Document details the goals, strategies, and top accomplishments of DOE's Materials Technologies subprogram.

SVT Associates, in collaboration with SLAC, have investigated two novel photocathode design concepts in an effort to increase polarization and quantum efficiency. AlGaAsSb/GaAs superlattice photocathodes were fabricated to explore the effect of antimony on device operation. In the second approach, an internal electrical field was created within the superlattice active layer by varying the aluminum composition in AlGaAs/GaAs. A 25% increase in quantum efficiency as a result of the gradient was observed.

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Fact sheet describing NREL CSP Program capabilities in the area of modeling and analysis of CSP systems: assessing the solar resource, predicting performance and cost, studying environmental impact, and developing modeling software packages.

Brochure describes the hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine (H2ICE) shuttle bus at NREL. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is funding the lease of the bus from Ford to demonstrate market-ready advanced technology vehicles to visitors at NREL.

Strained-superlattice photocathodes based on InGaP/GaAs were investigated. The photocathode performance is found highly dependent on the superlattice parameters. The electron confinement energy in superlattice appears important. The strained-superlattice structure based on GaAsP/GaAs, with a maximum polarization as high as 90% and more than 1% quantum efficiency, is presently the prime candidate for the ILC polarized electron photocathodes. A recent systematic study shows, however, that the peak polarization seems saturated even though the heavy-hole (HH) and light-hole (LH) band splitting is increased significantly, indicating that there is a material specific spin relaxation mechanism. It is widely accepted that the D'yakonov-Perel mechanism is the dominant spin relaxation mechanism in the III-V compound superlattice structures with a low p-doping ({le} 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3}), and that the spin relaxation may be reduced by choosing a material with a smaller spin-orbit interaction. As the spin-orbit interaction in phosphides is much smaller than in arsenides, strained-superlattice structure based on InGaP/GaAs were investigated. The computer code SPECCODE developed by Subashiev and Gerchikov has been used for calculating the band structures in superlattice.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a set of technologies that can greatly reduce carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions from new and existing coal- and gas-fired power plants, industrial processes, and other stationary sources of CO{sub 2}. In its application to electricity generation, CCS could play an important role in achieving national and global greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. However, widespread cost-effective deployment of CCS will occur only if the technology is commercially available and a supportive national policy framework is in place. In keeping with that objective, on February 3, 2010, President Obama established an Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage composed of 14 Executive Departments and Federal Agencies. The Task Force, co-chaired by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was charged with proposing a plan to overcome the barriers to the widespread, cost-effective deployment of CCS within ten years, with a goal of bringing five to ten commercial demonstration projects online by 2016. Composed of more than 100 Federal employees, the Task Force examined challenges facing early CCS projects as well as factors that could inhibit widespread commercial deployment of CCS. In developing the findings and recommendations outlined in this …

This fact sheet published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory discusses the lab's newest building, the Research Support Facility (RSF). The RSF is a showcase for ultra-efficient workplaces. Various renewable energy and energy efficiency features have been employed so that the building achieves a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

This report presents the key gaps and barriers to implementing residential energy efficiency strategies in the U.S. market, as identified in sessions at the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America 2010 Residential Energy Efficiency Meeting held in Denver, Colorado, on July 20-22, 2010.

Fact sheet describing NREL CSP Program capabilities in the area of thermal storage and advanced heat transfer fluids: measuring thermophysical properties, measuring fluid flow and heat transfer, and simulating flow of thermal energy and fluid.

Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is a biocomposite material that exhibits higher strength and fracture toughness than its component materials. It derives its strength from the brick-and-mortar layering of aragonite (CaCO{sub 3}) platelets and organic binder. It is believed that the protein binder helps redistribute the stress throughout all tablets for optimal mechanical performance. In this study, we attempt to measure the mechanical properties of aragonite within nacre and compare them to bulk aragonite and bulk nacre and understand the redistribution of stresses. Here we show that x-ray diffraction techniques are useful for isolating and measuring strain of crystallites within a composite material. Our results show that the apparent stiffness of aragonite varies with crystallographic directions and is higher than the stiffness of bulk nacre in all cases, meaning that aragonite tablets are exposed to less than the average bulk stress. The average force applied to the bulk sample is partitioned between the aragonite and the binder, so that the protein layer bears as much as 27.2% of the total applied force. Different crystallographic directions exhibit behaviors different than bulk aragonite or bulk nacre. These are related to texture of aragonite platelets (i.e. preferred orientations within nacre). By examining nacre, …

Electrofuels Project: LBNL is improving the natural ability of a common soil bacteria called Ralstonia eutropha to use hydrogen and carbon dioxide for biofuel production. First, LBNL is genetically modifying the bacteria to produce biofuel at higher concentrations. Then, LBNL is using renewable electricity obtained from solar, wind, or wave power to produce high amounts of hydrogen in the presence of the bacteria—increasing the organism’s access to its energy source and improving the efficiency of the biofuel-creation process. Finally, LBNL is tethering electrocatalysts to the bacteria’s surface which will further accelerate the rate at which the organism creates biofuel. LBNL is also developing a chemical method to transform the biofuel that the bacteria produce into ready-to-use jet fuel.

The primary objective of this part of the project is to develop and implement a method that compensates for the inefficiency of the green LED. The proposed engineering solution which will be the backbone of this project will be to use RGBW combination in every pixel to save energy. Two different RGBW geometrical pixel configurations will be implemented and compared against traditional LED configurations. These configurations will be analyzed for energy efficiency while keeping the quality of the display the same. Cost of the addition of white LEDs to displays along with energy cost savings will be presented and analyzed.

Due to increasing energy demands in the United States and more installed wind projects, rural communities and local governments with limited or no experience with wind energy now have the opportunity to become involved in this industry. Communities with good wind resources may be approached by entities with plans to develop the resource. Although these opportunities can create new revenue in the form of construction jobs and land lease payments, they also create a new responsibility on the part of local governments to create ordinances to regulate wind turbine installations. Ordinances are laws, often found within municipal codes that provide various degrees of control to local governments. These laws cover issues such as zoning, traffic, consumer protection, and building codes. Wind energy ordinances reflect local needs and wants regarding wind turbines within county or city lines and aid the development of safe facilities that will be embraced by the community. Since 2008 when the National Renewable Energy Laboratory released a report on existing wind energy ordinances, many more ordinances have been established throughout the United States, and this trend is likely to continue in the near future as the wind energy industry grows. This fact sheet provides an overview of …

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report recommends expanding education to ensure a trained workforce to meet the projected growth of the wind industry and deployment. Although a few U.S. higher education institutions offer wind technology education programs, most are found in community and technical colleges, resulting in a shortage of programs preparing highly skilled graduates for wind industry careers. Further, the United States lags behind Europe (which has more graduate programs in wind technology design and manufacturing) and is in danger of relinquishing the economic benefits of domestic production of wind turbines and related components and services to European countries. DOE's Wind Powering America initiative launched the Wind for Schools project to develop a wind energy knowledge base among future leaders of our communities, states, and nation while raising awareness about wind energy's benefits. This fact sheet provides an overview of wind energy curricula as it relates to the Wind for Schools project.

This fact sheet describes wind resource assessments and mapping conducted at the NWTC.