Press Release

EnergyWhiz Olympics to be Held at FSEC on Saturday May 12

Sherri Shields Awards, Press Release , , , , , ,

More than 80 school teams featuring hundreds of students from around the state will participate in the fifth-annual EnergyWhiz Olympics again this year at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC).

The 2007 event will be held Saturday, May 12, from 9 a.m. to about 4 p.m.  The center is located on the campus of Brevard Community College/UCF at 1679 Clearlake Road in Cocoa.

Each year, students from elementary through high school take part in the competitions that feature alternative fuels in the Junior Solar Sprint, Middle School Science Bowl Hands-on Hydrogen demonstration, High School Hydrogen Sprint and Energy Innovations competition. Read more

FSEC Researcher Writes Book on Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Sherri Shields Press Release , , ,

Jim Dunlop, a researcher at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), has written a comprehensive guide to the fundamentals, design and installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems.

The 450-page book, “Photovoltaic Systems,” was published in March by the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Industry (NJATC).  Dunlop is currently on leave from FSEC, serving as a curriculum specialist with NJATC.

The book is intended to be a textbook for the more than 300 IBEW/NECA (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association) apprenticeship programs across North America. Read more

Royal Professional Builders, FSEC Work Together on Florida's First LEED-Certified Home

Sherri Shields Press Release , ,

A Port St. Lucie home became the first in the state to earn a certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes pilot program after several inspections and performance tests were completed by the Florida Solar Energy Center.

The Port St. Lucie home, at 1972 SW McAllister Lane, is a Grand Emerald model built by Royal Professional Builders of West Palm Beach. The home includes hurricane-resistant wall panels that provide superior energy efficiency, Energy Star appliances and a drought-tolerant and low-maintenance landscape.

In 2005, the Green Building Council selected the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida to administer the LEED for Homes pilot program in Florida and verify the compliance of each certified home in the state. The program is designed to provide national consistency in defining what constitutes a “green” home. Read more

Middle School Science Bowl to Be Held at Florida Solar Energy Center on Saturday

Sherri Shields Press Release , , , ,

The 2007 Southeast Regional Middle School Science Bowl competition will be held at the Florida Solar Energy Center/University of Central Florida (FSEC) on Saturday, April 7, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eighteen teams from Florida and Georgia will participate in the academic competition.

The Science Bowl is a fast-paced contest in which students answer questions about earth science, physical science, life science, general science and math. A program of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the Science Bowl encourages student involvement in mathematics and science activities, improves awareness of alternative fuel technologies, and provides an avenue of enrichment and reward for academic science achievement. Read more

U.S. Dept. of Energy Qualifies EnergyGauge Software for Calculating Tax Deduction

Sherri Shields Press Release , ,

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has listed EnergyGauge Summit Premier as qualified software for calculating energy savings for the energy-efficient commercial building tax deduction under Internal Revenue Code §179D.  This easy-to- use new software product also calculates LEED® building energy performance as well as energy code compliance. Released January 29 at the AHR EXPO, and approved this week by DOE, the software was developed by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center.

EnergyGauge Summit Premier offers automatic ASHRAE 2001 and ASHRAE 2004 reference building creation including the Building Performance Rating Method in Appendix G of the 2004 Standard.  Unlike other software that requires the user to create multiple building decks and make many changes to create a reference building according to code or IRS rules, EnergyGauge Summit allows users to simply enter basic information on the building they are evaluating.  The software then automatically creates a reference building, performs the necessary simulations and analysis and provides a report indicating qualification for the U.S. Energy Policy Act tax deductions for whole building energy savings.  The program will also determine if the building meets the IRS standard for partial envelope, equipment or lighting savings for those projects not seeking to meet the whole building performance level. Read more