ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


1 4 2 /C&RL News

Energy resources on the 
Internet

B y  C a r l D. P h illip s

There are lodes o f energy sites to 
check out

A s a field o f study, energy is multidisci­plinary, involving most o f the basic sci­
ences, engineering, resource studies, environ­
ment, development, and public policy. As a 
result, getting a good grasp o f the literature can 
be daunting. The problem can be even more 
complex when tracking down energy informa­
tion resources on the Internet since a good stor­
age and retrieval system does not exist for find­
ing Internet-based resources at this point. This 
paper can begin to put you in touch with the 
vast amount of quality information available.

Included are directories, government agen­
cies, labs and institutes, and data resources, as 
well as specific energy sector-related materi­
als. Most of the material available is in the form 
o f research abstracts, technical reports, raw and 
processes data sets, and general educational 
overviews.

Major guides to energy resources
These are two o f the few sources that are avail­
able for broad coverage o f the energy field. 
They are less than adequate but useful as start­
ing points.

• E n e r g y  I n f o r m a ti o n  o n  I n t e r n e t . A 
fairly comprehensive group o f more than 200 
resources, updated monthly. Each entry  has a 
record attached to help you determine the use­
fulness o f the resource. Access: http://www.ecn. 
nl/eii/main.html.

• W W W  V i r t u a l  L i b r a r y  E n e r g y  R e ­
s o u r c e s  G uide. Mostly geared towards alter­
native energy resources. This guide is arranged

in alphabetical order. A ccess: http://solstice. 
crest.org/online/virtual-library/VLib-energy. 
html.

Directories
Locating commercial, industrial, and research- 
oriented entities is possible by using one of 
these continually growing directories.

• E n e r g y  Y e llo w  P a g e s . A nicely orga­
nized listing of mostly commercial contacts such 
as trade associations, suppliers, engineers, 
equipment vendors, and services. Includes re­
search organizations and publications. Listings 
are not all Internet accessible; however, when 
they are, a direct link is provided. Access: http: 
//www.ccnet.com/~nep/yellow.htm.

• D ir e c to r y  o f  E n e rg y -R e la te d  G rad u ate 
P r o g r a m s  in  U.S. U n iv e rs itie s . Categorizes 
interdisciplinary energy programs by institution, 
type, and state. Records for each program de­
scribe the degrees offered, general focus, size 
o f faculty, special facilities, number o f students, 
etc. Access: http://solstice.crest.org/renewables/ 
grad/ index , html.

• T h e  S o u rc e  f o r  R e n e w a b le  E n e r g y . Di­
rectory o f more than 1,300 renewable energy- 
related businesses. Businesses are organized by 
geographic location, business type, and prod­
uct type. Records list business type, product 
type, address, phone number, e-mail, and URL 
when appropriate. A ccess: http://www.rmii. 
com/theSource/renewableEnergy/.

Government agencies
Governments can be a particularly good place 
for finding quality information related to en­
ergy. Most U.S. government materials are copy­
right free so their distribution via the Internet 
becomes more likely.

Carl D. Phillips is reference librarian at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia; 
e-mail: phillicd@jmu.edu

http://www.ecn
http://solstice
http://www.ccnet.com/~nep/yellow.htm
http://solstice.crest.org/renewables/
http://www.rmii
mailto:phillicd@jmu.edu


M arch 1 9 9 6 /1 4 3



1 4 4 /C&RL News

• C a lifo rn ia  E n e r g y  C o m m is s io n . This 
widely known and very active agency provides 
a wealth of energy information. Included are 
educational overviews, technical reports, data, 
government initiatives/programs, and even 
education programs for kids. Access: http:// 
www.energy.ca.gov/ energy/homepage.html.

• C a n a d a ’s D e p a rtm e n t o f  N atu ral R e­
s o u r c e s  E n e r g y  S e cto r. Provides connections 
to a variety of the agency’s energy-related ma­
terials. Access: http://esl.es.emr.ca/.

• U n ited  S tates D e p a rtm e n t o f  E n e rg y . 
A vast site of energy information. Connections 
to many of the department’s field offices, labo­
ratories, and programs, which in themselves 
are replete with valuable energy-related mate­
rials. Of particular value is OPENNET, a data­
base that references the department’s declassi­
fied information. Several of these documents 
are also available in full text. Another impor­
tant resource is the Electronic Exchange Initia­
tive which provides electronic exchange of sci­
entific and technical documents. A must-see site. 
A ccess: http://apollo.osti.gov/home.html.

• U n ited  States E n v ir o n m e n ta l P r o te c ­
tio n  A g en cy . Provides full-text access to a large 
number o f agency publications. Includes facts, 
data, educational documents, the EPA J o u r n a l‚ 
and reference sources such as the latest envi­
ronmental F ed e ra l Register listings and a dictio­
nary of environmental acronyms and terminol­
ogy. A ccess: http://www.epa.gov/.

Labs and institutes
Many labs and research institutes are available 
via the Internet. Here are a few selected sites 
for finding mostly scientific, technical, and pro­
gram reports.

• P r in c e to n  U n iv e rs ity ’s C e n te r f o r  E n ­
e r g y  & E n v ir o n m e n ta l Studies. Offers bibli­
ographies of its technical reports from 1990 
through 1994, theses from 1975 through 1994, 
and a selected list of faculty and staff publica­
tions. A ccess: http://www.princeton.edu:80/ 
~cees/.

• R iso e N atio n al L a b o ra to r y . Dedicated 
to research in three main areas: 1) energy tech­
nology and energy planning; 2) environmental 
aspects of energy and industrial and plant pro­
duction; and 3) materials and measuring tech­
niques for industry. Citations to recent research 
and other publications are provided; ordering 
is free. Access: http://www.risoe.dk/risoe.html.

• T e x a s  A&M’s E n e r g y  S y stem s L a b o ra ­
to r y . Focusing primarily on alternate energy,

energy conservation, and HVAC (heating, ven­
tilation, and air conditioning), this Web site pro­
vides access to the lab’s research publications 
and energy software programs. Access: http:// 
www-esl.tamu.edu/.

• U n iv e rs ity  o f  C a lifo rn ia  E n e r g y  In s ti­
tu te. Its research covers the general areas of 
resources and supply technologies, energy use 
efficiency, and the impact of energy use on 
health, the environment, and the economy. Re­
search publication abstracts and, in some cases, 
the full text can be viewed. Order forms pro­
vided for many items. A ccess: http://www- 
ucenergy.eecs.berkeley.edu/UCENERGY/.

• U.S. D e p a rtm e n t o f  E n e r g y  L a b o ra to ­
r ie s . A comprehensive list of hyperlinks to the 
30 National Labs. Access: http://apollo.osti.gov/ 
html/servers/labtitls.html.

Data sources
Real world data is accessible from many loca­
tions on the Net. The trouble is that it has not 
been sufficiently collected in one place to pro­
vide a sense of what is available. These sites 
are major collectors and distributors of raw and 
processed data.

• E l e c t r i c  U tility  S ta tis tic a l D a ta b a se . 
Data include Tables of Operating Statistics, Pro­
posed Natural Gas Price Forecast, DJ-COB Elec­
tricity Price Index, U.S. Electricity Production, 
etc. Regular installments of data to be provided. 
Access: http://www.energyonline.com/Restruc- 
turing/energydb/estathme.html.

• E n e r g y  D ata P age. An extremely valu­
able resource for locating data on the Net. The 
attempt is to bring together in one place useful 
data from selected international, governmen­
tal, and industrial sites. Much is already avail­
able. Access: http://gaial.ies.wisc.edu/research/ 
energydata/hankpage.html.

• G a t o r  P o w e r  A c a d e m i c  I n t e r f a c e .  
Dedicated to the distribution of real world data 
to the academic/research community, raw and 
processed data are collected from selected co­
generation control system sensors and made 
available here. The site expects to continue fa­
cilitating archiving and processing data, devel­
oping graphic interfaces to operating data, il­
lustrating the use of scientific/data visualization 
tools, and developing and validating algorithms 
for data analysis. Access: http://gatorpwr.che. 
ufl.edu/.

• S o lar R ad iatio n  D ata. Solar and climatic 
data primarily intended for the siting, specifi­
cation, and sizing of solar energy equipment.

http://esl.es.emr.ca/
http://apollo.osti.gov/home.html
http://www.epa.gov/
http://www.princeton.edu:80/
http://www.risoe.dk/risoe.html
http://www-
http://apollo.osti.gov/
http://gaial.ies.wisc.edu/research/
http://gatorpwr.che


March 1 9 9 6 /1 4 5

Data can be accessed via clickable image maps 
or menus. Organized by selected U.S. locations 
and a variety of directional angles of flat-plate 
collectors. A ccess: http://solstice.crest.org/ 
renewables/solrad/index.html.

• US DOE E n e r g y  In fo rm a tio n  A d m in ­
is tr a tio n . This is the U.S. government’s statis­
tical agency with primary responsibility for the 
collection and dissemination of energy data and 
data analysis. There are lots o f raw data, as 
well as analysis and forecasting publications. A 
trem end ou sly useful site. A c c e s s : http:// 
www.eia.doe.gov.

• WORLD ENERGY Data Base for the In­
ternation al E nergy Annual 19 9 3 . An infor­
mational site about how to access the In tern a­
tio n a l Energy A n n u a l in its paper published 
form or its online database via ftp. Some di­
gested data are included in the “Overview” of 
recent trends in world energy production and 
consumption. Access: http://www.eia.doe.gov/ 
emeu/world/main1.html.

Energy sector-related sites
Information related to specific energy sectors 
is widely available on the Internet. Below are 
sites that either represent possibilities or serve 
as pointers to resources within a particular sec­
tor.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles
• C e n tre  f o r  A ltern ativ e T ra n s p o rta tio n  

F u el. Actively engaged in alternative fuels de­
velopment, the centre’s staff maintains a data­
base of technical papers. A quarterly called the 
CATF Review will shortly be available via this 
server. A ccess: http://www.bcr.bc.ca/catf/ 
default.htm.

• Y a h o o ’s A ltern ativ e Fu el V ehicles In ­
d e x . Electric and solar vehicle sites and organi­
zations. Access: http://www.yahoo.com/Recre- 
ation/Automobiles/Alternative_Fuel_Vehicles/.

Electric utilities
• E l e c t r i c  P o w e r  R e s e a r c h  I n s t it u t e  

(E P R I). A source of extensive and broad re­
search endeavors. The site is of particular value 
for its EPRI databases of products (more than 
1,300), publications (more than 11,000), projects 
(more than 29,000), and technical experts (more 
than 200). Abstracts and ordering information 
provided. Access: http://www.epri.com/.

• T h e W W W  V irtu al L ib ra ry  f o r  P o w e r 
E n g in e e r in g . A nicely organized collection of 
Internet resources for the public utility indus­

try. A ccess: http://www.ece.iit.edu/~power/ 
power.html.

Fossil fuels
•  F o s s il E n e r g y  ( F E ) W o rld  W id e W eb 

N etw o rk . The Office of Fossil Energy’s con­
nections to program reports, scientific and tech­
nical reports, global project reports, FE news, 
and more. Access: http://www.fe.doe.gov/.

• IEA  I n t e r n a t i o n a l  C e n t r e  f o r  G as 
T e c h n o lo g y  In fo rm a tio n  (ICG TI). The tech­
nology centre o f the International Energy 
Agency (IEA), ICGTI is a forum for technology 
transfer and communication within the gas in­
dustry. Free registration required for access to 
all information resources which include: Ques­
tion & Answer Board, Industry Events, Tech­
nology Library, Experts Networks, etc. Access: 
http://www.gasinfo.dk/gasinfo/.

• P e tro le u m  In te rn e t R e s o u rc e s. A well- 
organized, nearly comprehensive listing. Access: 
http://www.ghgcorp.com/geoprobe/petrol. 
html.

Geothermal energy
• I n t e r n a t i o n a l  G e o th e r m a l A s s o c ia ­

tio n . Educational overviews, data, news articles, 
workshops, and conference proceedings avail­
able via this page. Access: http://www.demon. 
co.uk/geosci/igahome.html.

Nuclear energy
• Nuke H o m e P age. An array of pointers 

to research institutes, publications, and nuclear 
plants. Access: http://nuke.WestLab.com/.

• U n i t e d  S ta te s  N u c l e a r  R e g u l a t o r y  
C o m m is s io n . Contains primarily information 
about the commission. Some standard techni­
cal specification documents and general edu­
cational materials about reactors are available 
in full text. Other documents are mentioned 
along with ordering information. Access: http: 
//www.nrc.gov/.

Reneivable energy
• E n e r g y  E ffic ie n c y  a n d  R en ew ab le E n ­

e r g y  N e tw o rk  (E R E N ). This is the DOE’s site 
responsible for qualitative information about 
renewable energy and energy-efficient tech­
nologies. Includes the latest announcements, 
press releases, funding information, conference 
calendars, newsletters, and magazines. See the 
clearinghouse for fact sheets and other educa­
tional materials. A ccess: http://www.eren. 
doe.gov/.

http://solstice.crest.org/
http://www.eia.doe.gov
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
http://www.bcr.bc.ca/catf/
http://www.yahoo.com/Recre-
http://www.epri.com/
http://www.ece.iit.edu/~power/
http://www.fe.doe.gov/
http://www.gasinfo.dk/gasinfo/
http://www.ghgcorp.com/geoprobe/petrol
http://www.demon
http://nuke.WestLab.com/
http://www.nrc.gov/
http://www.eren


1 46/C&RL News

• N a tio n a l R e n e w a b le  E n e r g y  L a b o ra ­
t o r y . The U.S. National Lab primarily respon­
sible for renewable energy and energy effi­
ciency research. Lots o f fact sheets and reports. 
Access: http://nrelinfo.nrel.gov/.

• R e n e w a b le  E n e r g y  a n d  S u s ta in a b le  
E n e r g y  S y s te m s  in  C a n a d a . Canadian gov­
ernment studies. Abstracts and ordering infor­
mation provided for books, magazines, and pa­
p e rs . A c c e s s : h ttp :/ / sp in n e .w e b .n e t:8 0 /  
sustenergy/welcom e.html.

• S o lstice: I n te r n e t In fo rm a tio n  S erv ice 
f o r  th e  C e n te r  f o r  R e n e w a b le  E n e r g y  a n d  
S u s ta in a b le  T e c h n o lo g y . Extremely valuable 
resource for general information about all types 
of renewable energy technologies. Access: http: 
//solstice.crest.org/.

Software
• T h e  E n e r g y  S c ie n c e  a n d  T e c h n o lo g y

S o f t w a r e  C e n t e r  (E S T S C ). G ov ernm ent- 
produced, energy-related software to run on 
personal computers, mainframes, and super­
computers. Searchable database with many fea­
tures for locating the software you need. Soft­
ware is available on diskettes or magnetic tape 
along with supporting documentation. Access: 
http://www.doe.gov/html/osti/estsc/estsc.html.

Other interesting sites
• C r itic a l M ass E n e r g y  P ro je c t. An en­

ergy activist hom epage. Find activist alerts, 
voting records, informational publications, etc., 
regarding public energy policy in the areas of
nuclear power and reactor safety, radioactive 
waste policy, cutting polluter pork from the 
energy budget and tax code, renewable energy, 
energy efficiency, and transportation and fuel 
econom y. A ccess: http://www.essential.org/ 
CMEP/.

• U n C o v e r. The table of contents o f ap­
proximately 17,000 interdisciplinary periodicals. 
Key-word search capability is helpful for find­
ing energy- related articles. Document delivery 
is available. A ccess: http://www.carl.org/un­
cover/unchome.html.

• E n e r g y  N ew sp ag e. A subscription-based 
service to news stories from many of the world’s 
leading energy periodicals. A ccess: http:// 
ww w.new spage.com /NEW SPAGE/cgi-bin/ 
walk.cgi/NEWSPAGE/info/dl3/.

Newsgroups
There are not many newsgroups dealing with 
energy issues; this is a fairly comprehensive list.

• a l t .e n e r g y . r e n e w a b l e .  Fueling our­
selves without depleting everything. Access: 
news:alt.energy.renewable.

• a lt.s o la r .p h o to v o lta ic . Generating volt­
age from the sun’s energy. Access: news:alt. 
solar.photovoltaic.

• c l a r i .b i z .i n d u s t r y .e n e r g y .  O il, gas, 
coal, alternatives (moderated). Access: news: 
clari.biz.industry.energy.

• m is c.in d u stry .u tilitie s .e le c tric. Discus­
sions about the electric utility industry. Access: 
news:misc. industry, utilities.electric.

• s c i.e n e r g y . Discussions about energy, 
science, and technology. Access: news:sci.energy.

• s c i.e n e r g y .h y d r o g e n . All about hydro­
gen as an alternative fuel. A ccess: news:sci. 
energy.hydrogen.

Discussion lists
 This is the majority o f groups using mailing list 

software for discussing energy topics.
• AE. Alternative Energy Discussion List. 

Subscribe: listserv@sjsuvml.sjsu.edu.
• ANURT-L. Advanced Nuclear Reactor 

Technology. This was formed to facilitate sub­
stantive discourse regarding the worldwide ad­
vocacy, design, and deployment o f advanced 
nuclear reactor technology. Subscribe: listserv@ 
vml.hqadmin.doe.gov.

• B io e n e r g y  M ailing List. A mailing list 
for the discussion of biomass as a sustainable 
energy resource. It intends to involve industry, 
academia, and government in discussions about 

 future directions o f research and industry. Sub­
scribe: bioenergy-request@solstice.crest.org.

• ENCON-L. Energy Conservation Manage­
ment Issues in Higher Education. S u bscribe: 
listserv@listserv.syr.edu.

• E n e rg y -L . Energy Issues in Israel. Sub­
scribe: listserv@taunivm.tau.ac.il.

• EV. Electric Vehicle Discussion List. Sub­
scribe: listserv@sjsuvml. sjsu.edu.

• H y d ro g e n . Hydrogen as an alternative 
fuel. Subscribe: listserv@uriacc.uri.edu.

• IASEE-L. Discussion List on Solar Energy 
Education. Subscribe: LISTSERV@VM.GMD.DE.

• N ov el-fu els. Research into fuel cells and 
new energy techniques. Subscribe: listserver@ic. 
ac.uk.

• NRCCE-L. List for the National Research 
Center for Coal and Energy. Subscribe: listserv@ 
wvnvm.wvnet.edu.

• S o la r u tilities. Distributed Solar Energy 
Utility B u sin ess D ev elop m en t. S u b s c r ib e : 
majordomo@world.std.com. ■

http://nrelinfo.nrel.gov/
http://spinne.web.net:80/
http://www.doe.gov/html/osti/estsc/estsc.html
http://www.essential.org/
http://www.carl.org/un-
http://www.newspage.com/NEWSPAGE/cgi-bin/
mailto:listserv@sjsuvml.sjsu.edu
mailto:bioenergy-request@solstice.crest.org
mailto:listserv@listserv.syr.edu
mailto:listserv@taunivm.tau.ac.il
mailto:listserv@uriacc.uri.edu
mailto:LISTSERV@VM.GMD.DE
mailto:majordomo@world.std.com


M arch 1 9 9 6 / 1 4 7