Bulletin #5 (Feb 1, 1995)

UFTO Bulletin #5

February 1, 1995

To: UFTO Subscribers

1995 seems to be in full gear for everybody. Here’s the news from here:

1. The NREL report is enclosed! Please don’t put it on your “to read” pile. Take just a few minutes to glance through it now, and get copies made and distributed in your company. {Maybe your copy is the one with a $20 bill inside!} In light of our upcoming return visit to NREL (see next item), it’s important to be thinking about what topics you want to hear more about.

Note particularly: DU (distributed utility) — be sure your company’s DU guru sees this report!

2. At least two of you have said you want to visit NREL, and we’re looking at dates from March 1-15, or April 3-18. Since many of you have also indicated a desire to get the group together, and since Denver is a hub location, the plan is to also have an UFTO group meeting at the same time. (And maybe a side trip to go skiing?) NREL may be able to provide us a meeting room. Please fax back the attached questionnaire asap.

3. New information from LLNL — enclosed is a special bonus “UFTO Update”. Some very exciting stuff. They need our help with these programs!

4. My first visit to Lawrence Berkeley Labs is set for the second week in February. Working on dates for Sandia and PNL. I still owe you a program plan for the rest of the year.

5. Made some new inroads in DOD in the last few weeks. A contact at OTA referred me to the right place in the Pentagon, and after a very good phone call, I’m exchanging information with Dr. Lance Davis, who is Director, Office of Technology Transition, in “Research and Engineering”. He’s sending me a report on R&D in DOD. We’ll see where it all leads, but “dual use” is such a key concept these days that there ought to be some very good opportunities.

6. Storage seems to be heating up all of a sudden, or maybe I’m just noticing it. A good friend just joined B&W’s SMES program, and is working on the Anchorage project. Flywheels are continuing to make good progress at LLNL and Trinity Flywheel. And note LLNL’s Zinc battery. How many of you are in the UBG, the independent utility run battery group? I met them and the folks from the Sandia battery program at the DA/DSM meeting here in San Jose last week, along with Delco and AC Battery, who are coming on strong with a utility battery storage product, and interested in learning more about what the industry needs. Particular attention needs paying to the connection between storage and power quality, for UPS and ride-through for critical industrial loads.

Sincerely,

 

PS: •• Did NREL contact you about their internal program to develop more efficient gas jet ejectors? Any interest? •• You should start to receive two quarterly publications, Argonne’s Superconductivity Bulletin, and the NREL News, along with the NREL publications catalog. I gave them your names and addresses. •• Anybody want to hear about a Wave Energy project that just may actually work? ••

 

 

FAX to: UFTO Ed Beardsworth fax # 415-328-5675 date:___________

 

 

Subject: NREL Visit and UFTO Group meeting

 

Dear Ed:

I ____ WILL ____ WON’T join the upcoming UFTO group visit to NREL.

I ____ WILL ____ WON’T attend a UFTO group meeting in Denver.

 

Of the suggested dates, March 1-15, or April 3-18,

I CANNOT do it the following dates:

My Preferred dates would be:

 

Preferred days of the week are: ___ Mon ___ Tues ___ Wed ___ Thurs ___ Fri

 

___ Anytime is fine

 

Whether or not you’re coming, please indicate:

 

• Areas at NREL of greatest interest to my company, and that I want to hear more about:

 

• Issues, goals, agenda items for the UFTO group:

 

 

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