Students Do The Teaching at Unique Energy Summit

Sherri Shields Press Release , , ,

A student skit on “Hydrogen Hero,” a student-built hydrogen combustion engine and a debate on hydrogen versus gasoline cars were just a few of the projects highlighted at Progress Energy’s YES Summit held at the University of Central Florida on April 20.

The student-led event, kicked-off by a rousing energy cheer from elementary school students, was designed to let students from elementary through high school take the energy-related concepts they had studied during the year — especially in renewable energy and hydrogen — and share that knowledge with the community to reduce our nations energy use. Read more

FSEC Tax Credit Compliance Software First to be Accredited by National Energy Services Network

Sherri Shields Press Release , ,

“We’re Number One!” is a cheer usually heard at sports events, but they’re saying it a lot these days in the research labs and offices at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC).

That’s because FSEC’s widely acclaimed new software that allows homebuilders around the country to easily and accurately take advantage of the new $2,000 federal tax credits for energy-efficient homes has been selected the first – and so far, the only – software listed in the National Registry of accredited Tax Credit Compliance Software. The listing, maintained by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), provides information to builders, energy raters, mortgage brokers, tax analysts and others on RESNET accredited software programs for the new tax rules. It is online at http://www.resnet.us/programs/taxcredit_software/directory.htm . Read more

Southeast Students Compete in Middle School Science Bowl at FSEC

Sherri Shields Press Release , , ,

A record-setting 33 teams participated in the Southeast Regional Middle School Science Bowl hosted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) on April 1, making this annual event one of the largest regional science bowl competitions in the nation.

The Science Bowl is designed to encourage middle school students to excel in mathematics, science and engineering. The event features both a fast-paced question-and-answer competition and a hands-on engineering event. Teams participate in the academic competition until one winning team remains. The top eight teams then participate in a hands-on science activity, building and racing a hydrogen fuel cell model car. Read more

China Renewable Energy Development Project Members Visit FSEC

Sherri Shields Press Release , ,

A delegation of high-level officials of the Chinese solar electricity industry and the foremost experts in their policy and market development areas, participating in the China Renewable Energy Development Project, (REDP), visited the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa, Florida on March 13 as part of their study tour of solar electric businesses and institutions in the United States. In addition to visiting FSEC, the group met with major photovoltaics (solar electric) manufacturers in the New York and Boston area and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. Read more

FSEC Director Addresses 2014 Energy Use

Sherri Shields Energy News , , 0 Comment

— Taking Charge of Our Energy Future: Choosing the Better Pie

On January 10, 2006, FSEC Director Jim Fenton addressed the Florida Senate Committee on Communications and Public Utilities, commonly called the “Energy Committee,” with a positive message on how Florida can leverage federal tax credits for renewable energy and energy efficiency to significantly alter its outlook for electric energy use in 2014. Current Florida projections for electric energy use in 2014 call for Florida utilities to produce 75 billion killowatt-hours more energy than they produced in 2004, a 32% increase in energy use over the decade.

Fenton compared the “business as usual model” that results in Florida’s 2014 energy use projections against the results of an in-house FSEC study that illustrates how future electrical use could be dramatically reduced within Florida’s largest energy use sector — residences, which make up 51% of the total.

Pie chart: New Energy Generation Projected for 2014; pie chart1 - Natural Gas 72%, Coal, 28%; Pie chart 2 - Natural Gas 46%, Coal 28%, Homes Save 26%

The pie chart on the left presents Florida’s current projection for growth in electric energy generation between 2004 and 2014 and the one on the right presents an alternative if renewable energy and energy efficiency are aggressively pursued by the state, leveraging the federal tax credits. (All savings were assumed to come from growth in natural gas generation due to the rapidly rising cost of natural gas.)

These results come from studies conducted by FSEC using typical Florida homes in various Florida climates. Results are then projected to statewide savings. To qualify for the federal tax credits, individual home savings are significant at 50% of heating and cooling costs. As a result, total home energy savings exceed 40% in all Florida climates.

Summer Peak Day Demand for Tampa graph indicating 2.06 kW difference between 2004 Baseling and EERE (Tax Credit) Home

These individual savings, when projected to a statewide level, result in significant benefits to the state over the 10-year time period
between 2004 and 2014, as follows:

Total energy savings
24.7 TWh
Total consumer cost savings
$2.47 billion
Total fuel not purchased
$1.24 billion
Avoided capacity
1,669 MW
Avoided generation costs
$1.67 billion
New jobs
126,000
Tradable renewable energy credits (TRECs)
$420 million
CO2 savings
26.4 million tons

Dr. Fenton’s full power point presentation, “Taking Charge of Our Energy Future: Choosing the Better Pie” and the FSEC study that developed the data for the presentation, “Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Savings To Impact Florida’s Projected Energy Use in 2014” may be downloaded using the links below:

Taking Charge of Our Energy Future (Powerpoint, 2 MB)

Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Acrobat pdf icon pdf 1.4 MB, html)