All posts published in 2016
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
GE’s Current Acquires Daintree Networks to Expand Building Automation Platform LED Inside, April 25, 2016. Image credit: geralt Today Current, powered by GE (NYSE: GE), announced the acquisition of Daintree Networks, an Industrial Internet provider of building controls solutions for commercial facilities. This acquisition will enable Current to expand its building automation platform and its energy-as-a-service … Read more
AEP Ohio Agrees to Retailer TOU Program Concurrent with Smart Meter Rollout Energy Manager Today, April 11, 2016. Image credit: pagaling AEP Ohio has entered into a Joint Stipulation and Recommendation Agreement under which the utility would complete phase two of its gridSMART deployment program and would allow the billing of Time of Use (TOU) rates by … Read more
Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits. April 26, 2016. Image credit: klassensprecher930 The Constitution Pipeline On Earth Day, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) denied key water-quality permits to the Constitution Pipeline. The pipeline would bring gas from hydrofracking fields of Pennsylvania to the Central Hudson region, where it links up with existing … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits. April 25, 2016. Image credit: philriley427 A new study by Groundswell shows that the poorest American households pay the greatest share of income on electricity. According to City Lab’s summary of the study, the “bottom 20% of earners spend almost 10% of their income on electricity, more than seven times the … Read more