In The News
07/06/10 - Low-Voltage Lighting Leaps Ahead
by Craig DiLouie
In July 2010 The Electrical Distributor
The "EMerge Alliance Standard" sets the stage for a new era in power sourcing, distribution, and management in commercial buildings. Today's workplaces are services by AC power but are often populated with DC-powered devices such as computers, phones, and IT equipment. Lighting, traditionally an AC system, is predicted to become increasingly DC powered as LED lighting, DC-based fluorescent ballasting, and building-wide automatic lighting controls become more prominent in green buildings as well as mainstream workplace construction.
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07/01/10 - Alternative Energy & Energy Efficiency: Co-Tenants in Commercial Real Estate
by Paul Savage & Bruce Graham
CoreNet Global, Michigan Chapter Newsletter
Building operators investigating on-site power generation - or Distributed Generation (DG) - quickly discover that energy efficiency measures need to come first for the economics to work.
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06/30/10 - DC Microgrids: Benefits and Barriers
by Paul Savage, Robert R. Nordhaus, and Sean P. Jamieson
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Our electric power system was designed to move central station alternating current (AC) power, via high-voltage transmission lines and lower voltage distribution lines, to households and businesses that used the power in incandescent lights, AC motors, and other AC equipment. Today's consumer equipment and tomorrow's distributed renewable generation requires us to rethink this model.
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06/01/10 - EMerge Alliance Update: DC Power Progress
by Brian Patterson, EMerge Alliance Chairman
In June 2010 Architectural Products
The EMerge Alliance is an open membership-based , not-for-profit industry association that was formed in 2008 to create and promote the adoption of new standards for hybrid direct-current (DC) power distribution within commercial building interiors.
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05/24/10 - DC - An idea whose time has come and gone … and come again
by Guy AlLee
To anyone who has a passing knowledge of the History of Electrical Engineering (yes there really is such a thing), the 1888 War of Currents figures as one of the most prominent events.
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05/01/10 - Re-Thinking AC And DC Power. The EMerge Alliance promotes a new way of distributing DC power throughout commercial interiors, to the benefit of building owners and their tenants.
from the May issue of Commercial Building Products Magazine, by Brian Patterson, EMerge Alliance.
When it comes to electrical energy, one hears a chaotic cacophony of progress and retreat. The industry is abuzz with efforts to help close the growing gap between supply and demand, and between the desire for a clean environment and ever-increasing carbon emissions.
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05/01/10 - Bringing DC Power Into The Workplace
from the May issue of Building Operating Management
When the United States initially became electrified, it appeared the nation might run on DC current (DC). Early electric motors and the first incandescent lights were engineered to work best with DC power, although alternating current (AC) devices were also used.
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04/06/10 - DC Building Power: Economic Factors, Application Drivers, Architecture/Technology, Standards
from Jazzou News
The DC building power market is projected to grow significantly over the next several years, and among the driving forces is the need to improve efficiency and reduce electricity costs in several areas.
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04/01/10 - A More Direct Approach
by Chuck Ross
With new generation capacity becoming both more difficult to get approved and expensive to finance, electric utilities are looking at more creative strategies for squeezing inefficiency out of customer-side distribution systems. One idea gaining attention—direct current (DC) distribution—actually represents a step backward to practices common during the days of Thomas Edison.
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03/25/10 - UCSD's Sustainability Resource Center Wins Runner-Up for Special Achievement by a Government or Institutional Agency
San Diego businesses, organizations and individuals who made noteworthy energy savings in 2009 were honored by the California Center for Sustainable Energy ( CCSE) at the sixth annual San Diego Excellence in Energy (SANDEE) Awards held at Market Creek Plaza yesterday (Thurs., March 25, 2010).
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03/25/10 - Bringing Power Directly to the People
from Architectural Products Green Issue
The direct current (DC) electricity generated by renewable on-site installations, whether solar, wind or small-scale hydropower, now generally passes through an inverter to create the alternating current (AC) required by the larger electricity grid. This power rarely provides direct benefit for the facility itself; instead, owners might receive a credit against their utility bill through a reverse-metering arrangement. A new standard designed to enable on-site power to be used by a building’s own systems, such as lighting and controls, has just been released and could help lead to some building devices going "off-grid".
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03/22/10 - Let's Talk AC/DC (the currents, not the band)
from The Huffington Post, by Toby Barlow
It is sunny right now in Los Angeles. Which, of course, makes geeky guys like me think about solar energy. It's also something the state and the local government are thinking a lot about lately, weighing increases in California utility rates to subsidize solar panels on residential homes. Great idea. Super simple. But not quite geeky enough.
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03/05/10 - Trends in Wireless Controls
Automated Buildings Email Interview - Jim Sinopoli, Ken Sinclair & Amara Rozgus
A discussion of the trends and impact of wireless controls on the building industry.
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03/01/10 - An Innovative Power Platform: A new industry standard allows buildings to adapt to the needs of tomorrow
from Buildings Magazine, by Ben Hartman, CTO, Nextek Power Systems, Inc.
Today’s buildings are powered by traditional AC sources but populated with DC-powered devices like computers, phones, and IT equipment. Even lighting systems, which are typically AC-driven, are becoming more DC-powered as LEDs and advanced lighting controls become prevalent.
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02/18/10 - Green building technologies that could change the game
from Daily Journal of Commerce
Green technology can help stimulate the economy, reduce carbon emissions and build a clean-energy future in the U.S. The American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act included almost $100 billion for investments in clean energy, energy efficiency and green job training.
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02/18/10 - DC-powered ceiling grids? COOL!
from Electrical Business
The late 19th Century saw the "Ware of the Currents", where Thomas Edison fought George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla over electrical power distribution. Edison’s believe that DC power was the better system was ultimately overruled and AC power went on to reign supreme. Nowadays, we use AC power for the majority of our electrical needs. But a change may be coming.
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02/02/10 - EMerge and EPRI make DC Power Progress at the 2010 Green Building Power Forum
from Darnell Group
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the EMerge Alliance both made progress in the development of complementary dc powering standards at this year’s Green Building Power Forum (GBPF). The EMerge Alliance provided the first public discussion and review of its recently released dc-power standard for occupied spaces in buildings
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12/07/09 - DC Power Rally Begins
ELEBLOG
from Electrical Contractor magazine, by Joe Salimando, Electrical Contractor magazine
DC Power is here, and it's here to stay. It's gaining ground, and it's going to get bigger. Three pieces of evidence:
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10/01/09 - Targeting Net-Zero Buildings: Is True Sustained Design Attainable?
from Architectural Products
In the big picture, how far can the A/E/C community keep going with a mostly intellectual notion of “green”? To make a dent in the environment requires a dramatic shift in thinking and practices. Are designers, building product manufacturers, and legislators ready to bring the built environment closer to the frontier of “green” design: net-zero building?
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09/09/09 - LED Illumination Provides Constant (Current) Opportunities.
from Electronic Design, by Jeff Shepard
Lighting specifiers, of course, are familiar with the need to save energy. Reduced lighting power density is often desired by the client and more likely required by new code or energy guidelines.
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06/01/09 - The D.C. Lighting Alternative.
Lighting specifiers, of course, are familiar with the need to save energy. Reduced lighting power density is often desired by the client and more likely required by new code or energy guidelines.
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05/06/09 - Lightfair 2009: A busier second day
from Commercial Building Products, by Gary L. Parr
The rain stopped and the number of attendees seemed to increase measurably. I have to say that I don’t recall a Lightfair that was so “full” of new products and technology advances, virtually all of it involving LEDs.
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04/08/09 - D.C. Interested In DC Building Power.
The Appliance Standards Improvement Act includes provisions that would require the DoE to conduct a study and report to Congress on the costs and benefits of requiring dc electricity supply in buildings.
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03/01/09 - A New DC Power Standard.
The EMerge Standard will push for increased efficiency, reduced energy usage, and improved sustainability – without forgoing quality or performance.
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02/01/09 - DC power distribution favors LED lighting.
A low-voltage DC power standard could accelerate the conversion to LED lighting and create an enabling infrastructure for the workplace.
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12/06/08 - Automated Buildings.
EMAIL INTERVIEW Brian Patterson & Ken Sinclair
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12/02/08 - A Current in Every Ceiling.
The EMerge Alliance says low-voltage direct current built into interior spaces can power LED lights, sensors and other devices more efficiently that the AC wiring in use today.
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11/18/08 - Working toward better power standards.
A group of power industry professionals is joining to forge a new power, control, and device-level technology standard for commercial buildings.
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