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Contents
November 2009
- FABS21 Benchmarking Tool Will Help Semiconductor Manufacturing Facilities Improve Energy-Efficiency
- Marc Fischer's Research in Dan Rather Reports
October 2009
- Majumdar Confirmed as First Head of DOE's ARPA-E
- New Berkeley Lab Report Shows That the Installed Cost of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S. Fell in 2008
- The Hidden Costs of Energy Production—$120 Billion In 2005
- Berkeley Lab and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Advance Energy Efficient Data Centers With Technology Demonstrations
September 2009
- White House Nominates Berkeley Lab's Majumdar to Head Key DOE Agency
- Berkeley Lab's Ashok Gadgil Wins Heinz Award
- Berkeley Lab Receives $1.8 Million in Recovery Act Funding to Help Federal Agencies Improve Energy Efficiency
- Fine-tuning Buildings' Energy Systems Urged
August 2009
- Leaping the Efficiency Gap
- In Successful Test of Fast-DR, Northern California Takes Another Step Towards Smart Grid
- Berkeley Lab and China's Tsinghua University to Tackle Building Energy Efficiency
July 2009
- A Meeting With a Berkeley Lab Scientist Inspires a Young Inventor
- New Study Sheds Light on the Growing U.S. Wind Power Market
June 2009
- EETD Nominates Buildy Award Winners
- Microsoft Licenses Berkeley Lab's Home Energy Saver Code for Its Energy Management Software
- Berkeley Lab Scientists Contribute to Major New Report Describing Climate Change Impacts on the U.S.
- Green Chemistry: Using Lasers to Detect Explosives and Hazardous Waste
- Working Toward the Very Low Energy Consumption Building of the Future
May 2009
April 2009
- Berkeley Lab Researchers Announce OpenADR Specification to Ease Saving Power in Buildings Through Demand Response
- Arun Majumdar Becomes an Associate Lab Director
- Aircraft Measured Bay Area, Sacramento Valley Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Scaling Up: From Green Buildings to Green Cities in the U.S. and China
March 2009
- Sustainability and the U.S. Energy System
- EETD Division Director's Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Posted
- Environmental Energy Technologies Division Director Arun Majumdar Talks at UC Day in Sacramento
- Smart Buildings: UC Improves Energy Efficiency
February 2009
- New Berkeley Lab Report Shows Significant Historical Reductions in the Installed Costs of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S.
- Berkeley Lab Analysis Finds Reduced Cooling and Heating May Improve Health
- Sustainable Scientists
November 2009
FABS21 Benchmarking Tool Will Help Semiconductor Manufacturing Facilities Improve Energy-Efficiency
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in cooperation with the International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI), are releasing for beta testing a computer-based tool to help the world's semiconductor manufacturing facilities ("fabs") evaluate and improve their energy efficiency.
Marc Fischer's Research in Dan Rather Reports
Dan Rather Reports, a newsmagazine show airing on HDNet, interviewed Marc Fischer of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division for a segment about reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsets. Fischer's research focuses on measuring regional emissions of greenhouse gases through direct measurement. The show aired November 11.
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October 2009
Majumdar Confirmed as First Head of DOE's ARPA-E
The U.S. Senate has approved the nomination of Arun Majumdar, director of the Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division and a professor at UC Berkeley, as the first director of the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E's goals are to create technologies that have the potential to reduce the nation's reliance on foreign energy supplies, reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and improve energy efficiency. The nomination was approved by unanimous consent in the Senate last night.
New Berkeley Lab Report Shows That the Installed Cost of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S. Fell in 2008
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) released a new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S., showing that the average cost of these systems declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008. Within the last year of this period, costs fell by more than 4 percent.
The Hidden Costs of Energy Production—$120 Billion In 2005
An NAS report estimates the hidden costs of energy production and use in 2005 were $120 billion with the single largest expense attributed to health damage from air pollution associated with electricity generation and motor vehicle transportation.
Berkeley Lab and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Advance Energy Efficient Data Centers With Technology Demonstrations
Berkeley Lab researchers, in partnership with Silicon Valley firms and the California Energy Commission, have three new energy-efficient data center technologies available for demonstration.
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September 2009
White House Nominates Berkeley Lab's Majumdar to Head Key DOE Agency
The White House announced its intention to nominate Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley engineer and scientist Arun Majumdar to become the first director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
More information
Official White House statement
Berkeley Lab's Ashok Gadgil Wins Heinz Award
Ashok Gadgil, a scientist in the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), is one of 10 recipients being recognized for their environmental achievements through the 15th annual Heinz Awards, announced today by the Heinz Family Foundation.
Berkeley Lab Receives $1.8 Million in Recovery Act Funding to Help Federal Agencies Improve Energy Efficiency
Advanced energy-efficient technologies in lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), and control systems are heading for the buildings, laboratories and data centers of several federal agencies. With $1.8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, experts at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will provide the technical expertise to help federal energy managers perform these projects and monitor their performance.
Fine-tuning Buildings' Energy Systems Urged
This San Francisco Chronicle article discusses our R&D on building commissioning, and how it can save a commercial building owner millions of dollars in energy costs.
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August 2009
Leaping the Efficiency Gap
Several current and former EETD energy efficiency researchers are discussed in this article in the journal Science.
In Successful Test of Fast-DR, Northern California Takes Another Step Towards Smart Grid
Smart grid software and hardware technology developed by the Berkeley Lab helped Northern California power utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company and several of its commercial and industrial customers demonstrate that they can reduce power usage automatically and quickly in support of grid reliability. This approach is sometimes called Fast-DR (fast demand response).
Berkeley Lab and China's Tsinghua University to Tackle Building Energy Efficiency
Berkeley Lab and China's Tsinghua University forged ties on August 12 to promote the development and implementation of building energy efficiency, a move intended to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S and China.
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July 2009
A Meeting With a Berkeley Lab Scientist Inspires a Young Inventor
Ashok Gadgil and Javier Fernández-Han first met in 2003, when Gadgil showed the young Javier a model of his UV Waterworks. They met again recently, after Javier took first place in the "Invent Your World 2009" contest.
New Study Sheds Light on the Growing U.S. Wind Power Market
The 2008 edition of the "Wind Technologies Market Report" provides a comprehensive overview of developments in the rapidly evolving U.S. wind power market. The need for such a report has become apparent in the past few years, as the wind power industry has entered an era of unprecedented growth, both globally and in the United States.
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June 2009
EETD Nominates Buildy Award Winners
Two companies nominated by the Demand Response Research Center received a Buildy Award at the recent Connectivity Week meeting in San Jose. The nomination of Powerit Solutions was based in the company's successful integration of the OpenADR communication infrastructure and enabling automated demand response (Auto-DR) at Amy's Kitchen, a specialty food manufacturer.
Microsoft Licenses Berkeley Lab's Home Energy Saver Code for Its Energy Management Software
Microsoft Corporation has launched a Web-based home energy management service, Hohm, which uses the energy models in the Home Energy SaverTM, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Hohm will provide homeowners with a web-based energy dashboard to help them manage their home's energy use more effectively.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Contribute to Major New Report Describing Climate Change Impacts on the U.S.
Two researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), Evan Mills and Michael Wehner, contributed to the analysis of the effects of climate change on all regions of the United States, described in a major report released today by the multi-agency U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Green Chemistry: Using Lasers to Detect Explosives and Hazardous Waste
New technology uses laser ablation - laser pulses that vaporize small amounts of material - to test for hazardous wastes and explosives while generating almost no chemical waste. The technology can save the lives of soldiers, keep children safe from toys illegally coated with lead paints, and protect workers from chemical poisoning.
Working Toward the Very Low Energy Consumption Building of the Future
Producing new commercial buildings that use 80 percent less energy than today's average building is a new target in the fight against global climate change. If such a building's remaining energy consumption is supplied by clean, carbon-neutral renewable energy, it would be responsible for little or no greenhouse gas emissions.
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May 2009
The Coming of Biofuels: Study Shows Reducing Gasoline Emissions Will Benefit Human Health
President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steve Chu are consistent in their message that when it comes to transportation fuels, carbon-neutral biofuels as an alternative to gasoline are coming. While the focus of a shift from gasoline to biofuels has been on global warming, such a shift could also impact human health.
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April 2009
Berkeley Lab Researchers Announce OpenADR Specification to Ease Saving Power in Buildings Through Demand Response
A new data model developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and their colleagues at other universities and in the private sector will help facilities and buildings save power through automated demand response technology, and advance the development of the Smart Grid.
Arun Majumdar Becomes an Associate Lab Director
Interim Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Paul Alivisatos has announced the appointment of Arun Majumdar as an Associate Lab Director. Majumdar, director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, will serve as the Associate Lab Director for Energy and Environment.
Aircraft Measured Bay Area, Sacramento Valley Greenhouse Gas Emissions
R&D Collaboration of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, NOAA, UC Davis
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the University of California recently measured greenhouse gases over California using aircraft to improve estimates of the state's GHG emissions. The Airborne Greenhouse Gas Emissions Survey (AGES) project is developing methods that are expected to prove important for verifying emissions reductions mandated by California's assembly bill AB 32.
Scaling Up: From Green Buildings to Green Cities in the U.S. and China
Mark Levine, China Energy Group Leader and Former Environmental Energy Technologies Division Director to Speak
Buildings consume well over 30 percent of all primary energy in the world, more than either transportation or industry. By building green, we can reduce energy consumption in this key sector by 30 to 50 percent and cut greenhouse gas emissions by similar margins. It is also one of the cheapest ways to do so: green building adds only one to five percent to construction costs, which are recovered through reduced energy demand in a few years or less.
This one-day conference is the first to bring together leading green design specialists from the fields of research, technology, architecture, business, and policy from the U.S. and China to build dialogue and collaboration. The U.S. and China are rapidly becoming the global centers for green design promotion, development, and investment, and many other Asian countries are beginning to follow suit.
Mark Levine, leader of EETD's China Energy Group, will be a speaker at this conference.
Friday, May 1, 2009
8:30 am Registration/Breakfast
9:00 am - 5:00 pm Program
PG&E Auditorium
77 Beale St. (between Market and Mission)
San Francisco, CA
More information and conference registration
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March 2009
Sustainability and the U.S. Energy System
The United States has made progress toward a more sustainable energy system since 2000 in some areas, and has moved away from sustainability in others, according to an analysis by Berkeley Lab scientists Mark Levine and Nathaniel Aden. Their analysis is published in a chapter of a new book, Agenda for a Sustainable America. The volume was published by the Environmental Law Institute and contains contributions from 41 experts on various aspects of sustainability.
More information
Agenda for a Sustainable America
EETD Division Director's Testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Posted
Arun Majumdar's testimony outlines a potential national strategy for making buildings more energy-efficient and moving new buildings toward zero-net energy use. His strategy addresses needs in science and technology, policy and finance, technology deployment and market transformation, and workforce development.
Environmental Energy Technologies Division Director Arun Majumdar Talks at UC Day in Sacramento
"This is no time for business as usual," said Arun Majumdar, director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. "We need some major changes and innovation."
Smart Buildings: UC Improves Energy Efficiency
This article describes energy efficiency research in the University of California system, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Environmental Energy Technologies Division on efficient building technology.
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February 2009
New Berkeley Lab Report Shows Significant Historical Reductions in the Installed Costs of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S.
A new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S. shows that the average cost of these systems declined significantly from 1998 to 2007, but remained relatively flat during the last two years of this period.
Berkeley Lab Analysis Finds Reduced Cooling and Heating May Improve Health
Research conducted at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that operating buildings more energy efficiently could have benefits for the health of occupants and, surprisingly, also for their comfort.
The researchers, Mark Mendell and Anna Mirer of Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, analyzed data collected from 95 air-conditioned office buildings across the U.S. The data had been gathered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a study called BASE (Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation). The study produced data about indoor environmental conditions and the health of occupants in a representative set of U.S. office buildings.
Sustainable Scientists
In the current issue of Environmental Science and Technology, EETD's Evan Mills has a cover story, "Sustainable Scientists," examining how scientists might practice energy efficiency in research facilities to help reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions as well as reduce the amount of research money spent on energy costs. He notes that scientific research in the U.S. has a yearly energy bill of about $10 billion, and results in 80 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
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