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Clean Energy Matters
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Are You Leading The
Way?
September 2007 |
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Call us toll free: 1-800-367-2207 |
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Our Sponsor:
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About Pfister Energy
Pfister
Energy is a renewable energy company providing
innovative power solutions and energy efficiency
measures for commercial, industrial, and
institutional facilities. The company is a national
provider and installer of turnkey renewable energy
and on-site distributed power generation systems.
As a total solutions provider, Pfister Energy offers
customized alternative energy systems and assists
clients with the implementation of the latest
technologies, with an emphasis on
building-integrated applications. The company's
"green solutions" presently encompass a host of
complementary systems, including Solar Photovoltaics,
BIPV, Natural Daylighting, Fuel Cells, Wind
Turbines, Solar Lighting, and Building Envelope
Improvements. Pfister's vision is to become a
trusted design-build partner enabling more
corporations, as well as public and private
enterprises to better reap the benefits of these
progressive and sustainable forms of energy.
Visit us everyday:
www.pfisterenergy.com
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Have You Heard?
Welcome, Christine Mueller, who
joined Pfister Energy, Inc. this month as Wayne
Pfisterer's Executive Administrative Assistant. With
the company rapidly growing, Christine will help
facilitate the management of the office. Her
background includes working as an Account Analyst at
Teldata Control, Inc. and prior to that she held a
position at Samsung Opto-Electronics America as the
National Sales Coordinator for the Electronic
Imaging Division. Christine managed the
tradeshows for the division, the National Outside
Sales Reps as well as all National Accounts. In
her spare time, Christine loves being outdoors
especially at the beach and hiking. When she is not
outside she also enjoys reading and cooking.
Please welcome Ericka
Macko in a newly created position, Sales &
Marketing Coordinator. Assisting the engineering
department and the general office, she is excited to
be part of the major growth expected in the near
future. Prior to joining the Pfister family, Ericka
held various positions of responsibility in diverse
companies and industries, including Office Manager
and Personal Trainer at a health and racquetball
club, Owner of her own women's only fitness center,
Engineering Technician for PSE&G and Realtor for
Century 21. Ericka enjoys spending time with her two
children, music, movies, reading, scrapbooking and
cooking.
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What's New @ Pfister Energy |
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Innovation & Technology Corner
In order to better serve our growing customer base
Pfister Energy will be adding new locations in
California and Florida in the coming months. Pfister
Energy is very excited and is working diligently
with our partner Soprema to expedite this expansion.
These new locations will greatly advance the
building of integrated renewable systems that impact
the future of roofing and waterproofing in
commercial, industrial and institutional projects
nationally. We
will continue to keep you posted as more information
becomes available.
Pfister Energy to
Introduce New Technologies
Rain Water
Harvesting -
There's money literally falling
from the skies every time it rains. There are
systems available that help to mitigate roof runoff
and restore the natural flow of rainwater into the
ground.
These systems, called
rainwater harvesting systems, consist of tanks that
collect rainwater from rooftop downspouts and then
store the water for later use outdoors, such as
landscaping and irrigation.
Solar Thermal
Technology-
Solar thermal technology
converts radiant solar energy (sunlight) to heat.
This heat can then be harvested to produce power,
heat water for industrial uses, passively or
actively heat space, or cool space with an
absorptive cooling system. The primary advantage of
hybridization and thermal storage is that the
technologies can provide dispatchable power and
operate during periods when solar energy is not
available. Hybridization and thermal storage can
enhance the economic value of the electricity
produced and reduce its average cost.
Visit PfisterEnergy.com now to
learn about these new exciting products that we have
to offer.
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Teenager Crusades For Proper Tire Pressure
Check out Pump 'Em Up! |
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Florida girl aims
to save the planet by saving you gas
ODESSA, Fla. - When
you're 13, like Savannah Walters, and the world
is your
oyster, you can do more than try to become
an Olympic equestrian - you can also try
to change the world.
"The future is what
I'm worried about," says Walters, "the future of all
wildlife, all people and our planet."
Read Complete Article
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FOX Energy Team: New Energy Solutions
Wayne
Pfisterer in the News... |
ATLANTA
(FOX 5) -- For the next couple of days, Atlanta will
play host to some of the "greenest" minds in the
world. Environmental engineers will come together to
share ideas and products designed to save energy and
money. Click on video for more information. FOX 5's
Russ Spencer reports.
Watch Video |
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Pfister Energy Purchases Two Hybrid Vehicles |
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To date, hybrids on American roads have saved 5.5
million barrels of fuel, according to a new study
from the Department of Energy's National Renewable
Energy Lab. That's less than one full day's worth of
fuel over a seven year period. The emergence of
hybrids is one small but necessary step toward
reducing the use of petroleum.
How is
Pfister leading the way?
We are proud to announce the recent purchase of two
hybrid vehicles. Wayne Pfisterer, President of
Pfister Energy, is committed to making the workplace
a rewarding and fulfilling place to work, coupled
with his commitment to protecting the planet,
Pfisterer believes as a business owner, this is
simply the right thing to do.
Pfister Energy employee Jeff Pruneau, Project
Manager/Engineer, received the clean-operating
Ford Escape Hybrid which produces near zero
smog-forming emissions.
Greg Corbett, Operations Manager, is driving the
Mercury Mariner featuring
emissions
that are far cleaner than the regular Mariner. Jeff
(left) and Greg (right) are pictured next to their
vehicles
below.
Hybrid-electric vehicles
(HEVs) combine the benefits of gasoline engines
and electric motors and can be configured to
obtain different objectives, such as improved
fuel economy, increased power, or additional
auxiliary power for electronic devices and power
tools.
Some of the advanced technologies typically used
by hybrids include:
Regenerative Braking.
The electric motor applies resistance to the
drive train causing the wheels to slow down. In
return, the energy from the wheels turns the
motor, which functions as a generator,
converting energy normally wasted during
coasting and braking into electricity, which is
stored in a battery until needed by the electric
motor.
Electric Motor
Drive/Assist.
The electric motor
provides additional power to assist the engine
in accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. This
allows a smaller, more efficient engine to be
used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides
power for low-speed driving conditions where
internal combustion engines are least efficient.
Automatic Start/Shutoff.
Automatically shuts off the engine when the
vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it when the
accelerator is pressed. This prevents wasted
energy from idling.
Read Complete Article |
Upcoming
Pfister Events:
September 27-28, 2007 PLATINUM SPONSOR
New Jersey Clean Energy Conference,
Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, NJ
December 4-6,
2007
Green California Schools Summit,
Pasadena Conference Center,
Pasadena, CA
December 11-13, 2007
POWER-GEN International
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans,
LA
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Wind With Miller:
"Wind with Miller" was developed for students at
the age of 12-14 years and up as the primary
target group. However, use is not restricted to
schools. The web site is an easy-to-read
introduction to wind power. There are many
possibilities to plumb the depths with
activities as well as a supplementary 'grown-up'
web site consisting of about 200 pages dealing
with wind power at an upper secondary school
level (US: high school).
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Pfister Pfun Pfacts:
More than 10,000 homes in the United States are
powered entirely by solar energy.
Enough sunlight falls on the earth's surface
every hour to meet world energy demand for an
entire year.
Silicon from just one ton of sand, used in
photovoltaic cells, could produce as much
electricity as burning 500,000 tons of coal.
Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921
for his experiments with solar power and
photovoltaics.
The first big solar power plant opened in
California in 1982.
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Industry News:
Two Connecticut Utilities Submit 68
Megawatts of FuelCell Energy Power Plant
Projects to Connecticut Department of
Utility Control
Read Full Story
Energy kills. Energy
cures. campaign launches-supporting the
interconnected solution to fighting poverty
& environmental degradation
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Visit Our New Blog
It's Not Easy Being Green: Are You Leading the Way?
Check
This Out!
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Rain Water Harvesting Continued:
Because roof runoff can also be a source of
replenishment to groundwater stores, rainwater harvesting techniques are
most environmentally protective when combined with landscaping
techniques that minimize the water requirements of the plantings.
Without chemical treatment, collected rainwater is typically suitable
for all non-potable (non-human-contact) uses including: Outdoor
landscaping watering/irrigation, Vehicle and power washing, Fire
fighting, Air conditioner make-up water, General non-potable outdoor
usage, Cold water toilet flushing and clothes washing, subject to local
ordinances.
The harvesting systems consist of as much as a
10,000 gallon storage tank connected to one of the building's existing
roof downspouts. They deliver rainwater though a standard hose spigot
attached to the storage tank at pressures equivalent to typical building
pressure, allowing full use of irrigation systems for outdoor water use.
The use of collected rainwater could have a significant impact in
periods of low rainfall. The less water people use from the tap, the
less stress on the river, particularly during dry periods.
Why Harvest your Rain?
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Save valuable drinking water which will reduce
your water bills and the volume of water taken from the environment
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Reduce the amount of chemicals and energy
needed to treat and transport water to your building via the mains
water supply
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Provide an alternative water supply for
day-to-day activities (e.g. toilet flushing) independent of the
mains water supply
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Reduce the volume of storm water leaving your
property and minimize flooding Mains water has to be taken from
rivers and water tables underground.
Taking this water reduces the flow of water in our
rivers and dries up wetlands. The result is that rivers and wetlands
cannot clear themselves of sediments and pollutants and become
vulnerable to drought and flooding. When a wetland dries, CO2 is
released which then contributes to global warming. All mains water has
to be expensively treated to bring it to drinking water quality
standards; and most of it is used to flush the toilet!
Saving water by harvesting your rain reduces the
amount of chemicals and energy that the water company uses to treat your
water and to pump it your tap. It has been estimated by the US EPA
that in 2000, 7% of the world's Energy consumption was used treating and
transporting water in mains supply systems. Using less mains water will
reduce your building's carbon footprint.
For more information about rainwater harvesting,
please visit
www.rainwaterrecovery.com
Solar Thermal Technology Continued:
There are three solar thermal power systems
currently being developed by U.S. industry: parabolic troughs, power
towers, and dish/engine systems. Because these technologies involve a
thermal intermediary, they can be readily hybridized with fossil fuel
and in some cases adapted to utilize thermal storage. The primary
advantage of hybridization and thermal storage is that the technologies
can provide dispatchable power and operate during periods when solar
energy is not available. Hybridization and thermal storage can enhance
the economic value of the electricity produced and reduce its average
cost.
Parabolic Trough systems use
parabolic trough-shaped mirrors to focus sunlight on thermally efficient
receiver tubes that contain a heat transfer fluid. This fluid is heated
to 390oC (734oF) and pumped through a series of heat exchangers to
produce superheated steam which powers a conventional turbine generator
to produce electricity. Nine trough systems, built in the mid to late
1980's, are currently generating 354 MW in Southern California. These
systems, sized between 14 and 80 MW, are hybridized with up to 25%
natural gas in order to provide dispatchable power when solar energy is
not available.
Power Tower systems use a circular
field array of heliostats (large individually-tracking mirrors) to focus
sunlight onto a central receiver mounted on top of a tower. The first
power tower, Solar One, which was built in Southern California and
operated in the mid-1980's, used a water/steam system to generate 10 MW
of power. In 1992, a consortium of U.S. utilities banded together to
retrofit Solar One to demonstrate a molten-salt receiver and thermal
storage system.
Dish/Engine systems use an array
of parabolic dish-shaped mirrors (stretched membrane or flat glass
facets) to focus solar energy onto a receiver located at the focal point
of the dish. Fluid in the receiver is heated to 750oC (1,382oF) and used
to generate electricity in a small engine attached to the receiver.
Engines currently under consideration include Stirling and Brayton cycle
engines. Several prototype dish/engine systems, ranging in size from 7
to 25 kW have been deployed in various locations in the U.S. and abroad.
Towers and dishes offer the opportunity to achieve
higher solar-to-electric efficiencies and lower cost than parabolic
trough plants, but uncertainty remains as to whether these technologies
can achieve the necessary capital cost reductions and availability
improvements. Parabolic troughs are currently a proven technology
primarily waiting for an opportunity to be developed. Power towers
require the operability and maintainability of the molten-salt
technology to be demonstrated and the development of low cost
heliostats. Dish/engine systems require the development of at least one
commercial engine and the development of a low cost concentrator.
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