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Because of the magnitude of the existing corn harvest shortfall coupled with the large ethanol mandates, policymakers face extreme uncertainties looking into the future with potentially large economic ramifications. Precisely, because neither the economic modelers nor the decision makers can foretell all of the factors affecting corn harvests and ethanol use in 2013, a waiver is a wise course of action. To be sure, a waiver may have no effect and turn out to be irrelevant. Even so, we argue that it has no downside. But if an anemic harvest rebound occurs in 2013, a waiver could avoid substantial economic dislocations in 2013 and beyond. Regulators should opt for flexibility. ; Bush School of Government and Public Service

Item 856-E ; S/N 041-011-00054-8 ; "January 1981." ; Includes bibliographical references. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Over the next seven years, at least 5,000 new schools will be designed and constructed to meet the needs of American students in kindergarten through grade 12. National efforts are underway to encourage the use of daylighting, energy efficiency, and renewable energy technologies in school designs, which can significantly enhance the learning environment. Recent rigorous statistical studies, involving 21,000 students in three states, reveal that students perform better in daylit classrooms and indicate the health benefits of daylighting. This paper discusses the evidence regarding daylighting and student performance and development, and presents four case studies of schools that have cost effectively implemented daylighting into their buildings.

The purpose of the Small Wind Electric Systems Consumer's Guide produced for the AGCF is to provide members of the foundation with enough information to help them determine if a small wind electric system will work for them based on their wind resource, the type and size of their sites, and their economics. The cover of this guide contains the results of the 2003 National Corn Producer Survey Wind Energy Issues.

The report identifies viable and low-carbon energy sources that would help cement producers satisfy their growing energy demand. For the first time, mapped, quantified, and analyzedco-processing in Egypt. It also identified the current and future appetite for alternative fuels, highlighted impediments to market growth, and recommended potential solutions throughout the supply chain. This study makes that point clear, and encourages producers, officials, and other stakeholders to find greener ways to help Egypt’s cement industry grow. The successful use of alternative fuels for the cement industry brings with it potentially significant public and private benefits. The use of Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials (AFR) can reduce landfilling, lower carbon emissions by substituting the use of coal, reduce public costs for waste management, and potentially transform waste from a public nuisance into a privatizedand lucrative solution. The benefits make the investment more than worth the effort.Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials (AFR) are any non-fossil based fuels that can replace part of the raw material needed for the production of cement, whether it is used for thermal energy or material recovery. These alternative fuels are derived from waste material, which is plentiful in Egypt. The main objective of this study will be to examine in detail the financial viability, economic competitiveness, technical feasibility and other benefits of AFR for the cement industry. This report will consider four types of AFR waste streams: a) refuse derived fuel (RDF) from municipal solid waste, b) dried sewage sludge (DSS) from wastewater treatment plants, c) agricultural waste, and d)tire derived fuel (TDF) from scrap tires. These waste streams have been selected since they meet three essential criteria defined after extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders. Those are: 1) suitability for use by the Egyptian cement industry; 2) abundance, relative availability of data, and proximity to cement producers; and 3) current mismanagement of associated waste streams, leading to negative environmental and health impacts. Conclusions can be drawn largely on the price differential between AFR and conventional fuel, which may depend in large part onEgypt’s energy and waste management policies. Expanded use of alternative fuels will be further stimulated by the introduction of an economic framework around waste disposal and recycling.A more detailed analysis of the existing regulatory framework, future policies needed and international best practices will also be elaborated upon. Based on the assessment of the energy situation in Egypt, the cement industry’s thermal energy needs, and the current use of AFR, a realistic energy mix scenario will be developed. This will also involve a comparison of the energetic (calorific) value of the various energy sources, potential volumes available, and the cost structure. This study aims to provide a reference for the cement industry, waste processing companies, and Egyptian authorities, helping them to understand and identify responsible and sustainable approaches tothe selection and use of AFR in the cement industry in a transparent and sustainable manner.

About 45% applications from PV solar farm developers seeking connections to the distribution grids in Ontario were denied in 2011-13 as the short circuit current (SCC) capacity of several distribution substations had already been reached. PV solar system inverters typically contribute 1.2 p.u. to 1.8 p.u. fault current which was not considered acceptable by utility companies due to the need for very expensive protective breaker upgrades. Since then, this cause has become a major impediment in the growth of PV based renewable systems in Ontario. A novel predictive technique has been patented in our research group for management of short circuit current contribution from PV inverters to ensure effective deployment of solar farms. This thesis deals with the real time testing and validation of a short circuit current (SCC) controller based on the above technique. With this SCC controller, the PV inverter can be shut off within 1-2 milliseconds from the initiation of any fault in the grid that can cause the short circuit current to exceed the rated current of the inverter. Therefore, the power system does not see any short circuit current contribution from the PV inverter and no expensive upgrades in protective breakers are required in the system. The performance of the PV solar system with the short circuit current controller is simulated and tested using (i) industry grade electromagnetic transients software PSCAD/EMTDC (ii) real time simulation studies on the Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) (iii) physical implementation on dSPACE board to generate firing pulses for the inverter. The validation of controller is done on dSPACE board with actual PV inverter short circuit waveforms obtained from Southern California Edison Short Circuit Testing Lab. This novel technology is planned to be showcased on a physical 10 kW PV solar system in Bluewater Power Distribution Corporation, Sarnia, Ontario. This proposed technology is expected to remove the technical hurdles which caused the denials of connectivity to several PV solar farms, and effectively lead to greater connections of PV solar farms in Ontario and in similar jurisdictions, worldwide.

The smart energy system concept provides an integrated framework for the adoption of renewable energy resources and novel energy technologies, such as distributed battery energy storage systems and electric vehicles. In this effort, large-scale transition towards smart energy systems can significantly reduce the environmental emissions of energy production, while leveraging the compatible operation of numerous distributed grid components to improve upon the energy utility, reliability, and flexibility of existing power grids. Most importantly, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources provides environmental benefits within both the building and transportation sectors, which must adapt to address both increasing pressure from international climate change-related policy-making, as well as to meet the increasing power demands of future generations. In the case of building operation, the transition towards future energy systems consequently result in the adoption of decentralized energy networks as well as various distributed energy generation, conversion, and storage technologies. As such, there is significant potential for existing systems to adopt more economic and efficient operating strategies, which may manifest in novel operational modes such as demand-response programs, islanded operation, and optimized energy vector dispatch within local systems. Furthermore, new planning and design considerations can provide economic, environmental, and energy efficiency benefits. While these potential benefits have been justified in existing literature, there is still a strong research need to quantify the impacts of optimal building operation within these criteria, under a smart energy system context. Meanwhile, the transportation sector may benefit from the smart energy network concept by leveraging electric mobility technologies and by transitioning vehicle charging demand onto the grid’s electricity network. In this transition, the emissions associated with fossil fuel consumption are displaced by ...

BACKGROUND Saudi Arabia’s oil production and proven reserves play an important role in global energy security. This thesis examines topics in energy security, with a focus on Saudi Arabia and security implications for both the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and regional considerations for the Middle East. Chapter 1 examines the role of Saudi Arabia as a swing producer of oil and the effect this has on U.S. security. Saudi Arabia uses this role as an instrument of state power, allowing it to maintain an influential position in international relations. Chapter 2 examines the impacts of the U.S. shale oil revolution on Saudi Arabia’s stability. Since Saudi Arabia uses oil export funds for internal and external stability, an increased shale oil market share creates a long-term stability vulnerability. Chapter 3 examines how changes to U.S. energy independence may affect the balance of power in the Middle East in the future. In the end, economic interests are more important to the U.S. than the physical supply of oil. AIM This research study identifies Saudi Arabia’s role as a swing producer and assess what it means in the context of U.S. energy security. By examining when Saudi Arabia abandons this very critical role, the aim is of generating a theory related to the area of U.S. energy security. The research also aims to understand Saudi Arabia’s relationship with oil and its implications because of U.S. shale oil revolution. The final aim is to understand how U.S. energy independence is causing Saudi Arabia and other powers with interests in the region to maneuver. METHOD A use case methodology is used to guide data collection, analysis, and reporting. Data was collected from scholarly journals, books, and various newspapers and magazines. Chapter 1 uses congruence procedures to investigate dissimilarities between when Saudi Arabia acted as a swing producer and when it abandoned the role. The data collected and analyzed in Chapter 1 related to the importance of Saudi Arabia’s role is employed in Chapter 2 to understand the ...

DOE's State Energy Program published this case study in conjunction with the California Energy Commission. It describes the growing use of traffic lights employing the technology of light emitting diodes, or LEDs. Such traffic lights use less energy and produce a brighter illumination.

This report summarizes the progress of the Basic Sciences Branch of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) from October 1, 1990, through September 30, 1991. Seven technical sections of the report cover these main areas of NREL's in-house research: Semiconductor Crystal Growth, Amorphous Silicon Research, Polycrystalline Thin Films, III-V High-Efficiency Photovoltaic Cells, Solid-State Theory, Solid-State Spectroscopy, and Superconductivity. Each section explains the purpose and major accomplishments of the work in the context of the US Department of Energy's National Photovoltaic Research Program plans.