How to obtain copies of this and other HTA programme reports An electronic version of this title, in Adobe Acrobat format, is available for downloading free of charge for personal use from the HTA website (www.hta.ac.uk). A fully searchable DVD is also available (see below).Printed copies of HTA journal series issues cost £20 each (post and packing free in the UK) to both public and private sector purchasers from our despatch agents.Non-UK purchasers will have to pay a small fee for post and packing. For European countries the cost is £2 per issue and for the rest of the world £3 per issue. How to order:-fax (with credit card details) -post (with credit card details or cheque) -phone during office hours (credit card only).Additionally the HTA website allows you to either print out your order or download a blank order form. Contact details are as follows:Synergie UK (HTA Department) Digital House, The Loddon Centre Wade Road Basingstoke Hants RG24 8QW Email: orders@hta.ac.uk Tel: 0845 812 4000 -ask for 'HTA Payment Services' (out-of-hours answer-phone service) Fax: 0845 812 4001 -put 'HTA Order' on the fax header Payment methods Paying by chequeIf you pay by cheque, the cheque must be in pounds sterling, made payable to University of Southampton and drawn on a bank with a UK address.Paying by credit card You can order using your credit card by phone, fax or post. SubscriptionsNHS libraries can subscribe free of charge. Public libraries can subscribe at a reduced cost of £100 for each volume (normally comprising 40-50 titles). The commercial subscription rate is £400 per volume (addresses within the UK) and £600 per volume (addresses outside the UK). Please see our website for details. Subscriptions can be purchased only for the current or forthcoming volume.How do I get a copy of HTA on DVD?Please use the form on the HTA website (www.hta.ac.uk/htacd/index.shtml). HTA on DVD is currently free of charge worldwide.The website also provides information about the HTA programme and lists the membership of the various committees. HTA NIHR Health Technology Assessment programmeThe Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), was set up in 1993. It produces high-quality research information on the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. 'Health technologies' are broadly defined as all interventions used to promote health, prevent and treat disease, and improve rehabilitation and long-term care. The research findings from the HTA programme directly influence decision-making bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Screening Committee (NSC). HTA findings also help to improve the quality of clinical practice in the NHS indirectly in that they form a key component of the 'National Knowledge Service' . The HTA programme is needs led in that it fills gaps in the evidence needed by the NHS. There are three routes to the start of projec...

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In accordance with DOE goals, the Agriculture and Food Processes Branch is promoting both increased used of existing energysaving irrigation technologies and the development of new technologies in the Energy Conservation in Irrigation Systems Program. This program has involved sharing with industry the development costs of projects having the potential to significantly reduce energy usage in irrigation systems. Since 1977, the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), operated by the Battelle Memorial Institute, has been supporting the Agriculture and Food Processes Branch in its efforts to issue a program opportunity notice for the design and development of irrigation systems that reduce energy consumption without sacrificing agricultural productivity. Toward this end, PNL has technically and administratively monitored the contracts under the program opportunity notice. This report, which provides an assessment of the market potential and economics of the energy-saving irrigation systems, is intended to be of interest to farmers, irrigation equipment vendors, and irrigation equipment manufacturers.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIn energy conservation-related investment decisions, the price of electricity used in the decision analysis should equal the cost of generating an additional unit. That is, the marginal cost or change in total production cost due to increasing production by one unit is the relevant electricity cost measure. This report presents estimates of the average cost of electricity (in 1979 dollars) generated by new coal and nuclear baseload units which are either currently under construction or planned by electric utility companies. This report also discusses the approach used to estimate the average costs of electricity from new baseload generating units and how the average cost of electricity from those units can be used to approximate the marginal cost of electricity in a region.The objectives of this study are to develop a simple method to estimate the marginal cost of electricity at the state and regional level, and to use that method to project state and regional marginal electricity costs over the period 1980 through 1995.The approach taken in this study is to use historical data to estimate the relationships between the costs of electricity from new coal and nuclear baseload generating units and the factors which influence those costs. The cost of electricity from a new baseload unit is estimated from five distinct cost components: 1) capital costs, 2) fuel costs, 3) operation and maintenance costs, 4) transmission and distribution costs, and 5) general and administrative costs.Capital cost, which includes expenses incurred in the finance, purchase and construction of plant and equipment, represents a major component of the cost of electricity from a baseload generating unit. This cost comprises approximately 36% of the cost of electricity from coal baseload units and 63% of the cost of electricity from nuclear units (see Table 1). Therefore, the major emphasis in this study is on estimating structural capital cost equations which are capable of predicting capital costs of new coal and nuclear baseload generating units.iii The parameters of the coal and nuclear capital cost equations are estimated from historical data using ordinary least squares regression techniques. The nuclear capital cost equation specifies total capital cost of a baseload nuclear generating unit as a function of size of the unit, location, year commercial operation begins, whether or not the unit is subsidized on a partial turnkey basis, and whether or not the unit has a cooling tower. Data used to estimate the nuclear capital cost equation consists of observations on 39 nuclear plants which began commercial operation over the period from 1968 through 1977.The coal capital cost equation specifies total capital cost of a coal baseload generating unit as a function of size of the unit, location, year commercial operation begins, and whether or not the unit has a flue-gas desulfurization system. Data used to estimate the coal capital cost equation consists of observations on 110 coal plants which began commercial operation ove...