A quarterly research and development magazine
Fuel prices now force some Americans to both choose between food and fuel and to make other tough tradeoffs in how they spend their money and what they do in their everyday lives.
During the two oil crises in the 1970s large-scale energy research projects on solar, wind, and geothermal energy went on all over the country. Most of those projects were defunded or discontinued as oil prices stabilized, and we as a nation clung stubbornly to fossil fuel as our primary source of energy.
This edition features a wide range of energy projects. Some of them are long-term projects, some are LDRD projects that seek new approaches to a growing problem, and others are repurposing equipment and research developed for other programs to examine this complex national problem.
In this issue, we speak with researchers assessing the batteries that will appear in electric plug-in vehicles and hydrogen fuel cars. We see a project evaluating biofuels for use in military jets. Economist Arnie Baker explains what goes into the price of gasoline and describes possible future impacts on our primary fuel choice.
Whether gas prices go back down or stabilize higher over the long term, Americans now have energy on their minds. Researchers with energy on their minds are contributing their insights and their innovation in service to a nation that must now examine other options for powering our lives.
Stephanie Holinka, Sandia Technology Guest Editor
(505) 284-9227, slholin@sandia.gov