A survey of some of the different ways that synchrotrons x-ray beams can be used to study geological materials is presented here. This field developed over a period of about 30 years, and it is clear that the geological community has made major use of the many synchrotrons facilities operating around the world during this time period. This was a time of rapid change in the operational performance of the synchrotrons facilities and this in itself has made it possible for geologists to develop new and more refined types of experiments that have yielded many important results. The advance in experimental techniques has proceeded in parallel with a revolution in computing techniques that has made it possible to cope with the great amount of data accumulated in the experiments. It is reasonable, although risky, to speculate about what might be expected to develop in the field during the next five- to ten-year period. It does seem plausible that the rate of change in the performance of what might now be called conventional x-ray storage rings will slow. There are no new facilities that are superior to the ESRF, ALS, APS, or SPring8 facilities under construction or about to come into …

The focus of this Biofuels News is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a domestically produced renewable fuel that is made by reacting alcohol (usually methanol or ethanol) with vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled cooking greases. It can be used neat (pure) or in blends (the most popular is 20% biodiesel blend) with any type of diesel fuel.

The Congressional Record contains the records for sessions of the U.S. Congress including summaries of proceedings, letters, and speeches for the Senate and House of Representatives.

Annual compilation of information and statistics related to educational facilities at public colleges and universities in Texas, including space usage and maintenance, campus planning, and other relevant data.

Biweekly, comprehensive compilation of decisions, reports, public notices, and other documents of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Biweekly, comprehensive compilation of decisions, reports, public notices, and other documents of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Declared a national user facility in 1993, NREL's Concentrated Solar Radiation User Facility (CSR) allows industry, government, and university researchers to examine the effects and applications of as much as 50,000 suns of concentrated solar radiation using a High-Flux Solar Furnace and long-term exposure using an ultraviolet (UV) concentrator.

Elemental analysis using emission of characteristic x rays is a well-established scientific method. The success of this analytical method is highly dependent on the properties of the source used to produce the x rays. X-ray tubes have long existed as a principal excitation source, but electron and proton beams have also been employed extensively. The development of the synchrotron radiation x-ray source that has taken place during the past 40 years has had a major impact on the general field of x-ray analysis. Even tier 40 years, science of x-ray analysis with synchrotron x-ray beams is by no means mature. Improvements being made to existing synchrotron facilities and the design and construction of new facilities promise to accelerate the development of the general scientific use of synchrotron x-ray sources for at least the next ten years. The effective use of the synchrotron source technology depends heavily on the use of high-performance computers for analysis and theoretical interpretation of the experimental data. Fortunately, computer technology has advanced at least as rapidly as the x-ray technology during the past 40 years and should continue to do so during the next decade. The combination of these technologies should bring about dramatic advances in …

Summary of laws passed by the 76th Legislature of Texas, including enacted legislation, proposed constitutional amendments, changes to agencies and governing boards, sunset legislation, vetoed legislation, and an index of passed bills.

Distributed generation, locating electricity generators close to the point of consumption, provides some unique benefits to power companies and customers that are not available from centralized electricity generation. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is well suited to distributed applications and can, especially in concert with other distributed resources, provide a very close match to the customer demand for electricity, at a significantly lower cost than the alternatives. In addition to augmenting power from central-station generating plants, incorporating PV systems enables electric utilities to optimize the utilization of existing transmission and distribution.

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) can provide significant energy savings to a wide range of Federal facilities. GHP equipment can be obtained and installed at no up-front cost through Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) through energy service companies (ESCOs).

The Alternative Motor Fuel Act of 1988 requires the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate and evaluate alternative fuels usage in the United States. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is conducting the Alternative Fuel Truck Evaluation Project to compare alternative fuel and diesel fuel trucks. Information for the comparison comes from data collected on the operational, maintenance, performance, and emissions characteristics of alternative fuel trucks being used in vehicle fleets and comparable diesel fuel trucks servings as controls within the same fleets. This report highlights the start-up experience and presents the lessons learned from a project that operated a fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuse haulers in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Transcript of an interview with Thomas Richard Young, artist and Army Air Forces veteran (463rd Bomb Group, 774th Bomb Squadron, 15th Air Force), concerning his experiences as a B-17 pilot and a prisoner-of-war in the European Theater during World War II. Appendix includes a photocopy of a drawing titled, "North Compound, Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany, January, 1945."

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco is saving almost 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, more than 70,000 therms of natural gas, and more than $500,000 annually by taking advantage of the Federal Energy Management Program's (FEMP) Super Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCS).

Authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), the Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program was created to provide agencies with a quick and cost-effective way to finance energy-saving technologies. Under an ESPC, energy service companies (ESCOs) assume the capital costs of installing energy and water conservation equipment and renewable energy systems.

Interview with Robert Seidel, a Army Air Force WWII veteran from Elkhart, Indiana, who served in the 763rd Bomb Squadron in the European Theater. Accompanied by his wife Helen, Seidel discusses his family, the start of the war and joining the Air Corps, training as a flight engineer, assignment to the B-24 and deployment to Spinazzola, Italy, flying combat missions, life at the base, ditching his aircraft near Salzburg and getting captured, being interrogated, internment at Stalag Luft IV, liberation, and returning to the US. In appendix are three photos of Seidel, his B-24 crew, and their aircraft, Seidel's papers from when he was a German prisoner, his POW log book, the official narrative report of the mission he was lost on, and a letter from his family while he was in Italy.

Interview with business executive and Army Air Forces veteran William E. Cooper. The interview includes Cooper's personal experiences about being a B-29 pilot in the Pacific Theater, pre-flight and flight training, various assignments, and dropping supplies by parachute to prisoners-of-war. Cooper also talks about living on Guam, mechanical weaknesses of the B-29, his descriptions of Nagasaki and Hiroshima from the air after the dropping of the atomic bombs, his disappointment with not being able to fly combat missions, postwar duty as a test pilot on Guam, and his postwar civilian activities.

An NREL Technology Transfer fact sheet describing four technologies that are available for licensing: steel weld weakness detection, cadmium telluride solar cell enhancement, HOMER model for choosing optimal electrical systems for remote areas, and inner-flame matrix burner.

This is the second issue of the second volume (Fall 1999) of a quarterly bulletin produced under the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). It's intended for Federal solar energy champions, i.e., all those who are planning or working on projects in which solar and other renewable energy technologies are being installed in Federal government facilities. Contents include articles describing the implications of Executive Order 13123 for Federal renewable energy installations, and recent solar energy projects of the Departments of Defense and the Interior, the General Services Administration, and the U.S. Postal Service.

Energy Matters is a quarterly newsletter to update partners on Motor Challenge progress. This issue includes these topics: small town plastics manufacturer produces big local energy and cost savings; technical advances improve industrial energy efficiency; energy service companies: cost-savings partners for industry; choosing the right energy service company to prove the value of motor upgrades projects; energy assets: tapping the hidden value; steam workshops promote energy efficiency; performance optimization tips.

NREL PV Working With Industry is a quarterly newsletter devoted to the research, development, and deployment performed by NREL staff in concert with their industry and university partners. The Second Quarter, 1999 issue, titled ''Shedding Light on the Matter,'' focuses on the PV-related research activities of NREL's Basic Sciences Center. The editorialist is Satyen Deb, in his role as Director of the Basic Sciences Center.

This special issue of Alternative Fuel News highlights the Fifth National Clean Cities Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky. The momentum for the program is stronger than ever and the coalitions are working to propel the alternative fuel industry forward.

Consumers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and New Jersey are showing increased interest in solar electric systems for their homes and businesses. This booklet provides basic information about buying a PV system. Photovoltaic (PV) systems are reliable, pollution free, and use a renewable source of energy, the sun. A PV system can be a substantial investment and careful planning will help ensure that you make the right decisions.

Auxein Corporation is demonstrating for commercial use an organic acid phytochelate, derived from what would otherwise be a discarded portion of sugar cane, that could increase the domestic sugar industry's profit margin from near zero to 7%. Along with helping a struggling industry, the phytochelate will bring substantial improvements to crop and tree production and greatly reduce the environmental threat posed by nitrogen-based fertilizers. Currently, the amount of fertilizer used produces harmful levels of run-off that contaminates ground water with unwanted nitrogen. By utilizing organic acid phytochelates, which assist plant growth by unlocking minerals stored in soil, fertilizer use can be dramatically reduced. This would improve crop yields, remove environmental threats to ground water, and cut fertilizer costs by as much as 50%.