Feed-in tariffs (FITs) have been used to promote renewable electricity development in over 40 countries throughout the past two decades. These policies generally provide guaranteed prices for the full system output from eligible generators for a fixed time period (typically 15-20 years). Due in part to the success of FIT policies in Europe, some jurisdictions in the United States are considering implementing similar policies, and a few have already put such policies in place. This report is intended to offer some guidance to policymakers and regulators on how generator interconnection procedures may affect the implementation of FITs and how state generator interconnection procedures can be formulated to support state renewable energy objectives. This report is based on a literature review of model interconnection procedures formulated by several organizations, as well as other documents that have reviewed, commented on, and in some cases, ranked state interconnection procedures.
Presented at the WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition, 23-26 May 2010, Dallas, Texas. The rapid growth of the small wind turbine (SWT) market is attracting numerous entrants. Small wind turbine purchasers now have many options but often lack information (such as third-party certification) to select a quality turbine. Most SWTs do not have third-party certification due to the expense and difficulty of the certification process. Until recently, the only SWT certification bodies were in Europe. In North America, testing has been limited to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) subsidized tests conducted at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) under the ongoing Independent Testing Project. The goal is to increase the number of certified turbines and gain greater consumer confidence in SWT technology. To reduce certification testing costs, DOE/NREL is assisting in establishing a network of Regional Test Centers (RTCs) to conduct SWT third-party certification testing. To jump-start these RTCs, DOE/NREL is providing financial and technical assistance for an initial round of tests. The goal is to establish a lower-cost U.S. small wind testing capability that will lead to increased SWT certification. This poster describes the project, describes how it fits within broader SWT certification activities, and provides current status.
Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are the most widely used renewable energy policy in the world for driving accelerating renewable energy (RE) deployment, accounting for a greater share of RE development than either tax incentives or renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies. FITs have generated significant RE deployment, helping bring the countries that have implemented them successfully to the forefront of the global RE industry. In the European Union (EU), FIT policies have led to the deployment of more than 15,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power and more than 55,000 MW of wind power between 2000 and the end of 2009. In total, FITs are responsible for approximately 75% of global PV and 45% of global wind deployment. Countries such as Germany, in particular, have demonstrated that FITs can be used as a powerful policy tool to drive RE deployment and help meet combined energy security and emissions reductions objectives. This policymaker's guide provides a detailed analysis of FIT policy design and implementation and identifies a set of best practices that have been effective at quickly stimulating the deployment of large amounts of RE generation. Although the discussion is aimed primarily at decision makers who have decided that a FIT policy best suits their needs, exploration of FIT policies can also help inform a choice among alternative renewable energy policies.
The feasibility of decontaminating spent fuel cladding hulls using hydrofluoric acid (HF) was investigated as part of the Global Energy Nuclear Partnership (GNEP) Separations Campaign. The concentrations of the fission product and transuranic (TRU) isotopes in the decontaminated hulls were compared to the limits for determining the low level waste (LLW) classification in the United States (US). The {sup 90}Sr and {sup 137}Cs concentrations met the disposal criteria for a Class C LLW; although, in a number of experiments the criteria for disposal as a Class B LLW were met. The TRU concentration in the hulls generally exceeded the Class C LLW limit by at least an order of magnitude. The concentration decreased sharply as the initial 30-40 {micro}m of the cladding hull surface were removed. At depths beyond this point, the TRU activity remained relatively constant, well above the Class C limit. Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel generates a cladding waste which would likely require disposal as a Greater than Class C LLW in the US. If the cladding hulls could be treated to remove a majority of the actinide and fission product contamination, the hulls could potentially meet acceptance criteria for disposal as a LLW or allow recycle of the Zr metal. Discard of the hulls as a LLW would result in significant cost savings compared to disposal as a Greater than Class C waste which currently has no disposition path. During fuel irradiation and reprocessing, radioactive materials are produced and deposited in the Zircaloy cladding. Due to short depths of penetration, the majority of the fission products and actinide elements are located in the ZrO{sub 2} layer which forms on the surface of the cladding during fuel irradiation. Therefore, if the oxide layer is removed, the majority of the contamination should also be removed. It is very …
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) 20% Wind Energy by 2030 report recommends expanding education to ensure a trained workforce to meet the projected growth of the wind industry and deployment. Although a few U.S. higher education institutions offer wind technology education programs, most are found in community and technical colleges, resulting in a shortage of programs preparing highly skilled graduates for wind industry careers. Further, the United States lags behind Europe (which has more graduate programs in wind technology design and manufacturing) and is in danger of relinquishing the economic benefits of domestic production of wind turbines and related components and services to European countries. DOE's Wind Powering America initiative launched the Wind for Schools project to develop a wind energy knowledge base among future leaders of our communities, states, and nation while raising awareness about wind energy's benefits. This fact sheet provides an overview of wind energy curricula as it relates to the Wind for Schools project.
Large international collaborations that use decentralized computing models are becoming a custom rather than an exception in High Energy Physics. A good computing model for such big collaborations has to deal with the distribution of the experiment-specific software around the world. When the CDF experiment developed its software infrastructure, most computing was done on dedicated clusters. As a result, libraries, configuration files and large executables were deployed over a shared file system. In order to adapt its computing model to the Grid, CDF decided to distribute its software to all European Grid sites using Parrot, a user-level application capable of attaching existing programs to remote I/O systems through the filesystem interface. This choice allows CDF to use just one centralized source of code and a scalable set of caches all around Europe to efficiently distribute its code and requires almost no interaction with the existing Grid middleware or with local system administrators. This system has been in production at CDF in Europe since almost two years. Here, we present CDF implementation of Parrot and some comments on its performances.
Mask inspection is essential for the success of any pattern-transfer lithography technology, and EUV Lithography in particular faces unique challenges. EUV masks resonant-reflective multilayer coatings have a narrow, wavelength-specific response that dramatically affects the way that defects appear, or disappear, at various illuminating wavelengths. Furthermore, the ever-shrinking size of 'critical' defects limits the potential effectiveness of DUV inspection techniques over time. Researchers pursuing numerous ways of finding and characterizing defects on EUV masks and have met with varying degrees of success. Their lessons inform the current, urgent exploration to select the most effective techniques for high-volume manufacturing. Ranging from basic research and demonstration experiments to commercial inspection tool prototypes, we survey the recent history of work in this area, including sixteen projects in Europe, Asia, and America. Solutions range from scanning beams to microscopy, dark field imaging to pattern transfer.
This report details the consequences of the European financial crisis of 2010 beginning with the economic fallout of the Greek economy. It then highlights six factors that would be instrumental regarding the "Eurozones" future.
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