We will have to recess now until 2 o'clock. [Whereupon, at 1:10 p.m., the subcommittees recessed, to reconvene at 2 p.m. the same day.] AFTER RECESS [The subcommittees reconvened at 2 p.m., Hon. Richard L. Ottinger presiding.] Mr. OTTINGER. The Subcommittee on Energy and Power, and the Subcommittee on Energy Development and Applications of the Science and Technology Committee are resuming their joint hearings this afternoon on the Solar Energy Domestic Policy review. This afternoon we have a panel directing its attention to Solar Research, Development and Demonstration, Priorities and Strategies. We are pleased to have with us Dr. Ken Touryan, deputy assistant director for research, Solar Energy Research Institute; Dr. Theodore Taylor, solar energy consultant from Damascus, Md.; Dr. Thomas E. Stelson, vice president for research, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dr. Douglas Balcomb, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory; and Dr. Henry C. Kelly, Group Manager for Technology and International Relations, Office of Technology Assessment. If witnesses will come forward. PANEL III-SOLAR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES-DR. KENELL J. TOURYAN, SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, GOLDEN, COLO.; DR. THEODORE TAYLOR, DAMASCUS, MD.; DR. THOMAS E. STELSON, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ATLANTA, GA.; DR. DOUGLAS BALCOMB, LOS ALAMOS, N. MEX.; DR. HENRY C. KELLY, OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT, WASHINGTON, D.C. Mr. OTTINGER. Dr. Touryan, why don't we begin with you, if that is satisfactory. We will include your full statement for the record. You may read or summarize, as you wish. [The biography and prepared statement of Mr. Touryan follow:] SERI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH K. J. Touryan was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He attended the American University of Beirut from 1953-1956, then subsequently immigrated to the United States where he completed his undergraduate work in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California. He received an M.S. in M.E. from the University of Southern California in 1959, an M.A. in Physics from Princeton University in 1960, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace and Mechanical Sciences from Princeton in 1962. He was at Sandia Laboratories, of the Department of Energy, (formerly ERDA and AEC) from 1962 until August, 1978. His most recent position at Sandia was Manager of Fluid and Thermal Sciences Department, where with his staff of engineers and scientists he engaged in R&D efforts in a number of new energy programs such as: fossil, geothermal, nuclear, and solar, as well as in the area of weapons development. In August, 1978 he joined the staff of the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) as Deputy Assistant Director of Research. He is currently Acting Assistant Director of Research, where he has the administrative and technical responsibilities for overseeing all R&D efforts in solar energy at SERI, which include the following technology programs: photovoltaics, photoconversion, biomass, solar thermal, industrial process heat, storage systems, ocean systems, wind, materials science, and energy resource assessment. He is the author of 25 journal articles on fluid and plasma dynamics and has recently co-authored a book on plasmadynamics. He is the associate editor of two national journals: the Journal of Energy and Journal of Aeronautics and Astronautics. From 1965-1972 he was adjunct professor in the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Dr. Touryan belongs to several honorary societies and is an active member of the American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Amercian Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the American Scientific Affiliation. STATEMENT OF KENELL J. TOURYAN, DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH, SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Chairmen and Members of the Committees: 1. Introduction My name is Kenell J. Touryan. I am Deputy Assistant Director for Research at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Golden, Colorado. In this capacity, I help direct the activities of the Research Division; an organization of over 110 individuals whose primary responsibility is to conduct in-house R&D activities in the following technology programs: photovoltaics, photoconversion, biomass, solar thermal, industrial process heat, storage systems, ocean systems, wind, materials science and energy resource assessment. 2. R&D Objectives and Major Thrusts at SERI SERI provides in-house research capabilities both in baseline programs and in DOE programmatic activities. Our R&D objectives are three-fold: (a) to examine advanced technical options for solar energy conversion; (b) supply technical information needed to make appropriate selections among several solar options; and (c) identify and reduce technical and cost barriers to specific solar applications. In addition, we support DOE in the technical management of selected research programs through universities, industry and the national laboratories. SERI is also responsible for developing major solar energy experimental test facilities and coordinating activities in all existing solar energy test facilities. In broad terms, R&D at SERI is divided into near-term and long-term efforts. The former category includes: heating and cooling R&D; industrial process heat; solar thermal technologies; biomass conversion; wind energy conversion; supportive efforts in materials studies; and energy resource assessment. The * B. development program is our best opportunity to achieve the DOE cost and efficiency goals in the near future, and must be pursued (6) Finally, systems engineering is required in two areas especially relating to distributed applications. (a) Designs to facilitate the installation and to reduce the high cost of retrofitting solar energy conversion systems must be emphasized. (b) The large-scale penetration of solar technologies into communities and cities will require the definition of an One attractive future for solar energy is the integration of this Long-Term Recommendation (Beyond 1990) (1) As a specific emphasis in fundamental research in solar energy, we For details, see SERI/MR-12-207, Institutional Plan for the Solar Energy Research Institute, Fiscal Year 1980-1985, April 1979, pp. 61-75. (2) In addition to direct combustion and methane recovery from biomass, special emphasis should be placed on the production of liquid fuels and chemicals from biomass. Alcohol production, for example, is already in existence at over a billion gallons/year. If the existing research in more efficient manufacture of ethanol and methanol from woody biomass (ligno-cellulose) is geared to a practical national alcohol program, greater near-term breakthroughs will be achievable. (3) First-generation technical feasibility for producing electric power from solar thermal conversion schemes has been demonstrated. Largescale demonstration activities, either in a distributed or central power mode are therefore warranted in order to gain needed system level operating experience. These demonstrations should be phased in with selected field tests for proving feasibility of concept, and need not be sequential in implementation. However, the rush to demonstrate has detracted from the essential need for advanced materials, component and systems development that would lead to cost-competitive designs. We recommend a more balanced demonstration/advanced concept program in solar thermal electric applications, with additional funds allocated to advanced materials, components and new concepts development. (4) Engineering development of advanced diurnal and seasonal storage technologies are within reach for practical applications by the mid-'80s and must be conducted as an integral part of the solar thermal technology development program. To this end, SERI is actively supporting the joint Thermal Storage for Solar Thermal plan between the DOE Division of Energy Storage Systems and the Division of Central Solar Technology. (5) We acknowledge that more RD&D emphasis should be placed upon non-single crystal silicon photovoltaic technologies where the major breakthroughs in low-cost cells are expected. However, the single crystal silicon |