a broad understanding thereof and evaluates Austrian development in relation to EU and Austrian policy targets. PMID:29353991

An Optimal CDS Construction Algorithm with Activity Scheduling in Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Penumalli, Chakradhar; Palanichamy, Yogesh

2015-01-01

A new energy efficient optimal Connected Dominating Set (CDS) algorithm with activity scheduling for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is proposed. This algorithm achieves energy efficiency by minimizing the Broadcast Storm Problem [BSP] and at the same time considering the node's remaining energy. The Connected Dominating Set is widely used as a virtual backbone or spine in mobile ad hoc networks [MANETs] or Wireless Sensor Networks [WSN]. The CDS of a graph representing a network has a significant impact on an efficient design of routing protocol in wireless networks. Here the CDS is a distributed algorithm with activity scheduling based on unit disk graph [UDG]. The node's mobility and residual energy (RE) are considered as parameters in the construction of stable optimal energy efficient CDS. The performance is evaluated at various node densities, various transmission ranges, and mobility rates. The theoretical analysis and simulation results of this algorithm are also presented which yield better results. PMID:26221627

Energy efficiency analysis of reactor for torrefaction of biomass with direct heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmina, J. S.; Director, L. B.; Shevchenko, A. L.; Zaichenko, V. M.

2016-11-01

Paper presents energy analysis of reactor for torrefaction with direct heating of granulated biomass by exhaust gases. Various schemes of gas flow through the reactor zones are presented. Performed is a comparative evaluation of the specific energy consumption for the considered schemes. It has been shown that one of the most expensive processes of torrefaction technology is recycling of pyrolysis gases.

Global Potential of Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNeil, Michael A; McNeil, Michael A.; Letschert, Virginie

2008-06-15

This report estimates the global potential reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 for energy efficiency improvements associated with equipment (appliances, lighting, and HVAC) in buildings by means of energy efficiency standards and labels (EES&L). A consensus has emerged among the world's scientists and many corporate and political leaders regarding the need to address the threat of climate change through emissions mitigation and adaptation. A further consensus has emerged that a central component of these strategies must be focused around energy, which is the primary generator of greenhouse gas emissions. Two important questions result from this consensus: 'what kinds ofmore » policies encourage the appropriate transformation to energy efficiency' and 'how much impact can these policies have'? This report aims to contribute to the dialogue surrounding these issues by considering the potential impacts of a single policy type, applied on a global scale. The policy addressed in this report is Energy Efficient Standards and Labeling (EES&L) for energy-consuming equipment, which has now been implemented in over 60 countries. Mandatory energy performance standards are important because they contribute positively to a nation's economy and provide relative certainty about the outcome (both timing and magnitudes). Labels also contribute positively to a nation's economy and importantly increase the awareness of the energy-consuming public. Other policies not analyzed here (utility incentives, tax credits) are complimentary to standards and labels and also contribute in significant ways to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We believe the analysis reported here to be the first systematic attempt to evaluate the potential of savings from EES&L for all countries and for such a large set of products. The goal of the analysis is to provide an assessment that is sufficiently well-quantified and accurate to allow comparison and integration with other strategies under consideration.« less

Comparative analysis of wind energy production in Oklahoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ermilova, Ekaterina Alexeevna

Scope and method of study. In the last decades humanity has realized the necessity of developing alternative energy sources for its efficient economic development and simple survival in the future. During the last 30 years major improvements were made in renewable energy technologies and they started to become competitive with traditional energy sources (fossil fuels), especially with consideration of external costs. Among the renewable energy sources, wind energy is one of the cheapest and fastest growing nowadays. Oklahoma is a very promising site for wind energy development considering its excellent wind resources. Developing wind energy can allow not only electricity production for in-state consumption, but also exporting to other states. The development of wind energy could encourage economic growth with very few adverse impacts on the environment. However, traditional energy sources are still the cheapest and, thus, the introduction of the wind energy in Oklahoma should be critically analyzed from economic, ecological and social points of view. The goal of this study is to conduct analysis of wind energy electricity production in Oklahoma on the four main stages: (1) Investment Analysis from Private Perspective: Calculate present value net benefits for wind energy and traditional energy (natural gas), make sure that both of them are positive. (2) Investment Analysis from Social Perspective: Evaluate present value net private benefits (PVNPB) and present value net social benefit from both projects (PVNSB). (3) Government Subsidy Analysis: recognize the necessity of the subsidies and evaluate the amount of subsidies if any. (4) Investment Analysis from a Geographic Perspective: determine economic feasibility of wind power generation for 77 Oklahoma counties. Findings and conclusions. The final output of the study is the recommendations concerning wind energy development in Oklahoma with consideration of economic efficiency, ecological and social impacts. Study not only analyze possibilities for wind energy development in the state, but make recommendations on the county by county basis with consideration of wind power density, land cost, property tax and infrastructure development in each county.

An analysis of partial efficiencies of energy utilisation of different macronutrients by barramundi (Lates calcarifer) shows that starch restricts protein utilisation in carnivorous fish.

PubMed

Glencross, Brett D; Blyth, David; Bourne, Nicholas; Cheers, Susan; Irvin, Simon; Wade, Nicholas M

2017-02-01

This study examined the effect of including different dietary proportions of starch, protein and lipid, in diets balanced for digestible energy, on the utilisation efficiencies of dietary energy by barramundi (Lates calcarifer). Each diet was fed at one of three ration levels (satiety, 80 % of initial satiety and 60 % of initial satiety) for a 42-d period. Fish performance measures (weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio) were all affected by dietary energy source. The efficiency of energy utilisation was significantly reduced in fish fed the starch diet relative to the other diets, but there were no significant effects between the other macronutrients. This reduction in efficiency of utilisation was derived from a multifactorial change in both protein and lipid utilisation. The rate of protein utilisation deteriorated as the amount of starch included in the diet increased. Lipid utilisation was most dramatically affected by inclusion levels of lipid in the diet, with diets low in lipid producing component lipid utilisation rates well above 1·3, which indicates substantial lipid synthesis from other energy sources. However, the energetic cost of lipid gain was as low as 0·65 kJ per kJ of lipid deposited, indicating that barramundi very efficiently store energy in the form of lipid, particularly from dietary starch energy. This study defines how the utilisation efficiency of dietary digestible energy by barramundi is influenced by the macronutrient source providing that energy, and that the inclusion of starch causes problems with protein utilisation in this species.

Theoretical investigations of energy harvesting efficiency from structural vibrations using piezoelectric and electromagnetic oscillators.

PubMed

Harne, Ryan L

2012-07-01

Conversion of ambient vibrational energy into electric power has been the impetus of much modern research. The traditional analysis has focused on absolute electrical power output from the harvesting devices and efficiency defined as the convertibility of an infinite resource of vibration excitation into power. This perspective has limited extensibility when applying resonant harvesters to host resonant structures when the inertial influence of the harvester is more significant. Instead, this work pursues a fundamental understanding of the coupled dynamics of a main mass-spring-damper system to which an electromagnetic or piezoelectric mass-spring-damper is attached. The governing equations are derived, a metric of efficiency is presented, and analysis is undertaken. It is found that electromagnetic energy harvesting efficiency and maximum power output is limited by the strength of the coupling such that no split system resonances are induced for a given mass ratio. For piezoelectric harvesters, only the coupling strength and certain design requirements dictate maximum power and efficiency achievable. Since the harvesting circuitry must "follow" the split resonances as the piezoelectric harvesters become more massive, the optimum design of piezoelectric harvesters appears to be more involved than for electromagnetic devices.

Design of multi-energy Helds coupling testing system of vertical axis wind power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Q.; Yang, Z. X.; Li, G. S.; Song, L.; Ma, C.

2016-08-01

The conversion efficiency of wind energy is the focus of researches and concerns as one of the renewable energy. The present methods of enhancing the conversion efficiency are mostly improving the wind rotor structure, optimizing the generator parameters and energy storage controller and so on. Because the conversion process involves in energy conversion of multi-energy fields such as wind energy, mechanical energy and electrical energy, the coupling effect between them will influence the overall conversion efficiency. In this paper, using system integration analysis technology, a testing system based on multi-energy field coupling (MEFC) of vertical axis wind power system is proposed. When the maximum efficiency of wind rotor is satisfied, it can match to the generator function parameters according to the output performance of wind rotor. The voltage controller can transform the unstable electric power to the battery on the basis of optimizing the parameters such as charging times, charging voltage. Through the communication connection and regulation of the upper computer system (UCS), it can make the coupling parameters configure to an optimal state, and it improves the overall conversion efficiency. This method can test the whole wind turbine (WT) performance systematically and evaluate the design parameters effectively. It not only provides a testing method for system structure design and parameter optimization of wind rotor, generator and voltage controller, but also provides a new testing method for the whole performance optimization of vertical axis wind energy conversion system (WECS).

Energy efficiency analysis and implementation of AES on an FPGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenney, David

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was developed by Joan Daemen and Vincent Rjimen and endorsed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2001. It was designed to replace the aging Data Encryption Standard (DES) and be useful for a wide range of applications with varying throughput, area, power dissipation and energy consumption requirements. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are flexible and reconfigurable integrated circuits that are useful for many different applications including the implementation of AES. Though they are highly flexible, FPGAs are often less efficient than Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs); they tend to operate slower, take up more space and dissipate more power. There have been many FPGA AES implementations that focus on obtaining high throughput or low area usage, but very little research done in the area of low power or energy efficient FPGA based AES; in fact, it is rare for estimates on power dissipation to be made at all. This thesis presents a methodology to evaluate the energy efficiency of FPGA based AES designs and proposes a novel FPGA AES implementation which is highly flexible and energy efficient. The proposed methodology is implemented as part of a novel scripting tool, the AES Energy Analyzer, which is able to fully characterize the power dissipation and energy efficiency of FPGA based AES designs. Additionally, this thesis introduces a new FPGA power reduction technique called Opportunistic Combinational Operand Gating (OCOG) which is used in the proposed energy efficient implementation. The AES Energy Analyzer was able to estimate the power dissipation and energy efficiency of the proposed AES design during its most commonly performed operations. It was found that the proposed implementation consumes less energy per operation than any previous FPGA based AES implementations that included power estimations. Finally, the use of Opportunistic Combinational Operand Gating on an AES cipher was found to reduce its dynamic power consumption by up to 17% when compared to an identical design that did not employ the technique.

Greens, suits, and bureaucrats: A sociological study of dynamic organizational relationships in energy efficient appliance policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shwom-Evelich, Rachael Leah

In this dissertation I develop an approach to understanding dynamic organizational relations and the processes of environmental degradation and reform. To do this, I draw on environmental and organizational sociology to inform an empirical study of interorganizational relationships in defining and promoting energy efficient appliances in the United States (US). The dissertation follows a three paper approach which involves (a) an overall introduction to the substantive issue of appliance energy efficiency in the US; (b) producing three separate and stand alone articles of publishable quality to be submitted to professional journals; and (c) an overall conclusion. The three articles are as follows: (1) a synthetic literature review identifying five lessons that organizational sociology and environmental sociology can learn from each other to advance our sociological understanding of organizations, energy issues, and climate change (2) a qualitative case study of the changing relationships between business, government and environmental and energy advocacy organizations around mandatory appliance efficiency standards supporting the development of a context-dependent theory of ecological modernization and treadmill of production theories in environmental sociology and (3) a network analysis of public government, business and energy efficiency advocate's interorganizational relationships and its influence on subsequent organizational behaviors in the appliance energy efficiency field. The second and third articles are based on extensive archival research on organizational negotiations of public record over defining energy efficient appliances in both regulatory and voluntary settings. Finally I will provide an overall conclusion that brings together the most significant findings of each individual article in anticipation of a synthetic approach to the study of organizations in environmental reform.

Assessment of the Impacts of Standards and Labeling Programs inMexico (four products).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchez, Itha; Pulido, Henry; McNeil, Michael A.

2007-06-12

This study analyzes impacts from energy efficiency standards and labeling in Mexico from 1994 through 2005 for four major products: household refrigerators, room air conditioners, three-phase (squirrel cage) induction motors, and clothes washers. It is a retrospective analysis, seeking to assess verified impacts on product efficiency in the Mexican market in the first ten years after standards were implemented. Such an analysis allows the Mexican government to compare actual to originally forecast program benefits. In addition, it provides an extremely valuable benchmark for other countries considering standards, and to the energy policy community as a whole. The methodology for evaluationmore » begins with historical test data taken for a large number of models of each product type between 1994 and 2005. The pre-standard efficiency of models in 1994 is taken as a baseline throughout the analysis. Model efficiency data were provided by an independent certification laboratory (ANCE), which tested products as part of the certification and enforcement mechanism defined by the standards program. Using this data, together with economic and market data provided by both government and private sector sources, the analysis considers several types of national level program impacts. These include: Energy savings; Environmental (emissions) impacts, and Net financial impacts to consumers, manufacturers and utilities. Energy savings impacts are calculated using the same methodology as the original projections, allowing a comparison. Other impacts are calculated using a robust and sophisticated methodology developed by the Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas (IIE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), in a collaboration supported by the Collaborative Labeling and Standards Program (CLASP).« less

Energy efficient industrialized housing research program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, R.; Brown, G.Z.; Finrow, J.

1989-01-01

This is the second volume of a two volume report on energy efficient industrialized housing. Volume II contains support documentation for Volume I. The following items are included: individual trip reports; software bibliography; industry contacts in the US, Denmark, and Japan; Cost comparison of industrialized housing in the US and Denmark; draft of the final report on the systems analysis for Fleetwood Mobile Home Manufacturers. (SM)

State policy as a driver of innovation to support economic growth: California energy-efficiency policy (1975-2005)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klementich, Eloisa Y.

2011-12-01

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to identify whether a relationship exists between state energy-efficiency policy and innovation in the State of California and to shed light on the impact that energy-efficiency policy can have on supporting statewide economic development goals. Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework drew from foundations in neoclassical economic theory, technology change theory, and new growth theory. Together these theories formed the basis to describe the impacts caused by the innovations within the market economy. Under this framework, policy-generated innovations are viewed to be translated into efficiency and productivity that propel economic benefits. Methodological Considerations. This study examined various economic indices and efficiency attainment indices affecting four home appliances regulated under Title 20's energy-efficiency standard established by the California Energy Commission, Warren Alquist Act. The multiple regression analysis performed provided an understanding of the relationship between the products regulated, the regulation standard, and the policy as it relates to energy-efficiency regulation. Findings. There is enough evidence to show that strategies embedded in the Warren Alquist Act, Title 20 do drive innovation. Three of the four product categories tested showed statistical significance in the policy standard resulting in an industry efficiency improvement. Conclusively, the consumption of electricity per capita in California has positively diverged over a 35-year period from national trends, even though California had mirrored the nation in income and family size during the same period, the only clear case of divergence is the state's action toward a different energy policy. Conclusions and Recommendations. California's regulations propelled manufacturers to reach higher efficiency levels not otherwise pursued by market forces. The California effort included alliances all working together to make the change financially feasible as well as increasing efficiency levels. The success of the policy is based on the attainment of regulation standards, economic growth within the energy-efficiency industry, and energy-efficiency business savings. The key to the policy was its ability to "level the playing field" for manufacturers who could then choose the technology and design that best fit their products and compliance levels while at the same time lowering the cost of production.

The EU sustainable energy policy indicators framework.

PubMed

Streimikiene, Dalia; Sivickas, Gintautas

2008-11-01

The article deals with indicators framework to monitor implementation of the main EU (European Union) directives and other policy documents targeting sustainable energy development. The main EU directives which have impact on sustainable energy development are directives promoting energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources, directives implementing greenhouse gas mitigation and atmospheric pollution reduction policies and other policy documents and strategies targeting energy sector. Promotion of use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency improvements are among priorities of EU energy policy because the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency improvements has positive impact on energy security and climate change mitigation. The framework of indicators can be developed to establish the main targets set by EU energy and environmental policies allowing to connect indicators via chain of mutual impacts and to define policies and measures necessary to achieve established targets based on assessment of their impact on the targeted indicators representing sustainable energy development aims. The article discusses the application of indicators framework for EU sustainable energy policy analysis and presents the case study of this policy tool application for Baltic States. The article also discusses the use of biomass in Baltic States and future considerations in this field.

U.S. Air Force Energy Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

prepared to acquire 50% of domestic aviation fuel requirements via an alternative fuel blend by 2016 Installation Energy  Reduce energy intensity by...FY10  On track to certify fleet on synthetic fuel blend by early 2011 Installation Energy  Reduced installation energy intensity nearly 15% since... Winglets Manufacturing Methods Propulsion Integration Alt Fuels Analysis New Efficient Engines Legacy Aircraft Energy Harvesting Weight-optimized

Energy efficiency in U.K. shopping centres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangiarotti, Michela

Energy efficiency in shopping centres means providing comfortable internal environment and services to the occupants with minimum energy use in a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner. This research considers the interaction of three factors affecting the energy efficiency of shopping centres: i) performance of the building fabric and services ii) management of the building in terms of operation, control, maintenance and replacement of the building fabric and services, and company's energy policy iii) occupants' expectation for comfort and awareness of energy efficiency. The aim of the investigation is to determine the role of the above factors in the energy consumption and carbon emissions of shopping centres and the scope for reducing this energy usage by changing one or all the three factors. The study also attempts to prioritize the changes in the above factors that are more cost-effective at reducing that energy consumption and identify the benefits and main economic and legal drivers for energy efficiency in shopping centres. To achieve these targets, three case studies have been analysed. Using energy data from bills, the performance of the selected case studies has been assessed to establish trends and current energy consumption and carbon emissions of shopping centres and their related causes. A regression analysis has attempted to break down the energy consumption of the landlords' area by end-use to identify the main sources of energy usage and consequently introduce cost-effective measures for saving energy. A monitoring and occupants' survey in both landlords' and tenants' areas have been carried out at the same time to compare the objective data of the environmental conditions with the subjective impressions of shoppers and shopkeepers. In particular, the monitoring aimed at assessing the internal environment to identify possible causes of discomfort and opportunities for introducing energy saving measures. The survey looked at determining the occupants' expectation for comfort and awareness of energy efficiency in shopping centres. The results show the complexity of prioritizing the three factors affecting energy efficiency in shopping centres, highlighting the relationships between those factors, and the role of different actors, involved in the life of shopping centres, in the energy and environmental performance of these buildings.

A study of power generation from a low-cost hydrokinetic energy system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davila Vilchis, Juana Mariel

The kinetic energy in river streams, tidal currents, or other artificial water channels has been used as a feasible source of renewable power through different conversion systems. Thus, hydrokinetic energy conversion systems are attracting worldwide interest as another form of distributed alternative energy. Because these systems are still in early stages of development, the basic approaches need significant research. The main challenges are not only to have efficient systems, but also to convert energy more economically so that the cost-benefit analysis drives the growth of this alternative energy form. One way to view this analysis is in terms of the energy conversion efficiency per unit cost. This study presents a detailed assessment of a prototype hydrokinetic energy system along with power output costs. This experimental study was performed using commercial low-cost blades of 20 in diameter inside a tank with water flow speed up to 1.3 m/s. The work was divided into two stages: (a) a fixed-pitch blade configuration, using a radial permanent magnet generator (PMG), and (b) the same hydrokinetic turbine, with a variable-pitch blade and an axial-flux PMG. The results indicate that even though the efficiency of a simple blade configuration is not high, the power coefficient is in the range of other, more complicated designs/prototypes. Additionally, the low manufacturing and operation costs of this system offer an option for low-cost distributed power applications.

Thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of power generation from natural salinity gradients by pressure retarded osmosis.

PubMed

Yip, Ngai Yin; Elimelech, Menachem

2012-05-01

The Gibbs free energy of mixing dissipated when fresh river water flows into the sea can be harnessed for sustainable power generation. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is one of the methods proposed to generate power from natural salinity gradients. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of PRO work extraction. First, we present a reversible thermodynamic model for PRO and verify that the theoretical maximum extractable work in a reversible PRO process is identical to the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Work extraction in an irreversible constant-pressure PRO process is then examined. We derive an expression for the maximum extractable work in a constant-pressure PRO process and show that it is less than the ideal work (i.e., Gibbs free energy of mixing) due to inefficiencies intrinsic to the process. These inherent inefficiencies are attributed to (i) frictional losses required to overcome hydraulic resistance and drive water permeation and (ii) unutilized energy due to the discontinuation of water permeation when the osmotic pressure difference becomes equal to the applied hydraulic pressure. The highest extractable work in constant-pressure PRO with a seawater draw solution and river water feed solution is 0.75 kWh/m(3) while the free energy of mixing is 0.81 kWh/m(3)-a thermodynamic extraction efficiency of 91.1%. Our analysis further reveals that the operational objective to achieve high power density in a practical PRO process is inconsistent with the goal of maximum energy extraction. This study demonstrates thermodynamic and energetic approaches for PRO and offers insights on actual energy accessible for utilization in PRO power generation through salinity gradients. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Factors influencing efficient structure of fuel and energy complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorova, N. G.; Novikova, S. A.

2017-10-01

The development of the Russian fuel-energy complex is a priority for the national economic policy, and the Far East is a link between Russia and the Asia-Pacific region. Large-scale engineering of numerous resources of the Far East will force industrial development, increase living standard and strengthen Russia’s position in the global energy market. So, revealing the factors which influence rational structure of the fuel-energy complex is very urgent nowadays. With the use of depth analysis of development tendencies of the complex and its problems the authors show ways of its efficiency improvement.

Development of energy consumption and energy efficiency potential in the Brazilian industrial sector according to the Integrated Energy Planning Model (IEPM)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tolmasquim, M.T.; Szklo, A.S.; Cohen, C.

This paper presents the development of energy consumption in the Brazilian industrial sector and energy efficiency potential based on the analysis undertaken through a model developed in the Energy Planning Program at COPPE/UFRJ, known as the Integrated Energy Planning Model (IEPM). The study starts by presenting the IEPM, which is a technical and economic parameter-based model designed to forecast energy supplies and consumption for all economic sectors in Brazil, within three scenarios. Outlines of all three scenarios are presented, as they were constructed according to certain specific assumptions. The industrial sector was broken down into eleven sub-sectors: food and beverages,more » ceramics, cement, iron and steel, mining and pelletizing, ferroalloys, non-ferrous metals and others (metallurgy), chemicals, pulp and paper, textiles and other industries (MME, 1998). All these sub-sectors will also be presented as well as the results of the scenario forecasts. Results deriving from these forecasts come from very specific studies that analyze all process steps in each sub-sector in order to propose energy replacements, efficiency improvements of structural production alterations that result in major potential energy consumption reductions. Last but not least, this paper gives the development forecasts deriving from the three scenarios over ten years, with their contributions to energy efficiency in the Brazilian industrial sector, showing that the authors can reduce energy consumption in the Brazilian industrial sector by: substituting less efficient processes by more efficient ones, through the conversion of final energy into usable energy, basically, in the cement and aluminum industries; replacing equipment and energy sources; modifying product mix of several industries (pulp and paper), assigning top priority to producing goods with higher added value that are less energy intensive, and, finally, reducing the share held by some energy intensive sectors in the industrial output.« less

The Future of Utility Customer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs in the United States: Projected Spending and Savings to 2025

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barbose, Galen; Goldman, Charles; Hoffman, Ian

2012-09-11

We develop projections of future spending on, and savings from, energy efficiency programs funded by electric and gas utility customers in the United States, under three scenarios through 2025. Our analysis, which updates a previous LBNL study, relies on detailed bottom-up modeling of current state energy efficiency policies, regulatory decisions, and demand-side management and utility resource plans. The three scenarios are intended to represent a range of potential outcomes under the current policy environment (i.e., without considering possible major new policy developments). By 2025, spending on electric and gas efficiency programs (excluding load management programs) is projected to double frommore » 2010 levels to $9.5 billion in the medium case, compared to $15.6 billion in the high case and $6.5 billion in the low case. Compliance with statewide legislative or regulatory savings or spending targets is the primary driver for the increase in electric program spending through 2025, though a significant share of the increase is also driven by utility DSM planning activity and integrated resource planning. Our analysis suggests that electric efficiency program spending may approach a more even geographic distribution over time in terms of absolute dollars spent, with the Northeastern and Western states declining from over 70% of total U.S. spending in 2010 to slightly more than 50% in 2025, with the South and Midwest splitting the remainder roughly evenly. Under our medium case scenario, annual incremental savings from customer-funded electric energy efficiency programs increase from 18.4 TWh in 2010 in the U.S. (which is about 0.5% of electric utility retail sales) to 28.8 TWh in 2025 (0.8% of retail sales). These savings would offset the majority of load growth in the Energy Information Administration’s most recent reference case forecast, given specific assumptions about the extent to which future energy efficiency program savings are captured in that forecast. However, the pathway that customer-funded efficiency programs ultimately take will depend on a series of key challenges and uncertainties associated both with the broader market and policy context and with the implementation and regulatory oversight of the energy efficiency programs themselves.« less

Synergies and trade-offs between energy-efficient urbanization and health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Sohail; Pachauri, Shonali; Creutzig, Felix

2017-11-01

Energy-efficient urbanization and public health pose major development challenges for India. While both issues are intensively studied, their interaction is not well understood. Here we explore the relationship between urban infrastructures, public health, and household-related emissions, identifying potential synergies and trade-offs of specific interventions by analyzing nationally representative household surveys from 2005 and 2012. Our analysis confirms previous characterizations of the environmental-health transition, but also points to an important role of energy use and urbanization as modifiers of this transition. We find that non-motorized transport may prove a sweet spot for development, as its use is associated with lower emissions and better public health in cities. Urbanization and improved access to basic services correlate with lower short-term morbidity (STM), such as fever, cough and diarrhea. Our analysis suggests that a 10% increase in urbanization from current levels and concurrent improvement in access to modern cooking and clean water could lower STM for 2.4 million people. This would be associated with a modest increase in electricity related emissions of 84 ktCO2e annually. Promoting energy-efficient mobility systems, for instance by a 10% increase in bicycling, could lower chronic conditions like diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases for 0.3 million people while also abating emissions. These findings provide empirical evidence to validate that energy-efficient and sustainable urbanization can address both public health and climate change challenges simultaneously.

Simple structured hybrid WOLEDs based on incomplete energy transfer mechanism: from blue exciplex to orange dopant.

PubMed

Zhang, Tianyou; Zhao, Bo; Chu, Bei; Li, Wenlian; Su, Zisheng; Yan, Xingwu; Liu, Chengyuan; Wu, Hairuo; Gao, Yuan; Jin, Fangming; Hou, Fuhua

2015-05-15

Exciplex is well known as a charge transfer state formed between electron-donating and electron-accepting molecules. However, exciplex based organic light emitting diodes (OLED) often performed low efficiencies relative to pure phosphorescent OLED and could hardly be used to construct white OLED (WOLED). In this work, a new mechanism is developed to realize efficient WOLED with extremely simple structure by redistributing the energy of triplet exciplex to both singlet exciplex and the orange dopant. The micro process of energy transfer could be directly examined by detailed photoluminescence decay measurement and time resolved photoluminescence analysis. This strategy overcomes the low reverse intersystem crossing efficiency of blue exciplex and complicated device structure of traditional WOLED, enables us to achieve efficient hybrid WOLEDs. Based on this mechanism, we have successfully constructed both exciplex-fluorescence and exciplex-phosphorescence hybrid WOLEDs with remarkable efficiencies.

Simple structured hybrid WOLEDs based on incomplete energy transfer mechanism: from blue exciplex to orange dopant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tianyou; Zhao, Bo; Chu, Bei; Li, Wenlian; Su, Zisheng; Yan, Xingwu; Liu, Chengyuan; Wu, Hairuo; Gao, Yuan; Jin, Fangming; Hou, Fuhua

2015-05-01

Exciplex is well known as a charge transfer state formed between electron-donating and electron-accepting molecules. However, exciplex based organic light emitting diodes (OLED) often performed low efficiencies relative to pure phosphorescent OLED and could hardly be used to construct white OLED (WOLED). In this work, a new mechanism is developed to realize efficient WOLED with extremely simple structure by redistributing the energy of triplet exciplex to both singlet exciplex and the orange dopant. The micro process of energy transfer could be directly examined by detailed photoluminescence decay measurement and time resolved photoluminescence analysis. This strategy overcomes the low reverse intersystem crossing efficiency of blue exciplex and complicated device structure of traditional WOLED, enables us to achieve efficient hybrid WOLEDs. Based on this mechanism, we have successfully constructed both exciplex-fluorescence and exciplex-phosphorescence hybrid WOLEDs with remarkable efficiencies.

Simple structured hybrid WOLEDs based on incomplete energy transfer mechanism: from blue exciplex to orange dopant

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tianyou; Zhao, Bo; Chu, Bei; Li, Wenlian; Su, Zisheng; Yan, Xingwu; Liu, Chengyuan; Wu, Hairuo; Gao, Yuan; Jin, Fangming; Hou, Fuhua

2015-01-01

Exciplex is well known as a charge transfer state formed between electron-donating and electron-accepting molecules. However, exciplex based organic light emitting diodes (OLED) often performed low efficiencies relative to pure phosphorescent OLED and could hardly be used to construct white OLED (WOLED). In this work, a new mechanism is developed to realize efficient WOLED with extremely simple structure by redistributing the energy of triplet exciplex to both singlet exciplex and the orange dopant. The micro process of energy transfer could be directly examined by detailed photoluminescence decay measurement and time resolved photoluminescence analysis. This strategy overcomes the low reverse intersystem crossing efficiency of blue exciplex and complicated device structure of traditional WOLED, enables us to achieve efficient hybrid WOLEDs. Based on this mechanism, we have successfully constructed both exciplex-fluorescence and exciplex-phosphorescence hybrid WOLEDs with remarkable efficiencies. PMID:25975371

Investigation of possibilities for solar powered high energy lasers in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rather, J. D. G.; Gerry, E. T.; Zeiders, G. W.

1977-01-01

The feasibility of solar powered high energy lasers in space has been studied. Preliminary analysis indicates that both direct and indirect pumping methods lead to high energy lasers having interesting efficiencies and capabilities. Many topics for further research have been identified.

Pressure Mapping and Efficiency Analysis of an EPPLER 857 Hydrokinetic Turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Tristan

A conceptual energy ship is presented to provide renewable energy. The ship, driven by the wind, drags a hydrokinetic turbine through the water. The power generated is used to run electrolysis on board, taking the resultant hydrogen back to shore to be used as an energy source. The basin efficiency (Power/thrust*velocity) of the Hydrokinetic Turbine (HTK) plays a vital role in this process. In order to extract the maximum allowable power from the flow, the blades need to be optimized. The structural analysis of the blade is important, as the blade will undergo high pressure loads from the water. A procedure for analysis of a preliminary Hydrokinetic Turbine blade design is developed. The blade was designed by a non-optimized Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT) code. Six simulations were run, with varying mesh resolution, turbulence models, and flow region size. The procedure was developed that provides detailed explanation for the entire process, from geometry and mesh generation to post-processing analysis tools. The efficiency results from the simulations are used to study the mesh resolution, flow region size, and turbulence models. The results are compared to the BEMT model design targets. Static pressure maps are created that can be used for structural analysis of the blades.

India's pulp and paper industry: Productivity and energy efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schumacher, Katja

1999-07-01

Historical estimates of productivity growth in India's pulp and paper sector vary from indicating an improvement to a decline in the sector's productivity. The variance may be traced to the time period of study, source of data for analysis, and type of indices and econometric specifications used for reporting productivity growth. The authors derive both statistical and econometric estimates of productivity growth for this sector. Their results show that productivity declined over the observed period from 1973-74 to 1993-94 by 1.1% p.a. Using a translog specification the econometric analysis reveals that technical progress in India's pulp and paper sector hasmore » been biased towards the use of energy and material, while it has been capital and labor saving. The decline in productivity was caused largely by the protection afforded by high tariffs on imported paper products and other policies, which allowed inefficient, small plants to enter the market and flourish. Will these trends continue into the future, particularly where energy use is concerned? The authors examine the current changes in structure and energy efficiency undergoing in the sector. Their analysis shows that with liberalization of the sector, and tighter environmental controls, the industry is moving towards higher efficiency and productivity. However, the analysis also shows that because these improvements are being hampered by significant financial and other barriers the industry might have a long way to go.« less

Advanced building energy management system demonstration for Department of Defense buildings.

PubMed

O'Neill, Zheng; Bailey, Trevor; Dong, Bing; Shashanka, Madhusudana; Luo, Dong

2013-08-01

This paper presents an advanced building energy management system (aBEMS) that employs advanced methods of whole-building performance monitoring combined with statistical methods of learning and data analysis to enable identification of both gradual and discrete performance erosion and faults. This system assimilated data collected from multiple sources, including blueprints, reduced-order models (ROM) and measurements, and employed advanced statistical learning algorithms to identify patterns of anomalies. The results were presented graphically in a manner understandable to facilities managers. A demonstration of aBEMS was conducted in buildings at Naval Station Great Lakes. The facility building management systems were extended to incorporate the energy diagnostics and analysis algorithms, producing systematic identification of more efficient operation strategies. At Naval Station Great Lakes, greater than 20% savings were demonstrated for building energy consumption by improving facility manager decision support to diagnose energy faults and prioritize alternative, energy-efficient operation strategies. The paper concludes with recommendations for widespread aBEMS success. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

Experimental Analysis of Voltage Drop Compensation in a DC Electrified Railway by Introducing an Energy Storage System Incorporating EDLCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Takeshi; Hase, Shin-Ichi; Nakamichi, Yoshinobu; Nara, Hidetaka; Uemura, Tadashi

Interest has been shown in the concept of an energy storage system aimed at leveling load and improving energy efficiency by charging during vehicle regeneration and discharging during running. Such a system represents an efficient countermeasure against pantograph point voltage drop, power load fluctuation and regenerative power loss. We selected an EDLC model as an energy storage medium and a step-up/step-down chopper as a power converter to exchange power between the storage medium and overhead lines. Basic verification was conducted using a mini-model for DC 400V, demonstrating characteristics suitable for its use as an energy storage system. Based on these results, an energy storage system was built for DC 600V and a verification test conducted in conjunction with the Enoshima Electric Railway Co. Ltd. This paper gives its experimental analysis of voltage drop compensation in a DC electrified railway and some discussions based on the test.

How far can the world get on energy efficiency alone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katzman, Martin T.

A recent analysis suggests that by pursuing a path of energy efficiency, the industrial world can maintain and the developing world can achieve a high standard of living with little increase in primary energy consumption over the next 50 years. Moreover, this scenario can be achieved with a reduction of fossil fuel consumption. Three basic issues discussed at a workshop recently held at ORNL are presented to address this thesis. First, is this thesis plausible; to what extent can the scenario be achieved with currently or nearly available technology. Second, why can't a better job be done in reaching the potential; what are the barriers to the deeper penetration of energy-efficient technologies. Third, what policy and technological strategies are necessary to fulfill this scenario.

Biomethane production system: Energetic analysis of various scenarios.

PubMed

Wu, Bin; Zhang, Xiangping; Bao, Di; Xu, Yajing; Zhang, Suojiang; Deng, Liyuan

2016-04-01

The energy consumption models of biomethane production system were established, which are more rigorous and universal than the empirical data reported by previous biomethane system energetic assessment work. The energy efficiencies of different scenarios considering factors such as two digestion modes, two heating modes of digester, with or without heat exchange between slurry and feedstock, and four crude biogas upgrading technologies were evaluated. Results showed the scenario employing thermophilic digestion and high pressure water scrubbing technology, with heat exchange between feedstock and slurry, and heat demand of digester supplied by the energy source outside the system has the highest energy efficiency (46.5%) and lowest energy consumption (13.46 MJth/Nm(3) CH4), while scenario employing mesophilic digestion and pressure swing adsorption technology, without heat exchange and heat demand of digester supplied by combusting the biogas produced inside the system has the lowest energy efficiency (15.8%) and highest energy consumption (34.90 MJth/Nm(3) CH4). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing HEAT Scores with H-Res Thermal Imagery to Support Urban Energy Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemachandran, Bharanidharan

As part of The Calgary Community GHG Reduction Plan (2009) The City is seeking an implementation strategy to reduce GHGs and promote low-carbon living, with a focus on improving urban energy efficiency. The most cited obstacle to energy efficiency improvements is the lack of interest from consumers (CUI, 2008). However, Darby (2006) has shown that effective feedback significantly reduces energy consumption. To exploit these findings, the HEAT (Heat Energy Assessment Technologies) Geoweb project integrates high-resolution (H-Res) airborne thermal imagery (TABI 1800) to provide unique energy efficiency feedback to Calgary homeowners in the form of interactive HEAT Maps and Hot Spots (Hay et al., 2011). As a part of the HEAT Phase II program, the goal of this research is to provide enhanced feedback support for urban energy efficiency by meeting two key objectives: (i) develop an appropriate method to define HEAT Scores using TABI 1800 imagery that allows for the comparison of waste heat of one or more houses with all other mapped houses in the community and city, and (ii) develop a multi-scale interactive Geoweb interface that displays the HEAT Scores at City, Community and Residential scales. To achieve these goals, we describe the evolution of three novel HEAT Score techniques based on: (i) a Standardized Score, (ii) the WUFIRTM model and Logistic Regression and (iii ) a novel criteria weighted method that considers: (a) heat transfer through different roofing materials, (b) local climatic conditions and (c) house age and living area attributes. Furthermore, (d) removing or adding houses to analysis based on this 3rd technique, does not affect the HEAT Score of other houses and (e) HEAT Scores can be compared within and across different cities. We also describe how HEAT Scores are incorporated within the HEAT Geoweb architecture. It is envisioned that HEAT Scores will promote energy efficiency among homeowners and urban city planners, as they will quantify and visualize invisible waste heat, and provide a public comparison of urban energy efficiency at the scale of homes, communities and cities. Analysis is conducted on 9279 houses in 12 communities over the SW quadrant of The City of Calgary and their results are publically available for comparison at www.saveheat.co.

Time-varying value of electric energy efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mims, Natalie A.; Eckman, Tom; Goldman, Charles

Electric energy efficiency resources save energy and may reduce peak demand. Historically, quantification of energy efficiency benefits has largely focused on the economic value of energy savings during the first year and lifetime of the installed measures. Due in part to the lack of publicly available research on end-use load shapes (i.e., the hourly or seasonal timing of electricity savings) and energy savings shapes, consideration of the impact of energy efficiency on peak demand reduction (i.e., capacity savings) has been more limited. End-use load research and the hourly valuation of efficiency savings are used for a variety of electricity planningmore » functions, including load forecasting, demand-side management and evaluation, capacity and demand response planning, long-term resource planning, renewable energy integration, assessing potential grid modernization investments, establishing rates and pricing, and customer service. This study reviews existing literature on the time-varying value of energy efficiency savings, provides examples in four geographically diverse locations of how consideration of the time-varying value of efficiency savings impacts the calculation of power system benefits, and identifies future research needs to enhance the consideration of the time-varying value of energy efficiency in cost-effectiveness screening analysis. Findings from this study include: -The time-varying value of individual energy efficiency measures varies across the locations studied because of the physical and operational characteristics of the individual utility system (e.g., summer or winter peaking, load factor, reserve margin) as well as the time periods during which savings from measures occur. -Across the four locations studied, some of the largest capacity benefits from energy efficiency are derived from the deferral of transmission and distribution system infrastructure upgrades. However, the deferred cost of such upgrades also exhibited the greatest range in value of all the components of avoided costs across the locations studied. -Of the five energy efficiency measures studied, those targeting residential air conditioning in summer-peaking electric systems have the most significant added value when the total time-varying value is considered. -The increased use of rooftop solar systems, storage, and demand response, and the addition of electric vehicles and other major new electricity-consuming end uses are anticipated to significantly alter the load shape of many utility systems in the future. Data used to estimate the impact of energy efficiency measures on electric system peak demands will need to be updated periodically to accurately reflect the value of savings as system load shapes change. -Publicly available components of electric system costs avoided through energy efficiency are not uniform across states and utilities. Inclusion or exclusion of these components and differences in their value affect estimates of the time-varying value of energy efficiency. -Publicly available data on end-use load and energy savings shapes are limited, are concentrated regionally, and should be expanded.« less

Application of Computer Assisted Energy Analysis Seminar (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 12-14, 1977).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges, Washington, DC.

The intent of this seminar presentation was to demonstrate that with proper care in selecting and managing energy analysis programs, or in choosing commercial services to accomplish the same purposes, universities and colleges may derive significant benefits from efficient and economical use and management of their facilities. The workbook begins…

Three Essays on National Oil Company Efficiency, Energy Demand and Transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eller, Stacy L.

This dissertation is composed of three separate essays in the field of energy economics. In the first paper, both data envelopment analysis and stochastic production frontier estimation are employed to provide empirical evidence on the revenue efficiency of national oil companies (NOCs) and private international oil companies (IOCs). Using a panel of 80 oil producing firms, the analysis suggests that NOCs are generally less efficient at generating revenue from a given resource base than IOCs, with some exceptions. Due to differing firm objectives, however, structural and institutional features may help explain much of the inefficiency. The second paper analyzes the relationship between economic development and the demand for energy. Energy consumption is modeled using panel data from 1990 to 2004 for 50 countries spanning all levels of development. We find the relationship between energy consumption and economic development corresponds to the structure of aggregate output and the nature of derived demand for electricity and direct-use fuels in each sector. Notably, the evidence of non-constant income elasticity of demand is much greater for electricity demand than for direct-use fuel consumption. In addition, we show that during periods of rapid economic development, one in which the short-term growth rate exceeds the long-run average, an increase in aggregate output is met by less energy-efficient capital. This is a result of capital being fixed in the short-term. As additional, more efficient capital stock is added to the production process, the short-term increase in energy intensity will diminish. In the third essay, we develop a system of equations to estimate a model of motor vehicle fuel consumption, vehicle miles traveled and implied fuel efficiency for the 67 counties of the State of Florida from 2001 to 2008. This procedure allows us to decompose the factors of fuel demand into elasticities of vehicle driving demand and fuel efficiency. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the price of fuel, the sale of goods and services, vehicle ownership and population density on each component of our model.

Energy-efficient downlink resource management in self-organized OFDMA-based two-tier femtocell networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahid, Adnan; Aslam, Saleem; Kim, Hyung Seok; Lee, Kyung-Geun

2015-12-01

Femtocell is a novel technology that is used for escalating indoor coverage as well as the capacity of traditional cellular networks. However, interference is the limiting factor for performance improvement due to co-channel deployment between macrocells and femtocells. The traditional network planning is not feasible because of the random deployment of femtocells. Therefore, self-organization approaches are the key to having successful deployment of femtocells. This study presents the joint resource block (RB) and power allocation task for the two-tier femtocell network in a self-organizing manner, with the concern to minimizing the impact of interference and maximizing the energy efficiency. In this study, we analyze the performance of the system in terms of the energy efficiency, which is composed of both the transmission and circuit power. Most of the previous studies investigate the performance regarding the throughput requirement of the two-tier femtocell network while the energy efficiency aspect is largely ignored. Here, the joint allocation task is modeled as a non-cooperative game which is demonstrated to exhibit pure and unique Nash equilibrium. In order to reduce the complexity of the proposed non-cooperative game, the joint RB and power allocation task is divided into two subproblems: an RB allocation and a particle swarm optimization-based power allocation. The analysis of the proposed game is carried out in terms of not only energy efficiency but also throughput. With practical 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) parameters, the simulation results illustrate the superior performance of the proposed game as compared to the traditional methods. Also, the comparison is carried out with the joint allocation scheme which only considers the throughput as the objective function. The results illustrate that significant performance improvement is achieved in terms of energy efficiency with slight loss in the throughput. The analysis in regard to energy efficiency and throughput of the two-tier femtocell network is carried out in terms of the performance metrics, which include convergence, impact of varying RBs, impact of femtocell density, and the fairness index.

Analysis of the interrelationship of energy, economy, and environment: A model of a sustainable energy future for Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boo, Kyung-Jin

The primary purpose of this dissertation is to provide the groundwork for a sustainable energy future in Korea. For this purpose, a conceptual framework of sustainable energy development was developed to provide a deeper understanding of interrelationships between energy, the economy, and the environment (E 3). Based on this theoretical work, an empirical simulation model was developed to investigate the ways in which E3 interact. This dissertation attempts to develop a unified concept of sustainable energy development by surveying multiple efforts to integrate various definitions of sustainability. Sustainable energy development should be built on the basis of three principles: ecological carrying capacity, economic efficiency, and socio-political equity. Ecological carrying capacity delineates the earth's resource constraints as well as its ability to assimilate wastes. Socio-political equity implies an equitable distribution of the benefits and costs of energy consumption and an equitable distribution of environmental burdens. Economic efficiency dictates efficient allocation of scarce resources. The simulation model is composed of three modules: an energy module, an environmental module and an economic module. Because the model is grounded on economic structural behaviorism, the dynamic nature of the current economy is effectively depicted and simulated through manipulating exogenous policy variables. This macro-economic model is used to simulate six major policy intervention scenarios. Major findings from these policy simulations were: (1) carbon taxes are the most effective means of reducing air-pollutant emissions; (2) sustainable energy development can be achieved through reinvestment of carbon taxes into energy efficiency and renewable energy programs; and (3) carbon taxes would increase a nation's welfare if reinvested in relevant areas. The policy simulation model, because it is based on neoclassical economics, has limitations such that it cannot fully account for socio-political realities (inter- and intra-generational equity) which are core feature of sustainability. Thus, alternative approaches based on qualitative analysis, such as the multi-criteria approach, will be required to complement the current policy simulation model.

Energy efficiency buildings program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1981-05-01

Progress is reported in developing techniques for auditing the energy performance of buildings. The ventilation of buildings and indoor air quality is discussed from the viewpoint of (1) combustion generated pollutants; (2) organic contaminants; (3) radon emanation, measurements, and control; (4) strategies for the field monitoring of indoor air quality; and (5) mechanical ventilation systems using air-to-air heat exchanges. The development of energy efficient windows to provide optimum daylight with minimal thermal losses in cold weather and minimum thermal gain in hot weather is considered as well as the production of high frequency solid state ballasts for fluorescent lights to provide more efficient lighting at a 25% savings over conventional core ballasts. Data compilation, analysis, and demonstration activities are summarized.

Thermal analysis elements of liquefied gas storage tanks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanvarev, I. A.; Krupnikov, A. V.

2017-08-01

Tasks of solving energy and resource efficient usage problems, both for oil producing companies and for companies extracting and transporting natural gas, are associated with liquefied petroleum gas technology development. Improving the operation efficiency of liquefied products storages provides for conducting structural, functional, and appropriate thermal analysis of tank parks in the general case as complex dynamic thermal systems.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program. Bibliography, 1993 edition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaughan, K.H.

1993-06-01

The Bibliography contains listings of publicly available reports, journal articles, and published conference papers sponsored by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and published between 1987 and mid-1993. The topics of Bibliography include: analysis and evaluation; building equipment research; building thermal envelope systems and materials; district heating; residential and commercial conservation program; weatherization assistance program; existing buildings research program; ceramic technology project; alternative fuels and propulsion technology; microemulsion fuels; industrial chemical heat pumps; materials for advanced industrial heat exchangers; advanced industrial materials; tribology; energy-related inventions program; electric energy systems; superconducting technology program for electric energy systems; thermalmore » energy storage; biofuels feedstock development; biotechnology; continuous chromatography in multicomponent separations; sensors for electrolytic cells; hydropower environmental mitigation; environmental control technology; continuous fiber ceramic composite technology.« less

Energy efficiency analysis and optimization for mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metri, Grace Camille

The introduction of mobile devices changed the landscape of computing. Gradually, these devices are replacing traditional personal computer (PCs) to become the devices of choice for entertainment, connectivity, and productivity. There are currently at least 45.5 million people in the United States who own a mobile device, and that number is expected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2015. Users of mobile devices expect and mandate that their mobile devices have maximized performance while consuming minimal possible power. However, due to the battery size constraints, the amount of energy stored in these devices is limited and is only growing by 5% annually. As a result, we focused in this dissertation on energy efficiency analysis and optimization for mobile platforms. We specifically developed SoftPowerMon, a tool that can power profile Android platforms in order to expose the power consumption behavior of the CPU. We also performed an extensive set of case studies in order to determine energy inefficiencies of mobile applications. Through our case studies, we were able to propose optimization techniques in order to increase the energy efficiency of mobile devices and proposed guidelines for energy-efficient application development. In addition, we developed BatteryExtender, an adaptive user-guided tool for power management of mobile devices. The tool enables users to extend battery life on demand for a specific duration until a particular task is completed. Moreover, we examined the power consumption of System-on-Chips (SoCs) and observed the impact on the energy efficiency in the event of offloading tasks from the CPU to the specialized custom engines. Based on our case studies, we were able to demonstrate that current software-based power profiling techniques for SoCs can have an error rate close to 12%, which needs to be addressed in order to be able to optimize the energy consumption of the SoC. Finally, we summarize our contributions and outline possible direction for future research in this field.

Efficiency of photochemical stages of photosynthesis in purple bacteria (a critical survey).

PubMed

Borisov, A Yu

2014-03-01

Based on currently available data, the energy transfer efficiency in the successive photophysical and photochemical stages has been analyzed for purple bacteria. This analysis covers the stages starting from migration of the light-induced electronic excitations from the bulk antenna pigments to the reaction centers up to irreversible stage of the electron transport along the transmembrane chain of cofactors-carriers. Some natural factors are revealed that significantly increase the rates of efficient processes in these stages. The influence on their efficiency by the "bottleneck" in the energy migration chain is established. The overall quantum yield of photosynthesis in these stages is determined.

Commercial mortgages: An underutilized channel for scaling energy efficiency investments?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mathew, Paul; Wallace, Nancy; Alschuler, Elena

2016-02-01

Commercial mortgages currently do not fully account for energy factors in underwriting and valuation, particularly as it relates to the impact of energy costs and volatility on an owner’s net operating income. As a consequence, energy efficiency is not properly valued and energy risks are not properly assessed and mitigated. Commercial mortgages are a large lever and could be a significant channel for scaling energy efficiency investments. A pilot analysis of loans with different mortgage contract structures and locations showed that when energy cost volatility was included in mortgage valuation, a 20% reduction in energy use resulted in a 1.3%more » average increase in mortgage value. This suggests that the explicit inclusion of energy use and volatility in mortgage valuation can send a strong price signal that financially rewards and values energy efficiency in commercial properties. This paper presents findings from a scoping study addressing energy factors in commercial mortgages. First, we present a review of current practices as it relates to incorporating energy factors into commercial mortgage underwriting and valuation. Next, we detail the impacts of energy factors on property values, net operating income and mortgage valuation. Building operational practices alone can result in energy use variations from -17% to 87%. Finally, we present a set of proposed interventions to properly address energy factors in commercial mortgages, based on extensive discussions with stakeholders including mortgage originators, underwriters, building owners and regulators.« less

Methods and analysis of factors impact on the efficiency of the photovoltaic generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tianze, Li; Xia, Zhang; Chuan, Jiang; Luan, Hou

2011-02-01

First of all, the thesis elaborates two important breakthroughs which happened In the field of the application of solar energy in the 1950s.The 21st century the development of solar photovoltaic power generation will have the following characteristics: the continued high growth of industrial development, the significantly reducing cost of the solar cell, the large-scale high-tech development of photovoltaic industries, the breakthroughs of the film battery technology, the rapid development of solar PV buildings integration and combined to the grids. The paper makes principles of solar cells the theoretical analysis. On the basis, we study the conversion efficiency of solar cells, find the factors impact on the efficiency of the photovoltaic generation, solve solar cell conversion efficiency of technical problems through the development of new technology, and open up new ways to improve the solar cell conversion efficiency. Finally, the paper connecting with the practice establishes policies and legislation to the use of encourage renewable energy, development strategy, basic applied research etc.

Super Energy Efficiency Design (S.E.E.D.) Home Evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

German, A.; Dakin, B.; Backman, C.

This report describes the results of evaluation by the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) Building America team of the 'Super Energy Efficient Design' (S.E.E.D) home, a 1,935 sq. ft., single-story spec home located in Tucson, AZ. This prototype design was developed with the goal of providing an exceptionally energy efficient yet affordable home and includes numerous aggressive energy features intended to significantly reduce heating and cooling loads such as structural insulated panel (SIP) walls and roof, high performance windows, an ERV, an air-to-water heat pump with mixed-mode radiant and forced air delivery, solar water heating, and rooftop PV. Sourcemore » energy savings are estimated at 45% over the Building America B10 Benchmark. System commissioning, short term testing, long term monitoring and detailed analysis of results was conducted to identify the performance attributes and cost effectiveness of the whole house measure package.« less

Super Energy Efficient Design (S.E.E.D.) Home Evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

German, A.; Dakin, B.; Backman, C.

This report describes the results of evaluation by the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) Building America team of the “Super Energy Efficient Design” (S.E.E.D) home, a 1,935 sq. ft., single-story spec home located in Tucson, AZ. This prototype design was developed with the goal of providing an exceptionally energy efficient yet affordable home and includes numerous aggressive energy features intended to significantly reduce heating and cooling loads such as structural insulated panel (SIP) walls and roof, high performance windows, an ERV, an air-to-water heat pump with mixed-mode radiant and forced air delivery, solar water heating, and rooftop PV. Sourcemore » energy savings are estimated at 45% over the Building America B10 Benchmark. System commissioning, short term testing, long term monitoring and detailed analysis of results was conducted to identify the performance attributes and cost effectiveness of the whole house measure package.« less

Technology’s present situation and the development prospects of energy efficiency monitoring as well as performance testing & analysis for process flow compressors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, L.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, L.; Yang, Q.; Liu, G.; Tang, B.; Xiao, J.

2017-08-01

In this paper, the background of performance testing of in-service process flow compressors set in user field are introduced, the main technique barriers faced in the field test are summarized, and the factors that result in real efficiencies of most process flow compressors being lower than the guaranteed by manufacturer are analysed. The authors investigated the present operational situation of process flow compressors in China and found that low efficiency operation of flow compressors is because the compressed gas is generally forced to flow back into the inlet pipe for adapting to the process parameters variety. For example, the anti-surge valve is always opened for centrifugal compressor. To improve the operation efficiency of process compressors the energy efficiency monitoring technology was overviewed and some suggestions are proposed in the paper, which is the basis of research on energy efficiency evaluation and/or labelling of process compressors.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Sha; Evans, Meredydd; Shi, Qing

China will account for about half of the new construction globally in the coming decade. Its floorspace doubled from 1996 to 2011, and Chinese rural buildings alone have as much floorspace as all of U.S. residential buildings. Building energy consumption has also grown, increasing by over 40% since 1990. To curb building energy demand, the Chinese government has launched a series of policies and programs. Combined, this growth in buildings and renovations, along with the policies to promote green buildings, are creating a large market for energy efficiency products and services. This report assesses the impact of China’s policies onmore » building energy efficiency and on the market for energy efficiency in the future. The first chapter of this report introduces the trends in China, drawing on both historical analysis, and detailed modeling of the drivers behind changes in floorspace and building energy demand such as economic and population growth, urbanization, policy. The analysis describes the trends by region, building type and energy service. The second chapter discusses China’s policies to promote green buildings. China began developing building energy codes in the 1980s. Over time, the central government has increased the stringency of the code requirements and the extent of enforcement. The codes are mandatory in all new buildings and major renovations in China’s cities, and they have been a driving force behind the expansion of China’s markets for insulation, efficient windows, and other green building materials. China also has several other important policies to encourage efficient buildings, including the Three-Star Rating System (somewhat akin to LEED), financial incentives tied to efficiency, appliance standards, a phasing out of incandescent bulbs and promotion of efficient lighting, and several policies to encourage retrofits in existing buildings. In the third chapter, we take “deep dives” into the trends affecting key building components. This chapter examines insulation in walls and roofs; efficient windows and doors; heating, air conditioning and controls; and lighting. These markets have seen significant growth because of the strength of the construction sector but also the specific policies that require and promote efficient building components. At the same time, as requirements have become more stringent, there has been fierce competition, and quality has at time suffered, which in turn has created additional challenges. Next we examine existing buildings in chapter four. China has many Soviet-style, inefficient buildings built before stringent requirements for efficiency were more widely enforced. As a result, there are several specific market opportunities related to retrofits. These fall into two or three categories. First, China now has a code for retrofitting residential buildings in the north. Local governments have targets of the number of buildings they must retrofit each year, and they help finance the changes. The requirements focus on insulation, windows, and heat distribution. Second, the Chinese government recently decided to increase the scale of its retrofits of government and state-owned buildings. It hopes to achieve large scale changes through energy service contracts, which creates an opportunity for energy service companies. Third, there is also a small but growing trend to apply energy service contracts to large commercial and residential buildings. This report assesses the impacts of China’s policies on building energy efficiency. By examining the existing literature and interviewing stakeholders from the public, academic, and private sectors, the report seeks to offer an in-depth insights of the opportunities and barriers for major market segments related to building energy efficiency. The report also discusses trends in building energy use, policies promoting building energy efficiency, and energy performance contracting for public building retrofits.« less

Performance Analysis and Optimization of Concentrating Solar Thermoelectric Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamba, Ravita; Manikandan, S.; Kaushik, S. C.

2018-06-01

A thermodynamic model for a concentrating solar thermoelectric generator considering the Thomson effect combined with Fourier heat conduction, Peltier, and Joule heating has been developed and optimized in MATLAB environment. The temperatures at the hot and cold junctions of the thermoelectric generator were evaluated by solving the energy balance equations at both junctions. The effects of the solar concentration ratio, input electrical current, number of thermocouples, and electrical load resistance ratio on the power output and energy and exergy efficiencies of the system were studied. Optimization studies were carried out for the STEG system, and the optimum number of thermocouples, concentration ratio, and resistance ratio determined. The results showed that the optimum values of these parameters are different for conditions of maximum power output and maximum energy and exergy efficiency. The optimum values of the concentration ratio and load resistance ratio for maximum energy efficiency of 5.85% and maximum exergy efficiency of 6.29% were found to be 180 and 1.3, respectively, with corresponding power output of 4.213 W. Furthermore, at higher concentration ratio (C = 600), the optimum number of thermocouples was found to be 101 for maximum power output of 13.75 W, maximum energy efficiency of 5.73%, and maximum exergy efficiency of 6.16%. Moreover, the optimum number of thermocouple was the same for conditions of maximum power output and energy and exergy efficiency. The results of this study may provide insight for design of actual concentrated solar thermoelectric generator systems.

Analysis of the impact path on factors of China's energy-related CO2 emissions: a path analysis with latent variables.

PubMed

Chen, Wenhui; Lei, Yalin

2017-02-01

Identifying the impact path on factors of CO 2 emissions is crucial for the government to take effective measures to reduce carbon emissions. The most existing research focuses on the total influence of factors on CO 2 emissions without differentiating between the direct and indirect influence. Moreover, scholars have addressed the relationships among energy consumption, economic growth, and CO 2 emissions rather than estimating all the causal relationships simultaneously. To fill this research gaps and explore overall driving factors' influence mechanism on CO 2 emissions, this paper utilizes a path analysis model with latent variables (PA-LV) to estimate the direct and indirect effect of factors on China's energy-related carbon emissions and to investigate the causal relationships among variables. Three key findings emanate from the analysis: (1) The change in the economic growth pattern inhibits the growth rate of CO 2 emissions by reducing the energy intensity; (2) adjustment of industrial structure contributes to energy conservation and CO 2 emission reduction by raising the proportion of the tertiary industry; and (3) the growth of CO 2 emissions impacts energy consumption and energy intensity negatively, which results in a negative impact indirectly on itself. To further control CO 2 emissions, the Chinese government should (1) adjust the industrial structure and actively develop its tertiary industry to improve energy efficiency and develop low-carbon economy, (2) optimize population shifts to avoid excessive population growth and reduce energy consumption, and (3) promote urbanization steadily to avoid high energy consumption and low energy efficiency.

Energy performance analysis of a detached single-family house to be refurbished

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleixo, Kevin; Curado, António

2017-07-01

This study was developed with the purpose of analyzing the reinforcement of the energy performance in a detached single-family house to be refurbished, using this building as a case-study for simulation and experimental analysis. The building is located in Viana do Castelo, a city in the northwest of Portugal nearby the Atlantic Ocean. The developed study was carried out in order to characterize the thermal performance of the house, using simulation analysis in a dynamic regime. The energy consumption study was developed in permanent regime analysis, using simulation tools. At the end, the study aimed to propose and define the best retrofitting solutions, both passive and active, and to improve the energy performance of the building. The outcomes of the study provided the importance of passive retrofitting solutions on thermal comfort and energy performance. The use of a set of thermal solutions, as the insulation of the roof, walls and the windows, it is possible to achieve a global gain of 0, 63 °C and to reduce energy consumption in 61, 46 [kWh/m2.year]. The study of the building in a simplified thermal regime, according to the Portuguese energy efficiency regulation, allowed the determination of the energy efficiency class of the house and retrofitting solutions proposed. The initial energy performance class of the building is C. With the application of a passive set of solutions, it's possible to improve the energy performance to a class B. With the implementation of some active solutions, it is possible to reach an energy class A +.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Office of Strategic Programs, Strategic Priorities and Impact Analysis Team

This fact sheet "Carrboro, North Carolina: Achieving Building Efficiencies for Low-Income Households" explains how the Town of Carrboro used data from the U.S. Department of Energy's Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cities-LEAP) and the State and Local Energy Data (SLED) programs to inform its city energy planning. It is one of ten fact sheets in the "City Energy: From Data to Decisions" series.

A Distance-based Energy Aware Routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Wang, Jin; Kim, Jeong-Uk; Shu, Lei; Niu, Yu; Lee, Sungyoung

2010-01-01

Energy efficiency and balancing is one of the primary challenges for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) since the tiny sensor nodes cannot be easily recharged once they are deployed. Up to now, many energy efficient routing algorithms or protocols have been proposed with techniques like clustering, data aggregation and location tracking etc. However, many of them aim to minimize parameters like total energy consumption, latency etc., which cause hotspot nodes and partitioned network due to the overuse of certain nodes. In this paper, a Distance-based Energy Aware Routing (DEAR) algorithm is proposed to ensure energy efficiency and energy balancing based on theoretical analysis of different energy and traffic models. During the routing process, we consider individual distance as the primary parameter in order to adjust and equalize the energy consumption among involved sensors. The residual energy is also considered as a secondary factor. In this way, all the intermediate nodes will consume their energy at similar rate, which maximizes network lifetime. Simulation results show that the DEAR algorithm can reduce and balance the energy consumption for all sensor nodes so network lifetime is greatly prolonged compared to other routing algorithms.

Energy-efficient electric motors study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1981-03-01

A survey conducted of purchasers of integral horsepower polyphase motors measured current knowledge of and awareness of energy efficient motors, decision making criteria, information sources, purchase and usage patterns, and related factors. The data obtained were used for the electric motor market penetration analysis. Additionally, a telephone survey was made. The study also provides analyses of distribution channels, commercialization constraints, and the impacts of government programs and rising energy prices. Study findings, conclusions, and recommendations are presented. Sample questionnaires and copies of letters to respondents are presented in appendices as well as descriptions of the methods used.

Effect of Shoes on Stiffness and Energy Efficiency of Ankle-Foot Orthosis: Bench Testing Analysis.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Toshiki; Gao, Fan; LeCursi, Nicholas; Foreman, K Bo; Orendurff, Michael S

2017-12-01

Understanding the mechanical properties of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) is important to maximize their benefit for those with movement disorders during gait. Though mechanical properties such as stiffness and/or energy efficiency of AFOs have been extensively studied, it remains unknown how and to what extent shoes influence their properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of shoes on stiffness and energy efficiency of an AFO using a custom mechanical testing device. Stiffness and energy efficiency of the AFO were measured in the plantar flexion and dorsiflexion range, respectively, under AFO-alone and AFO-Shoe combination conditions. The results of this study demonstrated that the stiffness of the AFO-Shoe combination was significantly decreased compared to the AFO-alone condition, but no significant differences were found in energy efficiency. From the results, we recommend that shoes used with AFOs should be carefully selected not only based on their effect on alignment of the lower limb, but also their effects on overall mechanical properties of the AFO-Shoe combination. Further study is needed to clarify the effects of differences in shoe designs on AFO-Shoe combination mechanical properties.

An assessment of energy efficiency based on environmental constraints and its influencing factors in China.

PubMed

Chen, Yao; Xu, Jing-Ting

2018-05-03

The super-efficiency directional distance function (DDF) with data envelopment analysis (DEA) model (SEDDF-DEA) is more facilitative than to increase traditional method as a rise of energy efficiency in China, which is currently important energy development from Asia-pacific region countries. SEDDF-DEA is promoted as sustained total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE), value added outputs, and Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index (MLPI) to otherwise thorny environmental energy productivity problems with environmental constraint to concrete the means of regression model. This paper assesses the energy efficiency under environmental constraints using panel data covering the years of 2000-2015 in China. Considering the environmental constraints, the results showed that the average TFEE of the whole country followed an upward trend after 2006. The average MLPI score for the whole country increased by 10.57% during 2005-2010, which was mainly due to the progress made in developing and applying environmental technologies. The TFEE of the whole nation was promoted by the accumulation of capital stock, while it was suppressed by excessive production in secondary industries and foreign investment. The primary challenge for the northeast of China is to strengthen industrial transformation and upgrade traditional industries, as well as adjusting the economy and energy structure. The eastern and central regions of the country need to exploit clean- or low-energy industry to improve inefficiencies due to excessive consumption. The western region of China needs to implement renewable energy strategies to promote regional development.

Statistical-QoS Guaranteed Energy Efficiency Optimization for Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Cheng, Wenchi; Zhang, Hailin

2017-01-01

Energy harvesting, which offers a never-ending energy supply, has emerged as a prominent technology to prolong the lifetime and reduce costs for the battery-powered wireless sensor networks. However, how to improve the energy efficiency while guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) for energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks is still an open problem. In this paper, we develop statistical delay-bounded QoS-driven power control policies to maximize the effective energy efficiency (EEE), which is defined as the spectrum efficiency under given specified QoS constraints per unit harvested energy, for energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks. For the battery-infinite wireless sensor networks, our developed QoS-driven power control policy converges to the Energy harvesting Water Filling (E-WF) scheme and the Energy harvesting Channel Inversion (E-CI) scheme under the very loose and stringent QoS constraints, respectively. For the battery-finite wireless sensor networks, our developed QoS-driven power control policy becomes the Truncated energy harvesting Water Filling (T-WF) scheme and the Truncated energy harvesting Channel Inversion (T-CI) scheme under the very loose and stringent QoS constraints, respectively. Furthermore, we evaluate the outage probabilities to theoretically analyze the performance of our developed QoS-driven power control policies. The obtained numerical results validate our analysis and show that our developed optimal power control policies can optimize the EEE over energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks. PMID:28832509

Statistical-QoS Guaranteed Energy Efficiency Optimization for Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Gao, Ya; Cheng, Wenchi; Zhang, Hailin

2017-08-23

Energy harvesting, which offers a never-ending energy supply, has emerged as a prominent technology to prolong the lifetime and reduce costs for the battery-powered wireless sensor networks. However, how to improve the energy efficiency while guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) for energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks is still an open problem. In this paper, we develop statistical delay-bounded QoS-driven power control policies to maximize the effective energy efficiency (EEE), which is defined as the spectrum efficiency under given specified QoS constraints per unit harvested energy, for energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks. For the battery-infinite wireless sensor networks, our developed QoS-driven power control policy converges to the Energy harvesting Water Filling (E-WF) scheme and the Energy harvesting Channel Inversion (E-CI) scheme under the very loose and stringent QoS constraints, respectively. For the battery-finite wireless sensor networks, our developed QoS-driven power control policy becomes the Truncated energy harvesting Water Filling (T-WF) scheme and the Truncated energy harvesting Channel Inversion (T-CI) scheme under the very loose and stringent QoS constraints, respectively. Furthermore, we evaluate the outage probabilities to theoretically analyze the performance of our developed QoS-driven power control policies. The obtained numerical results validate our analysis and show that our developed optimal power control policies can optimize the EEE over energy harvesting based wireless sensor networks.

Application of high temperature phase change materials for improved efficiency in waste-to-energy plants.

PubMed

Dal Magro, Fabio; Xu, Haoxin; Nardin, Gioacchino; Romagnoli, Alessandro

2018-03-01

This study reports the thermal analysis of a novel thermal energy storage based on high temperature phase change material (PCM) used to improve efficiency in waste-to-energy plants. Current waste-to-energy plants efficiency is limited by the steam generation cycle which is carried out with boilers composed by water-walls (i.e. radiant evaporators), evaporators, economizers and superheaters. Although being well established, this technology is subjected to limitations related with high temperature corrosion and fluctuation in steam production due to the non-homogenous composition of solid waste; this leads to increased maintenance costs and limited plants availability and electrical efficiency. The proposed solution in this paper consists of replacing the typical refractory brick installed in the combustion chamber with a PCM-based refractory brick capable of storing a variable heat flux and to release it on demand as a steady heat flux. By means of this technology it is possible to mitigate steam production fluctuation, to increase temperature of superheated steam over current corrosion limits (450°C) without using coated superheaters and to increase the electrical efficiency beyond 34%. In the current paper a detailed thermo-mechanical analysis has been carried out in order to compare the performance of the PCM-based refractory brick against the traditional alumina refractory bricks. The PCM considered in this paper is aluminium (and its alloys) whereas its container consists of high density ceramics (such as Al 2 O 3 , AlN and Si 3 N 4 ); the different coefficient of linear thermal expansion for the different materials requires a detailed thermo-mechanical analysis to be carried out to ascertain the feasibility of the proposed technology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating power capping toward energy-efficient scientific applications: Investigating Power Capping toward Energy-Efficient Scientific Applications

DOE PAGES

Haidar, Azzam; Jagode, Heike; Vaccaro, Phil; ...

2018-03-22

The emergence of power efficiency as a primary constraint in processor and system design poses new challenges concerning power and energy awareness for numerical libraries and scientific applications. Power consumption also plays a major role in the design of data centers, which may house petascale or exascale-level computing systems. At these extreme scales, understanding and improving the energy efficiency of numerical libraries and their related applications becomes a crucial part of the successful implementation and operation of the computing system. In this paper, we study and investigate the practice of controlling a compute system's power usage, and we explore howmore » different power caps affect the performance of numerical algorithms with different computational intensities. Further, we determine the impact, in terms of performance and energy usage, that these caps have on a system running scientific applications. This analysis will enable us to characterize the types of algorithms that benefit most from these power management schemes. Our experiments are performed using a set of representative kernels and several popular scientific benchmarks. Lastly, we quantify a number of power and performance measurements and draw observations and conclusions that can be viewed as a roadmap to achieving energy efficiency in the design and execution of scientific algorithms.« less

Investigating power capping toward energy-efficient scientific applications: Investigating Power Capping toward Energy-Efficient Scientific Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haidar, Azzam; Jagode, Heike; Vaccaro, Phil

The emergence of power efficiency as a primary constraint in processor and system design poses new challenges concerning power and energy awareness for numerical libraries and scientific applications. Power consumption also plays a major role in the design of data centers, which may house petascale or exascale-level computing systems. At these extreme scales, understanding and improving the energy efficiency of numerical libraries and their related applications becomes a crucial part of the successful implementation and operation of the computing system. In this paper, we study and investigate the practice of controlling a compute system's power usage, and we explore howmore » different power caps affect the performance of numerical algorithms with different computational intensities. Further, we determine the impact, in terms of performance and energy usage, that these caps have on a system running scientific applications. This analysis will enable us to characterize the types of algorithms that benefit most from these power management schemes. Our experiments are performed using a set of representative kernels and several popular scientific benchmarks. Lastly, we quantify a number of power and performance measurements and draw observations and conclusions that can be viewed as a roadmap to achieving energy efficiency in the design and execution of scientific algorithms.« less

Energy Efficiency Finance Programs: Use Case Analysis to Define Data Needs and Guidelines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thompson, Peter; Larsen, Peter; Kramer, Chris

There are over 200 energy efficiency loan programs—across 49 U.S. states—administered by utilities, state/local government agencies, or private lenders.1 This distributed model has led to significant variation in program design and implementation practices including how data is collected and used. The challenge of consolidating and aggregating data across independently administered programs has been illustrated by a recent pilot of an open source database for energy efficiency financing program data. This project was led by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Investor Confidence Project, the Clean Energy Finance Center (CEFC), and the University of Chicago. This partnership discussed data collection practicesmore » with a number of existing energy efficiency loan programs and identified four programs that were suitable and willing to participate in the pilot database (Diamond 2014).2 The partnership collected information related to ~12,000 loans with an aggregate value of ~$100M across the four programs. Of the 95 data fields collected across the four programs, 30 fields were common between two or more programs and only seven data fields were common across all programs. The results of that pilot study illustrate the inconsistencies in current data definition and collection practices among energy efficiency finance programs and may contribute to certain barriers.« less

Energy conservation for housing: A workbook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1982-05-01

Multifamily housing project managers can reduce their energy costs from 30 to 60 percent by capitalizing on a variety of energy conservation opportunities (ECO's) identified in HUD research on the physical condition of public housing stock. This workbook prepares managers for this planning and for making individualized energy audits. It provides all the materials they need to proceed, including analysis sheets for calculating costs - benefit and payback periods for each of the 50 ECO's described. The ECO's listed all into four general categories: architectural improvements to the energy design of the building envelope; heating system ECO's to increase energy efficiency; secondary ECO's related to the domestic water supply, air conditioning systems, and central laundry equipment; and electric system ECO's reducing utility surcharges and increasing light bulb efficiency.

Simulation and energy analysis of distributed electric heating system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Bo; Han, Shenchao; Yang, Yanchun; Liu, Mingyuan

2018-02-01

Distributed electric heating system assistssolar heating systemby using air-source heat pump. Air-source heat pump as auxiliary heat sourcecan make up the defects of the conventional solar thermal system can provide a 24 - hour high - efficiency work. It has certain practical value and practical significance to reduce emissions and promote building energy efficiency. Using Polysun software the system is simulated and compared with ordinary electric boiler heating system. The simulation results show that upon energy request, 5844.5kW energy is saved and 3135kg carbon - dioxide emissions are reduced and5844.5 kWhfuel and energy consumption is decreased with distributed electric heating system. Theeffect of conserving energy and reducing emissions using distributed electric heating systemis very obvious.

Chapter 20: Data Center IT Efficiency Measures Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurnik, Charles W; Huang, Robert; Masanet, Eric

This chapter focuses on IT measures in the data center and examines the techniques and analysis methods used to verify savings that result from improving the efficiency of two specific pieces of IT equipment: servers and data storage.

Performance analysis of hybrid vibrational energy harvesters with experimental verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriramdas, Rammohan; Pratap, Rudra

2018-07-01

In the present work, performance indices for a hybrid energy harvester (HEH) that is composed of piezoelectric and electrodynamic or electromagnetic mechanisms of energy conversion are analyzed. Performance of a HEH is defined in terms of Q-normalized power factor and efficiency of conversion. They are observed to acutely depend on coupling strength or figures of merit in both piezoelectric and electrodynamic domains. The influence of figures of merit on the Q-normalized power factor, and the limits of conversion efficiency are explored. Based on the studies, a suitable range for figures of merit that would maximize both Q-normalized power factor and conversion efficiency in hybrid harvesters is proposed. The proposed idea is verified experimentally for the appropriate values of figures of merit and efficiencies by fabricating and testing four experimental models of the HEHs.

76 FR 34192 - Commercial and Industrial Pumps

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-13

... 1999. The ADL analysis, ``Energy Consumption Characteristics of Commercial Building HVAC Systems... report for the United Nations (``Motor System Efficiency Supply Curves UNIDO,'' Dec. 2010),\\3\\ also used..., A. and A. Hasanbeigi, ``Motor Systems Efficiency Supply Curves,'' United Nations Industrial...

Quenching And Luminescence Efficiency Of Nd3+ In YAG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lupei, Voicu; Lupei, Aurelia; Georgescu, Serban; Ionescu, Christian I.; Yen, William M.

1989-05-01

The effect of the concentration luminescence quenching of the 4F 3/2, level of Nd3+ in YAG on the relative efficiency is presented. Based on the analysis of the decay curves in terms of the energy transfer theory, an analytical expression for the relative luminescence efficiency is obtained. In the low concentration range (up to q,1.5 at % Nd3+), the efficiency linearly decreases when Nd3+ concentration increases. It is also stressed that pairs quenching contribute about 20 % to the nonradiative energy transfer losses. Quantum efficiency of luminescence is an important parameter for the characterization of laser active media; its lowering is due to either multiphonon relaxation or energy transfer processes. The multiphonon non-radiative probability depends on the energy gap between levels, on the phonon energy and temperature; usually at low activator doping it is practically independent on concentration. On the other hand, energy transfer losses show a marked dependence on activator concentration, a fact that severely limits the range of useful con-centration of active centers in some laser crystals. In the YAG:Nd case the minimum energy gap between the Stark components of the 4F,I.) and the next lower level 4F15/2 is of about 4700 cm-1. Since in YAG tree phonons most effdbtively coupled to the Rare pi.th ions have an energy of 1, 700 cm-1, the probability for multiphonon relaxation from the 'F3/, level, even at room temperature, is very low and therefore for low Nd 3+ concentrations quantum efficiency is expected to be close to 1.

The roles of energy and material efficiency in meeting steel industry CO2 targets.

PubMed

Milford, Rachel L; Pauliuk, Stefan; Allwood, Julian M; Müller, Daniel B

2013-04-02

Identifying strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from steel production requires a comprehensive model of the sector but previous work has either failed to consider the whole supply chain or considered only a subset of possible abatement options. In this work, a global mass flow analysis is combined with process emissions intensities to allow forecasts of future steel sector emissions under all abatement options. Scenario analysis shows that global capacity for primary steel production is already near to a peak and that if sectoral emissions are to be reduced by 50% by 2050, the last required blast furnace will be built by 2020. Emissions reduction targets cannot be met by energy and emissions efficiency alone, but deploying material efficiency provides sufficient extra abatement potential.

Energy comparison between solar thermal power plant and photovoltaic power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novosel, Urška; Avsec, Jurij

2017-07-01

The combined use of renewable energy and alternative energy systems and better efficiency of energy devices is a promising approach to reduce effects due to global warming in the world. On the basis of first and second law of thermodynamics we could optimize the processes in the energy sector. The presented paper shows the comparison between solar thermal power plant and photovoltaic power plant in terms of energy, exergy and life cycle analysis. Solar thermal power plant produces electricity with basic Rankine cycle, using solar tower and solar mirrors to produce high fluid temperature. Heat from the solar system is transferred by using a heat exchanger to Rankine cycle. Both power plants produce hydrogen via electrolysis. The paper shows the global efficiency of the system, regarding production of the energy system.

Wind-To-Hydrogen Project: Electrolyzer Capital Cost Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saur, G.

This study is being performed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy and Xcel Energy's Wind-to-Hydrogen Project (Wind2H2) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The general aim of the project is to identify areas for improving the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. These areas include both technical development and cost analysis of systems that convert renewable energy to hydrogen via water electrolysis. Increased efficiency and reduced cost will bring about greater market penetration for hydrogen production and application. There are different issues for isolated versus grid-connected systems, however, and these issues must be considered. The manner inmore » which hydrogen production is integrated in the larger energy system will determine its cost feasibility and energy efficiency.« less

Automated Analysis of Renewable Energy Datasets ('EE/RE Data Mining')

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bush, Brian; Elmore, Ryan; Getman, Dan

This poster illustrates methods to substantially improve the understanding of renewable energy data sets and the depth and efficiency of their analysis through the application of statistical learning methods ('data mining') in the intelligent processing of these often large and messy information sources. The six examples apply methods for anomaly detection, data cleansing, and pattern mining to time-series data (measurements from metering points in buildings) and spatiotemporal data (renewable energy resource datasets).

Analysis of Installed Measures and Energy Savings for Single-Family Residential Better Buildings Projects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heaney, M.; Polly, B.

2015-04-30

This report presents an analysis of data for residential single-family projects reported by 37 organizations that were awarded federal financial assistance (cooperative agreements or grants) by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program.1 The report characterizes the energy-efficiency measures installed for single-family residential projects and analyzes energy savings and savings prediction accuracy for measures installed in a subset of those projects.

A data envelopment analysis approach to compare the environmental efficiency of energy technologies and countries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Due to increasing financial and environmental concerns, governmental rules, regulations and incentives alternative energy sources are soon expected to grow at a much faster pace than conventional sources of energy. However, the current body of research providing comparative decision making models fo...

Fuzzy-Logic Based Distributed Energy-Efficient Clustering Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Ying; Wang, Jun; Han, Dezhi; Wu, Huafeng; Zhou, Rundong

2017-07-03

Due to the high-energy efficiency and scalability, the clustering routing algorithm has been widely used in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In order to gather information more efficiently, each sensor node transmits data to its Cluster Head (CH) to which it belongs, by multi-hop communication. However, the multi-hop communication in the cluster brings the problem of excessive energy consumption of the relay nodes which are closer to the CH. These nodes' energy will be consumed more quickly than the farther nodes, which brings the negative influence on load balance for the whole networks. Therefore, we propose an energy-efficient distributed clustering algorithm based on fuzzy approach with non-uniform distribution (EEDCF). During CHs' election, we take nodes' energies, nodes' degree and neighbor nodes' residual energies into consideration as the input parameters. In addition, we take advantage of Takagi, Sugeno and Kang (TSK) fuzzy model instead of traditional method as our inference system to guarantee the quantitative analysis more reasonable. In our scheme, each sensor node calculates the probability of being as CH with the help of fuzzy inference system in a distributed way. The experimental results indicate EEDCF algorithm is better than some current representative methods in aspects of data transmission, energy consumption and lifetime of networks.

Can storage reduce electricity consumption? A general equation for the grid-wide efficiency impact of using cooling thermal energy storage for load shifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deetjen, Thomas A.; Reimers, Andrew S.; Webber, Michael E.

2018-02-01

This study estimates changes in grid-wide, energy consumption caused by load shifting via cooling thermal energy storage (CTES) in the building sector. It develops a general equation for relating generator fleet fuel consumption to building cooling demand as a function of ambient temperature, relative humidity, transmission and distribution current, and baseline power plant efficiency. The results present a graphical sensitivity analysis that can be used to estimate how shifting load from cooling demand to cooling storage could affect overall, grid-wide, energy consumption. In particular, because power plants, air conditioners and transmission systems all have higher efficiencies at cooler ambient temperatures, it is possible to identify operating conditions such that CTES increases system efficiency rather than decreasing it as is typical for conventional storage approaches. A case study of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area in Texas, USA shows that using CTES to shift daytime cooling load to nighttime cooling storage can reduce annual, system-wide, primary fuel consumption by 17.6 MWh for each MWh of installed CTES capacity. The study concludes that, under the right circumstances, cooling thermal energy storage can reduce grid-wide energy consumption, challenging the perception of energy storage as a net energy consumer.

Sludge digestion instead of aerobic stabilisation - a cost benefit analysis based on experiences in Germany.

PubMed

Gretzschel, Oliver; Schmitt, Theo G; Hansen, Joachim; Siekmann, Klaus; Jakob, Jürgen

2014-01-01

As a consequence of a worldwide increase of energy costs, the efficient use of sewage sludge as a renewable energy resource must be considered, even for smaller wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with design capacities between 10,000 and 50,000 population equivalent (PE). To find the lower limit for an economical conversion of an aerobic stabilisation plant into an anaerobic stabilisation plant, we derived cost functions for specific capital costs and operating cost savings. With these tools, it is possible to evaluate if it would be promising to further investigate refitting aerobic plants into plants that produce biogas. By comparing capital costs with operation cost savings, a break-even point for process conversion could be determined. The break-even point varies depending on project specific constraints and assumptions related to future energy and operation costs and variable interest rates. A 5% increase of energy and operation costs leads to a cost efficient conversion for plants above 7,500 PE. A conversion of WWTPs results in different positive effects on energy generation and plant operations: increased efficiency, energy savings, and on-site renewable power generation by digester gas which can be used in the plant. Also, the optimisation of energy efficiency results in a reduction of primary energy consumption.

Analysis of exergy efficiency of a super-critical compressed carbon dioxide energy-storage system based on the orthogonal method.

PubMed

He, Qing; Hao, Yinping; Liu, Hui; Liu, Wenyi

2018-01-01

Super-critical carbon dioxide energy-storage (SC-CCES) technology is a new type of gas energy-storage technology. This paper used orthogonal method and variance analysis to make significant analysis on the factors which would affect the thermodynamics characteristics of the SC-CCES system and obtained the significant factors and interactions in the energy-storage process, the energy-release process and the whole energy-storage system. Results have shown that the interactions in the components have little influence on the energy-storage process, the energy-release process and the whole energy-storage process of the SC-CCES system, the significant factors are mainly on the characteristics of the system component itself, which will provide reference for the optimization of the thermal properties of the energy-storage system.

Analysis of exergy efficiency of a super-critical compressed carbon dioxide energy-storage system based on the orthogonal method

PubMed Central

He, Qing; Liu, Hui; Liu, Wenyi

2018-01-01

Super-critical carbon dioxide energy-storage (SC-CCES) technology is a new type of gas energy-storage technology. This paper used orthogonal method and variance analysis to make significant analysis on the factors which would affect the thermodynamics characteristics of the SC-CCES system and obtained the significant factors and interactions in the energy-storage process, the energy-release process and the whole energy-storage system. Results have shown that the interactions in the components have little influence on the energy-storage process, the energy-release process and the whole energy-storage process of the SC-CCES system, the significant factors are mainly on the characteristics of the system component itself, which will provide reference for the optimization of the thermal properties of the energy-storage system. PMID:29634742

Overall Traveling-Wave-Tube Efficiency Improved By Optimized Multistage Depressed Collector Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaden, Karl R.

2002-01-01

Depressed Collector Design The microwave traveling wave tube (TWT) is used widely for space communications and high-power airborne transmitting sources. One of the most important features in designing a TWT is overall efficiency. Yet, overall TWT efficiency is strongly dependent on the efficiency of the electron beam collector, particularly for high values of collector efficiency. For these reasons, the NASA Glenn Research Center developed an optimization algorithm based on simulated annealing to quickly design highly efficient multistage depressed collectors (MDC's). Simulated annealing is a strategy for solving highly nonlinear combinatorial optimization problems. Its major advantage over other methods is its ability to avoid becoming trapped in local minima. Simulated annealing is based on an analogy to statistical thermodynamics, specifically the physical process of annealing: heating a material to a temperature that permits many atomic rearrangements and then cooling it carefully and slowly, until it freezes into a strong, minimum-energy crystalline structure. This minimum energy crystal corresponds to the optimal solution of a mathematical optimization problem. The TWT used as a baseline for optimization was the 32-GHz, 10-W, helical TWT developed for the Cassini mission to Saturn. The method of collector analysis and design used was a 2-1/2-dimensional computational procedure that employs two types of codes, a large signal analysis code and an electron trajectory code. The large signal analysis code produces the spatial, energetic, and temporal distributions of the spent beam entering the MDC. An electron trajectory code uses the resultant data to perform the actual collector analysis. The MDC was optimized for maximum MDC efficiency and minimum final kinetic energy of all collected electrons (to reduce heat transfer). The preceding figure shows the geometric and electrical configuration of an optimized collector with an efficiency of 93.8 percent. The results show the improvement in collector efficiency from 89.7 to 93.8 percent, resulting in an increase of three overall efficiency points. In addition, the time to design a highly efficient MDC was reduced from a month to a few days. All work was done in-house at Glenn for the High Rate Data Delivery Program. Future plans include optimizing the MDC and TWT interaction circuit in tandem to further improve overall TWT efficiency.

Energy efficiency, human behavior, and economic growth: Challenges to cutting energy demand to sustainable levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santarius, Tilman

2015-03-01

Increasing energy efficiency in households, transportation, industries, and services is an important strategy to reduce energy service demand to levels that allow the steep reduction of greenhouse gases, and a full fledged switch of energy systems to a renewable basis. Yet, technological efficiency improvements may generate so-called rebound effects, which may `eat up' parts of the technical savings potential. This article provides a comprehensive review of existing research on these effects, raises critiques, and points out open questions. It introduces micro-economic rebound effect and suggests extending consumer-side analysis to incorporate potential `psychological rebound effects.' It then discusses meso-economic rebound effects, i.e. producer-side and market-level rebounds, which so far have achieved little attention in the literature. Finally, the article critically reviews evidence for macro-economic rebound effects as energy efficiency-induced economic growth impacts. For all three categories, the article summarizes assessments of their potential quantitative scope, while pointing out remaining methodological weaknesses and open questions. As a rough "rule of thumb", in the long term and on gross average, only half the technical savings potential of across-the-board efficiency improvements may actually be achieved in the real world. Policies that aim at cutting energy service demand to sustainable levels are well advised to take due note of detrimental behavioral and economic growth impacts, and should foster policies and measures that can contain them.

Energy Impairments in Older Adults with Low Back Pain and Radiculopathy: A Matched Case-Control Study.

PubMed

Coyle, Peter C; Pugliese, Jenifer M; Sions, J Megan; Eskander, Mark S; Schrack, Jennifer A; Hicks, Gregory E

2018-04-23

To investigate the impact that the presence of chronic low back pain with radiculopathy (CLBPR) may have on 1) energy efficiency and 2) energy capacity among community-dwelling older adults. Matched case-control study. Clinical research laboratory. 38 community-dwelling older adults (60-85 years) with (n=19) and without (n=19) CLBPR were included in this analysis. Participants were matched between-groups on age (± 5 years), sex, and diabetic status. Not applicable. Energy cost of walking at self-selected speed (i.e. energy efficiency) and Peak Walking VO2 (i.e. energy capacity). Older adults with CLBPR had a higher energy cost of walking at self-selected speed (p=.009) and lower Peak Walking VO2 (p=.050), compared to those without pain. Older adults with CLBPR may benefit from specific rehabilitative interventions that target these potentially modifiable energetic outcomes, thereby reducing the risk of mobility decline. Future studies should identify which mechanisms specifically contribute to diminished energy efficiency and capacity among older adults with CLBPR. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Environmental benefit analysis of strategies for potable water savings in residential buildings.

PubMed

Marinoski, Ana Kelly; Rupp, Ricardo Forgiarini; Ghisi, Enedir

2018-01-15

The objective of this study is to assess the environmental benefit of using rainwater, greywater, water-efficient appliances and their combinations in low-income houses. The study was conducted surveying twenty households located in southern Brazil, which resulted in water end-uses estimation. Then, embodied energy, potential for potable water savings and sewage reduction when using the different strategies were estimated. The environmental benefit analysis of these strategies was performed using an indicator that includes embodied energy, potable water savings, reduction of sewage and energy consumption in the water utility, and sewage production during the life cycle of the system. The results indicated that the strategy with the greatest environmental benefit is the use of water-efficient appliances, which resulted in substantial water savings and reduction of sewage, causing low environmental impact due to lower embodied energy over the life cycle. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Thermal Energy Storage Tank by ANSYS and Comparison with Experimental Results to Improve its Thermal Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beemkumar, N.; Karthikeyan, A.; Shiva Keshava Reddy, Kota; Rajesh, Kona; Anderson, A.

2017-05-01

The discontinuous temperament of the solar power forces to consider about the energy storage. This work is to analyze the tank, amount of energy stored and its storage time. The thermal and flow analysis has been done by ANSYS with different set temperature values. The experimentation is done for various encapsulating materials with different phase change material (PCM). Findings: The results obtained from experimental work are compared with ANSYS output. The competence of the TES is calculated and further improvements are made to enhance its performance. During charging process the temperature distribution from heat transfer fluid (HTF) to PCM is maximum in copper encapsulations followed by aluminium encapsulations and brass encapsulations. The comparison shows only when the electrical power as an input source. The efficient way of captivating solar energy could be a better replacement for electrical input.

Energy-Efficiency and Air-Pollutant Emissions-Reduction Opportunities for the Ammonia Industry in China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, Ding; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Chen, Wenying

As one of the most energy-intensive and polluting industries, ammonia production is responsible for significant carbon dioxide (CO 2) and air-pollutant emissions. Although many energy-efficiency measures have been proposed by the Chinese government to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, lack of understanding of the cost-effectiveness of such improvements has been a barrier to implementing these measures. Assessing the costs, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of different energy-efficiency measures is essential to advancing this understanding. In this study, a bottom-up energy conservation supply curve model is developed to estimate the potential for energy savings and emissions reductions from 26 energy-efficiencymore » measures that could be applied in China’s ammonia industry. Cost-effective implementation of these measures saves a potential 271.5 petajoules/year for fuel and 5,443 gigawatt-hours/year for electricity, equal to 14% of fuel and 14% of electricity consumed in China’s ammonia industry in 2012. These reductions could mitigate 26.7 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions. This study also quantifies the co-benefits of reducing air-pollutant emissions and water use that would result from saving energy in China’s ammonia industry. This quantitative analysis advances our understanding of the cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures and can be used to augment efforts to reduce energy use and environmental impacts.« less

Desired and Undesired Effects of Energy Labels--An Eye-Tracking Study.

PubMed

Waechter, Signe; Sütterlin, Bernadette; Siegrist, Michael

2015-01-01

Saving energy is an important pillar for the mitigation of climate change. Electric devices (e.g., freezer and television) are an important player in the residential sector in the final demand for energy. Consumers' purchase decisions are therefore crucial to successfully reach the energy-efficiency goals. Putting energy labels on products is often considered an adequate way of empowering consumers to make informed purchase decisions. Consequently, this approach should contribute to reducing overall energy consumption. The effectiveness of its measurement depends on consumers' use and interpretation of the information provided. Despite advances in energy efficiency and a mandatory labeling policy, final energy consumption per capita is in many countries still increasing. This paper provides a systematic analysis of consumers' reactions to one of the most widely used eco-labels, the European Union (EU) energy label, by using eye-tracking methodology as an objective measurement. The study's results partially support the EU's mandatory policy, showing that the energy label triggers attention toward energy information in general. However, the energy label's effect on consumers' actual product choices seems to be rather low. The study's results show that the currently used presentation format on the label is insufficient. The findings suggest that it does not facilitate the integration of energy-related information. Furthermore, the current format can attract consumers to focus more on energy-efficiency information, leading them to disregard information about actual energy consumption. As a result, the final energy consumption may increase because excellent ratings on energy efficiency (e.g., A++) do not automatically imply little consumption. Finally, implications for policymakers and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Evaluation on the Efficiency of Biomass Power Generation Industry in China

PubMed Central

Sun, Dong; Guo, Sen

2014-01-01

As a developing country with large population, China is facing the problems of energy resource shortage and growing environmental pollution arising from the coal-dominated energy structure. Biomass energy, as a kind of renewable energy with the characteristics of being easy to store and friendly to environment, has become the focus of China's energy development in the future. Affected by the advanced power generation technology and diversified geography environment, the biomass power generation projects show new features in recent years. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate the efficiency of biomass power generation industry by employing proper method with the consideration of new features. In this paper, the regional difference as a new feature of biomass power generation industry is taken into consideration, and the AR model is employed to modify the zero-weight issue when using data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to evaluate the efficiency of biomass power generation industry. 30 biomass power generation enterprises in China are selected as the sample, and the efficiency evaluation is performed. The result can provide some insights into the sustainable development of biomass power generation industry in China. PMID:25093209

Energy analysis of coal, fission, and fusion power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsoulfanidis, N.

1981-04-01

The method of net energy analysis has been applied to coal, fission, and fusion power plants. Energy consumption over the lifetime of the plants has been calculated for construction, operation and maintenance, fuel, public welfare, and land use and restoration. Thermal and electric energy requirements were obtained separately for each energy consuming sector. The results of the study are presented in three ways: total energy requirements, energy gain ratio, and payback periods. All three types of power plants are net producers of energy. The coal and fusion power plants are superior to fission plants from the energy efficiency point of view. Fission plants will improve considerably if the centrifuge replaces the gaseous diffusion as a method of enrichment.

Estimating Energy Conversion Efficiency of Thermoelectric Materials: Constant Property Versus Average Property Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, Hannah; Boese, Matthew; Carmichael, Cody; Dimich, Hannah; Seay, Dylan; Sheppard, Nathan; Beekman, Matt

2017-01-01

Maximum thermoelectric energy conversion efficiencies are calculated using the conventional "constant property" model and the recently proposed "cumulative/average property" model (Kim et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112:8205, 2015) for 18 high-performance thermoelectric materials. We find that the constant property model generally predicts higher energy conversion efficiency for nearly all materials and temperature differences studied. Although significant deviations are observed in some cases, on average the constant property model predicts an efficiency that is a factor of 1.16 larger than that predicted by the average property model, with even lower deviations for temperature differences typical of energy harvesting applications. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the conventional dimensionless figure of merit ZT obtained from the constant property model, while not applicable for some materials with strongly temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties, remains a simple yet useful metric for initial evaluation and/or comparison of thermoelectric materials, provided the ZT at the average temperature of projected operation, not the peak ZT, is used.

Impact of Feed Efficiency and Diet on Adaptive Variations in the Bacterial Community in the Rumen Fluid of Cattle

PubMed Central

Hernandez-Sanabria, Emma; Goonewardene, Laksiri A.; Wang, Zhiquan; Durunna, Obioha N.; Moore, Stephen S.

2012-01-01

Limited knowledge of the structure and activities of the ruminal bacterial community prevents the understanding of the effect of population dynamics on functional bacterial groups and on host productivity. This study aimed to identify particular bacteria associated with host feed efficiency in steers with differing diets and residual feed intake (RFI) using culture-independent methods: PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and quantitative real-time PCR analysis. PCR-DGGE profiles were generated from the ruminal fluid of 55 steers fed a low-energy-density diet and then switched to a high-energy-density diet. Bacterial profile comparisons by multivariate statistical analysis showed a trend only for RFI-related clusters on the high-energy diet. When steers (n = 19) belonging to the same RFI group under both diets were used to identify specific bacterial phylotypes related to feed efficiency traits, correlations were detected between dry matter intake, average daily gain, and copy numbers of the 16S rRNA gene of Succinivibrio sp. in low-RFI (efficient) steers, whereas correlations between Robinsoniella sp. and RFI (P < 0.05) were observed for high-RFI (inefficient) animals. Eubacterium sp. differed significantly (P < 0.05) between RFI groups that were only on the high-energy diet. Our work provides a comprehensive framework to understand how particular bacterial phylotypes contribute to differences in feed efficiency and ultimately influence host productivity, which may either depend on or be independent from diet factors. PMID:22156428

Systems Analysis of GPS Electrical Power System Redesign

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-12-01

Table 8 - System Efficiencies & Multipliers for Solar Direct Model (12:102; 15:864) Component Efficiency AMTEC 0.180 Receiver and Thermal Energy Storage...and low temperatures of the working fluid. Extreme high and low temperatures provide a greater efficiency , but require extensive thermal control and...direct conversion category. The Alkali Metal Thermal -to-Electric Converter ( AMTEC ) shows mass and cost savings due to efficiencies significantly higher

Global financial crisis and weak-form efficiency of Islamic sectoral stock markets: An MF-DFA analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mensi, Walid; Tiwari, Aviral Kumar; Yoon, Seong-Min

2017-04-01

This paper estimates the weak-form efficiency of Islamic stock markets using 10 sectoral stock indices (basic materials, consumer services, consumer goods, energy, financials, health care, industrials, technology, telecommunication, and utilities). The results based on the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) approach show time-varying efficiency for the sectoral stock markets. Moreover, we find that they tend to show high efficiency in the long term but moderate efficiency in the short term, and that these markets become less efficient after the onset of the global financial crisis. These results have several significant implications in terms of asset allocation for investors dealing with Islamic markets.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dernotte, Jeremie; Dec, John E.; Ji, Chunsheng

A detailed understanding of the various factors affecting the trends in gross-indicated thermal efficiency with changes in key operating parameters has been carried out, applied to a one-liter displacement single-cylinder boosted Low-Temperature Gasoline Combustion (LTGC) engine. This work systematically investigates how the supplied fuel energy splits into the following four energy pathways: gross-indicated thermal efficiency, combustion inefficiency, heat transfer and exhaust losses, and how this split changes with operating conditions. Additional analysis is performed to determine the influence of variations in the ratio of specific heat capacities (γ) and the effective expansion ratio, related to the combustion-phasing retard (CA50), onmore » the energy split. Heat transfer and exhaust losses are computed using multiple standard cycle analysis techniques. Furthermore, the various methods are evaluated in order to validate the trends.« less

Energy Efficient Engine acoustic supporting technology report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lavin, S. P.; Ho, P. Y.

1985-01-01

The acoustic development of the Energy Efficient Engine combined testing and analysis using scale model rigs and an integrated Core/Low Spool demonstration engine. The scale model tests show that a cut-on blade/vane ratio fan with a large spacing (S/C = 2.3) is as quiet as a cut-off blade/vane ratio with a tighter spacing (S/C = 1.27). Scale model mixer tests show that separate flow nozzles are the noisiest, conic nozzles the quietest, with forced mixers in between. Based on projections of ICLS data the Energy Efficient Engine (E3) has FAR 36 margins of 3.7 EPNdB at approach, 4.5 EPNdB at full power takeoff, and 7.2 EPNdB at sideline conditions.

Center for Efficiency in Sustainable Energy Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abraham, Martin

The main goal of the Center for Efficiency in Sustainable Energy Systems is to produce a methodology that evaluates a variety of energy systems. Task I. Improved Energy Efficiency for Industrial Processes: This task, completed in partnership with area manufacturers, analyzes the operation of complex manufacturing facilities to provide flexibilities that allow them to improve active-mode power efficiency, lower standby-mode power consumption, and use low cost energy resources to control energy costs in meeting their economic incentives; (2) Identify devices for the efficient transformation of instantaneous or continuous power to different devices and sections of industrial plants; and (3) usemore » these manufacturing sites to demonstrate and validate general principles of power management. Task II. Analysis of a solid oxide fuel cell operating on landfill gas: This task consists of: (1) analysis of a typical landfill gas; (2) establishment of a comprehensive design of the fuel cell system (including the SOFC stack and BOP), including durability analysis; (3) development of suitable reforming methods and catalysts that are tailored to the specific SOFC system concept; and (4) SOFC stack fabrication with testing to demonstrate the salient operational characteristics of the stack, including an analysis of the overall energy conversion efficiency of the system. Task III. Demonstration of an urban wind turbine system: This task consists of (1) design and construction of two side-by-side wind turbine systems on the YSU campus, integrated through power control systems with grid power; (2) preliminary testing of aerodynamic control effectors (provided by a small business partner) to demonstrate improved power control, and evaluation of the system performance, including economic estimates of viability in an urban environment; and (3) computational analysis of the wind turbine system as an enabling activity for development of smart rotor blades that contain integrated sensor/actuator/controller modules to enhance energy capture and reduce aerodynamic loading and noise by way of virtual aerodynamic shaping. Accomplishments: Task I. Improved Energy Efficiency for Industrial Processes: We organized an energy management training session held on February 22, 2011, which was advertised through a regional manufacturing association to provide wide-ranging notification. Over two dozen companies were represented a the seminar, ranging from heavy manufacturing businesses with $5,000,000 per year energy expenses, to small, light manufacturing facilities. Task 2. Landfill Fuel Cell Power Generation Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) were constructed and evaluated as a means of obtaining electrical energy from landfill gas. Analysis of landfill gas. Attempts at collecting gas samples at the landfill and evaluating them on campus were still unsuccessful. Even a Teflon® sample bag would lose its H2S content. Evaluation of Gas Clean-up We consider this a confirmation of the CO2 effect on the solubility of H2S in water making much less sulfide available for the photocatalyst. It also means that another method should be employed to clean up landfill gas. Nonetheless, composition of impurities in landfill gas was reduced sufficiently to allow successful operation of the test fuel cell. Comparison to a PEM fuel cell system. If a PEMFC were to be operated with landfill gas as the fuel, the gas would have to be treated for sulfur removal, and then processed in a reformer large enough to drive the equilibrium far toward the products, so that negligible CO would flow into the fuel cell. Analysis of a fuel cell running on landfill gas. Using a Gow-Mac gas chromatograph with a thermal conductivity detector, unambiguous determination of CO can be made, at least as a primary constituent Task 3: Task 3 Plasma Controlled Turbine Blades Wind Turbine Selection. After carefully reviewing the various model available in the market the team selected the ARE 110 (2.5kW). The ARE 110 provides a very long life with little maintenance due to their relatively low rotational speeds (low RPM). The turbines large swept area (10.2ms2/110sq.ft), high-efficiency blades, purpose built alternator, and optimized power electronics ensure maximum energy capture from a wide range of wind speeds. Two wind turbines were installed side-by-side at the Melnick Hall site to compare their performance. Evaluate and Optimize Aerodynamically Enhanced Turbine Blades Due to delays in the installation of the wind turbines, no actual data was obtained within the contract period. At this time, the turbines are installed and operational at YSU with standard blades. We are in contact with Orbital Research and in discussion as to how best the required data can be obtained.« less

Energy Management in Small Commercial Buildings: A Look at How HVAC Contractors Can Deliver Energy Efficiency to this Segment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hult, Erin; Granderson, Jessica; Mathew, Paul

While buildings smaller than 50,000 sq ft account for nearly half of the energy used in US commercial buildings, energy efficiency programs to-date have primarily focused on larger buildings. Interviews with stakeholders and a review of the literature indicate interest in energy efficiency from the small commercial building sector, provided solutions are simple and low-cost. An approach to deliver energy management to small commercial buildings via HVAC contractors and preliminary demonstration findings are presented. The energy management package (EMP) developed includes five technical elements: benchmarking and analysis of monthly energy use; analysis of interval electricity data (if available), a one-hourmore » onsite walkthrough, communication with the building owner, and checking of results. This data-driven approach tracks performance and identifies low-cost opportunities, using guidelines and worksheets for each element to streamline the delivery process and minimize the formal training required. This energy management approach is unique from, but often complementary to conventional quality maintenance or retrofit-focused programs targeting the small commercial segment. Because HVAC contractors already serve these clients, the transaction cost to market and deliver energy management services can be reduced to the order of hundreds of dollars per year. This business model, outlined briefly in this report, enables the offering to benefit the contractor and client even at the modest expected energy savings in small buildings. Results from a small-scale pilot of this approach validated that the EMP could be delivered by contractors in 4-8 hours per building per year, and that energy savings of 3-5percent are feasible through this approach.« less

Application configuration selection for energy-efficient execution on multicore systems

DOE PAGES

Wang, Shinan; Luo, Bing; Shi, Weisong; ...

2015-09-21

Balanced performance and energy consumption are incorporated in the design of modern computer systems. Several runtime factors, such as concurrency levels, thread mapping strategies, and dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) should be considered in order to achieve optimal energy efficiency fora workload. Selecting appropriate run-time factors, however, is one of the most challenging tasks because the run-time factors are architecture-specific and workload-specific. And while most existing works concentrate on either static analysis of the workload or run-time prediction results, we present a hybrid two-step method that utilizes concurrency levels and DVFS settings to achieve the energy efficiency configuration formore » a worldoad. The experimental results based on a Xeon E5620 server with NPB and PARSEC benchmark suites show that the model is able to predict the energy efficient configuration accurately. On average, an additional 10% EDP (Energy Delay Product) saving is obtained by using run-time DVFS for the entire system. An off-line optimal solution is used to compare with the proposed scheme. Finally, the experimental results show that the average extra EDP saved by the optimal solution is within 5% on selective parallel benchmarks.« less

An empirical study on energy efficiency improvement through photovoltaic systems and a LED lighting control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young Kwan; Lee, Jae Hyeong

2015-09-01

In this research, a facility was constructed and its performance was analyzed to improve the energy efficiency of a vertical-type water treatment building. After the design and construction of a fixed tilt Photovoltaic in Building (PVIB) on the rooftop using a crystalline silicon solar cell module and photovoltaic generator integrated with the building by using a Building Integrated Photovoltaic System (BIPV), a thin-film module on the rooftop and outer wall of water treatment building, and the generation efficiency was analyzed. Also, a DC distribution was established for use of a brushless DC (BLDC) pump motor, and the existing lighting-facility-based manual on-off method was turned into a system for energy conservation by controlling light emitting diode (LED) through a wireless motion sensor and dimming control. In addition, a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) for a real-time analysis of the energy efficiency for a vertical0type water treatment building was prepared and tested. The vertical-type water treatment building developed in this study is currently operating the BEMS. The vertical-type water treatment building reported in this paper is expected to reduce energy consumption by about 30% compared to existing water treatment systems.

Irregular Wave Energy Extraction Analysis for a Slider Crank WEC Power Take-Off System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sang, Yuanrui; Karayaka, H. Bora; Yan, Yanjun

2015-09-02

Slider crank Wave Energy Converter (WEC) is a novel energy conversion device. It converts wave energy into electricity at a relatively high efficiency, and it features a simple structure. Past analysis on this WEC has been done under regular sinusoidal wave conditions, and a suboptimal energy could be achieved. This paper presents the analysis of the system under irregular wave conditions; a time-domain hydrodynamics model is adopted and the control methodology is modified to better serve the irregular wave conditions. Results from the simulations show that the performance of the system under irregular wave conditions is different from that undermore » regular sinusoidal wave conditions, but still a reasonable amount of energy can be extracted.« less

Development and Analysis of New Integrated Energy Systems for Sustainable Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalid, Farrukh

Excessive consumption of fossil fuels in the residential sector and their associated negative environmental impacts bring a significant challenge to engineers within research and industrial communities throughout the world to develop more environmentally benign methods of meeting energy needs of residential sector in particular. This thesis addresses potential solutions for the issue of fossils fuel consumption in residential buildings. Three novel renewable energy based multigeneration systems are proposed for different types of residential buildings, and a comprehensive assessment of energetic and exergetic performances is given on the basis of total occupancy, energy load, and climate conditions. System 1 is a multigeneration system based on two renewable energy sources. It uses biomass and solar resources. The outputs of System 1 are electricity, space heating, cooling, and hot water. The energy and exergy efficiencies of System 1 are 91.0% and 34.9%, respectively. The results of the optimisation analysis show that the net present cost of System 1 is 2,700,496 and that the levelised cost of electricity is 0.117/kWh. System 2 is a multigeneration system, integrating three renewable energy based subsystems; wind turbine, concentrated solar collector, and Organic Rankine Cycle supplied by a ground source heat exchanger. The outputs of the System 2 are electricity, hot water, heating and cooling. The optimisation analysis shows that net present cost is 35,502 and levelised cost of electricity is 0.186/kWh. The energy and exergy efficiencies of System 2 are found to be 34.6% and 16.2%, respectively. System 3 is a multigeneration system, comprising two renewable energy subsystems-- geothermal and solar to supply power, cooling, heating, and hot water. The optimisation analysis shows that the net present cost of System 3 is 598,474, and levelised cost of electricity of 0.111/kWh. The energy and exergy efficiencies of System 3 are 20.2% and 19.2%, respectively, with outputs of electricity, hot water, cooling and space heating. A performance assessment for identical conditions indicates that System 3 offers the best performance, with the minimum net present cost of 26,001 and levelised cost of electricity of 0.136/kWh.

Analysis of a fuel cell on-site integrated energy system for a residential complex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simons, S. N.; Maag, W. L.

1979-01-01

The energy use and costs of the on-site integrated energy system (OS/IES) which provides electric power from an on-site power plant and recovers heat that would normally be rejected to the environment is compared to a conventional system purchasing electricity from a utility and a phosphoric acid fuel cell powered system. The analysis showed that for a 500-unit apartment complex a fuel OS/IES would be about 10% more energy conservative in terms of total coal consumption than a diesel OS/IES system or a conventional system. The fuel cell OS/IES capital costs could be 30 to 55% greater than the diesel OS/IES capital costs for the same life cycle costs. The life cycle cost of a fuel cell OS/IES would be lower than that for a conventional system as long as the cost of electricity is greater than $0.05 to $0.065/kWh. An analysis of several parametric combinations of fuel cell power plant and state-of-art energy recovery systems and annual fuel requirement calculations for four locations were made. It was shown that OS/IES component choices are a major factor in fuel consumption, with the least efficient system using 25% more fuel than the most efficient. Central air conditioning and heat pumps result in minimum fuel consumption while individual air conditioning units increase it, and in general the fuel cell of highest electrical efficiency has the lowest fuel consumption.

Analysis Reveals Impact of Road Grade on Vehicle Energy Use | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

of modern automobiles is essential for designing increasingly efficient powertrains. In recent years more information, refer to the conference paper-Contribution of Road Grade to the Energy Use of Modern

Static vs. mobile sink: The influence of basic parameters on energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Khan, Majid I; Gansterer, Wilfried N; Haring, Guenter

2013-05-15

Over the last decade a large number of routing protocols has been designed for achieving energy efficiency in data collecting wireless sensor networks. The drawbacks of using a static sink are well known. It has been argued in the literature that a mobile sink may improve the energy dissipation compared to a static one. Some authors focus on minimizing Emax , the maximum energy dissipation of any single node in the network, while others aim at minimizing Ebar , the average energy dissipation over all nodes. In our paper we take a more holistic view, considering both Emax and Ebar . The main contribution of this paper is to provide a simulation-based analysis of the energy efficiency of WSNs with static and mobile sinks. The focus is on two important configuration parameters: mobility path of the sink and duty cycling value of the nodes. On the one hand, it is well known that in the case of a mobile sink with fixed trajectory the choice of the mobility path influences energy efficiency. On the other hand, in some types of applications sensor nodes spend a rather large fraction of their total lifetime in idle mode, and therefore higher energy efficiency can be achieved by using the concept of reduced duty cycles. In particular, we quantitatively analyze the influence of duty cycling and the mobility radius of the sink as well as their interrelationship in terms of energy consumption for a well-defined model scenario. The analysis starts from general load considerations and is refined into a geometrical model. This model is validated by simulations which are more realistic in terms of duty cycling than previous work. It is illustrated that over all possible configuration scenarios in terms of duty cycle and mobility radius of the sink the energy dissipation in the WSN can vary up to a factor of nine in terms of Emax and up to a factor of 17 in terms of Ebar. It turns out that in general the choice of the duty cycle value is more important for achieving energy efficiency than the choice of the mobility radius of the sink. Moreover, for small values of the duty cycle, a static sink turns out to be optimal in terms of both Emax and Ebar . For larger values of the duty cycle, a mobile sink has advantages over a static sink, especially in terms of Emax . These insights into the basic interrelationship between duty cycle value and mobility radius of a mobile sink are relevant for energy efficient operation of homogeneous WSNs beyond our model scenario.

The analysis of energy efficiency in water electrolysis under high temperature and high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hourng, L. W.; Tsai, T. T.; Lin, M. Y.

2017-11-01

This paper aims to analyze the energy efficiency of water electrolysis under high pressure and high temperature conditions. The effects of temperature and pressure on four different kinds of reaction mechanisms, namely, reversible voltage, activation polarization, ohmic polarization, and concentration polarization, are investigated in details. Results show that the ohmic and concentration over-potentials are increased as temperature is increased, however, the reversible and activation over-potentials are decreased as temperature is increased. Therefore, the net efficiency is enhanced as temperature is increased. The efficiency of water electrolysis at 350°C/100 bars is increased about 17%, compared with that at 80°C/1bar.

Review of Evaluation, Measurement and Verification Approaches Used to Estimate the Load Impacts and Effectiveness of Energy Efficiency Programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Messenger, Mike; Bharvirkar, Ranjit; Golemboski, Bill

Public and private funding for end-use energy efficiency actions is expected to increase significantly in the United States over the next decade. For example, Barbose et al (2009) estimate that spending on ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs in the U.S. could increase frommore » $3.1 billion in 2008 to $$7.5 and 12.4 billion by 2020 under their medium and high scenarios. This increase in spending could yield annual electric energy savings ranging from 0.58% - 0.93% of total U.S. retail sales in 2020, up from 0.34% of retail sales in 2008. Interest in and support for energy efficiency has broadened among national and state policymakers. Prominent examples include {approx}$$18 billion in new funding for energy efficiency programs (e.g., State Energy Program, Weatherization, and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants) in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Increased funding for energy efficiency should result in more benefits as well as more scrutiny of these results. As energy efficiency becomes a more prominent component of the U.S. national energy strategy and policies, assessing the effectiveness and energy saving impacts of energy efficiency programs is likely to become increasingly important for policymakers and private and public funders of efficiency actions. Thus, it is critical that evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) is carried out effectively and efficiently, which implies that: (1) Effective program evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) methodologies and tools are available to key stakeholders (e.g., regulatory agencies, program administrators, consumers, and evaluation consultants); and (2) Capacity (people and infrastructure resources) is available to conduct EM&V activities and report results in ways that support program improvement and provide data that reliably compares achieved results against goals and similar programs in other jurisdictions (benchmarking). The National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (2007) presented commonly used definitions for EM&V in the context of energy efficiency programs: (1) Evaluation (E) - The performance of studies and activities aimed at determining the effects and effectiveness of EE programs; (2) Measurement and Verification (M&V) - Data collection, monitoring, and analysis associated with the calculation of gross energy and demand savings from individual measures, sites or projects. M&V can be a subset of program evaluation; and (3) Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification (EM&V) - This term is frequently seen in evaluation literature. EM&V is a catchall acronym for determining both the effectiveness of program designs and estimates of load impacts at the portfolio, program and project level. This report is a scoping study that assesses current practices and methods in the evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) of ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs, with a focus on methods and practices currently used for determining whether projected (ex-ante) energy and demand savings have been achieved (ex-post). M&V practices for privately-funded energy efficiency projects (e.g., ESCO projects) or programs where the primary focus is greenhouse gas reductions were not part of the scope of this study. We identify and discuss key purposes and uses of current evaluations of end-use energy efficiency programs, methods used to evaluate these programs, processes used to determine those methods; and key issues that need to be addressed now and in the future, based on discussions with regulatory agencies, policymakers, program administrators, and evaluation practitioners in 14 states and national experts in the evaluation field. We also explore how EM&V may evolve in a future in which efficiency funding increases significantly, innovative mechanisms for rewarding program performance are adopted, the role of efficiency in greenhouse gas mitigation is more closely linked, and programs are increasingly funded from multiple sources often with multiple program administrators and intended to meet multiple purposes.« less

Engineering Strategies and Methods for Avoiding Air-Quality Externalities: Dispersion Modeling, Home Energy Conservation, and Scenario Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knox, Andrew James

Energy conservation can improve air quality by reducing emissions from fuel combustion. The human health value retained through better air quality can then offset the cost of energy conservation. Through this thesis' innovative yet widely-accessible combination of air pollution dispersion modeling and atmospheric chemistry, it is estimated that the health value retained by avoiding emissions from Ontario's former coal-fired generating stations is 5.74/MWh (using an upper-bound value of 265,000 per year of life lost). This value is combined with energy modeling of homes in the first-ever assessment of the air-quality health benefits of low-energy buildings. It is shown that avoided health damages can equal 7% of additional construction costs of energy efficient buildings in Ontario. At 7%, health savings are a significant item in the cost analysis of efficient buildings. Looking to energy efficiency in the context of likely future low-resource natural gas scenarios, building efficient buildings today is shown to be more economically efficient than any building retrofit option. Considering future natural gas scarcity in the context of Ontario's Long-Term Energy Plan reveals that Ontario may be forced to return to coal-fired electricity. Projected coal use would result in externalities greater than $600 million/year; 80% more than air-quality externalities from Ontario's electricity in 1985. Radically aggressive investment in electricity conservation (75% reduction per capita by 2075) is one promising path forward that keeps air-quality externalities below 1985 levels. Non-health externalities are an additional concern, the quantification, and ultimately monetization, of which could be practical using emerging air pollution monitoring technologies. Energy, conservation, energy planning, and energy's externalities form a complex situation in which today's decisions are critical to a successful future. It is clear that reducing the demand for energy is essential and that there are economically efficient conservation opportunities, particularly in the building sector, being missed.

Broadband down-conversion based near infrared quantum cutting in Eu{sup 2+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} for crystalline silicon solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tai, Yuping, E-mail: yupingtai@126.com; Zheng, Guojun, E-mail: zhengguojun88@126.com; Wang, Hui, E-mail: huiwang@nwu.edu.cn

2015-03-15

Near infrared (NIR) quantum cutting involving the down conversion of an absorbed visible photon to emission of two NIR photons was achieved in SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:0.01Eu{sup 2+}, xYb{sup 3+} (x=0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30 mol%) samples. The photoluminescence properties of samples in visible and NIR regions were measured to verify the energy transfer (ET) from Eu{sup 2+} to Yb{sup 3+}. The results demonstrated that Eu{sup 2+} was an efficient sensitizer for Yb{sup 3+} in the SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} host lattice. According to Gaussian fitting analysis and temperature-dependent luminescence experiments, the conclusion was drawn that the cooperative energy transfermore » (CET) process dominated the ET process and the influence of charge transfer state (CTS) of Yb{sup 3+} could be negligible. As a result, the high energy transfer efficiency (ETE) and quantum yield (QY) have been acquired, the maximum value approached 73.68% and 147.36%, respectively. Therefore, this down-conversion material has potential application in crystalline silicon solar cells to improve conversion efficiency. - Graphical abstract: Near infrared quantum cutting was achieved in Eu{sup 2+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} samples. The cooperative energy transfer process dominated energy transfer process and high energy transfer efficiency was acquired. - Highlights: • The absorption spectrum of Eu{sup 2+} ion is strong in intensity and broad in bandwidth. • The spectra of Eu{sup 2+} in SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} lies in the strongest region of solar spectrum. • The cooperative energy transfer (CET) dominated the energy transfer process. • The domination of CET is confirmed by experimental analysis. • SrAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+},Yb{sup 3+} show high energy transfer efficiency and long lifetime.« less

Energy-efficient building design in cold climates: Schools as a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangel Ruiz, Rocio

Buildings account for great amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of energy, buildings account for one third of the total amount of energy used in the country every year! Schools account for 14 percent of the energy used annually in commercial and institutional buildings. Further, schools are one of the most commonly constructed building types in Canada and spaces such as classrooms are often duplicated. This makes them preferred candidates for the research that was undertaken where energy-efficient solutions that can be transferred to different school designs were derived. Throughout the study, the Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP) was used as a benchmark. The objectives of the study were to demonstrate energy-efficient concepts, provide a case study to evaluate solutions, develop typological models and provide an understanding of the innovation process. The technological and societal aspects of the energy-efficient design were addressed. With respect to the technological aspects, the first step was the analysis of conventional design using a school in Calgary as a case study. The optimization of conventional design was undertaken using computer modeling to identify best practice solutions. Aspects that were included in the studies were lighting design, envelope characteristics, HVAC systems and building plant systems. The inclusion of passive design included the analysis of daylighting and natural ventilation. Computer modeling was used to assess daylighting in classrooms with unilateral and bilateral daylighting. Illuminance levels, glare and light distribution were evaluated. The study of natural ventilation was undertaken using literature review. Airflow and outdoor temperatures were the focus to identify solutions that could be incorporated into the design of classrooms. It was concluded that achieving excellence in energy efficiency in schools could be achieved using readily available technologies. Energy savings of up to 63 percent better than Canada's Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB) reference case and utility cost savings of 30,000 (on a 50,000 annual cost) were achieved through conventional design optimization. Additional energy savings of three percent and utility cost savings of $7,000 were seen when passive strategies were included in the design. With respect to the societal aspects, an exploratory research study was undertaken to examine innovation. Architects and energy consultants were interviewed. All design professionals included in the study had participated in projects approved for a grant under CBIP. The purpose of the study was to identify drivers and barriers to energy efficiency. The study demonstrated that external and internal innovation pressures have a significant effect on whether or not the technology is adopted. Suggestions for reducing barriers and further promoting energy efficiency are discussed in this thesis. It is expected that the research will not only aid designers in assessing projects with regard to local priorities, but will also provide building guidelines that serve as tools for the development of the Canadian energy compliance for CO2 emissions.

Barriers to Building Energy Efficiency (BEE) promotion: A transaction costs perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian Kun, Queena

Worldwide, buildings account for a surprisingly high 40% of global energy consumption, and the resulting carbon footprint significantly exceeds that of all forms of transportation combined. Large and attractive opportunities exist to reduce buildings' energy use at lower costs and higher returns than in other sectors. This thesis analyzes the concerns of the market stakeholders, mainly real estate developers and end-users, in terms of transaction costs as they make decisions about investing in Building Energy Efficiency (BEE). It provides a detailed analysis of the current situation and future prospects for BEE adoption by the market's stakeholders. It delineates the market and lays out the economic and institutional barriers to the large-scale deployment of energy-efficient building techniques. The aim of this research is to investigate the barriers raised by transaction costs that hinder market stakeholders from investing in BEES. It explains interactions among stakeholders in general and in the specific case of Hong Kong as they consider transaction costs. It focuses on the influence of transaction costs on the decision-making of the stakeholders during the entire process of real estate development. The objectives are: 1) To establish an analytical framework for understanding the barriers to BEE investment with consideration of transaction costs; 2) To build a theoretical game model of decision making among the BEE market stakeholders; 3) To study the empirical data from questionnaire surveys of building designers and from focused interviews with real estate developers in Hong Kong; 4) To triangulate the study's empirical findings with those of the theoretical model and analytical framework. The study shows that a coherent institutional framework needs to be established to ensure that the design and implementation of BEE policies acknowledge the concerns of market stakeholders by taking transaction costs into consideration. Regulatory and incentive options should be integrated into BEE policies to minimize efficiency gaps and to realize a sizeable increase in the number of energy-efficient buildings in the next decades. Specifically, the analysis shows that a thorough understanding of the transaction costs borne by particular stakeholders could improve the energy efficiency of buildings, even without improvements in currently available technology.

Comparative Analysis of Modeling Studies on China's Future Energy and Emissions Outlook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheng, Nina; Zhou, Nan; Fridley, David

The past decade has seen the development of various scenarios describing long-term patterns of future Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, with each new approach adding insights to our understanding of the changing dynamics of energy consumption and aggregate future energy trends. With the recent growing focus on China's energy use and emission mitigation potential, a range of Chinese outlook models have been developed across different institutions including in China's Energy Research Institute's 2050 China Energy and CO2 Emissions Report, McKinsey & Co's China's Green Revolution report, the UK Sussex Energy Group and Tyndall Centre's China's Energy Transition report, and the China-specificmore » section of the IEA World Energy Outlook 2009. At the same time, the China Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has developed a bottom-up, end-use energy model for China with scenario analysis of energy and emission pathways out to 2050. A robust and credible energy and emission model will play a key role in informing policymakers by assessing efficiency policy impacts and understanding the dynamics of future energy consumption and energy saving and emission reduction potential. This is especially true for developing countries such as China, where uncertainties are greater while the economy continues to undergo rapid growth and industrialization. A slightly different assumption or storyline could result in significant discrepancies among different model results. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the key models in terms of their scope, methodologies, key driver assumptions and the associated findings. A comparative analysis of LBNL's energy end-use model scenarios with the five above studies was thus conducted to examine similarities and divergences in methodologies, scenario storylines, macroeconomic drivers and assumptions as well as aggregate energy and emission scenario results. Besides directly tracing different energy and CO{sub 2} savings potential back to the underlying strategies and combination of efficiency and abatement policy instruments represented by each scenario, this analysis also had other important but often overlooked findings.« less

External quantum efficiency exceeding 100% in a singlet-exciton-fission-based solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldo, Marc

2013-03-01

Singlet exciton fission can be used to split a molecular excited state in two. In solar cells, it promises to double the photocurrent from high energy photons, thereby breaking the single junction efficiency limit. We demonstrate organic solar cells that exploit singlet exciton fission in pentacene to generate more than one electron per incident photon in the visible spectrum. Using a fullerene acceptor, a poly(3-hexylthiophene) exciton confinement layer, and a conventional optical trapping scheme, the peak external quantum efficiency is (109 +/-1)% at λ = 670 nm for a 15-nm-thick pentacene film. The corresponding internal quantum efficiency is (160 +/-10)%. Independent confirmation of the high internal efficiency is obtained by analysis of the magnetic field effect on photocurrent, which determines that the triplet yield approaches 200% for pentacene films thicker than 5 nm. To our knowledge, this is the first solar cell to generate quantum efficiencies above 100% in the visible spectrum. Alternative multiple exciton generation approaches have been demonstrated previously in the ultraviolet, where there is relatively little sunlight. Singlet exciton fission differs from these other mechanisms because spin conservation disallows the usual dominant loss process: a thermal relaxation of the high-energy exciton into a single low-energy exciton. Consequently, pentacene is efficient in the visible spectrum at λ = 670 nm because only the collapse of the singlet exciton into twotriplets is spin-allowed. Supported as part of the Center for Excitonics, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001088.

Evaluation of Emerging Energy-Efficient Heterogeneous Computing Platforms for Biomolecular and Cellular Simulation Workloads.

PubMed

Stone, John E; Hallock, Michael J; Phillips, James C; Peterson, Joseph R; Luthey-Schulten, Zaida; Schulten, Klaus

2016-05-01

Many of the continuing scientific advances achieved through computational biology are predicated on the availability of ongoing increases in computational power required for detailed simulation and analysis of cellular processes on biologically-relevant timescales. A critical challenge facing the development of future exascale supercomputer systems is the development of new computing hardware and associated scientific applications that dramatically improve upon the energy efficiency of existing solutions, while providing increased simulation, analysis, and visualization performance. Mobile computing platforms have recently become powerful enough to support interactive molecular visualization tasks that were previously only possible on laptops and workstations, creating future opportunities for their convenient use for meetings, remote collaboration, and as head mounted displays for immersive stereoscopic viewing. We describe early experiences adapting several biomolecular simulation and analysis applications for emerging heterogeneous computing platforms that combine power-efficient system-on-chip multi-core CPUs with high-performance massively parallel GPUs. We present low-cost power monitoring instrumentation that provides sufficient temporal resolution to evaluate the power consumption of individual CPU algorithms and GPU kernels. We compare the performance and energy efficiency of scientific applications running on emerging platforms with results obtained on traditional platforms, identify hardware and algorithmic performance bottlenecks that affect the usability of these platforms, and describe avenues for improving both the hardware and applications in pursuit of the needs of molecular modeling tasks on mobile devices and future exascale computers.

Thermodynamic analysis of resources used in manufacturing processes.

PubMed

Gutowski, Timothy G; Branham, Matthew S; Dahmus, Jeffrey B; Jones, Alissa J; Thiriez, Alexandre

2009-03-01

In this study we use a thermodynamic framework to characterize the material and energy resources used in manufacturing processes. The analysis and data span a wide range of processes from "conventional" processes such as machining, casting, and injection molding, to the so-called "advanced machining" processes such as electrical discharge machining and abrasive waterjet machining, and to the vapor-phase processes used in semiconductor and nanomaterials fabrication. In all, 20 processes are analyzed. The results show that the intensity of materials and energy used per unit of mass of material processed (measured either as specific energy or exergy) has increased by at least 6 orders of magnitude over the past several decades. The increase of material/energy intensity use has been primarily a consequence of the introduction of new manufacturing processes, rather than changes in traditional technologies. This phenomenon has been driven by the desire for precise small-scale devices and product features and enabled by stable and declining material and energy prices over this period. We illustrate the relevance of thermodynamics (including exergy analysis) for all processes in spite of the fact that long-lasting focus in manufacturing has been on product quality--not necessarily energy/material conversion efficiency. We promote the use of thermodynamics tools for analysis of manufacturing processes within the context of rapidly increasing relevance of sustainable human enterprises. We confirm that exergy analysis can be used to identify where resources are lost in these processes, which is the first step in proposing and/or redesigning new more efficient processes.

Evaluation of Savings in Energy-Efficient Public Housing in the Pacific Northwest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, A.; Lubliner, M.; Howard, L.

2013-10-01

This report presents the results of an energy performance and cost-effectiveness analysis. The Salishan phase 7 and demonstration homes were compared to Salishan phase 6 homes built to 2006 Washington State Energy Code specifications 2. Predicted annual energy savings (over Salishan phase 6) was 19% for Salishan phase 7, and between 19-24% for the demonstration homes (depending on ventilation strategy). Approximately two-thirds of the savings are attributable to the DHP. Working with the electric utility provider, Tacoma Public Utilities, researchers conducted a billing analysis for Salishan phase 7.

Energy and Exergy Analysis of Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Cycle—A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanabar, Bhaveshkumar Kantilal; Ramani, Bharatkumar Maganbhai

2016-07-01

In recent years, an energy crisis and the energy consumption have become global problems which restrict the sustainable growth. In these scenarios the scientific energy recovery and the utilization of various kinds of waste heat become very important. The waste heat can be utilized in many ways and one of the best practices is to use it for vapour absorption refrigeration system. To ensure efficient working of absorption cycle and utilization of optimum heat, exergy is the best tool for analysis. This paper provides the comprehensive picture of research and development of absorption refrigeration technology, practical and theoretical analysis with different arrangements of the cycle.

ImSET: Impact of Sector Energy Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roop, Joseph M.; Scott, Michael J.; Schultz, Robert W.

2005-07-19

This version of the Impact of Sector Energy Technologies (ImSET) model represents the ''next generation'' of the previously developed Visual Basic model (ImBUILD 2.0) that was developed in 2003 to estimate the macroeconomic impacts of energy-efficient technology in buildings. More specifically, a special-purpose version of the 1997 benchmark national Input-Output (I-O) model was designed specifically to estimate the national employment and income effects of the deployment of Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) -developed energy-saving technologies. In comparison with the previous versions of the model, this version allows for more complete and automated analysis of the essential featuresmore » of energy efficiency investments in buildings, industry, transportation, and the electric power sectors. This version also incorporates improvements in the treatment of operations and maintenance costs, and improves the treatment of financing of investment options. ImSET is also easier to use than extant macroeconomic simulation models and incorporates information developed by each of the EERE offices as part of the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act.« less

Public sector energy management: A strategy for catalyzing energy efficiency in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Anish Kumar

To date the public sector role in facilitating the transition to a sustainable energy future has been envisaged mainly from a regulatory perspective. In such a role, the public sector provides the push factors---enforcing regulations and providing incentives---to correct market imperfections that impede energy transitions. An alternative and complementary role of the public sector that is now gaining increasing attention is that of catalyzing energy transitions through public sector energy management initiatives. This dissertation offers a conceptual framework to rationalize such a role for the public sector by combining recent theories of sustainable energy transition and public management. In particular, the framework identifies innovative public management strategies (such as performance contracting and procurement) for effectively implementing sustainable energy projects in government facilities. The dissertation evaluates a model of sustainable public sector energy management for promoting energy efficiency in Malaysia. The public sector in Malaysia can be a major player in leading and catalyzing energy efficiency efforts as it is not only the largest and one of the most influential energy consumers, but it also plays a central role in setting national development strategy. The dissertation makes several recommendations on how a public sector energy management strategy can be implemented in Malaysia. The US Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is used as a practical model. The analysis, however, shows that in applying the FEMP model to the Malaysian context, there are a number of limitations that will have to be taken into consideration to enable a public sector energy management strategy to be effectively implemented. Overall the analysis of this dissertation contributes to a rethinking of the public sector role in sustainable energy development that can strengthen the sector's credibility both in terms of governance and institutional performance. In addition, it links theory with practice by offering a strategy that can effectively address critical issues arising from the energy-development-policy nexus of the sustainable energy development debate.

Optimal damper placement research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, Vladimir; Kuzhin, Bulat

2017-10-01

Nowadays increased noise and vibration pollution on technopark and research laboratories territories, which is negatively influencing on production of high-precision measuring instruments. The problem is actual for transport hubs, which experience influence of machines, vehicles, trains and planes. Energy efficiency is one of major functions in modern road transport development. The problem of environmental pollution, lack of energy resources and energy efficiency requires research, production and implementation of energy efficient materials that would be the foundation of environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure in road traffic. Improving the efficiency of energy use is a leading option to gain better energy security, improve industry profitability and competitiveness, and reduce the overall energy sector impacts on climate change. This paper has next indirect goals. Research impact of vibration on constructions, such as bus and train stations, terminals, which are mostly exposed to oscillation. Extend the buildings operation by decreasing the negative influence. Reduce expenses on maintenance and repair works. It is important not to forget about seismic protection, which is actual nowadays, when the safety stands first. Analysis of devastating earthquakes for last few years proves reasonableness of application such systems. The article is dedicated to learning dependence of damper location on natural frequency. As a model for analyze was simulated concrete construction with variable profile. We used program complex Patran for analyzing the model.

What Can China Do? China's Best Alternative Outcome for Energy Efficiency and CO2 Emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

G. Fridley, David; Zheng, Nina; T. Aden, Nathaniel

After rapid growth in economic development and energy demand over the last three decades, China has undertaken energy efficiency improvement efforts to reduce its energy intensity under the 11th Five Year Plan (FYP). Since becoming the world's largest annual CO{sub 2} emitter in 2007, China has set reduction targets for energy and carbon intensities and committed to meeting 15% of its total 2020 energy demand with non-fossil fuel. Despite having achieved important savings in 11th FYP efficiency programs, rising per capita income and the continued economic importance of trade will drive demand for transport activity and fuel use. At themore » same time, an increasingly 'electrified' economy will drive rapid power demand growth. Greater analysis is therefore needed to understand the underlying drivers, possible trajectories and mitigation potential in the growing industrial, transport and power sectors. This study uses scenario analysis to understand the likely trajectory of China's energy and carbon emissions to 2030 in light of the current and planned portfolio of programs, policies and technology development and ongoing urbanization and demographic trends. It evaluates the potential impacts of alternative transportation and power sector development using two key scenarios, Continued Improvement Scenario (CIS) and Accelerated Improvement Scenario (AIS). CIS represents the most likely path of growth based on continuation of current policies and meeting announced targets and goals, including meeting planned appliance efficiency standard revisions, fuel economy standards, and industrial targets and moderate phase-out of subcritical coal-fired generation with additional non-fossil generation. AIS represents a more aggressive trajectory of accelerated improvement in energy intensity and decarbonized power and transport sectors. A range of sensitivity analysis and power technology scenarios are tested to evaluate the impact of additional actions such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and integrated mine-mouth generation. The CIS and AIS results are also contextualized and compared to model scenarios in other published studies. The results of this study show that China's energy and CO{sub 2} emissions will not likely peak before 2030, although growth is expected to slow after 2020. Moreover, China will be able to meet its 2020 carbon intensity reduction target of 40 to 45% under both CIS and AIS, but only meet its 15% non-fossil fuel target by 2020 under AIS. Under both scenarios, efficiency remains a key resource and has the same, if not greater, mitigation potential as new technologies in transport and power sectors. In the transport sector, electrification will be closely linked the degree of decarbonization in the power sector and EV deployment has little or no impact on China's crude oil import demand. Rather, power generation improvements have the largest sector potential for overall emission mitigation while mine-mouth power generation and CCS have limited mitigation potential compared to fuel switching and efficiency improvements. Comparisons of this study's results with other published studies reveal that CIS and AIS are within the range of other national energy projections but alternative studies rely much more heavily on CCS for carbon reduction. The McKinsey study, in particular, has more optimistic assumptions for reductions in crude oil imports and coal demand in its abatement scenario and has much higher gasoline reduction potential for the same level of EV deployment. Despite these differences, this study's scenario analysis of both transport and power sectors illustrate the necessity for continued efficiency improvements and aggressive power sector decarbonization in flattening China's CO{sub 2} emissions.« less

Effect of microwave exposure on the photo anode of DSSC sensitized with natural dye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swathi, K. E.; Jinchu, I.; Sreelatha, K. S.; Sreekala, C. O.; Menon, Sreedevi K.

2018-02-01

Dye Sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are also referred to as dye sensitised cells (DSC) or Graetzel cell are the device that converts solar energy in to electricity by the photovoltaic effect. This is the class of advanced cell that mimics the artificial photosynthesis. DSSC fabrication is simple and can be done using readily available low cost materials that are nontoxic, environment friendly and works even under low flux of sunlight. DSSC exhibits good efficiency of ~ 10-14 %. This paper emphasis on the study of enhancing the efficiency of DSSC by exposing the photo anode to microwave frequency. Effect of duration of microwave exposure at 2.6 GHz on energy efficiency of solar cell is studied in detail. The SEM analysis and dye desorption studies of the photo anode confirms an increased solar energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC.

The Next Breakthrough for Organic Photovoltaics?

PubMed

Jackson, Nicholas E; Savoie, Brett M; Marks, Tobin J; Chen, Lin X; Ratner, Mark A

2015-01-02

While the intense focus on energy level tuning in organic photovoltaic materials has afforded large gains in device performance, we argue here that strategies based on microstructural/morphological control are at least as promising in any rational design strategy. In this work, a meta-analysis of ∼150 bulk heterojunction devices fabricated with different materials combinations is performed and reveals strong correlations between power conversion efficiency and morphology-dominated properties (short-circuit current, fill factor) and surprisingly weak correlations between efficiency and energy level positioning (open-circuit voltage, enthalpic offset at the interface, optical gap). While energy level positioning should in principle provide the theoretical maximum efficiency, the optimization landscape that must be navigated to reach this maximum is unforgiving. Thus, research aimed at developing understanding-based strategies for more efficient optimization of an active layer microstructure and morphology are likely to be at least as fruitful.

Solar energy enhancement using down-converting particles: A rigorous approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abrams, Ze’ev R.; Niv, Avi; Zhang, Xiang

2011-06-01

The efficiency of a single band-gap solar cell is specified by the Shockley-Queisser limit, which defines the maximal output power as a function of the solar cell’s band-gap. One way to overcome this limit is by using a down-conversion process whereupon a high energy photon is split into two lower energy photons, thereby increasing the current of the cell. Here, we provide a full analysis of the possible efficiency increase when placing a down-converting material on top of a pre-existing solar cell. We show that a total 7% efficiency improvement is possible for a perfectly efficient down-converting material. Our analysismore » covers both lossless and lossy theoretical limits, as well as a thermodynamic evaluation. Finally, we describe the advantages of nanoparticles as a possible choice for a down-converting material.« less

An Evaluation of the Consumer Costs and Benefits of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lessans, Mark D.

Of the modern-day policies designed to encourage energy efficiency, one with a significant potential for impact is that of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS). EERS policies place the responsibility for meeting an efficiency target on the electric and gas utilities, typically setting requirements for annual reductions in electricity generation or gas distribution to customers as a percentage of sales. To meet these requirements, utilities typically implement demand-side management (DSM) programs, which encourage energy efficiency at the customer level through incentives and educational initiatives. In Maryland, a statewide EERS has provided for programs which save a significant amount of energy, but is ultimately falling short in meeting the targets established by the policy. This study evaluates residential DSM programs offered by Pepco, a utility in Maryland, for cost-effectiveness. However, unlike most literature on the topic, analysis focuses on the costs-benefit from the perspective of the consumer, and not the utility. The results of this study are encouraging: the majority of programs analyzed show that the cost of electricity saved, or levelized cost of saved energy (LCSE), is less expensive than the current retail cost of electricity cost in Maryland. A key goal of this study is to establish a metric for evaluating the consumer cost-effectiveness of participation in energy efficiency programs made available by EERS. In doing so, the benefits of these programs can be effectively marketed to customers, with the hope that participation will increase. By increasing consumer awareness and buy-in, the original goals set out through EERS can be realized and the policies can continue to receive support.

Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Highway Lodging Buildings: Development of 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Wei; Gowri, Krishnan; Thornton, Brian A.

2010-06-30

This paper presents the process, methodology, and assumptions for development of the 50% Energy Savings Design Technology Packages for Highway Lodging Buildings, a design guidance document that provides specific recommendations for achieving 50% energy savings in roadside motels (highway lodging) above the requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004. This 50% solution represents a further step toward realization of the U.S. Department of Energy’s net-zero energy building goal, and go beyond the 30% savings in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series (upon which this work was built). This work can serve as the technical feasibility study for the development of a 50%more » saving Advanced Energy Design Guide for highway lodging, and thus should greatly expedite the development process. The purpose of this design package is to provide user-friendly design assistance to designers, developers, and owners of highway lodging properties. It is intended to encourage energy-efficient design by providing prescriptive energy-efficiency recommendations for each climate zone that attains the 50% the energy savings target. This paper describes the steps that were taken to demonstrate the technical feasibility of achieving a 50% reduction in whole-building energy use with practical and commercially available technologies. The energy analysis results are presented, indicating the recommended energy-efficient measures achieved a national-weighted average energy savings of 55%, relative to Standard 90.1-2004. The cost-effectiveness of the recommended technology package is evaluated and the result shows an average simple payback of 11.3 years.« less

Using Energy Profiles to Identify University Energy Reduction Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maistry, Nandarani; Annegarn, Harold

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to outline efforts at the University of Johannesburg, a large metropolitan university in Gauteng province, to examine energy efficiency within the context of the green campus movement, through the analysis of electricity consumption patterns. The study is particularly relevant in light of the cumulative 230…

Energo- and exergo-technical assessment of ground-source heat pump systems for geothermal energy production from underground mines.

PubMed

Amiri, Leyla; Madadian, Edris; Hassani, Ferri P

2018-06-08

The objective of this study is to perform the energy and exergy analysis of an integrated ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system, along with technical assessment, for geothermal energy production by deployment of Engineering Equation Solver (EES). The system comprises heat pump cycle and ground heat exchanger for extracting geothermal energy from underground mine water. A simultaneous energy and exergy analysis of the system is brought off. These analyses provided persuasive outcomes due to the use of an economic and green source of energy. The energetic coefficient of performance (COP) of the entire system is 2.33 and the exergy efficiency of the system is 28.6%. The exergetic efficiencies of the compressor, ground heat exchanger, evaporator, expansion valve, condenser and fan are computed to be 38%, 42%, 53%, 55%, 60% and 64%, respectively. In the numerical investigation, different alteration such as changing the temperature and pressure of the condenser show promising potential for further application of GSHPs. The outcomes of this research can be used for developing and designing novel coupled heat and power systems.

Joint Peru/United States report on Peru/United States cooperative energy assessment. Volume 1. Executive summary, main report and appendices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1979-08-01

In 1978, the US and Peru conducted a comprehensive assessment of Peru's energy resources, needs, and uses and developed several alternative energy strategies that utilize the available resources to meet their energy requirements. This Volume I reports the findings of the assessment and contains the executive summary, the main report, and five appendices of information that support the integrated energy supply and demand analysis. The following chapters are included: The Energy Situation in Peru (economic context and background, energy resources and production, energy consumption patterns); Reference Supply and Demand Projection (approach, procedures, and assumptions; economic projections; energy demand and supplymore » projections; supply/demand integration; uncertainties); and The Development of Strategies and Options (the analysis of options; strategies; increased use of renewables, hydropower, coal; increased energy efficiency; and financial analysis of strategies).« less

The importance of geospatial data to calculate the optimal distribution of renewable energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, Paula; Masó, Joan

2013-04-01

Specially during last three years, the renewable energies are revolutionizing the international trade while they are geographically diversifying markets. Renewables are experiencing a rapid growth in power generation. According to REN21 (2012), during last six years, the total renewables capacity installed grew at record rates. In 2011, the EU raised its share of global new renewables capacity till 44%. The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) accounted for about 26% of the total global. Moreover, almost twenty countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa have currently active markets in renewables. The energy return ratios are commonly used to calculate the efficiency of the traditional energy sources. The Energy Return On Investment (EROI) compares the energy returned for a certain source and the energy used to get it (explore, find, develop, produce, extract, transform, harvest, grow, process, etc.). These energy return ratios have demonstrated a general decrease of efficiency of the fossil fuels and gas. When considering the limitations of the quantity of energy produced by some sources, the energy invested to obtain them and the difficulties of finding optimal locations for the establishment of renewables farms (e.g. due to an ever increasing scarce of appropriate land) the EROI becomes relevant in renewables. A spatialized EROI, which uses variables with spatial distribution, enables the optimal position in terms of both energy production and associated costs. It is important to note that the spatialized EROI can be mathematically formalized and calculated the same way for different locations in a reproducible way. This means that having established a concrete EROI methodology it is possible to generate a continuous map that will highlight the best productive zones for renewable energies in terms of maximum energy return at minimum cost. Relevant variables to calculate the real energy invested are the grid connections between production and consumption, transportation loses and efficiency of the grid. If appropriate, the spatialized EROI analysis could include any indirect costs that the source of energy might produce, such as visual impacts, food market impacts and land price. Such a spatialized study requires GIS tools to compute operations using both spatial relations like distances and frictions, and topological relations like connectivity, not easy to consider in the way that EROI is currently calculated. In a broader perspective, by applying the EROI to various energy sources, a comparative analysis of the efficiency to obtain different source can be done in a quantitative way. The increase in energy investment is also accompanied by the increase of manufactures and policies. Further efforts will be necessary in the coming years to provide energy access through smart grids and to determine the efficient areas in terms of cost of production and energy returned on investment. The authors present the EROI as a reliable solution to address the input and output energy relationship and increase the efficiency in energy investment considering the appropriate geospatial variables. The spatialized EROI can be a useful tool to consider by decision makers when designing energy policies and programming energy funds, because it is an objective demonstration of which energy sources are more convenient in terms of costs and efficiency.

Probing the fusion of neutron-rich nuclei with re-accelerated radioactive beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vadas, J.; Singh, Varinderjit; Wiggins, B. B.; Huston, J.; Hudan, S.; deSouza, R. T.; Lin, Z.; Horowitz, C. J.; Chbihi, A.; Ackermann, D.; Famiano, M.; Brown, K. W.

2018-03-01

We report the first measurement of the fusion excitation functions for K,4739+28Si at near-barrier energies. Evaporation residues resulting from the fusion process were identified by direct measurement of their energy and time of flight with high geometric efficiency. At the lowest incident energy, the cross section measured for the neutron-rich 47K-induced reaction is ≈6 times larger than that of the β -stable system. This experimental approach, both in measurement and in analysis, demonstrates how to efficiently measure fusion with low-intensity re-accelerated radioactive beams, establishing the framework for future studies.

Energy Analysis of a Complementary Heating System Combining Solar Energy and Coal for a Rural Residential Building in Northwest China.

PubMed

Zhen, Xiaofei; Li, Jinping; Abdalla Osman, Yassir Idris; Feng, Rong; Zhang, Xuemin; Kang, Jian

2018-01-01

In order to utilize solar energy to meet the heating demands of a rural residential building during the winter in the northwestern region of China, a hybrid heating system combining solar energy and coal was built. Multiple experiments to monitor its performance were conducted during the winter in 2014 and 2015. In this paper, we analyze the efficiency of the energy utilization of the system and describe a prototype model to determine the thermal efficiency of the coal stove in use. Multiple linear regression was adopted to present the dual function of multiple factors on the daily heat-collecting capacity of the solar water heater; the heat-loss coefficient of the storage tank was detected as well. The prototype model shows that the average thermal efficiency of the stove is 38%, which means that the energy input for the building is divided between the coal and solar energy, 39.5% and 60.5% energy, respectively. Additionally, the allocation of the radiation of solar energy projecting into the collecting area of the solar water heater was obtained which showed 49% loss with optics and 23% with the dissipation of heat, with only 28% being utilized effectively.

Energy efficient engine: Propulsion system-aircraft integration evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, R. E.

1979-01-01

Flight performance and operating economics of future commercial transports utilizing the energy efficient engine were assessed as well as the probability of meeting NASA's goals for TSFC, DOC, noise, and emissions. Results of the initial propulsion systems aircraft integration evaluation presented include estimates of engine performance, predictions of fuel burns, operating costs of the flight propulsion system installed in seven selected advanced study commercial transports, estimates of noise and emissions, considerations of thrust growth, and the achievement-probability analysis.

An Analysis of Sources of Technological Change in Efficiency Improvement of Fluorescent Lamp Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imanaka, Takeo

In Japan, energy efficient fluorescent lamp systems which use “rare-earth phosphors” and “electronic ballasts” have shown rapid diffusion since 1990s. This report investigated sources of technological change in the efficiency improvement of fluorescent lamp systems: (i) Fluorescent lamp and luminaires have been under steady technological development for getting more energy efficient lighting and the concepts to achieve high efficiency had been found in such activities; however, it took long time until they realized and become widely used; (ii) Electronic ballasts and rare-earth phosphors add fluorescent lamp systems not only energy efficiency but also various values such as compactness, lightweight, higher output, and better color rendering properties, which have also been expected and have induced research and development (R&D) (iii) Affordable electronic ballasts are realized by the new technology “power MOSFET” which is based on IC technologies and has been developed for large markets of information and communication technologies and mobile devices; and (iv) Rare-earth phosphors became available after rare-earth industries developed for the purpose of supplying rare-earth phosphors for color television. In terms of sources of technological change, (i) corresponds to “R&D” aiming at the particular purpose i.e. energy efficiency in this case, on the other hand, (ii), (iii), and (iv) correspond to “spillovers” from activities aiming at other purposes. This case exhibits an actual example in which “spillovers” were the critical sources of technological change in energy technology.

Efficient and equitable spatial allocation of renewable power plants at the country scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drechsler, Martin; Egerer, Jonas; Lange, Martin; Masurowski, Frank; Meyerhoff, Jürgen; Oehlmann, Malte

2017-09-01

Globally, the production of renewable energy is undergoing rapid growth. One of the most pressing issues is the appropriate allocation of renewable power plants, as the question of where to produce renewable electricity is highly controversial. Here we explore this issue through analysis of the efficient and equitable spatial allocation of wind turbines and photovoltaic power plants in Germany. We combine multiple methods, including legal analysis, economic and energy modelling, monetary valuation and numerical optimization. We find that minimum distances between renewable power plants and human settlements should be as small as is legally possible. Even small reductions in efficiency lead to large increases in equity. By considering electricity grid expansion costs, we find a more even allocation of power plants across the country than is the case when grid expansion costs are neglected.

Atom probe tomography evaporation behavior of C-axis GaN nanowires: Crystallographic, stoichiometric, and detection efficiency aspects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diercks, David R., E-mail: ddiercks@mines.edu; Gorman, Brian P.; Kirchhofer, Rita

2013-11-14

The field evaporation behavior of c-axis GaN nanowires was explored in two different laser-pulsed atom probe tomography (APT) instruments. Transmission electron microscopy imaging before and after atom probe tomography analysis was used to assist in reconstructing the data and assess the observed evaporation behavior. It was found that the ionic species exhibited preferential locations for evaporation related to the underlying crystal structure of the GaN and that the species which evaporated from these locations was dependent on the pulsed laser energy. Additionally, the overall stoichiometry measured by APT was significantly correlated with the energy of the laser pulses. At themore » lowest laser energies, the apparent composition was nitrogen-rich, while higher laser energies resulted in measurements of predominantly gallium compositions. The percent of ions detected (detection efficiency) for these specimens was found to be considerably below that shown for other materials, even for laser energies which produced the expected Ga:N ratio. The apparent stoichiometry variation and low detection efficiency appear to be a result of evaporation of Ga ions between laser pulses at the lowest laser energies and evaporation of neutral N{sub 2} species at higher laser energies. All of these behaviors are tied to the formation of nitrogen-nitrogen bonds on the tip surface, which occurred under all analysis conditions. Similar field evaporation behaviors are therefore expected for other materials where the anionic species readily form a strong diatomic bond.« less

1975 Automotive Characteristics Data Base

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-10-01

A study of automobile characteristics as a supportive tool for auto energy consumption, fuel economy monitoring, and fleet analysis studies is presented. This report emphasizes the utility of efficient data retrieval methods in fuel economy analysis,...

Energy transfer efficiency from Cr(3+) to Nd(3+) in solar-pumped laser using transparent Nd/Cr:Y(3)Al(5)O(12) ceramics.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Kazuo; Ichikawa, Tadashi; Mizuno, Shintaro; Takeda, Yasuhiko; Ito, Hiroshi; Ikesue, Akio; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi; Yamaga, Mitsuo

2015-06-01

We report energy transfer efficiency from Cr³⁺ to Nd³⁺ in Nd (1.0 at.%)/Cr (0.4 at.%) co-doped Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) transparent ceramics in the laser oscillation states. The laser oscillation has performed using two pumping lasers operating at 808 nm and 561 nm; the former pumps Nd³⁺ directly to create the 1064 nm laser oscillation, whereas the latter assists the performance via Cr³⁺ absorption and sequential energy transfer to Nd³⁺. From the laser output power properties and laser mode analysis, the energy transfer efficiency was determined to be around 65%, which is close to that obtained from the spontaneous Nd³⁺ emission.

Spectroscopic analysis and efficient diode-pumped 2.0 μm emission in Ho3+/Tm3+ codoped fluoride glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Ying; Jing, Xufeng; Xu, Shiqing

2013-11-01

Intense 2.0 μm emission has been obtained in Ho3+/Tm3+ codoped ZBLAY glass pumped by common laser diode. Three intensity parameters and radiative properties have been determined from the absorption spectrum based on the Judd-Ofelt theory. The 2 μm emission characteristics and the energy transfer mechanism upon excitation of a conventional 800 nm laser diode are investigated. Efficient Tm3+ to Ho3+ energy transfer processes have been observed in present glass and investigated using steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopy measurement. The energy transfer microscopic parameter has been calculated with the Inokuti-Hirayama and Förster-Dexter models. High quantum efficiency of 2 μm emission (80.35%) and large energy transfer coefficient from Tm3+ to Ho3+ indicates this Ho3+/Tm3+ codoped ZBLAY glass is a promising material for 2.0 μm laser.

Eco-efficiency evaluation of a smart window prototype.

PubMed

Syrrakou, E; Papaefthimiou, S; Yianoulis, P

2006-04-15

An eco-efficiency analysis was conducted using indicators suitably defined to evaluate the performance of an electrochromic window acting as an energy saving component in buildings. Combining the indicators for various parameters (control scenario, expected lifetime, climatic type, purchase cost) significant conclusions are drawn for the development and the potential applications of the device compared to other commercial fenestration products. The reduction of the purchase cost (to 200 euros/m2) and the increase of the lifetime (above 15 years) are the two main targets for achieving both cost and environmental efficiency. An electrochromic device, implemented in cooling dominated areas and operated with an optimum control strategy for the maximum expected lifetime (25 years), can reduce the building energy requirements by 52%. Furthermore, the total energy savings provided will be 33 times more than the energy required for its production while the emission of 615 kg CO2 equivalent per electrochromic glazing unit can be avoided.

Efficiency analysis of betavoltaic elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachenko, A. V.; Shkrebtii, A. I.; Korkishko, R. M.; Kostylyov, V. P.; Kulish, M. R.; Sokolovskyi, I. O.

2015-09-01

The conversion of energy of electrons produced by a radioactive β-source into electricity in a Si and SiC p- n junctions is modeled. The features of the generation function that describes the electron-hole pair production by an electron flux and the emergence of a "dead layer" are discussed. The collection efficiency Q that describes the rate of electron-hole pair production by incident beta particles, is calculated taking into account the presence of the dead layer. It is shown that in the case of high-grade Si p- n junctions, the collection efficiency of electron-hole pairs created by a high-energy electrons flux (such as, e.g., Pm-147 beta flux) is close or equal to unity in a wide range of electron energies. For SiC p-n junctions, Q is near unity only for electrons with relatively low energies of about 5 keV (produced, e.g., by a tritium source) and decreases rapidly with further increase of electron energy. The conditions, under which the influence of the dead layer on the collection efficiency is negligible, are determined. The open-circuit voltage is calculated for realistic values of the minority carriers' diffusion coefficients and lifetimes in Si and SiC p- n junctions, irradiated by a high-energy electrons flux. Our calculations allow to estimate the attainable efficiency of betavoltaic elements.

The effect of early berthing prospects on the energy efficiency operational index in oil tanker vessels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acomi, N.; Acomi, O. C.

2016-08-01

Marine pollution is one of the main concerns of our society. In order to reduce air pollution produced by ships, the International Maritime Organization has developed technical, operational and management measures. Part of the operational measures refers to CO2 emissions that contribute to the energy efficiency of the vessel. The difficulty in assessing the energy efficiency of the vessel rests with the diversity of voyage parameters, including quantity of cargo, distance and type of fuel in use. Assessing the energy efficiency of the vessel is thus not a matter of determining the absolute value of the CO2, but of providing a meaningful construct to enable tracking performance trends over time, for the same ship, a fleet of ships or across the industry. This concept is the Energy Efficiency Operational Index, EEOI. The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of a well predicted voyage on the EEOI value. The method used consists in a comparative analysis of two situations regarding berthing prospects: the real passage plan and an early prediction that supposes the vessel to arrive on time as required. The results of the study represent a monitoring tool for the ship owners to assess the EEOI from the early stage of designing the berthing prospects.

Desired and Undesired Effects of Energy Labels—An Eye-Tracking Study

PubMed Central

Waechter, Signe; Sütterlin, Bernadette; Siegrist, Michael

2015-01-01

Saving energy is an important pillar for the mitigation of climate change. Electric devices (e.g., freezer and television) are an important player in the residential sector in the final demand for energy. Consumers’ purchase decisions are therefore crucial to successfully reach the energy-efficiency goals. Putting energy labels on products is often considered an adequate way of empowering consumers to make informed purchase decisions. Consequently, this approach should contribute to reducing overall energy consumption. The effectiveness of its measurement depends on consumers’ use and interpretation of the information provided. Despite advances in energy efficiency and a mandatory labeling policy, final energy consumption per capita is in many countries still increasing. This paper provides a systematic analysis of consumers’ reactions to one of the most widely used eco-labels, the European Union (EU) energy label, by using eye-tracking methodology as an objective measurement. The study’s results partially support the EU’s mandatory policy, showing that the energy label triggers attention toward energy information in general. However, the energy label’s effect on consumers’ actual product choices seems to be rather low. The study’s results show that the currently used presentation format on the label is insufficient. The findings suggest that it does not facilitate the integration of energy-related information. Furthermore, the current format can attract consumers to focus more on energy-efficiency information, leading them to disregard information about actual energy consumption. As a result, the final energy consumption may increase because excellent ratings on energy efficiency (e.g., A++) do not automatically imply little consumption. Finally, implications for policymakers and suggestions for further research are discussed. PMID:26231028

Chemical speciation using high energy resolution PIXE spectroscopy in the tender X-ray range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavčič, Matjaž; Petric, Marko; Vogel-Mikuš, Katarina

2018-02-01

High energy resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy employing wavelength dispersive (WDS) crystal spectrometers can provide energy resolution on the level of core-hole lifetime broadening of the characteristic emission lines. While crystal spectrometers have been traditionally used in combination with electron excitation for major and minor element analysis, they have been rarely considered in proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) trace element analysis mainly due to low detection efficiency. Compared to the simplest flat crystal WDS spectrometer the efficiency can be improved by employing cylindrically or even spherically curved crystals in combination with position sensitive X-ray detectors. When such spectrometer is coupled to MeV proton excitation, chemical bonding effects are revealed in the high energy resolution spectra yielding opportunity to extend the analytical capabilities of PIXE technique also towards chemical state analysis. In this contribution we will focus on the high energy resolution PIXE (HR-PIXE) spectroscopy in the tender X-ray range performed in our laboratory with our home-built tender X-ray emission spectrometer. Some general properties of high energy resolution PIXE spectroscopy in the tender X-ray range are presented followed by an example of sulfur speciation in biological tissue illustrating the capabilities as well as limitations of HR-PIXE method used for chemical speciation in the tender X-ray range.

An Effective Collaborative Mobile Weighted Clustering Schemes for Energy Balancing in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Tang, Chengpei; Shokla, Sanesy Kumcr; Modhawar, George; Wang, Qiang

2016-02-19

Collaborative strategies for mobile sensor nodes ensure the efficiency and the robustness of data processing, while limiting the required communication bandwidth. In order to solve the problem of pipeline inspection and oil leakage monitoring, a collaborative weighted mobile sensing scheme is proposed. By adopting a weighted mobile sensing scheme, the adaptive collaborative clustering protocol can realize an even distribution of energy load among the mobile sensor nodes in each round, and make the best use of battery energy. A detailed theoretical analysis and experimental results revealed that the proposed protocol is an energy efficient collaborative strategy such that the sensor nodes can communicate with a fusion center and produce high power gain.

Leanergy(TM): how lean manufacturing can improve energy efficiency.

PubMed

Riche, Jean-Pierre

2013-01-01

Energy efficiency has become a competitive issue for industrial companies. The evolution of energy prices and regulation will make this issue even more important in the future. For several years, the energy-intensive chemical industry has been implementing corrective actions. Helped by the absorption of base load energy consumption by larger production volumes, specific energy consumption (KWh per production unit) has been significantly reduced in recent years. However, most plants have reached the end of their first action plan based on improving the utilities performance. The Leanergy(TM) method developed by the consultancy company Okavango-energy, is a structured approach based on lean manufacturing which widens the scope of saving sources to process and operations. Starting from the analysis of actual production requirements, Okavango is able to adjust consumption to minimum requirements and so remove any energy consumption that does not contribute to the added value creation.

The Shifting Landscape of Ratepayer-Funded Energy Efficiency in the U.S.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barbose, Galen L; Goldman, Charles; Schlegel, Jeff

Over the last two decades, utility ratepayer funding for energy efficiency programs - and the associated energy savings - has seen both booms and busts. Currently, about 35 states implement ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs, with a total U.S. budget of $3.1 billion in 2008, approximately 80% of which is concentrated in just ten states (CEE 2008).2 However, a proliferation of new state-level policies enacted over the past several years suggests that the next decade may see a dramatic and sustained increase in overall funding levels, and a fundamental re-drawing of the energy efficiency map. These new state energy efficiency policiesmore » reflect a variety of concerns, including the increasing cost and siting challenges of building new generation and transmission, fuel cost and supply risks, and the potential cost of future carbon regulations. Within the past three years, for example, eleven states have adopted energy efficiency portfolio (or resource) standards (EEPS or EERS) that establish specific long-term savings targets that utilities are obligated to meet, and at least three other states are currently considering the same. A growing number of states have recently established laws requiring utilities to acquire all available cost-effective energy efficiency. Regulators in several Western states have also recently revised integrated resource planning (IRP) and demand-side management (DSM) planning rules to require more robust analysis of the resource potential and benefits of energy efficiency, which has resulted in increased savings targets for their energy efficiency portfolios (Hopper et al. 2008). Finally, regulators and utilities in many states are beginning to look more closely at regulatory incentive mechanisms to better align utility financial interests with improvements in customer energy efficiency. We examined energy efficiency policies on the books or in the pipeline in all 50 states, along with recent IRPs and DSM plans, and developed low, medium and high projections of future energy efficiency spending and savings. Depending on how aggressively and effectively states implement these policies, we estimate that spending on ratepayer-funded energy efficiency could increase from $3.1 billion in 2008 to more than $12 billion (nominal dollars) per year by 2020 in our high case, a growth rate in spending of about 12% per year. Annual electricity savings nationally could triple from an estimated 0.3% of retail electricity sales in 2008 to 0.9% of retail electricity sales in 2020. In the low and medium scenarios, ratepayer funding for electric and gas energy efficiency in the U.S. would increase to $5.4 and $7.5 billion, respectively, by 2020. What are the implications of such a scale-up of ratepayer-funded energy efficiency activity for national energy policy, such as a national EEPS or future carbon regulations? Can a ramp-up of this scale be achieved, and what practical constraints might slow these efforts? This paper addresses these questions by first providing an overview of recent trends in state policies pertaining to ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs in the U.S. The paper then presents our set of projections of future spending and savings from such programs, highlighting key themes. Projected energy savings are compared to what might be required under a future national EEPS (or broader clean energy standard that includes energy efficiency), in order to gauge the potential incremental impact of such policies. In addition, the carbon emission reductions associated with our projection of energy savings from ratepayer-funded programs is compared to the total emission reductions that might be required under the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (aka, the Waxman-Markey bill), which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2009 and would establish a cap on total greenhouse gas emission for many sectors of the U.S. economy. Last, the paper discusses some of the major obstacles and challenges that states and program administrators may face over the coming decade, as they seek to dramatically ramp-up ratepayer-funded energy efficiency program activity, as projected.« less

Highly Efficient Intramolecular Electrochemiluminescence Energy Transfer for Ultrasensitive Bioanalysis of Aflatoxin M1.

PubMed

Liu, Jia-Li; Zhao, Min; Zhuo, Ying; Chai, Ya-Qin; Yuan, Ruo

2017-02-03

The intermolecular electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) between luminol and Ru(bpy) 3 2+ was studied extensively to achieve the sensitive bioanalysis owing to the perfect spectral overlap of the donor and acceptor, but it still suffers from the challenging issue of low energy-transfer efficiency. The intramolecular ECL-RET towards the novel ECL compound containing the donor of luminol and the acceptor of Ru(bpy) 2 (mcpbpy) 2+ (Lum-Ru) was designed and investigated. With the high-efficient ECL-RET in one molecule, the highly intense ECL signal of Lum-Ru was obtained owing to the short path of energy transmission and less energy loss between luminol and Ru(bpy) 2 (mcpbpy) 2+ . Lum-Ru was further applied to construct a signal-off electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of a harsh carcinogen of Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1). This sensing platform also provides a significant boost for the trace detection of other biomolecules in clinical analysis. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A new cooperative MIMO scheme based on SM for energy-efficiency improvement in wireless sensor network.

PubMed

Peng, Yuyang; Choi, Jaeho

2014-01-01

Improving the energy efficiency in wireless sensor networks (WSN) has attracted considerable attention nowadays. The multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique has been proved as a good candidate for improving the energy efficiency, but it may not be feasible in WSN which is due to the size limitation of the sensor node. As a solution, the cooperative multiple-input multiple-output (CMIMO) technique overcomes this constraint and shows a dramatically good performance. In this paper, a new CMIMO scheme based on the spatial modulation (SM) technique named CMIMO-SM is proposed for energy-efficiency improvement. We first establish the system model of CMIMO-SM. Based on this model, the transmission approach is introduced graphically. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme, a detailed analysis in terms of energy consumption per bit of the proposed scheme compared with the conventional CMIMO is presented. Later, under the guide of this new scheme we extend our proposed CMIMO-SM to a multihop clustered WSN for further achieving energy efficiency by finding an optimal hop-length. Equidistant hop as the traditional scheme will be compared in this paper. Results from the simulations and numerical experiments indicate that by the use of the proposed scheme, significant savings in terms of total energy consumption can be achieved. Combining the proposed scheme with monitoring sensor node will provide a good performance in arbitrary deployed WSN such as forest fire detection system.

Energy efficiency, human behavior, and economic growth: Challenges to cutting energy demand to sustainable levels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santarius, Tilman, E-mail: tilman@santarius.de

Increasing energy efficiency in households, transportation, industries, and services is an important strategy to reduce energy service demand to levels that allow the steep reduction of greenhouse gases, and a full fledged switch of energy systems to a renewable basis. Yet, technological efficiency improvements may generate so-called rebound effects, which may ‘eat up’ parts of the technical savings potential. This article provides a comprehensive review of existing research on these effects, raises critiques, and points out open questions. It introduces micro-economic rebound effect and suggests extending consumer-side analysis to incorporate potential ‘psychological rebound effects.’ It then discusses meso-economic rebound effects,more » i.e. producer-side and market-level rebounds, which so far have achieved little attention in the literature. Finally, the article critically reviews evidence for macro-economic rebound effects as energy efficiency-induced economic growth impacts. For all three categories, the article summarizes assessments of their potential quantitative scope, while pointing out remaining methodological weaknesses and open questions. As a rough “rule of thumb”, in the long term and on gross average, only half the technical savings potential of across-the-board efficiency improvements may actually be achieved in the real world. Policies that aim at cutting energy service demand to sustainable levels are well advised to take due note of detrimental behavioral and economic growth impacts, and should foster policies and measures that can contain them.« less

Quantifying Adoption Rates and Energy Savings Over Time for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hanes, Rebecca; Carpenter Petri, Alberta C; Riddle, Matt

Energy-efficient manufacturing technologies can reduce energy consumption and lower operating costs for an individual manufacturing facility, but increased process complexity and the resulting risk of disruption means that manufacturers may be reluctant to adopt such technologies. In order to quantify potential energy savings at scales larger than a single facility, it is necessary to account for how quickly and how widely the technology will be adopted by manufacturers. This work develops a methodology for estimating energy-efficient manufacturing technology adoption rates using quantitative, objectively measurable technology characteristics, including energetic, economic and technical criteria. Twelve technology characteristics are considered, and each characteristicmore » is assigned an importance weight that reflects its impact on the overall technology adoption rate. Technology characteristic data and importance weights are used to calculate the adoption score, a number between 0 and 1 that represents how quickly the technology is likely to be adopted. The adoption score is then used to estimate parameters for the Bass diffusion curve, which quantifies the change in the number of new technology adopters in a population over time. Finally, energy savings at the sector level are calculated over time by multiplying the number of new technology adopters at each time step with the technology's facility-level energy savings. The proposed methodology will be applied to five state-of-the-art energy-efficient technologies in the carbon fiber composites sector, with technology data obtained from the Department of Energy's 2016 bandwidth study. Because the importance weights used in estimating the Bass curve parameters are subjective, a sensitivity analysis will be performed on the weights to obtain a range of parameters for each technology. The potential energy savings for each technology and the rate at which each technology is adopted in the sector are quantified and used to identify the technologies which offer the greatest cumulative sector-level energy savings over a period of 20 years. Preliminary analysis indicates that relatively simple technologies, such as efficient furnaces, will be adopted more quickly and result in greater cumulative energy savings compared to more complex technologies that require process retrofitting, such as advanced control systems.« less

Determine Neuronal Tuning Curves by Exploring Optimum Firing Rate Distribution for Information Efficiency

PubMed Central

Han, Fang; Wang, Zhijie; Fan, Hong

2017-01-01

This paper proposed a new method to determine the neuronal tuning curves for maximum information efficiency by computing the optimum firing rate distribution. Firstly, we proposed a general definition for the information efficiency, which is relevant to mutual information and neuronal energy consumption. The energy consumption is composed of two parts: neuronal basic energy consumption and neuronal spike emission energy consumption. A parameter to model the relative importance of energy consumption is introduced in the definition of the information efficiency. Then, we designed a combination of exponential functions to describe the optimum firing rate distribution based on the analysis of the dependency of the mutual information and the energy consumption on the shape of the functions of the firing rate distributions. Furthermore, we developed a rapid algorithm to search the parameter values of the optimum firing rate distribution function. Finally, we found with the rapid algorithm that a combination of two different exponential functions with two free parameters can describe the optimum firing rate distribution accurately. We also found that if the energy consumption is relatively unimportant (important) compared to the mutual information or the neuronal basic energy consumption is relatively large (small), the curve of the optimum firing rate distribution will be relatively flat (steep), and the corresponding optimum tuning curve exhibits a form of sigmoid if the stimuli distribution is normal. PMID:28270760

Design and optimization of zero-energy-consumption based solar energy residential building systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, D. L.; Yu, L. J.; Tan, H. W.

2017-11-01

Energy consumption of residential buildings has grown fast in recent years, thus raising a challenge on zero energy residential building (ZERB) systems, which aim at substantially reducing energy consumption of residential buildings. Thus, how to facilitate ZERB has become a hot but difficult topic. In the paper, we put forward the overall design principle of ZERB based on analysis of the systems’ energy demand. In particular, the architecture for both schematic design and passive technology is optimized and both energy simulation analysis and energy balancing analysis are implemented, followed by committing the selection of high-efficiency appliance and renewable energy sources for ZERB residential building. In addition, Chinese classical residential building has been investigated in the proposed case, in which several critical aspects such as building optimization, passive design, PV panel and HVAC system integrated with solar water heater, Phase change materials, natural ventilation, etc., have been taken into consideration.

Forecast and analysis of the ratio of electric energy to terminal energy consumption for global energy internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Zhong, Ming; Cheng, Ling; Jin, Lu; Shen, Si

2018-02-01

In the background of building global energy internet, it has both theoretical and realistic significance for forecasting and analysing the ratio of electric energy to terminal energy consumption. This paper firstly analysed the influencing factors of the ratio of electric energy to terminal energy and then used combination method to forecast and analyse the global proportion of electric energy. And then, construct the cointegration model for the proportion of electric energy by using influence factor such as electricity price index, GDP, economic structure, energy use efficiency and total population level. At last, this paper got prediction map of the proportion of electric energy by using the combination-forecasting model based on multiple linear regression method, trend analysis method, and variance-covariance method. This map describes the development trend of the proportion of electric energy in 2017-2050 and the proportion of electric energy in 2050 was analysed in detail using scenario analysis.

Application of a high-energy-density permanent magnet material in underwater systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, C. P.; Egan, C.; Krol, W. P.

1996-06-01

This paper addresses the application of high-energy-density permanent magnet (PM) technology to (1) the brushless, axial-field PM motor and (2) the integrated electric motor/pump system for under-water applications. Finite-element analysis and lumped parameter magnetic circuit analysis were used to calculate motor parameters and performance characteristics and to conduct tradeoff studies. Compact, efficient, reliable, and quiet underwater systems are attainable with the development of high-energy-density PM material, power electronic devices, and power integrated-circuit technology.

Energy Efficient Probabilistic Broadcasting for Mobile Ad-Hoc Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sumit; Mehfuz, Shabana

2017-06-01

In mobile ad-hoc network (MANETs) flooding method is used for broadcasting route request (RREQ) packet from one node to another node for route discovery. This is the simplest method of broadcasting of RREQ packets but it often results in broadcast storm problem, originating collisions and congestion of packets in the network. A probabilistic broadcasting is one of the widely used broadcasting scheme for route discovery in MANETs and provides solution for broadcasting storm problem. But it does not consider limited energy of the battery of the nodes. In this paper, a new energy efficient probabilistic broadcasting (EEPB) is proposed in which probability of broadcasting RREQs is calculated with respect to remaining energy of nodes. The analysis of simulation results clearly indicate that an EEPB route discovery scheme in ad-hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) can increase the network lifetime with a decrease in the average power consumption and RREQ packet overhead. It also decreases the number of dropped packets in the network, in comparison to other EEPB schemes like energy constraint gossip (ECG), energy aware gossip (EAG), energy based gossip (EBG) and network lifetime through energy efficient broadcast gossip (NEBG).

Analysis of IECC (2003, 2006, 2009) and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 Commercial Energy Code Requirements for Mesa, AZ.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Yunzhi; Gowri, Krishnan

2011-02-28

This report summarizes code requirements and energy savings of commercial buildings in Climate Zone 2B built to the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 when compared to the 2003 IECC and the 2006 IECC. In general, the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 have higher insulation requirements for exterior walls, roof, and windows and have higher efficiency requirements for HVAC equipment. HVAC equipment efficiency requirements are governed by National Appliance Conversion Act of 1987 (NAECA), and are applicable irrespective of the IECC version adopted. The energy analysis results show that commercial buildings meeting the 2009 IECC requirements save 4.4% tomore » 9.5% site energy and 4.1% to 9.9% energy cost when compared to the 2006 IECC; and save 10.6% to 29.4% site energy and 10.3% to 29.3% energy cost when compared to the 2003 IECC. Similar analysis comparing ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 requirements to the 2006 IECC shows that the energy savings are in the 4.0% to 10.7% for multi-family and retail buildings, but less than 2% for office buildings. Further comparison of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 requirements to the 2003 IECC show site energy savings in the range of 7.7% to 30.6% and energy cost savings range from 7.9% to 30.3%. Both the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 have the potential to save energy by comparable levels for most building types.« less

An analysis of a low-energy, low-water use community in Mexico City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bermudez Alcocer, Jose Luis

This study investigated how to determine a potential scenario to reduce energy, water and transportation use in Mexico City by implementing low-energy, low-water use communities. The proposed mixed-use community has multi-family apartments and a small grocery store. The research included the analysis of: case studies, energy simulation, and hand calculations for water, transportation and cost analysis. The previous case studies reviewed include: communities in Mexico City, Mexico, Austin, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, New York City, New York and San Diego, California in terms of successful low-energy, low-water use projects. The analysis and comparison of these centers showed that the Multifamiliar Miguel Aleman is an excellent candidate to be examined for Mexico City. This technical potential study evaluated energy conserving measures such as low-energy appliances and efficient lighting that could be applied to the apartments in Mexico City to reduce energy-use. The use of the simulations and manual calculations showed that the application of the mixed-use concept was successful in reducing the energy and water use and the corresponding carbon footprint. Finally, this technical potential study showed taking people out of their cars as a result of the presence of the on-site grocery store, small recreation center and park on the ground floor also reduced their overall transportation energy-use. The improvement of the whole community (i.e., apartments plus grocery store) using energy-efficient measures provided a reduction of 70 percent of energy from the base-case. In addition a 69 percent reduction in water-use was achieved by using water-saving fixtures and greywater reuse technologies for the complex. The combination of high-efficiency automobiles and the presence of the on-site grocery store, small recreation center and park potentially reduced the transportation energy-use by 65 percent. The analysis showed an energy cost reduction of 82 percent reduction for apartments and a 22 percent reduction for the store. In addition, for water cost there was a 70 percent reduction for apartments and a 16 percent reduction for the store. Overall, a 64 total percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) was accomplished by saving energy-use in the apartments, the grocery store and transportation. Finally, a guide has been created for Mexico City to establish strategies and actions based on the results of this work in order to reduce overall energy and water-use in Mexico City. The guide is expected to be useful in the short term in Mexico City, and could be potentially adopted in the long term in other countries in the same manner as which Brazil and Colombia adopted the Mexican CONAVI's 2010 Housing Building Code.

An Analysis of Home Energy Score and REM/Rate Energy Simulation Results for Homes in Three Climates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Merket, Noel D

Energy ratings and scores for homes attempt to give homeowners a understandable metric to compare the energy efficiency of homes. Two rating systems in the marketplace include RESNET's Home Energy Rating System (HERS) and DOE's Home Energy Score (HEScore) and include differing energy calculation methodologies. This report compares the energy predictions from both REM/Rate and Home Energy Score for populations of real homes in three climates and determines some features of homes that lead to the greatest differences between energy predictions.

Sparse RNA folding revisited: space-efficient minimum free energy structure prediction.

PubMed

Will, Sebastian; Jabbari, Hosna

2016-01-01

RNA secondary structure prediction by energy minimization is the central computational tool for the analysis of structural non-coding RNAs and their interactions. Sparsification has been successfully applied to improve the time efficiency of various structure prediction algorithms while guaranteeing the same result; however, for many such folding problems, space efficiency is of even greater concern, particularly for long RNA sequences. So far, space-efficient sparsified RNA folding with fold reconstruction was solved only for simple base-pair-based pseudo-energy models. Here, we revisit the problem of space-efficient free energy minimization. Whereas the space-efficient minimization of the free energy has been sketched before, the reconstruction of the optimum structure has not even been discussed. We show that this reconstruction is not possible in trivial extension of the method for simple energy models. Then, we present the time- and space-efficient sparsified free energy minimization algorithm SparseMFEFold that guarantees MFE structure prediction. In particular, this novel algorithm provides efficient fold reconstruction based on dynamically garbage-collected trace arrows. The complexity of our algorithm depends on two parameters, the number of candidates Z and the number of trace arrows T; both are bounded by [Formula: see text], but are typically much smaller. The time complexity of RNA folding is reduced from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]; the space complexity, from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. Our empirical results show more than 80 % space savings over RNAfold [Vienna RNA package] on the long RNAs from the RNA STRAND database (≥2500 bases). The presented technique is intentionally generalizable to complex prediction algorithms; due to their high space demands, algorithms like pseudoknot prediction and RNA-RNA-interaction prediction are expected to profit even stronger than "standard" MFE folding. SparseMFEFold is free software, available at http://www.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de/~will/Software/SparseMFEFold.

Energy efficiency in the U.S. residential sector: An engineering and economic assessment of opportunities for large energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima de Azevedo, Ines Margarida

Energy efficiency and conservation is a very promising part of a portfolio of the needed strategies to mitigate climate change. Several technologies and energy efficiency measures in the residential sector offer potential for large energy savings. However, while energy efficiency options are currently considered as a means of reducing carbon emissions, there is still large uncertainty about the effect of such measures on overall carbon savings. The first part of this thesis provides a national assessment of the energy efficiency potential in the residential sector under several different scenarios, which include the perspectives of different economic agents (consumers, utilities, ESCOs, and a society). The scenarios also include maximizing energy, electricity or carbon dioxide savings. The second part of this thesis deals with a detailed assessment of the potential for white-light LEDs for energy and carbon dioxide savings in the U.S. commercial and residential sectors. Solid-state lighting shows great promise as a source of efficient, affordable, color-balanced white light. Indeed, assuming market discount rates, the present work demonstrates that white solid-state lighting already has a lower levelized annual cost (LAC) than incandescent bulbs and that it will be lower than that of the most efficient fluorescent bulbs by the end of this decade. However, a large literature indicates that households do not make their decisions in terms of simple expected economic value. The present analysis shows that incorporating the findings from literature on high implicit discount rates from households when performing decisions towards efficient technologies delays the adoption of white LEDs by a couple of years. After a review of the technology, the present work compares the electricity consumption, carbon emissions and cost-effectiveness of current lighting technologies, when accounting for expected performance evolution through 2015. Simulations of lighting electricity consumption and implicit greenhouse gases emissions for the U.S. residential and commercial sectors through 2015 under different policy scenarios (voluntary solid-state lighting adoption, implementation of lighting standards in new construction and rebate programs or equivalent subsidies) are also included.

Effects of recent energy system changes on CO2 projections for the United States.

PubMed

Lenox, Carol S; Loughlin, Daniel H

2017-09-21

Recent projections of future United States carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are considerably lower than projections made just a decade ago. A myriad of factors have contributed to lower forecasts, including reductions in end-use energy service demands, improvements in energy efficiency, and technological innovations. Policies that have encouraged these changes include renewable portfolio standards, corporate vehicle efficiency standards, smart growth initiatives, revisions to building codes, and air and climate regulations. Understanding the effects of these and other factors can be advantageous as society evaluates opportunities for achieving additional CO 2 reductions. Energy system models provide a means to develop such insights. In this analysis, the MARKet ALlocation (MARKAL) model was applied to estimate the relative effects of various energy system changes that have happened since the year 2005 on CO 2 projections for the year 2025. The results indicate that transformations in the transportation and buildings sectors have played major roles in lowering projections. Particularly influential changes include improved vehicle efficiencies, reductions in projected travel demand, reductions in miscellaneous commercial electricity loads, and higher efficiency lighting. Electric sector changes have also contributed significantly to the lowered forecasts, driven by demand reductions, renewable portfolio standards, and air quality regulations.

Collaborative Emission Reduction Model Based on Multi-Objective Optimization for Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants.

PubMed

Meng, Qing-chun; Rong, Xiao-xia; Zhang, Yi-min; Wan, Xiao-le; Liu, Yuan-yuan; Wang, Yu-zhi

2016-01-01

CO2 emission influences not only global climate change but also international economic and political situations. Thus, reducing the emission of CO2, a major greenhouse gas, has become a major issue in China and around the world as regards preserving the environmental ecology. Energy consumption from coal, oil, and natural gas is primarily responsible for the production of greenhouse gases and air pollutants such as SO2 and NOX, which are the main air pollutants in China. In this study, a mathematical multi-objective optimization method was adopted to analyze the collaborative emission reduction of three kinds of gases on the basis of their common restraints in different ways of energy consumption to develop an economic, clean, and efficient scheme for energy distribution. The first part introduces the background research, the collaborative emission reduction for three kinds of gases, the multi-objective optimization, the main mathematical modeling, and the optimization method. The second part discusses the four mathematical tools utilized in this study, which include the Granger causality test to analyze the causality between air quality and pollutant emission, a function analysis to determine the quantitative relation between energy consumption and pollutant emission, a multi-objective optimization to set up the collaborative optimization model that considers energy consumption, and an optimality condition analysis for the multi-objective optimization model to design the optimal-pole algorithm and obtain an efficient collaborative reduction scheme. In the empirical analysis, the data of pollutant emission and final consumption of energies of Tianjin in 1996-2012 was employed to verify the effectiveness of the model and analyze the efficient solution and the corresponding dominant set. In the last part, several suggestions for collaborative reduction are recommended and the drawn conclusions are stated.

Collaborative Emission Reduction Model Based on Multi-Objective Optimization for Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yi-min; Wan, Xiao-le; Liu, Yuan-yuan; Wang, Yu-zhi

2016-01-01

CO2 emission influences not only global climate change but also international economic and political situations. Thus, reducing the emission of CO2, a major greenhouse gas, has become a major issue in China and around the world as regards preserving the environmental ecology. Energy consumption from coal, oil, and natural gas is primarily responsible for the production of greenhouse gases and air pollutants such as SO2 and NOX, which are the main air pollutants in China. In this study, a mathematical multi-objective optimization method was adopted to analyze the collaborative emission reduction of three kinds of gases on the basis of their common restraints in different ways of energy consumption to develop an economic, clean, and efficient scheme for energy distribution. The first part introduces the background research, the collaborative emission reduction for three kinds of gases, the multi-objective optimization, the main mathematical modeling, and the optimization method. The second part discusses the four mathematical tools utilized in this study, which include the Granger causality test to analyze the causality between air quality and pollutant emission, a function analysis to determine the quantitative relation between energy consumption and pollutant emission, a multi-objective optimization to set up the collaborative optimization model that considers energy consumption, and an optimality condition analysis for the multi-objective optimization model to design the optimal-pole algorithm and obtain an efficient collaborative reduction scheme. In the empirical analysis, the data of pollutant emission and final consumption of energies of Tianjin in 1996–2012 was employed to verify the effectiveness of the model and analyze the efficient solution and the corresponding dominant set. In the last part, several suggestions for collaborative reduction are recommended and the drawn conclusions are stated. PMID:27010658

Streamlining Building Efficiency Evaluation with DOE's Asset Score Preview

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goel, Supriya; Wang, Nora; Gonzalez, Juan

2016-08-26

Building Energy Asset Score (Asset Score), developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is a tool to help building owners and managers assess the efficiency of a building's energy-related systems and encourage investment in cost-effective improvements. The Asset Score uses an EnergyPlus model to provide a quick assessment of building energy performance with minimum user inputs of building characteristics and identifies upgrade opportunities. Even with a reduced set of user inputs, data collection remains a challenge for wide-spread adoption, especially when evaluating a large number of buildings. To address this, Asset Scoremore » Preview was developed to allow users to enter as few as seven building characteristics to quickly assess their buildings before a more in-depth analysis. A streamlined assessment from Preview to full Asset Score provides an easy entry point and also enables users who manage a large number of buildings to screen and prioritize buildings that can benefit most from a more detailed evaluation and possible energy efficiency upgrades without intensive data collection.« less

7 CFR 1710.255 - Energy efficiency work plans-energy efficiency borrowers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Energy efficiency work plans-energy efficiency... TO ELECTRIC LOANS AND GUARANTEES Construction Work Plans and Related Studies § 1710.255 Energy efficiency work plans—energy efficiency borrowers. (a) All energy efficiency borrowers must maintain a...

[Analysis of grey correlation between energy consumption and economic growth in Liaoning Province, China.

PubMed

Wang, Li; Xi, Feng Ming; Wang, Jiao Yue

2016-03-01

The contradiction between energy consumption and economic growth is increasingly prominent in China. Liaoning Province as one of Chinese heavy industrial bases, consumes a large amount of energy. Its economic development has a strong dependence on energy consumption, but the energy in short supply become more apparent. In order to further understand the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth and put forward scientific suggestions on low carbon development, we used the grey correlation analysis method to separately examine the relevance of economic growth with energy consumption industries and energy consumption varieties through analy sis of energy consumption and economic growth data in Liaoning Province from 2000 to 2012. The results showed that the wholesale and retail sector and hotel and restaurant sector were in the minimum energy consumption in all kinds of sectors, but they presented the closest connection with the economic growth. Although industry energy consumption was the maximum, the degree of connection between industry energy consumption and economic growth was weak. In all types of energy consumption, oil and hydro-power consumption had a significant connection with economic growth. However, the degree of connection of coal consumption with economic growth was not significant, which meant that coal utilization efficiency was low. In order to achieve low carbon and sustainable development, Liaoning Province should transform the economic growth mode, adjust industry structure, optimize energy structure, and improve energy utilization efficiency, especially promote producer services and develop clean and renewable energy.

Research on Matching Method of Power Supply Parameters for Dual Energy Source Electric Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Q.; Luo, M. J.; Zhang, S. K.; Liao, M. W.

2018-03-01

A new type of power source is proposed, which is based on the traffic signal matching method of the dual energy source power supply composed of the batteries and the supercapacitors. First, analyzing the power characteristics is required to meet the excellent dynamic characteristics of EV, studying the energy characteristics is required to meet the mileage requirements and researching the physical boundary characteristics is required to meet the physical conditions of the power supply. Secondly, the parameter matching design with the highest energy efficiency is adopted to select the optimal parameter group with the method of matching deviation. Finally, the simulation analysis of the vehicle is carried out in MATLABSimulink, The mileage and energy efficiency of dual energy sources are analyzed in different parameter models, and the rationality of the matching method is verified.

Energy efficient engine: Flight propulsion system, preliminary analysis and design update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stearns, E. M.

1982-01-01

The preliminary design of General Electric's Energy Efficient Engine (E3) was reported in detail in 1980. Since then, the design has been refined and the components have been rig-tested. The changes which have occurred in the engine and a reassessment of the economic payoff are presented in this report. All goals for efficiency, environmental considerations, and economic payoff are being met. The E3 Flight Propulsion System has 14.9% lower sfc than a CF6-50C. It provides a 7.1% reduction in direct operating cost for a short haul domestic transport and 14.5% reduction for an international long distance transport.

Preliminary study of a gas burner-driven and ground-coupled heat pump system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hsu, P.F.

1995-12-31

To address the concerns for higher energy efficiency and the immediate phase out of the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a new gas burner-driven, ground-coupled heat pump (GBGCHP) system is proposed for study. The new system is energy efficient and pose no environmental problem. There are three unique features in the proposed system: (1) a patented gas burner-driven compressor with a floating diaphragm piston-cylinder for energy efficiency and accommodating variable load, (2) the ground coupled water-to-air heat exchangers for high coefficient of performance (COPs), and (3) the new refrigerants based on fluoroiodocarbons (FICS) with very little ozone depletion and global warming potential. Amore » preliminary analysis of a prototype heat pump with 3 ton (10.55 kW) heating capacity is presented. The thermodynamics analysis of the system shows that the steady state COP rating higher than 7 is possible with the system operating in heating mode. Additional research work for the GBGCHP system, especially the FICs` thermodynamic properties in the superheated region, is also described.« less

Foldover effect and energy output from a nonlinear pseudo-maglev harvester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kecik, Krzysztof; Mitura, Andrzej; Warminski, Jerzy; Lenci, Stefano

2018-01-01

Dynamics analysis and energy harvesting of a nonlinear magnetic pseudo-levitation (pseudo-maglev) harvester under harmonic excitation is presented in this paper. The system, for selected parameters, has two stable possible solutions with different corresponding energy outputs. The main goal is to analyse the influence of resistance load on the multi-stability zones and energy recovery which can help to tune the system to improve the energy harvesting efficiency.

Analysis of Thermal Losses for a Variety of Single-Junction Photovoltaic Cells: An Interesting Means of Thermoelectric Heat Recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzi, Bruno; Acciarri, Maurizio; Narducci, Dario

2015-06-01

Exploitation of solar energy conversion has become a fundamental aspect of satisfying a growing demand for energy. Thus, improvement of the efficiency of conversion in photovoltaic (PV) devices is highly desirable to further promote this source. Because it is well known that the most relevant efficiency constraint, especially for single-junction solar cells, is unused heat within the device, hybrid thermo-photovoltaic systems seem promising . Among several hybrid solutions proposed in the literature, coupling of thermoelectric and PV devices seems one of the most interesting. Taking full advantage of this technology requires proper definition and analysis of the thermal losses occurring in PV cells. In this communication we propose a novel analysis of such losses, decoupling source-dependent and absorber-dependent losses. This analysis enables an evaluation of the actual recoverable amount of energy, depending on the absorber used in the PV cell. It shows that for incoming solar irradiation of , and depending on the choice of material, the maximum available thermal power ranges from (for single-crystal silicon) to (for amorphous silicon).

Energy Efficient Engine Low Pressure Subsystem Flow Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Edward J.; Lynn, Sean R.; Heidegger, Nathan J.; Delaney, Robert A.

1998-01-01

The objective of this project is to provide the capability to analyze the aerodynamic performance of the complete low pressure subsystem (LPS) of the Energy Efficient Engine (EEE). The analyses were performed using three-dimensional Navier-Stokes numerical models employing advanced clustered processor computing platforms. The analysis evaluates the impact of steady aerodynamic interaction effects between the components of the LPS at design and off-design operating conditions. Mechanical coupling is provided by adjusting the rotational speed of common shaft-mounted components until a power balance is achieved. The Navier-Stokes modeling of the complete low pressure subsystem provides critical knowledge of component aero/mechanical interactions that previously were unknown to the designer until after hardware testing.

Energy Efficient Engine Low Pressure Subsystem Aerodynamic Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Edward J.; Delaney, Robert A.; Lynn, Sean R.; Veres, Joseph P.

1998-01-01

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the capability to analyze the aerodynamic performance of the complete low pressure subsystem (LPS) of the Energy Efficient Engine (EEE). Detailed analyses were performed using three- dimensional Navier-Stokes numerical models employing advanced clustered processor computing platforms. The analysis evaluates the impact of steady aerodynamic interaction effects between the components of the LPS at design and off- design operating conditions. Mechanical coupling is provided by adjusting the rotational speed of common shaft-mounted components until a power balance is achieved. The Navier-Stokes modeling of the complete low pressure subsystem provides critical knowledge of component acro/mechanical interactions that previously were unknown to the designer until after hardware testing.

Heat rejection efficiency research of new energy automobile radiators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, W. S.; Shen, W. X.; Zhang, L. W.

2018-03-01

The driving system of new energy vehicle has larger heat load than conventional engine. How to ensure the heat dissipation performance of the cooling system is the focus of the design of new energy vehicle thermal management system. In this paper, the heat dissipation efficiency of the radiator of the hybrid electric vehicle is taken as the research object, the heat dissipation efficiency of the radiator of the new energy vehicle is studied through the multi-working-condition enthalpy difference test. In this paper, the test method in the current standard QC/T 468-2010 “automobile radiator” is taken, but not limited to the test conditions specified in the standard, 5 types of automobile radiator are chosen, each of them is tested 20 times in simulated condition of different wind speed and engine inlet temperature. Finally, regression analysis is carried out for the test results, and regression equation describing the relationship of radiator heat dissipation heat dissipation efficiency air side flow rate cooling medium velocity and inlet air temperature is obtained, and the influence rule is systematically discussed.

Analysis and Optimization of Building Energy Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuah, Jun Wei

Energy is one of the most important resources required by modern human society. In 2010, energy expenditures represented 10% of global gross domestic product (GDP). By 2035, global energy consumption is expected to increase by more than 50% from current levels. The increased pace of global energy consumption leads to significant environmental and socioeconomic issues: (i) carbon emissions, from the burning of fossil fuels for energy, contribute to global warming, and (ii) increased energy expenditures lead to reduced standard of living. Efficient use of energy, through energy conservation measures, is an important step toward mitigating these effects. Residential and commercial buildings represent a prime target for energy conservation, comprising 21% of global energy consumption and 40% of the total energy consumption in the United States. This thesis describes techniques for the analysis and optimization of building energy consumption. The thesis focuses on building retrofits and building energy simulation as key areas in building energy optimization and analysis. The thesis first discusses and evaluates building-level renewable energy generation as a solution toward building energy optimization. The thesis next describes a novel heating system, called localized heating. Under localized heating, building occupants are heated individually by directed radiant heaters, resulting in a considerably reduced heated space and significant heating energy savings. To support localized heating, a minimally-intrusive indoor occupant positioning system is described. The thesis then discusses occupant-level sensing (OLS) as the next frontier in building energy optimization. OLS captures the exact environmental conditions faced by each building occupant, using sensors that are carried by all building occupants. The information provided by OLS enables fine-grained optimization for unprecedented levels of energy efficiency and occupant comfort. The thesis also describes a retrofit-oriented building energy simulator, ROBESim, that natively supports building retrofits. ROBESim extends existing building energy simulators by providing a platform for the analysis of novel retrofits, in addition to simulating existing retrofits. Using ROBESim, retrofits can be automatically applied to buildings, obviating the need for users to manually update building characteristics for comparisons between different building retrofits. ROBESim also includes several ease-of-use enhancements to support users of all experience levels.

Electrochemically driven mechanical energy harvesting.

PubMed

Kim, Sangtae; Choi, Soon Ju; Zhao, Kejie; Yang, Hui; Gobbi, Giorgia; Zhang, Sulin; Li, Ju

2016-01-06

Efficient mechanical energy harvesters enable various wearable devices and auxiliary energy supply. Here we report a novel class of mechanical energy harvesters via stress-voltage coupling in electrochemically alloyed electrodes. The device consists of two identical Li-alloyed Si as electrodes, separated by electrolyte-soaked polymer membranes. Bending-induced asymmetric stresses generate chemical potential difference, driving lithium ion flux from the compressed to the tensed electrode to generate electrical current. Removing the bending reverses ion flux and electrical current. Our thermodynamic analysis reveals that the ideal energy-harvesting efficiency of this device is dictated by the Poisson's ratio of the electrodes. For the thin-film-based energy harvester used in this study, the device has achieved a generating capacity of 15%. The device demonstrates a practical use of stress-composition-voltage coupling in electrochemically active alloys to harvest low-grade mechanical energies from various low-frequency motions, such as everyday human activities.

RETScreen Plus Software Tutorial

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganoe, Rene D.; Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.; DeYoung, Russell J.

2014-01-01

Greater emphasis is being placed on reducing both the carbon footprint and energy cost of buildings. A building's energy usage depends upon many factors one of the most important is the local weather and climate conditions to which it's electrical, heating and air conditioning systems must respond. Incorporating renewable energy systems, including solar systems, to supplement energy supplies and increase energy efficiency is important to saving costs and reducing emissions. Also retrofitting technologies to buildings requires knowledge of building performance in its current state, potential future climate state, projection of potential savings with capital investment, and then monitoring the performance once the improvements are made. RETScreen Plus is a performance analysis software module that supplies the needed functions of monitoring current building performance, targeting projected energy efficiency improvements and verifying improvements once completed. This tutorial defines the functions of RETScreen Plus as well as outlines the general procedure for monitoring and reporting building energy performance.

Electrochemically driven mechanical energy harvesting

PubMed Central

Kim, Sangtae; Choi, Soon Ju; Zhao, Kejie; Yang, Hui; Gobbi, Giorgia; Zhang, Sulin; Li, Ju

2016-01-01

Efficient mechanical energy harvesters enable various wearable devices and auxiliary energy supply. Here we report a novel class of mechanical energy harvesters via stress–voltage coupling in electrochemically alloyed electrodes. The device consists of two identical Li-alloyed Si as electrodes, separated by electrolyte-soaked polymer membranes. Bending-induced asymmetric stresses generate chemical potential difference, driving lithium ion flux from the compressed to the tensed electrode to generate electrical current. Removing the bending reverses ion flux and electrical current. Our thermodynamic analysis reveals that the ideal energy-harvesting efficiency of this device is dictated by the Poisson's ratio of the electrodes. For the thin-film-based energy harvester used in this study, the device has achieved a generating capacity of 15%. The device demonstrates a practical use of stress-composition–voltage coupling in electrochemically active alloys to harvest low-grade mechanical energies from various low-frequency motions, such as everyday human activities. PMID:26733282

Techno-Economic Analysis of Indian Draft Standard Levels for RoomAir Conditioners

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNeil, Michael A.; Iyer, Maithili

The Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) finalized its first set of efficiency standards and labels for room air conditioners in July of 2006. These regulations followed soon after the publication of levels for frost-free refrigerators in the same year. As in the case of refrigerators, the air conditioner program introduces Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) and comparative labels simultaneously, with levels for one to five stars. Also like the refrigerator program, BEE defined several successive program phases of increasing stringency. In support of BEE's refrigerator program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) produced an analysis of national impacts of standardsmore » in collaboration with the Collaborative Labeling and Standards Program (CLASP). That analysis drew on LBNL's experience with standards programs in the United States, as well as many other countries. Subsequently, as part of the process for setting optimal levels for air conditioner regulations, CLASP commissioned LBNL to provide support to BEE in the form of a techno-economic evaluation of air conditioner efficiency technologies. This report describes the methodology and results of this techno-economic evaluation. The analysis consists of three components: (1) Cost effectiveness to consumers of efficiency technologies relative to current baseline. (2) Impacts on the current market from efficiency regulations. (3) National energy and financial impacts. The analysis relied on detailed and up-to-date technical data made available by BEE and industry representatives. Technical parameters were used in conjunction with knowledge about air conditioner use patterns in the residential and commercial sectors, and prevailing marginal electricity prices, in order to give an estimate of per-unit financial impacts. In addition, the overall impact of the program was evaluated by combining unit savings with market forecasts in order to yield national impacts. LBNL presented preliminary results of these analyses in May 2006, at a meeting of BEEs Technical Committee for Air Conditioners. This meeting was attended by a wide array of stakeholder, including industry representatives, engineers and consumer advocates. Comments made by stakeholders at this meeting are incorporated into the final analysis presented in this report. The current analysis begins with the Rating Plan drafted by BEE in 2006, along with an evaluation of the market baseline according to test data submitted by manufacturers. MEPS, label rating levels, and baseline efficiencies are presented in Section 2. First, we compare Indian MEPS with current standards in other countries, and assess their relative stringency. Baseline efficiencies are then used to estimate the fraction of models likely to remain on the market at each phase of the program, and the impact on market-weighted efficiency levels. Section 3 deals with cost-effectiveness of higher efficiency design options. The cost-benefit analysis is grounded in technical parameters provided by industry representatives in India. This data allows for an assessment of financial costs and benefits to consumers as a result of the standards and labeling program. A Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) calculation is used to evaluate the impacts of the program at the unit level, thus providing some insight into the appropriateness of the levels chosen, and additional opportunities for further ratcheting. In addition to LCC, we also calculate payback periods, cost of conserved energy (CCE), and return on investment (ROI). Finally, Section 4 covers national impacts. This is an extension of unit level estimates in the two previous sections. Extrapolation to the national level depends on a forecast of air conditioner purchases (shipments), which we describe here. Following the cost-benefit analysis, we construct several efficiency scenarios including the BEE plan, but also considering further potential for efficiency improvement. These are combined with shipments through a stock accounting model in order to forecast air conditioner energy consumption in each scenario, and associated electricity savings and carbon emission mitigation. Finally, financial costs and savings are scaled to the national level to evaluate net fiscal benefits.« less

Simulation analysis of a novel high efficiency silicon solar cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mokashi, Anant R.; Daud, T.; Kachare, A. H.

1985-01-01

It is recognized that crystalline silicon photovoltaic module efficiency of 15 percent or more is required for cost-effective photovoltaic energy utilization. This level of module efficiency requires large-area encapsulated production cell efficiencies in the range of 18 to 20 percent. Though the theoretical maximum of silicon solar cell efficiency for an idealized case is estimated to be around 30 percent, practical performance of cells to-date are considerably below this limit. This is understood to be largely a consequence of minority carrier losses in the bulk as well as at all surfaces including those under the metal contacts. In this paper a novel device design with special features to reduce bulk and surface recombination losses is evaluated using numerical analysis technique. Details of the numerical model, cell design, and analysis results are presented.

Spatial analysis of participation in the Waterloo Residential Energy Efficiency Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ge Bella

Researchers are in broad agreement that energy-conserving actions produce economic as well as energy savings. Household energy rating systems (HERS) have been established in many countries to inform households of their house's current energy performance and to help reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, the national EnerGuide for Houses (EGH) program is delivered by many local delivery agents, including non-profit green community organizations. Waterloo Region Green Solutions is the local non-profit that offers the EGH residential energy evaluation service to local households. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the determinants of household's participation in the residential energy efficiency program (REEP) in Waterloo Region, to explain the relationship between the explanatory variables and REEP participation, and to propose ways to improve this kind of program. A spatial (trend) analysis was conducted within a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the spatial patterns of the REEP participation in Waterloo Region from 1999 to 2006. The impact of sources of information on participation and relationships between participation rates and explanatory variables were identified. GIS proved successful in presenting a visual interpretation of spatial patterns of the REEP participation. In general, the participating households tend to be clustered in urban areas and scattered in rural areas. Different sources of information played significant roles in reaching participants in different years. Moreover, there was a relationship between each explanatory variable and the REEP participation rates. Statistical analysis was applied to obtain a quantitative assessment of relationships between hypothesized explanatory variables and participation in the REEP. The Poisson regression model was used to determine the relationship between hypothesized explanatory variables and REEP participation at the CDA level. The results show that all of the independent variables have a statistically significant positive relationship with REEP participation. These variables include level of education, average household income, employment rate, home ownership, population aged 65 and over, age of home, and number of eligible dwellings. The logistic regression model was used to assess the ability of the hypothesized explanatory variables to predict whether or not households would participate in a second follow-up evaluation after completing upgrades to their home. The results show all the explanatory variables have significant relationships with the dependent variable. The increased rating score, average household income, aged population, and age of home are positively related to the dependent variable. While the dwelling size and education has negative relationships with the dependent variable. In general, the contribution of this work provides a practical understanding of how the energy efficiency program operates, and insight into the type of variables that may be successful in bringing about changes in performance in the energy efficiency project in Waterloo Region. Secondly, with the completion of this research, future residential energy efficiency programs can use the information from this research and emulate or expand upon the efforts and lessons learned from the Residential Energy Efficiency Project in Waterloo Region case study. Thirdly, this research also contributes to practical experience on how to integrate different datasets using GIS.

Energy efficiency of conventional, organic, and alternative cropping systems for food and fuel at a site in the U.S. Midwest.

PubMed

Gelfand, Ilya; Snapp, Sieglinde S; Robertson, G Philip

2010-05-15

The prospect of biofuel production on a large scale has focused attention on energy efficiencies associated with different agricultural systems and production goals. We used 17 years of detailed data on agricultural practices and yields to calculate an energy balance for different cropping systems under both food and fuel scenarios. We compared four grain and one forage systems in the U.S. Midwest: corn (Zea mays) - soybean (Glycine max) - wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotations managed with (1) conventional tillage, (2) no till, (3) low chemical input, and (4) biologically based (organic) practices, and (5) continuous alfalfa (Medicago sativa). We compared energy balances under two scenarios: all harvestable biomass used for food versus all harvestable biomass used for biofuel production. Among the annual grain crops, average energy costs of farming for the different systems ranged from 4.8 GJ ha(-1) y(-1) for the organic system to 7.1 GJ ha(-1) y(-1) for the conventional; the no-till system was also low at 4.9 GJ ha(-1) y(-1) and the low-chemical input system intermediate (5.2 GJ ha(-1) y(-1)). For each system, the average energy output for food was always greater than that for fuel. Overall energy efficiencies ranged from output:input ratios of 10 to 16 for conventional and no-till food production and from 7 to 11 for conventional and no-till fuel production, respectively. Alfalfa for fuel production had an efficiency similar to that of no-till grain production for fuel. Our analysis points to a more energetically efficient use of cropland for food than for fuel production and large differences in efficiencies attributable to management, which suggests multiple opportunities for improvement.

Acute decrease of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony and improvement of contractile state and energy efficiency after left ventricular restoration.

PubMed

Schreuder, Jan J; Castiglioni, Alessandro; Maisano, Francesco; Steendijk, Paul; Donelli, Andrea; Baan, Jan; Alfieri, Ottavio

2005-01-01

Surgical left ventricular restoration by means of endoventricular patch aneurysmectomy in patients with postinfarction aneurysm should result in acute improved left ventricular performance by decreasing mechanical dyssynchrony and increasing energy efficiency. Nine patients with left ventricular postinfarction aneurysm were studied intraoperatively before and after ventricular restoration with a conductance volume catheter to analyze pressure-volume relationships, energy efficiency, and mechanical dyssynchrony. The end-systolic elastance was used as a load-independent index of contractile state. Left ventricular energy efficiency was calculated from stroke work and total pressure-volume area. Segmental volume changes perpendicular to the long axis were used to calculate mechanical dyssynchrony. Statistical analysis was performed with the paired t test and least-squares linear regression. Endoventricular patch aneurysmectomy reduced end-diastolic volume by 37% (P < .001), with unchanged stroke volume. Systolic function improved, as derived from increased +dP/dt(max), by 42% (P < .03), peak ejection rate by 28% (P < .02), and ejection fraction by 16% (P < .0002). Early diastolic function improved, as shown by reduction of -dP/dt(max) by 34% (P < .006) and shortened tau by 30% (P < .001). Left ventricular end-systolic elastance increased from 1.2 +/- 0.6 to 2.2 +/- 1 mm Hg/mL (P < .001). Left ventricular energy efficiency increased by 36% (P < .002). Left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony decreased during systole by 33% (P < .001) and during diastole by 20% (P < .005). Left ventricular restoration induced acute improvements in contractile state, energy efficiency, and relaxation, together with a decrease in left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony.

Generation and Use of Thermal Energy in the U.S. Industrial Sector and Opportunities to Reduce its Carbon Emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McMillan, Colin; Boardman, Richard; McKellar, Michael

This report quantifies greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the industrial sector and identifies opportunities for non-GHG-emitting thermal energy sources to replace the most significant GHG-emitting U.S. industries based on targeted, process-level analysis of industrial heat requirements. The intent is to provide a basis for projecting opportunities for clean energy use. This provides a prospectus for small modular nuclear reactors (including nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems), solar industrial process heat, and geothermal energy. This report provides a complement to analysis of process-efficiency improvement by considering how clean energy delivery and use by industry could reduce GHG emissions.

77 FR 14587 - FY 2012 Discretionary Livability Funding Opportunity: Alternatives Analysis Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-12

... in clean energy resources, have been key strategic goals of the Department of Transportation (DOT... promote public health. Promote equitable, affordable housing: Expand location- and energy-efficient... communities: Target Federal funding toward existing communities--through such strategies as transit- oriented...

Quantifying the Financial Benefits of Multifamily Retrofits

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Philbrick, D.; Scheu, R.; Brand, L.

Increasing the adoption of energy efficient building practices will require the energy sector to increase their understanding of the way that retrofits affect multifamily financial performance as well as how those indicators are interpreted by the lending and appraisal industries. This project analyzed building, energy, and financial program data as well as other public and private data to examine the relationship between energy efficiency retrofits and financial performance on three levels: building, city, and community. The project goals were to increase the data and analysis in the growing body of multifamily financial benefits work as well provide a framework formore » other geographies to produce similar characterization. The goals are accomplished through three tasks. Task one: A pre- and post-retrofit analysis of thirteen Chicago multifamily buildings. Task two: A comparison of Chicago income and expenses to two national datasets. Task three: An in-depth look at multifamily market sales data and the subsequent impact of buildings that undergo retrofits.« less

Building America Case Study: Quantifying the Financial Benefits of Multifamily Retrofits, Chicago, Illinois

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Increasing the adoption of energy efficient building practices will require the energy sector to increase their understanding of the way that retrofits affect multifamily financial performance as well as how those indicators are interpreted by the lending and appraisal industries. This project analyzed building, energy, and financial program data as well as other public and private data to examine the relationship between energy efficiency retrofits and financial performance on three levels: building, city, and community. The project goals were to increase the data and analysis in the growing body of multifamily financial benefits work as well provide a framework formore » other geographies to produce similar characterization. The goals are accomplished through three tasks: Task one: A pre- and post-retrofit analysis of thirteen Chicago multifamily buildings. Task two: A comparison of Chicago income and expenses to two national datasets. Task three: An in-depth look at multifamily market sales data and the subsequent impact of buildings that undergo retrofits.« less

Challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable energy strategies in coastal communities of Baja California Sur, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Etcheverry, Jose R.

This dissertation explores the potential of renewable energy and efficiency strategies to solve the energy challenges faced by the people living in the biosphere reserve of El Vizcaino, which is located in the North Pacific region of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. This research setting provides a practical analytical milieu to understand better the multiple problems faced by practitioners and agencies trying to implement sustainable energy solutions in Mexico. The thesis starts with a literature review (chapter two) that examines accumulated international experience regarding the development of renewable energy projects as a prelude to identifying the most salient implementation barriers impeding this type of initiatives. Two particularly salient findings from the literature review include the importance of considering gender issues in energy analysis and the value of using participatory research methods. These findings informed fieldwork design and the analytical framework of the dissertation. Chapter three surveys electricity generation as well as residential and commercial electricity use in nine coastal communities located in El Vizcaino. Chapter three summarizes the fieldwork methodology used, which relies on a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods that aim at enabling a gender-disaggregated analysis to describe more accurately local energy uses, needs, and barriers. Chapter four describes the current plans of the state government, which are focused in expanding one of the state's diesel-powered electricity grids to El Vizcaino. The Chapter also examines the potential for replacing diesel generators with a combination of renewable energy systems and efficiency measures in the coastal communities sampled. Chapter five analyzes strategies to enable the implementation of sustainable energy approaches in El Vizcaino. Chapter five highlights several international examples that could be useful to inform organizational changes at the federal and state level aimed at fostering renewable energy and efficiency initiatives that enhance energy security, protect the environment, and also increase economic opportunities in El Vizcaino and elsewhere in Mexico. Chapter six concludes the thesis by providing: a summary of all key findings, a broad analysis of the implications of the research, and an overview of future lines of inquiry.

Energy Efficient Engine Flight Propulsion System Preliminary Analysis and Design Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bisset, J. W.; Howe, D. C.

1983-01-01

The final design and analysis of the flight propulsion system is presented. This system is the conceptual study engine defined to meet the performance, economic and environmental goals established for the Energy Efficient Engine Program. The design effort included a final definition of the engine, major components, internal subsystems, and nacelle. Various analytical representations and results from component technology programs are used to verify aerodynamic and structural design concepts and to predict performance. Specific design goals and specifications, reflecting future commercial aircraft propulsion system requirements for the mid-1980's, are detailed by NASA and used as guidelines during engine definition. Information is also included which details salient results from a separate study to define a turbofan propulsion system, known as the maximum efficiency engine, which reoptimized the advanced fuel saving technologies for improved fuel economy and direct operating costs relative to the flight propulsion system.

NET-ZERO ENERGY BUILDING OPERATOR TRAINING PROGRAM (NZEBOT)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brizendine, Anthony; Byars, Nan; Sleiti, Ahmad

2012-12-31

The primary objective of the Net-Zero Energy Building Operator Training Program (NZEBOT) was to develop certificate level training programs for commercial building owners, managers and operators, principally in the areas of energy / sustainability management. The expected outcome of the project was a multi-faceted mechanism for developing the skill-based competency of building operators, owners, architects/engineers, construction professionals, tenants, brokers and other interested groups in energy efficient building technologies and best practices. The training program draws heavily on DOE supported and developed materials available in the existing literature, as well as existing, modified, and newly developed curricula from the Department ofmore » Engineering Technology & Construction Management (ETCM) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC-Charlotte). The project goal is to develop a certificate level training curriculum for commercial energy and sustainability managers and building operators that: 1) Increases the skill-based competency of building professionals in energy efficient building technologies and best practices, and 2) Increases the workforce pool of expertise in energy management and conservation techniques. The curriculum developed in this project can subsequently be used to establish a sustainable energy training program that can contribute to the creation of new “green” job opportunities in North Carolina and throughout the Southeast region, and workforce training that leads to overall reductions in commercial building energy consumption. Three energy training / education programs were developed to achieve the stated goal, namely: 1. Building Energy/Sustainability Management (BESM) Certificate Program for Building Managers and Operators (40 hours); 2. Energy Efficient Building Technologies (EEBT) Certificate Program (16 hours); and 3. Energy Efficent Buildings (EEB) Seminar (4 hours). Training Program 1 incorporates the following topics in the primary five-day Building Energy/Sustainability Management Certificate program in five training modules, namely: 1) Strategic Planning, 2) Sustainability Audits, 3) Information Analysis, 4) Energy Efficiency, and 5) Communication. Training Program 2 addresses the following technical topics in the two-day Building Technologies workshop: 1) Energy Efficient Building Materials, 2) Green Roofing Systems, 3) Energy Efficient Lighting Systems, 4) Alternative Power Systems for Buildings, 5) Innovative Building Systems, and 6) Application of Building Performance Simulation Software. Program 3 is a seminar which provides an overview of elements of programs 1 and 2 in a seminar style presentation designed for the general public to raise overall public awareness of energy and sustainability topics.« less

Energy Efficient Community Development in California: Chula Vista Research Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gas Technology Institute

2009-03-31

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy joined the California Energy Commission in funding a project to begin to examine the technical, economic and institutional (policy and regulatory) aspects of energy-efficient community development. That research project was known as the Chula Vista Research Project for the host California community that co-sponsored the initiative. The researches proved that the strategic integration of the selected and economically viable buildings energy efficiency (EE) measures, photovoltaics (PV), distributed generation (DG), and district cooling can produce significant reductions in aggregate energy consumption, peak demand and emissions, compared to the developer/builder's proposed baseline approach. However, themore » central power plant emission reductions achieved through use of the EE-DG option would increase local air emissions. The electric and natural gas utility infrastructure impacts associated with the use of the EE and EE-PV options were deemed relatively insignificant while use of the EE-DG option would result in a significant reduction of necessary electric distribution facilities to serve a large-scale development project. The results of the Chula Vista project are detailed in three separate documents: (1) Energy-Efficient Community Development in California; Chula Vista Research Project report contains a detailed description of the research effort and findings. This includes the methodologies, and tools used and the analysis of the efficiency, economic and emissions impacts of alternative energy technology and community design options for two development sites. Research topics covered included: (a) Energy supply, demand, and control technologies and related strategies for structures; (b) Application of locally available renewable energy resources including solar thermal and PV technology and on-site power generation with heat recovery; (c) Integration of local energy resources into district energy systems and existing energy utility networks; (d) Alternative land-use design and development options and their impact on energy efficiency and urban runoff, emissions and the heat island effect; and (e) Alternative transportation and mobility options and their impact on local emissions. (2) Creating Energy-Efficient Communities in California: A Reference Guide to Barriers, Solutions and Resources report provides the results of an effort to identify the most innovative existing and emerging public policy, incentive and market mechanisms that encourage investment in advanced energy technologies and enabling community design options in the State of California and the nation. The report evaluates each of these mechanisms in light of the preceding research and concludes with a set of recommended mechanisms designed for consideration by relevant California State agencies, development and finance industry associations, and municipal governments. (3) Creating Energy-Efficient Communities in California: A Technical Reference Guide to Building and Site Design report contains a set of selected commercially viable energy technology and community design options for high-efficiency, low-impact community development in California. It includes a summary of the research findings referenced above and recommendations for energy technology applications and energy-efficient development strategies for residential, commercial and institutional structures and supporting municipal infrastructure for planned communities. The document also identifies design options, technology applications and development strategies that are applicable to urban infill projects.« less

Thermal Analysis of Fluidized Bed and Fixed Bed Latent Heat Thermal Storage System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beemkumar, N.; Karthikeyan, A.; Shiva Keshava Reddy, Kota; Rajesh, Kona; Anderson, A.

2017-05-01

Thermal energy storage technology is essential because its stores available energy at low cost. Objective of the work is to store the thermal energy in a most efficient method. This work is deal with thermal analysis of fluidized bed and fixed bed latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) system with different encapsulation materials (aluminium, brass and copper). D-Mannitol has been used as phase change material (PCM). Encapsulation material which is in orbicular shape with 4 inch diameter and 2 mm thickness orbicular shaped product is used. Therminol-66 is used as a heat transfer fluid (HTF). Arrangement of encapsulation material is done in two ways namely fluidized bed and fixed bed thermal storage system. Comparison was made between the performance of fixed bed and fluidized bed with different encapsulation material. It is observed that from the economical point of view aluminium in fluidized bed LHTS System has highest efficiency than copper and brass. The thermal energy storage system can be analyzed with fixed bed by varying mass flow rate of oil paves a way to find effective heat energy transfer.

The improvement of thermal characteristics of autoclave aerated concrete for energy efficient high-rise buildings application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khavanov, Pavel; Fomina, Ekaterina; Kozhukhova, Natalia

2018-03-01

Nowadays, the problem of energy saving is very relevant. One of the ways to reduction energy consumption in construction materials production and construction of civil and industrial high-rise buildings is the application of claddings with heat-insulating performance. The concept of energy efficiency of high-rise buildings is closely related to environmental aspect and sustainability of applied construction materials; reducing service costs; energy saving and microclimate comfortability. A complexity of architectural and structural design as well as aesthetic characteristics of construction materials are also should be considered. The high interest focused on materials with combined properties. This work is oriented on the study of energy efficiency of buildings by improving heat-insulation and strength performance of autoclave aerated concrete. The applied method of sulfate activation of lime allows monitoring phase and structure formation in aerated concrete. The optimal mix design of aerated concrete with the compressive strength up to 8.5 MPa and decreased density up to 760 kg/m3 was proposed. Analysis of structure at macro-and microscale was performed as well as the criteria of an optimal porosity formation was considered a number, size, shape of pore and density of interior partition. SEM analysis and BET method were performed in this research work. The research results demonstrated the correlation between structure and vapor permeability resistance, also it was found that the increase of strength can lead to reduction of thermal conductivity.

Probing the fusion of neutron-rich nuclei with re-accelerated radioactive beams

DOE PAGES

Vadas, J.; Singh, Varinderjit; Wiggins, B. B.; ...

2018-03-27

Here, we report the first measurement of the fusion excitation functions for 39,47K + 28Si at near-barrier energies. Evaporation residues resulting from the fusion process were identified by direct measurement of their energy and time-of-flight with high geometric efficiency. At the lowest incident energy, the cross section measured for the neutron-rich 47K-induced reaction is ≈6 times larger than that of the β-stable system. This experimental approach, both in measurement and in analysis, demonstrates how to efficiently measure fusion with low-intensity re-accelerated radioactive beams, establishing the framework for future studies.

Probing the fusion of neutron-rich nuclei with re-accelerated radioactive beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vadas, J.; Singh, Varinderjit; Wiggins, B. B.

Here, we report the first measurement of the fusion excitation functions for 39,47K + 28Si at near-barrier energies. Evaporation residues resulting from the fusion process were identified by direct measurement of their energy and time-of-flight with high geometric efficiency. At the lowest incident energy, the cross section measured for the neutron-rich 47K-induced reaction is ≈6 times larger than that of the β-stable system. This experimental approach, both in measurement and in analysis, demonstrates how to efficiently measure fusion with low-intensity re-accelerated radioactive beams, establishing the framework for future studies.

Analysis of recovery efficiency in high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage: a Rayleigh-based method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schout, Gilian; Drijver, Benno; Gutierrez-Neri, Mariene; Schotting, Ruud

2014-01-01

High-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) is an important technique for energy conservation. A controlling factor for the economic feasibility of HT-ATES is the recovery efficiency. Due to the effects of density-driven flow (free convection), HT-ATES systems applied in permeable aquifers typically have lower recovery efficiencies than conventional (low-temperature) ATES systems. For a reliable estimation of the recovery efficiency it is, therefore, important to take the effect of density-driven flow into account. A numerical evaluation of the prime factors influencing the recovery efficiency of HT-ATES systems is presented. Sensitivity runs evaluating the effects of aquifer properties, as well as operational variables, were performed to deduce the most important factors that control the recovery efficiency. A correlation was found between the dimensionless Rayleigh number (a measure of the relative strength of free convection) and the calculated recovery efficiencies. Based on a modified Rayleigh number, two simple analytical solutions are proposed to calculate the recovery efficiency, each one covering a different range of aquifer thicknesses. The analytical solutions accurately reproduce all numerically modeled scenarios with an average error of less than 3 %. The proposed method can be of practical use when considering or designing an HT-ATES system.

Fragmentation efficiency of explosive volcanic eruptions: A study of experimentally generated pyroclasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kueppers, Ulrich; Scheu, Bettina; Spieler, Oliver; Dingwell, Donald B.

2006-05-01

Products of magma fragmentation can pose a severe threat to health, infrastructure, environment, and aviation. Systematic evaluation of the mechanisms and the consequences of volcanic fragmentation is very difficult as the adjacent processes cannot be observed directly and their deposits undergo transport-related sorting. However, enhanced knowledge is required for hazard assessment and risk mitigation. Laboratory experiments on natural samples allow the precise characterization of the generated pyroclasts and open the possibility for substantial advances in the quantification of fragmentation processes. They hold the promise of precise characterization and quantification of fragmentation efficiency and its dependence on changing material properties and the physical conditions at fragmentation. We performed a series of rapid decompression experiments on three sets of natural samples from Unzen volcano, Japan. The analysis comprised grain-size analysis and surface area measurements. The grain-size analysis is performed by dry sieving for particles larger than 250 μm and wet laser refraction for smaller particles. For all three sets of samples, the grain-size of the most abundant fraction decreases and the weight fraction of newly generated ash particles (up to 40 wt.%) increases with experimental pressure/potential energy for fragmentation. This energy can be estimated from the volume of the gas fraction and the applied pressure. The surface area was determined through Argon adsorption. The fragmentation efficiency is described by the degree of fine-particle generation. Results show that the fragmentation efficiency and the generated surface correlate positively with the applied energy.

Evaluation of Emerging Energy-Efficient Heterogeneous Computing Platforms for Biomolecular and Cellular Simulation Workloads

PubMed Central

Stone, John E.; Hallock, Michael J.; Phillips, James C.; Peterson, Joseph R.; Luthey-Schulten, Zaida; Schulten, Klaus

2016-01-01

Many of the continuing scientific advances achieved through computational biology are predicated on the availability of ongoing increases in computational power required for detailed simulation and analysis of cellular processes on biologically-relevant timescales. A critical challenge facing the development of future exascale supercomputer systems is the development of new computing hardware and associated scientific applications that dramatically improve upon the energy efficiency of existing solutions, while providing increased simulation, analysis, and visualization performance. Mobile computing platforms have recently become powerful enough to support interactive molecular visualization tasks that were previously only possible on laptops and workstations, creating future opportunities for their convenient use for meetings, remote collaboration, and as head mounted displays for immersive stereoscopic viewing. We describe early experiences adapting several biomolecular simulation and analysis applications for emerging heterogeneous computing platforms that combine power-efficient system-on-chip multi-core CPUs with high-performance massively parallel GPUs. We present low-cost power monitoring instrumentation that provides sufficient temporal resolution to evaluate the power consumption of individual CPU algorithms and GPU kernels. We compare the performance and energy efficiency of scientific applications running on emerging platforms with results obtained on traditional platforms, identify hardware and algorithmic performance bottlenecks that affect the usability of these platforms, and describe avenues for improving both the hardware and applications in pursuit of the needs of molecular modeling tasks on mobile devices and future exascale computers. PMID:27516922

Electricity savings potentials in the residential sector of Bahrain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akbari, H.; Morsy, M.G.; Al-Baharna, N.S.

1996-08-01

Electricity is the major fuel (over 99%) used in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors in Bahrain. In 1992, the total annual electricity consumption in Bahrain was 3.45 terawatt-hours (TWh), of which 1.95 TWh (56%) was used in the residential sector, 0.89 TWh (26%) in the commercial sector, and 0.59 TWh (17%) in the industrial sector. Agricultural energy consumption was 0.02 TWh (less than 1%) of the total energy use. In Bahrain, most residences are air conditioned with window units. The air-conditioning electricity use is at least 50% of total annual residential use. The contribution of residential AC to themore » peak power consumption is even more significant, approaching 80% of residential peak power demand. Air-conditioning electricity use in the commercial sector is also significant, about 45% of the annual use and over 60% of peak power demand. This paper presents a cost/benefit analysis of energy-efficient technologies in the residential sector. Technologies studied include: energy-efficient air conditioners, insulating houses, improved infiltration, increasing thermostat settings, efficient refrigerators and freezers, efficient water heaters, efficient clothes washers, and compact fluorescent lights. We conservatively estimate a 32% savings in residential electricity use at an average cost of about 4 fils per kWh. (The subsidized cost of residential electricity is about 12 fils per kWh. 1000 fils = 1 Bahrain Dinar = US$ 2.67). We also discuss major policy options needed for implementation of energy-efficiency technologies.« less

Selection for Improved Energy Use Efficiency and Drought Tolerance in Canola Results in Distinct Transcriptome and Epigenome Changes.

PubMed

Verkest, Aurine; Byzova, Marina; Martens, Cindy; Willems, Patrick; Verwulgen, Tom; Slabbinck, Bram; Rombaut, Debbie; Van de Velde, Jan; Vandepoele, Klaas; Standaert, Evi; Peeters, Marrit; Van Lijsebettens, Mieke; Van Breusegem, Frank; De Block, Marc

2015-08-01

To increase both the yield potential and stability of crops, integrated breeding strategies are used that have mostly a direct genetic basis, but the utility of epigenetics to improve complex traits is unclear. A better understanding of the status of the epigenome and its contribution to agronomic performance would help in developing approaches to incorporate the epigenetic component of complex traits into breeding programs. Starting from isogenic canola (Brassica napus) lines, epilines were generated by selecting, repeatedly for three generations, for increased energy use efficiency and drought tolerance. These epilines had an enhanced energy use efficiency, drought tolerance, and nitrogen use efficiency. Transcriptome analysis of the epilines and a line selected for its energy use efficiency solely revealed common differentially expressed genes related to the onset of stress tolerance-regulating signaling events. Genes related to responses to salt, osmotic, abscisic acid, and drought treatments were specifically differentially expressed in the drought-tolerant epilines. The status of the epigenome, scored as differential trimethylation of lysine-4 of histone 3, further supported the phenotype by targeting drought-responsive genes and facilitating the transcription of the differentially expressed genes. From these results, we conclude that the canola epigenome can be shaped by selection to increase energy use efficiency and stress tolerance. Hence, these findings warrant the further development of strategies to incorporate epigenetics into breeding. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

CO2 Dissociation by Low Current Gliding Discharge in the Reverse Vortex Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutsol, Alexander

2012-10-01

If performed with high energy efficiency, plasma-chemical dissociation of carbon dioxide can be a way of converting and storing energy when there is an excess of electric energy, for example generated by solar elements of wind turbines. CO2 dissociation with efficiency of up to 90% was reported earlier for low pressure microwave discharge in supersonic flow. A new plasma-chemical system uses a low current gliding discharge in the reverse vortex flow of plasma gas. The system is a development of the Gliding Arc in Tornado reactor. The system was used to study dissociation of CO2 in wide ranges of the following experimental parameters: reactor pressure (15-150 kPa), discharge current (50-500 mA), gas flow rate (3-30 liters per minute), and electrode gap length (1-10 cm). Additionally, the effect of thermal energy recuperation on CO2 dissociation efficiency was tested. Plasma chemical efficiency of CO2 dissociation is very low (about 3%) in a short discharge at low pressures (about 15 kPa) when it is defined by electronic excitation. The highest efficiency (above 40%) was reached at pressures 50-70 kPa in a long discharge with thermal energy recuperation. It means that the process is controlled by thermal dissociation with subsequent effective quenching. Plasma chemical efficiency was determined from the data of chromatographic analysis and oscilloscope electric power integration, and also was checked calorimetrically by the thermal balance of the system.

Systems Biology Analysis Merging Phenotype, Metabolomic and Genomic Data Identifies Non-SMC Condensin I Complex, Subunit G (NCAPG) and Cellular Maintenance Processes as Major Contributors to Genetic Variability in Bovine Feed Efficiency

PubMed Central

Widmann, Philipp; Reverter, Antonio; Weikard, Rosemarie; Suhre, Karsten; Hammon, Harald M.; Albrecht, Elke; Kuehn, Christa

2015-01-01

Feed efficiency is a paramount factor for livestock economy. Previous studies had indicated a substantial heritability of several feed efficiency traits. In our study, we investigated the genetic background of residual feed intake, a commonly used parameter of feed efficiency, in a cattle resource population generated from crossing dairy and beef cattle. Starting from a whole genome association analysis, we subsequently performed combined phenotype-metabolome-genome analysis taking a systems biology approach by inferring gene networks based on partial correlation and information theory approaches. Our data about biological processes enriched with genes from the feed efficiency network suggest that genetic variation in feed efficiency is driven by genetic modulation of basic processes relevant to general cellular functions. When looking at the predicted upstream regulators from the feed efficiency network, the Tumor Protein P53 (TP53) and Transforming Growth Factor beta 1 (TGFB1) genes stood out regarding significance of overlap and number of target molecules in the data set. These results further support the hypothesis that TP53 is a major upstream regulator for genetic variation of feed efficiency. Furthermore, our data revealed a significant effect of both, the Non-SMC Condensin I Complex, Subunit G (NCAPG) I442M (rs109570900) and the Growth /differentiation factor 8 (GDF8) Q204X (rs110344317) loci, on residual feed intake and feed conversion. For both loci, the growth promoting allele at the onset of puberty was associated with a negative, but favorable effect on residual feed intake. The elevated energy demand for increased growth triggered by the NCAPG 442M allele is obviously not fully compensated for by an increased efficiency in converting feed into body tissue. As a consequence, the individuals carrying the NCAPG 442M allele had an additional demand for energy uptake that is reflected by the association of the allele with increased daily energy intake as observed in our study. PMID:25875852

Catalyzing Gender Equality-Focused Clean Energy Development in West Africa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) partnered with the Clean Energy Solutions Center (Solutions Center), the African Development Bank and other institutions to develop a Situation Analysis of Energy and Gender Issues in ECOWAS Member States. Through a systematic approach to assess interlinked gender and energy issues in the region, the report puts forth a number of key findings. This brochure highlights ECREEE's partnership with the Solutions Center and key findings from the report.

An Effective Collaborative Mobile Weighted Clustering Schemes for Energy Balancing in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Tang, Chengpei; Shokla, Sanesy Kumcr; Modhawar, George; Wang, Qiang

2016-01-01

Collaborative strategies for mobile sensor nodes ensure the efficiency and the robustness of data processing, while limiting the required communication bandwidth. In order to solve the problem of pipeline inspection and oil leakage monitoring, a collaborative weighted mobile sensing scheme is proposed. By adopting a weighted mobile sensing scheme, the adaptive collaborative clustering protocol can realize an even distribution of energy load among the mobile sensor nodes in each round, and make the best use of battery energy. A detailed theoretical analysis and experimental results revealed that the proposed protocol is an energy efficient collaborative strategy such that the sensor nodes can communicate with a fusion center and produce high power gain. PMID:26907285

Energy Analysis of a Complementary Heating System Combining Solar Energy and Coal for a Rural Residential Building in Northwest China

PubMed Central

Zhen, Xiaofei; Abdalla Osman, Yassir Idris; Feng, Rong; Zhang, Xuemin

2018-01-01

In order to utilize solar energy to meet the heating demands of a rural residential building during the winter in the northwestern region of China, a hybrid heating system combining solar energy and coal was built. Multiple experiments to monitor its performance were conducted during the winter in 2014 and 2015. In this paper, we analyze the efficiency of the energy utilization of the system and describe a prototype model to determine the thermal efficiency of the coal stove in use. Multiple linear regression was adopted to present the dual function of multiple factors on the daily heat-collecting capacity of the solar water heater; the heat-loss coefficient of the storage tank was detected as well. The prototype model shows that the average thermal efficiency of the stove is 38%, which means that the energy input for the building is divided between the coal and solar energy, 39.5% and 60.5% energy, respectively. Additionally, the allocation of the radiation of solar energy projecting into the collecting area of the solar water heater was obtained which showed 49% loss with optics and 23% with the dissipation of heat, with only 28% being utilized effectively. PMID:29651424

Quantifying Systemic Efficiency using Exergy and Energy Analysis for Ground Source Heat Pumps: Domestic Space Conditioning and Water Heating Applications.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ally, Moonis Raza; Baxter, Van D; Gehl, Anthony C

Although air temperatures over land surfaces show wide seasonal and daily variations, the ground, approximately 10 meters below the earth s surface, remains relatively stable in temperature thereby serving as an energy source or sink. Ground source heat pumps can heat, cool, and supply homes with hot water efficiently by utilizing the earth s renewable and essentially inexhaustible energy resources, saving fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering the environmental footprint. In this paper, evidence is shown that ground source heat pumps can provide up to 79%-87% of domestic hot water energy needs, and up to 77% of spacemore » heating needs with the ground s thermal energy resources. The case refers to a 12-month study conducted at a 253 m2 research house located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 36.01 N 84.26 W in a mixed-humid climate with HDD of 2218 C-days and CDD of 723 C-days under simulated occupancy conditions. A single 94.5m vertical bore interfaced the heat pump with the ground. The research shows that this technology is capable of achieving US DOE targets of 25 % and 35% energy savings in HVAC, and in water heating, respectively by 2030. It is also a viable technology to meet greenhouse gas target emissions under the IECC 2012 Standard, as well as the European Union (EU) 2020 targets of using renewable energy resources. The paper quantifies systemic efficiencies using Exergy analysis of the major components, clearly pointing areas for further improvement.« less

Diffusion of Energy Efficient Technology in Commercial Buildings: An Analysis of the Commercial Building Partnerships Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonopoulos, Chrissi Argyro

This study presents findings from survey and interview data investigating replication of green building measures by Commercial Building Partnership (CBP) partners that worked directly with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL partnered directly with 12 organizations on new and retrofit construction projects, which represented approximately 28 percent of the entire U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CBP program. Through a feedback survey mechanism, along with personal interviews, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered relating to replication efforts by each organization. These data were analyzed to provide insight into two primary research areas: 1) CBP partners' replication efforts of green building approaches used in the CBP project to the rest of the organization's building portfolio, and, 2) the market potential for technology diffusion into the total U.S. commercial building stock, as a direct result of the CBP program. The first area of this research focused specifically on replication efforts underway or planned by each CBP program participant. The second area of this research develops a diffusion of innovations model to analyze potential broad market impacts of the CBP program on the commercial building industry in the United States. Findings from this study provided insight into motivations and objectives CBP partners had for program participation. Factors that impact replication include motivation, organizational structure and objectives firms have for implementation of energy efficient technologies. Comparing these factors between different CBP partners revealed patterns in motivation for constructing energy efficient buildings, along with better insight into market trends for green building practices. The optimized approach to the CBP program allows partners to develop green building parameters that fit the specific uses of their building, resulting in greater motivation for replication. In addition, the diffusion model developed for this analysis indicates that this method of market prediction may be used to adequately capture cumulative construction metrics for a whole-building analysis as opposed to individual energy efficiency measures used in green building.

Energy analysis of holographic lenses for solar concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marín-Sáez, Julia; Collados, M. Victoria; Chemisana, Daniel; Atencia, Jesús

2017-05-01

The use of volume and phase holographic elements in the design of photovoltaic solar concentrators has become very popular as an alternative solution to refractive systems, due to their high efficiency, low cost and possibilities of building integration. Angular and chromatic selectivity of volume holograms can affect their behavior as solar concentrators. In holographic lenses, angular and chromatic selectivity varies along the lens plane. Besides, considering that the holographic materials are not sensitive to the wavelengths for which the solar cells are most efficient, the reconstruction wavelength is usually different from the recording one. As a consequence, not all points of the lens work at Bragg condition for a defined incident direction or wavelength. A software tool that calculates the direction and efficiency of solar rays at the output of a volume holographic element has been developed in this study. It allows the analysis of the total energy that reaches the solar cell, taking into account the sun movement, the solar spectrum and the sensitivity of the solar cell. The dependence of the recording wavelength on the collected energy is studied with this software. As the recording angle is different along a holographic lens, some zones of the lens could not act as a volume hologram. The efficiency at the transition zones between volume and thin behavior in lenses recorded in Bayfol HX is experimentally analyzed in order to decide if the energy of generated higher diffraction orders has to be included in the simulation.

High-efficiency generation of pulsed Lyman-α radiation by resonant laser wave mixing in low pressure Kr-Ar mixture.

PubMed

Saito, Norihito; Oishi, Yu; Miyazaki, Koji; Okamura, Kotaro; Nakamura, Jumpei; Louchev, Oleg A; Iwasaki, Masahiko; Wada, Satoshi

2016-04-04

We report an experimental generation of ns pulsed 121.568 nm Lyman-α radiation by the resonant nonlinear four-wave mixing of 212.556 nm and 845.015 nm radiation pulses providing a high conversion efficiency 1.7x10^-3 with the output pulse energy 3.6 μJ achieved using a low pressure Kr-Ar mixture. Theoretical analysis shows that this efficiency is achieved due to the advantage of using (i) the high input laser intensities in combination with (ii) the low gas pressure allowing us to avoid the onset of full-scale discharge in the laser focus. In particular, under our experimental conditions the main mechanism of photoionization caused by the resonant 2-photon 212.556 nm radiation excitation of Kr atoms followed by the 1-photon ionization leads to ≈17% loss of Kr atoms and efficiency loss only by the end of the pulse. The energy of free electrons, generated by 212.556 nm radiation via (2 + 1)-photon ionization and accelerated mainly by 845.015 nm radiation, remains during the pulse below the level sufficient for the onset of full-scale discharge by the electron avalanche. Our analysis also suggests that ≈30-fold increase of 845.015 nm pulse energy can allow one to scale up the L-α radiation pulse energy towards the level of ≈100 μJ.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The goals and accomplishments of the Energy Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory are described in this annual progress report for Fiscal Year (FY) 1988. The Energy Division is a multidisciplinary research organization committed to (1) increasing the knowledge and understanding of the way society makes choices in energy use and energy-using technologies, (2) improving society's understanding of the environmental implications of changes in energy technology, and (3) improving and developing new energy-efficient technologies. The Energy Division's programmatic activities focus on four major areas: (1) analysis and assessment, (2) transportation and decision systems research, (3) technology research and development formore » improving the efficiency of energy and end-use technologies, and (4) electric power systems. The Division's total expenditures in FY 1988 were $44.3 million. The work is supported by the US Department of Energy, US Department of Defense, many other federal agencies, and some private organizations. Disciplines of the 139 staff members include engineering, social sciences, physical and life sciences, and mathematics and statistics.« less

Establishment of a building audit procedure and analysis for the Kansas Department of Transportation phase 2A : buildings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

Over the past few years, state governments and entities have become concerned with the energy : consumption and efficiency of their facilities. An effective manner to identify potential to reduce energy and : water consumption and increase building e...

Assessment of strontium oxide functionalized graphene nanoflakes for enhanced photocatalytic activity: A density functional theory approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divya, A.; Mathavan, T.; Asath, R. Mohamed; Archana, J.; Hayakawa, Y.; Benial, A. Milton Franklin

2016-05-01

A series of strontium oxide functionalized graphene nanoflakes were designed and their optoelectronic properties were studied for enhanced photocatalytic activity. The efficiency of designed molecules was studied using various parameters such as HOMO-LUMO energy gap, light harvesting efficiency and exciton binding energy. The computed results show that by increasing the degree of functionalization of strontium oxide leads to lowering the band gap of hydrogen terminated graphene nanoflakes. Furthermore, the study explores the role of strontium oxide functionalization in Frontier Molecular Orbitals, ionization potential, electron affinity, exciton binding energy and light harvesting efficiency of designed molecules. The infrared and Raman spectra were simulated for pure and SrO functionalized graphene nanoflakes. The electron rich and electron deficient regions which are favorable for electrophilic and nucleophilic attacks respectively were analyzed using molecular electrostatic potential surface analysis.

New rules of thumb maximizing energy efficiency in street lighting with discharge lamps: The general equations for lighting design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña-García, A.; Gómez-Lorente, D.; Espín, A.; Rabaza, O.

2016-06-01

New relationships between energy efficiency, illuminance uniformity, spacing and mounting height in public lighting installations were derived from the analysis of a large sample of outputs generated with a widely used software application for lighting design. These new relationships greatly facilitate the calculation of basic lighting installation parameters. The results obtained are also based on maximal energy efficiency and illuminance uniformity as a premise, which are not included in more conventional methods. However, these factors are crucial since they ensure the sustainability of the installations. This research formulated, applied and analysed these new equations. The results of this study highlight their usefulness in rapid planning and urban planning in developing countries or areas affected by natural disasters where engineering facilities and computer applications for this purpose are often unavailable.

Commissioning and Performance Analysis of WhisperGen Stirling Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradip, Prashant Kaliram

Stirling engine based cogeneration systems have potential to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission, due to their high cogeneration efficiency and emission control due to steady external combustion. To date, most studies on this unit have focused on performance based on both experimentation and computer models, and lack experimental data for diversified operating ranges. This thesis starts with the commissioning of a WhisperGen Stirling engine with components and instrumentation to evaluate power and thermal performance of the system. Next, a parametric study on primary engine variables, including air, diesel, and coolant flowrate and temperature were carried out to further understand their effect on engine power and efficiency. Then, this trend was validated with the thermodynamic model developed for the energy analysis of a Stirling cycle. Finally, the energy balance of the Stirling engine was compared without and with heat recovery from the engine block and the combustion chamber exhaust.

Horizontal-axis clothes washer market poised for expansion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

George, K.L.

1994-12-31

The availability of energy- and water-efficient horizontal-axis washing machines in the North American market is growing, as US and European manufacturers position for an expected long-term market shift toward horizontal-axis (H-axis) technology. Four of the five major producers of washing machines in the US are developing or considering new H-axis models. New entrants, including US-based Staber Industries and several European manufacturers, are also expected to compete in this market. The intensified interest in H-axis technology is partly driven by speculation that new US energy efficiency standards, to be proposed in 1996 and implemented in 1999, will effectively mandate H-axis machines.more » H-axis washers typically use one-third to two-thirds less energy, water, and detergent than vertical-axis machines. Some models also reduce the energy needed to dry the laundry, since their higher spin speeds extract more water than is typical with vertical-axis designs. H-axis washing machines are the focus of two broadly-based efforts to support coordinated research and incentive programs by electric, gas, and water utilities: The High-Efficiency Laundry Metering/Marketing Analysis (THELMA), and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) High-Efficiency Clothes Washer Initiative. These efforts may help to pave the way for new types of marketing partnerships among utilities and other parties that could help to speed adoption of H-axis washers.« less

Analysis of alternative pathways for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions.

PubMed

Loughlin, Daniel H; Kaufman, Katherine R; Lenox, Carol S; Hubbell, Bryan J

2015-09-01

Strategies for reducing tropospheric ozone (O3) typically include modifying combustion processes to reduce the formation of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and applying control devices that remove NOx from the exhaust gases of power plants, industrial sources and vehicles. For portions of the U.S., these traditional controls may not be sufficient to achieve the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone. We apply the MARKet ALlocation (MARKAL) energy system model in a sensitivity analysis to explore whether additional NOx reductions can be achieved through extensive electrification of passenger vehicles, adoption of energy efficiency and conservation measures within buildings, and deployment of wind and solar power in the electric sector. Nationally and for each region of the country, we estimate the NOx implications of these measures. Energy efficiency and renewable electricity are shown to reduce NOx beyond traditional controls. Wide-spread light duty vehicle electrification produces varied results, with NOx increasing in some regions and decreasing in others. However, combining vehicle electrification with renewable electricity reduces NOx in all regions. State governments are charged with developing plans that demonstrate how air quality standards will be met and maintained. The results presented here provide an indication of the national and regional NOx reductions available beyond traditional controls via extensive adoption of energy efficiency, renewable electricity, and vehicle electrification.

A thermodynamic approach for selecting operating conditions in the design of reversible solid oxide cell energy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendel, Christopher H.; Kazempoor, Pejman; Braun, Robert J.

2016-01-01

Reversible solid oxide cell (ReSOC) systems are being increasingly considered for electrical energy storage, although much work remains before they can be realized, including cell materials development and system design optimization. These systems store electricity by generating a synthetic fuel in electrolysis mode and subsequently recover electricity by electrochemically oxidizing the stored fuel in fuel cell mode. System thermal management is improved by promoting methane synthesis internal to the ReSOC stack. Within this strategy, the cell-stack operating conditions are highly impactful on system performance and optimizing these parameters to suit both operating modes is critical to achieving high roundtrip efficiency. Preliminary analysis shows the thermoneutral voltage to be a useful parameter for analyzing ReSOC systems and the focus of this study is to quantitatively examine how it is affected by ReSOC operating conditions. The results reveal that the thermoneutral voltage is generally reduced by increased pressure, and reductions in temperature, fuel utilization, and hydrogen-to-carbon ratio. Based on the thermodynamic analysis, many different combinations of these operating conditions are expected to promote efficient energy storage. Pressurized systems can achieve high efficiency at higher temperature and fuel utilization, while non-pressurized systems may require lower stack temperature and suffer from reduced energy density.

Kokhanok Renewable Energy Retrofit Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baring-Gould, Edward I.; Haase, Scott G.; Jimenez, Antonio

In 2010, the community of Kokhanok, Alaska, installed two 90-kW wind turbines, battery storage, a converter, and equipment for integration. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory performed an analysis and modeling using the HOMER and REopt software modeling packages.The analysis was designed to answer the following questions: 1) What is required to achieve a 50 percent reduction in power plant diesel fuel consumption in a diesel microgrid? 2) What is required to achieve a 50 percent reduction in 'total' (diesel and heating oil) consumption in a remote community? 3) What is the impact and role of energy efficiency? Thismore » presentation provides an introduction to the community of Kokhanok, Alaska; a summary of energy data; and an overview of analysis results and conceptual design.« less

Vision-based building energy diagnostics and retrofit analysis using 3D thermography and building information modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, Youngjib

The emerging energy crisis in the building sector and the legislative measures on improving energy efficiency are steering the construction industry towards adopting new energy efficient design concepts and construction methods that decrease the overall energy loads. However, the problems of energy efficiency are not only limited to the design and construction of new buildings. Today, a significant amount of input energy in existing buildings is still being wasted during the operational phase. One primary source of the energy waste is attributed to unnecessary heat flows through building envelopes during hot and cold seasons. This inefficiency increases the operational frequency of heating and cooling systems to keep the desired thermal comfort of building occupants, and ultimately results in excessive energy use. Improving thermal performance of building envelopes can reduce the energy consumption required for space conditioning and in turn provide building occupants with an optimal thermal comfort at a lower energy cost. In this sense, energy diagnostics and retrofit analysis for existing building envelopes are key enablers for improving energy efficiency. Since proper retrofit decisions of existing buildings directly translate into energy cost saving in the future, building practitioners are increasingly interested in methods for reliable identification of potential performance problems so that they can take timely corrective actions. However, sensing what and where energy problems are emerging or are likely to emerge and then analyzing how the problems influence the energy consumption are not trivial tasks. The overarching goal of this dissertation focuses on understanding the gaps in knowledge in methods for building energy diagnostics and retrofit analysis, and filling these gaps by devising a new method for multi-modal visual sensing and analytics using thermography and Building Information Modeling (BIM). First, to address the challenges in scaling and localization issues of 2D thermal image-based inspection, a new computer vision-based method is presented for automated 3D spatio-thermal modeling of building environments from images and localizing the thermal images into the 3D reconstructed scenes, which helps better characterize the as-is condition of existing buildings in 3D. By using these models, auditors can conduct virtual walk-through in buildings and explore the as-is condition of building geometry and the associated thermal conditions in 3D. Second, to address the challenges in qualitative and subjective interpretation of visual data, a new model-based method is presented to convert the 3D thermal profiles of building environments into their associated energy performance metrics. More specifically, the Energy Performance Augmented Reality (EPAR) models are formed which integrate the actual 3D spatio-thermal models ('as-is') with energy performance benchmarks ('as-designed') in 3D. In the EPAR models, the presence and location of potential energy problems in building environments are inferred based on performance deviations. The as-is thermal resistances of the building assemblies are also calculated at the level of mesh vertex in 3D. Then, based on the historical weather data reflecting energy load for space conditioning, the amount of heat transfer that can be saved by improving the as-is thermal resistances of the defective areas to the recommended level is calculated, and the equivalent energy cost for this saving is estimated. The outcome provides building practitioners with unique information that can facilitate energy efficient retrofit decision-makings. This is a major departure from offhand calculations that are based on historical cost data of industry best practices. Finally, to improve the reliability of BIM-based energy performance modeling and analysis for existing buildings, a new model-based automated method is presented to map actual thermal resistance measurements at the level of 3D vertexes to the associated BIM elements and update their corresponding thermal properties in the gbXML schema. By reflecting the as-is building condition in the BIM-based energy modeling process, this method bridges over the gap between the architectural information in the as-designed BIM and the as-is building condition for accurate energy performance analysis. The performance of each method was validated on ten case studies from interiors and exteriors of existing residential and instructional buildings in IL and VA. The extensive experimental results show the promise of the proposed methods in addressing the fundamental challenges of (1) visual sensing : scaling 2D visual assessments to real-world building environments and localizing energy problems; (2) analytics: subjective and qualitative assessments; and (3) BIM-based building energy analysis : a lack of procedures for reflecting the as-is building condition in the energy modeling process. Beyond the technical contributions, the domain expert surveys conducted in this dissertation show that the proposed methods have potential to improve the quality of thermographic inspection processes and complement the current building energy analysis tools.

Energy benchmarking of commercial buildings: a low-cost pathway toward urban sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, Matt; Brown, Marilyn A.; Sun, Xiaojing

2013-09-01

US cities are beginning to experiment with a regulatory approach to address information failures in the real estate market by mandating the energy benchmarking of commercial buildings. Understanding how a commercial building uses energy has many benefits; for example, it helps building owners and tenants identify poor-performing buildings and subsystems and it enables high-performing buildings to achieve greater occupancy rates, rents, and property values. This paper estimates the possible impacts of a national energy benchmarking mandate through analysis chiefly utilizing the Georgia Tech version of the National Energy Modeling System (GT-NEMS). Correcting input discount rates results in a 4.0% reduction in projected energy consumption for seven major classes of equipment relative to the reference case forecast in 2020, rising to 8.7% in 2035. Thus, the official US energy forecasts appear to overestimate future energy consumption by underestimating investments in energy-efficient equipment. Further discount rate reductions spurred by benchmarking policies yield another 1.3-1.4% in energy savings in 2020, increasing to 2.2-2.4% in 2035. Benchmarking would increase the purchase of energy-efficient equipment, reducing energy bills, CO2 emissions, and conventional air pollution. Achieving comparable CO2 savings would require more than tripling existing US solar capacity. Our analysis suggests that nearly 90% of the energy saved by a national benchmarking policy would benefit metropolitan areas, and the policy’s benefits would outweigh its costs, both to the private sector and society broadly.

Efficient Analysis of Simulations of the Sun's Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scarborough, C. W.; Martínez-Sykora, J.

2014-12-01

Dynamics in the solar atmosphere, including solar flares, coronal mass ejections, micro-flares and different types of jets, are powered by the evolution of the sun's intense magnetic field. 3D Radiative Magnetohydrodnamics (MHD) computer simulations have furthered our understanding of the processes involved: When non aligned magnetic field lines reconnect, the alteration of the magnetic topology causes stored magnetic energy to be converted into thermal and kinetic energy. Detailed analysis of this evolution entails tracing magnetic field lines, an operation which is not time-efficient on a single processor. By utilizing a graphics card (GPU) to trace lines in parallel, conducting such analysis is made feasible. We applied our GPU implementation to the most advanced 3D Radiative-MHD simulations (Bifrost, Gudicksen et al. 2011) of the solar atmosphere in order to better understand the evolution of the modeled field lines.

Energy Division annual progress report for period ending September 30, 1983

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This report covers work done during FY 1983 by the staff of the Energy Division and its subcontractors and by colleagues in other Oak Ridge National Laboratory divisions working on Energy Division projects. The work can be divided into four areas: (1) analysis and assessment, (2) models and data systems, (3) research to improve the efficiency of energy use and to improve electric power transmission and distribution, and (4) research utilization. Support came principally from the US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the US Department of Defense, but also from a number of other agenciesmore » and organizations. Analysis and assessment included work on (a) environmental issues, including those deriving from the preparation of environmental impact statements; (b) energy and resource analysis; and (c) emergency preparedness. The models and data systems area involved research on evaluating and developing energy, environment, and engineering simulation models and on devising large data management systems, evaluating user data requirements, and compiling data bases. Research on improving the efficiency of energy use was focused primarily on the buildings and electricity sectors. A major effort on heat pump technology, which includes both heat-activated and electrically driven systems, continues. An important aspect of all the work was research utilization. Since the Energy Division is doing applied research, results are, by definition, intended to solve problems or answer questions of DOE and other sponsors. However, there are other users, and research utilization activities include technology transfer, commercialization efforts, outreach to state and regional organizations, and, of course, information dissemination.« less

Cooperative MIMO communication at wireless sensor network: an error correcting code approach.

PubMed

Islam, Mohammad Rakibul; Han, Young Shin

2011-01-01

Cooperative communication in wireless sensor network (WSN) explores the energy efficient wireless communication schemes between multiple sensors and data gathering node (DGN) by exploiting multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and multiple input single output (MISO) configurations. In this paper, an energy efficient cooperative MIMO (C-MIMO) technique is proposed where low density parity check (LDPC) code is used as an error correcting code. The rate of LDPC code is varied by varying the length of message and parity bits. Simulation results show that the cooperative communication scheme outperforms SISO scheme in the presence of LDPC code. LDPC codes with different code rates are compared using bit error rate (BER) analysis. BER is also analyzed under different Nakagami fading scenario. Energy efficiencies are compared for different targeted probability of bit error p(b). It is observed that C-MIMO performs more efficiently when the targeted p(b) is smaller. Also the lower encoding rate for LDPC code offers better error characteristics.

Cooperative MIMO Communication at Wireless Sensor Network: An Error Correcting Code Approach

PubMed Central

Islam, Mohammad Rakibul; Han, Young Shin

2011-01-01

Cooperative communication in wireless sensor network (WSN) explores the energy efficient wireless communication schemes between multiple sensors and data gathering node (DGN) by exploiting multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and multiple input single output (MISO) configurations. In this paper, an energy efficient cooperative MIMO (C-MIMO) technique is proposed where low density parity check (LDPC) code is used as an error correcting code. The rate of LDPC code is varied by varying the length of message and parity bits. Simulation results show that the cooperative communication scheme outperforms SISO scheme in the presence of LDPC code. LDPC codes with different code rates are compared using bit error rate (BER) analysis. BER is also analyzed under different Nakagami fading scenario. Energy efficiencies are compared for different targeted probability of bit error pb. It is observed that C-MIMO performs more efficiently when the targeted pb is smaller. Also the lower encoding rate for LDPC code offers better error characteristics. PMID:22163732

Challenges and Strength of Current Industrial Energy Efficiency Management Practices in Steam Industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nkosi, S. B.; Pretorius, J. H. C.

2017-07-01

The aim of this study is to achieve greater output by examining the existing way of coordinating the determined attempts of Steam Industries in South Africa to successfully reach a sustainable industrial development by using energy source adequately in a more competent way. Furthermore into the study we look at obstacles that prevent and those that leads to maximum utilization of energy management measures and also highlights the effects of implementing cheap available energy source in South Africa. The investigation and analysis have shown that energy is not well managed in Steam Industries and that the use of energy is minimized and not fully utilized due to poor management and lack of knowledge. Another detection was that lack of government structured and strategic measures of implementing and motivating the use of energy effectively. The effective and rational use of available power by Steam Industries in South Africa is a key player in developing a sustainable industrial development. The use of energy efficiency management strategies has contributed an increase in economic and improve environmentally friendly in the industrial sector. The slow pace adoption of energy saving and cost effective management programmes are negatively impacting on the benefits to Steam Industries in South Africa. In conclusion the study finds that the economy can be boosted by implementing energy efficiency management programmes and environmentally friendly. These will also stabilize the negative impact of energy raising prices.

An Exploration of the Relationship between Improvements in Energy Efficiency and Life-Cycle Energy and Carbon Emissions using the BIRDS Low-Energy Residential Database.

PubMed

Kneifel, Joshua; O'Rear, Eric; Webb, David; O'Fallon, Cheyney

2018-02-01

To conduct a more complete analysis of low-energy and net-zero energy buildings that considers both the operating and embodied energy/emissions, members of the building community look to life-cycle assessment (LCA) methods. This paper examines differences in the relative impacts of cost-optimal energy efficiency measure combinations depicting residential buildings up to and beyond net-zero energy consumption on operating and embodied flows using data from the Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability (BIRDS) Low-Energy Residential Database. Results indicate that net-zero performance leads to a large increase in embodied flows (over 40%) that offsets some of the reductions in operational flows, but overall life-cycle flows are still reduced by over 60% relative to the state energy code. Overall, building designs beyond net-zero performance can partially offset embodied flows with negative operational flows by replacing traditional electricity generation with solar production, but would require an additional 8.34 kW (18.54 kW in total) of due south facing solar PV to reach net-zero total life-cycle flows. Such a system would meet over 239% of operational consumption of the most energy efficient design considered in this study and over 116% of a state code-compliant building design in its initial year of operation.

75 FR 34657 - Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Design Standards for New Federal Buildings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-18

... Efficiency and Sustainable Design Standards for New Federal Buildings AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and....S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Federal Energy Management... June 11, 2010. Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 2010...

Monte Carlo analysis of megavoltage x-ray interaction-induced signal and noise in cadmium tungstate detectors for cargo container inspection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Park, J.; Kim, J.; Kim, D. W.; Yun, S.; Lim, C. H.; Kim, H. K.

2016-11-01

For the purpose of designing an x-ray detector system for cargo container inspection, we have investigated the energy-absorption signal and noise in CdWO4 detectors for megavoltage x-ray photons. We describe the signal and noise measures, such as quantum efficiency, average energy absorption, Swank noise factor, and detective quantum efficiency (DQE), in terms of energy moments of absorbed energy distributions (AEDs) in a detector. The AED is determined by using a Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that the signal-related measures increase with detector thickness. However, the improvement of Swank noise factor with increasing thickness is weak, and this energy-absorption noise characteristic dominates the DQE performance. The energy-absorption noise mainly limits the signal-to-noise performance of CdWO4 detectors operated at megavoltage x-ray beam.

48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

Energy-Saving Control of a Novel Hydraulic Drive System for Field Walking Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Delei; Shang, Jianzhong; Xue, Yong; Yang, Junhong; Wang, Zhuo

2018-01-01

To improve the efficiency of the hydraulic drive system in field walking robot, this paper proposed a novel hydraulic system based on two-stage pressure source. Based on the analysis of low efficiency of robot single-stage hydraulic system, the paper firstly introduces the concept and design of two-stage pressure source drive system. Then, the new hydraulic system energy-saving control is planned according to the characteristics of walking robot. The feasibility of the new hydraulic system is proved by the simulation of the walking robot squatting. Finally, the efficiencies of two types hydraulic system are calculated, indicating that the novel hydraulic system can increase the efficiency by 41.5%, which can contribute to enhance knowledge about hydraulic drive system for field walking robot.

SCENARIOS FOR MEETING CALIFORNIA'S 2050 CLIMATE GOALS California's Carbon Challenge Phase II Volume I: Non-Electricity Sectors and Overall Scenario Results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wei, Max; Greenblatt, Jeffrey; Donovan, Sally

2014-06-01

This study provides an updated analysis of long-term energy system scenarios for California consistent with the State meeting its 2050 climate goal, including detailed analysis and assessment of electricity system build-out, operation, and costs across the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region. Four key elements are found to be critical for the State to achieve its 2050 goal of 80 percent greenhouse (GHG) reductions from the 1990 level: aggressive energy efficiency; clean electricity; widespread electrification of passenger vehicles, building heating, and industry heating; and large-scale production of low-carbon footprint biofuels to largely replace petroleum-based liquid fuels. The approach taken heremore » is that technically achievable energy efficiency measures are assumed to be achieved by 2050 and aggregated with the other key elements mentioned above to estimate resultant emissions in 2050. The energy and non-energy sectors are each assumed to have the objective of meeting an 80 percent reduction from their respective 1990 GHG levels for the purposes of analysis. A different partitioning of energy and non-energy sector GHG greenhouse reductions is allowed if emission reductions in one sector are more economic or technically achievable than in the other. Similarly, within the energy or non-energy sectors, greater or less than 80 percent reduction from 1990 is allowed for sub-sectors within the energy or non-energy sectors as long as the overall target is achieved. Overall emissions for the key economy-wide scenarios are considered in this report. All scenarios are compliant or nearly compliant with the 2050 goal. This finding suggests that multiple technical pathways exist to achieve the target with aggressive policy support and continued technology development of largely existing technologies.« less

Mid-infrared spectrometry of milk as a predictor of energy intake and efficiency in lactating dairy cows.

PubMed

McParland, S; Lewis, E; Kennedy, E; Moore, S G; McCarthy, B; O'Donovan, M; Butler, S T; Pryce, J E; Berry, D P

2014-09-01

Interest is increasing in the feed intake complex of individual dairy cows, both for management and animal breeding. However, energy intake data on an individual-cow basis are not routinely available. The objective of the present study was to quantify the ability of routinely undertaken mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy analysis of individual cow milk samples to predict individual cow energy intake and efficiency. Feed efficiency in the present study was described by residual feed intake (RFI), which is the difference between actual energy intake and energy used (e.g., milk production, maintenance, and body tissue anabolism) or supplied from body tissue mobilization. A total of 1,535 records for energy intake, RFI, and milk MIR spectral data were available from an Irish research herd across 36 different test days from 535 lactations on 378 cows. Partial least squares regression analyses were used to relate the milk MIR spectral data to either energy intake or efficiency. The coefficient of correlation (REX) of models to predict RFI across lactation ranged from 0.48 to 0.60 in an external validation data set; the predictive ability was, however, strongest (REX=0.65) in early lactation (<60 d in milk). The inclusion of milk yield as a predictor variable improved the accuracy of predicting energy intake across lactation (REX=0.70). The correlation between measured RFI and measured energy balance across lactation was 0.85, whereas the correlation between RFI and energy balance, both predicted from the MIR spectrum, was 0.65. Milk MIR spectral data are routinely generated for individual cows throughout lactation and, therefore, the prediction equations developed in the present study can be immediately (and retrospectively where MIR spectral data have been stored) applied to predict energy intake and efficiency to aid in management and breeding decisions. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Formation of Conceptual Provisions for the Development of the Energy Efficient Housing Construction in Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilyeva, Elena

2017-10-01

Current problems and the prospects of energy saving in Russia as well as the importance of creation of complete legislative and legal base and the mechanisms of economic incentives of energy saving is are considered in article. The analysis of the existing criteria of the energy efficiency of buildings is carried out. The introduction of so-called “road map” of the development of energy saving in housing-and-communal services is expedient. According to the author, that will allow to provide owners of buildings and the servicing companies with the information for acceptance of organizational and technical project, construction and operational decisions, reasonable decisions on maintenance, reconstruction or dismantling of the buildings, directed to lowering of energetic expenses and also to the proper organization of life cycle of buildings in general.

Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program: High Performance Manufactured Home Prototyping and Construction Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hewes, Tom; Peeks, Brady

2013-11-01

The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Northwest Energy Works (NEW), the current Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program (NEEM) administrator, have been collaborating to conduct research on new specifications that would improve on the energy requirements of a NEEM home. In its role as administrator, NEW administers the technical specs, performs research and engineering analysis, implements ongoing construction quality management procedures, and maintains a central database with home tracking. This project prototyped and assessed the performances of cost-effective high performance building assemblies and mechanical systems that are not commonly deployed in themore » manufacturing setting. The package of measures is able to reduce energy used for space conditioning, water heating and lighting by 50 percent over typical manufactured homes produced in the northwest.« less

Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program: High Performance Manufactured Home Prototyping and Construction Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hewes, Tom; Peeks, Brady

2013-11-01

The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Northwest Energy Works (NEW), the current Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program (NEEM) administrator, have been collaborating to conduct research on new specifications that would improve on the energy requirements of a NEEM home. In its role as administrator, NEW administers the technical specs, performs research and engineering analysis, implements ongoing construction quality management procedures, and maintains a central database with home tracking. This project prototyped and assessed the performances of cost-effective high performance building assemblies and mechanical systems that are not commonly deployed in themore » manufacturing setting. The package of measures is able to reduce energy used for space conditioning, water heating and lighting by 50% over typical manufactured homes produced in the northwest.« less

Improved System Yields $100,000 Annual Savings (Systems Analysis at Alcoa Yields Significant Savings)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1999-01-01

In another Office of Industrial Technologies Motor Challenge Success Story, Alcoa (formerly Alumax) aluminum reduced annual energy consumption by 12% and reduced both maintenance and noise levels. Order this fact sheet now to learn how your company can both increase energy efficiency and decrease pollution.

Environmental Assessment of Different Cement Manufacturing Processes Based on Emergy and Ecological Footprint Analysis

EPA Science Inventory

Due to its high environmental impact and energy intensive production, the cement industry needs to adopt more energy efficient technologies to reduce its demand for fossil fuels and impact on the environment. Bearing in mind that cement is the most widely used material for housin...

Establishment of a building audit procedure and analysis for the Kansas Department of Transportation phase 2A : buildings, [technical summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

Over the past few years, state governments and entities have become concerned with the energy consumption : and efficiency of their facilities. An effective manner to identify potential to reduce energy and water : consumption and increase building e...