EETD News #4, Winter 2000
Table of Contents
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Lithium Batteries for Hybrid-Electric Vehicles
- A long-standing focus of EETD electrochemical research has been to support the development
of high-performance rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles. This has proved to be an
extremely challenging task because of the need to simultaneously meet multiple battery
performance requirements: high energy (watt-hours per unit battery mass or volume), high power
(watts per unit battery mass or volume), long life (10 years and hundreds of deep charge-
discharge cycles), low cost (measured in dollars per unit battery capacity), resistance to abuse
and operating temperature extremes, perfect safety, and minimal environmental impact. Despite
years of intensive worldwide R&D, no battery can meet all of these goals.
- New Fluorescent Lamp Ballast Energy-Efficiency Standards
- Each year, about 80 million fluorescent lamp ballasts are sold for use in U.S. commercial
and industrial buildings. They come in four basic types: magnetic and electronic ballasts for
operating T12 (1.5 inch diameter tube) or T8 (1 inch diameter tube) lamps. In the present market,
almost all of the T8 lamps are operated by electronic ballasts, and almost all of the four-foot
T12 lamps are operated by magnetic ballasts. Since electronic ballasts are more efficient and
the lamp/ballast systems are more efficacious, a large potential energy savings can be tapped by
transforming the market for ballasts operating T12 lamps into one dominated by more efficient
T8/electronic systems.
-
Leading by Example: In-House Energy Management at LBNL
- The U.S. federal government is among the largest energy users in the nation. The Department
of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program (see article in this issue, page 5) has been the
focal point for helping all government agencies manage their in-house energy use. DOE's own
energy bill ranks second after the Department of Defense. Energy management has naturally been a
high priority within DOE's own facilities, and Berkeley Lab has long been an active participant
in that effort.
- Berkeley Lab Acts to Implement Presidential "Greening" Order
- Last year, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13123, which establishes stringent new
goals for energy management in federal facilities. In doing this, he recognized that the federal
government can do a great deal to reduce its energy bill and greenhouse gas emissions, as well
as its impact on the environment, simply by making energy efficiency a criterion in purchasing
and retrofitting facilities with off-the-shelf, energy-efficient technologies.
- The Radon Project Web Site
- Radioactive radon gas, seeping into houses from the soil below, poses a health risk to
humans in certain parts of the United States. A new Web site, developed jointly by EETD and
Columbia University's Department of Statistics, uses advanced mathematical methods, research on
radon gas infiltration, and geologic data to help homeowners determine when and how to take
action to reduce health risks from radon exposure.
- Departments
- Research Highlights
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