ASHRAE® East Texas Chapter 
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Chapter 091, Region VIII
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Regional Information Save the Date! 2008 CRC Register for the CRC now Invitation to 2008 ASHRAE Region VIII Dinner (NYC) Region VIII Strategic Planning/President-elect Training Meeting information ASHRAE Government Affairs Update, 12/07/07 EPA Launches GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership EPA and the supermarket, refrigeration equipment and chemical refrigerant industries launched the new GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership – a voluntary program to promote green technologies, strategies, and practices that protect the stratospheric ozone layer, reduce greenhouse gases, and save money. The ten GreenChill founding partners are: Whole Foods Market; Food Lion, LLC; Giant Eagle Inc.; Hannaford Bros. Co.; Harris Teeter; Hill PHOENIX; Honeywell International; Kysor//Warren; Publix Super Markets Inc.; and DuPont. These partners, as well as those in the future, must pledge to go above and beyond regulatory requirements by establishing an inventory of current refrigerant emissions that may affect climate change and the stratospheric ozone layer, and then setting reduction targets for these emissions. Partners will also participate in an industry/government research initiative to assess the performance of cutting edge "green" technologies in terms of energy efficiency, reduction of ozone-depleting refrigerant charges, and minimization of refrigerant leaks. As an example of GreenChill Partnership initiatives that decrease the impact of supermarkets on climate change, EPA estimates that widespread adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies, best practices, and improved equipment design and service could reduce refrigerant emissions by one million metric tons of carbon equivalent per year, the equivalent of taking 800,000 automobiles off the road every year. To counteract the depletion of stratospheric ozone, which protects earth's citizens from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, partners guarantee to use only ozone-friendly alternatives and advanced refrigeration technologies in all new and remodeled stores. EPA believes that GreenChill partners' adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies will lead to increased energy efficiency and reduce operating expenses to the industry by over $12 million annually. More information is online at: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/partnerships/greenchill The total greenhouse gas emissions from 40 industrialized countries rose to a near all-time high in 2005, according to the United Nations secretariat for climate change. The increase in emissions was caused by growth in highly industrialized countries as well as revived economic growth in former East bloc nations, according to data submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The U.N. also reports that the Kyoto Protocol has spawned international greenhouse gas emission trading worth $30 billion in 2006, with the bulk of the trading occurring within the European Union's emissions trading scheme. The UNFCCC is currently gearing up for an international climate change conference that will be held in Bali from December 3rd through the 14th. See the UNFCCC announcement (http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/20071120_emissions_of_industrialized_countries_english.pdf). Meanwhile, the Center for Global Development (CGD) has launched a Web site called Carbon Monitoring for Action, or CARMA, which tracks the power plants emitting the most carbon dioxide throughout the world. The data show that the power sector in China has nearly caught up with the power sector in the United States, producing 2.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, compared to the U.S. annual emissions of 2.8 billion tons. See the CARMA Web site (http://carma.org/) and the CGD press release (http://www.cgdev.org/doc/CARMA/CARMAPR.pdf). Total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 7,075.6 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2006, a decrease of 1.5 percent from the 2005 level according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2006, a report released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at an average annual rate of 0.9 percent. The 2006 emissions decrease is only the third decline in annual emissions since 1990. U.S. GHG emissions per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or “U.S. GHG-intensity,” fell from 653 metric tons per million 2000 constant dollars of GDP (MTCO2e/$Million GDP) in 2005 to 625 MTCO2e /$Million GDP in 2006, a decline of 4.2 percent. Since 1990, the annual average decline in GHG-intensity has been 2.0 percent. Total estimated U.S. GHG emissions in 2006 consisted of 5,934.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (83.8 percent of total emissions), 605.1 MMTCO2e of methane (8.6 percent of total emissions), 378.6 MMTCO2e of nitrous oxide (5.4 percent of total emissions), and 157.6 MMTCO2e of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) (2.2 percent of total emissions). Emissions of carbon dioxide from energy consumption and industrial processes, which had risen at an average annual rate of 1.2 percent per year from 1990 to 2005, declined by 1.8 percent in 2006. In the commercial sector, carbon dioxide emissions declined 1.9 percent from 2005 to 2006. The decline in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 to 2006 can be attributed to a one-half percent decline in overall energy demand and a decrease in the carbon intensity of electricity generation. Favorable weather patterns, where both heating and cooling degree-days were lower in 2006 than 2005, and higher energy prices, were the primary causes of lower total energy consumption. The decline in carbon intensity of electricity generation was driven by increased use of natural gas, the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel, and greater reliance on non-fossil fuel energy sources. Methane emissions, meanwhile, decreased by 0.4 percent, while nitrous oxide emissions rose by 2.9 percent. Emissions of HFCs, PFCs, and SF6, a group labeled collectively as “high-GWP gases” because their high heat trapping capabilities, fell by 2.2 percent. The full report can be found on EIA's web site at: The New York City Council passed a bill, the Climate Protection Act, that will strengthen PlaNYC 2030 by putting the force of law behind its goal to reduce the City’s emission of greenhouse gases. The bill establishes benchmarks that the City must reach as it curbs its emissions, including a 30% reduction in emissions made by City operations by 2017 and a 30% reduction in emissions citywide including privately owned buildings by 2030. The Climate Protection Act is a part of the Council’s effort to guarantee that New York City remains green, clean and sustainable in the face of its aging infrastructure and growing population. Transforming the emissions controls from goals into law will ensure that they will be enforced in future administrations, said Councilman James F. Gennaro, chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee. Help is on the way for Portland, Oregon area residents who have ever contemplated how to green their upcoming remodels, additions or new construction projects. In a collaborative effort, Metro, the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development and Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties have launched a new region-wide Green Building Hotline. As part of the new Green Development Resource Center, the hotline provides information about green building strategies and resources, as well as financial incentives for new and existing commercial and residential projects. Through telephone and email exchanges, individuals and business can find answers to questions about green materials, renewable energy, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainable site development and storm-water management, along with strategies to improve the environmental and financial performance of a building. The hotline is available to residents, businesses, developers, builders, contractors and government agencies. The Center eventually plans to offer a library, a mobile workshop and an expanded website with solutions and strategies to help inform current practitioners and inspire those who have ever contemplated green building. The launch of this centralized resource accelerates the region’s continued ability to be a pioneer in the field of green building. See http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/greenbuilding for more information. DOE announced that $5.2 million will be divided between 12 projects to fund the development of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. The 12 CSP projects are focused on lowering the cost of components and developing energy storage technologies. CSP systems capture the sun's heat and convert it into electricity, using rows of trough-shaped mirrors, rows of flat mirrors arranged to mimic a trough (called "linear Fresnel reflective technologies"), dish-shaped mirrors, or large fields of flat mirrors that concentrate the sun's heat on a tall "power tower." The projects aim to develop low-cost mirrors and other components for solar troughs, improved Stirling engines for converting the heat from solar dishes into electricity, and molten salt technologies for both linear Fresnel reflective technologies and solar power towers. Molten salt systems operate at high efficiency and allow for storage of the molten salt for conversion into electricity when it is needed, even at night. In addition, one project will develop a compressed air energy storage system for solar dishes, using the compressed air to essentially turbocharge a microturbine that will be fueled with natural gas. The eight companies that are working on the 12 projects are located in California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington. See the DOE press release (http://www.energy.gov/news/5752.htm). DOE announced that it will establish a $7.2 million commercialization fund that will be divided among three DOE national laboratories: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will receive up to $4 million, Oak Ridge National Laboratory up to $2.5 million, and Sandia National Laboratories up to $700,000. The three national laboratories will use the funds for clean energy technologies that have advanced beyond the research stage, moving the technologies toward commercial viability though prototype development, demonstration projects, market research, and other deployment activities. The new fund was announced in conjunction with the above announcement on solar thermal power funding. See the DOE press release (http://www.energy.gov/news/5752.htm). Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union have submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organization to remove trade barriers to clean energy technologies and services. The proposal calls for eliminating worldwide tariffs on a specific list of climate-friendly technologies, as well as a commitment by most countries to eliminate trade barriers for a wide range of environmental technologies and services. See the press release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2007/November/USTR_Schwab_to_Announce_New_Climate_Initiatives_for_WTO,_Including_a_New_Environmental_Goods_Services_Agreement_(EGSA).html). ASHRAE Hosts Capitol Hill Briefing Consensus-driven, standards have become key to making markets work efficiently, and are essential to both a sound national economy and to the facilitation of global commerce. The U.S. standards system is a demand-driven process in which standards are developed in response to specific concerns and needs expressed by industry, government, and consumers. The U.S. standardization infrastructure reflects a basic national belief that society will benefit and innovation and creativity will flourish in a system that is free from centralized government control but strengthened through essential governmental participation. It is an excellent example of how a strong, dynamic partnership between government and the private sector can help the nation achieve its economic and societal goals. ASHRAE, ANSI and ICC sponsored a Congressional Briefing in the House of Representatives to discuss the role of standards and model codes in the energy efficiency, safety, accessibility and security of our buildings. The event was moderated by Jim Turner, General Counsel, House Science and Technology Committee. Speakers included U.S. Congressman Dennis Moore (D-Kansas), ANSI President Joe Bhatia, ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, and ICC President Steve Shapiro. Photos and more information on the briefing is available at http://www.ashrae.org/advocacy/page/1253. --- ASHRAE Washington Office |