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DOE OSTI2020

Herbaceous Feedstock 2018 State of Technology Report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) promotes the production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the state of technology (SOT). As part of its involvement with this mission, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) completes an annual SOT report for biomass feedstock logistics. This report summarizes supply system impacts of Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)-funded research and development efforts at INL and elsewhere (such as the High-Tonnage Feedstock Logistics projects (Webb et al. 2013a, Webb et al. 2013b, Webb et al. 2013c, Webb and Sokhansanj 2014, Sokhansanj et al. 2014) that lead to improvements in feedstock supply systems. These include improvements to and observed performance of innovative harvest and collection methods, storage technologies, transportation and handling approaches, and advanced preprocessing technologies. Biomass quality and variability, and the interface between feedstock quality and conversion performance are key drivers in addition to delivered feedstock cost. In this report, we estimate the benefits of R&D improvements to individual supply system unit operations, and present the status of feedstock logistics technology development for converting biomass into biofuels. These analyses are supported by experimental data where possible, and help to align the SOT relative to the cost goals defined in the Multi-Year Program Plan. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT aligned feedstock logistic design with current biorefinery’s design capacity utilized by biochemical conversion platform. Currently biochemical conversion platform utilizes a 725,000 dry ton/year biorefiney design for the techno economic analysis. Hence, feedstock delivered cost in the 2018 Herbaceous SOT is calculated based on biorefinery’s 725,000 dry ton design capacity instead of 800, 000 dry ton capacity utilized in the 2017 Herbaceous SOT. Biomass availabilities in this SOT were updated to year 2018 data from the 2016 Billion-Ton Report (BT16) (DOE 2016a), with the exception of switchgrass, for which the 2018 Herbaceous SOT utilized the 2019 switchgrass availability data from BT16. The BT16 report (DOE 2016a) does not project switchgrass availability in 2018; the soonest switchgrass is available in the BT16 report is 2019. Therefore, availability of switchgrass for this analysis was that projected for 2019. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT incorporates same technologies utilized in the 2017 Herbaceous SOT. However, a sensitivity analysis is performed to understand the impact of variation of process parameters on those technologies on feedstock logistic cost. New R&D data that shows the variations of process parameters affecting process performance is incorporated in the 2018 SOT to measure the variations in delivered feedstock cost. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT has also provided projected delivered feedstock of 2022 design case based on near term technical target under BETO funded R&D project. Finally, updated biorefinery size of 725,000 dry ton/year was incorporated within least-cost formulation model to select optimal siting and depot scales during optimization of the least cost blend. This modification to the optimization algorithm allows the trade-off between the cost of increased supply radius and the savings from selecting biomass from higher producing counties to be assessed. Such optimization has also showed the economic benefit of decentralized depots in comparison to centralized preprocessing co-located with the biorefinery by decoupling the biorefinery and feedstock locations. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT report documents the current modeled cost of a herbaceous feedstock supply system (from harvest to the pretreatment reactor throat, including grower payment) for hydrocarbon fuel production via biochemical conversion, based on equipment and processes now available or potentially available in the near term. The modeled cost also considers both the required quality and the availability of the biomass resources. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT predicts a modeled delivered feedstock cost of $83.67/dry ton (2016$); this is a $0.23/dry ton (2016$) decrease from the 2017 Herbaceous SOT. The modification of biorefinery’s designed capacity and increased projected biomass availability in the same supply shed contributed to this modeled cost reduction. The least-cost formulation model to optimally site and scale local distributed preprocessing depots also contributed to the cost reduction by considering county-level grower payment and distance from the biorefinery as variables in the optimization algorithm. Sensitivity analysis on various process parameters that affect delivered feedstock cost in the 2018 Herbaceous SOT shows that the delivered cost could varies from $80.45-$88.83/dry ton. The top factors that causes such variations are: effective baling rate, bale density, hammer mill throughput, interest rate and storage dry matter loss.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Understanding Emerging Building Technologies in Federal Performance Contracting Markets

Every year, federal technology evaluation programs test and assess the performance of building technologies that are being considered for wider deployment in federal facilities. Despite these investments in technology validation, many of the technologies evaluated by federal programs struggle to achieve broad penetration into the federal performance contracting market. This report contains the results of a market-research survey conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to understand barriers to the wider adoption of validated building technologies in the federal performance contracting market and how this information can be used to increase their deployment. The initial phase of this research focuses on the energy service company community and the barriers they perceive to wider adoption of these evaluated technologies. The report ends with an examination of recommendations for how the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program can assist agencies in deploying emerging building technologies through energy savings performance contracts.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Triton Field Trials - Changes in Habitats, a Literature Review of Monitoring Technologies

Marine energy devices are installed in highly dynamic environments and have the potential to affect benthic and pelagic habitats around them. Regulatory bodies often require baseline characterization and/or post-installation monitoring to determine whether changes in these habitats are being observed. However, a great diversity of technologies is available for surveying and sampling marine habitats. Selecting the most suitable instrument to identify and measure changes in habitats at marine energy sites can become a daunting task. We conducted a thorough review of journal articles, survey reports, and grey literature to extract information about the technologies used, the data collection and processing methods, and the performance and effectiveness of these instruments. We examined documents related to marine energy development, offshore wind farms, oil and gas offshore sites, and other marine industries around the world over the last 20 years, as well as national and international guidelines for surveying habitats around offshore activities. A total of 120 different technologies were identified across six main habitat categories: seafloor, sediment, infauna, epifauna, pelagic, and biofouling. The technologies were organized into 12 broad technology classes: acoustic, corer, dredge, grab, hook and line, net and trawl, plate, remote sensing, scrape samples, trap, visual, and others. Visual was the most common and the most diverse technology class, with applications across all six habitat categories. Sampling designs varied considerably among the reviewed studies but transect was the predominant design for surveying seafloor, epifauna, and pelagic habitats. The most common data analyses were univariate and multivariate statistical analyses aimed at calculating and comparing biodiversity indices, characterizing faunal assemblages or sediment classes, or modeling the distribution of animals related to abiotic parameters. Technologies and sampling methods adaptable and designed to work efficiently in energetic environments have greater success at marine energy sites. In addition, sampling designs and statistical analyses should be carefully thought through to identify differences in faunal assemblages and spatiotemporal changes in habitats.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2025

Development and Validation of Smart Building Technology Modules for Academic and Professional Education (Final Technical Report)

Smart building technologies can improve building energy efficiency and resilience, reduce carbon emissions, and provide load flexibility to the grid. However, in both college curricula and building professionals’ continuing education, there is a lack of systematic instruction on smart building technologies. Slipstream, partnering with Texas A&M University (TAMU), the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE), and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), developed a semester-long smart building curriculum for college students and 16 training videos for building professionals and the general public. The education and training cover the drivers and benefits of smart building technologies, key building energy systems, the latest sensor technologies and IoT devices, and focus on topics related to smart building controls (i.e., energy management information systems, smart building control platforms, cybersecurity, grid-interactive-efficient buildings [GEBs], smart building control methods, and occupant-centric control). The smart building curriculum for college students was taught at TAMU in the Spring semester of 2024 as part of the validation process. Student feedback was collected and summarized in a validation report by TAMU. The curriculum material was also reviewed by SBSE faculty who are interested in teaching smart building technology-related courses. Suggestions on revisions and better adoption of the materials by other faculty across the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) domains were compiled in a distinct validation report by SBSE. The SBSE validation report was used to create structured subsets of the curriculum material for adoption at different levels in different sub-disciplines. These subsets are categorized and offered on the SBSE website (https://www.sbse.org/courses/Smart-Building-Technologies). The 16 training videos for building professionals and the general public were previewed by 17 industry experts, and feedback and suggested changes were incorporated into the final version of these videos. The videos are organized into a smart building technology training course and published on the Whole Building Design Guide website (https://www.wbdg.org/ce/doe/bto/sbtt), which is hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Project team members created marketing materials to promote the awareness of these free, publicly available education and training resources. Outreach and marketing activities included creating short promotional videos, building project webpages, making project announcements on social media, conducting an email campaign, and directly reaching out to faculties and building professionals. This report describes the project approach, provides outlines of the training materials, along with links to resources, and identifies lessons learned in creating the content. We also suggest ways to scale the instruction of smart building concepts to empower the workforce to accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies in the real world.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2022

What’s in My Toolkit? A Review of Technologies for Assessing Changes in Habitats Caused by Marine Energy Development

Marine energy devices are installed in highly dynamic environments and have the potential to affect the benthic and pelagic habitats around them. Regulatory bodies often require baseline characterization and/or post-installation monitoring to determine whether changes in these habitats are being observed. However, a great diversity of technologies is available for surveying and sampling marine habitats, and selecting the most suitable instrument to identify and measure changes in habitats at marine energy sites can become a daunting task. We conducted a thorough review of journal articles, survey reports, and grey literature to extract information about the technologies used, the data collection and processing methods, and the performance and effectiveness of these instruments. We examined documents related to marine energy development, offshore wind farms, oil and gas offshore sites, and other marine industries around the world over the last 20 years. A total of 120 different technologies were identified across six main habitat categories: seafloor, sediment, infauna, epifauna, pelagic, and biofouling. The technologies were organized into 12 broad technology classes: acoustic, corer, dredge, grab, hook and line, net and trawl, plate, remote sensing, scrape samples, trap, visual, and others. Visual was the most common and the most diverse technology class, with applications across all six habitat categories. Technologies and sampling methods that are designed for working efficiently in energetic environments have greater success at marine energy sites. In addition, sampling designs and statistical analyses should be carefully thought through to identify differences in faunal assemblages and spatiotemporal changes in habitats.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2020

The Role of Competitions in Speeding Energy-Efficient Technology Development and Adoption

This conference paper, which will be submitted for publication in the 2020 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, describes competition approaches used by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) and other government agencies to encourage the development and adoption of innovative new energy-efficient, high-performing products while spurring external competition to maximize limited resources. The competition model helps to disrupt traditional thinking and introduce, expand, and evolve what’s possible within limited resource conditions. DOE BTO has sponsored technology competitions, including campaigns, challenges, prizes, and technology procurements to speed the uptake of more efficient refrigerators, clothes washers, air conditioners, and many types of highly efficient lighting technologies, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diode LED-based home and office luminaires, replacement lamps, and street lighting. In this paper, we will draw upon the technology competition frameworks employed by DOE BTO to support ongoing research and development efforts to illustrate the differences between the approaches and to identify which type is likely to be the most effective in a given technology status and market context. We’ll also share examples of the various technology competition types and results. A question-and-answer table helps readers compare and contrast the four competition types. The paper concludes with a summary of lessons learned from past DOE BTO competitions. The paper will be available in the ACEEE 2020 Summer Study proceedings and a related presentation will be given at the conference.

U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Of↗

DOE OSTI2023

Final Report for ARPA-E LOCOMOTIVES Advanced Locomotive Technology and Rail Infrastructure Optimization System (ALTRIOS) Project

The Advanced Locomotive Technology and Rail Infrastructure Optimization System (ALTRIOS) is a unique, fully integrated, open-source software tool used to evaluate strategies for cost-effectively deploying advanced locomotive technologies and associated infrastructure. ALTRIOS simulates freight-demand-driven train scheduling, mainline meet-pass planning, locomotive dynamics, train dynamics, energy conversion efficiencies, and energy storage dynamics of line-haul train operations. Because new locomotives represent a significant long-term capital investment and new technologies must be thoroughly demonstrated before deployment, this tool provides guidance on the risk/reward trade-offs and operation integration of different technology rollout strategies. An open, integrated simulation tool is valuable for identifying future research needs and making decisions on technology development, routes, and train selection. This final report details the ALTRIOS software architecture, major modules and components, and data validation process. It demonstrates the software's utility through a 30-year rollout case study targeting high penetration of advanced powertrain technologies by 2050 for two BNSF Railway routes: loaded taconite ore trains from Hibbing, Minnesota, to Superior, Wisconsin, and mixed-freight trains from Superior to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Cost and Life Cycle Analysis for Deep CO 2 Emissions Reduction for Steel Making: Direct Reduced Iron Technologies

Among heavy industrial sectors worldwide, the steel industry ranks first in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. Technologies that produce direct reduced iron (DRI) enable the industry to reduce emissions or even approach net‐zero CO 2 emissions for steel production. Herein, comprehensive cradle‐to‐gate (CTG) life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno‐economic analysis (TEA) are used to evaluate the CO 2 emissions of three DRI technologies. Compared to the baseline of blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace (BF–BOF) technology for steel making, using natural gas (NG) to produce DRI has the potential to reduce CTG CO 2 emissions by 33%. When 83% or 100% renewable H 2 is used for DRI production, DRI technologies can potentially reduce CO 2 emissions by 57% and 67%, respectively, compared to baseline BF–BOF technology. However, the renewable H 2 application for DRI increases the levelized cost of steel (LCOS). When renewable natural gas (RNG) and clean electricity are used for steel production, the CTG CO 2 emissions of all the DRI technologies can potentially be reduced by more than 90% compared to the baseline BF–BOF technology, although the LCOS depends largely on the cost of RNG and clean electricity.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Variable renewable energy deployment in low-emission scenarios: The role of technology cost and value

While rapid deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE) technologies, namely wind and solar PV, is often projected in 2C pathways generated by integrated assessment models, there is a wide range in projected VRE deployment by mid-century. Such differences could be the result of differences in assumptions about future technology costs and/or differences in model approaches for capturing other aspects of technology competitiveness. Here we introduce a consistent competitiveness metric, profitability-adjusted levelized cost of electricity (or PLCOE), to an integrated assessment model (EPPA) to evaluate the representation of technology competition, including VRE, in low-emission scenarios. We show that representing the value of technology (alongside cost) may significantly impact VRE deployment relative to scenarios without such an adjustment. In addition, we show that varying VRE costs by about 35% in 2050 results in differences in VRE deployment that span much of the range in outcomes (over the same period) observed in likely 2C scenarios assessed by the IPCC, suggesting that both cost and value are key drivers of VRE deployment in such scenarios. Given the central role that VRE technologies play in the electricity mix across most scenarios, we also find that alternative cost assumptions for VRE technologies can lead to changes in electricity prices, the associated demand for electricity, and total final and primary energy consumption. However, the demand for fuels other than electricity is relatively insensitive to VRE assumptions in the 2C scenarios considered here.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Mapping thermal energy storage technologies with advanced nuclear reactors

Advanced nuclear power plants (NPPs) will potentially need to operate in environments where power generation flexibility is more highly valued than the stability or baseload generation capability for conventional demand curves. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems would enable NPPs to respond nimbly to market variability and could also position advanced NPPs to participate differently in restructured markets, thus further enhancing their economic competitiveness. TES systems could also benefit the electric grid by eliminating the need for peaking plants, as well as by improving the economic performance of baseload NPPs. While TES technologies afford a unique opportunity to address many of these challenges, the applicability of these systems is also complicated by the fact that various advanced NPPs are designed differently, each with its own temperature range, size, operating fluids, and operating conditions. Hence, TES systems face significant barriers to investment, as more information on their compatibility and performance metrics is needed to quantify the advantages provided by each, as well as the challenges these technologies might face if coupled with a particular type of advanced NPP. This study explores the possibility of integrating a wide variety of TES technologies with various categories of advanced NPPs, based on their operating characteristics. To help decision makers, users and developers decide which TES technology is best suited to a particular category of advanced NPPs, this research present a Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) analysis of 10 TES systems that could potentially be coupled with advanced NPPs, which themselves are divided into nine categories based on their operating conditions. Then, each advanced NPP category is evaluated for compatibility with the 10 TES systems by assembling and discussing a database of information concerning 10 engineering questions, defined herein in as figures of merit (FOMs), such as: technology readiness level (TRL), temperature compatibility, energy density, size, cycle frequency, ramp time, realignment frequency, geographic needs, environmental impact, and interventions. By assembling a database of information concerning the TES technologies' compatibility with various advanced NPP systems, this study can help developers acquaint themselves with a particular TES technology before choosing to build a new integrated installation.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Cross-sectoral impact of emerging technologies on U.S. manufacturing resilience and competitiveness

Introducing new technologies in one energy-intensive industry can affect how other industries operate and stay resilient, yet these cross-sector interactions are often underappreciated in conventional technology roadmaps. In practice, industrial systems do not evolve in isolation. They are linked through shared upstream and downstream dependencies, such as electricity and fuel supply, critical materials, transportation networks, and enabling infrastructure. As a result, large-scale technology deployment in one sector can reshape resource availability, infrastructure demand, and operational risk in others. These interdependencies mean that technology deployment decisions in one sector can create unintended bottlenecks or cascading benefits in others. Here, this article argues that a cross-sector, system-of-systems perspective is essential for evaluating and scaling emerging technologies in energy-intensive industries. By framing industrial transformation as an interconnected systems challenge rather than a set of isolated sectoral decisions, the study highlights how interdependence shapes technology feasibility, adoption pathways, and resilience outcomes. The article illustrates how cross-sector linkages can amplify both risks and benefits, and it emphasizes the importance of integrated planning approaches that account for shared dependencies, cascading impacts, and co-optimization opportunities. Adopting this broader perspective can support more robust technology roadmaps, improve strategic coordination across industries, and strengthen the long-term resilience of the industrial sector as a whole.

Nain, Preeti [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Challenges and Technology-Driven Opportunities for Safeguarding Microreactors

Nuclear microreactors (MRs) represent a new class of reactors characterized by their compactness, portability, and low power output. These features enable MRs to supply electricity and process heat to remote areas like military bases; inaccessible locations; small grids, such as on islands; or disaster impacted areas. Compared to traditional light water reactors, MRs have a unique set of attributes that need to be considered for the implementation of safeguard strategies. Current safeguard methodologies are reactor technology specific and are employed on large, stationary reactors where there is easy access by safeguards inspectors and where safeguard equipment can be easily installed and retrofitted. While there are numerous benefits to MRs, their compact size, portability, scalability, and operational lifetime create challenges to the traditional safeguard approaches, thus needing novel safeguard strategies. Here, this paper addresses the unique challenges posed by MRs to the international nuclear safeguards regime, including limited human resources, and explores how technology advancements can help mitigate these challenges. Specifically, it examines novel technologies that could contribute to establishing a comprehensive safeguards framework for MRs. These safeguards-enabling technologies encompass safeguards by design, remote sensing and monitoring technologies, applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, utilization of digital twins, and system of systems assessments. While each of these safeguards-enabling technologies offers partial solutions to the challenges posed by MRs for the international safeguards regime, none of them alone can entirely address these challenges. Consequently, a combination of the safeguards-enabling technologies outlined in this paper is recommended to establish a robust safeguards regime for MRs.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

DOE OSTI2023

Technical Challenges and Gaps in Integration of Advanced Sensors, Instrumentation, and Communication Technologies with Digital Twins for Nuclear Application

This paper explores integrating advanced sensor, instrumentation, and communication technologies with digital twin technologies for nuclear energy application. Digital twins and digital-twin-enabling technologies are expected to integrate with future nuclear reactor designs and have the potential to impact currently operating nuclear power plants. Greater digital integration, advanced instrumentation and control systems, and advanced operations and maintenance practices are all associated with digital-twin-enabling technologies. Advanced sensors, instrumentation, and communication technology are expected to comprise important elements of the infrastructure required to develop and operate a nuclear digital twin system. This paper identifies and discusses challenges and gaps in developing and implementing advanced sensors and instrumentation and communication technology to be integrated with a digital twin in current and advanced reactor applications. It is important to address some challenge and gap to enable a successful near-term deploying advanced sensors, instrumentation, and communication technologies integrated with digital twins.

Yadav, Vaibhav↗

DOE OSTI2019

A Model for Lean Corporate/ Startup Interfaces: Unlocking Resources of Midcap Corporations Providing a Pathway to Advanced Energy Technologies

Commercializing energy technologies through traditional market pathways is challenging for early-stage energy innovators. Development cycles in energy are long and expensive, and adoption is difficult, making energy technologies of limited interest to venture capital relative to industries with faster growth and shorter product life cycles such as life sciences and software. As such, partnerships with established corporations are one of the most promising, and in some cases only, go-to-market pathways for energy technologies. Startups often seek to work with, large well-known Fortune 500 (and similar) companies. However, the size and risk aversion of those firms often makes partnering challenging. It can take well over 12 months for a large corporation to agree to commercial terms and get internal board / management approval to move forward with a binding agreement with a startup for even a simple starting partnership. This timeline is prohibitive for most early-stage companies who are both time and money constrained, and often working in highly competitive commodity sectors. Mid-cap corporations ($\$ $100M to $\$ $10B) are a promising but untapped resource for partnering with technology developers because they are often nimbler, tend to be fiercely competitive, and are looking for new revenue or cost-saving opportunities. These factors make them both more receptive to disruptive technologies, and more capable of integrating them. However, while Fortune 500 companies often have venturing groups that facilitate the initial connection process, most midcap incumbents do not have the resources to create standalone corporate venture groups. As a result, although they could help each other significantly (startup technologies make midcaps more competitive; midcaps offer a faster commercialization pathway to startups), midcap companies and startups rarely work together. In 2017, ADL Ventures (ADL) received Award #DE-EE0008111 from DOE EERE’s Innovative Pathways program to unlock the domain expertise and material resources of midcap companies. The goal of the award was to support energy technology commercialization via an innovation platform for startups to interface with midcap corporations. During the grant period, we have developed a novel open innovation platform that allows financially conservative incumbents to efficiently engage with energy innovators and startups, thereby unlocking the incumbents’ domain expertise, strategic capital, R&D facilities, supply chain, and pathways to market. We have executed full-scale open innovation challenges for three clients, exceeding the initial proposed goal of two. We also built a diversified opportunity pipeline which resulted in four projects contracted for 2020, meeting the goals of the proposal, with others pending.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Energy Performance Validation of a Gaseous Air Cleaning Technology for Commercial Buildings

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office Commercial Building Integration group conducts evaluations of new energy efficiency technologies as part of the High Impact Technology Catalyst program. The subject of this field validation project is an air cleaning technology that removes gaseous contaminants from indoor air to reduce outdoor air ventilation requirements. Reducing the volume of outdoor air required reduces heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) loads and can provide significant energy savings for some buildings in certain climates. The technology, called the HLR (HVAC Load Reduction), was developed by enVerid. The technology uses a solid regenerable sorbent material that was developed by DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory and licensed to the vendor for this application. The sorbent material was originally developed to adsorb carbon dioxide (CO2); the vendor continued to develop the sorbent and the overall system so that it can also remove volatile organic compounds (including aldehydes), carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM2.5) from the air. This material has low regeneration temperature requirements, and its sorption properties are unaffected by humidity levels, both of which are beneficial for building applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2020

Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Electrification: An Assessment of Technology and Knowledge Gaps

The objective of this assessment was to leverage current medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) data and information to evaluate the state of commercial vehicle electrification technologies, including the following: 1. Assessment and inventory of current MHDV electrification architectures; 2. Identification and assessment of MHDV component technologies; 3. Assessment of potential performance and cost drivers; and, 4. Identification of R&D gaps where appropriate R&D and technology would accelerate commercial vehicle electrification. These gaps include shortfalls in technology, gaps in data, and inadequate knowledge and understanding. To inform this study, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory–Oak Ridge National Laboratory team examined the open literature; conducted workshops; assessed and analyzed data on more than 175 electrified MHDVs, including vehicle and powertrain specifications; and conducted one-on-one meetings with industry representatives. This systems-level information was concatenated and parsed with respect to key characteristics such as battery energy, power, and range compared across vehicle classes. Operational data of many conventional vehicles were also examined to help determine the requirements on electrified vehicle attributes such as range. Previous studies on the total cost of ownership of electrified MHDVs were reviewed to determine where improvements in technologies (efficiency, cost, maintenance) were needed to accelerate adoption. The team also assessed the state of the art in electric drivetrains for component specifications and challenges for the commercial vehicle sector, including electric machines, power electronics, and off-board high-power charging systems (extreme fast charging and beyond). The goal of this analysis was to identify the barriers to widespread adoption of commercial vehicle electrification technologies and prioritize the research and development gaps that need to be overcome to accelerate significant market penetration of these technologies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2020

bifiPV2020 Bifacial Workshop: A Technology Overview

The virtual bifiPV Workshop was held in July 2020 to provide the solar industry with a forum for sharing and discussing research into bifacial photovoltaic (PV) technology. This report outlines major insights from the workshop to give the reader an overview of the latest developments in bifacial PV technology worldwide, from the lab to the field. Citations are drawn from this workshop unless otherwise noted, with all proceedings available online at bifipvworkshop. com. Presentations for the bifiPV2020 Workshop focused on the following areas: bifacial power plant modeling and simulation, albedo improvements, the development of encapsulants, the durability and reliability of current bifacial technologies, performance comparisons between glass-glass and glass-transparent backsheet configurations, the future of passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells, and the growing adoption of n-type solar cells. With 650 GW total PV installed worldwide and 1 TW to come very soon, PERC is now the standard PV cell type produced en masse. However, it is already reaching 23% efficiency, the upper limit for this type of technology. PV modules breaking the 0.5-kW barrier are starting to appear, and the costs of standard PERC technology are already below 0.2 USD/Wp. In 2019, five GW of bifacial PV were installed worldwide. In 2020, the majority of bifacial installations are expected to be located in the United States, China, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states. N-type bifacial technologies are becoming increasingly viable and have huge potential to dominate the market in the coming years. With bifacial technology mounted on horizontal single-axis trackers (HSAT), bids below 10 USD/MWh will soon be observed in the MENA region, and later in Chile and the United States. Factory audits and reliability testing can reduce field failures by helping buyers to select producers that follow rigorous quality assurance and quality control processes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

bifiPV2020 Bifacial Workshop: A Technology Overview

The virtual bifiPV Workshop was held in July 2020 to provide the solar industry with a forum for sharing and discussing research into bifacial photovoltaic (PV) technology. This report outlines major insights from the workshop to give the reader an overview of the latest developments in bifacial PV technology worldwide, from the lab to the field. Citations are drawn from this workshop unless otherwise noted. Presentations for the bifiPV2020 Workshop focused on the following areas: bifacial power plant modeling and simulation, albedo improvements, the development of encapsulants, the durability and reliability of current bifacial technologies, performance comparisons between glass-glass and glass-transparent backsheet configurations, the future of passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells, and the growing adoption of n-type solar cells. With 650 GW total PV installed worldwide and 1 TW to come very soon, PERC is now the standard PV cell type produced en masse. However, it is already reaching 23% efficiency, the upper limit for this type of technology. PV modules breaking the 0.5-kW barrier are starting to appear, and the costs of standard PERC technology are already below 0.2 USD/Wp. In 2019, five GW of bifacial PV were installed worldwide. In 2020, the majority of bifacial installations are expected to be located in the United States, China, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states. N-type bifacial technologies are becoming increasingly viable and have huge potential to dominate the market in the coming years. With bifacial technology mounted on horizontal single-axis trackers (HSAT), bids below 10 USD/MWh will soon be observed in the MENA region, and later in Chile and the United States. Factory audits and reliability testing can reduce field failures by helping buyers to select producers that follow rigorous quality assurance and quality control processes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗