Matt Shields’ blog

2001 Grade	2003 Trends
Energy	D+

Over the last two decades, transmission investment has decreased by $115 million a year, dropping from $5 billion annually in 1975 to $2 billion in 2000. The electric transmission line grid capacity has not been upgraded to meet growth demands.

In August 2003, millions of Americans and Canadians were left without electricity. Two years after the nation's energy infrastructure received a D+, the nation experienced an electrical system failure that not only left tens of millions in the dark, but also brought other infrastructure areas to a halt. Transit in New York City was stopped in its tracks leaving millions stranded and access to drinking water in Cleveland was interrupted.

Since 1990, actual capacity has increased by only about 7,000 megawatts (MW) per year, an annual shortfall of 30%. More than 10,000 MW of capacity will have to be added each year until 2008 to keep up with the 1.8% annual growth in demand. The U.S. energy transmission infrastructure relies on older technology, raising questions of long-term reliability.

Proposals to build more generators and adding transmission lines are often met with serious obstacles, including voter opposition. The Department of Energy estimates that consumers will pay up to $50 billion in higher electric bills to modernize the U.S. power grid. Still, government has been slow to adopt regulations to improve transmission capacity.

FEDERAL ACTION NEEDED: Investments in the transmission grid have diminished significantly in recent years. Investment barriers include lack of regional integrated planning, difficulty in siting new transmission lines, and uncertainty regarding investment risks and returns. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has called for the development of five Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs). These RTOs, when implemented, will be used to better determine weaknesses in the transmission grid and allow better regional planning. The RTOs will ultimately be responsible for the efficient managed growth of the regional transmission system.

      A = Exceptional
      B = Good
      C = Mediocre
      D = Poor
      F = Inadequate Trends

In 2001, the estimated cost for infrastructure renewal was $1.3 trillion over a five-year period. Today, that cost has risen to $1.6 trillion over a five-year period. While solutions to repair our crumbling infrastructure can be addressed through a renewed partnership between citizens, the private sector, and local, state and federal governments, reauthorization of TEA-21, and passage of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act can provide critical funding to repair our transportation and water infrastructure.

The trends for renewal of the 12 infrastructure areas were assessed by the America Society of Civil Engineers and supported by a panel comprised of 20 eminent civil engineers representing the broad spectrum of civil engineering. The forecasted trends were based on the condition and performance of each infrastructure area as reported by federal sources; capacity of infrastructure versus need; and current and pending investment of state, local and federal funding for infrastructure versus need.

This information was taken from the ASCE.  As stated above the cost to repair our infrastructure is staggering .  Adding additional loads to this system is enevitable but yet controllable.  As the demand increases so will the problems with system reliablity.  Wind and solar will be options but will not be available for everyones use.   We can control the energy usage by conservation and implementing energy efficent components.  The demand will only rise in the future we need to try and offset as much of this demand as possable, by eliminating as much of the major energy consuming products in todays market.

These are the main reasons I don't see an electric vehicle as our answer to end our dependence on oil. 

In my previous post many were very much in favor of the electric car.  I admit I am as well however there are some huge concerns with a mass distribution of an electric vehicle. 

First and foremost our transmission system simply cannot handle the draw that we currently demand to keep our lives comfortable.  It amazes me that such small things will add up to an insurmountable problem in the very near future.  Adding to our electric consumption is one of the last things that we need.

I realize that there are alternative options to produce the power needed to charge your car batteries but how many do you feel will actually spend the extra to install a solar system or wind generation system.  I hope I am wrong and I know there will be exceptions to my statements but I would bet most will feel they are doing enough for the environment just by driving an electric vehicle. 

In the newest issue of US News and World report a comparison was done to determine the cost of energy efficient products as compared to non efficient products.  Some of the results are very surprising.

Home heating (no surprise here) is the largest US draw With 30% of the US households heating with electric the average yearly cost per household is $817.00

Todays refrigerators use half the amount of electricity of units built before 1993 average price 1$13.00

Plasma screen tv you would think that because they look modern that they would have a modern energy usage rating.  Not so they actually burn almost 3 times as much energy as an old cathode-ray tube sets Yearly cost $50-60.00

Your satellite box weather it's on or off will still draw the same amount of power average yearly cost $27.00

Those little digital picture frames only cost about $9.00 a year to run. To put this in perspective according to the Electric Power Research Institute if every home had one of these little power draws it would take 5 medium sized power plants to keep up with the demand...just from the picture frames.

Our transmission systems are very stressed as it is.. Do electric cars make since  yes.. do we have the capabiliity to support families across the country each plugging in perhaps not. 

Focus Your Energy
Matthew Shields

Today I got into a bit of a debate over the oil crisis that we have in today society.  Apparently this was a topic on  a recent fox broadcast which is were the majority of his information came from.

I'm hoping to continue on the conversation here.  I do feel the only way out of this debacle we find ourselves in is to  make a true switch to an alternative to oil.  He had a very limited knowledge base on anything other then corn ethanol .  I found this to be interesting.  Brazil has been in the news alot lately for it's use of sugar ethanol.  this is a good option but in my view it has a few draw back one of the largest is that in order for the US to be dependant on this form of ethanol would mean that we still would have to be dependent on another nation to provide us with enough sugar to produce a fraction of what we use. 

I feel our best option is to use switchgrass.  This form of fuel can be readily grown in the climate found through most of the us.  It grows very very quickly and produces much more energy then it takes to process the grass into ethanol.

I found this article on the net which will provide an answer as to why we are trying to capitalize on a main world staple for our fuel alternative.

  Ethanol as a fuel is nothing new. Dan Sperling, a professor at the University of California at Davis and director of its Institute of Transportation Studies, noted that even early Model T Fords used ethanol, and it's an ingredient in beer and wine.

Most ethanol produced in America is made from corn -- a less-efficient material than switchgrass -- but corn producers are supported by a large lobby and huge government subsidies. There is no similar lobby or investment for grass or wood.

"When you make ethanol from corn, for every gallon of fuel you get, you put in about seven-tenths of a gallon of fossil energy, oil or natural gas," he said. "That's only a small improvement in terms of greenhouse gases."

On the other hand, he said, "ethanol from cellulose [like switchgrass] is a great energy strategy because for every gallon of ethanol, a tiny amount of fossil material [is used.] There's a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gases, so from an energy perspective it's far superior."

"We've known this for a long time," Sperling said. "Why has nothing happened? Part of it is we do need more R and D [research and development], but I think what we really need is a commitment on the industry and business side to invest."

For the government's part, Bush's 2007 budget will include $150 million -- a $59 million increase over the fiscal year 2006 -- to help develop bio-based transportation fuels from agricultural waste products, such as wood chips, stalks or switchgrass.

I finally feel like part of the group because I have no been on the receiving end of Aprils cheer leading
Thanks April

Health Clubs and energy management
I've been working on providing detailed energy audits for a chain of gyms in our area.  The chain is a national franchise which could have huge implications in my energy management endeavor. 
It really is amazing how the technology has changed in just the past five years.. Many of the faculties are no more that that age.  However at the time energy was inexpensive now and in the very near future that price is going to skyrocket.  This is were the field will once again take flight. 

The retrofit will entail a simple lighting retrofit.  They are looking at a payback time of only about 1.5 years.  This is because the faculties are open 24 hours a day.  It's a bit tough to work out when you can't see right.

So now what are you working on to advance your career???

Focus Your Energy
Matthew Shields

Controls Go Wireless

The technology has affected telecommunication, transportation, and consumer electronics and now offers new tools for
green building. Lighting is one of the key areas being affected, but ventilation and numerous others aren’t far behind.
Wireless controls in buildings can eliminate the wire running from a device such as a luminaire to the source of control. The luminaire still needs to be wired for power, but it doesn’t need to be wired to a switch or sensor. Thus a light switch needs to be placed only for convenience to the occupant. A daylight sensor can be placed where it functions best—and easily moved to further optimize it—without running wires. A variable-air-volume vent can be programmed to respond to a thermostat or occupancy sensor without needing additional wiring. The environmental and economic benefits of this technology include energy savings by more precisely serving the needs of occupants, and reduced wiring, which reduces material use.
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Wireless Technology
Radio-frequency technology, the basis for wireless controls, has become common in manufacturing, where companies
can tag individual products or components with microchips. These tags include tiny radio antennae that emit unique
identification codes when prompted by a radio signal from a receiver, creating a radio-enabled barcode of sorts.
Microchips can be programmed to transmit additional packets of information—in the case of light switches, an “on” or
“off” signal; for occupancy sensors, movement or lack thereof; for thermostats, the temperature, and so on. Instead of transmitting information through a wire to a luminaire or device, a wireless switch or sensor sends the information by radio waves. A receiver wired in line with the luminaire or device “listens” for a signal and provides direct electronic control of the device.

The technology itself is fairly complex, but several companies, including two discussed here, have packaged it in a way that makes it available to any building, with some fairly basic help from an electrician. GreenSwitch is a residential product that offers a fairly targeted use of wireless technology;  EnOcean, which is applicable to both residential and commercial buildings, offers greater capabilities.

GreenSwitch was designed for homeowners or occupants who want to reduce energy use but who don’t tend to use their programmable thermostats or turn off lights on their way out the door. It was released to the market in september of 2007 after a six-year history of use in hotels. The GreenSwitch package includes a “master” switch and a handful of “slave” light switches, wall receptacles, and a thermostat. The components work normally when the master switch is on, but when an occupant turns it off, it transmits a radio signal that turns off the lights and appliances powered by the slave components, and reverts the thermostat to a programmable “unoccupied” setting. Turning the master switch back on sets the thermostat back to “occupied” returns power to the receptacles. Light switches turned off in response to the master switch can be turned on independently anytime. Used either in new construction or in retrofits, the components are wired in place of standard electrical components, and homeowners can choose which lights and appliances to tie to the master switch (such as appliances with phantom loads) and which should be left independent (such as fax machines and alarm clocks). The GreenSwitch system retails for $1,125

The thermostat component of the GreenSwitch package offers the most potential for energy savings by giving homeowners a single switch at the door to adjust the heating or cooling system to a less consumptive unoccupied setting. The package addresses the key flaw in standard programmable thermostats—that most occupants don’t
use them, according to studies . Unfortunately, most heating or cooling systems take some time to return a home to a comfortable temperature after the occupants return, a factor that programmable thermostats account for by allowing occupants to set them for 30 minutes prior to coming home, for example. The price of the GreenSwitch’s greater convenience appears to be a small loss in comfort. Homeowners achieve energy savings from GreenSwitch in relation to their existing energy use and habits. Homes with high plug loads and space-conditioning costs and in which occupants are lax in turning things off will see the greatest savings—up to 30% and a one-to-two-year payback,  In efficient homes with energy-conscious occupants, the savings will be smaller. The ideal home for a GreenSwitch may be one in which the occupant (or a building owner who pays the energy bill) is interested in saving energy and wants to make doing so more convenient.

Focus Your Energy
Matthew Shields

Today in Cleveland I believe it reached about 95, the warmest day of the year so far for us.  I really do love the heat and don't mind the humidity.  I've always prided myself as being a hard worker in all aspects of life.  Sweat is something I associate with hard work.  Today however it wasn't necessarily hard work by any means but being that hot it was hard to find a cool place to rest.

Today I attended a benefit golf outing for professional engineers. This particular chapter is for energy engineers.  Many of the same people who were at lightfair last week also were present today.  Each year this outing is held at a local country club.   The  event raises money for scholarships to be given away to deserving high school students who what to enter into the exploding career of energy engineering. 

I do love to golf, it is one of the few games that you have no one else to put any blame on but yourself when things start to go wrong.  Being outside talking to interesting people, good steak dinner after the outing.  All in all it was a great day.  A bit warm but it was none the less a great day.

I started to think about what everyone was contributing to and what a great cause it was.  I also contribute to the Make A Wish foundation a few times a year.  It's nice to know you can help others make a difference in their lives.

I urge everyone to start to think of things you may want to help or contribute to in the future.  It will be here before you know it, then before you know it people will be knocking on your door to contribute. 

Focus Your Energy
Matthew Shields

I've been thinking of going raw tell me a bit more about the life style
Focus Your energy
Matthew Shields

It was mentioned in one of our posts maybe even mine I can't remember that this has become our support group.  Let's start an expansion of that group to start branching out into other circles.  Gotta keep this interesting besides we all know were we can convene to discuss our own topics.  Start looking around for other groups that you may find interesting.  Of course still keep up the work with our teams blogs
Focus your Energy
Matthew Shields

I'm always up for a bit of real-estate chat
Focus your Energy

I feel this will be beneficial to many of my followers as well
Focus Your Energy
Matthew Shields