Noritz America Corp. has developed the Noritz Commercial Department, launching a commercial line of tankless water heaters. It consists of regional teams of commercial professionals to assist with all retrofitting and new commercial projects, according to Yoshi Asano, Noritz America senior marketing manager.

“Our new commercial division will consist of the top technical experts within the industry who will be able to handle the needs of the nation’s entire business community due to our outreach in every major region of the country,” said Asano.

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India’s National Solar Mission continues to encourage an inflow of solar investments. Ascent Solar Technologies, a developer of flexible thin-film solar modules, has revealed that it has signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with India’s Kirloskar Integrated Technologies to integrate, market and distribute Ascent Solar’s flexible CIGS photovoltaic modules into products designed to address multiple market opportunities in this Asian country.

According to a press release issued by Ascent Solar, target markets include defence, consumer portable power, off grid rural power solutions and hybrid solar and diesel generation back up power systems. Phase two of the agreement provides for the establishment of a complete backend module assembly plant in India, while the third and final phase of the contact is designed to expand production in India to include complete end to end module manufacturing. This agreement results from the collaboration achieved thus far under a memorandum of understanding signed in September of 2009 between the two companies.

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By: Ken Monnier, Vice President of A/C Engineering, Emerson Climate Technologies.

HVACR compressor manufacturers strive to deliver high levels of reliability, comfort, and efficiency in a market that also demands low cost and compliance with environmental laws. But now, more than ever, they are faced with an even stronger charge to provide compressors that offer an optimum level of efficiency while maintaining reliability and comfort.

The latest legislation, regulations, and end user preferences have contributed to that charge, creating tough demands with regard to energy efficiency and comfort. Compressor manufacturers have been making sure these challenges are faced head on by continuously delivering cutting-edge improvements in compression technology.

MODULATING TECHNOLOGY: A BALANCING ACT

Today’s conventional, fixed-capacity compressors have a lot to offer, but because full compressor capacity is not always needed, units with conventional compressors run intermittently, to reduce output under light load conditions. This can cause discomfort from temperature swings and poor humidity control, as well as decreases in efficiency and overall reliability. As a result, manufacturers have worked to develop technologies that specifically meet part-load challenges and provide higher efficiency, improved comfort, and better system performance.

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Well this is embarrassing: Federal monitors granted the Energy Star stamp of approval to a number of bogus appliances, including a gas-powered alarm clock and an electric space heater with a feather duster taped to it. The Government Accountability Office submitted the fake items in an audit to test the integrity of the well-known efficiency program. The New York Times describes how it worked:

The fake companies submitted data indicating that the models consumed 20 percent less energy than even the most efficient ones on the market. Yet those applications were mostly approved without a challenge or even questions, the report said.

“Auditors concluded that the Energy Star program was highly vulnerable to fraud.”

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HARTFORD, Conn. — The head of New England’s power grid said Thursday that alternative energy is popular but is not being funded, leading to uncertainty in the market.

Gordon van Welie, president and chief executive officer of ISO-New England in Holyoke, Mass., said in a media briefing that it’s not clear where markets are headed in the use of renewable energy.

“There’s a lot of rhetoric about renewable, especially wind,” he said.

However, sufficient funding is uncertain, van Welie said.

He also said he doesn’t believe nuclear power will soon be part of the energy mix.

Van Welie said he believes facilities will be built for natural gas because it’s one of the cheapest resources.

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