The Internet offers rapid and convenient access to information – including for energy research. However, when it comes to obtaining reliable, complete and quotable information for research purposes, there is no real alternative to using specialist databases. This is the conclusion of scientists from the ETDE (Energy Technology Data Exchange). In a study they compared the search results provided by their ETDEWEB database with those from Google and Google Scholar, whereby they used search terms from different areas concerned with energy transformation and utilisation. The main thematic focus was on renewable energies, but energy efficient technologies such as recycling waste heat or utilising daylight in office buildings were also looked at.

For their study, the researchers evaluated more than 40,000 search results from the three information sources. One of the issues they looked at was the extent to which the hit lists from the ETDEWEB database compare with the results of identical search queries on the Internet. There is relatively little concordance. On average, less than 20 per cent of the documents found in the ETDEWEB database were also found in Web-based searches, whereby in many cases the corresponding information is actually available online. This was shown when the precise title of the document was searched for. This means when there is precise information about the document being searched for, all three systems are generally equally helpful in searching for the source. In exploring an entire thematic area, the individually very powerful search tools complement one another to form a comprehensive pool of knowledge.

ETDEWEB

With 4.3 million references, ETDEWEB is the world’s largest energy database. It is freely accessible and can be used free of charge. For a fee, full-text documents can also be downloaded. A particular benefit is provided by the references to “grey literature”, which enable, for example, research reports, dissertations and degree theses to be accessed that are otherwise difficult to track down. The database is a service provided by the ETDE, an international consortium for sharing energy-related information. The Federal Republic of Germany is represented through  FIZ Karlsruhe, which as a founder member has been contributing the latest findings from German energy research to this cooperation since 1987.

FIZ Energie Feeds

A free RSS feeds service provides the latest references on a topic selected by the user. The  FIZ Energie Feeds alerts you every two weeks about new entries in the ETDEWEB database.