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A plan for a technical information dissemination (TID) program for the US Department of Energy ETS/Division of Resource Management is presented. This plan's purpose is to build the most effective information transfer mechanisms possible to support the earliest appropriate commercialization of solar research and development (R and D) results in five technologies: photovoltaics, solar thermal power, biomass, ocean thermal energy conversion, and wind energy conversion. This will be accomplished by strengthening existing TID activities of DOE contractors through coordination, evaluation, and maximum use of ongoing information support services. During Year 1 of the plan, new information activities will be initiated where the leverage effect appears reasonably high in meeting the goals of the TID program. DOE in-house and contractor personnel will be involved in planning, evaluating, and implementing these technical information dissemination activities. Finally, the plan proposes to involve users of solar R and D results in external evaluation of technical information activities in each of the five solar technologies.

Perspectives on the utilization of solar energy for electricity production and thermal energy utilization by the public are briefly discussed. Wind energy conversion, biomass conversion, solar thermal, OTEC, photovoltaics, and solar heating and cooling are discussed. (WHK)

The report was prepared for the International Energy Agency (IEA) Agreement on the Production and Utilization of Hydrogen, Task 16, Hydrogen from Carbon-Containing Materials. Hydrogen's share in the energy market is increasing with the implementation of fuel cell systems and the growing demand for zero-emission fuels. Hydrogen production will need to keep pace with this growing market. In the near term, increased production will likely be met by conventional technologies, such as natural gas reforming. In these processes, the carbon is converted to CO2 and released to the atmosphere. However, with the growing concern about global climate change, alternatives to the atmospheric release of CO2 are being investigated. Sequestration of the CO2 is an option that could provide a viable near-term solution. Reducing the demand on fossil resources remains a significant concern for many nations. Renewable-based processes like solar- or wind-driven electrolysis and photobiological water splitting hold great promise for clean hydrogen production; however, advances must still be made before these technologies can be economically competitive. For the near-and mid-term, generating hydrogen from biomass may be the more practical and viable, renewable and potentially carbon-neutral (or even carbon-negative in conjunction with sequestration) option. Recently, the IEA Hydrogen Agreement launched a new task to bring together international experts to investigate some of these near- and mid-term options for producing hydrogen with reduced environmental impacts. This review of the state of the art of hydrogen production from biomass was prepared to facilitate in the planning of work that should be done to achieve the goal of near-term hydrogen energy systems. The relevant technologies that convert biomass to hydrogen, with emphasis on thermochemical routes are described. In evaluating the viability of the conversion routes, each must be put in the context of the availability of appropriate feedstocks and deployment scenarios that match hydrogen to the local markets. Co-production opportunities are of particular interest for near-term deployment since multiple products improve the economics; however, co-product development is not covered in this report. Biomass has the potential to accelerate the realization of hydrogen as a major fuel of the future. Since biomass is renewable and consumes atmospheric CO2 during growth, it can have a small net CO2 impact compared to fossil fuels. However, hydrogen from biomass has major challenges. There are no completed technology demonstrations. The yield of hydrogen is low from biomass since the hydrogen content in biomass is low to being with (approximately 6% versus 25% for methane) and the energy content is low due to the 40% oxygen content of biomass. Since over half of the hydrogen from biomass comes from splitting water in the steam reforming reaction, the energy content of the feedstock is an inherent limitation of the process . The low yield of hydrogen on a weight basis is misleading since the energy conversion efficiency is high. However, the cost for growing, harvesting, and transporting biomass is high. Thus even with reasonable energy efficiencies, it is not presently economically competitive with natural gas steam reforming for stand-alone hydrogen without the advantage of high-value co-products. Additionally, as with all sources of hydrogen, production from biomass will require appropriate hydrogen storage and utilization systems to be developed and deployed. The report also looked at promising areas for further research and development. The major areas for R,D and D are: feedstock preparation and feeding; gasification gas conditioning; system integration; modular systems development; valuable co-product integration; and larger-scale demonstrations. These are in addition to the challenges for any hydrogen process in storage and utilization technologies.

Information covering 1220, FY 1978 and FY 1979 solar energy research projects is included. In addition to the title and text of project summaries, the directory contains the following indexes: subject index, investigator index, performing organization index, and supporting organization index. This information was registered with the Smithsonian Science Information Exchange by Federal, State, and other supporting organizations. The project summaries are categorized in the following areas: biomass, ocean energy, wind energy,photovoltaics, photochemical energy conversion, photobiological energy conversion, solar heating and cooling, solar process heat, solar collectors and concentrators, solar thermal electric generation, and other solar energy conversion. (WHK)

Abstract An electrical power generator for use with biomass cooking stoves has been developed. The design is intended for users in developing countries who lack regular access to electricity. Electricity is generated based on the thermoelectric effect. A bespoke heat collector captures heat from the combustion chamber of the cooking stove and transfers it to a single thermoelectric generator (TEG) module. To maintain a sufficiently high temperature difference across the TEG, heat is dissipated using a passive single phase liquid thermosiphon system. This cooling system eliminates the requirement for mechanical components such as fans or pumps, which are unreliable and draw significant electrical power. In a controlled laboratory setting, a maximum power of 5.8 W has been produced from a single TEG installed into a low cost ceramic cooking stove currently disseminated in large numbers in Malawi, Africa. The TEG power is controlled using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) conditioning circuit with an estimated efficiency of ~70%. The circuit provides a stable 5 V output via a USB connector for charging mobile phones, lights, power banks and other devices. Experiments have shown that the device is capable of performing for extended periods without significant reduction in performance. The magnitude of the power generated by this passive cooling system is observed to be comparable to that delivered by similar TEG-stove systems driven by active cooling. An average power generation of over 4 W was achieved which, including circuit efficiency, provided ~10 W·h of useful electrical energy over a 4 h burning interval, which is sufficient for charging low powered electrical appliances. Five prototypes fitted with data measurement and acquisition were deployed to families in rural Malawi in order to evaluate real-life performance of the technology. Initial field-trial results have advocated the viability of the TEG-stove technology for charging low powered electronic devices typically used in developing countries such as Malawi.

Direct air capture and integrated conversion is a very attractive strategy to reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. However, the existing capturing processes are technologically challenging due to the costs of the processes and the low concentration of CO2. The efficient valorization of the CO2 captured could help overcome many techno-economic limitations. Here, we present a novel economical methodology for direct air capture and conversion that is able to efficiently convert CO2 from the air into cyclic carbonates. The new approach employs commercially available basic ionic liquids, works without the need for sophisticated and expensive co-catalysts or sorbents and under mild reaction conditions. The CO2 from atmospheric air was efficiently captured by IL solution (0.98 molCO2/molIL) and, subsequently, completely converted into cyclic carbonates using epoxides or halohydrins potentially derived from biomass as substrates. A mechanism of conversion was evaluated, which helped to identify relevant reaction intermediates based on halohydrins, and consequently, a 100% selectivity was obtained using the new methodology.

The report consists of brief progress reports describing thirty-five research projects conducted during FY 1981-1982 in the areas of geothermal energy, ocean thermal energy conversion, biomass, wind energy, solar energy, and hydrogen storage. (ACR)

Each of the seven solar energy technologies that have been assessed in the study are treated: photovoltaic devices, solar thermal power systems, wind energy systems, solar heating and cooling systems, agricultural and industrial heat processes, biomass conversion technologies, and ocean thermal energy conversion systems. A brief technical overview of storage for solar electric technologies is presented and some principles concerning how different levels of success on electrical storage can affect the commercial viability of solar electric options are discussed. A description is given of the solar penetration model that was developed and applied as an analytical tool in the study. This computer model has served the primary purpose of evaluating the competiveness of the solar energy systems in the markets in which they are expected to compete relative to that of the alternative energy sources. This is done under a variety of energy supply, demand, and price conditions. The seven sections treating the solar energy technologies contain discussions on each of six subject areas: description of the technology; economic projections; the potential contribution of the technology in different marketplaces; environmental considerations; international potential; and the present and possible future emphases within the RD and D program. The priority item for each of the technology sections has been the documentation of the economic projections.