What's New
2002 Archives
Contents
December 2002
November 2002
- Climate Changes Could Increase U.S. Crop Damage
- The Berkeley Lamp Goes to the Golden Gate
- States Lead the Way in Developing Clean Energy Programs
August 2002
- Is Bigger Safer? It Ain't Necessarily So
- Toward Cooler, Quieter, Energy-Efficient Portable Classrooms
- Buying It in Bulk, the Energy-Efficient Way
July 2002
March 2002
December 2002
What Can History Teach Us About Energy Forecasts?
A new article by Ashok Gadgil and Jon Koomey, of EETD, and Paul Craig, Professor Emeritus of Engineering at the University of California at Davis, published in the 2002 Annual Review of Energy and the Environment, assesses the success of many of the major long-term energy forecasts published in the United States dating back to the 1960s.
A second article by Jon Koomey of EETD and others in the same publication examines four energy-related questions (on energy and electricity use, power quality, and oil reserves in the Arctic), and how energy analysts and the mass media have unwittingly contributed to the spread of inaccurate information.
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November 2002
As Climate Changes, More Rain and Snow Could Increase U.S. Crop Damage
Scientists have found that increased precipitation, an expected outcome of climate change, may cause losses of US corn production to double over the next 30 yearsÑadditional damage that could cost agriculture $3 billion per year.
The Berkeley Lamp Goes to the Golden Gate
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, one of 385 National Park Service (NPS) sites, has installed 50 energy-efficient Berkeley Lamps in its offices at Fort Mason, with the assistance of the Department of Energy and Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Developed by Berkeley Lab lighting researchers, the Berkeley Lamp has been shown to reduce lighting energy use in offices up to 50 percent.
States Lead the Way in Developing Clean Energy Programs
From 1998 through 2012, clean-energy funds in 15 states will have collected nearly $3.5 billion for investments in renewable energy markets, making state policies and practices a key market driver for clean energy technologies. "Innovation, Renewable Energy, and State Investment: Case Studies of Leading Clean Energy Funds" is a compilation of the initial 21 case studies in the series, highlighting cutting-edge state efforts to bring renewable and clean-energy technologies into the marketplace across the U.S.
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August 2002
Is Bigger Safer? It Ain't Necessarily So
An EETD researcher with has teamed with a University of Michigan scientist in a unique risk analysis study which shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, vehicle quality is a much more important safety factor than weight for the drivers of vehicles involved in a crash.
Toward Cooler, Quieter, Energy-Efficient Portable Classrooms
Approximately two million children in California attend school in relocatable classrooms, also known as portables. Are these buildings as environmentally healthy and energy-efficient as they can be? EETD scientists recently tested an experimental ventilation system that would improve indoor air quality in portable classrooms and use a third of the energy of current systems.
Buying It in Bulk, the Energy-Efficient Way
How much energy could be saved if every appliance you buy is highly efficient? "How about $1 billion a year, in round numbers?" says Berkeley Lab researcher Jeffrey Harris, of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division. "And that's for government agencies. The total would be several times higher if we can get business and consumer purchasing to follow the government's example."
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July 2002
Berkeley Lab Scientist Honored with World Technology Network Award
The World Technology Network has voted Ashok Gadgil, an EETD scientist, winner of the 2002 World Technology Award in the Energy category, for individual accomplishment.
Congressional Clean Energy Expo
Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division and Carrier Aeroseal Inc. joined forces recently to show off to Congress the fruits of their public/private partnership, an aerosol-based sealing process that can reduce the energy leakage of a home's ducts by 20% or more.
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March 2002
Plan to Reduce Standby Power Loss Gets Energy Globe Award
An International Energy Agency project to reduce the waste of standby electrical power by common household appliances has won an Energy Globe 2002 award. Alan Meier, a scientist in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division proposed the 1-Watt Initiative as a way to reduce wasted electricity when his research on standby power loss showed that it accounts for as much as 10 percent of a typical household electricity bill.
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