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Question: Alternative Fuels Data Center

Answer: The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) is a resource from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities programme administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The AFDC is not a new resource; launched in 1991, it started as a response to the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 and the Clean Air Act Amendments in 1990. The current data centre offers a wide variety of information on fuels, vehicles, laws, initiative programmes, and reports.

The front page of the AFDC website offers an interactive graphic allowing users to select a type of fuel and find out more information such as benefits, where to fill up on that type of fuel, vehicles that run on that fuel, and any laws or incentives that may apply to that type of fuel. Where available the vehicles by fuel type offer schematics on how they work. A gas cost calculator will help users calculate how much they might pay with an alternative fuel on their daily commute, or how much their carbon emissions might be reduced with an alternative fuel. A section on fuel conservation offers a different approach with a variety of tips on conservation such as driving tips. While the main audience of these tips seems to be businesses with fleets, some may also be useful to the average vehicle operator.

The tools section offers a list of interactive calculators and searches that the average user may find useful. Use the vehicle cost calculator to see how much a vehicle is costing in gas by year, and average cost per mile. This can be used to generate comparisons of multiple cars over many years. Another interesting tool is the fuel properties comparison that allows the creation of customized charts to compare fuels.

An interactive map helps users to find stations that offer alternative fuel sources. This is searchable by fuel source as well as location. Further information under the Maps and Data section allows users to find charts such as the average annual vehicle miles traveled by major vehicle types or a map of fuel incentives by state.

Possibly the most useful section of the AFDC is the database of laws and incentives. This collection covers both federal and state laws. The database is searchable, though the search may be somewhat daunting if the user does not have specifics. The search does preview the number of results based on selections before the user hits search. Search results link to the original documents where available, and let the user know when they are leaving the AFDC site.

Beyond the searchable publications there is also a case studies section. This offers different media types such as videos and web sites on how alternative fuels are being used. Again, the information is primarily focused on fleet or company initiatives. It is searchable by fuel type, vehicle type, and application, as well as keyword. Case studies define the project and go through the case step by step. For regional information users should type their city or state into the keyword field.

Overall navigation of the site is easy. Some resources take some time to get to, but the overall number of resources available is worth the number of clicks. This resource would be useful for companies and individuals to find out their fuel consumption, and for those researching incentives, laws and cases related to alternative fuels.

(Source: , 08 Jun 2021)

Source Link: https://doi-org.onlinedatabase.librarynet.com.my/10.1108/RR-04-013-0069