EDSA Introduces PUE-DCiE Advisor for Increasing Data Center Energy Efficiency
EDSA Corp., developer of the Paladin platform of power analytics software, has released its Paladin Live PUE-DCiE Advisor in support of the new electrical power efficiency standards developed by the global IT association, The Green Grid. The Green Grid is a collaborative organization of approximately 200 technology organizations, led by such firms as AT&T, Cisco, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft and others for whom mission-critical computing and environmental responsibility are driving corporate priorities.

To embrace the organization's standards, EDSA's Paladin Live power systems diagnostics platform has been enhanced to automatically present users with The Green Grid's Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and data center infrastructure efficiency (DCiE) ratings in real-time. Used in conjunction with Paladin Live's new Paladin BlackBoard option, users gain the valuable ability to take a baseline model of their operations, and – in real time – allow them to make changes or propose "what if” scenarios, allowing them to project the future impact of those changes on the calculation of PUE or DCiE.

"Because Paladin Live analyzes and diagnoses data center power infrastructure in real time every second – and down to the smallest detail – it presents facility operators with a wealth of vital information about system health, reliability, capacity and energy efficiency to guide facility planning,” said Kevin Meagher, chief technology officer for EDSA. "By pulling the data values needed to calculate energy utilization, and presenting that data in the manner specified by The Green Grid's PUE and DCiE requirements, Paladin Live is the first commercial software product to present this crucial operating information automatically and provides the ability to project or see how changes will effect these critical metrics.”

One of the goals of The Green Grid's PUE and DCiE standards is to devise a commonly-applicable formula for data centers that is easy to understand – like MPG is for cars – to enable operators to quickly estimate the energy efficiency of their data centers, compare the results against other data centers, and determine if any energy efficiency improvements can be made. 

• PUE and DCiE are defined as:
  PUE is the ratio of a facility's total power to the power being drawn by IT equipment. The ratio is on an effective scale of 1.0 to 4.0 with a low score being most desirable; ideally, a facility's score should be lower than 2.0.
• DCiE is the percentage of IT equipment power to total facility power (e.g. a DCiE of 33 percent means the IT equipment consumes one-third of the power in the facility.)  The bigger the percentage, the better, e.g. DCiE of 33 percent is better than 25 percent.

“PUE and DCiE create a common reference point that make it possible for data center operators to start making important assessments of their facilities, as well as their going-forward strategies for reducing energy usage,” Meagher added. “Imagine trying to calculate the MPG for your car – or just knowing how many miles you have left before you run out of gas – without gauges to tell you how much gas you started with, how big your gas tank is, your speed, or how far you've driven. PUE and DCiE provide values for the variables that, until now, kept data center operators largely in the dark about their energy efficiency.”

The Paladin Live PUE-DCiE Advisor feature attacks the problem of energy inefficiency in two ways: first, the Paladin DesignBase computer-aided design modeler allows power systems engineers to design, simulate and analyze the power systems model to optimize energy usage prior to construction. Once the facility is operational, EDSA's Paladin Live platform continually diagnoses the facility's performance by benchmarking it back against the design model. This continual comparison of design specifications with actual operating parameters helps to ensure that anomalies are quickly identified, isolated and resolved. 

By presenting its findings in PUE and DCiE format, Paladin Live helps data center operators make informed, real-time decisions about the energy efficiency of their facilities and develop actionable strategies for ensuring that their operations are as failsafe and energy efficient as possible.

New Presentation Announced for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability 2008
Webcom Communications has announced an addition to the program for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability 2008. Don Millstein, president and CEO, E-Mon, LLC, will present Submetering in the Sustainable Facility Environment: Benefits and Applications. Attendees will learn about electric submetering and its uses. Millstein will also discuss the concepts of energy management of electricity, gas, water, BTUs and other measurement parameters. A general overview of equipment, installation and operation will follow, against a backdrop of real-world facility case studies, focusing on cost-reduction strategies and energy savings opportunities through submetering. Facility managers will gain insight on how to maximize their operational dollar through submetering and LEED, EPACT, demand response, renewable energy and other sustainable facility energy initiatives impacting the facility bottom line.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Symposium 2008 is a two-day conference highlighting the latest technologies and applications of green and energy efficient products and services. The presentations will be particularly orientated toward industrial, manufacturing and facilities operations. The symposium will be held November 5-6 in Atlanta, Ga.

For more information about this and other presentations on the program, visit http://www.greentechnewsmag.com/energy08_program.php.

Marshall, Gerstein & Borun Launches Cleantech and Renewables Industry Group
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP, an intellectual property law firm, announces the launch of its Cleantech and Renewables Industry Group. Chaired by intellectual property veteran and partner Richard Hoffman, the group integrates nearly 20 attorneys and professionals from multiple practices to meet the legal and business demands of clients involved with technologies aimed at environmental stewardship.

The firm’s Cleantech and Renewables Industry Group offers an interdisciplinary approach to patent prosecution, litigation, licensing, trademarks, transactions and other intellectual property matters. The group’s capabilities extend from green workbench to green manufacturing and marketplace, across the full technological range, including fuel cells to recycling processes; renewable energy to waste recovery systems; and green chemicals to biomass processing.

For years, attorneys and professionals in the firm have handled matters falling within these emerging sustainable areas. Providing additional foundation for this new group, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun has handled significant technology transfer work for universities and research organizations, the sources of many cleantech developments. As a result, the firm’s attorneys are well versed in the broad spectrum of clean, green and renewable technologies and work daily to stay at the forefront of advancement in the science and sustainability industries. 

The industry group handles a range of cleantech clients, from industry leaders to academic research institutions, start-ups, emerging growth and development state technology companies, companies facing clean energy concerns and research and development joint ventures. The group represents these clients in various cleantech and renewable intellectual property issues, including biofuel/biomass, stripper well pumping technology for extending oil production, vehicle modifications for alternative fuels, cogeneration process enhancements and many other matters.

ACEEE Names Four Champions of Energy Efficiency
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) presented four Champion of Energy Efficiency Awards at its biennial conference, the Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. These awards recognize leadership and accomplishment in the energy efficiency field. Winners are selected based on demonstrated excellence in program implementation, research and development, energy policy or private sector initiatives. The winners for 2008 are:

• Philips for leading the way toward replacement of conventional incandescent lamps in the US market. Philips initiated efforts to set incandescent lamp efficiency standards in the US and played a pivotal role in working with the rest of the lighting industry, energy efficiency advocates and Congress to negotiate the lamp standard provision that was enacted as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This provision promises to be one of the most important energy efficiency appliance standards enacted in the past quarter century based on ACEEE's analysis.

• Dian Grueneich for outstanding career-long leadership in the energy efficiency field, and innovation in utility regulation. Ms. Grueneich played an important role as a leader in the movement for energy efficiency policies and regulations in California. For the past three years, she has served on the California Public Utilities Commission overseeing the implementation of some of the most aggressive and successful utility energy efficiency programs in the world. She has played a major role in helping develop incentives that reward utilities for meeting energy-saving goals, pushing for good evaluation to document program savings, and advocating for strong energy efficiency efforts as part of California’s climate change action plans.

• ENE (Environment Northeast) for shepherding policies that engage stakeholders, substantially increase energy efficiency investments and institutionalize support for energy efficiency throughout New England. Environment Northeast has played a pivotal role for over a decade in advocating for energy efficiency policies and regulations in New England, including an important role in seeking the inclusion of energy efficiency in the plans for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

• Austin Energy, Roger Duncan, General Manager, for decades of leadership in energy efficiency and sustainable energy policies and programs that serve as models for utility innovation.  Over the past two decades, Austin Energy has played a leadership role in delivering efficiency and sustainable energy programs to their customers. During this time, Duncan has advocated for and overseen the implementation of these efforts, recently assuming the role of general manager. Austin Energy and Duncan have not been content to just serve their customers' needs, but have advocated for sustainable energy policies nationally within both the public power community and in the broader utility community as well. 

These winners were nominated by their peers, and selected by a committee of ACEEE’s Board of Directors from an impressive pool of more than 75 nominations. Selection criteria were based on each nominee’s impact, innovation and leadership in the energy efficiency field.

Oregon Institute of Technology Offers Renewable Energy Systems Degree
With the number of renewable energy companies located in Oregon continuing to grow, a state university has stepped up to the plate to support the burgeoning industry cluster. In June, the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) graduated its first student with a Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy Systems, the first such degree in North America.

“The technology needed to harness natural energy resources is continually improving,” said Lita Colligan, associate vice president for strategic partnerships in Portland. “We now need to keep up with the demand for highly skilled workers who can lead the state, and the entire country, toward a sustainable energy future. OIT is obviously leading the charge in workforce education and training in this highly technical field.”

Currently, there are 55 students enrolled in the Renewable Energy Systems Degree Program, which is located on the university’s East Portland campus and also in Klamath Falls.  Graduates of the program will be prepared to enter fields involving photovoltaics, wind, biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy. Graduates of the program are prepared for immediate employment as: field engineers; energy auditors; renewable energy system integrators for homes and businesses; manufacturing engineers for component and subsystem manufacturers; designers for components and subsystems; local and state government renewable-energy inspectors and planners; as well as other positions in the energy field.          

OIT has a history as an advocate and user of sustainable energy in the region. The university’s campus in the southern Oregon city of Klamath Falls is the only geothermally heated university campus in America and is home to the Geo-Heat Center, a national resource for geothermal development.  The Portland and Klamath Falls campuses host the Oregon Renewable Energy Center (OREC), which assists businesses and communities to apply renewable energy systems, leading to cost savings and product development.

Great Forest and Luthin Associates Launch Joint Venture in Energy and Environmental Consulting 
Great Forest and Luthin Associates, energy and environmental management consultants, have formed a joint venture to provide energy management and sustainability services to the business community. 

Great Forest is a provider of sustainability services and Luthin Associates specializes in energy procurement services.

The two firms will provide new opportunities in the areas of competitive energy purchasing, master planning and energy conservation and sustainability.

Luthin Associates brings 14 years of experience in managing the procurement of energy for large commercial and institutional organizations. The firm is also a leader in regulatory and legislative consumer advocacy on energy issues. 

Great Forest has 19 years of consulting experience in sustainability services, including environmental assessments, waste brokering, LEED consulting, ISO 14001 and 9001 certification, as well as energy services. 

Olympic Village in Beijing Earned LEED Gold Certification
Athletes who participated in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing stayed at a first-of-its-kind, environmentally friendly Olympic Village. The plan for the village, the temporary home to 17,000 athletes from around the world, has been awarded LEED-Gold certification by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) under its pilot LEED for Neighborhood Development certification program.

The Beijing Olympic Village is the first Olympic Village to receive LEED certification, and as part of the pilot program, it is one of only eight developments – and the first international project – to thus far achieve certification under LEED for Neighborhood Development. The pilot program began with a call for pilot projects in early 2007. Nearly 240 projects from 39 states and six countries are now registered to participate in the pilot program. The information learned during the pilot program will be used to make further revisions to the rating system and certification process, and the resulting draft rating system will be posted for public comment before it is submitted for final approvals and balloting.