and technology transfer and commercialization. 

 About 5 percent of the total solar energy develop- 

 ment efforts have been identified as basic or funda- 

 mental research. Of the nine programs listed here, 

 all except the last four include some basic re- 

 search. 



• The photovoltaic energy conversion program 

 covers the following areas of research and 

 technology development: III-V materials 

 (e.g., gallium arsenide) and solar cells; ternary, 

 quaternary, and other materials and solar 

 cells; system and subsystem parameters; nov- 

 el devices and applications; and silicon solar 

 cells. Each of these areas includes basic re- 

 search. 



• The ocean thermal energy conversion pro- 

 gram covers work in the areas of ocean ther- 

 mal closed cycle power components, biofoul- 

 ing and corrosion, mission analysis, engineer- 

 ing test and evaluation, and ocean system 

 development. This development program in- 

 cludes some basic research, especially in the 

 areas of materials and heat exchangers. 



• The fuels from biomass program includes re- 

 search and technology development in the 

 areas of new and improved plant species, 

 biophotolysis, enzyme processes, the thermo- 

 chemical breakdown of plant materials into 

 synthesis gas, aquatic and terrestrial biomass 

 production and conversion, and fermentation. 

 Each of these areas includes basic research. 



• The environmental and resource assessment 

 program covers work in the areas of charac- 

 terization of wind, environmental assess- 

 ments, technology assessments, characteriza- 

 tion of insolation, and characterization of 

 ocean thermal gradients. The last three areas 

 include some basic or fundamental research. 



• The program concerned with solar heating 

 and cooling of buildings includes research in 

 the areas of surface coatings, heat transfer, 

 thermodynamics, systems analysis, materials, 

 optics, and mechanical design. The last four 

 areas include basic research. 



Conservation research and development (FY 1978 

 operating costs, $231 million). ERDA's conserva- 

 tion R&D efforts include programs concerning 

 electrical energy systems, energy storage, im- 

 proved conversion efficiency, industrial energy 

 conservation, building and community systems, 

 transportation energy conservation, and conserva- 

 tion outreach. Only the first two include any basic 

 research, and the basic research represents less 

 than 1 percent of the total conservation R&D ef- 

 forts. 



• The electrical energy systems program covers 

 the areas of electric power transmission, utili- 

 ty applications, and systems management and 



1 70 ENERGY RESEARCH A DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION 



Structuring, with some basic research in the 

 first of these areas. 



• The energy storage program covers the areas 

 of mechanical energy storage, superconduct- 

 ing magnetic energy storage, storage of ener- 

 gy in chemical form (e.g., as hydrogen), ther- 

 mal energy storage, and applications analysis 

 for energy storage systems. The last two in- 

 clude basic research. 



General life sciences (FY 1978 operating costs, $23 

 million). This program covers topics in the life sci- 

 ences selected for their importance to the bases for 

 estimating risks to man's health and environment. 

 The research plan for this program identifies six 

 such topics: (1) Investigate the basic structure and 

 functions of key organ systems for which rapid 

 cell replacement is required for body function; (2) 

 develop model in vitro cell systems that retain the 

 normal function of cells of key or critical organs 

 and tissues; (3) develop biochemical and cytologi- 

 cal indicators of damage for critical organ systems; 

 (4) conduct studies of molecular interactions, dam- 

 age, and repair in cells of various animal species, 

 including those of man, in order to generalize the 

 types of damage and repair; (5) expand the nation- 

 al elTort aimed at improving and perfecting the 

 capability of extrapolating animal data to man; (6) 

 ensure that the program supplies a continuous 

 source of new and improved methods for rapid 

 screening and detection of carcinogenic, mutagen- 

 ic, teratogenic, and pathophysiologic damage to 

 man. New efforts being initiated in FY 1978 on a 

 small scale consist of exploratory biological re- 

 search designed to provide a conceptual base for 

 developing technologies for biological energy con- 

 version and processing. The entire program is con- 

 sidered basic research. 



Basic energy sciences (FY 1978 operating costs, 

 $138 million). The scope of this program is broad. 

 It extends throughout the physical sciences in 

 areas related to energy conservation, production, 

 conversion, and use. It serves as the central basic 

 research arm of ERDA in the physical sciences 

 and mathematics. It is divided into five subpro- 

 grams: Materials sciences; chemical sciences; nu- 

 clear sciences; engineering, mathematics, and 

 geosciences; and advanced energy systems. 



• The materials sciences subprogram covers 

 research in three general categories. The first, 

 metallurgy and ceramics, includes studies in 

 the area' of the structure of materials, me- 

 chanical properties,, physical properties, ra- 

 diation effects, and engineering materials 

 (e.g., friction and wear, corrosion and weld- 

 ing). The second category, solid state physics, 

 includes studies in the areas of neutron scat- 

 tering, experimental research (e.g., studies of 

 superconductivity, of catalysts, and of surface 



