Sherri Shields – Page 37 – The Energy Chronicle

Teachers Learn A Life-Saving Skill: How to Build a Solar Cooker

Sherri Shields Energy News April 1, 2009Bright House, developing countries, EnergyWhiz Olympics, solar cooker, solar cooking, Solar Energy Cook-off, teachers, workshop 3 Comments

What does an umbrella, inner tube and mylar blanket have in common? They are all components of innovative solar cooker designs.

Seventeen teachers came to the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa this past Saturday, from as far away as Sarasota and Port St. Lucie, to learn how to build solar cookers.

Teachers learn how to construct solar cookers from everyday items such as an umbrella.

Working in teams, the teachers constructed five different solar cookers. Each design used common household items in creative ways, including an umbrella, inner tube, and plant stand, to name just a few. Armed with new information, strategies and inspiration, these teachers will work with their students to build a variety of solar cookers. The student-designed and built cookers will be on display at the Bright House Solar Energy Cook-off at FSEC’s EnergyWhiz Olympics on May 9. In Top Chef style, student teams will also submit a food cooked in their solar cooker to be judged by a panel of experts.
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Director's Message: “Shovel Ready” Energy Infrastructure for Florida

Sherri Shields Director's Message, Energy News March 23, 2009ban, CFL, compact fluorescent lighting, electric bill, green house gas, incandescent bulb, jobs, power plant, shovel ready, stimulus funds 5 Comments

Put People to Work Replacing all Residential Incandescent Lighting with Compact Fluorescent Lighting

What happens if we use “shovel ready” federal stimulus funds for energy infrastructure improvement to pay a professional to come to your house and change out your incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) before the end of 2010? How much energy would the state save? Could we put off building new power plants? How much money would you, the homeowner, save on your electric bill? How much would it cost to replace all of Florida’s light bulbs? How many jobs would be created? How much green house gases would be eliminated?

Florida’s Brightest Middle School Students Flex Their Problem-Solving Muscle

Sherri Shields Energy News, Press Release March 20, 2009Archimedian Middele Conservatory, fuel cell car, hydrogen, Lincoln Middle School, Middle School Science Bowl, National Science Bowl, Ronald McNair Middle School, U.S. Department of Energy 0 Comment

Middle School Science Bowl student teams show their intellect under pressure and flex their problem-solving muscle – they solve math and science problems and demonstrate hands-on, engineering skills as they design and build model hydrogen fuel cell cars.

Hot Water Systems Lab Offers Side-by-Side Testing

Sherri Shields Energy News, Press Release January 29, 2009BAIHP, Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership, Carlos Colon, Danny Parker, data, domestic water heating, Hot Water Systems Lab, ICS system, peak load, Robert Hassett, side-by-side testing, solar, Subrato Chandra, tankless, time-of-day electric loads, U.S. Department of Energy, zero energy 16 Comments

Just as President Barack Obama steps up his campaign for energy efficiency, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) celebrated the opening of its new Hot Water Systems Laboratory in Cocoa.

Water heating is the second largest home consumer of energy, and the performance of some systems on the market today have never been tested under realistic and extreme weather conditions. Testing in the lab will help provide answers the solar industry, utilities and home builders are looking for to increase energy efficiency.

Mr. Robert Hassett, U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Manager, cuts the ribbon at the opening celebration of FSEC's new Hot Water Systems Laboratory. He's joined by (from left to right) Danny Parker, principal investigator, Subrato Chandra, project manager, and Carlos Colon, task leader.

“This project is an important part of Building America’s goal of zero energy buildings by year 2020,” said Robert Hassett, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Manager. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program funded the lab at FSEC, a research institute of the University of Central Florida.

The facility, which opened on Wednesday, will be a hub to test solar, tankless and conventional domestic water heating systems for efficiency.

“Solar water heating is an excellent way to save energy on water heating and reduce whole-house energy use, but utilities are specifically interested in knowing whether or not solar is providing relief to the power grid during peak times. Our testing will answer their questions,” says Subrato Chandra, the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership project manager. This information is key to utility “buy-in” to more aggressively sponsor solar water heating systems.

Building Science Experts Offer Green Building Courses

Sherri Shields Energy News, Press Release January 21, 2009air conditioning, building, building code, building envelope, buildings, charrette, commercial, courses, design, Designing and Maintaining the High Performance Green Building, education, energy efficient, EnergyGauge, green building, humidity control, HVAC, indoor air quality, LEED, mold, pressure imbalances, research, Rob Vieira, Summit, training, vapor barriers, ventilation, window 3 Comments

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), a research institute of the University of Central Florida, is offering a series of five courses on “Designing and Maintaining the High Performance Green Building” for architects, engineers, mechanical contractors, building inspectors, facility managers and indoor air quality specialists. Initial course offerings will be held at FSEC in Cocoa starting Feb. 4.

This series of courses will demonstrate:

How to design and maintain a green building that has good indoor air quality
How to make a building durable, comfortable and energy efficient
How to protect buildings from mold
What types of air-conditioning systems will cause mold problems
What advanced dehumidification technologies are available for use in buildings.

“A recent study finds about 25 percent of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified green buildings use more energy than expected and about 12 percent use more energy than allowed by the building code. Our courses will provide the knowledge to address these issues,” said Rob Vieira, director of buildings research at FSEC.

The courses will focus on problems in commercial buildings, although the principles discussed will be applicable to all buildings. The FSEC buildings researchers will discuss such areas as ventilation requirements, humidity control, building envelope design, pressure imbalances, HVAC systems, window selection, vapor barriers and related issues.

Students who attend all five courses in the series and pass the exam in Courses one, two and three will earn an FSEC Green Commercial Building Design and Maintenance Certificate.

The courses and schedules are:

Course 1: “Designing Building Envelopes to Control Air and Moisture in High Performance Green Buildings,” Feb. 4

Course 2: “Designing and Maintaining Building Air Flows in High Performance Green Buildings,” Feb. 5

Course 3: “Designing and Maintaining HVAC Systems for High Performance Green Buildings,” Feb. 18

Course 4: “Design Charrette — Practice Design of a High Performance Green Building,” Feb. 19

Course 5: “Commercial Energy Code and Green Building Modeling Using EnergyGauge Summit,” Feb. 26

The cost of each course is $269. For more information about the courses or to register, visit: www.floridaenergycenter.org/go/courseschedule.