Our lives are linked to weather and climate, and to energy use. Since the late 1970s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has invested in research and technology related to global climate change. DOE's Office Fuels Development (OFD) manages the National Biofuels Program and is the lead technical advisor on the development of biofuels technologies in the United States. Together with industry and other stakeholders, the program seeks to establish a major biofuels industry. Its goals are to develop and commercialize technologies for producing sustainable, domestic, environmentally beneficial, and economically viable fuels from dedicated biomass feedstocks.

This issue of Biofuels News contains two articles. The first focuses on the art and science of bioenergy project financing using the example of three companies planning biomass-to-ethanol plants. The second highlights the objectives and activities of the five Regional Biomass Energy Programs (RBEP) within the US DOE.

This OIT fact sheet describes how your company can realize savings in its electric motor, compressed air, and steam systems, in the form of reduced electrical bills and improved efficiency.

The Compressed Air Challenge, initiated by DOE, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, and the Energy Center for Wisconsin, is in keeping with OIT's mission of partnering with industry, and other government and non-governmental organizations, to significantly improve the resource efficiency and competitiveness of the materials and process industries. They are working to improve the efficiency and reliability of industrial compressed air systems, and in the process help industry realize reduced operating costs and increased production.

Atmosphere scatters and absorbs incident solar radiation modifying its spectral content and decreasing its intensity at the surface. It is very useful to classify the earth-atmospheric solar radiation into several components--direct solar surface irradiance (E{sub direct}), diffuse-sky downward surface irradiance (E{sub diffuse}), total surface irradiance, and upwelling flux at the surface and at the top-of-the atmosphere. E{sub direct} depends only on the extinction properties of the atmosphere without regard to details of extinction, namely scattering or absorption; furthermore it can be accurately measured to high accuracy (0.3%) with the aid of an active cavity radiometer (ACR). E{sub diffuse} has relatively larger uncertainties both in its measurement using shaded pyranometers and in model estimates, owing to the difficulty in accurately characterizing pyranometers and in measuring model inputs such as surface reflectance, aerosol single scattering albedo, and phase function. Radiative transfer model simulations of the above surface radiation components in cloud-free skies using measured atmospheric properties show that while E{sub direct} estimates are closer to measurements, E{sub diffuse} is overestimated by an amount larger than the combined uncertainties in model inputs and measurements, illustrating a fundamental gap in the understanding of the magnitude of atmospheric absorption in cloud-free skies. The excess continuum …

In the quest to derive energy from renewable resources, NREL scientists pursue disciplines ranging from materials science to structural dynamics to condensed matter physics. Physics is at the core of making this transition to a renewable energy world. The role of light/matter interaction in physics will continue to dominate in the 21st century.

The US Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) provides a one-stop-shop information clearinghouse that manufacturers can use to help make their businesses more productive, competitive, and efficient. The fact sheet describes these sources of information, which include software and databases, a technical newsletter, technical publications, and access to a comprehensive Web site that lists OIT programs, training opportunities, and links to other pertinent sites.

In today's competitive world markets, the success of U.S. industry hinges on technological advances. Financial Assistance helps technology innovators develop and deliver clean, energy-saving technologies to the marketplace. Two Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) programs Inventions and Innovation and NICE3 provide independent inventors, technology developers, and industry with easy access to a flexible package of services. Together, these programs issue 35 to 40 new grants each year to address pressing energy and environmental issues. Financial Assistance focuses specifically on technologies that can potentially improve energy efficiency, reduce wastes, and enhance productivity.