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Energy Newsbriefs

Articles for July 9, 2012

ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the WSU Extension Energy Program Library and written by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe to receive an email notification of the publication of a new issue, go to the Energy Newsbriefs home.

Please be aware that although every URL is checked for accuracy prior to the publication of Energy Newsbriefs, URLs are, for various reasons, subject to change. Further, servers sometimes fail to connect to working URLs.



DATA CENTERS

The following two articles were published in the May 2012 issue of Distributed Energy; they illustrate divergent views on the status of energy efficiency in the data center world:
  1. "Feeding the Energy Hogs," by Lori Lovely, emphasizes the need for even more attention to energy efficiency in data centers and offers suggestions about how to continue to offer reliable power to satisfy increasing needs while still holding down energy consumption. Facebook and others are cited as having developed several effective efficiencies which are described.

  2. "Quality and Reliability," by Dan Rafter, reports the views of the sales and marketing director of NetRiver, a company that is a service provider for high density server colocation. Among other things, he sees a trend away from energy efficiency as the recession recedes, replaced by an urgency to expand services.

PLUMBING

"AIA Course: High-Efficiency Plumbing Systems for Commercial and Institutional Buildings" can be read as an excellent, in-depth, stand-alone article that can, also, be an opportunity to gain Continuing Education credit; it was published in the June 2012 issue of Building Design + Construction.

SOLAR – includes POLICY

"Navy Scientists Develop Underwater Solar Panels," by staff, was posted on June 13, 2012, on the Good website. This is considered a breakthrough for shedding light on all kinds of underwater research that are otherwise severely limited.

"Gridbid: Auction Off Your Sunny, Unused Roof Space," by staff, was posted on June 12, 2012, on the Good website. This is an interesting opportunity for homeowners to sell space on their sunny roofs to companies in need of power.

"SunShot Vision Study: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Potential for U.S. Solar Electricity Generation" is a two-page, June 2012, fact sheet from the DOE (U.S. Department of Energy) SunShot Initiative. It describes the 320-page full SunShot Vision Study and, additionally, links to a page with links to many information resources on solar including the study featured here.

Two new fact sheets and one guide on community-focused solar development are available:
  1. "Increasing Community Access to Solar: Designing and Developing a Shared Solar Photovoltaic System" is a one-page, June 2012, fact sheet by Molly Riddell, NREL; it was published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is a guide for those interested in developing community-wide solar power. It is meant to assist community organizers, utilities, and local governments.

  2. "Powering Your Community With Solar: Overcoming Market and Implementation Barriers" is a one-page, June 2012, fact sheet by Molly Riddell, NREL; it was published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The successful Solarize Portland (Oregon) program is the model for groups of consumers and for utilities and local governments to use as they plan solar projects, purchase solar systems, and alter market possibilities in favor of expanding solar in the future.

  3. "Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments," Second Edition, is a 172-page, January 2011, report, by staff; development and publication was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is meant to be a comprehensive resource on the topic.

RESIDENTIAL EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES

EnergySavers.gov: Stay Cool, Save Money is a website, revised (and re-named) seasonally, from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of the U.S. Department of Energy. The site is now offering many tips for energy savings for the warmer months.

TRANSPORTATION

"EVs and the Smart Grid: Accelerating Progress" is a seven-Web-page article written by Allan Schurr, Vice President for Energy and Utilities, IBM, and published in the June 2012 issue of Fortnightly's Spark. This discussion of the topic includes attention to next-generation batteries, microgrids, smart grid, and renewables. Denmark is cited for both using renewables (mostly wind) for 20% of its power and for its strong commitment to electric vehicles.


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© 2012 Washington State University Extension Energy Program. This publication contains material written and produced for public distribution. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted, provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, and that each is referenced by title with credit to the Washington State University Extension Energy Program. Copying, reprinting or dissemination, electronic or otherwise, for any other use requires prior written permission from the Washington State University Extension Energy Program.