A semiconductor liquid junction photocell in which the photocell is in the configuration of a light concentrator and in which the electrolytic solution both conducts current and facilitates the concentration of incident solar radiation onto the semiconductor. The photocell may be in the configuration of a non-imaging concentrator such as a compound parabolic concentrator, or an imaging concentrator such as a lens.

A thermoelectric generator using semiconductor elements for responding to a temperature gradient to produce electrical energy with all of the semiconductor elements being of the same type is disclosed. A continuous process for forming substrates on which the semiconductor elements and superstrates are deposited and a process for forming the semiconductor elements on the substrates are also disclosed. The substrates with the semiconductor elements thereon are combined with superstrates to form modules for use as thermoelectric generators.

This invention comprises a combination of a water soluble polymer of the polyacrylic acid type, a foam stabilizer of dodecyl alcohol, a surfactant, a solvent and water as a concentrate for use in producing stabilized aqueous foams. In another aspect, the invention comprises a solution of the concentrate with water. In still another aspect the invention includes a method of generating stabilized aqueous foams. The stable foams have utility in security systems.

This invention is comprised of an iron-based alloy containing chromium and optionally, nickel. The alloy has a surface barrier of silicon or silicon plus oxygen which converts at high temperature to a protective silicon compound. The alloy can be used in oxygen-sulfur mixed gases at temperatures up to about 1100{degrees}C.

This invention is comprised of a process for converting PuO{sub 2} and U0{sub 2} present in an electrorefiner to the chlorides, by contacting the PuO{sub 2} and U0{sub 2} with Li metal in the presence of an alkali metal chloride salt substantially free of rare earth and actinide chlorides for a time and at a temperature sufficient to convert the U0{sub 2} and PuO{sub 2} to metals while converting Li metal to Li{sub 2}O. Li{sub 2}O is removed either by reducing with rare earth metals or by providing an oxygen electrode for transporting 0{sub 2} out of the electrorefiner and a cathode, and thereafter applying an emf to the electrorefiner electrodes sufficient to cause the Li{sub 2}O to disassociate to 0{sub 2} and Li metal but insufficient to decompose the alkali metal chloride salt. The U and Pu and excess lithium are then converted to chlorides by reaction with CdCl{sub 2}.

This code enables one to display, take line-outs on, and perform various transformations on an image created by an array of integer*2 data. Uncompressed eight-bit TIFF files created on either the Macintosh or the IBM PC may also be read in and converted to a 16 bit signed integer image. This code is designed to handle all the formats used for PDS (photo-densitometer) files at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. These formats are all explained by the application code. The image may be zoomed infinitely and the gray scale mapping can be easily changed. Line-outs may be horizontal or vertical with arbitrary width, angled with arbitrary end points, or taken along any path. This code is usually used to examine spectrograph data. Spectral lines may be identified and a polynomial fit from position to wavelength may be found. The image array can be remapped so that the pixels all have the same change of lambda width. It is not necessary to do this, however. Lineouts may be printed, saved as Cricket tab-delimited files, or saved as PICT2 files. The plots may be linear, semilog, or logarithmic with nice values and proper scientific notation. Typically, spectral lines are curved.

The Federal Emergency Management System (FEMIS) is an emergency management planning and response tool. The FEMIS Data Management Guide provides the information needed to manage the data used to support the administrative, user-environment, database management, and operational capabilities of FEMIS.

The General Services Administration is not just replacing aging heating and cooling equipment and reducing maintenance costs at the 670-acre Denver Federal Center (DFC). The GSA is also helping the government save about $450,000 in annual energy costs, conserve nearly 11 million gallons of water per year, and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 15.9 million pounds, all by making use of the Department of Energy's Super Energy Savings Performance Contracts (Super ESPCs) at the DFC. Under these contracts, an energy services provider pays the up-front project costs and is then repaid over the contracts term out of the resulting energy cost savings. This two-page case study, prepared by NREL for the DOE Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), demonstrates how the GSA forged new project partnerships, improved the DFCs boiler plant, and acquired efficient new chillers, motors, controls, and lighting by placing two delivery orders for this work under FEMPs Central Region Super ESPC.

Most school administrators and board members today must perform a tough juggling act. You're challenged to fulfill increasingly complex educational missions, meet rising community expectations, and serve growing student populations all with constrained operating budgets. As districts consider renovating their facilities or building new schools, many have found that smart energy choices can have lasting benefits for their schools, their communities, and the environment.

The sourcebook is a reference for industrial steam system users, outlining opportunities to improve steam system performance. This Sourcebook is designed to provide steam system users with a reference that describes the basic steam system components, outlines opportunities for energy and performance improvements, and discusses the benefits of a systems approach in identifying and implementing these improvement opportunities. The Sourcebook is divided into the following three main sections: Section 1: Steam System Basics--For users unfamiliar with the basics of steam systems, or for users seeking a refresher, a brief discussion of the terms, relationships, and important system design considerations is provided. Users already familiar with industrial steam system operation may want to skip this section. This section describes steam systems using four basic parts: generation, distribution, end use, and recovery. Section 2: Performance Improvement Opportunities--This section discusses important factors that should be considered when industrial facilities seek to improve steam system performance and to lower operating costs. This section also provides an overview of the finance considerations related to steam system improvements. Additionally, this section discusses several resources and tools developed by the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) BestPractices Steam Program to identify and assess steam system improvement opportunities. …

Official publication of the Clean Cities Network and the Alternative Fuels Data Center featuring LPG Around the World, AFVs in National Parks, and Federal and State news.

The Buildings for the 21st Century newsletter is produced by the Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs and contains information on building programs, events, products, and initiatives, with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The fall issue includes information on weatherization, Boise's geothermal heating system, the BTS Core Databook, the Solar Decathlon, a Rebuild America partnership, the BigHorn Home Improvement Center, AIA's Top Ten Buildings, a sub-CFL procurement program, the U.S. investment in energy efficient research, new efficiency standards, PNNL's building software, and a calendar of meetings and conferences.

This is one of a series of technology fact sheets created to help housing designers and builders adopt a whole-house design approach and energy efficient design practices. The fact sheet advises how to create a comfortable basement environment that is free of moisture problems and easy to condition.

Final results of the New York City Transit Hybrid-Electric Transit Bus Study. Hybrid buses had lower emissions, higher fuel economy, and higher operating costs compared with diesel buses. New York City Transit (NYCT), part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, began operating the first of 10 heavy-duty diesel hybrid-electric transit bus prototypes (Model VI) from Orion Bus Industries in 1998. All 10 buses were in revenue service by mid-2000. The hybrid buses are intended to provide NYCT with increased fuel economy and lower levels of harmful exhaust emissions, compared with NYCT's diesel transit buses. Between 1999 and 2001 (over various predefined fuel and maintenance evaluation periods), these first 10 hybrid buses were part of a data collection and analysis project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The operating costs, efficiency, emissions, and overall performance of these low-floor hybrid buses were compared against those of 14 conventional high-floor diesel transit buses (7 each from NovaBUS Corporation and Orion) operated by NYCT in similar service. Results indicate that the hybrid buses operate with greater fuel efficiency and much lower emissions, compared with the diesel buses. Maintenance costs for the prototype hybrid buses were significantly higher than those of …

Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management (SLURM) is an open source, fault-tolerant, and highly scalable cluster management and job scheduling system for Linux clusters of thousands of nodes. Components include machine status, partition management, job management, scheduling and stream copy modules. The design also includes a scalable, general-purpose communication infrastructure. This paper presents a overview of the SLURM architecture and functionality.

Tribal Energy Program under DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides financial and technical assistance to Tribes for feasibility studies and shares the cost of implementing sustainable renewable energy installations on tribal lands.

The ''photovoltaic promise'' is that this solar technology is good for our nation's energy supply, good for our environment, good for our economy, and good for our future. This FAQ sheet briefly discusses details in each of these four areas. It also explains the federal role in solar electricity, specifically, the U.S. Department of Energy's PV Program, whose twofold purpose is to accelerate the development of PV as a global energy option and to assure U.S. technology and global market leadership.

This consumer fact sheet provides an overview of battery power for residential solar electric systems, including sizing, estimating costs, purchasing, and performing maintenance.

Fact sheet describing the Oklahoma and Tulsa Clean Cities Coalitions and their commitment to the alternative fuel industry.

From vehicle acquisition and credit trading to exemptions and outreach activity, the Annual Report summarizes the State& Alternative Fuel Provider Program accomplishments during FY 2002/MY2001.

This case study was prepared by participants in the Laboratories for the 21st Century program, a joint endeavor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program. The goal of this program is to foster greater energy efficiency in new laboratory buildings for both the public and the private sectors. Retrofits of existing laboratories are also encouraged. The energy-efficient features of the new laboratories in Building 50 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, include extensive use of daylighting, variable-air-volume control of the ventilation air supply and exhaust air system, and a unique energy recovery system that makes use of large desiccant energy wheels. With nearly 300,000 gross square feet, the building is estimated to use much less energy than traditional research facilities consume because of its energy-efficient design and features.

This FAQ sheet discusses the concept of ''energy payback,'' or how long a PV system must operate to recover the energy -- and associated generation of pollution and carbon dioxide -- that went into making the system in the first place. Energy payback estimates for rooftop PV systems boil down to 4, 3, 2, and 1 years: 4 years for systems using current multicrystalline-silicon PV modules, 3 years for current thin-film modules, 2 years for future multicrystalline modules, and 1 year for future thin-film modules. With energy paybacks of 1-4 years and assumed life expectancies of 30 years, 87% to 97% of the energy that PV systems generate will be free of pollution, greenhouse gases, and depletion of resources.

The 36,000-square-foot Cambria Office building in Ebensbug, Pennsylvania houses the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Designers of the energy-efficient building used integrated design to minimize energy use and pollution created in the production of the materials they used, and reduced the overall pollution and environmental impact the building will create over its lifetime. The building also employs daylighting and renewable energy technologies.

This case study highlights International Truck and Engine Corporation's optimization project on the compressed air system that serves its foundry, Indianapolis Casting Corporation. Due to the project's implementation, the system's efficiency was greatly improved, allowing the foundry to operate with less compressor capacity, which resulted in reduced energy consumption, significant maintenance savings, and more reliable production.