Roland Risser - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Roland Risser
Energy Efficiency, 2013
In the United States, a number of efforts are underway to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) in the bu... more In the United States, a number of efforts are underway to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) in the built environment. Zero net energy buildings and communities, as currently conceived, are one method to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy technology and to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment. The definition of ZNE buildings continues to evolve and may ultimately shift as society pursues a low-carbon future. Implementation mechanisms, such as utility regulatory processes, may need to be altered to reflect a quickly moving and uncertain shift to zero electrical demand growth. Planning for a ZNE future needs to balance the environment, economic development, and equity to achieve a lasting ZNE future.
Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which ... more Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which are organized to meet the production needs of the business. Effective and sustainable energy efficiency programs in an industrial setting require a systems approach to optimize the integrated whole while meeting primary business requirements. Companies that treat energy as a manageable resource and integrate their energy program into their management practices have an organizational context to continually seek opportunities for optimizing their energy use. The purpose of an energy management system standard is to provide guidance for industrial and commercial facilities to integrate energy efficiency into their management practices, including fine-tuning production processes and improving the energy efficiency of industrial systems. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has identified energy management as one of its top five priorities for standards development. The new ISO 50001 will establish an international framework for industrial, commercial, or institutional facilities, or entire companies, to manage their energy, including procurement and use. This standard is expected to achieve major, long-term increases in energy efficiency (20% or more) in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. This paper describes the impetus for the international standard, its purpose, scope and significance, and development progress to date. A comparative overview of existing energy management standards is provided, as well as a discussion of capacity-building needs for skilled individuals to assist organizations in adopting the standard. Finally, opportunities and challenges are presented for implementing ISO 50001 in emerging economies and developing countries.
Environmental Management, 1987
/ Fourteen streams in the Sierra Nevada in the USA were sampled to determine whether diversions o... more / Fourteen streams in the Sierra Nevada in the USA were sampled to determine whether diversions of streamflow for hydroelectric development had caused significant changes in riparian vegetation. Several streams showed significant differences in vegetation cover, community composition, or community structure between pairs of diverted and undiverted reaches. On some streams, environmental conditions rather than streamflow diversions may have been responsible for vegetation differences. Streams in the Sierra Nevada respond individualistically to diversions. Prediction of vegetation responses must take into consideration environmental characteristics of specific stream reaches. There are numerous hydroelectric projects located on small-to moderate-sized headwater streams in the Sierra Nevada range in California in the United States. Many more projects have been proposed throughout California and in the other western states. These projects typically involve the diversion of some or all streamflow from natural channels to a conveyance structure (penstock) and powerhouse. Downstream from the powerhouse, the water is usually returned to the natural channel. There has been a growing concern regarding the effects of diversions on riparian vegetation and associated resource values within the dewatered reaches. Regulatory agencies involved in licensing new or relicensing existing facilities must require instream flow releases for protection of riparian resources. Although methods exist for evaluating impacts of diversions on fisheries resources (Weshe and Rechard 1980) and setting instream flows, methods do not exist for evaluating diversion effects on streamside vegetation. These impacts are poorly understood and regulatory agencies have little scientific information on which to base their decisions. Dams and fluctuations of streamflow due to hydroelectric facilities may cause increased or decreased downstream cover
A mathematical model is described that relates mature riparian vegetation ecophysiological respon... more A mathematical model is described that relates mature riparian vegetation ecophysiological response to changes in stream level. This model was developed to estimate the physiological response of riparian vegetation to reductions in streamflow. Field data from two sites on the North Fork of the Kings River were used in the model development. The physiological response of three adult white alders and one juvenile red willow were simulated as a function of the meteorological and streamflow conditions. Estimates of predawn leaf water potential, leaf temperature and transpiration rate were comparable to measured values, indicating our model can be used for predictive purposes.
Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which ... more Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which are organized to meet the production needs of the business. Effective and sustainable energy efficiency programs in an industrial setting require a systems approach to optimize the integrated whole while meeting primary business requirements. Companies that treat energy as a manageable resource and integrate their energy program
Energy Efficiency, 2013
In the United States, a number of efforts are underway to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) in the bu... more In the United States, a number of efforts are underway to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) in the built environment. Zero net energy buildings and communities, as currently conceived, are one method to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy technology and to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment. The definition of ZNE buildings continues to evolve and may ultimately shift as society pursues a low-carbon future. Implementation mechanisms, such as utility regulatory processes, may need to be altered to reflect a quickly moving and uncertain shift to zero electrical demand growth. Planning for a ZNE future needs to balance the environment, economic development, and equity to achieve a lasting ZNE future.
Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which ... more Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which are organized to meet the production needs of the business. Effective and sustainable energy efficiency programs in an industrial setting require a systems approach to optimize the integrated whole while meeting primary business requirements. Companies that treat energy as a manageable resource and integrate their energy program into their management practices have an organizational context to continually seek opportunities for optimizing their energy use. The purpose of an energy management system standard is to provide guidance for industrial and commercial facilities to integrate energy efficiency into their management practices, including fine-tuning production processes and improving the energy efficiency of industrial systems. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has identified energy management as one of its top five priorities for standards development. The new ISO 50001 will establish an international framework for industrial, commercial, or institutional facilities, or entire companies, to manage their energy, including procurement and use. This standard is expected to achieve major, long-term increases in energy efficiency (20% or more) in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. This paper describes the impetus for the international standard, its purpose, scope and significance, and development progress to date. A comparative overview of existing energy management standards is provided, as well as a discussion of capacity-building needs for skilled individuals to assist organizations in adopting the standard. Finally, opportunities and challenges are presented for implementing ISO 50001 in emerging economies and developing countries.
Environmental Management, 1987
/ Fourteen streams in the Sierra Nevada in the USA were sampled to determine whether diversions o... more / Fourteen streams in the Sierra Nevada in the USA were sampled to determine whether diversions of streamflow for hydroelectric development had caused significant changes in riparian vegetation. Several streams showed significant differences in vegetation cover, community composition, or community structure between pairs of diverted and undiverted reaches. On some streams, environmental conditions rather than streamflow diversions may have been responsible for vegetation differences. Streams in the Sierra Nevada respond individualistically to diversions. Prediction of vegetation responses must take into consideration environmental characteristics of specific stream reaches. There are numerous hydroelectric projects located on small-to moderate-sized headwater streams in the Sierra Nevada range in California in the United States. Many more projects have been proposed throughout California and in the other western states. These projects typically involve the diversion of some or all streamflow from natural channels to a conveyance structure (penstock) and powerhouse. Downstream from the powerhouse, the water is usually returned to the natural channel. There has been a growing concern regarding the effects of diversions on riparian vegetation and associated resource values within the dewatered reaches. Regulatory agencies involved in licensing new or relicensing existing facilities must require instream flow releases for protection of riparian resources. Although methods exist for evaluating impacts of diversions on fisheries resources (Weshe and Rechard 1980) and setting instream flows, methods do not exist for evaluating diversion effects on streamside vegetation. These impacts are poorly understood and regulatory agencies have little scientific information on which to base their decisions. Dams and fluctuations of streamflow due to hydroelectric facilities may cause increased or decreased downstream cover
A mathematical model is described that relates mature riparian vegetation ecophysiological respon... more A mathematical model is described that relates mature riparian vegetation ecophysiological response to changes in stream level. This model was developed to estimate the physiological response of riparian vegetation to reductions in streamflow. Field data from two sites on the North Fork of the Kings River were used in the model development. The physiological response of three adult white alders and one juvenile red willow were simulated as a function of the meteorological and streamflow conditions. Estimates of predawn leaf water potential, leaf temperature and transpiration rate were comparable to measured values, indicating our model can be used for predictive purposes.
Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which ... more Industry utilizes very complex systems, consisting of equipment and their human interface, which are organized to meet the production needs of the business. Effective and sustainable energy efficiency programs in an industrial setting require a systems approach to optimize the integrated whole while meeting primary business requirements. Companies that treat energy as a manageable resource and integrate their energy program