Fort Wayne, IN – Water-to-water geothermal heat pumps from WaterFurnace International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional geothermal and water source heat pumps for applications ranging from simple log cabins to major industrial complexes, now qualify for the ENERGY STAR® label thanks to a new ENERGY STAR specification for geothermal heat pumps that went into effect Dec. 1, 2009.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stringent specifications for this category of geothermal heat pumps will help protect the environment and reduce energy costs, because geothermal heat pumps that meet the new standards will be up to 45 percent more efficient than conventional pumps.

“This is the first time geothermal water-to-water heat pumps are eligible for the ENERGY STAR label and comes in response to growing consumer interest in geothermal heating and cooling systems,” noted Andy Fracica, director of marketing at WaterFurnace. “At WaterFurnace, we’re proud of the extensive list of WaterFurnace products that meet efficiency standards established by the ENERGY STAR Program for Geothermal Heat Pumps.

In addition to significant energy savings, tax credits available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) make the purchase of an ENERGY STAR product even more attractive. “That’s because homeowners who install geothermal heat pumps with the ENERGY STAR label before Dec. 31, 2016, are eligible for a 30 percent renewable energy tax credit,” said Fracica. “In addition, homeowners can take advantage of utility rebates and state and local tax incentives, where available.”

To see the complete list of WaterFurnace ENERGY STAR-compliant water-to-water geothermal heat pumps, visit the company’s Web site at www.waterfurnace.com.

WaterFurnace International, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional geothermal and water source heat pumps. Products from WaterFurnace include energy-efficient and environmentally friendly geothermal comfort systems, indoor air quality products and pool heaters. WaterFurnace (TSX:WFI) was founded in 1983, the company is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Ind.

For additional information, please visit www.waterfurnace.com.

Renewable Micro Grid

The CAT micro grid works through a collection of micro generation technologies grouped together through intelligent controllers, energy storage system and connected through our export system (G59) to the utility grid. The micro technologies used in the system are all from renewable sources including sun, wind, hydro and biomass. If the national grid fails then the micro grid recognizes it and switches itself off automatically keeps continuing to generate power from our renewable generators and provide power to the precision mains load.

CAT currently produces 21.5 kW of energy from photo voltaic roofs, 3.5 kW and 4 kW from hydro energy and 600 W proven wind turbine connected to the micro grid. More energy generators can be connected in the future. The micro grid can provide 30 kW for 3 hours if there is no grid and no generation at all (no wind, sun and water). If there is some generation then it will provide power for more time.

The CAT micro grid system works differently from conventional systems of batteries and inverters. Here the generators are not charging the batteries all the time. It delivers electricity directly to the load or to the grid. The batteries will normally be in sleep mode and will only activate in emergency situations when it is really needed. The micro grid has the facility to prioritize the load. In normal conditions it gives power to all the precision main loads, then to raw mains and then excess power is exported to the utility grid. If there is no energy is no energy generation and no grid for a long time it will switch off the precision main loads first. But it will continue to give power to the emergency lights and alarms.

There are other examples of island generation systems for example in the isle of Eigg (Scotland) that has 3 renewables energy sources integrated together but they are not connected to main utility grid. There is also a micro grid systems run by Woking council but using only one or two technologies connected together such as with PV and gas CHP. This is the first of its kind in UK integrating 3 renewable technologies and that is connected to the micro grid.

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Jase Kuriakose is an engineer at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. CAT has been working for over 35 years to find practical and sustainable solutions to some of the big challenges we face today such as climate change. www.cat.org.uk

I have a serious problem with the hypocritical approach taken by some of these politicians that scream for alternative energy and a departure from fossil fuels while blocking projects like this. I have to agree with California Governor Schwarzenegger who recently said: “If we cannot put solar power plants in the Mojave desert, I don’t know where the hell we can put it.” At what point do we finally decide to compromise some of our protected real estate for the better good of the environment?

Am I crazy? Do any of you agree with her stance on this issue? The desert has it’s charm and certainly it’s own eco system that we should try to protect. However, it’s not likely that many of will live in the desert and I’d rather see this land used to generate clean energy than to leave it un-developed while we struggle to find a better way.

I believe the only way for us to kick our energy dependence is to help each and every American afford these new technologies. By supplementing the cost to build these great new technologies we are creating an atmosphere for competition among manufacturers and suppliers. That competition will lead to advances in technology that I hope will one day get us closer to foreign oil independence.

So if you’ve been considering installing a renewable energy system such as solar, wind or geothermal then there’s no need to worry about the previously expired renewable energy tax credits.