This proceedings is the compilation of all papers presented at the 11th PV Performance and Reliability Workshop held at the Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on November 3-5, 1998. The workshop was hosted by the Florida Solar Energy Center. This year's workshop included presentations from 29 speakers and had 110 attendees.

A new demonstration biomass gasifier in Burlington, Vermont, is a major advance toward biopower systems of the 21st century. The purpose of the project is to verify design and operating characteristics of this gasification technology at an intermediate size. The Vermont gasifier is rated at 200 tons of biomass per day. The demonstration will allow further scale-up to a first-of-its-kind commercial gasifier to be demonstrated in the future at an industrial or utility scale.

A Summary of Success stories of the State Energy Programs. The goal of the State Energy Program is to strengthen the capabilities of States to promote energy efficiency and to adopt renewable energy technologies, thereby helping the nation save energy and realize a stronger economy, cleaner environment, and a more secure future.

In 1996, the State of Ohio established a project to demonstrate the use of an ethanol blend transportation fuel in flexible-fuel vehicles. This report presents the data collection and analysis from this project, with particular focus on vehicle performance, cost of operation and limited emissions testing.

Our fifth annual Information Resources Catalogue describes recent NREL publications and services that will keep you up to date regarding the latest advances in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

This quarterly report encourages cooperative R and D by providing the US PV industry with information on activities and capabilities of the laboratories. This issue contains information on the CIS and CdTe R and D teams, an editorial by Richard King on the stand-out accomplishments of the PV Program, and an overview of the NCPV Program Review Meeting highlighting the strength of US photovoltaics.

A hybrid photovoltaic system provides Pinnacles National Monument with electrical services in an environmentally sensitive area. This quite, unobtrusive system provides the Chapparral area with clean, reliable electricity. Installing renewable energy projects at Federal facilities provides Federal agencies an opportunity to fulfill their mandate for responsible stewardship of national resources with cost-effective environmentally benign technologies.

The nation's network of DOE Laboratories and Facilities hold an extensive store of research and development expertise and unique equipment developed for their various missions. The Laboratory Coordinating Council (LCC) gives US industry access to a ``virtual'' laboratory that can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of almost any research project. Established in 1995, the LCC responds to the major process industries' R and D needs with the capabilities of 16 DOE Laboratories and Facilities.

Geological specimens are often complex materials that require different analytical methods for their characterization. The parameters of interest may include the chemical composition of major, minor and trace elements. The chemical compounds incorporated in the minerals, the crystal structure and isotopic composition need to be considered. Specimens may be highly heterogeneous thus necessitating analytical methods capable of measurements on small sample volumes with high spatial resolution and sensitivity. Much essential information on geological materials can be obtained by using ion or photon beams. In this chapter the authors describe the principal analytical techniques based on particle accelerators, showing some applications that are hardly possible with conventional methods. In particular, the following techniques will be discussed: (1) Synchrotron radiation (SR) induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PEE) and other ion beam techniques for trace element analysis; and (2) Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for ultra sensitive analysis of stable nuclides and long-lived radionuclides. In most of the cases also the possibilities of elemental and isotopic analysis with high resolution will be discussed.

This fact sheet describes the Technology Cooperation Agreement Pilot Project (TCAPP) established by U.S. Government agencies USAID, EPA, and DOE and programs USCSP and USIJI in August 1997. TCAPP is currently facilitating voluntary partnerships between the governments of Brazil, China, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the Philippines, the U.S. and other OECD countries, international donors, and the private sector, on a common set of actions that will advance implementation of clean energy technologies. The five participating countries have been actively engaged in shaping this initiative along with international donors and the private sector. This program helps fulfill the U.S. obligation to support technology transfer to developing countries under Article 4.5 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. TCAPP also provides a mechanism to focus resources across international donor programs on technology cooperation needs of developing and transition countries. The goals of TCAPP are to: (1) Foster private investment in energy technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce economic benefits for the country; (2) Engage in-country and international donor support for actions to build sustainable markets for clean energy technologies; and (3) Establish technology cooperation agreements as an organizing structure for coupling in-country, donor, and private-sector climate change mitigation actions. …

The goal of this article is to illustrate the use of synchrotron radiation for investigating surface chemical reactions by photoelectron spectroscopy. A brief introduction and background information is followed by examples of layer resolved spectroscopy, oxidation and sulfidation of metallic, semiconducting and oxide surfaces.

This report is a primer for industry (inventors and corporations) on how to license technology.

This guide provides information in support of the National Clean Cities Program, which will assist one in becoming better informed about the choices and options surrounding the use of alternative fuels and the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles. The information printed in this guide is current as of September 15, 1998. For recent additions or more up-to-date information, check the Alternative Fuels Data Center Web site at http://www.afdc.doe.gov

This issue of Alternative Fuel News highlights the accomplishments of the Clean Cities coalitions during the past 5 years. Now Clean Cities advocates in city after city across the US are building stations and driving alternative fuel vehicles, in addition to enhancing public awareness.

Geological specimens are often complex materials that require different analytical methods for their characterization. The parameters of interest may include the chemical composition of major, minor and trace elements. The chemical compounds incorporated in the minerals, the crystal structure and isotopic composition need to be considered. Specimens may be highly heterogeneous thus necessitating analytical methods capable of measurements on small sample volumes with high spatial resolution and sensitivity. Much essential information on geological materials can be obtained by using ion or photon beams. In this chapter we describe the principal analytical techniques based on particle accelerators, showing some applications that are hardly possible with conventional methods. In particular, the following techniques will be discussed: (1) Synchrotron radiation (SR) induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PEE) and other ion beam techniques for trace element analysis. (2) Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for ultra sensitive analysis of stable nuclides and long-lived radionuclides. In most of the cases also the possibilities of elemental and isotopic analysis with high resolution will be discussed.

This issue of Save with Solar highlights awards for federal renewable energy projects in FY 1998, the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, a special exhibition in New York City featuring solar technologies, PV systems working in Volcanoes National Park, and PV Super ESPC contracts.

SolMaT works with manufacturers to lower the cost of manufacturing components for concentrating solar power systems.

Transpired air collectors preheat building ventilation air by using the building's ventilation fan to draw fresh air through the system. The intake air is heated as it passes through the perforated absorber plate and up the plenum between the absorber and the south wall of the building. Reduced heating costs will pay for the systems in 3--12 years.

The November 1998 of Turning Point highlights the US Industrial Electric Motor Systems Market Opportunities Assessment Report--the first of its kind in 20 years. Sponsored by DOE's Motor Challenge Program, the comprehensive assessment describes motor-system use in the industrial sector. This issue also introduces the latest version of MotorMaster+ motor management software-- MotorMaster+ 3.0, and includes a case study on a fan system optimization project that yielded significant energy and cost savings for a Louisiana-Pacific plant.

This FEMP technical assistance case study shows that energy efficiency, cost effectiveness, and aesthetics can be incorporated into the design of a Federal facility--in this case the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV, which encompasses many buildings with a variety of purposes.

This issue of the Biofuels News focuses on a new industry in renewable transportation fuel. BC International (BCI) became the first company to dedicate a facility to produce ethanol from agricultural residues. Also, featured is an article on the potential of switchgrass as an energy crop.

In this review we have focused much of our discussion on the mechanistic details of how the native enzymes function and how mechanistic developments/insights with synthetic small molecule complexes possessing SOD activity have influenced our understanding of the electron transfer processes involved with the natural enzymes. A few overriding themes have emerged. Clearly, the SOD enzymes operate at near diffusion controlled rates and to achieve such catalytic turnover activity, several important physical principles must be operative. Such fast electron transfer processes requires a role for protons; i.e., proton-coupled electron transfer (''H-atom transfer'') solves the dilemma of charge separation developing in the transition state for the electron transfer step. Additionally, outer-sphere electron transfer is likely a most important pathway for manganese and iron dismutases. This situation arises because the ligand exchange rates on these two ions in water never exceed {approx}10{sup +7} s{sup -1}; consequently, 10{sup +9} catalytic rates require more subtle mechanistic insights. In contrast, copper complexes can achieve diffusion controlled (>10{sup +9}) exchange rates in water; thus inner-sphere electron transfer processes are more likely to be operative in the Cu/Zn enzymes. Recent studies have continued to expand our understanding of the mechanism of action of this most important class …

Energy crops for electrical production are being given a boost by the Salix Consortium, an association of 20 corporations and industrial, government, farming, and research organizations. The consortium supports commercial development of willows for generating electricity, which are being grown for utilities across the Northeast region of the U.S. for use in cofiring with coal in existing power plants.

This document explains the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Buildings Program's efforts regarding the research, development, and deployment of solar water heating technology.