Interested in becoming a chapter sponsor or would like to sponsor other Southern Piedmont Chapter events? Reach out to our chapter president, Erica Powell, and we will get you connected to the right chapter chair!

ASHRAE - ASPE Joint Meeting

Our most recent chapter meeting, on May 16^th, was jointly held with the local chapter of ASPE, and was a great opportunity to meet and make friends with other local industry professionals. We had a fantastic turnout, and the event was held at the Piedmont Natural Gas Technology and Design Center on South Tryon Street.

The presentation was “Heat Pump Hot Water”, a topic of interest to both society chapters, and the speaker was Andy Hayes, of HMI. Andy reviewed the fundamental concepts of the heat pump technology as applied to making hot water, which is viewed as an eco-friendly alternative [somewhat ironically] to natural gas. 

This was not the first time we have held joint meetings with other society chapters, but it has been a long time since the last one, which to my recollection was a joint meeting with the local AIA chapter. I believe that the chapter members present enjoyed the opportunity for shared learning and to enjoy the beautiful Piedmont Natural Gas facility. I saw some folks in attendance that I had not seen in a while, which is great!

More and Faster: Electricity from Clean Sources Reaches 30% of Global Total

The planet set new records in 2023 for electricity produced due to the usage of renewable energy sources. According to a new report by Ember, 30% of electricity usage worldwide was from clean energy sources, with hydroelectric dams contributing the most. This is in spite of droughts in India, China, North America, and Mexico that experienced droughts which decreased hydropower to a five-year low.

China added more renewable energy than any other nation in 2023 accounting for 51% of the new solar power and 60% of the new wind power worldwide. Together, the U.S., E.U., China, and Brazil accounted for 81% of new solar power last year. However, fossil fuels continue to make up the majority of electricity generated worldwide and nations that experience a loss of hydroelectric power burned coal to compensate for the deficit.