Zaininger Engineering Company, Inc.

ZECO End Use & Demand Side Management Experience

The following selected projects and experience highlight ZECO’s credentials.

Design Framework to Evaluate End-use Technology Impacts on Utility Costs and Emissions

This project, completed in March 1992 consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute.  The purpose of the project was to develop a framework to evaluate the relative impacts of various penetration levels of alternative end-use technologies on electric utility revenue requirements, energy production and air emissions, including SO_x, NO_x, CO₂, CO, VOC's, and particulates.  Hourly load profiles for peak weekdays, average weekdays, and weekend days in the summer, winter, and spring and fall seasons were developed for alternative residential, commercial, and industrial end-use technologies, or other end-use electrification technologies.  Annual impacts on utility capital and operating costs, energy production, and air emissions were calculated for each of the six EPRI regional systems using ZECO’s production simulation model.  Example studies of several alternative end-use technologies were performed as part of this project.

Develop Regional Supply-Side Air Emissions for use with CLEAN

This four-month Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) project, completed in April 1996, consisted of a subcontract to Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).  Tasks included 1) updating the six EPRI regional systems generation mix, fuel costs and generating unit emission data using recent EIA and NERC projections for the year 2000, 2) calculating marginal hourly SO₂, NO_X, CO₂, CO, ROG, TSP and PM₁₀ emissions, marginal unit fuel type, heat rate and production costs for average weekdays and weekend days in each month of the year for each of the six updated EPRI regional systems using ZECO’s chronological production simulation model, and 3) determining weighted average national hourly marginal emissions and production costs from the six EPRI regional systems hourly data.

Economic and Environmental Benefits of Load Management

This project, completed in April 1990, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute. The purpose of the project was to perform a conceptual study to quantify potential changes in air emissions and utility system costs when load management was implemented on an example utility system with characteristics similar to the projected US power system in the year 2000.  Load management characteristics were derived from typical end-use cool storage daily load profiles.  Typical daily load shapes in each month of the year with and without load management was developed and production simulation was performed using both economic and environmental dispatch criteria using ZECO’s production simulation model.  The relative annual costs and emissions with and without load management were determined.

Electric Vehicle Charging Emissions for 101 Cities and 9 Cities Scenarios

This project, completed in August 1991, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute.  The purpose of this project was to calculate marginal and average air emissions associated with projected daily off-peak charging of electric and hybrid vehicles - from 10 PM to 6 am in years 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 using ZECO’s chronological production simulation model.  Two EHV penetration scenarios were considered in this project - a 101-city scenario consisting of 12 million EHV vehicles by 2010 in 101 different urban areas in the US, and a 9 Cities Scenario consisting of 6 million EHV vehicles in 9 different cities in the U.S.  Air emissions include SO_x, NO_x, CO₂, CO, VOC's and particulates associated with charging the electric vehicles for both DOE and EPRI supplied EHV performance assumptions.  These EHV charging emissions were then compared with avoided fossil fuel vehicle emissions developed by DOE/ARGONNE.

 Environmental Impacts of Conservation on the US Power System

This project, completed in March 1990, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute.  The purpose of this study was to calculate the reduction in the projected year 2000 US power system emissions associated with projected energy savings from projected naturally occurring demand side management conservation programs.  Hourly load models for peak weekdays, average weekdays, and average weekend days in each month of the year were developed with and without implementing these naturally occurring end-use conservation programs, and were dispatched using representative EPRI regional systems supply side models with ZECO’s production simulation model.

 EV Charging Design Charettes

The EPRI project, completed in May 1992, consisted of a subcontract to W.I. Whiddon and Associates.   ZECO's role consisted of preparing a 10 page paper describing potential transmission and distribution system issues associated with implementing EV quick charge (8-15 min) and other EV charging scenarios, participate in and make a 15 to 20 minute presentation at two EV Charging Design Charettes.

 Impact of Alternative Efficient End-use Strategies on Utility Emissions

This project, completed in December 1989, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute.  The purpose of the project was to develop a preliminary procedure to evaluate impacts of various efficient residential, commercial and industrial end-use technologies on electric utility SO_x, NO_x, CO₂ emissions.  An example study of the effect of efficient commercial lighting on emissions for six US regional power systems and the total US in 2000 was performed using ZECO’s chronological production simulation model to verify the methodology.

 Impact of End-Use Technologies on Air Emissions

This project, completed in June 1992, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute.  The purpose of this project was to calculate both marginal and average electric utility SO₂, NO_x, CO₂, CO, VOC, particulate and PM₁₀  emissions in 2000 and 2010 for approximately 50 industrial end-use technologies, and 12 alternative commercial cooling technologies for office buildings and hospitals using ZECO’s chronological production simulation model.  The industrial end-use technology emissions were calculated for each of the six EPRI regions.  The commercial cooling end-use technology electric utility emissions were calculated for typical office buildings and hospitals located in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Raleigh, Topeka and Ft. Worth.

 Impact of Solar Heating and Cooling and Load Management on Utility Systems

This project, completed in September 1980, consisted of a subcontract to Aerospace Corporation.  The primary project task was to develop appropriate end-use and coincident aggregate load profiles and perform generation reliability assessment and production costing assessment on eleven utility systems in order to determine the potential impact and economic value of alternative end-use solar heating and cooling and load management designs over a range of penetration levels. 

 Long Term Utility Benefits of Peak Clipping and Valley Filling

This project, completed in October 1990, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute. The purpose of this project was to perform a conceptual study of potential long term utility system economic benefits and impacts on air emissions associated with implementing peak clipping and valley filling to improve system load factor.  Two alternative optimal base case expansions were developed assuming alternative oil/gas price scenarios through the year 2020.  Three alternative peak clipping and valley filling scenarios were then implemented on week days during the summer season to determine the resulting reduction in long term generation additions, the savings in utility system revenue requirements and the impact on air emissions using ZECO’s chronological production simulation model.

Participated in EPRI Rate Design Study for Load Management

H.W. Zaininger participated in the original EPRI Rate Design Study.  He participated in Topic 6 ‑ Measuring the Potential Cost Advantages of Peak Load Pricing.  He developed methodology and data for determining potential capacity and energy values associated with various peak load pricing load management strategies.  These cost/benefit techniques are commonly used in assessing alternative energy and distributed resource strategies today.

 Power Plant Emission Analysis Associated with Acid Rain Legislation

This project, completed at the end of December 1985, consisted of an 11-month contract with the Electric Power Research Institute.  The purpose of this project was to determine the impact of alternative methods of reducing SO₂ and NO_x emissions from electric power plants in the MAIN and ECAR regions of the United States, including employing both conventional SO₂ and NO_x scrubbers and GCC technology.  Both economic and environmental dispatch procedures were employed in analyzing a data base of approximately 800 units in the MAIN and ECAR regions of the United States, using ZECO’s production simulation model.

 Regional Economic and Environmental Implications of DSM

This EPRI project, completed in April 1993, consisted of a subcontract with Barakat & Chamberlain, Inc.  The purpose of this project was to develop alternative supply-side generation expansion plans through 2010 corresponding to four alternative load growth/DSM projections, and calculate resulting annual supply-side operating costs, capital investments for new units, and annual SO₂  NO_x, CO₂, CO, VOC and particulate emissions for each of the four alternative load growth/DSM projections using ZECO’s  production simulation model.

 Regional EV Charging Emission Rates

This EPRI project, completed in July 1993, consisted of a subcontract with Bevilalqua Knight, Inc. The purpose of this project was to calculate projected regional power plant emission rates in g/kWh, as well as weighted national EV charging emission rates in the years 2000 and 2010, associated with charging electric vehicles using ZECO’s chronological production simulation model.

 Saving Energy and Reducing CO₂ with Electricity:  Estimates of Potential 

This project, completed in September 1991, consisted of a contract with the Electric Power Research Institute. The purpose of the project was to assess the impact of beneficial electrification and electric efficiency measures on total energy use and CO₂ emissions in years 2000 and 2010.  Nine efficient residential end-use technologies, eight efficient commercial end-use technologies, and four efficient industrial end-use technologies were evaluated.  Two residential electrification technologies, five commercial electrification technologies, six industrial process heating electrification technologies and two transportation electrification technologies were evaluated.  Results were calculated for each of the six EPRI regional systems and summarized for the total U.S. 

Control Studies of SHAC and Load Management

This project, completed in March 1982, consisted of an 18-month subcontract to the Research Institute of Colorado. ZECO’s tasks were to develop appropriate utility characteristics for nine utilities, determine alternative utility-SHAC and load management control policies, establish utility system control algorithms, perform a validation check, as well as provide general utility oriented consulting.