http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/ciee_planningevaluation/rss Recent eScholarship items from Planning & Evaluation Sun, 6 Sep 2026 12:34:19 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mm3n4xb Given the uncertainty around climate change and the need to design systems that anticipate future needs, risks, and costs or values related to resilience, the current rules-based regulatory and policy frameworks designed for the centralized system of large-scale energy generation and delivery may not be ‘fit for purpose' for smaller scale local installations centered on community microgrids. This research examines regulatory challenges and potential impediments to implementing a multi-customer community-based microgrid in California through discussion of lessons learned in current pilot projects supported in part by initiatives of the California Energy Commission's Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC). The extent to which regulation has the flexibility to anticipate future needs and risks and support experimentation is evaluated in light of the state's complex and evolving energy system requirements. To illustrate challenges, two case studies of EPIC-supported projects are... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8mm3n4xb Mon, 1 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Aczel, Miriam R Peffer, Therese E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7jx9s0zd We have conducted a study to review and synthesize the current state of data availability for cradle-to-grave life-cycle emissions from major building technologies and electricity generation and storage technologies as specific to California as could be found. Results from 280 building technologies (120 unique) were organized across 9 categories and 27 subcategories. Many of the technologies in the list are common building materials, appliances, and process equipment used in the construction and operation of agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. Target electricity generation technologies covered the GHG emissions from natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and storage technologies for the California context. The search for relevant environmental impact data was in the form of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) (if available), peer-reviewed journal articles, and publicly available reports from government and industry for each technology.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7jx9s0zd Mon, 1 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Horvath, Arpad Greer, Fiona Gursel, Aysegul Petek https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46f4w12k Key Challenges for California's Energy Future https://escholarship.org/uc/item/46f4w12k Mon, 1 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Aczel, Miriam R Hohbein, Rhianna R https://escholarship.org/uc/item/77t8f09n <p>Based on program analysis, literature review, expert interviews, and an October 2022 expert roundtable, this report identifies a set of conclusions and recommendations for California policymakers. We offer recommendations in distinct but overlapping areas:</p><p>• Expanding consumer energy financing programs</p><p>• Addressing the needs of lower- and moderate-income residents</p><p>• Accelerating building decarbonization toward California’s 2045 goal</p><p>• Ensuring equity in program revenue sources</p><p>• Improving program design through learning</p><p>These recommendations all reflect a core insight developed from the research and outreach process: that the enormous size of California’s building decarbonization need calls for significant infusions of private capital, and financing programs can be a mechanism to attract some of this capital. However, consumer energy finance programs are not yet operating on a scale that matches the challenge. Even at their most robust and... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/77t8f09n Wed, 21 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Campbell, Andrew Lamm, Ted Hoff, Katherine https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8vw23703 <p>Why aren’t commercial office buildings more energy efficient? Several decades of energy efficiency programs have resulted in some gains, but overall increases in the energy efficiency of buildings have fallen far short of the 30 to 50 percent improvement that many efficiency advocates believe is possible (DOE 2000).</p><p>The purpose of our research has been to consider this “why” question by empirically examining the dynamics of new commercial building markets. Our intent&nbsp;is not to provide prescriptive or programmatic answers, but rather to develop knowledge about the market sufficient to support strategic interventions in it.</p><p>Traditionally, energy efficiency research and development (R&amp;D) and demand-side-management (DSM) programs aimed to modify new buildings by encouraging the adoption of better technologies or improved design. Programs were based on a rather simple understanding of the market. Attention centered on building designers (architects and engineers)... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8vw23703 Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lutzenhiser, Loren Woolsey Biggart, Nicole https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fr1v1z9 <p>The rapid growth of renewable generation is creating challenges for the California grid in the form of the duck curve, with increasingly steep generation ramping requirements and growing curtailment of renewable resources. In response, there has been increased discussion of promoting dynamic electricity tariffs that vary with conditions on the grid in near-real time, which could incentivize customers to shift consumption and help flatten the duck curve. Dynamic tariffs may raise concerns about financial impacts on utility customers, bill volatility, and equity issues arising from potential cost shifting among customer groups. In this report, we leverage smart meter data for more than 400,000 California utility customers to assess potential customer bill impacts arising from a multi-component dynamic tariff that is conceptually informed by the “California Flexible Unified Signal for Energy” (CalFUSE1 ) tariff structure that has recently been proposed by staff at the California... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fr1v1z9 Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Gerke, Brian F Stübs, Marius Murthy, Samanvitha Khandekar, Aditya Cappers, Peter Brown, Richard E Piette, Mary Ann https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63f567fs <p>California has ambitious goals for reducing and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the State’s electricity system as a cornerstone of efforts to decarbonize the State’s economy more broadly. Electricity decarbonization efforts are codified by Senate Bill (SB) 100 which seeks to have 100% of retail sales of electricity by the year 2045 provided by eligible zero-carbon resources with an interim target of 60% of retail sales of electricity provided by eligible renewable resources by the year 2030. This policy contributes to a broader goal of achieving economy-wide carbon neutrality in the State by 2045, codified by Executive Order B-55-18.</p><p>Planning studies were undertaken to determine how California should proceed in terms of electricity generation and storage resource rollout to meet these goals, such as the Senate Bill 100 Joint Agency Report [1], which highlights the need for rapid renewable resource and energy storage buildout. Energy storage is typically selected... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/63f567fs Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tarroja, Brian Samuelsen, Scott https://escholarship.org/uc/item/248051bv <p>The present project aims to provide information on the preferred configuration of energy storage technologies for supporting a decarbonized California electricity system. Energy storage technologies have been identified as critical for enabling compliance with California’s electricity decarbonization goals. While lithium-ion batteries are currently the leading option for meeting energy storage needs, particularly in the near term, a diverse array of other commercial or near-commercial energy storage technologies are available that have characteristics better suited to meet the particular needs of a future electricity system.</p><p>In this context, the present project aims to determine which energy storage technologies are best suited to serve different functions required to operate a future, decarbonized electricity system in California and elucidate how energy storage technology characteristics map to their suitability for different applications. This will be accomplished... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/248051bv Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tarroja, Brian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xr9h63p Compact Fluorescent Lamps Market Effects Scoping Study: Final Study Plan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9xr9h63p Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Prahl, Ralph https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9p05m5xk A thermal analysis was conducted on a typical 5-ton rooftop air-conditioner to determine the effects on the supply air temperature and cooling performance by adding a highly reflective coating material to its external surfaces. The analysis considered several emissivity values. Under typical conditions, low emissivity (highly reflective) surfaces produced a reduction in the supply air temperature of 0.21°F when compared to high emissivity (low reflectivity) surfaces. In addition, the mixed air temperature was reduced by 0.07°F when a low emissivity (ε = 0.2) surface was considered. The result of this reduced mixed air temperature is a lower coil-entering air temperature, which, in turn, produced an increase of 0.29 percent in the cooling capacity of the unit. B https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9p05m5xk Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Design & Engineering Services, Southern California Edison https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9k66q6cp Biofuels from agricultural and other biomass are an important part of California’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on foreign oil. Ongoing land conversion for agricultural and urban uses has already imperiled many animal species in the state. This study investigated the potential impacts on wildlife of shifts in agricultural activity to increase biomass production. We applied knowledge of the suitability of California’s agricultural landscapes for wildlife species to evaluate wildlife effects associated with plausible scenarios of expanded production of five potential biofuel crops (sweet sorghum, sugar beets, bermudagrass, canola, and safflower). We generated alternative, spatially-explicit scenarios that minimized loss of habitat for a given level of biofuel production. Trade-off analysis compared the marginal changes per unit of energy for transportation costs, wildlife, and water-use. The choice of crop matters. Sweet sorghum and sugar beets require... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9k66q6cp Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Stoms, David M. Nogeire, Theresa Davis, Frank W. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jh189p7 California will encounter deployment challenges and opportunities as renewable energy penetration into California’s electricity systems increases. Will California’s response require special efforts that complement generic research and technology advancement work of Federal programs? According to the comparisons in the report, yes they will. Such efforts will point the way to a high penetration renewable energy portfolio for California that delivers maximum economic benefit and helps minimize California’s carbon emissions. California’s wind resources are unique, and the mix of onshore and offshore resources likely to develop over the long term poses special questions of integration and assessment. California’s solar resources are exceptional, suggesting a scenario in which California will be the first to encounter the challenges and opportunities of optimizing high penetration deployment across multiple scales and venues of deployment. California’s geothermal resources will be... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9jh189p7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Braun, Gerald W. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hh481gh Four dynamic regional climate models (RCMs) and one statistical downscaling approach were used to downscale 10 years of historical climate in California. To isolate possible limitations of the downscaling methods, we used initial and lateral boundary conditions from the NCEP global reanalysis. Results of this downscaling were compared to observations and to an independent, fine-resolution reanalysis (NARR). This evaluation is preparation for simulations of future-climate scenarios, the second phase of this CEC scenarios project. Each model has its own strengths and weaknesses, which are reported here. In general, the dynamic models perform as well as other state-of-the-art dynamical regional climate models, and the statistical model has comparable or superior skill, although for a very limited set of meteorological variables. As is typical, the dynamical models have the most trouble simulating clouds, precipitation, and related processes, especially snow. This suggests that the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9hh481gh Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Miller, N. L. Duffy, P. B. Cayan, D. R. Hidalgo, H. Jin, J. Kanamaru, H. Kanamitsu, M. O'Brien, T. Schlegel, N. J. Sloan, L. C. Snyder, M. A. Yoshimura, K. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9fj9p33w This report on the California Energy Balance (CALEB) database documents the latest update and improvements to CALEB and provides a complete picture of how energy is supplied and consumed in the State of California. The CALEB research team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) performed the research and analysis described in this report. CALEB manages highly disaggregated data on energy supply, transformation, and end-use consumption for about 30 different energy commodities, from 1990 to 2008. This report describes in detail California’s energy use from supply through end-use consumption as well as the data sources used. The report also analyzes trends in energy demand for the “Manufacturing” and “Building” sectors. Decomposition analysis of energy consumption combined with measures of the activity driving that consumption quantifies the effects of factors that shape energy consumption trends. The study finds that a decrease in energy intensity has had a very significant... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9fj9p33w Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 de la Rue de Can, Stephanie Hasanbeigi, Ali Sathaye, Jayant https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96p5d2s5 The objective of this study is to make a preliminary assessment of the energy savings and cost-benefit of exterior operable window shading systems combining DOE-2 computer simulations, and a limited market survey of availability and cost. Some queries have been made on an "as available" basis with vendors and store staff on user acceptance and operations, but any systematic market assessment or user survey is beyond the scope of at least this initial phase of the project. The aim of the DOE-2 simulations is to quantify the potential savings of these exterior operable window shading systems (exterior roller blinds and Mediterranean shutters) under various operating strategies. The aim of the limited market survey is to determine what devices are currently available in the state, as well as in other countries. The latter task is important because this is very clearly a developing or immature market in California, so that... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96p5d2s5 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Joe Apte, Joshua Kohler, Christian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96d4v93b Most commercial buildings have been dedicated HVAC systems to meet their comfort needs. In larger commercial buildings, the control of this equipment is achieved through use of computerized control systems, which allow the flexibility of running the building under different control strategies. Most control systems vary the building temperatures using a strategy called night-setup control. Under night-setup control, the air temperatures are in the middle of the comfort range and the cooling equipment is usually active during daytime hours. During the night and weekends, a high temperature setpoint is sent out by the control system and the cooling system is typically inactive during these periods. However, recently there has been an increased emphasis on developing dynamic building control strategies, which attempt to minimize the total cooling costs of a building and reduce peak cooling demand.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/96d4v93b Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Braun, James E. Lee, Kyung-Ho https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9167t4r7 Light commercial buildings, one- and two-story with package roof-top HVAC units, make up approximately 50% (of the number of buildings) of the non-residential building stock in the U.S. Despite this fact little is known about the installed performance of these package roof-top units and their associated ductwork. These simple systems use similar duct materials and construction techniques as residential systems (which are known to be quite leaky). This paper discusses a study to characterize the buildings, quantify the duct leakage, and analyze the performance of the ductwork in these types of buildings. Over the 1996 and 1997 cooling seasons, this study tested twenty-five packaged roof-top systems in sixteen different buildings located in northern California. All of these buildings had the ducts located in the cavity between the drop ceiling and the roof deck. In 30% of these buildings, this cavity was functionally outside both the building’s air and thermal barriers. The effective... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9167t4r7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Delp, Woody Matson, Nance E. Dickerhoff, Darryl J. Modera, Mark P. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xx955x2 This study assesses for California how increasing end-use electrical energy efficiency from installing residential insulation impacts exposures and disease burden from power-plant pollutant emissions. Installation of fiberglass attic insulation in the nearly 3 million electricity-heated homes throughout California is used as a case study. The pollutants nitrous oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), benzo(a)pyrene, benzene, and naphthalene are selected for the assessment. Exposure is characterized separately for rural and urban environments using the CalTOX model, which is a key input to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and other environmental Impacts (TRACI). The output of CalTOX provides for urban and rural populations emissions-to-intake factors, which are expressed as an individual intake fraction (iFi). The typical iFi from power plant emissions are on the order of 10-13 (g intake... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8xx955x2 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 McKone, Thomas E. Lobscheid, Agnes B. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r20r9gp Testing methods for predicting mammalian species’ responses to 20th century climate change in California https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r20r9gp Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Smith, Adam B. Koo, Michelle Rowe, Karen C. Patton, Jim Beissinger, Steven Moritz, Craig https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8q04x17r Systematic mineralogical and chemical changes occur in the ash or slag of biomass during combustion. These changes are a function of fuelcomposition, firing temperature, and firing duration. Controlled temperature experiments were conducted using clean samples of wood, rice straw, and wheat straw to evaluate trace element mobility as a function of firing temperature. The concentrations of major and trace elements in ash and slag were analyzed using various multi-element instrumental techniques. The recommended analytical methods and element combinations consists of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) (or similar methods) for major and minor elements, the majority of trace elements using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS), and short irradiation duration instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for the alkali metals and chlorine. There are distinct differences between the individual fuel ash types that easily allow fuel sources to be identified based on knowledge... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8q04x17r Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Thy, Peter Lesher, Charles E. Jenkins, Bryan M. Gras, Michelle A. Shiraki, Ryoji Tegner, Christian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8k42g2vk The work presented in this paper shows an estimate of the impacts of climate change on two high-elevation hydropower systems in California: the Upper America River Project, operated by Sacramento Municipal Utility District in Northern California, and the Big Creek system, operated by Southern California Edison in Southern California. The study builds on previous work modeling the Upper American River Project System. The model presented here includes methodological improvements to better simulate historical operations and more accurately project future operations of both hydropower systems. The operations of these two high-elevation systems were simulated using historical and climate change scenarios. Hydrologic scenarios under climate change imply an average reduction in runoff for both systems (with a greater reduction for the Big Creek systems) and a change in the hydrograph towards earlier timing of runoff. The change in the hydrograph is greater for the Upper America River... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8k42g2vk Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Vicuña, Sebastian Dracup, John A. Dale, Larry https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8gc2q6z9 The value of and theopportunity for distributed generation (DG) as well as the recovery of waste heat for other beneficial purpose is ever increasing. Pressure on the existing electric distribution grid to meet increasing demands, pressure on reductions in emissions of both criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases, and pressures for improved on site power reliability and reduced energy expenditures all support the concept of local and diffused power generation systems located at the point of application. To better understand the opportunities and the subsequent impact of wide spread application of DG with waste heat recovery (referred to as combined cooling, heating, and power DG/CCHP), it is vital to (1) identify facilities that would most likely benefit from the application, (2) understand and document the typical energy profiles and (3) assess the effects, if any, of localized emissions from the DG/CCHP on the immediate surroundings. This program addresses all ofthese crucial... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8gc2q6z9 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Hack, Richard L. McDonell, Vince Samuelsen, Scott https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8cq3k2wf The reason for giving a talk about utility/customer communication, computing, and control at this conference on new service opportunities for electricutilities lies in the nature of the services being considered. Essentially, these services involve the provision of information about the value ofattributes of electricity supply (e.g., the value of reliability, security, ortime-of-use). In order for the provision of this information to be a service, itmust be communicated to customers in a timely fashion, the customers mustbe able to decide what to do about the information (computing), and they must do it (control). Also, to settle accounts, it will be necessary to communicate the results of the customers' actions back to the utility. Thus, this talk is about the means of communicating, deciding about(computing), and acting on (control) information. Its purpose is to describe the outlines of a system that could perform these functions in the future, to discuss ways... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8cq3k2wf Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Blumstein, Carl Rosenfeld, A. H. Akbari, H. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8b58b02c The Learn-HVAC project is an effort to use a large-scale building simulation as the base for an educational tool to teach a wide variety of people how heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems work. These systems account for a substantial fraction of energy usage in this country and by many accounts are often not operated at efficiency levels that the systems are capable of (which varies tremendously depending on their age and design). HVAC systems are extremely complex internally so inefficient system operation can result from lack of knowledge or from malfunctions in system components that are not recognized. Learn-HVAC aims specifically at the HVAC complexity issue in its educational approach. Because buildings themselves are not suitable educational tools, a large-scale computer simulation is used to give people the experiential experience needed to develop an in-depth understanding of HVAC system operation. The thesis of this effort is that using such a simulation... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8b58b02c Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Auslander, David M. Beckmeier, Nigel Rodriguez, Romina https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wx9j0qj Soot produced from the combustion of fossil fuel is a public health concern. The strongly light-absorbing black carbon (BC) core of soot contributes to global warming and regional climate change. This research evaluates the accuracy of BC measurements and estimates trends in ambient BC concentrations and BC emission factors from diesel vehicles in California. The aethalometer is a widely used instrument for measuring BC concentrations. Laboratory and field measurements show that temporally resolved BC measurements are subject to error because the response of the aethalometer diminishes as its sampling filter becomes increasingly darkened with black particles. The magnitude of the error depends on the relative amounts of light-absorbing BC and light-scattering particles sampled. A retrospective analysis of ambient BC concentrations is performed, based on archived measurements of coefficient of haze (COH). It is shown that COH levels can be converted to BC concentrations. Estimated... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wx9j0qj Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Kirchstetter, Thomas W. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wf3h9pb The broad goals of this project are: 1) to determine if ventilation and indoor air quality, in a population of new, production-built, single-family, detached houses built to 2001 Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, are acceptable based on available guidelines; and 2) to describe the influence of selected key factors, including occupant behaviors, on ventilation rates and indoor air quality in these houses. Achieving these goals within a short timeline is necessary to meet the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) summer 2005 deadline for the project to significantly inform the Title 24 Standards revision process. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7wf3h9pb Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Hodgson, Alfred T. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7w92d9v7 This white paper explores the links between community design and energy efficiency, and establishes a research agenda for the new Center for Resource Efficient Communities (CREC) at UC-Berkeley. The paper describes the context of resource efficient design in California (especially with respect to climate change), and identifies five links between community design and energy efficiency: 1. The Transportation-Land Use connection 2. The Street Design-Transportation Connection 3. The Urban Heat Island Effect and Cool Communities 4. Solar Access and Building Energy Use 5. Community Resource Use and Embedded Energy Management For each of these areas, the paper summarizes the major findings in the research literature and identifies major research gaps. In addition, it discusses development code barriers and other institutional impediments to resource-efficient community design, and briefly summarizes the literature on the property value implications of resource efficient design features.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7w92d9v7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Eisenstein, William https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7s33j1h2 The California Wind Energy Collaborative supports the development of safe, reliable, environmentally sound, and affordable wind electric generation capacity within the state of California. To fulfill this mission, the Collaborative manages a focused, statewide program of scientific research, technology development &amp; deployment, and technical transfer and outreach. These efforts are conducted in close cooperation with industry, state and federal agencies, and other institutions to maximize the benefits of wind energy resources in California for its citizens. The Collaborative is a partnership between the University of California and the California Energy Commission, established in February 2002. This report summarizes the activities and deliverables for the period from January 2008 through June 2009. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7s33j1h2 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 van Dam, C. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7qz4w472 The purpose of this project is to create tools and information sources that encourage the adoption of improved techniques and technologies for the planning, design, and operation of buildings. The tools will be applied to selected buildings with advanced integrated systems to assess energy and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) performance. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7qz4w472 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Bauman, Fred Webster, Tom Arens, Edward Lehrer, David Zhang, Hui Goins, John Dickerhoff, Darryl Schiavon, Stefano Hoffman, Sabine Yu, Tiefeng Fannon, David Perepelitza, Mark Zelenay, Krystyna https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7qp9v8ht In California and other states, air quality management districts are considering using energy efficiency and renewable energy to target both criteria pollutants (to meet air quality standards)and greenhouse gas emissions. This report presents a pilot study, designed to quantitativelymodel the emissions avoided through new energy efficiency/renewable energy programs not already required by state or federal statute. This work used California as a test case, producing an analysis that could theoretically satisfy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements for using energy efficiency/renewable energy in State Implementation Plan compliance. Synapse Energy Economics used a Western Electricity Coordinating Council-scale production-cost simulation model (PROSYM) to examine the impact of incremental energy efficiency/renewable energy on generation and emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon dioxide. Sixteen energy efficiency/renewable energy scenarios... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7qp9v8ht Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Fisher, Jeremy James, Chris Hughes, Nicole White, David Wilson, Rachel Biewald, Bruce https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p2016mq The purpose of this project is to quantify HVAC energy savings for buildings that are operated under reduced minimum diffuser flow rates, and to evaluate whether occupants’ thermal comfort satisfaction responses are affected. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p2016mq Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Arens, Edward Zhang, Hui Holt, Tyler Zhai, Yongchao Goins, John Bauman, Fred Webster, Tom West, Brandyn Chun, Chungyoon Paliaga, Gwelen Stein, Jeff Seidl, Reinhard https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mx767kf Compact Fluorescent Lamps Market Effects: Final Interim Report https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mx767kf Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 The Cadmus Group, Inc. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gq1k5qx Retrospective Report On California’s Electricity Crisis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gq1k5qx Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Cohen, Linda Peck, Stephen Sanyal, Paroma Weinberg, Carl J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7fz8d5d3 Preliminary Estimates of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Greenhouse Gas Abatement Potential for California in 2020 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7fz8d5d3 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Firestone, Ryan Ling, Frank Marnay, Chris LaCommare, Kristina Hamachi https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c38g099 This roadmap reviews existing and developing technologies for the utilization of CO2 in order to provide recommendations to the California Energy Commission on the further development and implementation of such technologies. The roadmap reviews and categorizes the knownutilization technologies currently in use or under development. Uses of CO2 range from well-developed applications, such as enhanced oil recovery, to much less mature technologies such as the use of CO2 to produce fine chemicals, chemical feed stocks, working fluids for energy-related technologies, and building materials. This roadmap outlines attributes of technologies such as technology maturity and readiness, the amount of CO2 that would be consumed or utilized if fully deployed, technology gaps and barriers to full deployment, and the companies or organizations pursuing development of the technologies. This information is then used as a reference to highlight technological advances that are required to overcome... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c38g099 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Burton, Elizabeth O'Brien, Kevin Bourcier, William Mateer, Niall https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7bp0s0vz Phase II Report: Residential New Construction (Single-Family Home) Market Effects Study https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7bp0s0vz Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 KEMA NMR Group Itron, Inc. The Cadmus Group, Inc. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79n3949d The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is working with the California Energy Commission (CEC) to determine the potential role of commercial sector distributed generation (DG) with combined heat and power (CHP) capability deployment in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions. CHP applications at large industrial sites are well known, and a large share of their potential has already been harvested. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to the potential of medium-sized commercial buildings, i.e. ones with peak electric loads ranging from 100 kW to 5 MW. We examine how this sector might implement DG with CHP in cost minimizing microgrids that are able to adopt and operate various energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), on-site thermal generation, heat exchangers, solar thermal collectors, absorption chillers, and storage... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79n3949d Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Stadler, Michael Marnay, Chris Cardoso, Gonçalo Lipman, Timothy Mégel, Olivier Ganguly, Srirupa Siddiqui, Afzal Lai, Judy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/77k287xx Compact Fluorescent Lamps Market Effects Final Report. Appendix A: In-Home Audit Findings https://escholarship.org/uc/item/77k287xx Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 The Cadmus Group, Inc https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76w3m09c Fault current controller (FCC) technology, also frequently referred to as fault current limiter (FCL) technology,has been identified as a potentially viable solution for expanding the capacity of the transmission system and its service life to meet the growing demand for electricity, by addressing the impacts of the resulting higher fault currents. This document reports on the program supported by the California Institute for Energy and Environment under the California Energy Commission in the development of distribution class FCC technology. The project focused on test plan development, prototyping, laboratory test, and field demonstration, with a view toward potential further technical development and application of the technology in transmission-level systems. The University of California Irvineled the project with overall responsibility for project management, administration, coordination, and technical guidance, with the support of the California... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76w3m09c Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Smedley, Keyue Abravomitz, Alexander https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73z6x8tp The objective of the research and analysis contained within this report was to identify and assess new and alternative natural gas storage technologies and to determine how they can best be utilized to provide safe, reliable, and cost effective natural gas to California consumers into the foreseeable future. Natural gas consumer demand forecasts provided by California operating utilities, Southern California Gas Company and Pacific Gas and Electric, are analyzed and illustrated within. The analysis indicated that although natural gas demand is expected to continue growing in both Northern and Southern regions of California, natural gas supply from a transmission pipeline capacity perspective on an aggregate, statewide basis is expected to remain adequate (approximately 30% reserve margins in peak day demand scenarios) over the forecast period. A critical assumption behind this statement is that other state’s natural gas demand and other potential commodity shortages will allow... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73z6x8tp Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Hammerschmidt, Andrew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7051d1mh Atmospheric aerosols have been shown to play an important role in climate by acting as the nuclei for cloud droplet and ice crystal formation. Variations in particle concentration and chemistry can alter a wide range of climate related parameters including: absorbing and scattering solar radiation, changing cloud lifetimes, increasing cloud albedo, and altering precipitation locations and amounts. During this study measurements of both new particle formation (NPF) events as well as measuring particle residues in rainwater allow us to analyze aerosol impacts on climate from two separate, yet important directions. Studying aerosols has traditionally been accomplished through bulk filter measurements, which have provided a great deal of information about bulk particle chemistry and mass concentrations. However, bulk studies have been limited by time resolution, sampling artifacts, and a lack of understanding which species exist together in the same particles (i.e. mixing state).... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7051d1mh Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Prather, Kimberly Ault, Andrew P. Creamean, Jessie M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7007789r California’s target for greenhouse gas reduction in part relies on the development of viable low-carbon fuel alternatives to gasoline. It is often assumed that cellulosic ethanol—ethanol made from the structural parts of a plant and not from the food parts—will be one of these alternatives. This study examines the physical viability of a switchgrass-based cellulosic ethanol industry in California from the point of view of the physical requirements of land, water, energy and other material use. Starting from a scenario in which existing irrigated pastureland and fiber-crop land is converted to switchgrass production, the analysis determines the total acreage and water supply available and the resulting total biofuel feedstock output under different assumed yields. The number and location of cellulosic ethanol biorefineries that can be supported is also determined, assuming that the distance from field to biorefinery would be minimized. The biorefinery energy input requirement,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7007789r Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Coughlin, Katie Fridley, David https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zz8v46z Compact Fluorescent Lamps Market Effects Final Report https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zz8v46z Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 The Cadmus Group, Inc. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6w93c59s Duct leakage has been identified as a major source of energy loss in residential buildings. Most duct leakage occurs at the connections to registers, plenums or branches in the duct system. At each of these connections a method of sealing the duct system is required. Typical sealing methods include tapes or mastics applied around the joints in the system. Field examinations of duct systems have shown that these seals tend to fail over time periods ranging from days to years. We have used several test methods over the last few years to evaluate the longevity of duct sealants when subjected to temperatures and pressures representative of those found in the field. Traditional cloth duct tapes have been found to significantly under-perform other sealants and have been banned from receiving duct tightness credits in California's energy code (California Energy Commission ... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6w93c59s Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Sherman, Max H. Walker, Iain S. Dickerhoff, Darryl J. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6w57041m The main goal of this research project was to identify policy guidelines for the interface between California investor-owned utilities (IOU’s) Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and California residential electricity customers and their equipment that will promote the success of demand response (DR), a critical component of California’s Energy Action Plan II. A secondary goal was to perform the research using requirements engineering techniques and evaluate how useful the techniques are for defining policy guidelines. A project team using requirements engineering techniques, analyzed documents produced by the utility industry group, UtilityAMI, which described the utility AMI interface to customers home automation network equipment. This analysis included modeling with context diagrams, Venn diagrams and use case scenarios. A second set of models representing an open market configuration was created for comparison.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6w57041m Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Pepetone, Diane https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p939613 This report describes the design of atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements that, in combination with other measurements and models, would be used to quantify regionally distributed CO2 exchanges from California’s terrestrial ecosystems and CO2 emissions fromfossil fuel combustion. Using models of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), fossil fuel CO2emissions, and regional meteorology, we predict CO2 concentration “signals” in the atmosphere. The predictions of NEE exhibit spatial and temporal variations that are controlled by land cover and climate. Fossil fuel CO2 emissions from metropolitan areas are the strongest localized sources of CO2 while weaker but spatially extensive fossil emissions are present throughout the Central Valley. We subdivide the CO2 sources into four components: NEE inside and outside CA, and fossil fuel CO2 inside and outside CA. Maps of predicted atmospheric CO2concentration signals from these four sources largely mirror the instantaneous emissions... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6p939613 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Fischer, Marc L. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6n93q5zq Residential New Construction Market Effects Study: Final Study Plan (Version 2) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6n93q5zq Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Meyers, Stephen https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6md7p8ff Several studies found that extremes temperatures are associated with increased mortality worldwide. The extent to which this represents confounding by air pollutants, or is modified by those pollutants, remains unclear. We examined the association between mean apparent temperature and total mortality in nine cities across the US during from May to September 1999 to 2002. We applied both case-crossover and time-series analyses, adjusting for day of the week and season in time series analysis. City-specific estimates were combined using a meta-analysis. A total of 213,438 deaths for all causes occurred in these cities during the study period. We found a significant effect of apparent temperature on mortality with a 1.8% increase (95%CI: 1.09-2.5) per 5.5 °C (10°F) increase in apparent temperature in the case-crossover analysis, and a 2.7% increase (95% CI: 2.01, 3.5) in the time-series analysis. Ozone and fine particulate were not found to be significant confounders or effect modifiers.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6md7p8ff Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Zanobetti, Antonella Schwartz, Joel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g05r57k Expanding PIER Partnerships: New Concepts for Development and Demonstration https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g05r57k Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Jackson, Cori Arani, Pedram https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fm6c2g7 This report summarizes the layout and content of a website created for the CEC to make the information in the Energy Aware Planning Guide readily available to California cities and counties, to assist them in their efforts to reduce energy use. The website consists of an electronic version of the entire Planning Guide that allows easy maneuverability among the many sections of the document, and quick downloading of references cited in the document. The website also contains individual briefing pages for 46 land use- and transportation-related measures, including 21 briefs that provide information on additional transportation-related measures that are not specifically identified in the Planning Guide. The website also summarizes estimates of the effectiveness of individual measures described in the briefings, as well as the cost-effectiveness of each measure, derived from a comprehensive national study of the potential to reduce energy use from the transportation sector https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fm6c2g7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Wenzel, Tom Madanat, Samer Sathaye, Nakul Morris, Betsy Rudy, Kimberly Long, Chris https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b4262rn Distributed generation (DG) has been adopted in California because of its potential to supply a significant fraction of increased power demand in the future. DG offers several advantages over conventional centralized power plants. The relatively small size of a DG unit (usually less than 5 MW) allows location of the unit in the immediate vicinity of the area that requires the power. This independence from a large power supplier results in 1) reliability of power supply, 2) potential cost control because the DG unit is tied to the community that it services, 3) reduction of transmission losses, and 4) increased efficiency when waste heat is utilized for local heating and cooling needs. However, the emissions from a DG unit can impact the air quality in the populated area where it is located. This report summarizes the results from a project designed to estimate the local air quality impact of DG growth in the South Coast Air Basin. This project takes advantage of emission... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b4262rn Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Venkatram, Akula Lee, Sang-Mi Jing, Qiguo Qian, Wenjun https://escholarship.org/uc/item/67c4b1np Scoping Study and Work Plan for a Residential New Construction Market Effects Study https://escholarship.org/uc/item/67c4b1np Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 RLW Analytics Nexus Market Research, Inc. Summit Blue Consulting Itron, Inc. The Cadmus Group, Inc. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/646104b3 In 2008 the CPUC adopted the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, which recognized the critical role of financing in helping California to meet its energy efficiency goals – especially for obtaining efficiency improvements to existing homes, businesses, and other facilities. In Decision D.09-09-047 (2009) the Commission specifically directed Energy Division staff, in consultation with knowledgeable financial experts, to prepare an assessment and plan for ensuring the most promising and effective financing instruments are available for energy efficiency investments. Later in 2009 the State Legislature enacted AB 758 (Statutes of 2009) that directed 1) the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop a comprehensive program to achieve greater energy savings in the state's existing residential and nonresidential building stock, and 2) the CPUC to investigate the ability of electric and gas utilities to provide energy efficiency financing options to their customers to implement... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/646104b3 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Carey, David S. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/61z196dv The purpose of the Berkeley Lamp Application Study project was to conduct a field study to determine user satisfaction and identify their product improvement suggestions that would improve market acceptance. Two secondary goals were to give California State agencies experience with the technology and to confirm energy savings compared with standard overhead lighting. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/61z196dv Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Siminovitch, Michael Page, Erik Gross, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6126r8xv The California energy crisis of 2001 showed the past inadequacy of the natural gas infrastructure in California to cope with significant weather-related increases in gas demand. Since that time, California has invested significantly in expanding this infrastructure, both by increasing capacity along current pipelines and adding new natural gas pipelines into and within the state, as well as adding additional natural gas storage capacity within the state. The first two phases of this project attempted to better understand the nature of natural gas storage infrastructure within California. The first section in this report is a conceptual analysis of natural gas storage within the state, with the goal of understanding fully the value of storage to both the private and public sectors. The second section details the modeling done to simulate California’s natural gas infrastructure for better understanding the capability of current infrastructure to withstand adverse weather conditions... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6126r8xv Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Petak, Kevin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60p9r8sq The California Climate Change Center, with core activities at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has continued to conduct research to better monitor and understand climate change and its impacts over California. The work includes 1) upgrading and maintaining an archive of historical climate data for the state; 2) installation, maintenance and data management of instrumentation for climate observations in climate-sensitive mountain, watershed and coastal settings; 3) statistical and dynamical regional climate modeling; and 4) diagnosing past and potential future climate variations and changes. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60p9r8sq Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Cayan, Dan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60m7j3k1 Advances in electric-drive technology, including lithium-ion batteries, as well as the development of strong policy drivers such as California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, now contribute to a more promising market environment for the widespread introduction of plug-in vehicles in California. Nevertheless, battery costs remain high and uncertain, presenting significant hurdles to commercialization. This report builds upon previous research (CEC-500-2009-091) investigating the potential reduction in plug-in-hybrid battery lease payments that incorporation of value from postvehicle provision of grid energy storage services in California might provide. That work discussed the potential to lower battery lease payments by repurposing used vehicle batteries for stationary use as grid-support, distributed electrical storage devices. Such devices, if realized as home energy storage appliances (HESAs), might not only provide valuable services needed by existing statewide grid-support... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60m7j3k1 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Williams, Brett Lipman, Timothy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/601164zw In this exploratory investigation, UC Berkeley researchers examined battery, hydrogen, and other advanced energy storage technologies that can potentially help to enhance the operation of renewable wind power and other intermittent renewable energy systems. The researchers identified four sites in California that are likely to experience significant growth in renewable wind power generation under the statewide renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and performed economic and environmental analyses of energy storage in the context of those sites for both 2010 and 2020 timeframes. To perform the analysis, researchers used the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The model was modified to include hour-by-hour characterizations of the four California wind sites and near and long-term technical and economic performance of lead acid battery, and zinc-bromine flow battery energy storage systems and hydrogen... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/601164zw Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Lipman, Timothy E. Ramos, Ryan Kammen, Daniel M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5xt8n0qs Long-term variations in climate (temperature and precipitation) in portions of California are not sufficiently well sampled in some remote areas lacking meteorological or hydrological stations. A combined strategy of small clusters of climate stations arranged from the coast to the mountains was adopted to guide the deployment of a network of new long-term monitoring sites. This strategy for the stations installed as part of this project was suggested through consultation with research and operational entities throughout the state but priority was given to stations located in the coastal environment and high elevations above the average winter snow line. A set of 15 sites had instruments installed to become a part of this study; they provide on-going measurements with 10-minute resolution, at elevations ranging from sea level to over 14,000 feet. Almost the entire range of elevation in California is now sampled for climate monitoring as a result of this project. Most stations... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5xt8n0qs Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Redmond, Kelly T. Simeral, David B. McCurdy, Greg D. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vg3m56k The overall goal of this project is to develop ways that UFAD systems can be successfully simulated in California climates with DOE-2 programs that have no explicit UFAD models. These new methods should improve upon the current “work around” solutions offered in Title-24 alternative calculation methods (ACM) manuals in 2005 and 2008 standards [ACM 2005, 2008][CEC 2008] and other ad hoc methods used by designers. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5vg3m56k Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Webster, Tom Lee, Kwang Ho Hoyt, Tyler Feng, Jingquan Daly, Allan Schiavon, Stefano Bauman, Fred https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rw0t7nz In its recent decisions pertaining to the objectives of upcoming energy efficiency programs, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has placed a strong priority on market transformation, defined as: Long-lasting sustainable changes in the structure or functioning of a market achieved by reducing barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency measures to the point where further publicly-funded intervention is no longer appropriate in that specific market. This White Paper summarizes the experience of utilities and other publicly-funded program sponsors in the design, delivery, and evaluation of programs aimed at achieving market transformation. The information presented is drawn from an extensive review of literature in the field and neighboring disciplines, as well as from interviews with program sponsors and regulators familiar with the issues addressed. It is meant to serve as a source book of concepts, strategies, and practical solutions for challenges that typically... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rw0t7nz Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Rosenberg, Mitchell Hoefgen, Lynn https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fs5x7bp Embedded Energy in Water Studies - Study 1: Statewide and Regional Water-Energy Relationship (Final Work Plan) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fs5x7bp Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 GEI Consultants https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fn819dk This report details efforts to obtain performance information from existing biomass-toenergy facilities in California and to assess industry status and to help quantify benefits to the state. Four general categories of facilities currently predominate in the industry, namely, direct combustion or steam cycle facilities, landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) plants, sewage digester gasto-energy plants or wastewater treatment facilities, and animal and food waste digester gas-toenergy plants. Information regarding technical performance, environmental, socio-economic and other key indicators was gathered and compiled from cooperating facilities through survey and from indirect sources such as literatures and available databases. Attempts were also made to analyze the state programs and incentives concerning these biomass-to-energy facilities. This assessment has identified a total of 229 facilities covering 29 biomass direct combustion facilities, 3 municipal solid wastes-to-energy combustion... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fn819dk Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Aldas, R. E. Gildart, M. C. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cg1v5v8 Regulatory change in Mexico and the United States, along with advances in market structures, pricing mechanisms, and technology enable electricity markets to evolve and incorporate new technologies. From the regulatory and institutional front, the U.S.has faced various levels of promotion and intervention from federal and sub-federal levels of government into balancing markets, while Mexico faces similar challenges in a more integrated way, given more recent regulatory reform and the size of its market. We address the incentive problem to “create” new markets from the transactions cost approach of how easy or difficult it is fornew renewable energy agents,incumbents, ISO/RTOs and balancing regionsto actively be part of the power markets. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cg1v5v8 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Ibarra-Yunez, Alejandro Collins, Mary Wright, Paul Zárate, Itzel https://escholarship.org/uc/item/55m7c801 This project examined the long‐term role of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in reducing energy use and meeting greenhouse gas emissions goals. This work presents an integrated, century‐scale perspective that, for the first time, allows consistent long‐ term (100‐year) scenarios that simultaneously include California building end‐use and renewable energy detail, the rest of the United States, and 13 other world regions. The global and national context for climate mitigation under a variety of climate policy regimes are briefly presented, followed by an analysis of the potential value of end‐use energy and renewable energy technologies. This analysis found that the deployment of a comprehensive suite of more energy efficient technologies has the potential to substantially lower climate mitigation costs. As an exploratory application of these modeling concepts at a state level, century‐scale scenarios of building energy use in California are also presented, along... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/55m7c801 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5269h06s Energy Efficiency Evaluation Training Opportunities https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5269h06s Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Vine, Edward https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zt929d3 Through mass-balance modeling of various ventilation scenarios that might satisfy the ASHRAE 62.1 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Procedure, we estimate indoor concentrations of contaminants of concern (COCs) in California “big box” stores, compare estimates to available thresholds, and for selected scenarios estimate differences in energy consumption. Findings are intended to inform decisions on adding performance-based approaches to ventilation rate (VR) standards for commercial buildings. Using multi-zone mass-balance models and available contaminant source rates, we estimated concentrations of 34 COCs for multiple ventilation scenarios: VRmin (0.04 cfm/ft2 ), VRmax (0.24 cfm/ft2 ), and VRmid (0.14 cfm/ft2 ). We compared COC concentrations with available health, olfactory, and irritant thresholds. We estimated building energy consumption at different VRs using a previously developed EnergyPlus model. VRmax did and VRmin did not control all contaminants adequately; VRmid did so only... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zt929d3 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Apte, Michael G. Mendell, Mark J. Sohn, Michael D. Berkeley, Pam M. Dutton, Spencer M. Spears, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wg2s83w The California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research (CIFAR) established a Food Industry Advisory Council (FIAC), comprised of industry and technology experts, to lead discussions in order to determine the state of the industry, to prioritize research needs, and develop a vision and plan for the future. CIFAR facilitated this process and subsequently, held several public forums and meetings to develop the California food processing roadmap. These outcomes supported California’s Public Interest Energy Research Program. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4wg2s83w Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Food Industry Advisory Committee California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research, University of California, Davis https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sb722mx The Cost of Wildlife-Caused Power Outages to California’s Economy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4sb722mx Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4qr2g9bj High‐resolution Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are driven at their lateral boundaries by information from global models (usually coupled Atmosphere/Ocean General Circulation Models – AOGCMs). RCMs are generally driven by 6‐hourly data from the AOGCM, and the spatial AOGCM data are interpolated to the boundaries of the RCM grid. When driven by observed (reanalysis) data, RCMs show high skill in their simulations of present‐day climate within their domain, attributable largely to the improved resolution of surface boundary conditions (especially orography) relative to global models. For projections of future climate, however, when the RCM is driven by future climate‐change output from an AOGCM, the skill of an RCM will depend to some degree on the skill of the AOGCM. For the best RCM results it is likely that these will be produced by the best driver AOGCMs. The question therefore arises as to how to decide what are the best AOGCMs. There are different ways to assess the relative... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4qr2g9bj Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Wigley, Tom Lee, Herbie Pginotti, Angela https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m72f0r1 In a simulation model solved using nonlinear mathematical programming, the role of underground storage facilities in California is analyzed in the context of a natural gas network where seasonal and weekly supply and demand are balanced with the combination of transportation, injections or withdrawals from underground storage, and short-term “linepack” in pipelines. Taking into account the decreasing efficiency of compressors as pipelines and underground storage facilities become full, the model suggests the cost-minimizing seasonal and weekly procurement of natural gas for California. Equivalently, the model represents decisions by utilities, customers, pipelines, and storage operators in the northern and southern systems that bring prices within California towards an equilibrium where spatial and intertemporal arbitrage opportunities have been exhausted, to the extent that regulatory and capacity constraints permit. The model is calibrated to consumption and production data... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m72f0r1 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Williams, Jeffrey Uría, Rocío https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4jx9x40j The goal of residential load management is to manipulate theelectricity demand of a group of consumers to matchsome desired shape. Effective load management needs two types of controls: systemic and local. Systemic controlmanipulates the aggregate power by signaling the consumers. Local control determines how the power consumerreacts to the signals. I present a price responsive intelligent thermostat for use in local load management. Further, Iexplore two types of systemic control using electricity price as the control variable. The first approach is to identifythe system using a low order model and apply traditional control techniques. The second approach makes use ofgame theory to auction the electricity to the consumers. Both methods enable reliable and robust high resolution loadmanagement. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4jx9x40j Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Burke, William Auslander, David https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hm4x270 In the last three years, the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), along with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), managed three market effects studies that were funded by the CPUC. This paper summarizes the key findings from these studies that focused on compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), residential new construction (RNC), and high bay lighting (HBL)1 , with a particular focus on changes to California’s market effects evaluation protocol and lessons learned during the evaluation of market effects. This paper also summarizes the key results from a survey that was conducted by CIEE in February 2011 to determine what additional studies should be conducted in the evaluation of market effects. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4hm4x270 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Vine, Edward https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fx8983f As solar thermal and photovoltaic generation begin to have a larger role in electrical generation in California, the California Independent System Operators needs to accommodate their variable nature in its forecasting and dispatching. This project reviews and evaluates current knowledge and models for forecasting solar resources and considers options for improving forecasts through RD&amp;D and additional measurements. Satellite and numerical weather prediction (NWP) have been shown to be the best tools for hour ahead and day ahead forecasts at this time. However, NWP solar forecast performance has yet to be evaluated for California, where the coastal microclimate especially may present a significant challenge. To validate and calibrate such forecasts, an aggregated real-time production database for all metered PV systems is deemed to be the most spatially dense and economical set of “measurements.” A research roadmap for improving Direct Normal Irradiance forecasts is provided https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fx8983f Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Kleissl, Jan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4c95r182 Developing and Applying Process-based Models for Estimating GHG and Air Emissions from California Dairies https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4c95r182 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Salas, William Li, Changsheng Mitloehner, Frank Pisano, John https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4bs268z7 This paper discusses the effects of irrigation and albedo change due to agriculture on California climate and air pollution and the effects of black carbon and soildust impurities within snow on California climate and snowmelt. High-resolution irrigation, landuse, soil, albedo, and emissions data were used with the nested global-through-urban GATOR-GCMOM model to examine these issues. With respect to agriculture, results suggest that irrigation alone increased nighttime temperatures but decreased daytime temperatures to a greater extent causing a net decrease in near-surface air temperatures averaged over irrigated and nonirrigated land in California and parts of Nevada by about 0.03 K during August 2006. The conversion of native land in the 1800s to agriculture was found to increase the surface albedo of the northern and middle San Joaquin Valley and to decrease the albedo of the southernmost valley, resulting in a net cooling... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4bs268z7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Jacobson, Mark Z. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/47m4j2w4 Embedded Energy in Water Studies - Study 2: Water Agency and Function Component Study and Embedded Energy-Water Load Profiles (Final Work Plan) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/47m4j2w4 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 GEI Consultants https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44686962 Phase I Report: Residential New Construction (Single Family Home) Market Effects Study (Final) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44686962 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 KEMA Nexus Market Research, Inc. Summit Blue Consulting Itron, Inc The Cadmus Group, Inc https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43h16557 Global climate change is making California’s mild Mediterranean climate significantly warmer, and a substantial impact on building energy usage is anticipated. Studies to date on building cooling and energy demand have been inaccurate and insufficiently detailed regarding the climate change impacts of different building energy technologies.&nbsp;&nbsp;This study used archived General Circulation Model (GCM) projections and statistically downscaled these data to the site scale for input to building cooling and heating simulations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Building energy usage was projected to 2040, 2070, and 2010.&nbsp;&nbsp;This study found that electricity use for cooling will increase by 50 percent over the next 100 years in certain areas of California under the IPCC’s worst‐case carbon emission scenario, A1F1. Under the IPCC’s most likely carbon scenario (A2), the cooling electricity use will increase by about 25 percent.&nbsp;&nbsp;Certain types of buildings will be more sensitive... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43h16557 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Xu, Peng Huang, Yu Joe Miller, Norman Schlegel, Nicole https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4310428c Inefficiencies in air distribution systems have been identified as a major source of energy loss in U. S. sunbelt homes. Research indicates that approximately 30-40% of the thermal energy delivered to the ducts passing through unconditioned spaces is lost through air leakage and conduction through the duct walls. Field experiments over thepast several years have well documented the expected levels of air leakage and the extent to which that leakage can be reduced by retrofit. Energy savings have been documented to a more limited extent, based upon a few fieldstudies and simulation model results. Simulations have also indicated energy loss through ducts during the off cyclecaused by thermosiphon-induced flows, however this effect had not been confirmed experimentally. A field study has been initiated to separately measure the impacts of combined duct leak sealing and insulationretrofits,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4310428c Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Jump, David A. Modera, Mark https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zh2m2nr Partnerships for Energy-Efficient Lighting https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zh2m2nr Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Jackson, Cori https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vp1c1p8 This paper contributes an analysis of natural resource management tools for planning for climate change, including a case study on scenario planning, to the Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Study for California. It presents the findings of a literature review on decision‐ making tools for climate change planning and consultations with adaptation planners, resource managers, and scientists. In addition, it discusses lessons learned from a one‐day climate change scenario planning workshop with resource managers and scientists working in Marin County that focused on analyzing the scenario approach in the context of other approaches. It also describes cases of public agency and private conservation non‐profit organizations working on resource management problems under climate change. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vp1c1p8 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Masanet, Eric Kramer, Klaas Jan Homan, Greg Bornw, Rich Worrell, Ernst https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3r669812 Report on research into the development of new grid operating tools that rely on an emerging new class of monitoring data called phasor-measurements https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3r669812 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Eto, Joseph H. Parashar, Manu Dryer, Jim Lewis, Nancy Jo https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pp9r4wh Several investigators have documented the effect of temperature on mortality, although fewer have studied its impact on morbidity. In addition, little is known about the effectiveness of mitigation strategies such as use of air conditioners (AC). We investigated the association between temperatures and hospital admissions in California from 1999 to 2005. We also determined whether AC ownership and usage, assessed at the zip code level, mitigates this association. Because of the unique spatial pattern of income and climate in the state, confounding of AC effects by other local factors is less likely. We only included individuals who had a temperature monitor within 25 kilometers of their residential zip codes. Using a time-stratified case-crossover approach, we observed a significantly increased risk for hospitalization for multiple diseases including cardiovascular, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, respiratory disease, pneumonia, dehydration, heat stroke, diabetes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3pp9r4wh Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Ostro, Bart Rauch, Stephen Green, Rochelle Malig, Brian Basu, Rupa https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3p09d1gk Duct Tape and Sealant Performance https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3p09d1gk Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Walker, I. S. Sherman, M. H. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jb1n7fk In this project, the potential for passive cleaning of outdoor air using photocatalytic titanium dioxide particles was investigated. Small particles (nanoparticles) of anatase titanium dioxide can serve as photo-catalysts to assist in the oxidation of atmospheric pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The energy enabling this catalysis is contained in the ultraviolet part of the solar spectrum. By-products may be produced, but the ultimate fate of the pollutant molecules is to be oxidized ("mineralized") to H2O, CO2, and acids such as HNO3 and H2SO4. Active indoor air cleaners using this technology are now commercially available. They can, for example, eliminate malodorous compounds in the air. Research and development in this area has been ongoing for more than a decade in Japan, and recently a major multi-institutional project has been completed in Europe. Despite the extensive research to date, the practical feasibility of passive... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3jb1n7fk Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Akbari, Hashem Berdahl, Paul https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hg2z0p7 Costs and Benefits of Energy Efficient Emerging Technologies Applicable in California https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3hg2z0p7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Xu, Tengfang Slaa, Jan Willem Sathaye, Jayant https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3c82x7pz Approximately 70 percent of industrial electricity is used to power electric motors. Recent studies show that there is still tremendous energy-saving potential in converting to new, higher efficiency motors. The objective of this project was to provide fact-based information that has the potential to significantly affect motor choices in U.S. industry. The methodology of this project was to conduct analysis and testing in two areas: energy efficiency of inservice motors and the reliability of new versus repaired motors. The project involved partners from four states: California, New York, North Carolina and Washington. Advanced Energy, the primary proposer, has been a leader in the motor industry for more than 20 years and operates the only independent, NIST-accredited motor test laboratory in the United States. The Washington State University Energy Program has also been a leader in the motor industry for more than a decade. Project partners also include the California Energy... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3c82x7pz Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Agamloh, Emanuel Butler, Kitt Kaufman, Nicole Kellum, Ziba Morrison, Jeremy Welch, Dan https://escholarship.org/uc/item/35k1861z This report examines the feasibility of producing biomethane from dairy manure.We investigated a number of possible technologies for producing renewable forms of energy and fuel from dairy wastes as well as applications and markets for these products. Although some of the applications proved to be technically or economically infeasible at this time, we believe that the information gathered could prove useful for other investigators or future studies. With this in mind, we designed this sourcebook for readers and investigators interested in exploring alternate uses of biogas created from dairy wastes. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/35k1861z Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Krich, Ken Augenstein, Don Batmale, JP Benemann, John Rutledge, Brad Salour, Dara https://escholarship.org/uc/item/30m1f02x Duct leakage is a major source of energy loss in residential buildings. Most duct leakage occurs at the connections to registers, plenums, or branches in the duct system. At each of these connections, a method of sealing the duct system is required. Typical sealing methods include tapes or mastics applied around the joints in the system. Field examinations of duct systems have shown that taped seals tend to fail over extended periods of time. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has been testing sealant durability for several years using accelerated test methods and found that typical duct tape (i.e., cloth-backed tapes with natural rubber adhesives) fails more rapidly than other duct sealants. The test results for collar-toplenum connections showed that the current UL testing and certification program is not sufficient for indicating durability and many tapes showed significant failure when testing using UL 181B procedures. The current study focused on evaluating... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/30m1f02x Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Sherman, M. H. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2zd3m0kr Air-conditioning in cars and small trucks lowers fuel economy by an estimated 22% and significantly increases tailpipe emissions. The design of vehicle air conditioners is based on the maximum cabin (soak) temperature attained when the vehicle is parked on a hot, sunny summer day. Cool colored paints reflect most of the sun’s energy in the near-infrared band (0.7 – 2.5 microns) while offering choice of color in the visible band (0.4 – 0.7 microns). Painting vehicle shells with these cool colors can reduce the soak temperature and thus increase fuel economy by decreasing the vehicle's ancillary load and permitting the use of smaller air conditioners. In this report we investigate cool colored paints (a.k.a. “cool coatings”) for cars. This was carried out by(1) establishing a 21-member collaborative research team representing 13 organizations including government, industry and other research institutions; (2) estimating fuel savings and emission reductions attainable with cool coatings;... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2zd3m0kr Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Levinson, Ronnen Akbari, Hashem Ban-Weiss, George Pan, Heng Paolini, Riccardo Rosado, Pablo Spears, Michael Tam, Joyce https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xd0v9vj The term “household carbon footprint” refers to the total annual carbon emissions associated with household consumption of energy, goods, and services. In this project, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed a carbon footprint modeling framework that characterizes the key underlying technologies and processes that contribute to household carbon footprints in California and the United States. The approach breaks down the carbon footprint by 35 different household fuel end uses and 32 different supply chain fuel end uses. This level of end use detail allows energy and policy analysts to better understand the underlying technologies and processes contributing to the carbon footprint of California households. The modeling framework was applied to estimate the annual home energy and supply chain carbon footprints of a prototypical California household. A preliminary assessment of parameter uncertainty associated with key model input data was also conducted. To illustrate the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2xd0v9vj Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Sherman, Max H. McWilliams, Jennifer A. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tt7p1g2 SMUD 2005 Technology Development: LED Freezer Case Lighting and Office of the Future Laboratory https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2tt7p1g2 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Page, Erik https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sn7b0ns California’s Market Effects Studies: Key Findings, Lessons Learned, and Future Directions https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sn7b0ns Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Vine, Edward https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sk3q4c7 This study is a preliminary evaluation of the potential for using Seawater Source Cooling (SWSC) to air condition commercial buildings in California. It also identifies the regulatory policies and permitting requirements that influence implementation of SWSC projects in California. The technical and economic feasibility of SWSC systems for both individual buildings and district cooling systems is examined, as is the viability of application to existing buildings and to new construction and major retrofits that employ radiant cooling and other advanced cooling technologies that allow the use of higher temperature chilled water. Three case studies are included. Recommendations for further study are presented. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2sk3q4c7 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Radspieler, Anthony, Jr. Xu, Peng Haves, Philip https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qp950c8 The project objective was to implement evaporator fan speed modulation through the use of variable frequency drives and a new computerized control algorithm specifically designed for blast freezer control. An expected 55% to 65% reduction in blast freezer fan horsepower was expected resulting in an overall savings of approximately 35% to 45% in blast freezer combined fan and compressor electrical savings. The report discusses project approach to identify, select and install the variable frequency drive equipment, computer hardware and instrumentation, control software, and the development of a test apparatus to accurately measure product temperatures at various locations within the pallet of a blast freezer. The baseline and comparative blast freezing trials evaluated the relative product cooling performance of various fan speeds during different phases of product freezing in a blast freezing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qp950c8 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Dietrich, Danielle Lynch, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qj9k13m Changes in ecosystems due to climate change or from climate mitigation measures may trigger follow-on changes in regional climate. These climate-ecosystem feedbacks are important because they may cause future climate change to be larger or smaller than predicted without considering these feedbacks. They also mean that climate mitigation involving land cover change, such as C sequestration by afforestation, may have local climate effects as well as global ones. This study uses a set of regional climate model (WRF-CLM3) simulations to quantify the climate effects of changes in ecosystem distribution under historical and future climate. The sensitivity of regional climate projections to vegetation change was investigated using three different vegetation distributions (Historic Native, Future Native, and Future Native + Afforestation) and two different global climate scenarios (GFDL 20th century and GFDL A2 Future). Results from 10-year model simulations suggest that vegetation change... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2qj9k13m Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Kueppers, Lara Riley, William Jin, Jiming Subin, Zack Christianson, Danielle Torn, Margaret https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2md5r9sw This report describes the final results from the project “Concentric Neutral Degradation and Failure Analysis: Sensors and Methods for In-Service Diagnosis” in which we investigated three on-line techniques for probing the concentric neutrals (CNs) of underground distribution cables. We have shown that both the surface-guided RF wave (Goubau Wave – GW) and the amorphous magnetoresistive (AMR) sensing technique produces a signature that can be used to detect failed CN wires. In the case of the AMR method, we demonstrated the detection of a faulty CN from at least 200 feet away from the location of the break. Similar result was found with respect to the GW method, however the GW is heavily attenuated by the surrounding soil, and hence further experiments have to be conducted to establish its practicality. The two-wire transmission line technique was shorted by the Semicon, and hence no signal was detected over the distance of a typical underground distribution cable. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2md5r9sw Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Devine, Tom Evans, James White, Richard Wright, Paul Krishnan, Kanna Paprotny, Igor https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jm4n3s0 Embedded Energy in Water Study 3: End-use Water Demand Profile (Final Research Plan) https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jm4n3s0 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Aquacraft Inc. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2hz482q9 This study is performed by the College of Engineering – Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) at the University of California, Riverside at the request of the California Energy Commission. The objectives are to evaluate the availability of biomass feedstocks in the Southern California region that can be used for synthetic sustainable fuel production using the thermochemical conversion technology developed by CE-CERT. The report presents five feedstocks that have been identified as the most suitable and also the energy production and process economics assessments for potential production facilities using these feedstocks. A full life cycle analysis has also been performed. The biomass availability assessment has been performed for the entire state of California with an emphasis on Southern California. The estimates show that every year California generates 40.8 million dry tons of biomass and ... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2hz482q9 Sun, 24 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Park, Chan S. Vo, Catherine Raju, Arun S.K. Norbeck, Joseph M.