NREL News Release:

NREL Aims to Improve Building Energy Performance with New Web-Based Tool

Portal helps manufacturers share buildings product data

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a web-based tool to help consumers better understand the energy performance of building-related products. TheTechnology Performance Exchange™ (TPEx™) is a portal that helps manufacturers and other organizations that measure and test products easily share performance data with product consumers.

"Many organizations refrain from moving forward with the procurement of energy efficient and renewable energy solutions because they don't have access to the performance data needed to evaluate and compare high impact technologies against organizational and energy performance criteria," said Engineer Daniel Studer, TPEx project manager for NREL's Commercial Buildings Research Group. "TPEx provides a way for manufacturers and consumers to come together to exchange the information necessary to move these projects to the implementation stage."

The TPEx helps to reduce analysis uncertainty through the use of data entry forms (DEFs), standardized documents that identify the minimum product-specific performance parameters needed to evaluate a product's energy performance. Information provided through the TPEx can be used in conjunction with any number of evaluation tools and methods.

By asking manufacturers to provide performance data using DEF-defined parameters, TPEx users are able to perform apples-to-apples comparisons of products. Consumers can browse the TPEx to find the most appropriate product for their particular use, helping to ensure that high-impact technologies and products are deployed in the market.

The benefits of the TPEx are not restricted to consumers. Utilities, industry analysts and others interested in the energy performance of building products and materials will also find data provided by the TPEx to be of interest.

"Electric and gas utilities can use the TPEx to help streamline their product evaluation, incentive, and rebate program workflows," Studer said. "Anyone who wants to investigate the energy performance of a particular product or technology class will benefit from the information provided by the TPEx."

Currently, the TPEx accepts data for 17 distinct product categories, ranging from solar photovoltaic modules to variable refrigerant flow units. For more information and a complete list, go to the TPEx website. Manufacturers with products in these categories can share their data, either manually through the TPEx user interface, or automatically, using the site's application programming interface.

This collaborative effort is funded by the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Building Technologies Office and Federal Energy Management Program, along with the Bonneville Power Administration.

To learn more about the TPEx, contact a project administrator at TPEx@nrel.gov.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

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NREL: News Feature - NREL Energizes Outreach at Education Center

Are you a student considering future opportunities in science and engineering—or a teacher seeking new and interesting ways to supplement the energy education in your science classroom? Perhaps you are a community organization looking to learn more about how emerging energy technologies can be beneficial on a local or global scale—or a small business or property owner wanting to better understand how these technologies might be applied to benefit your building or business in a very direct way?



NREL: News Feature - NREL Energizes Outreach at Education Center

Maryland DEP to issue permits for WTE facility - Renewable Energy from Waste

Maryland DEP to issue permits for WTE facility - Renewable Energy from Waste

Netherlands biomass plant opens - Renewable Energy from Waste

Netherlands biomass plant opens - Renewable Energy from Waste

Harvest Power opens Florida AD facility - Renewable Energy from Waste

Harvest Power opens Florida AD facility - Renewable Energy from Waste

Fairview High School Wins 24th Colorado Science Bowl Sets sights on Washington D.C. and the national title

NREL News Release:

Fairview High School Wins 24th Colorado Science Bowl

Sets sights on Washington D.C. and the national title

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Students from Boulder's Fairview High School beat out 48 other teams to win today's Colorado Science Bowl. They will represent Colorado at the Energy Department's (DOE) National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 24-28, where they will compete against more than 400 students from 70 high schools for the national title.

DOE began the Science Bowl tradition in 1991 as a way to encourage high school students to explore math and science. DOE's Golden Service Center was the major sponsors of this year's event, along with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Teams from across the state competed in the day-long competition at Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton. In the final round, Fairview High School (Team One) won with a 64 score, prevailing over second place Douglas County High School (Team One) after correctly answering rapid-fire questions in physics, math, biology, astronomy, chemistry, anthropology and earth sciences.

Fort Collin's Poudre High School rounded out the top finishers to take home the third place trophy. Other school teams that excelled during the morning competitions and advanced to the afternoon double-elimination contests were:

• Arapahoe High School (Centennial)
• Cherry Creek High School (Greenwood Village), Team one
• Fort Collins High School (Fort Collins), Team one
• Fossil Ridge High School (Fort Collins)
• Highlands Ranch High School (Highlands Ranch)
• Jefferson Academy (Broomfield)
• Rampart High School (Colorado Springs)
• Rangeview High School (Aurora) – Team one
• Ridgeview Classical Schools (Fort Collins) – Team one
• Rocky Mountain High School (Fort Collins) – Teams one and two
• Smoky Hill High School (Aurora) – Teams one and two

The National Science Bowl is celebrating close to a quarter century of competition and is the only academic event of its kind that is sponsored by a U.S. government agency. Approximately 15,000 high students from across the country compete for a chance to go to Washington, D.C., for the national finals.

Sponsors for the event are the DOE's Golden Service Center; NREL; the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC; Jefferson County Public Schools; Dakota Ridge High School; and DOE's Office of Science.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

High-resolution photographs and video of the competition are available to the media on request.

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GE News Release:

GE Announces Global Wind Turbine Repair Innovation Lab in Albany, NY

February 26, 2014

  inShare0 

 

SCHENECTADY, N.Y.---February 26, 2014---GE (NYSE: GE) today announced the opening of its Global Wind Turbine Drivetrain Repair Innovation Lab at the site of GE's Power Generation Repair Technology Center in Albany, N.Y. The center marks an investment in GE's presence in the Capital Region and expansion of the local renewable energy team's facilities.

The facility is equipped with advanced technologies to support fast development and innovation for repairs to the wind turbine's gearbox and rotor, creating a lab environment to simulate and solve problems that previously had to be worked on more than 100 meters in the air and at remote sites.

Technical capabilities of the Innovation Lab include:

• Rapid prototyping tools such as 3D printers and computer numerical control machines.
• Robotic welding and advanced machining tools.
• Repair of various gearbox models.
• Turbine generator repair.

Andy Holt, general manager of global wind projects and services, said: "This is the first facility of its kind dedicated to developing repair technologies and capabilities that reduce the life cycle cost of wind turbines. Albany was an ideal location for the facility with its close proximity to GE's renewable energy headquarters, the GE Energy Learning Center as well as the existing Repair Technologies Center. It is uniquely positioned for collaboration with the field, design engineering, training and product service teams."

The Innovation Lab aligns GE with customer needs by helping reduce maintenance and operating costs. GE engineers will have the space and resources to rapidly prototype and develop new technologies to apply to field service repairs. The team will focus on innovative approaches while fully vetting tooling and processes, keeping in mind safety, cost and the ability to address multi-unit configurations. With proximity to GE's renewable energy headquarters in Schenectady, the team at the Innovation Lab also will work closely with product engineering to improve serviceability.

GE has a long-standing presence in New York and is committed to its continued investment and growth across the state. Currently, GE has nearly 9,000 employees in New York, including more than 7,000 in the Capital Region. GE Power & Water announced the opening of the renewable energy headquarters in Schenectady, in February 2010, which marked a $45 million investment and more than 650 new jobs created. Over the last four years, GE has invested more than $400 million in the Capital Region including the opening of the GE Energy Storage Durathon battery manufacturing plant in Schenectady, GE Healthcare Digital X-Ray Detector Manufacturing Facility in Troy, and expansion and relocation of GE's Licensing business in Albany.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

About GE Power & Water

GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar; biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world's most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water's six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water & Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE's largest industrial business.

Follow GE Power & Water and GE's renewables business on Twitter @GE_PowerWater and@GErenewables.

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• Business Unit: Power and Water
• Region: North America
• Topics: Topic, Products & Services, Technology & Research, Citizenship, Energy, GE Power & Water
• Keywords: GE, wind, Opening, Global Wind Turbine Drivetrain Repair Innovation Lab, GE's Power Generation Repair Technology Center, Albany, NY, gearbox, rotor, 3D printers,prototyping, uptower drivetrain