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2007 Annual Report

2007 ANNUAL REPORT

Energy, Resources, & Nonproliferation

Strategic Partnering to Achieve National and Global Impacts

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U.S. security needs will evolve rapidly in the next 10 years and become more diverse as major demographic shifts, trends in energy and technology, and increased threats from radiological and biological materials produce new threats. Given this diversification of emerging security challenges, the degree of global economic integration, and the velocity of information flows, cascading change will impact U.S. interests in unpredictable ways.

Sandia’s Energy, Resources, and Nonproliferation (ERN) unit is meeting the goals of its complex mission by establishing strategic partnerships with a variety of government and nongovernmental organizations, universities, and with industry. Sandia’s ERN customers will depend upon Sandia’s ability to engage globally as never before. ERN’s energy lines of business will require more effective integration of security design into engineering solutions.

ERN’s Fuel and Water Systems efforts include an emphasis on focused solutions for transportation fuels for the 21st century and for treatment, monitoring, management, and infrastructure issues associated with water. The program develops and demonstrates persistent energy sources for electricity and transportation and takes aim at creating a flexible, enabling energy infrastructure. Energy storage capabilities are also a focus of this program.

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Energy-efficiency activities reduce demand on national energy resources. Sandia’s pioneering work in solid-state lighting is an example of work in this area. Exploring the transition to a hydrogen-based economy and developing more efficient, less polluting automobile engines — work now under way at Sandia’s Combustion Research Facility — are other examples.

Researchers in Sandia’s Nuclear Energy program are evaluating the safety and security of existing power plants and helping develop the next generation of nuclear power technology. They are also developing approaches for new risk-informed regulations, using risk assessment, accident modeling, structural analysis, and large-scale experiments to provide a scientific basis.