This OIT BestPractices Case Study describes how the Equilon Enterprises oil refinery in Martinez, California undertook a plant-wide energy assessment that focused on three key areas: waste minimization, process debottlenecking, and operations optimization. The assessment yielded recommendations, which, if implemented, can save more than 6,000,000 MMBtu per year and an estimated $52,000,000 per year, plus improve process control and reduce waste.

School districts around the country are finding that smart energy choices can help them save money and provide healthier, more effective learning environments. By incorporating energy improvements into their construction or renovation plans, schools can significantly reduce their energy consumption and costs. These savings can then be redirected to educational needs such as additional teachers, instructional materials, or new computers.

This report describes the automated systems developed for PV module assembly and testing processes after lamination. These processes are applicable to a broad range of module types, including those made with wafer-based and thin-film solar cells. Survey data and input from module manufacturers gathered during site visits were used to define system capabilities and process specifications. Spire completed mechanical, electrical, and software engineering for four automation systems: a module edge trimming system, the SPI-TRIM 350; an edge sealing and framing system, the SPI-FRAMER 350; an integrated module testing system, the SPI-MODULE QA 350; and a module buffer storage system, the SPI-BUFFER 350. A fifth system for junction-box installation, the SPI-BOXER 350, was nearly completed during the program. A new-size solar simulator, the SPI-SUN SIMULATOR 350i, was designed as part of the SPI-MODULE QA 350. This simulator occupies minimal production floor space, and its test area is large enough to handle most production modules. The automated systems developed in this program are designed for integration to create automated production lines.

This study evaluates the feasibility of co-locating a cellulose-to-ethanol (bioethanol) facility at the existing AES Greenidge coal-fired electric power plant near Dresden, NY.

Operating a typical school today is no easy task for facilities managers and business officials. You're expected to deliver increased services with constrained operating budgets. Many schools stay open for longer hours to accommodate community use of the facilities. Dilapidated buildings and systems gobble up energy, yet in many districts, maintenance needs are overshadowed by the need for expansion or new construction to serve growing student populations and changing educational needs.

High redshift radio galaxies are great cosmological tools for pinpointing the most massive objects in the early Universe: massive forming galaxies, active super-massive black holes and proto-clusters. They report on deep narrow-band imaging and spectroscopic observations of several z > 2 radio galaxy fields to investigate the nature of giant Ly-{alpha} nebulae centered on the galaxies and to search for over-dense regions around them. They discuss the possible implications for our understanding of the formation and evolution of massive galaxies and galaxy clusters.

The Solar Energy Research Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory includes energy-efficient features, making it a high-performing building.

Fact sheet features the challenges the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) faced and overcame in complying to a Texas legislation that calls for the acquisition of only alternative fuel vehicles.

This conference paper describes the in-depth understanding of the defect formation and resulting changes in material quality occurring during the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 growth process is vital to the successful and widespread use of this photovoltaic material. In an attempt to develop such an understanding, we investigated the growth of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-films from (In,Ga)2Se3 precursors. This was achieved by using energy- and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopies to characterize a series of thin-films, each removed at a different point along the reaction pathway of the''three-stage'' growth process. The resulting thin-films are representative of the absorber layer as it proceeds from a Cu-rich to In(Ga)-rich state. The experimental results support a growth model incorporating defect changes in the dominant defect states and improvement in the recombination lifetime during this final stage of the growth process as the material transitions to a Cu-poor phase.

The October 2002 issue of Science and Technology Review has the following articles: (1) Applied Science Is a Hallmark of This Laboratory--Commentary by Hal Graboske. (2) Sending Up Signals for Genetic Variation--In situ rolling circle amplification promises to advance the detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases. (3) SiMM Is Anything But Simple--Modules of silicon microchannels and microlenses result in the smallest, most powerful, and least expensive laser diode pumps ever. (4) World's Most Powerful Solid-State Laser--A new design allows tremendous scaling up of solid-state laser power. (5) Stepping Up to Extreme Lithography--The next generation of computer chips can now be produced on a commercial scale. (6) Relief for Acute and Chronic Pain--New technology turns an ancient pain management method into a modern medical tool. (7)50th Anniversary Highlight--14 Energy and Environment: Understanding Our World--The Laboratory's energy and environmental research is an important adjunct to its core national security mission.

In order to make the Wind Powering America effort a success, homeowners and landowners interested in purchasing grid-connected small wind energy systems must be provided with assistance and education. The Clean Power Estimator (CPE) program is a valuable tool for these individuals. In support of this educational effort, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NRELs) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) is integrating the CPE program with site-specific wind resource data. This paper describes how the CPE program works, how end users can determine the cost-effectiveness of wind for a specific location, and how companies can use the program to identify high-value wind locations.

This report describes how Cornell University researchers developed several low-cost and simple barrier layers and tested their effectiveness both analytically (by SIMS) and by evaluating the electrical characteristics of devices fabricated on barrier-coated substrates. Devices fabricated included both majority-carrier devices (thin-film transistors) and minority-carrier devices (p-i-n junction diodes simulating solar cells) using various deposition techniques including the chemical vapor deposition of polysilicon from silane at low pressures (at Cornell University) and from dichlorosilane at atmospheric pressure (cooperation with Neudeck at Purdue University). The structure of the films deposited was investigated by using TEM and X-ray analysis. The performance of the minority- and majority-carrier devices fabricated on barrier-coated glass ceramic substrates was found to be identical to devices fabricated on control substrates of oxidized silicon and fused silica.

The purpose of this work is to establish the electrical similarity of the Mock Tank site to S-112 tank site to determine if the Mock Tank requires modifications for the tests this summer. We accomplish this objective by determining the effective electrical resistivity of S-112 and comparing it with that of the Mock Tank. We also compare the expected sensitivities under S-112 and Mock Tank assuming that long electrodes are used.

The Universal Interconnection Technology (UIT) Workshop - sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Distributed Energy and Electric Reliability (DEER) Program, and Distribution and Interconnection R&D - was held July 25-26, 2002, in Chicago, Ill., to: (1) Examine the need for a modular universal interconnection technology; (2) Identify UIT functional and technical requirements; (3) Assess the feasibility of and potential roadblocks to UIT; (4) Create an action plan for UIT development. These proceedings begin with an overview of the workshop. The body of the proceedings provides a series of industry representative-prepared papers on UIT functions and features, present interconnection technology, approaches to modularization and expandability, and technical issues in UIT development as well as detailed summaries of group discussions. Presentations, a list of participants, a copy of the agenda, and contact information are provided in the appendices of this document.

Additional steam traps were installed on the drum oven at a petroleum jelly production facility at an ExxonMobil plant in Nigeria. The installation improved heat transfer and saved energy.

Meteorological data are continuously collected at three sites on Bikini Atoll in support of radioecological research and monitoring programs conducted by the Health and Ecological Assessments Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Weather stations were first established on Bikini Atoll in April 1990, and provide information on rainfall, wind speed and direction, air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation. These data and information are used to interpret results of remediation experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of potassium fertilizer on reducing the uptake of {sup 137}Cs into locally grown foods. We have also demonstrated that {sup 137}Cs is slowly leached from surface soil by the action of rain water. Long-term meteorological data are crucial to our efforts of developing an understanding of environmental processes controlling the environment loss of {sup 137}Cs in coral atoll soil. In May 2000, older data collection platforms and the DOS-based system that downloaded data from National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Data Automatic Processing System (DAPS) was decommissioned, and new data loggers, GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) transmitters and antennas were installed. Consequently, new procedures were developed to maintain the field systems, download the data, and reduce and archive the data. This document provides …

The goal of this proposal is to develop an in-situ probe for high density molecular fluids. We will, therefore, use Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy (CARS) applied to laser heated samples in a diamond-anvil cell (DAC) to investigate molecular fluids at simultaneous conditions of high temperatures (T > 2000K) and high pressures (P > 10 GPa.) Temperatures sufficient to populate vibrational levels above the ground state will allow the vibrational potential to be mapped by CARS. A system capable of heating and probing these samples will be constructed. Furthermore, the techniques that enable a sample to be sufficiently heated and probed while held at static high pressure in a diamond-anvil-cell will be developed. This will be an in-situ investigation of simple molecules under conditions relevant to the study of detonation chemistry and the Jovain planet interiors using state of the art non-linear spectroscopy, diamond-anvil-cells, and laser heating technology.

This Configuration Management Plan (CMP) describes the technical and administrative management process for controlling the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project configuration. The complexity of the NIF Project (i.e., participation by multiple national laboratories and subcontractors involved in the development, fabrication, installation, and testing of NIF hardware and software, as well as construction and testing of Project facilities) requires implementation of the comprehensive configuration management program defined in this plan. A logical schematic illustrating how the plan functions is provided in Figure 1. A summary of the process is provided in Section 4.0, Configuration Change Control. Detailed procedures that make up the overall process are referenced. This CMP is consistent with guidance for managing a project's configuration provided in Department of Energy (DOE) Order 430.1, Guide PMG 10, ''Project Execution and Engineering Management Planning''. Configuration management is a formal discipline comprised of the following four elements: (1) Identification--defines the functional and physical characteristics of a Project and uniquely identifies the defining requirements. This includes selection of components of the end product(s) subject to control and selection of the documents that define the project and components. (2) Change management--provides a systematic method for managing changes to the project and its physical and …

This report summarizes data collected from samples in borehole C3103. Borehole C3103 was completed to further characterize the nature and extent of vadose zone contaminants supplied by intentional liquid discharges into the crib 216-B7A/7B between 1954 and 1967. These cribs received dilute waste streams from the bismuth phosphate fuel reprocessing program in the 1950's and decontamination waste in the 1960's. Elevated concentrations of several constituents were primarily measured at different depth intervals. The primary radionuclides present in this borehole are cesium-137 and uranium near the top of the borehole. Chemical characteristics attributed to wastewater-soil interaction at different locations within this zone are elevated pH, sodium, fluoride, carbonate nitrate, and sulphate

A hybrid configuration of a heat capacity laser (HCL) and a moving slab laser (MSL) has been studied. Multiple volumes of solid-state laser material are sequentially diode-pumped and their energy extracted. When a volume reaches a maximum temperature after a ''sub-magazine depth'', it is moved out of the pumping region into a cooling region, and a new volume is introduced. The total magazine depth equals the submagazine depth times the number of volumes. The design parameters are chosen to provide high duty factor operation, resulting in effective use of the diode arrays. The concept significantly reduces diode array cost over conventional heat capacity lasers, and it is considered enabling for many potential applications. A conceptual design study of the hybrid configuration has been carried out. Three concepts were evaluated using CAD tools. The concepts are described and their relative merits discussed. Because of reduced disk size and diode cost, the hybrid concept may allow scaling to average powers on the order of 0.5 MW/module.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are a group of materials that are widely used in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. Recently, Cu-containing p-type TCOs such as MII Cu2 O2 (MIII=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) and CuMIII O2 (MIII=Al, Ga, In) have been proposed. Using first-principles band structure methods, we have systematically studied the electronic and optical properties of these p-type transparent oxides. For MII Cu2 O2 , we predict that adding a small amount of Ca into Sr Cu2 O2 can increase the transparency and conductivity. For CuMIII O2 , we explained the doping and band gap anomalies in this system and proposed a new approach to search for bipolar dopable wide-gap materials.

This report discusses unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), also called “spam” or “junk e-mail.” Not only can it be a nuisance, but its cost may be passed on to consumers through higher charges from Internet service providers who must upgrade their systems to handle the traffic.

Two different structural solutions have been proposed and studied for the D0 Run2b stave (Figure 1 and Figure 3). The way the stave structural stiffness is achieved in both designs is essentially the same: the structural material is displaced as far as possible from the neutral axis in order to increase the bending moment of the stave. The agreement of the measured data with what has been theoretically predicted is excellent. The C channel stave with dog-bones glued on top of the sensor (stave No.2) has outperformed the other mockups with a predicted sag of 51 {micro}m for a distributed load of 2.28 N/m [0.013 lbf/in] and a consequent natural frequency of 89.2Hz. The other three C channel staves with the dog-bones not glued on the sensor have a bending stiffness that is -19.0%, -10.8%, +4.0% of that of stave No.2, being 11.0%, 7.8%, 15.1% lighter respectively. An optimized stave structural proposal with 130.5% of the design stiffness within the mass budget is presented at the end of this paper.

This conference paper describes Microcrystalline silicon films were grown with different thicknesses and different hydrogen dilution ratios on glass and Si substrates. Some films were deposited with a seed layer, whereas others were deposited directly on the substrate. We used atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction to study the morphology and crystalline structure of the samples. We did not find a significant influence of the different substrates on the morphology or crystalline structure. The presence of the seed layer enhanced the crystallization process, decreasing the amount of amorphous layer present in the films. The microstructure of most films was formed by grains, with a subgrain structure. Films grown with low values of dilution ratio had (220) texture and elongated grains, whereas films deposited with high values of dilution ratio were randomly oriented and had an irregular shape.