One could be forgiven for assuming biofuels are the sole focus of cleantech research at the University of California's campus at Davis, Calforinia, just outside the state capital of Sacramento.

After all, the agrarian-legacy campus (its sports teams are "the Aggies") is smack dab in the middle of California's biomass-rich central farming valley. And it's received substantial government and private funding to pursue cellulosic technology development (see Chevron pumps more money into university biofuel research).

So it may come as a surprise to some that the university is making important strides in energy efficiency research and commercialization, identified by Energy Efficiency Center founding director Andrew Hargadon as "the most promising strategy for meeting future energy demand and reducing climate impact."

We had the opportunity to tour some of the cleantech operations at U.C. Davis.

Western Cooling Efficiency Center

"It's in dry climates, like those in the Western States, that so many opportunities are being ignored," said Richard "Dick" Bourne, founding director of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (website).

According to Bourne, most large HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) manufacturers have traditionally found it easiest and most cost-effective to sell the same compressor-based cooling equipment everywhere, regardless of environmental characteristics of local markets. Even when compressors, and their large power draws, are overkill in some places.

The Western Cooling Efficiency Center was formed to help drive commercialization and adoption of less power-hungry cooling technologies that could be uniquely suited to drier climates.

"In the West, our equipment does a lot of unnecessary dehumidification. We have high evaporative potential here, and often big differentials between day and night temperatures," said Bourne. "July utility peak demand is 35 per cent higher than in January, and cooling is the culprit. Since cooling causes the peaks, it makes more sense to spend money on energy efficient cooling systems than on new peak generators that will sit idle most of the time."

Richard "Dick" Bourne, founding director of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (photo) »

To expedite implementation of emerging cooling technologies, the Center has started working in conjunction with HVAC industry partners including Trane and Lennox, and smaller companies like Speakman. Advanced Trane and Lennox units are cooling the Center's new facility, and Speakman's OASys two stage evaporative cooler is displayed in a demonstration room.

The OASys unit, according to Western Cooling Efficiency Center Programs Director Marshall Hunt, draws a third of the power of a conventional HVAC system, and is five times as efficient, outputting 100 per cent filtered fresh air that is only slightly humidified.

Marshall Hunt of the Western Cooling Efficiency Center poses beside the OASys unit (photo) »

Among the most exciting innovations the Center is studying for the longer term, according to Hunt, are building-integrated radiant cooling systems, with onsite water storage.

"Three to four inches of rain on a roof can give us all the water we need for evaporative purposes for a full season," said Hunt, who also referenced a recent trial installation in Las Vegas for a large retailer that used the Center's concept for low-cost radiant floor cooling.

The installation was done at 70 per cent the cost of earlier projects, and cut energy cooling costs by 50 per cent, Bourne said.

Other of the Center's long range concepts cools water by radiation to the cold night sky, while keeping the roof clean to preserve the cooler daytime temperatures of white roofs.

Ice Energy's Ice Bear peak demand-shifting device is also featured at the Center, and is a "valuable technology to the four electric utilities affiliated with the Center," according to Bourne (photo) » | Read our coverage of Ice Energy »

California Lighting Technology Center

One would think the 10-year old California Lighting Technology Center (website) at U.C. Davis would advocate compact florescent (CFL) bulbs, but Director Michael Siminovitch acknowledges the first generation has "failed miserably," only achieving 15 per cent market penetration.

"They look bad," he said. "They don't dim, they have poor color, and they fail quickly because their manufacturing has been a race to the bottom. Why? Because of large quantity purchases by utilities."

Siminovitch is now championing what he calls Super CFLs, which last longer, can dim in existing circuits and have a more natural color temperature and frequency.

The Center has been responsible for helping drive innovation in LED and other lighting, leading directly to new products from a number of partnering manufacturers, for instance, new florescent ballasts for reducing energy use in daytime (see Axis Technologies introduces new daylight harvesting ballast).

Siminovitch poses beside a sensor array used in testing daylight harvesting devices (photo) »

Director Siminovitch is enthusiastic about the Center's latest research and development into optimizing parking garage lighting, a segment he calls "particularly juicy... they're on 24/7."

New LED-based garage fixtures prototyped by the Center stay on at 50 per cent for safety until they sense motion, at which time they jump to full brightness. The energy saved can lead to a return on investment in 3-4 years, said Siminovitch, suggesting reduced maintenance costs essentially pay for their installation.

"[The application is] fat and sassy," he pronounced.

A variety of garage lighting fixtures in the Center's workshop (photo) »

One of the prototypes up close (photo) »

A workstation configured with latest-generation LED lighting being tested by the Center (photo) »

The two Centers, like others at the university, facilitate technology development and demonstrations, as well as offering outreach and education activities in partnership with utilities, manufacturers, installation professionals and governmental agencies.

They're two initiatives affiliated with the university's larger umbrella Energy Efficiency Center, which also has similar programs underway in agriculture and food production and transportation.

"[Universities] can't just invent a better light bulb," acknowledged the Efficiency Center's Hargadon, who pointed to U.C. Davis' Green Technology Entrepreneur's Academy (website), which teaches engineers and scientists the basics of bringing cleantech innovations to market.