Arthur H. Rosenfeld

Dr. Arthur H Rosenfeld (born 1927) is a Commissioner of the California Energy Commission since 2000.

Rosenfeld earned a PhD (1954) in Physics from the University of Chicago where he was the last graduate student of Enrico Fermi.

1955-1973 He worked in physics group at University of California, Berkeley where he did some of the key development of bubble chamber physics, particularly the hardware and software for photographing, measuring and analyzing data.

In 1975, he founded the group that became the Center for Building Science at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. At the center he researched the miniaturisation of electronic ballasts in fluorescent lamps leading to the development of compact fluorescent lamps.

The Center developed a broad range of energy efficiency technologies, including electronic ballasts for fluorescent lighting, a key component of compact fluorescent lamps; and low-emissivity windows, a coating for glass that allows light in but blocks heat from either entering (summer) or escaping (winter). Dr. Rosenfeld was personally responsible for developing DOE-2, a computer program for building energy analysis and design that was incorporated in California’s Building Code in 1978. These codes have served as models for the nation, copied by Florida and Massachusetts, and other states are beginning to adopt them as well. DOE-2 is used to calculate codes and guidelines for energy efficient new buildings in China and many other countries.

In 2001, Rosenfeld came up with Rosenfeld's Law, which states that the amount of energy required to produce one dollar of GDP has decreased by about one percent per year since 1845.

In 2008, Rosenfeld announced his desire to see all new California homes be equipped with a radio controlled thermostat that would allow the State to transmit price and reliability signals to the house, allowing customers to change their energy usage with changes in price. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/11/america/calif.php California wants to control home thermostats - International Herald Tribune ] ]

Awards

* Szilard Award for Physics in the Public Interest in 1986
* Carnot Award for Energy Efficiency from the U.S. Department of Energy in 1993
* Enrico Fermi Award in 2005

For 1994-1999 he was Senior Advisor to the United States Department of Energy Assistant Secretary.

References

External links

* [http://www.energy.ca.gov/commissioners/rosenfeld.html Biography from the California Energy Commission]
* [http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/247/ EcoGeek article about Rosenfeld.]
* [http://www.energy.gov/news/3553.htm Named the 2005 Enrico Fermi Award Winner]
* [http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/arthur_h_rosenfeld.php Ode to Arthur H. Rosenfeld, Doctor Efficiency]