February 28, 2008 : Vol. 7, No. 9	Engineering for the World We Live In
The HVAC&R Industry, ASHRAE's free weekly eNewsletter for HVAC&R professionals, provides relevant, timely information about industry and technology for people who create healthy, comfortable indoor environments.     To ensure that The HVAC&R Industry is not blocked by spam-blocking software, add e-industry@ashrae.org to your address book. Should you encounter problems reading an ASHRAE eNewsletter, you may access any issue archived on the ASHRAE Web site at this link. To unsubscribe from this eNewsletter, click here. Industry News Arizona Solar Power Plant Will Be Among World's Largest PHOENIX—An Arizona utility has announced plans for one of the world’s largest solar facilities—a 280 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant about 70 miles (112 km) southwest of Phoenix. The plant uses parabolic mirrors to track the sun and focus solar energy on a heat transfer fluid. Once heated, the liquid converts water into steam, which turns the plant’s turbines. The Solana Generating Station is scheduled to be operational in 2011. Read more Wal-Mart To Audit Energy Efficiency of State Capitols WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new partnership between the National Governors Association and Wal-Mart is intended to reduce the energy consumption of state capitol complexes. Under the "Greening the Capitols" partnership, a team of Wal-Mart energy experts will conduct an energy audit of up to 20 state capitol complexes during 2008 and 2009. They will identify energy-efficiency improvements and ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that could provide a return on investment within five years. Read more Michelin Researches Ways To Improve Vehicle Fuel Economy CLEMSON, S.C.—Tire manufacturer Michelin has announced that it will invest $6.8 million as part of a partnership with Clemson University to research ways to reduce tire rolling resistance, thereby improving energy efficiency and vehicle fuel economy. Tires use up to 20% of the energy needed to operate a car. For commercial trucks, the impact may be 30% or more. Read more Portland, Ore., Tops List of 'Greenest' U.S. Cities OAKLAND, Calif.—Portland, Ore., ranks highest on Popular Science magazine's list of the 50 "greenest" U.S. cities. San Francisco; Boston; Oakland, Calif.; and Eugene, Ore., round out the top five. The list focuses on how cities perform in terms of transportation, living conditions, electricity and recycling, and the cities' perspectives on sustainability. Read more Home Builders Association Announces Residential Certification Program WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of Home Builders has launched the NAHB National Green Building Program, an education, verification and certification program to encourage home builders to construct sustainable homes. The program features an online scoring tool, which shows the builder how to accrue points in categories such as water, energy and resource efficiency; lot and site development; indoor environmental quality; global impact and homeowner education. The program sets point requirements in each category for the bronze, silver and gold levels of certification. Read more Naturally Ventilated Skyscraper for Moscow MOSCOW—Russia Tower, scheduled to be completed in 2012, is expected to be the tallest building in Europe. It is also expected to be the largest building in the world with a natural ventilation system. It is designed with an "energy cycle" system, which is a hot water circuit that runs through the building distributing energy to regulate temperature and heat water. The building's pyramidal design also maximizes exposure to natural lighting. Additionally, there will be a series of "green skygardens" rising up the core of the building that draw in natural ventilation. Read more ASHRAE News Wireless Network Addendum Proposed for BACnet® Standard Several proposed addenda would update ASHRAE Standard 135-2004, BACnet®—A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. Among the addenda recommended for public review is one that would tunnel BACnet over ZigBee wireless networks, which would lead to a reduction in the cost of installation by reducing the amount of wired networking required in a building automation system. Nine additional addenda were discussed by the BACnet Committee during the 2008 Winter meeting. Some are already being prepared for public review. Read more Feature of the Week Boiler System Efficiency By Thomas H. Durkin, P.E., Member ASHRAE This article provides guidance on improving boiler efficiency, focusing on condensing boiler/low-temperature hot water systems as compared to noncondensing high-temperature systems. A case study is presented of a suburban Indianapolis school system’s condensing boilers.   This article originally was published in ASHRAE Journal in July 2006. Click here to download the article. It will be available here through March 13. After March 13, access to the article from this eNewsletter will no longer be available. It will remain available for free download by Members here and for purchase by nonmembers in the ashrae.org bookstore. Product News BACnet® Network Interface From American Auto-Matrix EXPORT, Pa.—American Auto-Matrix introduces the BBC-SD, a touch-screen network display device that interfaces with products that communicate using the BACnet® MS/TP protocol. It provides a configurable data interface environment with an icon driven design and can have up to 50 configurable display screens and reference a maximum of 150 points from one or multiple controllers. Read more Wall-Mounted Heat Pump From Bard BRYAN, Ohio—Bard Manufacturing Co. manufactures the Quiet-Climate2 heat pump for use in classrooms. It is designed to operate more quietly than a conventional wall-mounted heat pump. The heat pump features two-stage capability using a single compressor, which increases efficiency in heating and cooling cycles. Read more Hydronic Heating Burner Control From Intellidyne GLEN COVE, N.Y.—Intellidyne offers IntelliCon®-HW+, a microprocessor-controlled, fuel-saving device for hydronic heating systems. It saves energy by adjusting the burner run pattern to match the system’s heat load using a method similar to outdoor-air temperature reset control. However, it does not require an outdoor-air-temperature sensor or the need to profile the building to adjust the reset controller. 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