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Energy analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) encompasses a broad range of energy analysis in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), NREL programs and initiatives, and the energy analysis community. Here is the latest news on energy analysis activities at NREL:
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is sponsoring its fifth Energy Analysis Forum, "Analytic Insights into Carbon Policy Design and the Implications for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy," which will be held in Golden, Colorado, on November 27-28.
Participants at this two-day event, sponsored by NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC), will discuss critical analysis needs in the carbon-regulation arena and how they relate to energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE). These discussions will help participants identify what analysis, models, and analytic capabilities are necessary to better inform effective decision making in this sector.
The forum sessions will be a combination of presentations and group discussions, covering topics related to carbon policy — highlights include regulations and their implications, electric-sector technologies, and transportation and fuel production issues. On the second day, smaller working groups will discuss carbon regulations and policies — and identify analytic needs. The final session includes a full group discussion on new analytic insights, as well as recommendations for next steps.
For those who are interested, NREL also will provide a tour of some of the laboratory's research facilities following the sessions on the second day.
Registration information, as well as information on hotel reservations and the tour, is available in the Events section of NREL's Energy Analysis Web site.
Jim Sears
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On October 11, NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and DOE/EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) will present a seminar discussing algae technologies. Natural systems on a global scale have demonstrated insufficient capacity to maintain a stable climate with the increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2. Carbon capture and sequestration has been proposed as a way to substantially reduce CO2 emissions; however, scope-limiting environmental and cost concerns may preclude wide-scale implementation. Alternatively, carbon capture-and-recycle strategies turn industrial CO2 emissions into valuable feedstock for photosynthetically derived food and fuel products that offset fossil fuel consumption, driving to an overall carbon-neutral energy system. This seminar, presented by Jim Sears of A2BE Carbon Capture, will discuss the multidimensional challenges in developing and scaling-up algae technologies on a path to a carbon capture-and-recycle economy.
For more information on the seminar series — including log-in and call-in information for remote access — visit the Web site.
The National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference is still accepting registrations for this October event. Now in its twelfth year, the conference is the preeminent national meeting for the U.S. renewable energy marketing industry. Join power marketers, project developers, electric utilities, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, energy consultants, nonprofit organizations, and others on October 21-24, 2007, in historic Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to learn about and discuss key renewable energy market trends and issues. The conference will also feature presentation of the Seventh Annual Green Power Leadership Awards. For more information, please visit the Conference Web site.
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NREL recently restructured its Renewable Resource Data Center (RReDC), providing easier access to an extensive collection of renewable energy resource data, maps, and tools. Biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind resource data for locations throughout the United States can be found through the RReDC. This Web site shows which renewable energy technologies are better suited for particular areas of the country, helping users with renewable energy planning and siting projects. RReDC provides detailed resource information through tools, reports, maps, and data collections. Additional resource data can be found on the NREL Dynamic Maps, GIS Data, and Analysis Tools Web site.
The Renewable Resource Data Center is maintained by NREL's Electric Systems Center Resource Integration Section.
SEAC analyst Maggie Mann spoke at the Governors' Ethanol Coalition (GEC) Fall Meeting about a renewable fuels standard in the context of cap-and-trade policies. The GEC will work with NREL to study this issue in FY08.
On September 12, NREL hosted a delegation of Chinese government officials and researchers led by Dr. Cao Jianlin, vice minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Amy Chiang, director of DOE/EERE's Office of Technology Advancement and Outreach provided an official welcome on behalf of DOE. Members of the technical staff provided descriptions and facility tours of NREL's work in PV, vehicles, biofuels, and wind power.
Doug Arent, SEAC director, spoke on the status of renewable energy technologies at the Joint Western Commissions' Renewable Energy Workshop on September 14 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis Web site.
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