Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ethanol, wind, and solar energy technologies. More recently, in January 2003, the
administration announced the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative and proposed spending
$1.2 billion over 5 years to support research in hydrogen and fuel cell
technologies. While DOE has conducted R and D in geothermal and hydropower
technologies since the late 1970s, the administration's 2007 budget proposed to
eliminate both programs.
Ethanol
DOE's ethanol R and D program, the primary component of its biomass R
and D efforts, is developing technologies to reduce the cost of producing ethanol,
which can be blended with gasoline to reduce harmful exhaust emissions. In the
early years of the biomass program, DOE focused on developing biofuels and
biomass energy systems that primarily relied on corn as the energy source. As the
biomass program evolved, it sought to make biorefinery-related technologies cost-
and performance-competitive. As of October 2006, 106 biorefineries were
operating throughout the United States to supply (1) oil refineries with ethanol to
oxygenate gasoline—ethanol is a substitute for methyl tertiary-butyl ether
(MTBE), which some states have banned because of concerns about groundwater
contamination, and (2) fuel suppliers with ethanol to produce E85, a blend of 85
percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline that can be used in flex fuel vehicles.[10]
The long-term goal of DOE's biomass R and D program is to enable U.S.
industry to produce enough biofuels equivalent to 30 percent of current gasoline
demand—about 60 billion gallons of biofuels per year—by 2030. To meet this
goal, the biomass program is focused on developing additional sources of ethanol
from cellulosic biomass, such as agricultural residues, forest wastes, and energy
crops. According to DOE, producing cellulosic ethanol is difficult because it
requires a complex chemical process to convert the plant material into a simple
sugar to use for ethanol. The biomass program is also working with industry to
demonstrate biorefinery technologies and assess infrastructure needs.
Wind
DOE's wind R and D program primarily is focused on developing efficient
wind turbines that convert the wind's power into electrical power. Historically,
DOE's wind program focused on developing wind turbines for high-wind sites
because it was the easiest way to achieve significant levels of electric power
generation. High-wind sites—referred to as Class 6—typically are located in areas
where the wind regularly blows from 18 to 20 miles per hour. During the past 29
years, DOE and its industry partners have made technological improvements that
