The objective of this program was to investigate manufacturing improvements for wind turbine blades. The program included a series of test activities to evaluate the strength, deflection, performance, and loading characteristics of the prototype blades. The original contract was extended in order to continue development of several key blade technologies identified in the project. The objective of the remote build task was to demonstrate the concept of manufacturing wind turbine blades at a temporary manufacturing facility in a rural environment. TPI Composites successfully completed a remote manufacturing demonstration in which four blades were fabricated. The remote demonstration used a manufacturing approach which relied upon material ''kits'' that were organized in the factory and shipped to the site. Manufacturing blades at the wind plant site presents serious logistics difficulties and does not appear to be the best approach. A better method appears to be regional manufacturing facilities, which will eliminate most of the transportation cost, without incurring the logistical problems associated with fabrication directly onsite. With this approach the remote facilities would use commonly available industrial infrastructure such as enclosed workbays, overhead cranes, and paved staging areas. Additional fatigue testing of the M20 root stud design was completed with good results. …

The cost study for large wind turbine blades reviewed three blades of 30 meters, 50 meters, and 70 meters in length. Blade extreme wind design loads were estimated in accordance with IEC Class I recommendations. Structural analyses of three blade sizes were performed at representative spanwise stations assuming a stressed shell design approach and E-glass/vinylester laminate. A bill of materials was prepared for each of the three blade sizes using the laminate requirements prepared during the structural analysis effort. The labor requirements were prepared for twelve major manufacturing tasks. TPI Composites developed a conceptual design of the manufacturing facility for each of the three blade sizes, which was used for determining the cost of labor and overhead (capital equipment and facilities). Each of the three potential manufacturing facilities was sized to provide a constant annual rated power production (MW per year) of the blades it produced. The cost of the production tooling and overland transportation was also estimated. The results indicate that as blades get larger, materials become a greater proportion of total cost, while the percentage of labor cost is decreased. Transportation costs decreased as a percentage of total cost. The study also suggests that blade cost reduction efforts …

A laser safety auditing and inventory system has been in use at Sandia National Laboratories--Albuquerque for the past five years and has recently been considered for adoption by Sandia National Laboratories--Livermore. The system utilizes the ''Microsoft Access'' database application, part of the Office 2000 software package. Audit and inventory data is available on-line for ready access by laser users. Data is updated weekly to provide users with current information relating to laser facility audits and laser inventories.

A continuously operating prototype chemical weapons sensor system based on the {mu}ChemLab{trademark} technology was installed in the San Francisco International Airport in late June 2002. This prototype was assembled in a National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA) enclosure and controlled by a personal computer collocated with it. Data from the prototype was downloaded regularly and periodic calibration tests were performed through modem-operated control. The instrument was installed just downstream of the return air fans in the return air plenum of a high-use area of a boarding area. A CW Sentry, manufactured by Microsensor Systems, was installed alongside the {mu}ChemLab unit and results from its operation are reported elsewhere. Tests began on June 26, 2002 and concluded on October 16, 2002. This report will discuss the performance of the prototype during the continuous testing period. Over 70,000 test cycles were performed during this period. Data from this first field emplacement have indicated several areas where engineering improvements can be made for future field emplacement.

Since initiating research on integration of distributed energy resources (DER) in 1999, the Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) has been actively assessing and reviewing existing DER test facilities for possible demonstrations of advanced DER system integration concepts. This report is a compendium of information collected by the CERTS team on DER test facilities during this period.

Using a residential-size duct system in a controlled laboratory setting, the repeatability and accuracy of the Delta Q test for air leakage in residential duct systems have been measured. More than 100 Delta Q tests were performed. These were compared with results using fan pressurization and also with results of a procedure (Delta Q Plus) that uses leakage hole-size information to select the leakage pressures to be used in the Delta Q algorithm. The average error in supply or return leakage for the fan-pressurization test was 6.4% of system fan flow. For the Delta Q test it was 3.4% of fan flow, while for Delta Q Plus it was 1.9% of fan flow.

An effort is underway at Sandia National Laboratories to develop a library of algorithms to search for potential interactions between surfaces represented by analytic and discretized topological entities. This effort is also developing algorithms to determine forces due to these interactions for transient dynamics applications. This document describes the Application Programming Interface (API) for the ACME (Algorithms for Contact in a Multiphysics Environment) library.

More Mo{sub 6}Cl{sub 12} has been synthesized. We have found that previous ambiguous x-ray powder diffraction results are due to disruption of long-range order in the crystals during the heating stage of the synthesis. The quartz cell heaters have been redesigned and are able to heat the substrate. Initial films have been fabricated and are currently under investigation to determine optimal deposition conditions.

The report outlines the short-term field testing used by Building America staff and includes a report on the results of an example test of a PV system with battery storage on a home in Tucson, Arizona. This report is not intended as a general recommended test procedure for wide distribution. It is intended to document current practices in Building America to inform program stakeholders and stimulate further discussion. Building America staff intend to apply this procedure until relevant standards for testing PV modules are completed.

The IEEE P1547 Standard For Interconnecting Distributed Resources With Electric Power Systems is the first in the P1547 series of planned interconnection standards, and additional standards are needed. There are major issues and obstacles to an orderly transition to the use and integration of distributed power resources with electric power systems (grid or utility grid). The lack of uniform national interconnection standards and tests for interconnection operation and certification-as well as the lack of uniform national building, electrical, and safety codes-is understood, and resolving this needs reasonable lead time to develop and promulgate consensus. The P1547 standard is a benchmark milestone for the IEEE standards consensus process and successfully demonstrates a model for ongoing success in the development of further national standards and for moving forward in modernizing our nation's electric power system.

Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy. Over 22 million small businesses account for approximately 99% of employers, employ about half of the private sector workforce, and are responsible for about two-thirds of net new jobs. Many small businesses fared better than the Fortune 500 in 2001. Non-farm proprietors income rose 2.4% in 2001 while corporate profits declined 7.2%. Yet not all is rosy for small businesses, particularly new ones. One-third close within two years of opening. From 1989 to 1992, almost half closed within four years; only 39.5% were still open after six years. Why do some new businesses thrive and some fail? What helps a new business succeed? Industry knowledge, business and financial planning, and good management. Small geothermal businesses are no different. Low- and medium-temperature geothermal resources exist throughout the western United States, the majority not yet tapped. A recent survey of ten western states identified more than 9,000 thermal wells and springs, over 900 low- to moderate-temperature geothermal resource areas, and hundreds of direct-use sites. Many opportunities exist for geothermal entrepreneurs to develop many of these sites into thriving small businesses. The ''Geothermal Small Business Workbook'' (''Workbook'') was written to give geothermal entrepreneurs, small …

None

This report discusses the idea of replacing our current income tax system with a flat-rate tax, including background and analysis and various Congressional proposals.

Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax (VAT) to either replace all or part of the income tax, finance health care reform, or to fund America’s war effort. A VAT is imposed at all levels of production on the differences between firms’ sales and their purchases from all other firms. Policymakers may be interested in the following aspects of a VAT: revenue yield, international comparison of composition of taxes, vertical equity, neutrality, inflation, balance-of-trade, national saving, administrative cost, intergovernmental relations, size of government, and public opinion.

Proposals to replace all or part of the income tax, proposals for national health care, and a proposal to finance America’s war effort have sparked congressional interest in the possibility of a broad-based consumption tax as a new source of revenue. A value-added tax (VAT) or a national sales tax (NST) have been frequently discussed as possible new tax sources. Both the VAT and the NST are taxes on the consumption of goods and services and are conceptually similar. Yet, these taxes also have significant differences. This issue brief discusses some of the potential policy implications associated with these differences.

We are developing techniques for imaging beams in heavy-ion beam fusion experiments in the HIF-VNL in 2 to 4 transverse dimensions. The beams in current experiments range in energy from 50 keV to 2 MeV, with beam current densities from <10 to 200 mA/cm{sup 2}, and pulse lengths of 4 to 20 {micro}s. The beam energy will range up to 10 MeV in near-future beam experiments. The imaging techniques, based on kapton films and optical scintillators, complement and, in some cases, may replace mechanical slit scanners. The kapton film images represent a time-integrated image on the film exposed to the beam. The optical scintillator utilizes glass and ceramic scintillator material imaged by a fast, image-intensified CCD-based camera. We will discuss the techniques, results, and plans for implementation of the diagnostics on the beam experiments.

There has been much recent interest in photovoltaic modules designed to operate with concentrated sunlight (>100 suns). Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology offers an exciting new opportunity as a viable alternative to dish Stirling engines. Advantages of CPV include potential for>40% cell efficiency in the long term (25% now), no moving parts, no intervening heat transfer surface, near-ambient temperature operation, no thermal mass, fast response, concentration reduces cost of cells relative to optics, and scalable to a range of sizes. Over the last few years, we have conducted testing of several CPV modules for DOEs Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) program. The testing facilities are located at the Concentrating Solar Radiation Users Facility (CRULF) and consist the 10 kW High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) and a 14m2 Concentrating Technologies, LLC (CTEK) dish. This paper will primarily describe the test capabilities; module test results will be detailed in the presentation.

There is a considerable interest in using hatcheries to speed the recovery of wild populations. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), under the authority of the Northwest Power Planning Act, is currently funding several hatchery programs in the Columbia Basin as off-site mitigation for impacts to salmon and steelhead caused by the Columbia River federal hydropower system. One such project is located on the Hood River, an Oregon tributary of the Columbia. These hatchery programs cost the region millions of dollars. However, whether such programs actually improve the status of wild fish remains untested. The goal of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hood River hatchery program as required by the Northwest Power Planning Council Fish and Wildlife Program, by the Oregon Plan for Coastal Salmonids, by NMFS ESA Section 4(d) rulings, and by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Wild Fish Management Policy (OAR 635-07-525 through 529) and the ODFW Hatchery Fish Gene Resource Management Policy (OAR 635-07-540 through 541). The Hood River supports two populations of steelhead, a summer run and a winter run. They spawn only above the Powerdale Dam, which is a complete barrier to all salmonids. Since 1991 every adult passed …

The restructuring of the electric utility industry in the US created a crisis in the administration of ratepayer-funded energy-efficiency programs. Before restructuring, nearly all energy-efficiency programs in the US were administered by utilities and funded from utility rates. Restructuring called these arrangements into question in two ways. First, the separation of generation from transmission and distribution undermined a key rationale for utility administration. This was the Integrated Resource Planning approach in which the vertically integrated utility was given incentives to provide energy services at least cost. Second, questions were raised as to whether funding through utility rates could be sustained in a competitive environment and most states that restructured their electricity industry adopted a system benefits charge. The crisis in administration of energy-efficiency programs produced a variety of responses in the eight years since restructuring in the US began in earn est. These responses have included new rationales for energy-efficiency programs, new mechanisms for funding programs, and new mechanisms for program administration and governance. This paper focuses on issues related to program administration. It describes the administrative functions and some of the options for accomplishing them. Then it discusses criteria for choosing among the options. Examples are given that highlight …

This document summarizes progress on Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-01NT41185, ''Pilot Testing of Mercury Oxidation Catalysts for Upstream of Wet FGD Systems,'' during the time period January 1, 2003 through March 31, 2003. The objective of this project is to demonstrate at pilot scale the use of solid honeycomb catalysts to promote the oxidation of elemental mercury in the flue gas from coal combustion. The project is being funded by the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-01NT41185. EPRI, Great River Energy (GRE), and City Public Service (CPS) of San Antonio are project cofunders. URS Group is the prime contractor. The mercury control process under development uses catalyst materials applied to honeycomb substrates to promote the oxidation of elemental mercury in the flue gas from coal-fired power plants that have wet lime or limestone flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. Oxidized mercury is removed in the wet FGD absorbers and co-precipitates with the byproducts from the FGD system. The current project is testing previously identified, effective catalyst materials at a larger, pilot scale and in a commercial form, to provide engineering data for future full-scale designs. The pilot-scale tests will continue for up to 14 months at each of two …

Groundwater at many Federal and civilian industrial sites is often contaminated with toxic metals at levels that present a potential concern to regulatory agencies. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has some unique problems associated with radionuclides (primarily uranium), but metal contaminants most likely drive risk-based cleanup decisions, from the perspective of human health, in groundwater at DOE and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Sites include lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), antimony (Sb), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni). Thus, the regulatory ''drivers'' for toxic metals in contaminated soils/groundwaters are very comparable for Federal and civilian industrial sites, and most sites have more than one metal above regulatory action limits. Thus improving the performance of remedial technologies for metal-contaminated groundwater will have ''dual use'' (Federal and civilian) benefit.

Hydrogen bromide is a potentially useful intermediate for hydrogen production by electrolysis because it has a low cell potential and is extremely soluble in water. Processes have been proposed to exploit these properties, but among the important issues to be resolved is the efficiency of HBr production from hydrocarbon precursors. This investigation evaluated a fundamental facet of such a technology by studying the reaction of methane and bromine at elevated temperature to determine the yield and kinetics of HBr formation. Laboratory experimentation and computational chemistry were combined to provide a description of this reaction for possible application to reactor design at a larger scale. Experimental studies with a tubular flow reactor were used to survey a range of reactant ratios and reactor residence times at temperatures between 500 C and 800 C. At temperatures near 800 C with excess methane, conversions of bromine to HBr exceeded 90% and reaction products included solid carbon (soot) in stoichiometric amounts. At lower temperatures, HBr conversion was significantly reduced, the products included much less soot, and the formation of bromocarbon compounds was indicated qualitatively. Calculations of chemical equilibrium behavior and reaction kinetics for the experimental conditions were performed using the Sandia CHEMKIN package. An …

We will discuss recent results for the NREL polymer photovoltaics group. The work reported here explores the impact of polymer morphology on the physics and performance of polymer-based photovoltaic devices. By varying both the annealing temperatures and the solvent used for polymer deposition, we can alter the polymer chain morphology, thus shifting the absorption onset and shape and improving the charge transport properties of the resulting devices. The higher degree of order in the films results in increased photovoltaic performance.

Weekly newspaper from Goldthwaite, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.