The Energy Chronicle – Page 44 – Energy News from FSEC®, Florida's Premier Energy Research Center, at the University of Central Florida

Students Shine at EnergyWhiz Olympics

Sherri Shields Awards, Energy News May 15, 2009alternative fuel, alternative fuel workshop, BP, Bright House, car, competition, design, Energy Innovations, EnergyWhiz Olympics, H2, hydrogen, Hydrogen Sprint, JSS, Junior Solar Sprint, race, renewable energy, solar chef, solar cooker, solar cooking, Solar Cookoff, Solar Energy Cookoff, students, Susan Schleith, vehicle 5 Comments

Florida students have creative ideas for solving some of our world’s greatest energy challenges, and their renewable energy solutions were demonstrated at the EnergyWhiz Olympics – a series of day-long activities dedicated to students with an interest in alternative fuel technologies.

Nearly 700 students throughout Florida converged at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa on Saturday, May 9, 2009 to compete in the seventh-annual EnergyWhiz Olympics. Events included the new Bright House Solar Energy Cookoff, a solar cooker and cooking contest; the Junior Solar Sprint, model-size solar car races; the High School Hydrogen Sprint, model-size hydrogen fuel cell car races; and Energy Innovations, a full-scale solar electric design challenge.

Muradov's Paper Featured by ScienceWatch®

Sherri Shields Energy News May 8, 2009carbon, energy, environmental, fossil fuel, hydrocarbon, hydrogen economy, Muradov 0 Comment

An article written by Nazim Muradov, a principal research scientist at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center, was recently identified by Thomson Reuters’ Essential Science Indicators^SM as one of the most cited papers in the research area of “Hydrogen Economy.”

Read Q&A from Nazim Muradov. — Q&A with Nazim Muradov

Muradov’s highly cited article, “From hydrocarbon to hydrogen-carbon to hydrogen economy,” published in the “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy” in March 2005, is now featured as a Fast Moving Front paper in the field of engineering on Thomson Reuters’ ScienceWatch^® Web site: http://sciencewatch.com/sciencewatch/dr/fmf/2009/09mayfmf/09mayfmfMura/.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Renewable Energy Solutions Demonstrated by Students at EnergyWhiz Olympics on Saturday, May 9

Sherri Shields Energy News, Media Advisory May 5, 2009Bright House, competition, energy, Energy Innovations, EnergyWhiz Olympics, environment, H2, hands-on, hydrogen, Hydrogen Sprint, Junior Solar Sprint, K-12, photovolatics, PV, races, solar, solar cookers, solar cooking, Solar Energy Cook-off, sprint, students 3 Comments

WHAT:
The seventh-annual EnergyWhiz Olympics is a series of day-long activities dedicated to students with an interest in alternative fuels. It is composed of the Junior Solar Sprint, Hydrogen Sprint, Energy Innovations and the new Bright House Solar Energy Cook-off.

The Junior Solar Sprint is a competition that challenges middle school students to design, build and race model solar cars. Awards are given based on vehicle design, quality of craftsmanship, innovation and vehicle speed.
The Hydrogen Sprint is a high school competition that provides opportunities for students to explore hydrogen power with a hands-on design component and a presentation.
The Energy Innovations program is a full-scale solar electric design and marketing challenge for middle and high school students. Each participating team designs and constructs a product or artistic work fully powered by photovoltaics (PV), also called solar electric cells. Teams also create marketing pieces, such as brochures, fliers, and posters, to accompany their products.
The Bright House Solar Energy Cook-Off challenges students, in grades 4th – 8th, to design and build solar cookers, and to also cook a recipe of their own creation using the power of the sun. In Top Chef-style, each dish will be judged by a panel of experts based on taste, ingredients and creativity.

WHY:
These hands-on renewable energy competitions – for elementary, middle and high school students – expose students to alternative energy fuel sources, and encourage scientific know-how, creative thinking, experimentation and teamwork.

WHO:
More than 650 elementary, middle, and high school Florida students – from Tallahassee to Miami and everywhere in between – will participate in the EnergyWhiz Olympics.

Number of Teams in Each Competition –
Junior Solar Sprint: 60
Hydrogen Sprint: 13
Energy Innovations: 12
Solar Cook-off: 46

WHEN:
Saturday, May 9 starting at 9 a.m.

9:00 a.m. Welcome – Auditorium
Dr. James Fenton, Director, Florida Solar Energy Center

9:30 a.m. Technical Judging Begins – Junior Solar Sprint, Hydrogen Sprint
Hydrogen Sprint Presentations
Energy Innovations Displays Open to Public
Solar Energy Cook-Off – Design Judging
Solar Cookers – Displays Open to Public

11:30 a.m. Energy Innovations Judging – Middle School Teams

12 noon Energy Innovations Judging – High School Teams
Junior Solar Sprint Race Begins (Track Area 1)

1:00 p.m. Hydrogen Sprint Race Begins (Track Area 2)

2:00 p.m. Solar Energy Cook-Off – Recipe Judging (Auditorium)

3:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony (Auditorium)

WHERE:
Florida Solar Energy Center, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, FL 32922

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

For more information on these exciting educational events, visit
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/education/k-12/events/ewhiz_olympics.htm or view a video about the EnergyWhiz Olympics at http://vimeo.com/982597.

Contact Susan Schleith, FSEC Education Coordinator, at 321-638-1017 or Susan@fsec.ucf.edu.

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PR09-07

Energy Experts Offer Zero Energy Green Home Webinar Series

Sherri Shields Energy News, Press Release May 4, 2009appliance, attic, design, energy, energy efficient, green, home, HVAC, roof, solar electric, solar water heating, water heating, webinar, zero energy 11 Comments

The University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) will now offer a 12-course Webinar series on how to design, build and operate a Zero Energy Home — a home that produces as much energy as it uses.

This series of online courses offers practical education from building science experts with more than 30 years of research and experience. These courses are appropriate for architects, builders, contractors, designers, educators, energy auditors, energy raters, engineers, prospective homebuyers and utility representatives.

During these tough economic times, builders are looking for ways to attract home buyers and the new government administration is concentrating on creating “green jobs.” Zero Energy Homes provide an opportunity to accomplish both and save consumers money while reducing their carbon footprint. These courses will show participants how to maximize energy-efficient design, make the best “green” choices, and optimize performance from solar and home energy management systems.

Director's Message: Purchase a Solar Hot Water Heater Today – Chinese Solar Hot Water Heaters Certified for Sale in Florida are Safe and Efficient (But Please, Buy "Made in Florida")

Sherri Shields Director's Message, Energy News April 27, 2009bill, certification, Chinese, consumer, consumer product safety, drywall, Florida, imports, senators, solar water heater, standards, testing 5 Comments

U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Mary Landrieu have introduced a resolution and bill pressing the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall Chinese-made drywall and temporarily ban imports of the building material, as worries about the possible effects of the tainted product continue to grow. The bill would ask the Consumer Product Safety Commission to impose the ban until it can create federal drywall safety standards. It is clear that independent, third-party testing and certification has extensive value in the marketplace, especially for products such as drywall, solar water heating systems and solar electrical (photovoltaic) systems. Independent, third-party certification provides not only protection for consumers, but also much needed consumer confidence. Even more important, third-party certification provides protection to reputable manufacturers, ensuring that lower quality products, often from foreign markets, do not compete head-to-head with Florida and U.S. products unless they meet the same standards. The state of Florida had the foresight to protect Florida in 1976 through Florida’s Solar Energy Standards Act of 1976 (§377.705 F.S.) which requires the Florida Solar Energy Center to certify that “all solar energy systems manufactured or sold in the state…meet the standards established by the center and…display accepted results of approved performance tests in a manner prescribed by the center.”

Governor Crist’s climate change agenda, many states passing “real renewable energy portfolio standards,” and skyrocketing electric prices have led to strong interest in solar hot water heating. Residential electricity in Florida moved from 8 cents to 10 cents and then to 12 cents a kWh in January 2006. In the last several months, the price of electricity to some consumers in Florida has reached 15 cents a kWh! The average Florida customer who used 1,250 kWh of electricity per month paid $120 in 2005 and $152 per month in 2008. In 2009 they may be paying more than $160. So, by doing nothing, the price has gone up $40 per month (33%) since 2005!