SHINING LIGHT ON THE ALTERNATIVES:
EXPLORING WAYS TO REDUCE ENERGY COSTS

Dr. Robert N. Amundsen, D.G.C.P.
President, Long Island Chapter of AEE

The Long Island Chapter of AEE has had the most successful year in its history. Energy prices in our region are among the highest in the U.S. In response to rising energy costs, many professionals have been attending our chapter meetings to find out how they can use energy more efficiently. Here is a summary of our recent meetings:

At our September 2005 meeting, Mr. David Schieren gave a presentation on: “The NYIT Solar Decathlon House”.  This house obtains all of its power from solar energy, and operates completely off-grid.  A hydrogen fuel cell energy storage system provides electricity when there is no sunlight.  The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Solar House earned fifth place among the eighteen colleges which competed in the Solar Decathlon on the Mall in Washington, D.C. in October 2005.

Mr. Schieren is a graduate student in the M.S. in Energy Management program at NYIT, and one of the Team Leaders of the Solar Decathlon Project.  He earned his bachelors in Economics and Japanese at the University of Vermont, and worked for Merrill Lynch in the International Equity Sales Department. 

The October 2005 meeting featured Mr. Walter Loss, P.E., speaking about “Energy Software for Handheld Computers”. He described applications for psychrometric, hydraulic, thermodynamic and heat transfer problems.

Mr. Loss is a Partner at Green Buildings Technology International. He has held engineering positions at EME Group, Brookhaven National Lab, the National Association of Homebuilders, and Solaron Corporation.

In November 2005, Ms. Terresa Daniels, C.E.M., gave a presentation on: “LIPA's Light Solutions Program”. She described how efficient outdoor lighting can improve safety, reduce costs, and avoid "light pollution" of nearby properties and the night sky.

Ms. Daniels is an alumna of the M.S. in Energy Management program at NYIT.  She has held positions as Lead Market Planner, Program Manager, Account Executive, Senior Sales Engineer and New Product Sales Representative at KeySpan and LIPA.

We skipped the “snow months,” so our next meeting was in March 2006. We welcomed Mr. Peter Krumdieck, who gave a presentation on: "Energy Management Systems and Practices at Stony Brook University " He is currently Campus Energy Manager at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Mr. Krumdieck earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering (1998), and his M.S. in Energy Management (2005) at NYIT. He is a registered NYS Professional Engineer, and is about to complete his certification as a Measurement and Verification Professional. Prior to joining SUNY Stony Brook, he was a Senior Project Engineer at Underwriters Laboratories.

Our next meeting was in April 2006. Dr. C. R. Krishna was invited to speak about "Bio-Fuels Technology". He described utilization of fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel for heating, transportation, and power generation.

Dr. Krishna is currently a Mechanical Engineer at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton , NY, where he has conducted research in combustion and fuels for over 25 years.  He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

As our grand finale, we co-sponsored a major conference in May 2006 called “Teetering on the Brink:  Preparing for the Coming Energy Shock.” Leading experts, including Matthew Simmons, Richard Heinberg and James Howard Kunstler, explained the implications of the anticipated decline of world oil production.

They were followed by a panel of energy executives from the Long Island Power Authority, Shell Oil Group, and FPL Energy. They described strategies for dealing with rising energy prices, and developing alternative sources of energy. 

If you have any questions concerning our Chapter please contact me at: ramundse@nyit.edu