Romm was born and grew up in Middletown, New York, the youngest of three sons of Al Romm, a newspaper editor at the Times Herald-Record, and Ethel Grodzins Romm, an author, retired project manager, and former CEO of a technology company. Romm’s brother David was the host and producer of Shockwave Radio Theater, and his brother Daniel is a physician.

Romm graduated from Middletown High School in 1978. He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982 and a Ph.D. in 1987, both in physics. He pursued part of his graduate work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 1987, Romm was awarded an American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellowship for the U.S. House of Representatives, where he provided science and security policy advice on the staff of Representative Charles E. Bennett.

From 1988 to 1990, Romm worked as Special Assistant for International Security at the Rockefeller Foundation. From 1991 to 1993, he was a researcher at the Rocky Mountain Institute. He co-authored the 1994 Rocky Mountain Institute Report, ”Greening the Building and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity Through Energy-Efficient Design.” For the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, he performed the first environmental analysis of a system integrating cogenerating fuel cells, fly wheels, and power electronics aimed at achieving very high-availability power. In 1990 and 1991, Romm taught a course entitled “Rethinking National Security” at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

In 1992, Romm published ”The Once and Future Superpower”, a book describing his views on how to spend the peace dividend to restore America’s economic, energy and environmental security. In 1993, he wrote ”Defining National Security: The Nonmilitary Aspects”, for the Council on Foreign Relations, describing how America’s security depends on non-military factors such as how it obtains energy. In 1994, Romm published ”Lean and Clean Management”, a book that discussed management techniques that can reduce the impact of manufacturing and other industries on the environment while increasing productivity and profits. He co-authored, with Charles Curtis, “MidEast Oil Forever,” the cover story of the April 1996 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, which predicted higher oil prices within a decade and discussed alternative energy strategies. In 1999, Romm published ”Cool Companies: How the Best Businesses Boost Profits and Productivity by Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, the first book to benchmark corporate best practices for using advanced energy technologies, including fuel cells, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Service at the U.S. Department of Energy

Romm served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, in charge of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy during 1997 and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from August 1995 though June 1998, and Special Assistant for Policy and Planning from 1993 to July 1995. This office, the largest research and development program in the world, with a budget at the time of $1 billion and 550 employees, assists businesses in the industrial, utility, transportation and buildings sectors to develop and use advanced clean energy technologies to cut costs, increase reliability, and reduce pollution.

As Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Romm was in charge of all policy and technology analysis and programmatic development for the Office, which was then developing PEM fuel cells, microturbines, advanced cogeneration, superconductivity, building controls, photovoltaics and other renewables, biofuels, and hydrogen production and storage. Among other projects, he initiated, supervised, and publicized a comprehensive technical analysis in 1997 by five national laboratories of how energy technologies can best reduce greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively, entitled ”Scenarios of U.S. Carbon Reductions.”

Recent years

Since leaving the Department of Energy, Romm has written widely on global warming and energy technologies that can reduce global warming. His 2004 book, ”The Hype about Hydrogen”, argues that putting off the implementation of current green technologies in favor of waiting for technological breakthroughs in hydrogen cars is a dangerous distraction that will delay urgently-needed government action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The book was named one of the best science and technology books of 2004 by Library Journal. In 2004, he also wrote the National Commission on Energy Policy’s report, “The Car and Fuel of the Future”, which was rated the #1 Hottest Article on Energy Policy by ScienceDirect. He was also the principal investigator for the National Science Foundation project, ”Future Directions for Hydrogen Energy Research and Education” (2004).

Romm’s 2006 book ”Hell and High Water” claims that humans have a window of opportunity of only about a decade to head off the most catastrophic effects of global warming. It calls upon Americans to demand government action to encourage and require the use of current emission-cutting technologies. Romm has testified numerous times before congressional committees on energy and global warming issues, including his views on government action to curb global warming. For example, in April 2010, Romm testified before the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on how to optimize “Energy Tax Incentives Driving the Green Job Economy”, and in September 2007, Romm testified before the House Committee on Science and Technology on the subject of “Fuels for the Future”, specifically the use of liquid fuel from coal, which Romm believes would accelerate global warming.

Romm is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress where he maintains their climate blog. In 2008, ”Time” magazine named Romm’s blog one of the “Top 15 Green Websites”, writing that it “counters bad science and inane rhetoric with original analysis delivered sharply. … Romm occupies the intersection of climate science, economics and policy. Resist temptation to lump him in with knee-jerk enviros. On his blog and in his December 2006 book, ”Hell and High Water”, you can find some of the most cogent, memorable, and deployable arguments for immediate and overwhelming action to confront global warming.” In 2010, ”Time” included Romm’s blog in a list of the 25 “Best Blogs of 2010″, writing, “Viewing climate change through the prism of national security, Romm analyzes breaking energy news and the relevant research, but most important, he challenges the beliefs and conclusions of the mainstream media on climate-change issues.” Romm also writes for other top internet energy and news sites, including ”The Huffington Post”, Cleantechcollective, ”Grist”, ”Slate” and Salon.com.

Romm is the executive director and founder of the non-profit Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, an organization based in the Washington DC area that helps businesses and U.S. States adopt high-leverage strategies for saving energy and cutting pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, he is a principal of the Capital E Group, which consults on technology assessment and sustainable design services for clean energy technologies. Romm is also on the Advisory Board of Securing America’s Future Energy.

Romm lectures on energy technology, global warming and how the media portrays climate change and is often cited, quoted or interviewed by journalists to explain the impact of public policy and energy technologies and applications on global warming and energy security, or to explain causes and impacts of climate change. For example, in April 2010, MSNBC’s ”Countdown with Keith Olbermann” program interviewed Romm on how the military is taking action on climate change to improve national security. The same month, ”Guernica Magazine” interviewed Romm on the science and politics of global warming. In February 2010, ”The Atlantic” reviewed a media call by Romm concerning the relationship between the January 2010 snowstorms in Washington, DC and global warming. In April 2009, Romm was featured on ”60 Minutes” discussing so-called clean coal. Romm was interviewed on Fox News in 2007 about the 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on climate change, and on his views of global warming politics and solutions. Romm is also interviewed in the 2006 documentary film ”Who Killed the Electric Car?”, directed by Chris Paine and narrated by Martin Sheen. In the film, Romm gives a presentation intended to show that the government’s “hydrogen car initiative” is a bad policy choice and a distraction that is delaying the exploitation of more promising technologies, such as electric and hybrid cars that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase America’s energy security. As of 2010, Romm confirmed his opinion that hydrogen is a “breakthrough technology illusion”.

Romm’s most recent book, ”Straight Up”, was released by Island Press in April 2010. The book is “largely a selection of his best blog postings over the past few years related to climate change issues”. ”TreeHugger” describes the book as “a whirlwind tour through the state of climate change, the media that so badly neglects it, the politicians who attempt to address it (and those who obstruct their efforts and ignore [the] science), and the clean energy solutions that could help get us out of the mess.”

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Joseph J. Romm, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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In 2000 EDF purchased 35% of the SIIF, and in 2002 raised its stake to 50%. In the same year SIIF acquired the American wind energy firm EnXco, which more than doubled its revenues. In 2004 SIIF Energies decided to change its name to EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF “New Energies”) to reflect its largest shareholder, and in 2006 it floated 25% of its capital onto the public capital markets.

Since 2007, EDF Energies Nouvelles has expanded rapidly into solar generation, and began laying the groundwork for eventual moves into algae biofuels, ocean energy and biogas markets.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article EDF Energies Nouvelles, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Examples of energy sources include:

* Fossil fuels

* Nuclear fuels (e.g., uranium and plutonium)

* Radiation from the sun

* Mechanical energy from wind, rivers, tides, etc.

* Bio-fuels derived from biomass, in turn having consumed soil nutrients during growth.

* Heat from within the earth (geothermal radiation)

The term net energy gain can be used in slightly different ways:

Non-sustainables

The usual definition of net energy gain compares the energy required to extract energy (that is, to find it, remove it from the ground, refine it, and ship it to the energy user) with the amount of energy produced and transmitted to a user from some (typically underground) energy resource. To better understand this, assume an economy has a certain amount of finite oil reserves that are still underground, unextracted. To get to that energy, some of the extracted oil needs to be consumed in the extraction process to run the engines driving the pumps, therefore after extraction the net energy produced will be less than the amount of energy in the ground before extraction, because some had to be used up.

The extraction energy can be viewed in one of two ways: profitable extractable (NEG>0) or nonprofitable extractable (NEG
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Net energy gain, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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**Hydrogen

**Biofuels

**Liquid nitrogen

**Oxyhydrogen

**Hydrogen peroxide

*Biological

**Starch

**Glycogen

*Electrochemical

**Batteries

**Flow batteries

**Fuel cells

*Electrical

**Capacitor

**Supercapacitor

**Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)

*Mechanical

**Compressed air energy storage (CAES)

**Flywheel energy storage

**Hydraulic accumulator

**Hydroelectric energy storage

**Spring

**Gravitational potential energy

*Thermal

**Ice Storage

**Molten salt

**Cryogenic liquid air or nitrogen

**Seasonal thermal store

**Solar pond

**Hot bricks

**Steam accumulator

**Fireless locomotive

**Eutectic system

*Fuel Conservation storage

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is also being developed as an electrical power storage medium. Hydrogen is not a primary energy source, but a portable energy storage method, because it must first be manufactured by other energy sources in order to be used. However, as a storage medium, it may be a significant factor in using renewable energies. See hydrogen storage.

Underground hydrogen storage is the practice of hydrogen storage in underground caverns, salt domes and depleted oil and gas fields. Large quantities of gaseous hydrogen are stored in underground caverns by ICI for many years without any difficulties. The storage of large quantities of hydrogen underground can function as grid energy storage which is essential for the hydrogen economy. By using a turboexpander the electricity needs for compressed storage on 200 bar amounts to 2.1% of the energy content.

With intermittent renewables such as solar and wind, the output may be fed directly into an electricity grid. At penetrations below 20% of the grid demand, this does not severely change the economics; but beyond about 20% of the total demand, external storage will become important. If these sources are used for electricity to make hydrogen, then they can be utilized fully whenever they are available, opportunistically. Broadly speaking, it does not matter when they cut in or out, the hydrogen is simply stored and used as required. A community based pilot program using wind turbines and hydrogen generators is being undertaken from 2007 for five years in the remote community of Ramea, Newfoundland and Labrador. A similar project has been going on since 2004 on Utsira, a small Norwegian island municipality.

Energy losses are involved in the hydrogen storage cycle of hydrogen production for vehicle applications with electrolysis of water, liquification or compression, and conversion back to electricity. and the hydrogen storage cycle of production for the stationary fuel cell applications like microchp at 93 % with biohydrogen or biological hydrogen production, and conversion to electricity.

About 50& kW·h (180 MJ) of solar energy is required to produce a kilogram of hydrogen, so the cost of the electricity clearly is crucial, even for hydrogen uses other than storage for electrical generation. At $0.03/kWh, common off-peak high-voltage line rate in the United States, this means hydrogen costs $1.50 a kilogram for the electricity, equivalent to $1.50 a U.S. gallon for gasoline if used in a fuel cell vehicle. Other costs would include the electrolyzer plant, hydrogen compressors or liquefaction, storage and transportation, which will be significant.

Biofuels

Various biofuels such as biodiesel, straight vegetable oil, alcohol fuels, or biomass can be used to replace hydrocarbon fuels. Various chemical processes can convert the carbon and hydrogen in coal, natural gas, plant and animal biomass, and organic wastes into short hydrocarbons suitable as replacements for existing hydrocarbon fuels. Examples are Fischer-Tropsch diesel, methanol, dimethyl ether, or syngas. This diesel source was used extensively in World War II in Germany, with limited access to crude oil supplies. Today South Africa produces most of the country’s diesel from coal for similar reasons. A long term oil price above US$35/bbl may make such synthetic liquid fuels economical on a large scale (See coal). Some of the energy in the original source is lost in the conversion process. Historically, coal itself has been used directly for transportation purposes in vehicles and boats using steam engines. And compressed natural gas is being used in special circumstances fuel, for instance in busses for some mass transit agencies.

Synthetic hydrocarbon fuel

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been, experimentally, converted into hydrocarbon fuel with the help of energy from another source. To be useful industrially, the energy will probably have to come from sunlight using, perhaps, future artificial photosynthesis technology. Another alternative for the energy is electricity or heat from solar energy or nuclear power. Compared to hydrogen, many hydrocarbon fuels have the advantage of being immediately usable in existing engine technology and existing fuel distribution infrastructures. Manufacturing synthetic hydrocarbon fuel reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere until the fuel is burned, when the same amount of carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere.

Methane

Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon with the molecular formula CH4. Methane could be produced from electricity of renewable energies. Methane can be stored more easily than hydrogen and the transportation, storage and combustion infrastructure are mature (pipelines, gasometers, power plants).

As hydrogen and oxygen are produced in the electrolysis of water,

:2H2O → 2H2 + O2

hydrogen would then be reacted with carbon dioxide in Sabatier process, producing methane and water.

:CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O

Methane would be stored and used to produce electricity later. Produced water would be recycled back to the electrolysis stage, reducing the need for new pure water. In the electrolysis stage oxygen would also be stored for methane combustion in a pure oxygen environment in an adjacent power plant, eliminating e.g. nitrogen oxides. In the combustion of methane, carbon dioxide and water are produced.

:CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

Produced carbon dioxide would be recycled back to boost the Sabatier process and water would be recycled back to the electrolysis stage. The carbon dioxide produced by methane combustion would be turned back to methane, thus producing no greenhouse gases. Methane production, storage and adjacent combustion would recycle all the reaction products, creating a cycle.

Boron, silicon, and zinc

Boron, silicon, lithium, and zinc have been proposed as energy storage solutions.

Mechanical storage

Energy can be stored in water pumped to a higher elevation using pumped storage methods, in compressed air, or in spinning flywheels.

1& kg mass elevated to 1000 m can store 9.8 kJ energy. This is equivalent with 1& kg mass accelerated to 140 m/s. 1& kg water’s temperature can be elevated by 2.34 degrees Celsius using the same amount of energy. Admittedly, this is a bit of an unfair comparison, but it makes it easy to see how it is possible to store more energy in 1 m3 of cheap rock or sand than 1 m3 of lead-acid battery, even if the battery is also moved to a higher elevation, not just charged.

Compressed air energy storage technology stores low cost off-peak energy, in the form of compressed air in an underground reservoir. The air is then released during peak load hours and heated with the exhaust heat of a standard combustion turbine. This heated air is converted to energy through expansion turbines to produce electricity. A CAES plant has been in existence in McIntosh, Alabama since 1991 and has run successfully. Other applications are possible. Walker Architects published the first CO2 gas CAES application, proposing the use of sequestered CO2 for Energy Storage on October 24, 2008.

Several companies have done preliminary design work for vehicles using compressed air power.

Thermal storage

Thermal storage is the temporary storage or removal of heat for later use. An example of thermal storage is the storage of solar heat energy during the day to be used at a later time for heating at night. In the HVAC/R field, this type of application using thermal storage for heating is less common than using thermal storage for cooling. An example of the storage of “cold” heat removal for later use is ice made during the cooler night time hours for use during the hot daylight hours. This ice storage is produced when electrical utility rates are lower. This is often referred to as “off-peak” cooling.

When used for the proper application with the appropriate design, off-peak cooling systems can lower energy costs. The U.S. Green Building Council has developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program to encourage the design of high-performance buildings that will help protect our environment. The increased levels of energy performance by utilizing off-peak cooling may qualify of credits toward LEED Certification.

The advantages of thermal storage are:

* Commercial electrical rates are lower at night.

* It takes less energy to make ice when the ambient temperature is cool at night. Source energy (energy from the power plant) is saved.

* A smaller, more efficient system can do the job of a much larger unit by running for more hours.

For more information on thermal storage, see

Renewable energy storage

Many renewable energy energy sources (most notably solar and wind) produce intermittent power. Wherever intermittent power sources reach high levels of grid penetration, energy storage becomes one option to provide reliable energy supplies. Other options include recourse to peaking power plants, and smart grids with advanced energy demand management. The latter involves bringing “prices to devices”, i.e. making electrical equipment and appliances able to adjust their operation to seek the lowest spot price of electricity. On a grid with a high penetration of renewables, low spot prices would correspond to times of high availability of wind and/or sunshine.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Energy storage, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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* Personalized medicine

** creation of an individual’s genome map for a retail price of less than $1,000

** correlation of specific genes and proteins with specific cancers, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and diabetes, which will allow both ** physicians and patients to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate, if not cure, DNA-based health challenges development of pharmaceuticals that treat gene-based diseases, replacing surgeries and chemotherapy

* Distributed energy

** advanced electric storage devices and batteries at all scales

** new power systems with source-switching flexibility

* Pervasive computing

** very simple and inexpensive computing devices with integrated wireless telephone and Internet capabilities (the worldwide $100 computer)

** the Semantic Web, enabled by Web data that automatically self-organizes based on its content, allowing search tools or software agents to identify the actual relevance of Web pages—not just find keywords on them

** intelligent interfaces, in some cases enabled by virtual reality

* Nanomaterials

** the function of nanomaterials will move from “passive” to “active” with the integration of nanoscale valves, switches, pumps, motors, and other components.

* Biomarkers for health

** individualized, private, and self-administered diagnostics for multiple physical parameters such as blood sugar, urine, C-reactive proteins, HDL, and LDL, as well as home diagnostic kits that detect early signs of diabetes, heart disease, and types of cancers

** personalized exercise equipment and regimens that deliver customized benefits (for weight control, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.)

** advanced CAT scans, MRIs, and brain scans to identify disorders earlier and more accurately at less cost

* Biofuels

** high-energy (as measured in British thermal units, or Btu) blends of gasoline and diesel with biofuels (beyond the ethanol blends known today)

** biomass production of a methanol that can be used as a fuel for fuel cells

** new discoveries in plant genetics and biotechnologies specifically for energy content

* Advanced manufacturing

** advanced computer-aided design and control

** multiple variable and inexpensive sensors linked with computers

** expert systems and advanced pattern-recognition software for very tight quality control

* Universal water

** ultra-fine filters (probably from nanotechnology)

** new energy sources for desalination and purification, including hybrid systems that combine conventional and alternative power—especially solar power

** smart water-use technologies for agriculture and industry

* Carbon management

** effective “measure, monitor, and verify” systems

** affordable and effective carbon capture and storage technologies and systems for coal-burning power plants

** low to zero emission controls for transportation

* Engineered agriculture

** identification of specific genomes for desired growing and use qualities

** crop-produced pharmaceuticals and chemical feedstocks

** crops designed specifically for energy content and conversion

* Security and tracking

** completely autonomous security-camera systems with algorithms able to correctly interpret and identify all manner of human behavior

** multiple integrated sensors (including remote sensing)

** radio frequency (RF) tags for people and valuables

* Advanced transportation

** organized and coordinated personal transportation through wireless computer networks, information systems, and Internet access

** onboard sensors and computers for smart vehicles

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Timeline of the future in forecasts, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Many projects and experiments have taken place at Idaho National Laboratory and continue to do so. The lab’s relationship with federal and state governments, other national labs, universities from across the country, and collaboration with foreign researchers make INL an integration hub as well as a research laboratory. INL works in partnership on many important nuclear energy research projects.

Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP)

INL leads the nation’s efforts to develop the next generation of safe, clean and reliable nuclear power plants. One part of this program is the “Next Generation Nuclear Plant” or NGNP, which would be the demonstration of a new way to use nuclear energy for more than electricity. The heat generated from nuclear fission in the plant could provide process heat for hydrogen production and other industrial purposes, while also generating electricity. And the NGNP would use a high-temperature gas reactor , which would have redundant safety systems that rely on natural physical processes more than human or mechanical intervention.

INL is working with private industry partners to design, plan and eventually build the NGNP. INL was commissioned to lead this effort by the U.S. Department of Energy as a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Fuel Cycle Research & Development (FCRD)

The Fuel Cycle Research & Development program aims to help expand nuclear energy’s benefits by addressing some of the issues inherent to the current life cycle of nuclear reactor fuel in the United States. These efforts strive to make nuclear energy’s expansion safe, secure, economic and sustainable.

Currently, the United States, like many other countries, employs an “open-ended” nuclear fuel cycle, whereby nuclear power plant fuel is used only once and then placed in a repository for indefinite storage. One of the primary FCRD goals is to research, develop and demonstrate ways to “close” the fuel cycle so fuel is reused or recycled rather than being shelved before all of its energy has been used. INL coordinates many of the FCRD’s national research efforts, including:

*Continuing critical fuel cycle research and development (R&D) activities

*Pursuing development of policy and regulatory framework to support fuel cycle closure

*Developing deployable technologies

*Establishing advanced modeling and simulation program elements

*Implementing a science-based R&D program

Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program

Today, many of the nation’s nuclear power plants are approaching the end of their 40-year operating licenses. Some have already applied for and received license extensions for an additional 20 years. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program supports national efforts to do the research and gather the information necessary to demonstrate whether it is safe and prudent to apply for extensions beyond 60 years of operating life.

The LWRS Program aims to safely and economically extend the service lives of the more than 100 electricity-generating nuclear power plants in the United States. The program brings together technical information, performs important research and organizes data to be used in license-extension applications.

Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF)

For nearly a decade, INL has been performing cutting-edge research, conducting vulnerability assessments and developing innovative technology to increase infrastructure resiliency. With a strong emphasis on industry collaboration and partnership, INL is enhancing electric grid reliability, control systems cybersecurity and physical security systems

INL’s power and cyber engineers are widely recognized for their efforts to improve the security of current and next-generation industrial control systems and component devices. And cyber team members work to develop cutting-edge defensive strategies against exploits, malware and zero-day attacks by analyzing protocols, developing code and reverse engineering.

INL routinely conducts advanced cyber training and oversees simulated competitive exercises for national and international customers. And the lab supports cyber security and control systems programs for the departments of Homeland Security, Energy and Defense. INL staff members are frequently asked to provide guidance and leadership to standards organizations, regulatory agencies and national policy committees.

Nuclear nonproliferation

Building on INL’s nuclear mission and legacy in reactor design and operations, the lab’s engineers are developing technology, shaping policy and leading initiatives to secure the nuclear fuel cycle and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Under the direction of the National Nuclear Security Administration, INL and other national laboratory scientists are leading a global initiative to secure foreign stockpiles of fresh and spent highly enriched uranium and return it to secure storage for processing

. Other engineers are working to convert U.S. research reactors and build new reactor fuels that replace highly-enriched uranium with a safer, low-enriched uranium fuel. To protect against threats from the dispersal of nuclear and radiological devices, INL researchers also examine radiological materials to understand their origin and potential uses. Others have applied their knowledge to the development of detection technologies that scan and monitor containers for nuclear materials.

The laboratory’s expansive desert location, nuclear facilities and wide range of source materials provide an ideal training location for military responders, law enforcement and other civilian first responders. INL routinely supports these organizations by leading classroom training, conducting field exercises and assisting in technology assessments. INL scientists are also leading discussions and performing research to ensure future nuclear facilities are intrinsically equipped with modern safeguards and security policies, practices and technologies.

Energy and Environment Projects=

Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity

INL’s Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity is at the forefront of advancing a potential transportation revolution that will make America more independent, safer and cleaner. INL scientists gather information from more than 250 plug-in-hybrid vehicles. These vehicles, operated by a wide swath of companies, local and state governments, advocacy groups, and others are located all across the United States, Canada and even Finland. Together, they’ve logged a combined 1.5 million miles worth of data that is analyzed by specialists at INL.

Dozens of other types of vehicles, like hydrogen-fueled and pure electric cars, are also tested at INL. This data will help evaluate the performance and other factors that will be critical to widespread adoption of plug-in or other alternative vehicles. See also, [http://theevproject.com/ The EV Project.]

Bioenergy

INL researchers are partnering with farmers, agricultural equipment manufacturers and universities to optimize the logistics of an industrial-scale biofuel economy. Agricultural waste products — such as wheat straw; corncobs, stalks or leaves; or bioenergy crops such as switchgrass or miscanthus — could be used to create cellulosic biofuels. But challenges still exist for scaling up production, minimizing impact on food crop production, and being able to compete with the price of gasoline. INL researchers are working to determine the most economic and sustainable ways to get biofuel raw materials from fields to biorefineries.

Robotics

Pioneering research and development of robots that go where no human wants to go and do what could end in physical harm for a human — that is the goal of INL’s robotics program. The program researches, builds, tests and refines robots that, among other things, clean up dangerous wastes, measure radiation, scout drug-smuggling tunnels, aid search-and-rescue operations, and help protect the environment.

These robots roll, crawl, fly, and go under water, even in swarms that communicate with each other on the go to do their jobs.

Biological Systems

The Biological Systems department is housed in 15 laboratories with a total of 12,000 square feet at the INL Research Center in Idaho Falls. The department engages in a wide variety of biological studies, including studying bacteria and other microbes that live in extreme conditions such as the extremely high temperature pools of Yellowstone National Park.

These types of studies have implications far beyond satisfying scientific curiosity about organisms living in extreme environments. Among other potential applications, studying these types of organisms could boost the efficiency of biofuels production. Other studies related to uncommon microbes have potential in areas such as carbon dioxide sequestration and groundwater cleanup.

Hybrid Energy Systems

INL is pioneering the research and testing associated with a new idea in energy production — hybrid energy systems that combine multiple energy sources for optimum carbon management and energy production. For example, a nuclear reactor could provide electricity when certain renewable resources aren’t available, while also providing a carbon-free source of heat and hydrogen that could be used, for example, to make liquid transportation fuels from coal.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Idaho National Laboratory, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article Renewable energy policy, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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EDF En is primarily involved in the production of wind power in Europe and the United States, although it is investing heavily in solar energy. It also has interests in ocean power and biofuels.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article EDF Energies Nouvelles, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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home fuel cell, also called micro combined heat and power (microCHP) and microgeneration, is a residential-scaled clean energy system. A home fuel cell is an alternative energy technology that increases efficiency by simultaneously generating power and heat from one unit, on-site within a home. This allows a residence to reduce overall fossil fuel consumption, reduce carbon emissions and reduce overall utility costs, while being able to operate 24 hours a day.

Combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cells have demonstrated superior efficiency for years in industrial plants, universities, hotels and hospitals. Residential and small-scale commercial fuel cells are now becoming available to fulfill both electricity and heat demand from one system. Fuel cell technology in a compact system converts natural gas, propane, and eventually biofuels – into both electricity and heat. In the future, new developments in fuel cell technologies will likely allow these power systems to run off of biomass instead of natural gas, directly converting a home fuel cell into a renewable energy technology.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Home fuel cell, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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The Experimental Station marked its 100th anniversary in 2003. It was founded as an effort to move the DuPont Company from gunpowder and explosives into the new age of chemistry.[1] The site overlooks the original powder mills upon which the company was founded – now Hagley Museum and Library, a nonprofit educational institution documenting the history of DuPont business and technology. The Experimental Station is east from Hagley Museum and west-southwest from the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.

As one of the first industrial research laboratories in the United States, the campus-style Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, serves as the primary research and development facility for DuPont. It is home to DuPont’s Central Research and most other business units of DuPont are also represented on site. The Experimental Station is the birthplace of many of the innovative materials and products developed by DuPont since 1903, including:

* Neoprene – the world’s first synthetic rubber;

* Nylon polyamide for fibers and engineering polymers for machine parts, gears, electrical systems and even automobile air intake manifolds;

* Tyvek nonwovens for housewrap, envelopes, medical packaging, environmental protection and currency;

* Kevlar fiber for body armor and automobile tire reinforcement;

* Mylar polyester film for packaging material and balloons;

* Corian solid surface materials for countertops, flooring and art;

* Butacite polyvinyl butyral, the safety interlayer in laminated glass; and

* Nomex fiber for firefighting equipment and other thermal protection applications.

* Simple Crown ethers production discovered by Charles Pedersen in 1967, for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1987. There is a plaque at the station marking to location of the lab where his work took place.

Today nearly 2,000 scientists and researchers – including roughly 600 with Ph.D.s – pursue new opportunities for a broad range of global markets including agriculture and nutrition, electronics, safety and protection, coatings and performance materials. There are over 50 buildings encompassing 250,000 square meters of research space. This centralized facility allows collaborations to enhance scientific discovery. More recent successes include Suva refrigerants, the BAX food safety systems and Sorona polyester.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article DuPont Experimental Station, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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