Rick Bradley, the head of the ADEPT program office, sees the new effort as a central element supporting the Department of Energy's technology cooperation mission. In the past, DOE's efforts were focused on the export of technology. The ADEPT program will give DOE the ability to be a "full-service partner in the provision of energy services--both policy transfer and technology--to developing countries," says Bradley.

The new program, ADEPT (Assisting the Deployment of Energy Practices and Technologies) aims to assist countries in the wise selection of energy technologies as well as building institutional capacity by transferring policy expertise.

ADEPT was approved in 1993. The program committed roughly $1 million of funding for a series of small "quick start" proposals. Bradley said that projects with a potential for near-term results and breadth of lab participation were given added weight during the early rounds of proposal selection. Nearly half of the proposals addressed various aspects of improving energy efficiency in developing countries. ADEPT's FY 1994 funding should be commensurate with FY 1993 levels.

Among the eight proposals selected for quick start support, LBL did quite well, receiving funding for two projects. In the first, LBL staff will support the establishment of an Energy Efficiency Center in Beijing. The project will be a joint effort of the Energy Analysis Program at LBL, the Global Studies Program at Pacific Northwest Laboratory, and the Energy Research Institute in Beijing. The second project is a demonstration of advanced window technology in buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Bombay, India. Its intent is to catalyze interest in the development of a market for advanced efficiency technologies in these countries. Mark Levine, group leader of the Energy Analysis Program and principal investigator for the FY 1993 projects, was enthusiastic. He felt "DOE was off to a good start" and had selected some excellent projects for the first-round funding."

Nathan Martin
LBL coordinator
(510) 486-5137; (510) 486-6996 fax
Department of Energy ADEPT office
(202) 596-4880; (202) 586-3047 fax