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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

Renewable Power Pathways

A REVIEW OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAMS

Committee on Programmatic Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Power Technologies

Board on Energy and Environmental Systems

Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This report and the study on which it is based were supported by Contract No. DE-FG01-98EE35047 (Task #2) from the U.S. Department of Energy. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

National Academy of Sciences

National Academy of Engineering

Institute of Medicine

National Research Council

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

COMMITTEE ON PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S OFFICE OF POWER TECHNOLOGIES

H.M. HUBBARD (chair),

Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (retired), Golden, Colorado

R. BRENT ALDERFER, consultant,

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

DAN E. ARVIZU,

CH2M Hill, Greenwood Village, Colorado

EVERETT H. BECKNER,

Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, Maryland (until December 2, 1999)

PETER BLAIR,

Sigma Xi, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

CHARLES GOODMAN,

Southern Company Generation, Birmingham, Alabama

NATHANAEL GREENE,

Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, New York

JEFFREY M. PETERSON,

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany

RICHARD E. SCHULER,

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

T.W. FRASER RUSSELL,

NAE,1 University of Delaware, Newark

JEFFERSON W. TESTER,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

Liaisons from the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems

ROBERT W. SHAW, JR.,

Aretê Corporation, Center Harbor, New Hampshire

JACK WHITE,

The Winslow Group, LLC, Vienna, Virginia

Project Staff

RICHARD CAMPBELL, program officer and study director

JAMES ZUCCHETTO, board director

CRISTELLEN BANKS, project assistant (until October 31, 1999)

1  

National Academy of Engineering.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

BOARD ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

ROBERT L. HIRSCH (chair),

Advanced Power Technologies, Inc., Washington, D.C.

RICHARD E. BALZHISER,

NAE,1 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (retired), Menlo Park, California

EVERETT H. BECKNER,

Lockheed Martin Corporation, Albuquerque, New Mexico (until December 2, 1999)

WILLIAM L. FISHER,

NAE, University of Texas, Austin

CHRISTOPHER FLAVIN,

Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C.

WILLIAM FULKERSON,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired) and University of Tennessee, Knoxville

EDWIN E. KINTNER,

NAE, GPU Nuclear Corporation (retired), Norwich, Vermont

GERALD L. KULCINSKI,

NAE, University of Wisconsin, Madison

EDWARD S. RUBIN,

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

JACK SIEGEL,

Energy Resources International, Inc., Washington, D.C.

ROBERT W. SHAW, JR.,

Aretê Corporation, Center Harbor, New Hampshire

ROBERT SOCOLOW,

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

K. ANNE STREET, consultant,

Alexandria, Virginia

KATHLEEN C. TAYLOR,

NAE, General Motors Corporation, Warren, Michigan

JACK WHITE,

The Winslow Group, LLC, Fairfax, Virginia

JOHN J. WISE,

NAE, Mobil Research and Development Company (retired), Princeton, New Jersey

Liaisons from the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

RUTH M. DAVIS,

NAE, Pymatuning Group, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia

GAIL DE PLANQUE,

NAE,

consultant,

Potomac, Maryland

LAWRENCE T. PAPAY,

NAE, Bechtel Technology and Consulting, San Francisco, California

Staff

JAMES ZUCCHETTO, director

RICHARD CAMPBELL, program officer

SUSANNA CLARENDON, financial associate

CRISTELLYN BANKS, project assistant (until October 31, 1999)

1  

National Academy of Engineering.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

Acknowledgments

The Committee on Programmatic Review of the U.S. Department of Energy' s (DOE's) Office of Power Technologies wishes to thank the many individuals who contributed significantly to this National Research Council (NRC) study. The presentations by representatives of DOE and the national laboratories, as well as a host of other organizations, provided the committee with valuable information and insights on DOE's Office of Power Technologies programs and the renewable energy technologies under development. These participants also participated in valuable discussions during question and answer sessions with the committee (see Appendix B for a list of presentations).

The chairman also wishes to recognize the committee members and the staff of the NRC's Board on Energy and Environmental Systems for their hard work in organizing and planning committee meetings and their individual efforts in gathering information and writing sections of the report.

The report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The content of the review comments and draft manuscript remains confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: David Bodde, University of Missouri, Kansas City; Elisabeth Drake, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Seth Dunn, Worldwatch

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

Institute; John Kaslow, EPRI Consultants, Inc.; Karl Rábago, Rocky Mountain Institute; Maxine Savitz, Allied Signal, Inc.; Raymond Viskanta, Purdue University; and Carl Weinberg, Weinberg Associates. While these individuals provided constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring committee and the NRC.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×

TABLES AND FIGURES

TABLES

2-1

 

Funding for Renewable Power Technology Programs

 

19

3-1

 

Long-Term Goals for Photovoltaic Technologies

 

66

3-2

 

State Funding for Renewable Energy Development and Deployment

 

81

FIGURES

2-1

 

Funding for renewable power technologies, FY95 to FY99

 

18

2-2

 

Funding for crosscutting programs, FY95 to FY99

 

20

3-1

 

Solar-trough system

 

58

3-2

 

Dish/engine system

 

59

3-3

 

Power-tower system

 

60

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Renewable Power Pathways: A Review of the U.S. Department of Energy's Renewable Energy Programs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9843.
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Renewable Power Pathways is the result of a study by the National Research Council (NRC) Committee for the Programmatic Review of the Office of Power Technologies (OPT) review of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Power Technologies and its research and development (R&D) programs. The OPT, which is part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, conducts R&D programs for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources. Some of these programs are focused on photovoltaic, wind, solar, thermal, geothermal, biopower, and hydroelectric energy technologies; others are focused on energy storage, electric transmission (including superconductivity), and hydrogen technologies. A recent modest initiative is focused on distributed power-generation technologies. This report reviews the activities of each of OPT's programs and makes recommendations for OPT as a whole and major recommendations for individual OPT programs.

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