Chris Calwell

Efficiency in a Climate-Constrained World: Are We Aiming High Enough?

Climate scientists have determined that a proportional U.S. contribution to stabilizing atmospher... more Climate scientists have determined that a proportional U.S. contribution to stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases requires absolute greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 60 to 80% by mid-century, with additional reductions needed thereafter. The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and other organizations have found that half or more of those savings should come from efficiency to minimize cost. Yet utility-funded efficiency programs and mandatory efficiency standards are not currently on course to deliver those needed savings. Most utilities' financial health is still tied directly to increases in sales of electricity, and their efficiency efforts attest as much. Although many utilities are now including carbon costs in resource planning, the practice is far from routine when assessing the cost effectiveness of efficiency programs. Some utilities are still pursuing efficiency programs as a supplement to their proposals to build new coal-fired generation, rather than a substitute for them. Even California's much-touted efficiency successes have only stabilized per-capita consumption; absolute consumption is continuing to rise. This paper examines the level of U.S. efficiency achievement needed to stabilize the climate and the expected budget levels for such an effort. It considers the national utility efficiency program budgets that would result from the whole country running today's best-inclass programs (>$12 billion/year), and whether the savings from such programs would be sufficient to meet climate targets. It considers three examples of consumer products-light bulbs, refrigerators, and televisions-to illustrate the level of absolute reduction in energy consumption needed to achieve climate targets vs. the recent pace of efficiency improvement for each. Lastly, it proposes guiding principles for future efficiency programs and policies to ensure that climate targets can, in fact, be met.

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In Search of Synergy The role of benchmarking in measuring and enhancing computer efficiency

Policymakers, consumers, and industry all have a vested interest in the development of system-lev... more Policymakers, consumers, and industry all have a vested interest in the development of system-level efficiency metrics for computers. This paper outlines a novel approach for measuring computer efficiency called efficiency benchmarking. We discuss preliminary validation studies for this method, challenges to consider for the future, and potential uses for this approach in policy development.

Toward a National Energy Policy

As the 1980s draw to a close, apathy and indifference about energy policy are once again vanishin... more As the 1980s draw to a close, apathy and indifference about energy policy are once again vanishing after a prolonged reign - but not for any of the usual reasons. Fuel supplies generally are ample and priced to sell; suppliers are numerous and shrilly competitive. The Strait of Hormuz seems increasingly hard to distinguish from any other place that American high school students cannot find on a map. The new urgency that is building has little in common with the fears evoked by the energy crises of the 1970s, although the deep vulnerabilities exposed at that time remain very much with us. Instead, energy issues now dominate an environmental protection agenda of unprecedented scope and significance, both in the United States and abroad. The fevered speculation that once preceded meetings of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has given way to concern about potentially catastrophic increases in global temperatures. Acid rain has proved a more enduring and intractable problem than gasoline lines. Nuclear power proponents have substituted arguments about their industry's contribution to pollution control for dishonorably retired claims that their product might one day be too cheap to meter. After thermonuclear weapons, the burning of fossil fuels is emerging as the greatest threat to the habitability of the planet. Global warming is for now the preeminent, although by no means the only, manifestation of that threat; fossil fuel combustion is primarily responsible for the escalating carbon-dioxide emissions that account for at least one-half of the projected atmospheric warming.1 No responsible national policymaker Ralph Cavanagh, Chris Calwell, David Goldstein, and Robert Watson are on the staff of the Energy Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council. They gratefully acknowledge the encouragement and financial support of the Florence and John Schumann Foundation.

AC-DC server power supplies: making the leap to higher efficiency

Twentieth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition, 2005. APEC 2005., Jun 28, 2005

Abstract Basic 1u and 2u (&quot; desktop-derived&quot;) servers represent the vast majori... more

Active mode power supply efficiency: key issues, measured data and the design competition opportunity

Abstract Much of the focus on power supply efficiency to date has been on standby power use. Our ... more

Link Between Emissions, Fuel Economy

Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, May 1, 1990

In the United States, the 136 million vehicles on our roads account for 46,000 annual traffic dea... more In the United States, the 136 million vehicles on our roads account for 46,000 annual traffic deaths, 20 to 25 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, 20 percent of chlorofluorocarbon emissions, and the continuing transformation of countless ecosystems into highway ramps and parking lots. We must, now, improve dramatically the efficiency of our automotive fleet in response to these mounting economic and environmental threats. Congress has before it several global-warming bills with fuel-economy provisions. Most aim to get the country back to the pace of fuel-economy improvements attained in the late 1970s and early 1980s when efficiency doubled over a 14 year period. The technology and policy tools are available. Further improvements in automotive emissions and efficiency are mutually compatible. Now policy makers must wield the right tools, skillfully and soon, to fix the problem.

Link Between Emissions, Fuel Economy

In the United States, the 136 million vehicles on our roads account for 46,000 annual traffic dea... more In the United States, the 136 million vehicles on our roads account for 46,000 annual traffic deaths, 20 to 25 percent of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, 20 percent of chlorofluorocarbon emissions, and the continuing transformation of countless ecosystems into highway ramps and parking lots. We must, now, improve dramatically the efficiency of our automotive fleet in response to these mounting economic and environmental threats. Congress has before it several global-warming bills with fuel-economy provisions. Most aim to get the country back to the pace of fuel-economy improvements attained in the late 1970s and early 1980s when efficiency doubled over a 14 year period. The technology and policy tools are available. Further improvements in automotive emissions and efficiency are mutually compatible. Now policy makers must wield the right tools, skillfully and soon, to fix the problem.

Capturing Plug Load Energy Savings with a Wide Net: Horizontal Policy Lessons Learned and Future Opportunities

Energy Information Administration's 2011 Annual Energy Outlook projects plug loads to grow 60% fr... more Energy Information Administration's 2011 Annual Energy Outlook projects plug loads to grow 60% from 2010 to 2030, dwarfing traditional categories like lighting and HVAC. Although certain plug loads, such as TVs, set-top boxes and office equipment, represent large portions of the energy usage and growth, the majority of plug load energy is consumed by a diverse group of miscellaneous plug load products that are challenging to address with devicespecific standards. Horizontal mandatory standards for a common plug load component, the external power supply, have already saved at least 30 billion kWh worldwide. Forthcoming California and U.S. battery charger standards are expected to save an even larger percentage of total plug load energy use. Yet, these initiatives fall short of addressing all possible horizontal plug load energy savings. Requirements that improve power factor and promote effective power scaling are opportunities to catch further savings. Currently, many plug load devices have poor power factor, inefficiently drawing current from the wall plug outlet, and ultimately increasing energy losses in building wiring. Plug loads can also dramatically reduce energy use by intelligently scaling power to match the level of service provided to consumers. Worldwide savings from improving power factor would be approximately 16 billion kWh per year, the equivalent of taking six 500 MW coal-fired power plants offline-considered six "Rosenfelds" of savings. 1 Savings from power scaling could be even larger; in U.S. residences alone, we estimate roughly 70 TWh per year-or 20 Rosenfelds-are possible. This paper first examines lessons learned from prior horizontal plug load efforts, including external power supplies and battery charger systems. We then identify and analyze future horizontal standards opportunities in power factor and power scaling, providing technical rationale, savings opportunities and policy approaches.

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modification. Neither PG&E nor any of its employees makes any warranty, express of inplied; or as... more modification. Neither PG&E nor any of its employees makes any warranty, express of inplied; or assumes any legal liabiliiy or responsibility lor the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any data, information, method, product, policy or process disclosed in this document; or represents that its use will not infringe any privately-owned rigMs including, but not limited lo, patents, trademarks or copyrights. TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The Time is Ripe for Paying Attention to Clothes Drying Technology and Policy in Relation to Efficiency and Drying Time

The time it takes for a clothes dryer to dry a load of laundry is important to consumers. On a he... more The time it takes for a clothes dryer to dry a load of laundry is important to consumers. On a heavy laundry day, many consumers expect the drying to be completed by the time the washing is done in order to quickly run one load after another. To assess the efficiency of dryer technologies with respect to drying time, we tested a variety of North American and European dryers. Further, we modified a conventional dryer to include exhaust air-to-air heat exchanger technology. We found various energy-efficient dryer technologies can have significant impacts on drying time. Unvented heat pump dryers, which can use 50 to 60 percent less energy compared to conventional electric dryers, take two to two-and-a-half times as long to dry. Another efficient dryer technology is an exhaust heat exchanger that uses waste heat coming out of the drum to preheat incoming air. This technology can reduce energy use by about 20 percent and actually reduces drying time. Another method of saving significant...

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CELLULAR PHONES Advancements in Energy Efficiency and Opportunities for Energy Savings

ABOUT NRDC NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is a national, nonprofit organization of scie... more ABOUT NRDC NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and e-activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.nrdc.org.

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Charge! A new battle cry for energy efficiency: beware the rarely used, but still plugged-in, cell phone charger! Rechargeable electronic products are consuming more power than one might think, even when the product is disconnected from the charger.(Appliances)

Home Energy, Mar 1, 2004

Defining a standard metric for electricity savings

Environmental Research Letters, 2010

The growing investment by governments and electric utilities in energy efficiency programs highli... more The growing investment by governments and electric utilities in energy efficiency programs highlights the need for simple tools to help assess and explain the size of the potential resource. One technique that is commonly used in that effort is to characterize electricity savings in terms of avoided power plants, because it is easier for people to visualize a power plant than it is to understand an abstraction like billions of kilowatthours. Unfortunately, there is no standardization around the characteristics of such power plants. In this article we define parameters for a standard avoided power plant that have physical meaning and intuitive plausibility, for use in back-of-the-envelope calculations. For the prototypical plant this article settles on a 500-megawatt existing coal plant operating at a 70% capacity factor with 7% T&D losses. Displacing such a plant for one year would save 3 billion kWh/year at the meter and reduce emissions by 3 million metric tons of CO 2 per year. The proposed name for this metric is the Rosenfeld, in keeping with the tradition among scientists of naming units in honor of the person most responsible for the discovery and widespread adoption of the underlying scientific principle in question-Dr. Arthur H. Rosenfeld.

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Coalbed Methane in the San Juan Basin of Colorado and New Mexico

Part of the Energy Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Geotechnical Engineering Commons, Hydr... more Part of the Energy Law Commons, Environmental Law Commons, Geotechnical Engineering Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons, Land Use Planning Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons, Water Law Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons

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Lean, Green, and Solid State: Measuring and Enhancing Computer Efficiency

Computers represent a growing share of the electric load for homes and businesses. What opportuni... more Computers represent a growing share of the electric load for homes and businesses. What opportunities exist to trim that load cost-effectively? In 2005, major processor manufacturers, including Intel and AMD, began to market their CPUs on the basis of operational efficiency rather than raw computing power, bringing the term “performance-per-watt” into the computer industry’s lexicon. The shift in focus toward efficiency has evolved out of necessity, as computer manufacturers seek to achieve ever-greater computer performance while limiting the amount of heat generated by processors and video cards. Computer efficiency in the active mode – when the computer is operating and not in “standby” or “sleep” mode – can be enhanced through a handful of core components working collectively to shave watts. The incorporation of highly efficient and right-sized power supplies, processor power-throttling features, and more efficient video cards in desktop computer designs can reduce active mode po...

Test Method for Calculating the Energy Efficiency of Single-Voltage External Ac-Dc and Ac-Ac Power Supplies

What Lurks Beneath: Energy Savings Opportunities from Better Testing and Technologies in Residential Clothes Dryers

In the US, clothes dryers account for approximately 6% of residential electricity consumption and... more In the US, clothes dryers account for approximately 6% of residential electricity consumption and $9 billion in annual energy costs. They are the largest home energy savings opportunity for which no utility incentives or labeling exist. We conducted laboratory testing on 15 dryer models representing a wide range of technologies, fuel types, features, and load capacities. Our testing identified three key shortcomings in current test procedures that downplay the benefits of more efficient dryers:  They employ easy-to-dry, uniform partly synthetic test cloths instead of more representative and diverse articles of real clothing  They do not compare different dryer technologies on source energy use, CO 2 , or consumer cost basis, thus overlooking the key advantages of natural gas dryers  They do not allow dryers to shut themselves off automatically, thus failing to reveal differences in how quickly and appropriately dryers terminate the drying process

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In Search of Synergy The role of benchmarking in measuring and enhancing computer efficiency

Policymakers, consumers, and industry all have a vested interest in the development of system-lev... more Policymakers, consumers, and industry all have a vested interest in the development of system-level efficiency metrics for computers. This paper outlines a novel approach for measuring computer efficiency called efficiency benchmarking. We discuss preliminary validation studies for this method, challenges to consider for the future, and potential uses for this approach in policy development.

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