A variety of research projects -- ranging from the development of more efficient, low-cost kitchen lights, to the building of a surge protector to prevent brownouts, thus ensuring electric grid reliability -- have been approved for funding by the California Energy Commission.

Twenty-four public interest research projects will receive combined funds of $13.6 million, in line with the state's desire to make electricity safer, more affordable, reliable and environmentally-sound for Californians. About $6.3 million in matching funds will be provided by the organizations submitting the winning proposals.

The 24 winners were selected out of 169 proposals from the research, development and demonstration (RD&D) community in response to the second general solicitation of the Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program.

Specifically, the Commission's RD&D Committee recommended funding $6.8 million for 14 projects to improve end-use energy efficiency. The same amount goes to 10 strategic energy research projects.

In the first round of PIER solicitations in June, 1998, 20 additional projects dealing with environmental research, advanced generation and renewable energy technology were awarded $18.3 million. Matching funds for those projects amounted to $48 million.

In California's restructured electricity market, the Energy Commission's PIER program makes certain that ratepayers continue to reap RD&D benefits from technology advancement. PIER will make available about $62 million annually through the year 2001 for public interest research projects that advance energy science or technology, areas not adequately provided for by regulated and competitive markets.

"These awards round out the first cycle of PIER contracts, setting a foundation for future innovations and inventions," said Commission Vice Chair David A. Rohy, who heads the RD&D Committee. "They represent broad opportunities and investments in the future."

In the area of end-use energy efficiency, funding was provided to:

• Four projects from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley:
  • $648,603 to develop and demonstrate low-cost energy efficient downlights for home kitchens; Contact: Stephen Johnson, (510) 486-4274 ;

  • $537,000 to develop diagnostic tools to measure how thermal distribution systems work, and evaluate duct improvement technologies for these systems; Contact: Mark Madera, (510) 486-4687;

  • $449,841 to assess and develop power management interface standards for office equipment; Contact: Alan Meier, (510) 486-4740;

  • $710,000 to develop energy diagnostic and audits for houses; Contact: Max Sherman, (510) 486-4022
  
  

• Windlite Corporation, Mountain View, $411,614 to improve the efficiency of household refrigerators with the use of 3-phase motors in a single-phase applications; Contact: Dr. T.S. Jayadev, (650) 964-1596

• Two projects from Davis Energy Group, Davis:

  • $248,719 to develop and test a heat exchanger for an advanced indirect evaporative cooler; Contact: Richard Bourne, (530) 753-1100;

  • $713,246 to develop and evaluate alternatives for compressor cooling in residential buildings; Contact: David Springer, (530) 753-1100

  
  

• RLW Analytics, Inc., Sonoma, $452,655 to develop an energy analysis module for existing 3-D conceptual design software for commercial buildings; Contact: Ed Erickson, (707) 939-8823

• Two projects from Eley Associates, San Francisco:

  • $216,190 to develop a Windows-based software to assist homeowners and design professionals in evaluating the energy use of homes in the restructured electricity market;

  • $233,280 to develop a reference set of energy efficiency specifications for inclusion in construction documents for commercial buildings;

    Contact: Charles Eley, (415) 957-1977

  
  

• Arthur D. Little, Inc., Massachusetts, $756,095 to design, test and demonstrate a market-optimized residential heat-pump water heater; (Manufacturing Associates of Petaluma will monitor the field tests; Pacific Plumbing of Penn Valley will install and remove the field units) Contact: Robert Zogg, (617) 498-6081

• Gas Research Institute, Chicago, $690,178 to develop and test in Menlo Park new corrosive resistant materials for absorption coolers; Contact: Kevin Krist, (773) 399-8211

• WaterTech Partners, Moraga, $440,400 to demonstrate the feasibility of using ozone water treatment technology to recycle chiller bath rinse water in poultry processing; Contact: Ronald Enzweiler, (925) 283-4918

• Pacific Gas & Electric Company, San Ramon, $276,165 to improve the energy efficiency of commercial kitchen ventilation systems with flow-visualization research and guidelines for the food service industry; Contact: Grant Brohard, (925) 866-5713

• Engineering Data Management, Inc. (Colorado), $499,402 to develop and demonstrate a system for real-time monitoring of conductor clearances and sags in power lines; Contact: Andrew H. Stewart, (970) 204-4001

• W. Brandt Goldsworthy & Associates, Torrance, $75,000 to develop a composite reinforced aluminum conductor for use in electricity transmission systems; Contact: W. Brandt Goldsworthy (310) 375-4565

• Trinity Flywheel Power, San Francisco, $1,057,406 to design, test and demonstrate a 2kWhr flywheel energy storage system for distributed generation and load shifting; Contact: John Eastwood, (415) 362-0634

• Energy and Environmental Research Corporation, Irvine, $981,952 to research and develop a hybrid combustion/gasification technology utilizing a low-grade biomass and waste fuels to reduce pollution in existing biomass boilers; Contact: Dr. Vladimir Zamansky, (949) 859-8851

• Energy Compression Research Corporation, San Diego, $494,239 to design and build a prototype light-activated surge protection thyristor to increase distribution system reliability and prevent cascading electrical failures; Contact: Andrew W. Palowitch, (619) 450-6612

• Southen California Edison Company, San Dimas, $300,000 to design and test an energy-efficient secondary loop refrigeration system for supermarkets; Contact: Ramin Faramarzi (909) 394-8683

• Alternative Energy Systems, Carlsbad, $554,010 to develop and demonstrate software to schedule and control distributed energy resources in a electricity competitive market; Contact: Gerald L. Gibson (619) 560-7182

• Solar Turbines, Inc., San Diego, $814,543 to develop ultra low NOx catalyctic combustion system for industrial gas turbines in distributed power and cogeneration applications; Contact: Dr. Ken Smith, (619) 544-5539

• Materials Integrity Solutions, Berkeley, $900,000 to develop and test a sagging line mitigator to automatically interact the sagging of high voltage transmission lines because of high ambient temperature and current flow; Contact: Dr. Manuchehr Shirmohamadi, (510) 594-0300

• Collins Pine Company, Chester, $1,148,961 to develop and demonstrate how a combined biomass to ethanol facility and a biomass electric generator can improve the economic viability of biomass power plants; Contact: L.W. Potts Jr., (530) 258-2111