The Rosenfeld Effect on Energy Efficiency: Simple, Effective, and Achievable Now

Arthur Rosenfeld Turns Off The Lights

California has been a world leader in energy-use and water-use efficiency for at least the past three decades.  Despite increasing energy demands via a variety of modern devices in California homes and businesses, the state’s residents today use about the same amount of electricity per capita that they used thirty years ago.  In the meantime, the per-capita electric power consumption of the rest of the USA has increased forty percent (40%).

California’s energy efficiency programs are largely attributable to Arthur H. Rosenfeld.  A pioneer in understanding communicating energy efficiency, Rosenfeld, a nuclear physicist, was appointed to the California Energy Commission in 2000.

According to the Los Angeles Times, California’s energy efficiency gains “…are so closely linked to Rosenfeld that they’ve been dubbed the Rosenfeld Effect in energy efficiency circles, where the 83-year-old has taken on rock star status.”

Energy Symposium: “The Rosenfeld Effect” held April 28, 2006 at the University of California, Berkeley

Arthur H. Rosenfeld Receives Enrico Fermi Award for Scientific Achievement

"Arthur Rosenfeld shows a lamp in his home developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that has two 55-watt fluorescent bulbs, each producing as much light as a 240-watt incandescent bulb. Rosenfeld is leaving the state's energy panel after two five-year terms." 
-- Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2009

Photograph by Peter DaSilva for The Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2009.

Energy Conservation A Superior Alternative To New Power Sources

Rosenfeld recognized in the 1970s that conserving energy was and is cheaper and smarter than continually creating new power sources.  To prove this fact, Rosenfeld began collecting energy-use data and providing it to California energy regulators.  The result is borne out in California’s current energy efficiency standards that are now among the most effective in the world. 

For example, California recently enacted the nation’s first energy efficiency regulations for televisions sold in the state.  The rules, approved unanimously by the California Energy Commission, require cutting the amount of electricity used by new television set by one-third starting January 1, 2011.  On January 1, 2013, the electricity use of new sets must be cut by fifty percent.  According to Rosenfeld, Television-related power use has more than tripled since the sale of flat-panel TV sets began to increase in the early 2000s.  Rosenfeld’s data show that “TV-related power usage has more than tripled to ten (10) billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, accounting for nearly ten (10) percent of residential energy consumption.”

The Los Angeles Times reported on January 11, 2010:

“Rosenfeld was appointed to the Energy Commission by Gov. Gray Davis in 2000 and reappointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005. In his last key vote as an energy commissioner, he applied that same conservative thinking to energy-guzzling big-screen televisions, which currently account for about one-tenth of residential power consumption in California.”

“New efficiency mandates go into effect Jan. 1, 2011, and become more stringent two years later. They're expected to save Californians $8 billion in energy costs over a decade. Some TV makers weren't happy. Rosenfeld wasn't surprised.”

"The first time we put standards on a product, we tend to get objections that this will be the ruin of civilization as we know it," he mused. "But then people get used to it."

*****

“Climate change experts say more heroes will be needed after last month's disappointing climate talks in Copenhagen, when major nations failed to sign a concrete agreement on carbon reduction. Rosenfeld is seen as an example of how dogged persistence at the local level can turn the impossible into the achievable.” -- Marc Lifsher in The Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2010

The 83-year-old Rosenfeld is leaving his California Energy Commission position the week of January 11, 2010.

Akeena Solar's Andalay AC Solar Panels Now Available at Lowe's Home Improvement Stores

"Plug-and-Play" AC Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panel Systems Now On Shelves at Lowe's Energy Centers Throughout California

Akeena Solar of Los Gatos, California in December 2009 announced that its Andalay AC (alternating current) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels are now available at 21 Lowe’s Energy Centers in Lowe’s home-improvement stores throughout California.

According to Clean Edge News, “The Lowe's Energy Centers aim to empower customers to create an energy plan that fits their budget and home-improvement goals. An information kiosk offers a touch-screen display to help customers evaluate their home's solar and wind potential, and the Energy Centers feature products that help them measure their energy use, reduce energy consumption and generate clean energy.”

Akeena Solar claims that its Andalay AC is the first fully “plug-and-play” AC solar power system. A White Paper, Video and Specifications provide evidence on “…how Andalay AC is the only rooftop system to take advantage of mainstream home AC electrical wiring standards, doing away with the need to work with dangerous DC circuits and resulting in faster, safer, more profitable installations with reduced engineering, inventory, supply chain and training requirements.” 

The White Paper “…examines how the innovations encompassed in Andalay AC not only revolutionize the way solar installation companies can do business, but also how consumers can benefit from the full promise of rooftop energy generation.” 

How Solar Power Works

Solar power systems turn sunlight into electricity. Silicon wafers capture photons from sunlight and turn them into DC power, which is then transformed into 120 volt AC power and connected to your existing electrical system — as well as the local electrical grid. When the sun shines, you can generate more power than you consume (your meter will literally spin backwards). At night you'll draw on utility company power, essentially using the electrical grid as a giant storage battery.

Image and text from Akeena Solar

From the December 10, 2009 Akeena Solar Press Release:

"The PC revolution in the computer industry occurred when new technology made PCs easy to use and affordable," said Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Akeena Solar. "Likewise, with panels becoming plug-and-play appliances, the solar revolution has started. The availability of solar panels in Lowe's stores makes it easy for homeowners to go solar and is a big step toward getting solar on every sunny rooftop."

“Andalay AC panels, developed by Akeena Solar in Silicon Valley, have integrated racking, wiring and grounding -- reducing the overall parts count by 80 percent and protecting against performance-threatening breakdowns that could happen with ordinary DC power systems.”

“Andalay panels also have built-in inverters that produce household AC power, so there is no high-voltage DC wiring. These safety and reliability benefits are achieved without compromising performance. In fact, Andalay AC panels produce 5 to 25 percent more energy output compared with ordinary DC solar panels. Because of the modular design of Andalay AC panels, homeowners could install a few panels now and gradually add on later, unlike DC systems that require a complete redesign when adding panels.”

"Buying panels off the shelf at Lowe's offers solar options to homeowners that they didn't have," continued Cinnamon. "Homeowners now can get a system as small as one panel. With Andalay's safe household AC power design, they are the only real choice for do-it-yourselfers."

“Participating Lowe's stores will stock the accessories required for installation, eliminating the need for do-it-yourselfers and contractors to pre-order components and enabling them to pick up what they need on the way to the installation.”

According to Akeena Solar, whereas direct-current (DC) solar power systems require special installation skills, Andalay’s alternating current (AC) solar system can be installed by electricians, Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractors, and experienced do-it-yourselfers without specialized training.

A video by Andalay shows components of the system and how it is installed.