1.   Prof. Wolak on AB 32, 4:00 Oct 25

2.  From water pumps in Kenya to PVs in the US.  Noon, Oct 26

3.  "Go Solar California" website... contrasted with Utah nixing solar incentives

4.  Wind Turbines and DOD Radar Report:  Stay out of the way..

5.  Do you like cool teen actors teaching you about how wonderful coal is?

6.  SunPower Announces 315  W PV modules with 22% efficient cells

7.  New Terradex/GoogleEarth Greenhouse Gas emissions website

8.  2006 Buildings Energy Data Book... my favorite source

9.  FuelCell Energy and USDOE developing coal-based >50% hybrid SOFC

10.  Biowatch Homeland Security part-time student job (including our lab roof)

11.  Energy Analysis Engineer - Summit Blue, Walnut Creek, California

12.  CPUC is hiring for their renewables program

13.  Job:  Environ 

14.  Jobs:  United Technologies Research Center, CT:  Building Systems

15.  Job:   Associate, NTH POWER LLC, San Francisco

16. Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning, University of California at Los Angeles

17.  Two Professor jobs Energy Economics, UCalgary

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October 25, Professor Frank Wolak

Economics Department, Stanford

What Can California Hope to Achieve from AB32

Wednesday, 4:00 to 5:00, Building 550, Room 550A

 

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The new green: How greed might save the world

Ben Tarbell, Program Manager, Miasolé PV modules

Time: Thursday, October 26, 12pm

Place: Packard Electrical Engineering Building, Room 204

A light lunch will be served.

RSVP appreciated but not required.

Contact Alex Tung ( tungsten@stanford.edu )

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http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/

Oct 19:  CA has the goal of creating 3,000 MW of new solar-produced electricity by 2017 with a $2.8 billion incentive program..  The new "Go Solar California" website, created by the California Energy Commission with help from the California Public Utilities Commission, makes it easy for residential and commercial power users to apply for state rebates and provides information on federal tax credits.

Oct 19 -  If the Legislature takes to heart the governor's energy policy plans released Wednesday, individual Utahns will no longer be able to deduct the cost of renewable energy systems.

Currently, individuals who build or retrofit their homes with solar, wind or other renewable energy systems can take 25 percent of the cost off the bottom line of their state tax returns, up to $2,000.  For businesses, the credit is equal to 10 percent of the system costs, up to $50,000.

But Laura Nelson, energy policy adviser to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., recommended in her first annual report since being named to her position that only the business credit be extended, citing Huntsman's advocacy of a "flatter" income tax as the reason.

"It's the greater interest of the state to move toward that flat tax," Nelson said after explaining her report to the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment interim committee.  A flatter tax would leave more money for people to spend, she said.

But with households likely only to receive approximately $40 to $70 under Huntsman's tax proposal, the cost of solar retrofits on single-family homes could become further out of reach.

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10/19/06

"The Effect of Windmill Farms On Military Readiness." The report concluded that wind farms located within radar line of sight of an air defense radar have the potential to degrade the ability of the radar to perform its intended function. The magnitude of the impact, according to the report, depends upon the number and location of the turbines. The report resulted from a last-minute amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, enacted January 6, 2006, in which Congress mandated that the Secretary of Defense submit a report to Congress on the effects of wind farms on military readiness, specifically whether wind facilities interfere with military radar.

The DOD's September 27,2006 report evaluated several mitigation measures aimed at avoiding or eliminating impact of windmills on air defense radar. The Department defined mitigation as "either an approach that completely prevents any negative impact from occurring" or an approach that sufficiently reduces any negative impacts so that "there is no significant influence on the capability of air defense or missile warning radar." The report found that the only proven mitigation measure to completely prevent any degradation in primary radar performance of air defense radars is called "line of sight mitigation" - avoiding the placement of wind turbines within air defense radar lines of sight. Line of sight mitigations may be achieved by employing 1) the "bald earth" approach, achieved by increasing the distance between air defense radars and wind turbines; 2) terrain masking; or 3) terrain relief. The "bald earth" approach is employed in areas where the landscape is fairly flat, and the wind turbines are places at a great enough distance from the air defense radar to be out of its line of sight. Alternatively, terrain masking occurs when elevated terrain is located between the radar and the wind turbines, and the turbines are "masked" by the terrain. Finally, terrain relief, a variation of terrain masking, can be employed when the elevation of the radar is significantly greater than the elevation of the wind turbines. Currently, these are the only approved mitigation measures to eliminate wind turbine interference with air defense radar.

 The FAA's Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis Division coordinates the "Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration" applications. More information, including region-specific information, can be found at https://www.oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaaEXT/portal.jsp.

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Below is a link to some amazing coal propaganda...

http://www.learnaboutcoal.org/

check out the commercials section. those kids sure are... cute?

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SunPower, the San Jose, Calif.-based company announced its second-generation, higher-power product at the Solar Power 2006 conference, and the panels are expected to be in mass production next year.

SunPower says it has managed to increase efficiency of the silicon cells from 20 percent to 22 percent. Further, the 5-foot by 3-and-a-half-foot panels will pack 96 individual cells within them, compared to the 72 contained in the company's current product.  Each panel can generate 315 watts of electricity and will have roughly the same cost per watt as the existing line.

The theoretical limit of monocrystalline silicon cell efficiency is about 25 percent.

http://news.com.com/SunPower+boosts+solar+panel+output/2100-11395_3-6125899.html?tag=sas.email

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Terradex has been working with Google Earth to find a way to allow communities to examine their local energy mix.  For each community their unique energy mix, transportation, income contribution is shown, and a prediction of carbon dioxide equivalents made.  Users can play around with a calculator premised on local data.

http://www.terradex.com/PublicPages/PublicUserSites/GreenhouseGas.aspx.  Be sure you have the current version 4 (beta) of Google Earth, then you click on the layer.

This is a new offering and Terradex is open to feedback.

Bob Wenzlau,  bob@terradex.com

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The 2006 Buildings Energy Data Book is now on-line at http://buildingsdatabook.eere.energy.gov. The site has the most up-to-date buildings energy information and is updated regularly. Data can be viewed on-line, and complete electronic editions are also available.

The 2006 Buildings Energy Data Book was developed for use within the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Data Book contains current buildings-related data and has served as a valuable resource in providing consistent, citable data in a single document. The Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis has also made the Transportation Energy Data Book, Power Technologies Data Book, and the new Biomass Energy Data Book available at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/ba/pba/market_data.html.

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DANBURY, Conn., Oct 23, 2006

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL) has finalized terms with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a $36.2 million Phase I award to develop a coal-based, multi-megawatt solid oxide fuel cell-based hybrid system. This award provides funding for the first stage of the 10-year, three-phased Fuel Cell Coal-Based Systems project, part of the DOE Office of Fossil Energy's Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA). Total project funding for this and the other two planned phases is anticipated to be approximately $180 million.

The program's overall objective is to develop solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, fueled by coal synthesis gas (coal gas) that will be used in highly-efficient central generation power plant facilities. The advanced fuel cell-hybrid system will have an overall efficiency of at least 50 percent in converting energy contained in coal to grid electrical power. In contrast, today's average U.S. coal-based power plant has an electrical efficiency of approximately 35 percent.

In addition, the envisioned SOFC-hybrid system is expected to capture 90 percent or more of the system's carbon dioxide emissions for environmentally safe disposal while being cost-competitive with other base load power generating technologies. The project will culminate with the fabrication and operation of a multi-MW proof-of-concept SOFC-hybrid power plant at a suitable location, using coal-derived synthesis gas as fuel.

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From: "Derek Lehrman"

Subject: Stanford BioWatch site coming online, any interested students?

Biowatch is an early warning hazardous air pollution monitoring network.  They are using our renewable energy lab roof as one of their sites and need students to read meters on our roof as well as  around the South-Bay area.

I just wanted to ask you to let any students that you know who may need a part time, very early job in the very near future, to contact me.  I'll be interviewing people this coming week, and would obviously give any Stanford students high consideration.  We have several students working for us now, and they're been with us for awhile.  The early shifts work well with their schedules, and the compensation is pretty good (although how that translates to living in Palo Alto is another question).  Let me know if you know of someone, I'll keep an eye out for their mail.

Derek Lehrman

T&B Systems / Bay Area BioWatch Program

(510) 540-9900 office

(707) 765-6571 cellphone

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Summit Blue is seeking an engineering graduate to join our office in the Bay

Area to support multiple projects across North America, but primarily in

California. Primary tasks include energy analysis and modeling, field data

collection, and report writing. Interpersonal skills and the ability to

conduct market research interviews with a broad range of energy industry

participants are also important. The successful candidate will have strong

analytical skills, a keen interest in the energy industry, and be familiar

with energy efficiency and demand response concepts. Summit Blue offers

excellent advancement opportunities for motivated candidates.

Qualifications:

College degree in engineering or related field

Familiarity with energy efficiency concepts

Strong interpersonal communication and interviewing skills

Strong writing and verbal skills

Strong quantitative analytical skills

Computer skills, including building simulation modeling and complex

spreadsheets

This position is located at Summit Blue's Walnut Creek, California office.

For more information about Summit Blue, please go to www.summitblue.com.

Interested parties should submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample

to Melissa McGuire at mmcguire@summitblue.com.

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From: Douglas, Paul

Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 6:45 PM

Subject: CPUC is hiring - renewables program

 

Dear Colleague,

I'd appreciate it very much if you would help us recruit for the CPUC's Energy Division by passing along these job notices (pasted below) to any potential job seekers in the renewable energy field. Because our hiring process is rather involved, we encourage potential applicants to apply as soon as possible.

 

Paul Douglas

Senior Analyst

Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program

California Public Utilities Commission

(w) 415-355-5579

(f) 415-703-2200

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From: "John Zimmerman"

I am writing to let you know that representatives from my company, ENVIRON, will be interviewing on campus Friday, November 17.  We have openings in our schedule and invite students interested in environmental consulting to submit their resumes and request an interview.  The deadline for resume submission is Saturday, October 28.  Details regarding the resume submission and interview request process are found on the Career Development Center (CDC) website http://cardinalrecruiting.stanford.edu.  We are hiring at various levels in a number of practice areas, which are listed below and on our website (www.environcorp.com).

 

Energy & Environmental Technology

Greenhouse Gas Consulting

 

Though there are specific openings within these practice areas, we are interested primarily in hiring people with excellent technical, interpersonal and writing skills, whatever their specific interests are within the above disciplines.  Our offices include 32 locations throughout the U.S., 8 in Asia Pacific, and 22 in Europe.  We welcome applications from students with and without work experience, graduating with bachelor's, master's or Ph.D. degrees.

 

I would appreciate your forwarding this message to all undergrad, master's and Ph.D. CEE students.  Though students should submit resumes through the CDC, they are welcome to phone (703-516-2409) or email (jzimmerman@environcorp.com) me directly to ask questions.

 

Thanks,

John

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Reply-To: WetterM@utrc.utc.com

United Technologies Research Center invites qualified individuals to apply for several positions in the area of building systems with emphasis on thermal sciences and simulation-based analysis for the development of sustainable building energy systems solutions.

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is an internationally recognized corporate research organization of United Technologies Corporation (UTC), a Fortune top 50 company, that conducts research and development across a range of technology areas to drive its mission of "growth through innovation." UTRC partners with UTC business units and renowned external research organizations to impact organic growth of the Corporation through new product and process innovations. The operating units of UTC include: Carrier (HVAC products), UTC Power (including UTC Fuel Cells and Combined Heat & Power products), Otis (elevators and escalators), UTC Fire & Security (products & services), Pratt & Whitney (aircraft engines), Sikorsky (helicopters), and Hamilton Sundstrand (aerospace products). Our headquarters are in East Hartford, USA with partnerships worldwide and an office in Shanghai, China.

The following positions are currently open at East Hartford, CT. Please select the link for detailed information.

SYST2145-51237 Senior Engineer - Building Systems & Architecture, and

SYST2145-48370 Principal Engineer/Scientist, Research Engineering

The successful candidate will provide technical expertise and direction in the area of building simulation for energy analysis and indoor environmental quality, and building automation for supervisory control of HVAC/R systems. Of particular interest are demonstrated experience with building simulation programs (EnergyPlus, DOE-2, Trane Trace 700, TRNSYS), zonal models and CFD for building air flow, and building commissioning and diagnostic methods.

http://careers.hodes.com/utc-research/job_detail.asp?JobID=776473&user_id=

http://careers.hodes.com/utc-research/job_detail.asp?JobID=703293&user_id=

SYST2110-50184 Modeling Research Scientist/Engineer

The successful candidate will provide technical expertise to develop Modelica models and to build Modelica system modeling capability. Application domains include building energy systems, control systems, embedded systems and vapor compression cycles. Demonstrated capability in Modelica modeling of dynamical systems and in object-oriented programming is desired.

http://careers.hodes.com/utc-research/job_detail.asp?JobID=750207&user_id=

Michael Wetter, PhD

United Technologies Research Center

Systems Department, Networks & Optimization Group

411 Silver Lane, MS 129-15

East Hartford, CT 06108

Phone/Fax: (860) 610 7621

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15.  POSITION OPENING, ASSOCIATE, NTH POWER LLC, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Nth Power is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in energy technology and related sector businesses.

The firm focuses on early stage investments in companies with strong value propositions and significant market

potential. The firm targets start up companies that provide innovative solutions to energy needs of all kinds, ranging

from small-scale power applications for consumer electronics, to plant monitoring technology for factories, fabs, and

power plants, to advanced materials for solar, fuel cell and building markets. The investment team of the fund has

extensive experience in identifying and growing early stage energy technology companies and the firm has

established itself as a leader in this investment sector.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

As a member of the investment team, the Associate will work in conjunction with the investment team to identify

and evaluate promising investment opportunities. Responsibilities will include deal identification and sourcing, due

diligence management, portfolio company reporting, and deal log maintenance and upkeep. Some travel to

conferences and for portfolio diligence will be required.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate for the Associate position will have the following credentials:

* MBA from a top tier business school with strong technical aptitude

* BS and/or MS in a related technical field (eg. mechanical engineering, materials science, etc)

* 2-4 years of relevant work experience. Recently graduated MBAs with relevant prior experience will be

considered

* Strong research capabilities

* Exposure to entrepreneurial situations a plus

* Excellent oral and written communication skills

* Ability to handle multiple responsibilities in a small, self-starter, fast-paced environment

* Highly motivated individual

* High level of maturity

* Excellent interpersonal skills

* Flexibility to perform a variety of tasks as needed to support the operations of a venture fund

INTERESTED CANDIDATES

Please email resume and relevant application materials to resume@nthpower.com with the subject line Associate no

later than November 17.

No calls please.

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The UCLA Urban Planning Department and the UCLA Institute of the Environment are jointly recruiting applicants for a tenured or tenure-track faculty position in environmental policy and planning.  The successful candidate for this position will have, at the senior level, a distinguished research career consistent with a major research university as well as, for all levels, a well-developed research agenda; a track record of excellent teaching or the potential for outstanding teaching; and should hold a PhD in planning or a related field by the time of appointment.  For full consideration, applicantions are due by November 30, 2006.

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From: Elizabeth Wilman

Date: October 17, 2006 3:09:56 PM PDT

To: crchair-l@mailman.ucalgary.ca

Subject: [Crchair-l] TWO POSITIONS IN ENERGY ECONOMICS or RELATED AREAS

Dear Colleague:

The Department of Economics at the University of Calgary is seeking candidates for two energy economics positions. We are contacting you because your expertise and experience suggest that you are likely aware of potential candidates for these two positions.

1.  A Tier II Canada Research Chair at the rank of Assistant or

Associate Professor, in the field of Economics and Policy of Energy.

This is a tenure track position in the Department of Economics.

2.  A tenure track position at the rank of Assistant Professor, in the

field of Economics of Energy or Energy Markets and closely related fields.

The Department of Economics at the U of C is a dynamic department with a number of very accomplished young faculty members. It has an excellent research environment with a well funded visiting speakers program, as well as a short term visitors program and an informal seminar series. In the past few years we have filled two senior chairs in the energy and environment area. We are also hiring junior faculty outside the energy area. You can find out more about us by visiting our Web site at http://econ.ucalgary.ca/

The advertisements for the two energy positions are attached. If you would please pass on this information to potential candidates, we would greatly appreciate it.

Elizabeth A. Wilman

Professor and Head

Department of Economics

University of Calgary

Calgary, AB  T2N 1N4

Tel:  403-220-6108

Fax:  403-282-5262

E-mail:  eawilman@ucalgary.ca