Publications

In April 1997, a panel of experts representing private sector electricity companies met to identify emerging critical issues in the electricity sector and to ascertain how technology can help with these issues. Sandia National laboratories sponsored and conducted the meeting. The panel determined the top eight issues that will be critically important over the next five to ten years, when the electricity sector is expected to undergo a major transition in its market and the regulations that govern it. This report presents a discussion of the selection and ranking of critical issues identified by the panel and the research priorities that were identified.

Energy security is a fundamental part of a country`s national security. Access to affordable, environmentally sustainable energy is a stabilizing force and is in the world community`s best interest. The current global energy situation however is not sustainable and has many complicating factors. The primary goal for government energy policy should be to provide stability and predictability to the market. This paper differentiates between short-term and long-term issues and argues that although the options for addressing the short-term issues are limited, there is an opportunity to alter the course of long-term energy stability and predictability through research and technology development. While reliance on foreign oil in the short term can be consistent with short-term energy security goals, there are sufficient long-term issues associated with fossil fuel use, in particular, as to require a long-term role for the federal government in funding research. The longer term issues fall into three categories. First, oil resources are finite and there is increasing world dependence on a limited number of suppliers. Second, the world demographics are changing dramatically and the emerging industrialized nations will have greater supply needs. Third, increasing attention to the environmental impacts of energy production and use will limit supply options. In addition to this global view, some of the changes occurring in the US domestic energy picture have implications that will encourage energy efficiency and new technology development. The paper concludes that technological innovation has provided a great benefit in the past and can continue to do so in the future if it is both channels toward a sustainable energy future and if it is committed to, and invested in, as a deliberate long-term policy option.

Recent legislation mandated the improvement of national competitiveness as a mission of the defense programs of the US Department of Energy. As a consequence, technology transfer --- the process of transferring commercially valuable technologies developed under government sponsorship to industry for commercialization --- is becoming an important emphasis at many DOE laboratories. Technology transfer processes take many forms, and there are different perspectives on how to approach this activity. In this paper, a taxonomy of technology transfer processes at a national laboratory is presented. In addition, the focus and rationale of Sandia National Laboratories' unique new initiative called the Technology Maturation Program is discussed. This program is designed to complete one essential element of technology transfer that advanced technologies toward commercial applications to the point that industry is willing to assume the investment risk. Strategies and program plans designed to improve the effectiveness of Sandia's contribution to enhancing US industry's competitive position in world markets are also presented.