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Best Practices in PV Rebate Programs: Helping Customers Install Quality Photovoltaic Systems
May 1, 2006
Many factors influence the operation of PV systems, including the equipment selected, the system’s design, and its installation. Utilities have little or no control over some of these factors, but for others, utilities can play a pivotal role. As this report explains, in addition to promoting high-quality ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-06-07 | Author: Dan Greenberg
Going Up?: New Technologies Raise Elevator Efficiency
January 1, 2006
In the U.S., elevators consume about 5 percent of building electricity for a total of more than 2,000 gigawatt-hours per year. Over the past decade, elevator technology advances have included more-efficient drives and motors, better cabling, and advanced controls systems, all of which can improve the ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-06-02 | Author: Kristin Kamm
Standardization Expands the Market for Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power Systems
March 1, 2005
Despite decades of promotion by manufacturers, gas-fired absorption chillers have a small share of the overall chiller market. Current and projected high gas prices will keep the technology’s market share from significantly increasing in the foreseeable future. But the advent of pre-engineered, prepackaged ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-05-6 | Author: Dan Greenberg
Magnetically Coupled Adjustable-Speed Drives: Going Where No VFD Has Gone Before
November 1, 2003
Two firms have recently brought devices to market that couple motors to load with no mechanical connection between the two. These devices use rotating magnetic fields (generated by permanent magnets in one case, and by electromagnets in the other) to transmit torque across an air gap. They can be used ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-03-18 | Author: Dan Greenberg
Incentives for Premium-Efficiency Motors: The Role of Prescriptive Rebates in the Post-EPAct Era
May 1, 2003
Minimum U.S. efficiency standards for induction motors enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) took effect in October 1997. In July 2001, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) adopted a voluntary premium-efficiency (PE) standard, and most motor manufacturers now offer numerous ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-03-09 | Author: Dan Greenberg
Winds of Change: Technology Advances and Supportive Policies Driving Wind Power's Dramatic Growth
November 1, 2001
The number and size of wind power installations grew dramatically in 2001. In the U.S., installed wind capacity nearly doubled in 2001, rising to 4,500 megawatts. Developers abroad added over 3,500 megawatts of new wind capacity bringing the total installed capacity outside the U.S. to 17,000 MW. This ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-01-19 | Author: Robert Hall, Adam Capage, and John Egan
Six Ways to Sell Power Quality
March 1, 2000
Despite the apparently huge market for PQ solutions, and the fact that power quality is considered to be an essential core competency of an electric utility, selling power quality to end users has become one of the most vexing challenges for electric utilities. In this report, E Source presents six ways ...
Content type: Core Report | Document ID: ER-00-5 | Author: William Howe
Engines Make a Comeback
September 1, 1999
One of the key technological innovations that sparked the industrial revolution was the introduction of the steam engine in the mid-18th century. Fired by coal and wood, these engines were widely used to drive the machines of industry. By the early 20th century, however, less expensive and more reliable ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: ER-99-15 | Author: Gerald Cler
Communication and Control Products for Responding to Real-Time Pricing
March 1, 1998
Real-time pricing for electricity can offer users significant energy cost savings. However, getting used to real-time pricing (RTP) and adapting patterns and levels of energy usage to meet the demands of prices that change hourly can be significant challenges.
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-98-3 | Author: Larry R. Rowland
Smart, Variable-Speed Hood Controller Cuts Energy Costs in Food Service
November 1, 1996
An intelligent variable-speed hood controller system that can significantly reduce energy costs in commercial and institutional kitchens is available. Developed and patented by Melink Corporation, the system is the most advanced of a few speed-varying hood controllers on the market.
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: PP-96-5 | Author: Michael Shepard
Getting the Most from Adjustable-Speed Drive Applications
November 1, 1996
Several important application issues often are overlooked during the specification and evaluation of adjustable-speed drives (ASDs). For instance, an ASD can increase energy bills if it drives a motor at full speed—but this extra expense can be avoided by programming the ASD (or using supervisory ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-96-11 | Author: William Howe
Distributed Generation: Good Things Are Coming in Small Packages
November 1, 1996
Tiny power plants now entering the marketplace will profoundly alter the nature of the electric power industry in the years ahead. Ranging from a few watts to several hundred kilowatts, these devices are being deployed at or near customer facilities and T&D bottlenecks. In conjunction with other distributed ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-96-12 | Author: Gerald Cler, Michael Shepard
The ONSI PC25 C Fuel Cell Power Plant
March 1, 1996
The quest for a distributed, modular, highly reliable, and efficient source of premium power with low environmental impact is focusing the attention of utilities and end users alike on fuel cell power plants. The ONSI PC25(TM) currently is the only commercially viable fuel cell power plant on the ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: PP-96-2 | Author: Gerald Cler
Proper Application of Adjustable-Speed Drives for HVAC Cooling Tower Fans
November 1, 1995
Adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) on cooling tower fans can save energy because the ASD allows the fan to operate at a lower speed, reducing fan energy requirements. However, E Source has found that for systems ranging in size from 300 to 900 tons, ASDs on cooling tower fans may exact a system energy ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-95-13 | Author: Dennis Nugent
Protecting Motor Bearings from Electrical Damage in Adjustable-Speed Drive Applications
September 1, 1995
The rugged bearings used in today's induction motors can be damaged over time by electrical currents flowing through them. While a number of sources of bearing currents have been identified over the years, induced rotor voltages caused by pulse-width modulated adjustable-speed drives have emerged ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-95-11 | Author: William Howe
Selecting Dry-Type Transformers: Getting the Most Energy Efficiency for the Dollar
August 1, 1995
Dry-type transformers represent a significant and largely overlooked opportunity for energy and dollar savings. Since all electric power passes through one or more dry-type transformers on its way to lighting, motors, office equipment, or other end uses, even increasing transformer efficiency by a ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-95-6 | Author: William Howe
Smart Residential Appliances: Will the Information Superhighway Dead End into a Dumb House?
June 1, 1995
Growing numbers of electric utilities—in partnership with cable companies, controls vendors, and telecommunications providers—are working to develop and deploy interactive home energy management networks capable of communicating with residential appliances.
Content type: Core Report | Document ID: TU-95-4 | Author: Palamadi Vishwanath
Motor Logger Offers Low-Cost Monitoring of Equipment Operation
February 1, 1994
The Motor LoggerTM is a unique and simple device that can record the run time or time of use of electrical equipment. Such information is essential for determining the costeffectiveness of energy efficiency upgrades for many types of equipment. Two models are available: the run-time motor ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: PP-94-1 | Author: Joan Gregerson
Distribution Transformers: A Growing Energy Savings Opportunity
December 1, 1993
Virtually all electric power passes through at least two transformers before it is converted to mechanical power, light, or heat—and each transformer loses a percentage of its input power to internal inefficiencies. Efficiency in standard distribution models ranges from around 96 to 98.5 percent, ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-93-10 | Author: William Howe
High-Efficiency Residential Blower Motor Replacements: Capturing a Lost Opportunity
December 1, 1993
More than 70 million blower motors are used in North American residential furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps. These small motors are very inefficient and they typically operate during periods of peak demand. While it is not cost-effective to retrofit functioning blower motors, an estimated ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-93-11 | Author: Joan Gregerson
Avoiding the Hazards of Pulse-Width Modulated Adjustable-Speed Drives
November 1, 1993
Pulse-width modulated (PWM) adjustable-speed drives are taking over the market for ASDs under 200 horsepower because they are less expensive and more reliable than competing technologies and because they provide more precise control of motor acceleration, speed, and torque. Misapplication of PWM drives ...
Content type: Core Report | Document ID: TM-93-6 | Author: William Howe
Balancing Speed and Efficiency in Motor Selection
May 1, 1993
Motor speed can be just as important as efficiency in selecting the most economical induction motor to drive so-called "cube-law" loads such as HVAC fans or centrifugal pumps. The amount of energy used in these loads is very sensitive to rotational speed. An increase in motor efficiency can be quickly ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TM-93-3 | Author: William Howe, Michael Shepard
MotorMaster Database of Three-Phase Electric Motors
February 1, 1993
Selecting the right motor for a new or replacement application used to be a daunting task. Making an intelligent choice involved a search through a stack of motor catalogs for information on efficiency, voltage, speed, horsepower, torque, service factor, power factor, frame type, and cost. The MotorMaster ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TM-93-1 | Author: Bristol Stickney
Switched Reluctance Motor Systems Poised for Rapid Growth
November 1, 1992
The emergence of a rugged, versatile, and highly efficient alternative to conventional electric motors promises to have a major impact on drivepower markets over the next decade. Although switched reluctance drives are not yet available "off the shelf" from major motor manufacturers, they are likely ...
Content type: Core Report, Research | Document ID: TU-92-4 | Author: Amory Lovins, William Howe
