How To Hack Your Electric Bill Huffington Post, April 27, 2016 You turn off the lights when you leave a room. You unplug small appliances when they aren’t in use. You think you’re being pretty smart about your energy consumption, yet every month your electric bill keeps creeping up. You shudder to think how high … Read more
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announces 3 energy-saving projects The Daily Californian, April 14, 2016. Image credit: StockSnap Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced Wednesday the launch of three research projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency for a variety of electrical devices. The new projects tackle the energy consumption of different types of “plug loads” — devices … Read more
Allison Donnelly, ERS, for Zondits. May 3, 2016. Image credit: Marc van der Chijs Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by former Obama energy advisor Jason Bordoff entitled, “How Driverless Cars Could End up Harming the Environment.” Among the host of benefits being touted by proponents, one that has been getting increasing … Read more
A Lightbulb Moment: How Energy Efficiency Builds Business Business Aspects Magazine, April 28, 2016 Plenty of businesses are approaching energy efficiency as a business growth opportunity, seeking to increase their competitiveness, grow their customer base and capitalise on new markets, both at home and abroad. Energy saving is not just about reducing bills, but rather … Read more
Bryan Kilgore, ERS, for Zondits. April 27, 2016. Image credit: PixelAnarchy R-1233zd is a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerant that could replace R-123 in low-temperature chiller applications. R-1233zd, originally created as a foam propellant or blowing agent, has environmental benefits with a global warming potential (GWP) between 1 and 6, and ozone depletion potential (ODP) of 0.00024 to … Read more
A Close-up Look at Industrial Refrigeration ACHR News, April 11, 2016. Image credit: www.emsd.gov.hk The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) 2016 Industrial Refrigeration Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, treated 1,500 attendees to four days of technical information, workshops, panels, and forums covering the past, present, and future of refrigeration. A total of 148 exhibitors … Read more
Pouring Saltwater Over Graphene Produces Electricity Gizmodo, April 15, 2014 A team of Chinese scientists did an impossible-sounding thing. They created electricity simply by dragging a droplet of saltwater across a layer of graphene. No big fires, no greenhouse gases, no fuss. They created energy with just a miracle material and one of the most plentiful … Read more
Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits. April 27, 2016. Image credit: Foundry Energy storage is getting simpler, and Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES) is well on the way to its first full-scale deployment. The most basic energy storage system thus far is probably pumped hydro storage: push water uphill to “charge the battery,” and let it flow … Read more
Sizing matters: How to avoid oversizing or undersizing your compressed air system Plant Services, April 7, 2016. Image credit: blickpixel Common downfalls of undersized and oversized compressors The most common issue resulting from under-sizing compressors is insufficient airflow to production equipment. Workers may complain that their tools aren’t working properly, or that low-pressure alarms may be … Read more
What utilities expect from the Internet of Things Intelligent Utility, April 21, 2016. Image credit: geralt For utilities, the smart grid era unleashed not only millions of these new IoT devices, but also more data that utilities need to analyze and understand to make better decisions about their networks. In fact, 63 percent of utility respondents … Read more