DOE Reaches 50% Milestone Toward Commercial Zero-Energy Buildings
Craig DiLouie, Editor
Posted November 17, 2008
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released the first technical support documents to show 50 percent energy savings in commercial retail buildings. The two reports provide recommendations on how to achieve 50% energy savings over the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2004 in grocery stores and medium-sized retail buildings.
Conducted by NREL's Commercial Buildings team, under the direction of DOE's Building Technologies Program, the studies support DOE's goal of producing market-ready, net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2025. They follow the August 2008 launch of DOE's Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative (the umbrella initiative of the net-zero energy goal) and the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies, which focuses scientific expertise and resources of five national laboratories toward reaching the goal. NREL is one of the laboratories in the collaborative.
The reports found that achieving 50% energy savings is possible for medium-sized retail buildings with plug load levels no greater than 1.76 W/sq. ft. (18.9 W/sq. m.) and for grocery stores in each climate zone in the United States. According to the reports, reaching 50% is a positive return on investment at today's energy prices and can be met without photovoltaic electricity generation.
DOE commissions technical support documents to describe the assumptions, methodologies, and analyses used to achieve certain levels of energy performance. In many cases, the documents are the basis for Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDGs) — "how to" guides that show how to achieve above-code exemplary energy performance for buildings. AEDGs target architects, engineers, and other design practitioners and demonstrate that a pathway to energy savings exists today with available technology.
* The ASHRAE AEDGs are developed by ASHRAE, DOE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the U.S. Green Building Council. To date, four AEDGs have been published and all have targeted 30 percent energy savings: * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings—Office Buildings up to 20,000 sq.ft. * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings—Retail Spaces up to 20,000 sq.ft. * The ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings—Elementary, Middle, and High School Buildings* The ASHRAE 30 percent Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self-Storage Buildings—Warehouses up to 50,000 ft.2 and self-storage buildings that use unitary heating and air-conditioning.
In addition to the ASHRAE design guides, the results of these studies will be shared with DOE's Retailer Energy Alliance, an alliance of leading retailers dedicated to reducing the energy use and environmental footprint of retail buildings.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Energy management, energy conservation, saving elctricity
Johannesburg - A change at the helm of the ministry that controls South Africa's state utility Eskom may delay projects to expand electricity generation in a country gripped by a power crisis that will take years to resolve.
New President Kgalema Motlanthe surprised analysts by naming former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla to the public enterprise department, which runs Eskom.
The utility has since January this year battled to keep the lights on in South Africa after a near-collapse of its grid.
The rolling power cuts affected aluminium smelters and shut gold and platinum mines, sending metal prices soaring, and by some estimates cost Africa's biggest economy R50bn by August, slowing fast-paced economic growth.
The government offered a mea culpa, saying it ignored warnings from experts to invest in new power generation. The power crisis could last until 2013, but South Africa has said plans to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup should be unaffected.
Analysts said Mabandla would have to get to grips with plans to build a slew of new power stations and help Eskom raise cash internationally, right in the middle of a global credit squeeze.
Her term will last seven months before scheduled general elections, and there is little time for meaningful changes, and worse still if a new minister is named after the polls, as it may disrupt plans to handle the power crisis.
"I don't think we needed this kind of changes at this stage. It will take her seven months just to settle," said Johan de Kock, head of research at Metropolitan Asset Managers.
"I expect a delay of a couple of months if not more on various decisions on contracts for expansions," he said.
Nuclear plant
One of the key tasks for Mabandla this year would be the approval of huge deals to expand power generation, including a new nuclear plant, which could be worth billions of dollars.
The market is watching to see how soon or if at all Mabandla will give her approval to plans to build the country's second nuclear power plant. France's Areva and US-based Westinghouse Electric have bid for the contract.
Areva has said it expected a decision last week, but added Mbeki's exit could have pushed back the timing.
"She has to walk in completely cold," Johan Botha, a senior economist at Standard bank said.
"She won't put hand to paper to approve the big contracts like the nuclear one before she has been fully briefed."
Mabandla was unavailable to comment. She has not publicly spoken of her plans since she was sworn in on Friday.
South Africa's National Treasury, which has already fast-tracked R60bn over the next three years to pay for Eskom's 343 billion rand, 5-year expansion.
Eskom has said it plans to get the extra cash from the government, tariffs, the World Bank and global capital markets, and that a ratings downgrade by Moody's may hurt its chances.
Fani Zulu, Eskom's spokesperson, said Moody's downgrade of Eskom would lessen the amount it can raise from capital markets, but a roadshow in Europe showed there was still some appetite.
The new minister is expected to be briefed on Eskom soon.
Rock the boat
"She has to face foreign investors, and play the PR (public relations) role for Eskom in attracting funds to the sector," Nicky Weimar, a senior economist at Nedbank said.
"The more she knows about the sector the better."
Analysts said there were plans for further Eskom changes, and the minister may open the door for rivals to Eskom.
"There is some market talk of plans to move Eskom to the Treasury, which understands funding issues, or house it under the Department of Minerals and Energy," Botha said.
Weimar said despite her short time in office, Mabandla may take a fresh look at Eskom's status as a monopoly.
"The minister drives policy," Weimar said. "She could review public enterprises policy on generation or distribution, and end its role as a monopoly."
Global Insight's senior economist Ronel Oberholzer said moving Eskom elsewhere or changing the country's energy policy would require rigorous debate. She said what most investors wanted was a quicker end to the power shortage crisis.
"I can't see her trying to stir things up, she may try to play it safe," Oberholzer said.
New President Kgalema Motlanthe surprised analysts by naming former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla to the public enterprise department, which runs Eskom.
The utility has since January this year battled to keep the lights on in South Africa after a near-collapse of its grid.
The rolling power cuts affected aluminium smelters and shut gold and platinum mines, sending metal prices soaring, and by some estimates cost Africa's biggest economy R50bn by August, slowing fast-paced economic growth.
The government offered a mea culpa, saying it ignored warnings from experts to invest in new power generation. The power crisis could last until 2013, but South Africa has said plans to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup should be unaffected.
Analysts said Mabandla would have to get to grips with plans to build a slew of new power stations and help Eskom raise cash internationally, right in the middle of a global credit squeeze.
Her term will last seven months before scheduled general elections, and there is little time for meaningful changes, and worse still if a new minister is named after the polls, as it may disrupt plans to handle the power crisis.
"I don't think we needed this kind of changes at this stage. It will take her seven months just to settle," said Johan de Kock, head of research at Metropolitan Asset Managers.
"I expect a delay of a couple of months if not more on various decisions on contracts for expansions," he said.
Nuclear plant
One of the key tasks for Mabandla this year would be the approval of huge deals to expand power generation, including a new nuclear plant, which could be worth billions of dollars.
The market is watching to see how soon or if at all Mabandla will give her approval to plans to build the country's second nuclear power plant. France's Areva and US-based Westinghouse Electric have bid for the contract.
Areva has said it expected a decision last week, but added Mbeki's exit could have pushed back the timing.
"She has to walk in completely cold," Johan Botha, a senior economist at Standard bank said.
"She won't put hand to paper to approve the big contracts like the nuclear one before she has been fully briefed."
Mabandla was unavailable to comment. She has not publicly spoken of her plans since she was sworn in on Friday.
South Africa's National Treasury, which has already fast-tracked R60bn over the next three years to pay for Eskom's 343 billion rand, 5-year expansion.
Eskom has said it plans to get the extra cash from the government, tariffs, the World Bank and global capital markets, and that a ratings downgrade by Moody's may hurt its chances.
Fani Zulu, Eskom's spokesperson, said Moody's downgrade of Eskom would lessen the amount it can raise from capital markets, but a roadshow in Europe showed there was still some appetite.
The new minister is expected to be briefed on Eskom soon.
Rock the boat
"She has to face foreign investors, and play the PR (public relations) role for Eskom in attracting funds to the sector," Nicky Weimar, a senior economist at Nedbank said.
"The more she knows about the sector the better."
Analysts said there were plans for further Eskom changes, and the minister may open the door for rivals to Eskom.
"There is some market talk of plans to move Eskom to the Treasury, which understands funding issues, or house it under the Department of Minerals and Energy," Botha said.
Weimar said despite her short time in office, Mabandla may take a fresh look at Eskom's status as a monopoly.
"The minister drives policy," Weimar said. "She could review public enterprises policy on generation or distribution, and end its role as a monopoly."
Global Insight's senior economist Ronel Oberholzer said moving Eskom elsewhere or changing the country's energy policy would require rigorous debate. She said what most investors wanted was a quicker end to the power shortage crisis.
"I can't see her trying to stir things up, she may try to play it safe," Oberholzer said.
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