Their vision is a future in which all of BC’s energy comes from clean, renewable, efficient sources, for electricity, transport, and all other purposes, respecting the integrity of nature and the needs of humans and other species and their habitat, both now and in future generations, and in which BC becomes a net exporter of clean, renewable energy.
A particularly useful feature of this website is a directory of sustainable energy.
US DOEs
EREN - US Department of Energys' Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Network
http://www.eren.doe.gov/
The centre of the Web for energy efficiency and renewable energy research
and information, covering industry and transportation, as well as buildings.
ERENs alphabetical listing of EE/RE internet sites (http://www.eren.doe.gov/AB/)
is the most comprehensive available on the Web circa 2001, but unfortunately
is not annotated, and can be overwhelming to those who don't already know
where they want to go.
ERENs technology Fact Sheets (http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/
factsheet.html) introduce a wide variety of topics for the general
reader, but are somewhat uneven and not very useful to technical folk.
GBIC -
Green Building Information Council
http://greenbuilding.ca/
Supported by Natural Resources Canada's C2000 program, the GBIC and its
president, Dr. Ray Cole of the UBC School of Architecture, have been central
sparkplugs driving the seminal Green Building Challenge conferences. The
site, edited by Nils Larsen of NRCan, is primarily an index for green
and energy-efficient building resources, but also allows ordering of the
GBC proceedings - one of the best sources on performance of green buildings
globally. The GBIC also publishes the Advanced Buildings Newsletter bimonthly;
the website has .pdf files of past issues available for free download.
The GBIC site hosts - an excellent resource on green building technologies
and approaches, in its "Advanced Buildings Technologies and Practices"
section; with case studies, technology summaries and contacts - home page
for Natural Resources Canada's Buildings Group, which develops software
tools to support energy-efficient building design.
Center
for Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technologies (CREST)
http://www.crest.org/
An excellent introduction to renewable energy technologies and information,
CREST is strongest on breaking news; but also has brief introductions
to RE technologies, with links to more detailed information resources.
Formerly known as "Solstice', the new CREST site hosts several of the
best building energy listservs, including the Green Building, Green Power
and StrawBale lists as well as several bioenergy lists. CREST is complete
with search engine that includes its site and its' listserv archives.
University
of Rochester District Energy WWW Virtual Library
http://www.energy.rochester.edu/
Part of the World Wide Web Virtual Library, this site focuses on District
Energy Systems: combined heat & power, district heating and cooling, and
energy storage. Site includes brief summaries of issues, publications,
district energy projects and WWW information resources.
City of
Santa Monica Green Buildings Design & Construction Guidelines Resource
List
http://greenbuildings.santa-monica.org/
Conflict of Interest Declaration! I headed the team (with David Rousseau
and Ray Cole, among others) that created Santa Monicas GB Guidelines.
We tried very hard to make them as useful as possible to time-pressed
design and construction professionals. Covering Siting and Form, Landscape,
Transportation, Envelope/Space Planning, Materials, Water, Electrical,
HVAC and Control Systems, as well as Construction Management and Commissioning,
each chapter has a discussion of its topic, an annotated information resource
list, and (most important) Recommended Practices that succintly illustrate
and summarize most GB design approaches. While it's tailored to what works
in the coastal Southern California climate, I'd say that most of the design
advice is useful anywhere. Available for free download as one or several
.pdf files, the site also includes an annotated WWW resource list.
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY ORGANIZATIONS & GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
CMHC -
Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/cmhc.html/
The CMHC is Canada's premier source for research and information on housing
design and energy-efficiency, and (deservedly) world-renowned in northern
home design. Their website is comprehensive, with sections on house markets;
purchasing a house; construction, renovation and maintenance; and mortgage
insurance (a central function of the CMHC), among others.
Of particular
interest to green house designers, builders and prospective owners:
Housing
Innovations
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/burema/hoin/
index.cfm
Summaries of latest information on new house construction technique.
The Water Conservation section is particularly good.
Highrises
& Multiples
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/burema/himu/
index.cfm
The Highrise & Multiples Innovation Group at CMHC examines and promotes
research into issues surrounding highrise construction, operation, maintenance
and repair. The link to their excellent "Best Practice Guides" summarises
the documents and CDs available (for a price); these typically include
technical information as well as print and AutoCad details. The "Better
Building Fact Sheets" are profusely illustrated 4-page case studies
aimed at building owners and managers, focussed on improvements to multi-unit
housing buildings. The "Building Innovation" link lists Canadian and
international case studies.
CHIC -
Canadian Housing Information Centre
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/Library/
Current Housing Research
Current and past issues of "Current Housing Research" are available for
free .pdf download at this URL. "Current Housing Research" is a journal
produced three times a year by the Canadian Housing Information Centre,
listing research undertaken and sponsored by the CMHC. Each edition contains
information on completed research reports, new publications, videos and
bibliographies, as well as planned and ongoing research projects. An alphabetical
title index of items listed is included at the end for quick reference.
This is the most comprehensive and accessible listing of Canadian housing
research available - and an excellent (indispensable?) resource.
Research
Reports Listing
This page lists CMHC research documents (free to Canadian citizens); topics
range from acoustics to HVAC to water conservation. Download a .pdf page,
check off the publications you'd like, and email it to the CHIC at [email protected].
They mail you the paper documents within a day or so. Excellent resource,
excellent service!
ACCESS-CMHC
- Canadian Housing Information Centre Online Catalog
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/library/
accmhc/ accmhc_001.cfm
The CHIC is a terrific resource on all aspects of housing. While there
is a CMHC office in Vancouver, this covers their entire 75,000 volume
collection; unfortunately searching their catalog requires using Telnet,
and a (free) username and password. This site offers a manual that shows
how to use the catalog.
Research
Highlights
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/publications/
en/rh-pr/ index.html
Index of CMHCs Research Highlights: brief, semi-technical summaries of
CMHC research papers.
Natural
Resources Canada Office of Energy Efficiency
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/
The Office of Energy Efficiency has prime responsibility for policy and
technology development for energy conservation in Canada, under Natural
Resources Canada's wing. Their site is a good resource for Canadian statistics,
and information on federal policy and programs aimed at energy conservation
and greenhouse gas reduction. Their "Document Search" database lists NRCAN
publications and case studies, available for free download: http://energy-publications.nrcan.gc.ca/.
Especially informative documents include the "Energy Use in Canada" web
page http://oee1.nrcan.gc.ca/dpa/;
"Energy Efficiency Trends in Canada, 1990 to 1998"; "The State of Energy
Efficiency in Canada - OEE report, October 2000"; and, for designers and
researchers, their "Publications and Products Catalogue - Spring 2001".
NRCan/OEE
Programs
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/english/programs/index.cfm
is the OEEs index to Federal government energy-efficiency programs. The
ones I find most useful are:
CBIP
- Commercial Buildings Incentive Program
http://cbip.nrcan.gc.ca/cbip.htm
Natural Resources Canada's Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP)
offers financial incentives for incorporation of energy efficiency features
in new commercial/institutional building designs. With incentives (July
2001) of 2x annual energy cost savings (as compared to an MNECB-compliant
design), up to a maximum of $60,000, this program is one of the best
the Federal Government is currently administering. The site provides
free download of EE4, the DOE 2.1e-based energy simulation software
specifically designed for CBIP use.
R2000
- Energy-efficient Housing http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/english/
newhouses_r2000.cfm
The venerable R-2000 Program encourages the building of healthy, environmentally-friendly,
energy-efficient houses. House builders volunteer to build to the R-2000
standard, which exceeds the efficiency level required by building codes
and other regulations. This site has a variety of publications on the
R2000 program - but little technical detail. For the numbers and details
on energy-efficient housing, the CMHC (above) is a much better resource.
Energy
Innovators Program http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/eii/english/home.cfm
The Energy Innovators Initiative (EII) helps commercial businesses and
public institutions explore energy efficiency options and strategies,
offering a variety of of tools, services and financial incentives, delivered
through an Energy Innovators Officer who will be assigned to work with
EII members. The EII offfers financial incentives, and information support
to Canadian businesses that reduce their energy consumption.
FBI
- Federal Buildings Initiative http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/fbi/home_page.cfm
The FBI's job is to promote private-public sector partnerships to plan
and implement cost-effective facility upgrades and retrofits. This site
has a short list of case studies, and a variety of FBI documents.
EnerGuide
http://energuide.nrcan.gc.ca/
EnerGuide is the source of the energy-efficiency labels on much Canadian
equipment. This site summarizes energy considerations for comparison-shopping
for energy-efficient appliances, residential heating and cooling equipment,
vehicles, housing products and housing in Canada - but, unfortunately,
does not have comprehensive comparisons of EnerGuide ratings.
CANMET
CEDRL - Canadian Energy Diversification Research Laboratory
http://cedrl.mets.nrcan.gc.ca/
The CANMET Energy Diversification Research Laboratory's (CEDRL) mission
is to develop and promote innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy
technologies. It carries out applied R&D in heat management, renewable
energy and hybrid systems. Its site has a variety of downloadable research
and industry overview documents focussed on Canadian renewable energy
applications (free); and free download of RETSCREEN software suite, for
feasibility screening and design of renewable energy applications http://cedrl.mets.nrcan.gc.ca/e/412/retscreen/
index.html
CANMET
CETC - Canadian Energy Technology Centre
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/es/etb/cetc/cetc01/
htmldocs/ about_us_e.html
The CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CETC) is one of Canada's primary
research organizations into energy, science and technology. The key research
arm of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) the CETC works with private and
other public sector partners to develop and deploy leading-edge energy
products and processes for most sectors of the Canadian economy. Their
website publications are oriented mostly toward industrial energy-efficiency,
with a few offerings on buildings (mostly federal government program documentation).
US-EPA
Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/
Similar to (but more comprehensive than) Canada's EnerGuide program, the
US Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program independently
tests and rates a variety of products, houses and buildings for their
energy-efficiency merits. The site lists products and ratings in downloadable
.pdf files or Excel spreadsheets. Good place for comparison shopping for
a wide variety of equipment and products. EnergySmart Schools http://www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools/
has a number of resources for energy education in K-12 schools.
US Environmental
and Energy Study Institute
http://www.eesi.org/
Founded by a bipartisan group of members of the US Congress in 1984, the
Environmental and Energy Study Institute provides timely information and
policy debate on major environmental and energy issues. Policy discussion
papers cover Energy and Climate, Sustainable Communities, Transportation,
and Economic and Fiscal Policy Reform.
EEBA-
Energy & Environmental Building Association
http://www.eeba.org/
The US-based EEBA promotes the awareness, education and development of
energy efficient, environmentally responsible buildings and communities,
with diverse and talented member architects, builders, developers, manufacturers,
engineers, utilities, code officials, researchers, educators, and environmentalists.
It publishes some of the best reference books on quality green building
construction, including Joe Lstibureks' EEBA Builder's Guides (which no
technical building library should be without); available through their
online bookstore. The site includes a member directory, and a very good
resource list (unannotated, but check out their Green Building Resources:
http://www.eeba.org/sites/green.htm).
Energy
Design Resources
http://www.energydesignresources.com/
An excellent site sponsored by Southern California utilities, EDR is aimed
at building design professionals and technicians. The site has - excellent
"Design Briefs" in .pdf form for free download; covering integrated design
process, HVAC, lighting and daylighting and control systems. These are
brief(15-30 pages), well-written and illustrated - useful to junior engineers
& technicians, as well as architects and non-technical readers. Their
"Skylighting Guide", though tailored to California conditions, could be
used as a textbook. - biweekly .pdf newsletter and archive. Newsletters
maintain the same quality as the Design Briefs, but are more readable
for non-techies - downloadable software for members, covering daylighting
design, schematic building design, and life-cycle cost analysis. Its Links
index is both selective and well-annotated (though largely redundant,
since you're reading this!)
"Energy
Design Update" and "IEQ Strategies"
http://www.cutter.com/edu/
A commercial subscription site, Cutter's "Energy Design Update" and "IEQ
Strategies" newsletters have long been a source of objective and detailed
technical information, and research & practice summaries, aimed at energy
and design professionals. Soem free information; but most requires a (not-inexpensive!)
subscription, or payment by the copy. This site has an index of newsletter
articles and reports http://www.cutter.com/energy/reports/index.html
which can be ordered on-line.
Energy
Ideas Clearinghouse
http://www.energyideas.org/
Washington State Universitys' Energy Ideas Clearinghouse (EIC) has provided
commercial and industrial sector energy information and assistance in
the Pacific Northwest since 1990. With a well-organized, searchable index
to Questions and Answers drawn from its' real-life consulting projects;
and discussions and research reports http://www.energyideas.org/energy_solutions/,
this is a great source for EE/RE technology research. Other resources
include breaking US and state energy news; wide-ranging, high-quality
information Resource, Organizations and technical Standards indexes; as
well as an alphabetical Glossary.
BC Hydro
PowerSmart
BC Hydro has an extensive website, with a very corporate tone. Items I
find useful include:
- online listings of BCH and BC Gas rates http://eww.bchydro.bc.ca/customerservice/rates/
- online electricity account histories (useful for energy management planning)
- listing of recreational areas developed and maintained by BC Hydro http://eww.bchydro.bc.ca/recreation/
- an index of environmental WWW links, with special attention to water
issues.
PowerSmart
at Home
http://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/
Aimed at the general public, BC Hydros' residential site includes an
on-line Home Energy Profile tied to BC Hydro utility bills, an appliance
energy calculator, a library of short, non-technical technology summaries,
and their GEM Guides with more detail. Especially handy is the list
of PowerSmart-endorsed products http://eww.bchydro.bc.ca/powersmart/shop/
products/index.html.
PowerSmart
for Business
http://eww.bchydro.bc.ca/powerpartnerships/
products/index.html Largely devoted to BCH building energy management
programs, this site includes information on:
- on-site energy audits through their Building Performance Program
- Energy Performance Contracting, partnering with Honeywell
- lighting surveys, design and retrofit advice
- case studies of BCH "Success Stories" The commercial site also has
an order form for free paper copies of selected PowerSmart GEM Guides.
(L100 - "Lamp Selection Data" lives in my personal ready-reference binder.)
US Federal
Energy Management Program
http://www.eren.doe.gov/femp/
The US FEMP provides technical assistance, information and programs aimed
at reducing the energy consumption of government buildings and agencies.
Notable FEMP software available for free download includes:
- Building Life-Cycle Cost (BLCC): analyze buildings capital investments
- FLEX - the Federal Lighting Energy Expert analyzes single room to multibuilding
lighting projects
- WATERGY - a spreadsheet model that used to analyze water savings potential
and associated energy savings.
Available reports include "Greening the White House" among other green
building case studies; their draft Building Commissioning Guide, one of
the most comprehensive available; and (soon) their on-line Whole Building
Design Guide.
International
Energy Agency Programmes
http://www.iea.org/
The Europe-based IEA administers a number of very effective EE & RE programs,
one reason they are far in advance of North America. These sites typically
have policy and program summaries and publications lists; the AIVC and
solar sites also offer a lots of numbers & data for tech-heads:
- Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (authoritative) http://www.aivc.org/
- Bioenergy http://www.ieabioenergy.com
- Demand-Side Management Programme
http://dsm.iea.org/
- Buildings and Community Systems Programme
http://www.ecbcs.org/
- Heat Pump Centre http://www.HeatPumpCentre.org/
- Photovoltaics Power Systems Programme (excellent!) http://www.euronet.nl/users/oke/PVPS/home.htm
- Small-Hydro Atlas http://www.small-hydro.com/
- Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (excellent!)
http://www.iea-shc.org/
- Solar Thermal Power and Chemical Energy Systems http://www.demon.co.uk/tfc/SolarPACES.html
- Wind Turbine Systems
http://www.afm.dtu.dk/wind/iea/
- Solar City Program http://www.solarcity.org
IGSHPA
- International Ground Source Heat Pump Association
http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/
The IGSHPA is a US-based trade association of GSHP manufacturers, designers
and contractors; and this site is oriented toward member services and
information dissemination. Information available to the general public
is rather weak.
IPMVP
- Building Energy International Performance Measurement and Verification
Protocol
http://www.ipmvp.org/
The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (MVP)
provides an overview of current best practice techniques available for
verifying results of energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable
energy projects in commercial and industrial facilities. It is sponsored
by the US Department of Energy and a broad international coalition of
facility owners/operators, financiers, Energy Services Companies (ESCOs)
and other stakeholders. The IPMVP protocols are the gold-standards for
energy performance measurement, and are available for download in free
.pdf form.
American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
http://aceee.org/
The ACEEE is one of the most active and effective US organizations encouraging
and lobbying for energy efficiency in buildings and industry. It hosts
biannual conferences for each; the 5-day Buildings conference (even years)
is one of best globally, with 10 streams covering technologies, policy
and program development. The site has a pretty good annotated list of
internet resources on energy efficiency http://aceee.org/altsites/index.htm;
and the ACEEEs GreenerCars.com rates the environmental impact of autos
http://www.greenercars.com/indexplus.html.
Association
of Energy Engineers
http://www.aeecenter.org/
The AEE serves as a clearinghouse for professional engineers concerned
with energy efficiency in industry and buildings, with chapters worldwide
(including a chapter in BC). The main AEE site is oriented primarily toward
AEE members, but has breaking news, and offers links to research, papers
and technical standards (for a fee).
California
Energy Commission
http://www.energy.ca.gov/
From the eye of the current North American energy storm, the California
Energy Commission is responsible for regulation, policy development and
program administration of California's energy supply. Their website has
the latest official news on the current California energy crisis; and
- summaries of energy conservation technologies for commercial, institutional
& residential buildings
- summaries of renewable energy technologies
- summaries of alternate auto technologies
- downloadable .pdf summaries of Title 24, the State energy regulation
US Alliance
to Save Energy
http://www.ase.org/
The Alliance to Save Energy is a US nonprofit coalition of business, government,
environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean
use of energy worldwide to benefit the environment, the economy, and national
security. Focussed mostly on the US, their site is an excellent resource
on the mechanics of federal US energy policy.
European
Union Directorate-General for Energy and Transport
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/
index_en.html
This new EU Directorate-General, which has been in operation since 1 January
2000, merged the Directorates-General for Transport and Energy. Focused
on transportation energy policy, it lists European statistical and policy
publications, with their distributors and prices; some executive summaries
and statistics are available for free download.
ENERGY
EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES & RESEARCH
US DOE
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Environment Energy Technologies Division
http://eetd.lbl.gov/
Authoritative North American building energy researchers, LBL has several
areas of building energy-efficiency research:
- Energy Simulation
- Windows, Daylighting & Lighting Systems
- Indoor Environment
- Energy Analysis
Their site is large and complex; the main entry URL is listed above. A
brief guide to individual research areas follows.
Building
Energy Analysis Simulation Research Group http://gundog.lbl.gov/
The people who wrote North America's premier building energy analysis
software, DOE 2; and its new replacement, EnergyPlus (April 2001). Their
site offers free downloads of energy simulation and analysis software;
links to software support for their programs; weather file sources;
free .pdf downloads of their research papers; as well as links to other
simulation software sources. It also archives current and past issues
of LBLs' Building Energy Simulation User News.
Windows,
Daylighting & Lighting Systems
http://windows.lbl.gov/
LBLs Windows & Daylighting site offers their software and a publications
search engine. Of particular interest to building designers are their
WINDOW and RADIANCE software, for analyzing window thermal and optical
performance; and lighting modelling http://radsite.lbl.gov/radiance/HOME.html,
respectively.
Indoor
Environments
http://eetd.lbl.gov/IE.html
LBLs Indoor Environment Department researches develops technologies
aimed at improving indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort and the
health and productivity of building occupants, while reducing energy
consumption. Their publications research engine http://eetd.lbl.gov/IED/CBVIEQ/IEDhighlights.html
offers free .pdf download of their research papers.
Energy
Analysis
http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA.html
LBLs Energy Analysis Department studies energy use in the United States
and abroad. With research and data, as well as computer modeling of
energy scenarios in the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation
sectors of the economy, this site is a good resource for hard numbers
for policy analysis and program development in industrial, transportation
and building sectors.
US DOE
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Buildings Technology Center
http://www.ornl.gov/ORNL/BTC/
The Buildings Technology Center (BTC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
is a major U.S. research facility devoted to development of building energy
efficiency technologies. ORNL also researches HVAC equipment; design,
performance and benchmarking; and power infrastructure; but has particular
expertise in building envelope research http://www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/.
It offers excellent downloadable .pdf "Fact Sheets" on residential insulation
selection and foundation design http://www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/facts/index.html;
and on-line calculators for envelope thermal resistance and moisture control
in lo-slope roofs http://www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/calculators/index.html
UK EEBPP
- UK Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme
http://www.energy-efficiency.gov.uk/enter.cfm?
The Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme (EEBPP) is the UK Government's
principal energy efficiency information, advice and research programme
for organisations in the public and private sectors. The EEBPPs fine database
of EE publications covers most sectors, but (unfortunately) little is
available for free download; paper copies can be ordered online (non-UK
users must pay).
HKU BEER
- Hong Kong University Building Energy Efficiency Research
http://www1.arch.hku.hk/research/BEER/
One of the few Asian universities researching building energy efficiency,
and a DOE 2 simulation resource centre, this site has a "Sustainable Architecture
and Building Design" guide (under construction in July 2001), and a global
list of case studies, with several in Asia. One of their best features
is a global list of Building Energy Standards and Codes, including the
PRC and Hong Kong (many available online).
Rensselaer
Polytechnics' Lighting Research Center
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/
The Lighting Research Center is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's
School of Architecture. It is the world's largest university-based center
for lighting education and research. The sites' information Resource Collection
includes its "Annotated Guide to Lighting Topics"; "Lighting - the electronic
textbook"; and many other technical sources, case studies and conference
papers for free .pdf download.
US National
Lighting Product Information Program
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/NLPIP/Online/index.html
The National Lighting Product Information Program (NLPIP) is a non-profit,
independent effort to provide manufacturer-specific performance data on
efficient lighting products. It helps contractors, homeowners, designers,
and building managers find efficient, quality lighting products, and use
them effectively and efficiently. All NLPIP reports are FREE to the public
in .pdf format. Their Specifier Reports & Technical Guides are well-designed
for professional use, with graphics, charts and numbers; and CD-ROM databases
of lamps, ballasts and lighting "pattern books" are available for on-line
purchase.
LightSearch.com
http://www.lightsearch.com/
A commercial online search engine for North American lighting products
and information, that links to suppliers websites. While not particularly
oriented to EE design, the site has technical articles and reports by
many organisations, and 80+ case studies.
British
Columbia Buildings Corporation
http://www.bcbc.bc.ca/Technical_Manuals/
The BC Governments Crown corporation landlord makes its Client Comfort
Systems Design Manual and Technical Standards 2000 available online. They
both very good resources for BCBC and other projects alike.
EPRI -
Electric Power Research Institute
http://www.epri.com/
The Electric Power Research Institute was established in 1973 as a nonprofit
research consortium and lobbying arm of US energy utilities. Their site
primarily services EPRI members; and is the first place to go to get press
releases and white papers and issue briefs from the point-of-view of large
North American utility companies.
RENEWABLE
ENERGY ORGANIZATIONS & TECHNOLOGIES
NREL -
US National Renewable Energy Laboratory
http://www.nrel.gov/
A tremendous resource for anyone researching or using renewable energy
technologies, the US DOEs National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the
first place to go for introductory, policy and technical information on
RE technology and research in North America. Their huge Publications Database
has an excellent search engine, with many .pdf documents available for
free download, and others via the US DOEs OSTI service. The text & visual-thumbnail
searchable PIX image database is also huge, and perfect for quick presentation
images of many EE/RE topics, not just renewable energy equipment; and
all common RE technologies and programs are covered in detail.
REDI -
Natural Resources Canada's Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/es/erb/reed/redi_e.htm
A bare-bones index to NRCan's Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative,
a 6-year, $24 million program designed to stimulate demand for renewable
energy systems for space and water heating and cooling. Incentives offered
include a refund of 25% of purchase and installation costs of qualifying
systems, up to a maximum refund of $80,000. This site provides program
information and incentive application forms.
FSEC -
Florida Solar Energy Center
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/
The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is the largest and most active
state-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency research, training,
testing and certification institute in the US, and one of the nations
best research centres in solar, renewable and building energy-efficiency.
The gem here is their WWW Solar Applications Guide, with detailed technical
information on all applications of solar energy, complete with the National
Solar Collector and System Certification Program, with independently-tested
collector efficiencies. Their online publications index covers photovoltaics,
energy-efficiency and alternate-fuel vehicles, almost all for free download.
FSEC publishes "Solar Collector Online", complete with searchable archives;
and the FSEC energy library, with over 10,000 books and bound periodicals
and 70,000 documents, is available for on-line searching via the university's
LUIS catalog at: http://webluis.fcla.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap
/~ fclwlv3/wlv3/CM02/DGgen/DBwebluis/P1home
Masonry
Heater Association
http://mha-net.org/
The industry association for masonry wood-burning appliance manufacturers
and designers, this site features some very good
- research publications (including several papers on wood-burner pollutant
emissions)
- a "Virtual Mall" of suppliers and masons,
- a list of MHA members.
- a Gallery with a variety of fine photos of wood-burning fireplaces that
actually heat, without being an indoor pollution sources (unlike many).
SESCI
- Solar Energy Society of Canada, Inc.
http://www.solarenergysociety.ca/
Established in 1974, SESCI is the primary national non-profit solar organization,
with chapters or affiliates in the Maritimes, Quebec, Toronto & Ontario,
Manitoba, Alberta, B.C. Its purpose is to advance the awareness, understanding
and use of solar energy in Canada. SESCIs website is best for breaking
Canadian solar news, workshops and conferences; and allows on-line purchase
of the Canadian Renewable Energy Guide, one of the best sources for Canadian
RE information, designers and suppliers.
CANSIA
- Canadian Solar Industries Association
http://www.cansia.ca/
CANSIA is the primary Canadian solar energy industry association, fostering
research, information exchange and lobbying on behalf of manufacturers
and distributors. The public portion of their site includes:
- brief introductions to solar heating and electricity generation
- listings of solar energy technology manufacturers and suppliers
- a CANSIA members directory
- a "Buy and Sell" database for solar equipment - breaking Canadian solar
news
CANWEA
- Canadian Wind Energy Association
http://www.canwea.ca/
CANWEA represents organizations and individuals developing and applying
wind energy in Canada, with a focus on lobbying governments on policy
and programs. CANWEAs website lists policy papers, links, a "Quick Facts"
summary, and liks to other global wind energy websites. Hosting an annual
conference, their on-line bookstore offers proceedings and a modest selection
of introductory and technical books.
CADDET
- Centre for the Analysis and Dissemination of Demonstrated Energy Technologies
http://www.caddet-re.org/
CADDET Renewable Energy is an International Energy Agency agreement for
the exchange of information on commercial renewable energy projects, operating
since 1993. With sections on Biomass, Geothermal, Waste, Hydro, Solar,
Wind and PV, this site is an excellent source for commercial and institutional
renewable energy projects globally.
American
Solar Energy Society
http://www.ases.org/
The ASES is an excellent resource on all types of solar energy information
and research; with the excellent journal "Solar Today" as their main print
communication. Their website includes
- an annotated links page http://www.ases.org/solarguide/links.html
- an excellent FAQ on solar and renewable energy economics, technologies,
etc.
http://www.ases.org/solarguide/fbmao.html
- a publications catalog of ASES and other books http://www.ases.org/pubcat/index.html
- the ASES FactBase is designed as an introduction to solar energy technologies,
as well as a resource leading to more information.
ISES -
International Solar Energy Society http://www.ises.org/ises.nsf!Open
Founded in 1954, ISES today is the largest organisation in the field of
research, utilisation and promotion of Renewable Energy technology world-wide,
with more than 30 000 members in over 100 countries. Its World-wide Information
System for Renewable Energy (WIRE) database http://wire0.ises.org/ offers
guest (non-member) access to an extensive international bibliography on
solar technologies, research and policy papers.
American
Wind Energy Association
http://www.awea.org/
The primary industry lobby group for wind energy, it is largely oriented
toward utility-scale technologies and issues. The site links to the AWEAs
FAQ, technical standards, wind energy projects, publications, news and
events.
European
Wind Energy Agency
http://www.ewea.org/
Established in 1982, the European Wind Energy Association is a non profit,
non governmental association with a membership consisting mainly of national
affiliated societies, companies and organisations involved in wind related
activities. The EWEA now has a total membership of over 15,000, including
most of the major wind turbine manufacturers and research centres. EWEA
has some good, non-technical wind energy issue summaries available on-line,
but the site is better on policy adn lobbying than technics (for that,
see the European Wind Energy Information Network).
European
Wind Energy Information Network
http://euwinet.iset.uni-kassel.de/
Europe is far ahead of North America in wind energy installations, with
21661 wind turbines generating ~12GW(!) as of July 2001. The European
Wind Energy Information Network acts as a clearinghouse for wind energy
technical data, as well as national statistics and links to EU programs
intended to encourage its application. If you're looking for European
wind energy numbers, this is the place to start.
EUREC
- European Union Renewable Energy Centers Agency
http://www.eurec.be/
EUREC was established by the European Union to strengthen and rationalize
the European RD&D efforts on renewable energy technologies. An independent
association, it groups about 40 prominent EU RD&D groups, with research
fields including solar buildings, wind, photovoltaics, biomass, small
hydro, solar thermal power stations, ocean energy, solar chemistry and
solar materials, hybrid systems, developing countries and integration
of renewable energy in the energy infrastructure. The gateway to many
EU RE programs, the sites' bibliography of Recommended Publications is
a good introduction to the European experience in RE policy and technologies
(most technical books are not inexpensive, unfortunately). The International
Energy Agency (the EU equivalent to the US-EIA) has a WWW entry point
through EUREC, under "EC Info Services".
American
Hydrogen Association
http://www.clean-air.org/
This
industry lobby groups' site hosts links to hydrogen and fuel cell FAQs,
and news on breaking H2 news.
ENERGY
SUPPLY AND DEMAND STATISTICS
Statistics
Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/Economy/
primar.htm#ene
This StatsCan web page lists some broad-brush Canadian energy supply and
demand summary statistics; more detailed on-line monthly reports are available
at http://www.statcan.ca/english/CANSIM/.
For environmental statistics summaries, see http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/Land/enviro.htm.
US-EIA
- US Energy Information Agency
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
The source for official energy statistics by and for the U.S. Government,
the US-EIA is an authoritative source for energy consumption and production
information not just for the US, but many other countries as well. More
statistics, charts and numbers than anyone can use, this site is comprehensive
and detailed, but still relatively easy to navigate (considering the volume
of data provided). Regular publications include the "Short Term Energy
Outlook" and annual updates for all fuel types.
International
Energy Agency
http://www.iea.org/
The International Energy Agency, based in Paris, is an autonomous agency
linked with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD). The IEA is the energy forum for 26 member countries, to coordinate
joint measures to meet oil supply emergencies; share energy information,
co-ordinate energy policies and co-operate in development of rational
energy programmes. It serves as the authoritative world clearinghouse
for energy supply and consumption statistics, with extensive data and
excellent reports, such as the World Energy Outlook (published annually).
The EIA makes executive summaries of many of their best reports, "Country
Reviews" and monthly statistical summaries available on-line; full paper
and CD-ROM copies are available for order (fees are often steep for Canadian
buyers).
