TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States SN - DO - 10.17226/12831 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12831/realizing-the-energy-potential-of-methane-hydrate-for-the-united-states PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Energy and Energy Conservation AB - Natural gas, composed mostly of methane, is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels, emitting 25-50% less carbon dioxide than either oil or coal for each unit of energy produced. In recent years, natural gas supplied approximately 20-25% of all energy consumed in the United States. Methane hydrate is a potentially enormous and as yet untapped source of methane. The Department of Energy's Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program has been tasked since 2000 to implement and coordinate a national methane hydrate research effort to stimulate the development of knowledge and technology necessary for commercial production of methane from methane hydrate in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Realizing the Energy Potential of Methane Hydrate for the United States evaluates the program's research projects and management processes since its congressional re-authorization in 2005, and presents recommendations for its future research and development initiatives. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies—Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles SN - DO - 10.17226/12826 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12826/transitions-to-alternative-transportation-technologies-plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehicles PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Energy and Energy Conservation KW - Transportation and Infrastructure AB - The nation has compelling reasons to reduce its consumption of oil and emissions of carbon dioxide. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) promise to contribute to both goals by allowing some miles to be driven on electricity drawn from the grid, with an internal combustion engine that kicks in when the batteries are discharged. However, while battery technology has made great strides in recent years, batteries are still very expensive. Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies--Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles builds on a 2008 National Research Council report on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The present volume reviews the current and projected technology status of PHEVs; considers the factors that will affect how rapidly PHEVs could enter the marketplace, including the interface with the electric transmission and distribution system; determines a maximum practical penetration rate for PHEVs consistent with the time frame and factors considered in the 2008 Hydrogen report; and incorporates PHEVs into the models used in the hydrogen study to estimate the costs and impacts on petroleum consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. ER -