With increasing concerns about energy independence, job outsourcing, and risks of global climate change, it is important for policy makers to understand all impacts from their decisions about energy resources. This paper assesses one aspect of the impacts: direct economic effects. The paper compares impacts to states from equivalent new electrical generation from wind, natural gas, and coal. Economic impacts include materials and labor for construction, operations, maintenance, fuel extraction, and fuel transport, as well as project financing, property tax, and landowner revenues. We examine spending on plant construction during construction years, in addition to all other operational expenditures over a 20-year span. Initial results indicate that adding new wind power can be more economically effective than adding new gas or coal power, and that a higher percentage of dollars spent on coal and gas will leave the state. For this report, we interviewed industry representatives and energy experts, in addition to consulting government documents, models, and existing literature. The methodology for this research can be adapted to other contexts for determining economic effects of new power generation in other states and regions.

Positronium (Ps) is simulated using Path Integral Monte Carlo (PIMC). This method can reproduce the results of previous simple theories in which a single quantum particle is used to represent Ps within an idealized pore. In addition, the calculations treat the e{sup -} and e{sup +} of Ps exactly and realistically model interactions with solid atoms, thereby correcting and extending the simpler theory. They study the pick-off lifetime of o-Ps and the internal contact density, {kappa}, which controls the self-annihilation behavior, for Ps in model voids (spherical pores), defects in a solid (argon), and microporous solids (zeolites).

We present a new x-ray detection technique based on optical measurement of the effects of x-ray absorption and electron hole pair creation in a direct band-gap semiconductor. The electron-hole pairs create a frequency dependent shift in optical refractive index and absorption. This is sensed by simultaneously directing an optical carrier beam through the same volume of semiconducting medium that has experienced an xray induced modulation in the electron-hole population. If the operating wavelength of the optical carrier beam is chosen to be close to the semiconductor band-edge, the optical carrier will be modulated significantly in phase and amplitude. This approach should be simultaneously capable of very high sensitivity and excellent temporal response, even in the difficult high-energy xray regime. At xray photon energies near 10 keV and higher, we believe that sub-picosecond temporal responses are possible with near single xray photon sensitivity. The approach also allows for the convenient and EMI robust transport of high-bandwidth information via fiber optics. Furthermore, the technology can be scaled to imaging applications. The basic physics of the detector, implementation considerations, and preliminary experimental data are presented and discussed.

The development of efficient, renewable methods of producing hydrogen are essential for the success of the hydrogen economy. Since the feedstock for electrolysis is water, there are no harmful pollutants emitted during the use of the fuel. Furthermore, it has become evident that concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems have a number of unique attributes that could shortcut the development process, and increase the efficiency of hydrogen production to a point where economics will then drive the commercial development to mass scale.

We employed the two detector coincident Doppler Broadening Technique (coPAS) to investigate Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy quantum dots of varying sizes which were deposited in thin layers on glass slides. The Ag quantum dots range from 2 to 3 nm in diameter, while the Ag/Au alloy quantum dots exhibit Ag cores of 2 nm and 3 nm and Au shells of varying thickness. We investigate the possibility of positron confinement in the Ag core due to positron affinity differences between Ag and Au. We describe the results and their significance to resolving the issue of whether positrons annihilate within the quantum dot itself or whether surface and positron escape effects play an important role.

The authors calculate the complete next-to-next-to-leading order QCD correction of the charm quark contribution to the branching ratio for the rare decay K{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{nu}{bar {nu}} in the standard model. The inclusion of these {Omicron}({alpha}{sub s}) contributions leads to a significant reduction of the theoretical uncertainty from {+-} 10.1% down to {+-} 2.4% in the relevant parameter P{sub c}, implying the left over scale uncertainties in {Beta}(K{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{nu}{bar {nu}}) and in the determination of |V{sub td}|, sin 2{beta} and {gamma} from the K {yields} {pi}{nu}{bar {nu}} system to be {+-} 1.3%, {+-} 1.0%, {+-} 0.006 and {+-} 1.2{sup o}, respectively. for the charm quark {ovr MS} mass m{sub c}(m{sub c}) = (1.30 {+-} 0.05) GeV and |V{sub us}| = 0.2248 the next-to-leading order value P{sub c} = 0.37 {+-} 0.06 is modified to P{sub c} = 0.37 {+-} 0.04 at the next-to-next-to-leading order level with the latter error fully dominated by the uncertainty in m{sub c}(m{sub c}). Adding the recently calculated long-distance contributions we find {Beta}(K{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{nu}{bar {nu}}) = (8.0 {+-} 1.1) x 10{sup -11} with the quoted error almost entirely due to the present uncertainties in m{sub c}(m{sub c}) and the …

This paper describes the mechanical design of the downstream beam transport line for the second axis of the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT II) Facility. The DARHT-II project is a collaboration between LANL, LBNL and LLNL. DARHT II is a 20-MeV, 2000-Amperes, 2-{micro}sec linear induction accelerator designed to generate short bursts of x-rays for the purpose of radiographing dense objects. The downstream beam transport line is approximately 20-meter long region extending from the end of the accelerator to the bremsstrahlung target. Within this proposed transport line there are 15 conventional solenoid, quadrupole and dipole magnets; as well as several specialty magnets, which transport and focus the beam to the target and to the beam dumps. There are two high power beam dumps, which are designed to absorb 80-kJ per pulse during accelerator start-up and operation. Aspects of the mechanical design of these elements are presented.

This paper reviews the current status of the commercial PV Industry. It assesses the current status of commercially available modules, most of which use silicon wafers or ribbons. My analysis will show that the choice of Si wafers or substrates, once deemed to be the most important aspect, ended up making only negligible differences for commercial products, as long as cells are prepared by diffusion and screen printing. I will also address the prospects and requirements for both next generation thin-film modules and super-high (>20%) efficient commercial crystalline Si cells. It is shown that traditional recombination loss analyses provide a poor tool for understanding limitations of cell and module performance, because those analytical schemes ignore dominating interactions between different loss mechanisms (e.g., of surface and bulk recombination).

Using the complete KTeV data set of 5241 candidate K{sub L} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}e{sup +}e{sup -} decays (including an estimated background of 204 {+-} 14 events), we have measured the coupling g{sub CR} = 0.163 {+-} 0.014 (stat) {+-} 0.023 (syst) of the CP conserving charge radius process and from it determined a K{sup 0} charge radius of <r{sub K{sup 0}}{sup 2}> = (-0.077 {+-} 0.007(stat) {+-} 0.011(syst))fm{sup 2}. We have also determined a first experimental upper limit of 0.04 (90% CL) for the ratio |g{sub E1}|/|g{sub M1}| of the coupling for the E1 direct photon emission process relative to the coupling for M1 direct photon emission process. We also report the measurement of |g{sub M1}| including its associated vector form factor |{bar g}{sub M1}|1 + a{sub 1}/a{sub 2}/(M{sub p}{sup 2} - M{sub K}{sup 2})+2M{sub K}E{sub {gamma}*} where |{bar g}{sub M1}| = 1.11 {+-} 0.12 (stat) {+-} 0.08 (syst) and a{sub 1}/a{sub 2} = (-0.744 {+-} 0.027 (stat) {+-} 0.032 (syst)) GeV{sup 2}/c{sup 2}. In addition, a measurement of the manifestly CP violating asymmetry of magnitude (13.6 {+-} 1.4 (stat) {+-} 1.5 (syst))% in the CP and T odd angle {phi} between the decay planes of the e{sup +}e{sup …

Future solar photovoltaics-hydrogen systems are discussed in terms of the evolving hydrogen economy. The focus is on distributed hydrogen, relying on the same distributed-energy strengths of solar-photovoltaic electricity in the built environment. Solar-hydrogen residences/buildings, as well as solar parks, are presented. The economics, feasibility, and potential of these approaches are evaluated in terms of roadmap predictions on photovoltaic and hydrogen pathways-and whether solar-hydrogen fit in these strategies and timeframes. Issues with the ''hydrogen future'' are considered, and alternatives to this hydrogen future are examined.

Irradiation embrittlement in nuclear reactor pressure vessel steels results from the formation of a high number density of nanometer-sized copper rich precipitates and sub-nanometer defect-solute clusters. We present results of small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) characterization of the nanostructural features formed in binary and ternary Fe-Cu-Mn alloys irradiated at {approx}290 C. These complementary techniques provide insight into the composition and character of both types of nanoscale features. The SANS measurements indicate populations of copper-manganese precipitates and smaller vacancy-copper-manganese clusters. The PAS characterization, including both Doppler broadening and positron lifetime measurements, indicates the presence of essentially defect-free Cu precipitates in the Fe-Cu-Mn alloy and vacancy-copper clusters in the Fe-Cu alloy. Thus the SANS and PAS provide a self-consistent picture of nanostructures composed of copper-rich precipitates and vacancy solute cluster complexes and tend to discount high Fe concentrations in the CRPs.

Due to the development of the solar energy industry, a significant increase of polysilicon feedstock (PSF) production will be required in near future. The creation of special technology of solar grade polysilicon feedstock production is an important problem. Today, semiconductor-grade polysilicon is mainly manufactured using the trichlorosilane (SiHCl3) distillation and reduction. The feed-stock for trichlorosilane is metallurgical-grade silicon, the product of reduction of natural quartzite (silica). This polysilicon production method is characterized by high energy consumption and large amounts of wastes, containing environmentally harmful chlorine based compounds. In the former USSR the principles of industrial method for production of monosilane and polycrystalline silicon by thermal decomposition of monosilane were founded. This technology was proved in industrial scale at production of gaseous monosilane and PSF. We offered new chlorine free technology (CFT). Originality and novelty of the process were confirmed by Russian and US patents.

We report two investigations conducted by using photoconductivity decay lifetime measurement. The first is crystalline silicon (c-Si) surface passivation using quinhydrone/methanol (QM) for bulk minority-carrier lifetime measurement. QM shows great promise as a substitute for iodine-based solutions because of its superior stability and minimized surface-recombination velocity in silicon. The second is interface passivation in an amorphous silicon (a-Si)/c-Si heterojunction structure as a parallel effort to develop and optimize heterojunction c-Si solar cells by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). A thin buffer layer inserted between the a-Si and the c-Si substrate has been found to be much more effective than a directly deposited a-Si/c-Si interface in reducing the interface recombination velocity.

The thickness of a semiconductor wafer can critically influence mechanical and/or electronic yield of the device(s) fabricated on it. For most microelectronic (surface) devices, the thickness of a wafer is important primarily for mechanical reasons--to provide control and stability of devices by minimizing stresses resulting from various device-fabrication processes. However, for minority-carrier devices, such as solar cells, the entire thickness of the wafer participates in the optical and electronic performance of the device. In either case, control of wafer thickness through careful measurement is a fundamental requirement in the commercial fabrication of electronic devices.

We report on a solid-source method to introduce dopants or controlled impurities directly into the melt zone during float-zone growth of single- or multicrystalline ingots. Unlike the Czochralski (CZ) growth situation, float-zoning allows control over the levels of some impurities (O, C) that cannot be avoided in CZ growth or ingot casting. But aside from impurity studies, the method turns out to be very practical for routine p-type doping in semicontinuous growth processes such as float-zoning, electromagnetic casting, or melt-replenished ribbon growth. Equations governing dopant incorporation, dopant withdrawal, and N co-doping are presented and experimentally verified. Doping uniformity and doping initiation and withdrawal time constants are also reported. The method uses nontoxic source materials and is flexible with quick turnaround times for changing doping levels. Boron p-type doping with nitrogen co-doping is particularly attractive for silicon lattice strengthening against process-induced dislocation motion and also allows greater freedom from incorporation of Si self-interstitial cluster or A and B swirl-type defects and"D"-type microdefects than nitrogen-free p-type material.

We present the design and preliminary evaluation of a paramagnetic microsphere trapping and separation device consisting of a copper solenoid wrapped around a 1.3 mm diameter glass capillary. The magnetization and subsequent dipole-dipole interaction of paramagnetic spheres under an applied magnetic field results in the formation of bead chains that persist and grow under the applied field, but quickly disperse upon field removal. The chaining of paramagnetic spheres is important to the design of magnetic-based separation devices because the viscous-drag-limited velocities of chains are typically several times larger than that of individual particles. We have performed a set of experiments designed to evaluate the performance of a sub-millimeter solenoid device including measurements of the temperature versus field strength of the device, observations of the controlled chain formation process, and preliminary observations regarding the maximum flow rate over which the bead chains can be held in place by magnetic forces. These results are applicable to the design and characterization of magnetically induced microsphere trapping and separation systems which use pressure driven flow.

Recent results pertaining to nuclear structure from neutron-induced reactions on {sup 90}Zr, {sup 193}Ir, {sup 196}Pt and {sup 238}U are presented. The data were taken using the GEANIE spectrometer comprised of 26 high-purity Ge detectors with 20 BGO escape-suppression shields. The broad-spectrum pulsed neutron source of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center's WNR facility provided neutrons in the energy range from 0.6 to 200 MeV. The time-of-flight technique was used to determine the incident neutron energies. Results from shell model calculations for {sup 90}Zr and from IBM-2 calculations for {sup 196}Pt are generally in good agreement with the observed spectrum of excited states.

Measurements of ellipticities of background galaxies are sensitive to the reduced shear, the cosmic shear divided by (1-{kappa}) where {kappa} is the projected density field. They compute the difference between shear and reduced shear both analytically and with simulations. The difference becomes more important an smaller scales, and will impact cosmological parameter estimation from upcoming experiments. A simple recipe is presented to carry out the required correction.

Diagnostic X (D-X) transport system would extract the beam from the downstream transport line of the second axis of the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility (DARHT-II[1]) and transport this beam to the D-X firing point via four branches of the beamline in order to provide four lines of sight for x-ray radiography. The design goal is to generate four DARHT-II-like x-ray pulses on each line of sight. In this paper, we discuss several potential beam quality degradation processes in the passive magnet lattice beamline and indicate how they constrain the D-X beamline design parameters, such as the background pressure, the pipe size, and the pipe material.

We have recently developed a spectrum imaging system for cathodoluminescence (CLsi) at NREL, which has been successfully applied to different semiconductors. The advanced multi-channel detection required for CLsi consists of an ultrafast spectrum acquisition triggered by the electron beam during scanning. Spectra are acquired either with a Roper Scientific silicon EEV-1340400 cryogenic CCD or an InGaAs 5121 cryogenic PDA, depending on the range of spectral emission. Acquisition times by pixel are typically of 10 to 20 ms (180 seconds for a 100100 pixel image). The output of spectrum imaging measurements is thus represented by a series of emission spectra. CCDIMAG, the software developed for CLsi, processes this spectrum series to reconstruct monochromatic images or extract the spectrum from any area on the image. This system is operated on the JEOL-5800 scanning electron microscope (SEM). CLsi measurements can be performed at temperatures between 15 K and 300 K. A low-vibration ARS Displex DE-202 closed-circuit cryostat provides cryogenic operation. The interface for vibration isolation has been developed to be compatible with SEM observation.

By the end of 2003, the total installed wind farm capacity in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) system was approximately 1 gigawatt (GW) and the total in the United States was about 5 GW. As the number of wind turbines installed throughout the United States increases, there is a greater need for dynamic wind turbine generator models that can properly model entire power systems for different types of analysis. This paper describes the ERCOT dynamic models and simulations of a simple network with different types of wind turbine models currently available.

Single-junction thin-film silicon solar cells require large grain sizes to ensure adequate photovoltaic performance. Using 2D silicon solar cell simulations on the quantitative effects of grain-boundary recombination on device performance, we have found that the acceptable value of effective grain boundary recombination velocity is almost inversely proportional to grain size. For example, in a polycrystalline silicon thin film with an intragrain bulk minority-carrier lifetime of 1 s, a recombination velocity of 104 cm/s is adequate if the grain is 20 m across, whereas a very low recombination velocity of 103 cm/s must be accomplished to achieve reasonable performance for a 2-m grain. For this reason, large grain size on the order of hundreds of m is currently a prerequisite for efficient solar cells, although a more effective grain-boundary passivation technique may be developed in the future.

We model detonation waves for solid explosives, using 2-D Arbitrary Lagrange Eulerian (ALE) hydrodynamics, with an equation of state (EOS) based on thermochemical equilibrium, coupled with simple kinetic rate laws for a few reactants. The EOS for the product species is based on either a BKWC EOS or on an exponential-6 potential model, whose parameters are fitted to a wide range of shock Hugoniot and static compression data. We show some results for the non ideal explosive, urea nitrate. Such a model is a powerful tool for studying such processes as initiation, detonation wave propagation and detonation wave propagation as a function of cylindrical radius.

A comparison of the loss mechanisms in screen-printed solar cells relative to buried contact cells and cells with photolithography-defined contacts is presented in this paper. Model calculations show that emitter recombination accounts for about 0.5% absolute efficiency loss in conventional screen-printed cells with low-sheet-resistance emitters. Ohmic contact to high-sheet-resistance emitters by screen-printing has been investigated to regain this efficiency loss. Our work shows that good quality ohmic contacts to high sheet-resistance emitters can be achieved if the glass frit chemistry and Ag particle size are carefully tailored. The melting characteristics of the glass frit determine the firing scheme suitable for low contact resistance and high fill factors. In addition, small to regular Ag particles were found to help achieve a higher open-circuit voltage and maintain a low contact resistance. This work has resulted in cells with high fill factors (0.782) on high sheet-resistance emitters and efficiencies of 17.4% on planar float zone Si substrates, without the need for a selective emitter.