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October 2006 | Home · Event Calendar · Getting Here · Contact Us | ||||
Upcoming EventsThermal Energy Storage - An Energy Conservation Tool 2006 - 2008 Energy Efficient Programs Overview View a complete calendar of upcoming events. News Bits
Google to Share Energy-Saving Technology with Computer Industry Google says it wants to share technology with the rest of the PC industry that could save billions of kilowatt-hours each year. The power supply to a standard PC wastes 30 percent to 40 percent of the electricity supplied to them; Google’s power supplies, developed in-house by company engineers, waste just 10 percent. Google engineer Luiz Barroso, co-author of a whitepaper titled “High-Efficiency Power Supplies for Home Computers and Servers,” says that the inefficiency inherent to standard PCs is a relic from the early days of personal computing. Standard PC power supplies waste energy, Barroso says, because they have to convert high-voltage alternating current to low-voltage direct current and because they produce four separate voltages when only a single 12-volt current is needed. Google estimates that, if deployed in 100 million desktop PCs running eight hours a day, its more efficient power supply could save 40 billion kilowatt-hours over three years, or more than $5 billion. Tech TipSealing Air and Moisture Leaks between your home’s interior and the outdoors reduces a constant drain on energy use and costs. The air leakage surface area in a typical U.S. home is equal to leaving a window wide open. Air infiltration can account for 30 percent or more of a home’s heating and cooling costs and contribute to problems with moisture, noise, dust, and the entry of pollutants, insects, and rodents. Reducing infiltration can significantly cut annual heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment. The size of heating and cooling equipment can also be decreased, which saves additional money. Quotables“The whole concept of sustainability is problematic if we pick green-friendly products with no consideration of their durability. A LEED (applicable) single-ply membrane that fails at half the desired service life because of inferior quality or misapplication does not look very sustainable buried in a landfill.” -- Tim Pennigar, Project Manager, Duke University Medical Center Speak OutEnergy Connection is a monthly publication of the San Diego Regional Energy Office. We welcome your feedback and would like to hear from you. To submit comments, questions or suggestions, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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Solar Energy Week Generates Record AttendanceHuge Local Interest in Tapping the Power of the SunThe San Diego Regional Energy Office’s 2nd Annual Solar Energy Week was a huge success as more than 4000 participants attended the events, almost doubling attendance from the prior year. Following this summer’s heat wave and the announcement of the California Solar Initiative, local interest in solar power continues to grow. Solar Energy Week featured four great events to help San Diegans learn how to implement solar power in their homes, make cleaner energy choices and help alleviate the effects of global warming. Feeding Energy Appetites with Server Farms
That somewhere is large “data centers,” also referred to as “server farms,”contained in a giant building designed to house tens of thousands of energy-sucking computer servers—and keep them cool. Newer blade servers pack more processing power in a smaller space resulting in a net increase in watts per square foot of heat emitted, so air conditioning use in turn has to be higher to make sure that servers don’t overheat and fail. Mechanical engineers also have been modifying their design approach to ensure such systems are adequately cooled when impacted by this unusually high heat output in a small space (e.g. cooling the cabinets more than cooling the room, etc.). Program Spotlight: Self GenerationPaul Davy Solar Port DedicationThe San Diego Regional Energy Office ( SDREO) recently presented a $1.2 million incentive check to the Vallecitos Water District (VWD) at a dedication ceremony for its new solar photovoltaic ( PV) carport system. The incentive paid for 43 percent of the system. The total cost of the Paul Davy Solar Port is $2.8 million. The PV carport is named in honor of the late Paul A. Davy, former VWD Director and the solar visionary for this project, at the District’s headquarters.
Solar Energy Week (cont.)“The San Diego region is the ideal place for people to take advantage of the energy the sun provides, and the record turnout we had for Solar Energy Week’s activities proves that people in this region are truly interested in making a change with solar power,” said Irene M. Stillings, SDREO Executive Director. “As locals continue to learn about solar power and the rebate opportunities that exist, I think they will really embrace this opportunity to reduce their energy bills and help the environment by making changes in the way they power their homes. On Sunday, September 24, Family Solar Energy Day kicked off Solar Energy Week, with more than 400 people in attendance. Activities included solar powered car races, educational presentations and a sun drawing contest, in addition to solar oven baking, a solar heating display, plus free food and drinks. San Diego County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price and Commissioner John Geesman from the California Energy Commission also made brief presentations to an enthusiastic crowd. The Commercial Solar Tour, a guided bus tour of three major San Diego companies showcasing various state-of-the-art solar installations, sold out three weeks prior to the tour, which took place on Tuesday, September 26. San Diego State University’s Physics Building, QUALCOMM Inc.’s Building Q, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Works Local 569 Headquarters and Union Hall were featured on the Tour, demonstrating how local companies and organizations are helping the environment and setting a positive example by utilizing solar power. The Solar Energy Conference, held at the University of San Diego on Wednesday, September 27, brought in more than 500 attendees, making it the largest such event ever held in Southern California and almost doubled the number of people from last year’s conference. The conference proved to be a valuable event for all attendees, featuring an impressive range of local and national solar and government experts discussing a variety of topics from the basics of how solar energy works to high-level discussions on renewable energy credits and solar legislation. Twenty vendors also showed off the latest technologies both indoors and outdoors under the sun. The grand finale of Solar Energy Week was the 7th Annual Solar Homes Tour, which took place on Saturday, September 30. More than 30 homeowners participated in the tour by offering San Diego County residents a rare glimpse into their homes with solar electric installations and solar pool and water heating systems. SDREO estimates that more than 2,500 people attended this year’s tour to learn how solar can save money on their home energy bills, improve the environment, mitigate climate change and reduce fossil fuel dependence. QUALCOMM, Inc., SDG&E, the County of San Diego and Supervisor Slater-Price all pledged substantial support for Solar Energy Week, helping make it such a success. Major sponsorship also came from BP Solar, Kyocera Solar and Independent Energy Solutions. Additional sponsors included Sanyo, Unisolar, Powerlight, Renewable Technologies Inc., and the San Diego Electrical Training Center (IBEW).
Data Centers (cont.)In turn, there’s a huge energy bill associated with operating data centers, which is why most of them are not being built in California. Rather, they are being located in states where electricity is less expensive and alternative forms of energy are used. Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google, for example, have built all their server farms in the Pacific Northwest, near hydroelectric power plants selling cheaper electricity. Microsoft’s newest data center is being built in Quincy, Washington partly because of its inexpensive power, which the company will be able to purchase for two cents per kWh. In California, the cost would typically average 11 cents per kWh. Data centers as large as 30 megawatts of power are not unheard of, yet most municipalities don’t have the infrastructure in place to readily provide that much electricity at one site. Some are even referring to the size of data centers in terms of peak megawatts instead of square footage, since power availability can be more of a constraint to siting a facility. Another reason large data centers are less likely to be built in California is that Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed into law Assembly Bill 32, the California Climate Act of 2006, which requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to institute a cap on greenhouse gas ( GHG) emissions from the electrical power, industrial, and commercial sectors of the economy. It will also institute a schedule of emissions reductions, develop an enforcement mechanism for reducing GHG emissions to the target level, and establish a program to track and report GHG emissions and to monitor and enforce compliance with the GHG emissions cap. New server farm projects could also be impacted by this Act because the California Chamber of Commerce has stated that AB 32 would further constrain electric supply by potentially removing 17,000 MW of power produced from plants built before 1977 that may have to be taken off the grid to meet the requirements of the new law.
Paul Davy Solar Port Dedication (cont.)SPG Solar, who designed and installed the system, Sharp Solar, and SDREO helped VWD flip on the switch of the 340.9 kW AC PV system during the ceremony. The VWD will earn credits for its electric rates, and has the potential to reduce 90 percent of its electric costs. “The solar energy project is really exciting because it meets a triple in terms of good public policy and action,” said Darrel Gentry, VWD’s Board President. “It is financially prudent by reducing the District’s cost for energy. The solar project also enhances everyone’s quality of life through clean energy source production, and it is good public policy to address changes to our operations that minimize environmental impacts.” This PV system has the potential to offset the emission of 7,173 tons of greenhouse gas pollutants over the next 25 years, which is equivalent to removing 1,251 cars from the road. The system uses a total of 1,966 Sharp 208-watt solar PV panels and spans the District’s 160-space fleet and employee parking lot. “This system will provide almost all the energy needs for VWD during the day and send back power to the utility grid which the utility can supply to other consumers, especially at peak times,” continued Thompson.
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