News
| 12/15/2011 |
Reminder: 2012 AEE Awards Nominations Due January 20
Do you know an energy professional deserving of recognition? An outstanding energy project? A company, agency or organization with a noteworthy energy management plan?
Through our Awards Programs, we are able to recognize the important work being done in energy by individuals, organizations, agencies, and corporations. By identifying those who exemplify the very best in their fields, energy professionals are honored and the industry is advanced.
Winners in the International Awards Program will be presented with their awards at the AEE Awards Banquet Tuesday evening, October 30, in Atlanta, GA, in conjunction with the 35th Anniversary World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC).
Winners in the Regional Awards Program will receive their awards Tuesday afternoon, October 30, the day prior to the opening of the WEEC, in Atlanta, GA.
Winners in the Chapter Awards Program will receive their awards locally at the discretion of each chapter.
Please note that nominations must be submitted no later than January 20, 2012.
To make nominations, go to: www.aeecenter.org/awards
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| 11/29/2011 |
ELECTRIC COMPANY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS PRODUCE RECORD RESULTS IN 2010
America's electric companies saved 87.8 billion kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity in 2010 through energy-efficiency programs—breaking the record of 77.9 billion kWh set in 2009, according to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) Electric Power Annual 2010. The amount of electricity saved in 2010 could power more than 7.5 million homes for one year.
Electric companies are utilizing new technologies that empower customers to use energy more wisely, and they are helping their customers reduce their electricity usage and control their energy bills with energy-efficiency programs.
Between 1989 and 2010, electric company efficiency programs saved 1,171 billion kWh of electricity. That's enough electricity to power nearly 102 million average U.S. homes for one year.
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| 11/17/2011 |
Department of Energy (DOE) issues final rule for ASHRAE 90.1-2010
On October 19, 2011 the Department of Energy issued a Final Rule updating the baseline commercial building energy code to ASHRAE 90.1-2010. The ruling affirms that 90.1-2010 will achieve greater energy efficiency than the 2007 version. DOE also determined that buildings built to 90.1-2010 will be about 18.2% more energy efficient.
As part of this ruling, States are required to review and update their commercial building energy codes to meet or exceed the provisions in 90.1-2010, and they must certify to the DOE that they have reviewed 90.1-2010. States have until October 18, 2013 to submit certification statements to DOE. This means that States should begin adopting 90.1- 2010 within the next 2-3 years
To help you understand and implement these new requirements, we have created several new tools:
- Quickly review the new and revised provisions between the 2007 and 2010 versions
- Understand the practical implications for the latest version of the code
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| 7/19/2011 |
With Green Building Certification, LEED Is No Longer the Only Game in Town
Just when everyone was starting to finally become so used to the U.S. Green Building Council‘s LEED certification that it’s nearly reached the point of ubiquity, up pops a new system that is going to try and provide an alternative. Launched this past fall and starting to make waves is the Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities, or SERF certification for sure. Crain’s Detroit reports that the program was founded as an alternative to LEED, which founder Joe Maguire says has grown too expensive and time-consuming (you’ll recall that there have been questions about the program’s real world benefits as well). How much quicker and less expensive is SERF? Read More
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7/8/2011
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Gov. Kasich signs two-year SB 232 extension into law
Last week Governor John Kasich signed into law with the rest of the budget a two-year extension of last session’s “Senate Bill 232,” which significantly reduced the tax burden on certain advanced energy projects. SB 232, originally sponsored by Senator Chris Widener (R-Springfield) and enacted in June 2010, exempts qualifying projects from real and personal property taxation, instead requiring project owners to make payments in lieu of taxes based on generating capacity and other factors. A summary of SB 232 is available here.
Without the extension, SB 232 was scheduled to sunset at the end of the year. Under the bill, a project must be under construction (or filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board) by January 1, 2014, and placed in service by January 1, 2015 to qualify for the tax treatment. Without the extension, a project had to be under construction by January 1, 2012, and placed in service by January 1, 2013 to qualify. The extension was included in the budget bill with the support of Senators Cliff Hite (R-Findlay), Mark Wagoner (R-Toledo) and Jimmy Stewart (R-Albany), along with Senator Widener and others.
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01/28/11
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Third Frontier OKs $14M for alternative energy industries,
including Dublin’s Adsorption Research
The Ohio Third Frontier Commission has approved more than $14 million in spending to bolster the state’s alternative energy efforts.
The money will come from the Ohio Third Frontier’s Photovoltaic, Fuel Cell and Advanced Energy programs.
Adsorption Research Inc. of Dublin will receive $1 million from the Advanced Energy Program for a project studying how to upgrade the methane gas captured from landfills. It’s working with Rumpke Consolidated Cos., Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc., Sauer Group Inc., GSF Energy LLC, Dublin Technical Systems Inc. and Clean Fuels Ohio on the project.
Other Advanced Energy Program recipients were Advanced Battery Concepts LLC of Port Clinton ($1 million), Delphi Automotive in Warren ($1 million) Gem Energy Management Inc. of Walbridge ($1 million), Inorganic Specialists Inc. in Miamisburg ($1 million) MesoCoat Inc. of Euclid ($2 million) and SuGanit Systems Inc. of Toledo ($2 million).
The recipients under the Photovoltaics Program were Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland ($899,818), which is working with Replex Plastics; DyeTec Solar Inc. in Toledo ($950,000) for a project with Pilkington North America Inc.; Energy Focus Inc. in Solon ($1 million), for a collaboration with Replex Plastics, Ohio State University and Lighting Services Inc.; GreenField Solar Corp. in Oberlin ($1 million), which is working on a project with Edison Materials Technology Center and Ohio State; and Process Technology of Mentor ($357,713), for a collaboration with Cleveland State University and Ohio State.
The sole recipient of funding from the Fuel Cell Program was Rolls-Royce Fuel Cells Systems Inc. in North Canton, which is in line for $999,875 for a project with RoviSys Co.
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01/13/11
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Call for 2011 AEE Awards Nominations
Do you know an energy professional deserving of recognition? An outstanding energy project? A company, agency or organization with a noteworthy energy management plan?
Through our Awards Programs, we are able to recognize the important work being done in energy by individuals, organizations, agencies, and corporations. By identifying those who exemplify the very best in their fields, energy professionals are honored and the industry is advanced.
Winners in the International Awards Program will be presented with their awards at the AEE Awards Banquet on Wednesday, October 12, in Chicago, IL in conjunction with the World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC).
Winners in the Regional Awards Program will receive their awards on Tuesday afternoon, October 11, the day prior to the opening of the WEEC, in Chicago, IL.
Winners in the Chapter Awards Program will receive their awards locally at the discretion of each chapter.
Please note that nominations must be submitted no later than March 1, 2011.
To make nominations, go to: www.aeecenter.org/awards
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01/10/11
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Duke Energy to Buy Progress Energy for $14 Billion
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