1. 21st Century Cooling for Dry Climates
For the Napa Valley Wine Technical Group
Dick Bourne, WCEC Assoc. Director
January 22, 2009

2. Electricity: Cooling is the Culprit
July peak demand is 35% above January
Cooling causes electricity peaks
7% Load Factor for Residential
22% Load Factor for Non-Residential
Cooling peak reducers - best new peaking plants

3. Western Climates: Issues = Opportunities
Large Diurnal Temperature Swings
Issue – Poor Load Factor
Opportunity – Thermal Storage
Low Outdoor Humidity
Issue – Non-Optimized Equipment
Opportunity – Evaporation for Cooling, Radiant Cooling

4. WCEC: Who We Are
Part of the Energy Efficiency Center at University of California, Davis
Launched April 2007
Current staff:
Mark Modera, Director
Dick Bourne, Associate Director
Marshall Hunt, Programs Director
Kristin Heinemeier, Senior Engineer
Seven Mechanical Engineering Students

5. WCEC: Who We Are Affiliate Structure Utilities Manufacturers
PG&E, SCE, SMUD, SEMPRA
Manufacturers
Delphi, Ice Energy, ICI, Lennox, Munters, NovaTorque, Seeley Intl., Speakman, Thermal Flow, Trane, Viega, VRTX
Contracting/Design Firms
Beutler, Davis Energy Group, Timmons Design Engineers
State Agencies
CEC, DGS
Retailers
Wal-Mart, Target

6. WCEC Goals
By 2030, reduce cooling demand and energy use from 2007 baseline
New buildings
Zero cooling peak demand
50% reduction in cooling energy use
Existing buildings
50% reduction in cooling peak demand
25% reduction in cooling energy use

7. What We Do Publicize cooling technologies optimized for hot, dry west
Support affiliate alliances and partnerships
Address market impediments (e.g. codes and standards)
Help bridge commercialization “valley of death”
Emerging technology demonstrations
Research and development
Identify, conduct and support key R&D
Technology development
Laboratory and field testing
Modeling and analysis
Outreach activities
Catalog of energy-efficient cooling systems
Website, newsletters, presentations, publications
Education – university and professional

8. Current WCEC Activities
Funded Projects
CEC - PIER Advanced Cooling Support Program
CIEE – State-building technology demonstrations (SDSU and UCSD lab sash project)
BERG – Improving the Cost Effectiveness of Radiant Floor Cooling Systems
SEMPRA- Energy Performance of Hotel Controls (with CLTC)
SMUD –Hybrid OASys Field Test
BERG at LBNL – Exhaust Duct Leakage Diagnosis in Multi-Family Buildings
EPRI – SEER Review, Status and Recommendations
LANEY COLLEGE/NSF – HVAC training
SCE
Water Management for Indirect and Indirect-Direct Evaporative Air Conditioning
Water Use by AquaChill evaporative condenser

9. Current WCEC Activities
Projects in Process
CEC – Three-Year WCEC Research Support
DOE – Development of lab tests for annual savings predictions
SEMPRA/PG&E/SCE – Statewide Initiatives (Evaporative Cooling, Hot Dry AC, Fault Detection/Diagnostics)
Newly-Funded PIER Projects
Radiant Cooling for Residences
Non-Residential Fault Detection Diagnostics

10. Current WCEC Activities
Current Key Activities
Western Cooling Challenge – announced 6/5/08
Water Initiative – recent ASHRAE presentation
DOE SEER update
Current Technologies of Interest
Building-Integrated Cooling
Swimming-Pool Heating
WicKool
Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

11. WCEC Technology Portfolio
Most technologies appropriate for new and retrofit
Rooftop units
Evaporative cooling technologies
Hybrid evaporative/vapor-compression equipment
Water-cooled condensers
Swimming-pool-based air conditioners
Thermal distribution performance
Night-sky radiative cooling
Some opportunities unique to new construction:
Low-cost chilled water storage
Radiant floor cooling

12. Example Technology: DualCool
Accessory system for RTUs
Pre-cools condenser and ventilation air
DOES NOT add moisture to indoors
25-30% energy and demand savings
SYSTEM SCHEMATIC
A - High quality condenser air pre-cooler
B - Pump & copper supply/return piping
C - Ventilation air precooling coil
D - Controls

13. Example Technology: Roll-Out Radiant Floor
Prior cost $6-7/ft2
Rollout cost ~$2/ft2
Full-scale installation at Wal-Mart store

14. Example Technology: Radiant Floor Benefits
Reduces latent cooling and blower energy
Facilitates non-compressor cooling
Projected savings 60-65%
Projected demand reduction 45%+

15. Example Thermal Storage Technology
Residential/Commercial Swimming Pools
Night-time cooling (non-refrigerative) makes pool water available for day-time low-temperature heat rejection
20-40oF reduction in refrigerant condensing temperature
20-50% improvement in EER – higher at peak conditions
Rejected heat serves useful function
Eliminates/reduces gas consumption for pool heating

16. WCEC Market Activities
Demonstrations
Integrated retrofits for strip malls
Technology demonstrations on state-owned buildings
Policy and Market Drivers
Western Cooling Challenge
Hot, Dry Air Conditioners
Water Initiative
Water management for evaporative air conditioning
DOE
SEER regional standards
Lab tests for annual savings predictions

17. Western Cooling Challenge
Western Cooling Challenge
Target Market: Rooftop Units (RTUs) with 3 – 30 ton capacity (>500-unit production capacity)
RTUs cool 70% of non-residential floor space in the Western US
Target Performance: 40% reduction in energy use and peak electricity demand
Reward Structure: MOUs w CA IOUs and SMUD for incentive programs – Retailer program sponsorship

18. Western Cooling Challenge: Schedule
Western Cooling Challenge: Schedule
January 2009 Laboratory testing of WCC entries can begin
June Field testing of WCC entries can begin
January 2010 Shipments of WCC-compliant products can begin  

19. New Indirect Heat Exchangers
Coolerado
Unique multi-stage indirect design
90%+ effectiveness, balanced flow
250 cfm per module, 10” high, 20” long, 19” wide
Used in Coolerado & Desert Cool Aire prototypes

20. New Indirect Heat Exchangers
HyPak
High-speed production process
80%+ effective in lab test
Delivered 4.3 tons for 2’ width
Many other applications

21. Example Market Issue: Water Initiative
Impediments to water-based cooling
On-site water use
Equipment maintenance
Successful water-based systems for buildings
Cooling towers
Pressurized domestic water
Pools
Irrigation
Water conservation
Techniques exist
Not optimized for small-scale evaporative cooling

22. Evaporative Cooling: Water Use Metrics
Cooling potential = mass of water * heat of vaporization
Potentially as low as 1.37 gallons/ton-hr
Maintenance Water Use
Rule of Thumb: 2/3 evaporation, 1/3 maintenance
Large Impact of Water Quality
Indirect Water Consumption for Electricity Generation
Enormous range of values gal/KWh

23. Water Use for Condenser-Air Pre-Cooling
Analysis Technique
Calculate change in EER with respect to condenser air temperature
Relatively linear
1-2% change per oF
Calculate condenser temperature change per unit of water evaporated
Use EER change to calculate extra cooling delivered for the same electricity consumed

24. Example Market Issue: Water Issue Resolution
Roles for the WCEC
provide “institutional memory” on water issues
water-use yardsticks
access large cadre of water scientists at UCD
pursue water conservation solutions
save rain runoff for cooling
irrigate w/flushed water
night-sky water cooling

25. Wine Industry Opportunities
Evaporative condensing and pre-cooling
Pre-cooled ventilation air (e.g. Fetzer)
Thermal storage (wine is ideal!)
Radiant cooling to reduce blower power (may need desiccants in high humidity areas)
CHP (e.g. Vineyard 29)
Others?

26. WCEC Mission Summary
“Partner with stakeholders to identify technologies, conduct research and demonstrations, disseminate information, and implement programs that reduce cooling-system electrical demand and energy consumption in the Western United States.”
Mark Modera