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DOE OSTI2020

State Strategies for Valuing Distributed Energy Resources in Cost-Effective Locations

The deployment of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), small-scale electricity generation sources or controllable loads connected to the distribution system or a facility served by the distribution system, can have wide-ranging and positive impacts for the electricity grid. Interconnecting a DER in a high-value location on the grid can unlock benefits beyond those that accrue to the off-taker or asset owner. When DERs are deployed optimally, not only can the individual consumer benefit, but the local utility, the electricity system, and other ratepayers can benefit as well. By engaging in locational DER planning, states can help protect their communities and ratepayers and can help ensure the reliability and resilience of the electricity system. This report explores states' role in better integrating locational value into DER siting and development. It first outlines some of the benefits that can be achieved through the deployment of DERs in high-value locations. It then looks at state policy and regulatory roles and the tools states can use to influence the location of DER development. The report next examines the challenges of locational DER planning, with a particular focus on the challenges that states face in influencing the location of DER development. It highlights three case studies from states that engaged in locational DER planning through the Multistate Initiative to Develop Solar in Locations that Provide Benefits to the Grid and then presents several lessons learned from these efforts. The final section of this report summarizes some recent publications related to locational value of DERs in the form of an abbreviated literature review.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1980

Photovoltaics as a terrestrial energy source. Volume 2: System value

Assumptions and techniques employed by the electric utility industry and other electricity planners to make estimates of the future value of photovoltaic (PV) systems interconnected with U.S. electric utilities were examined. Existing estimates of PV value and their interpretation and limitations are discussed. PV value is defined as the marginal private savings accruing to potential PV owners. For utility-owned PV systems, these values are shown to be the after-tax savings in conventional fuel and capacity displaced by the PV output. For non-utility-owned (distributed) systems, the utility's savings in fuel and capacity must first be translated through the electric rate structure (prices) to the potential PV system owner. Base-case estimates of the average value of PV systems to U.S. utilities are presented. The relationship of these results to the PV Program price goals and current energy policy is discussed; the usefulness of PV output quantity goals is also reviewed.

Smith, J. L.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Variable Renewable Energy Participation in U.S. Ancillary Services Markets: Economic Evaluation and Key Issues

Variable renewable energy (VRE) is not yet meaningfully participating in U.S. ancillary services (AS) markets. VRE participation in AS markets could provide a new source of revenues for VRE resource owners to offset declining energy and capacity values and a new tool for power system operators to address emerging system constraints. This paper uses a price-taker dispatch model and historical prices to estimate the economic value of standalone and hybrid (battery-paired) VRE participation in AS markets, from resource owner and electricity system perspectives, in each of the seven U.S. independent system operator and regional transmission organization (ISO/RTO) markets. Across ISO/RTO markets, average (2015-2019) simulated incremental revenues from regulation market participation were $\$$0.0-2.9/MWh (+0-15% of revenue without participation) for standalone VRE owners and $\$$1-33/MWh (+1-69%) for hybrid VRE owners. However, ISO/RTO reserve markets are relatively thin and have the potential to become saturated by energy storage projects that are currently in ISO/RTO interconnection queues. In most markets, standalone and hybrid VRE were able to provide regulation reserves during periods with high regulation prices, suggesting that VRE participation in AS markets could have high system value. The analysis highlights the value of separate upward and downward regulation products and suggests that ISOs/RTOs might consider initially focusing on enabling hybrid VRE provision of AS.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Is the Adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Solar Photovoltaics (PVs) Interdependent or Independent? An Integrated EVs-PVs Modeling Framework

Transportation and residential energy consumption account for more than one-half of the overall energy consumption in the United States. Adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) can play a key role in decarbonizing the transportation sector, while the adoption of renewable energy sources (e.g., solar photovoltaics or PVs) could bring similar benefits to the residential energy sector and in turn support transport electrification. Although the market share for both EVs and PVs continue to grow, both these emerging technologies are deployed rather disjoint without considering the existence of potential similarities among users who own (or aspire to own) EVs and PVs. This might be due to lack of understanding of the behavioral interdependence in consumer preferences towards these technologies. To fill this gap in knowledge, this study utilizes data from the 2018 WholeTraveler Transportation Behavior Study to develop an integrated model system that explores EV and PV adoption behaviors. A structural equations model (SEM) is employed that incorporates direct effects as well as error correlations among the adoption behaviors for EVs and PVs. Model results indicate that the adoption behavior for both these technologies is indeed interconnected and significantly influenced by attitudes, values and personality traits. Findings from this research suggest that incentives (e.g., subsidies) that drive 'bundled' adoption of EVs and PVs could accelerate the adoption of both these sustainable technologies. The results highlights the need to consider transport and building energy efficient technology adoption behavior in a single integrated structure.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,ENERGY PLANNING, POLIC↗

DOE OSTI2021

The Renewable Energy Potential (reV) Model: A Geospatial Platform for Technical Potential and Supply Curve Modeling

The Renewable Energy Potential (reV) model is a platform for detailed assessment of renewable energy (RE) resources and their geospatial intersection with grid infrastructure and land use characteristics. The reV model currently supports photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP) and land-based wind turbine technologies. Modules in the reV framework function at different spatial and temporal resolutions, allowing for assessment of resource potential, technical potential and supply curves at varying levels of detail. The platform runs on NREL's High Performance Computing system, providing scalable and efficient performance from a single location all the way up to continental scales, for a single year or decades of time series resource data. Coupled with NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM), reV supports resource assessment from 5-minute to hourly temporal resolution and provides for analysis of long-term (i.e., year-on-year) variability of RE generation (e.g., interannual variability and exceedance probabilities). Technical potential is measured as a function of resource potential and limitations put on developable land area defined by the user. For example, the user can limit development by land ownership, terrain, land use/cover, and urban areas, as well as custom inputs. Technology, grid interconnection and operation costs, based on the latest market data and future projections, are also embedded in the model. The supply curve module is a spatial sorting algorithm based on plant siting, grid interconnection cost, and regional competition, which provides a geographically discrete estimate of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and supply (i.e., capacity) for specific renewable technologies. The reV model currently provides broad coverage across North America, South and Central Asia, South America and South Africa to inform national- and international-scale analyses as well as regional infrastructure and deployment planning.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Advanced-Research-on-Integrated-Energy-Systems-Based Analysis to Support Resilient System Upgrades: Energy to Communities Energyshed In-Depth Partnership with Molokai, Hawaii

The Molokai, Hawaii, Energy to Communities (E2C) Energyshed project represents a collaborative effort between the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Shake Energy Collaborative, the Molokai Clean Energy Hui, Sustainable Molokai, and Ho'ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai to advance Molokai's Community Energy Resilience Action Plan (CERAP). Supported by Hawaiian Electric Company and the Hawaii State Energy Office, the initiative aims to develop a community-defined portfolio of renewable energy solutions that enhance energy resilience while aligning with the Hawaiian Electric Integrated Grid Plan (IGP) and Molokai's energy goals. Phase 1 focused on technical analyses and community engagement to co-design feasible energy scenarios. Challenges such as grid upgrades, storage sizing, and inverter ride-through standards were addressed to align technical and operational requirements with community preferences. The project equips Molokai with actionable data and insights to implement energy initiatives while ensuring resilient and culturally informed solutions. Future efforts aim to finalize project designs, secure interconnection agreements, and deploy energy projects that reflect community priorities and technical feasibility.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Earth System Digital Twins (ESDT) For a Sustainable Future

An Earth System Digital Twin (or ESDT) is an Information System for Understanding, Forecasting, and Conjecturing the complex interconnections among Earth systems, including anthropomorphic forcings and impacts to humanity. More specifically, an Earth System Digital Twin is a dynamic and interactive information system that first provides a digital replica of the past and current states of the Earth or Earth system, as accurately and timely as possible (i.e., the “What Now”); second allows for computing forecasts of future states under nominal assumptions and based on the current replica (i.e., the “What Next”); and third offers the capability to investigate many hypothetical scenarios under varying impact assumptions (i.e., the “What If”). The full power of digital twins is that, through an integrated representation and standardized tools and software technologies, the same digital replica can address the needs of multiple users at various resolutions (spatial and temporal) and for various applications (science, economic, policy, etc.) – “from farmer to scientist”. Since 2020, NASA’s Earth Science Technology’s Intelligent Systems Programs have started defining and investigating ESDTs. After several workshops, more than 15 projects have been funded to develop technologies and components as well as a few prototype ESDT systems. An ESDT architecture framework has been defined, and it is now being used to develop a Coastal Zone Digital Twin (CZ-DT), in coordination with NOAA and CNES. Additional projects have also just been selected to build additional ESDT technologies and prototypes. The details of these Programs will be detailed at the conference.

Earth Science Remote Sensing; Information Systems↗

DOE OSTI2024

Value of Nuclear Energy to the Reliability of the North American Power System: Results for Western and Eastern Interconnections

This report documents the fulfillment of a milestone for the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program: completing a baseline study of regional impact of nuclear power plants and hydrogen production in maintaining grid services and power quality. Models have been comprehensively demonstrated for the Western Interconnection, or Western Electric Coordinating Council area, and in the Eastern Interconnection for scenarios representative of past extreme events (e.g., drought and heat waves). Understanding the impact on the reliability of the bulk electric system of any reduction in generation capacity from nuclear power, for any reason, is the motivation of this work. Factors that might lead to the premature or unplanned closure of nuclear plants, extended outages, or repurposing of nuclear power include: • Aging infrastructure: Many nuclear power plants in the U.S. are nearing the end of their designed operating lives. Upgrading aging infrastructure can be expensive, and some utilities may choose to retire plants rather than invest in costly upgrades. • Low wholesale electricity prices: The deregulation of the electricity market in many states has led to increased competition and driven down wholesale electricity prices, causing nuclear power operators to seek other revenue sources for their heat and power such as clean hydrogen production. • Renewables growth: The rapid growth of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power is posing a challenge to traditional generation sources like nuclear. While many see renewables as a key part of the clean energy transition, their intermittent nature requires additional grid solutions for reliable power supply. • The potential for regulatory decisions to be in conflict: In its 2021 rulemaking, EPA rule (86 FR 880), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a compliance date for the ban on processing and distribution in commerce of Decabromodiphenyl Ether (DecaBDE). Since DecaBDE is in many components, particularly wiring, of nuclear power plants which are deemed safety-related or important to safety, three plants would not have been able to restart after their 2023 spring outages, and numerous others would have faced issues in the near future. Fortunately, in this case, the EPA provided relief to the nuclear energy industry. The report provides a summary of the significant role nuclear energy plays in the United States’ power generation mix, supplying around 20% of the nation’s electricity generation, spread across 28 U.S. states. Nuclear power is reliable, mostly unaffected by weather and seasonal changes, and provides a consistent source of baseload power. In terms of capacity, nuclear power plants account for as much as 26% of balancing area power generation capacity. Nuclear power also provides a substantial contribution (e.g., 10% of the inertia in the Eastern Interconnection) of the synchronous spinning mass/inertia that buffers the rate at which frequency changes when a load and generation imbalance occurs (e.g., a large plant trips or a load is suddenly shed due to a transmission outage). This contribution is critical for maintaining grid stability during sudden changes in load or generation.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act on Consumer Energy Expenditures

The Inflation Reduction Act introduced or expanded a suite of federal tax credits for clean electricity generation and customer adoption of electric (and other highly efficient) end-use equipment. These incentives are expected to drive changes in both the electricity generation mix and demand for electricity (especially for space heating and light-duty vehicles), which are highly interconnected. In this session, Caitlin Murphy, Group Manager and Senior Analyst in NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center, will present findings from her team's recent state-level analysis on the combined effects of various IRA incentives on customer expenditures for electricity, natural gas, and gasoline. She will present and explain the regional variations observed in their analysis, based on interactions between end-use equipment cost and performance and projections for future energy prices.

air source heat pump↗

DOE OSTI2024

Community Solar Program Design Considerations & Modeling Inputs

Designing and modeling a community solar (CS) program is a complex process with numerous variable inputs that are interconnected. Modeling a CS program can be useful to inform the programs design itself while also providing stakeholders of all types with information. Accurate data inputs and assumptions are key to ensuring that a model is informative and as representative of real market conditions as possible. This report is an exploration of community solar program modeling considerations, especially as it relates to data inputs such as capital costs, administrative fees, and subscription size, using a CS program in North Carolina as a case study.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Opportunities for Hybrid Wind and Solar PV Plants in India

The share of variable renewable energy (VRE) on India's grid has surpassed 100 GW, and the government has ambitious plans reach 450 GW by 2030. One strategy to increase wind and solar PV deployment is through the co-location of wind and solar PV plants to form a single hybrid power plant. Hybrid plants have the potential to reduce transmission infrastructure costs and variability in the output power profile compared to a standalone plant with a single technology, and this resource analysis aims to take a first step towards quantifying the potential savings from hybridizing wind and solar PV plants in India and the size of this opportunity. We utilize a brute-force optimization to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for standalone wind, standalone solar PV, and hybrid wind/solar PV plants across all of India. By comparing these LCOEs, we determine that locations where hybrid plants exhibit potential cost savings and grid benefits exhibit both; a high interconnection cost and; a wind capacity factor between roughly 34% and 38%. However, because our work does not capture the value of the electricity generated by looking at energy prices, nor does it quantify the potential of hybrids to provide other value streams such as firm capacity and reserves. Further, because the work does not compare solar PV and wind hybrids to alternative generation technologies or storage systems, it cannot be considered a holistic cost-benefit analysis.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Performance Evaluation of Adaptive Routing on Dragonfly-based Production Systems

Performance of applications in production environments can he sensitive to network congestion. Cray Aries supports adaptively routing each network packet independently based on the load or congestion encountered as a packet traverses the network. Software can dictate different routing policies, adjusting between minimal and non-minimal bias, for each posted message. We have extensively evaluated the sensitivity of the routing bias selection on application performance as well as whole system performance in both production and controlled conditions. We show that the default routing bias used in Aries-based systems is often sub-optimal and that using a higher bias towards minimal routes will not only reduce the congestion effects on the application but also will decrease the overall congestion on the network. This routing scheme results in not only improved mean performance (by up to 12%) of most production applications hut also reduced run-to-run variability. Our study prompted the two supercomputing facilities (ALCF and NERSC) to change the default routing mode on their Aries-based systems. We present the substantial improvement measured in the overall congestion management and interconnect performance in production after making this change.

Chunduri, Sudheer↗

DOE OSTI2022

Developing a Power Plant Suitability Model for the Energy Zones Mapping Tool

This report provides an example of designing, developing, and running a power plant suitability model in the Energy Zones Mapping Tool (EZMT), a public, web-based mapping tool with a large spatial database focused on energy infrastructure, energy resources, and related siting factors. The example focuses on natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants, which have several unique and interesting characteristics. NGCC plants typically provide peaking power to the electrical grid. Such plants can be started or stopped relatively quickly and are often used to supplement base load plants (such as nuclear or coal) during times of peak electrical consumption or to counterbalance lulls in variable power generation (such as wind or solar). Due to these and other factors, NGCC plants have been projected to increase in number under energy planning studies such as Hadley et al. The scope of the Hadley et. al. study is the Eastern Interconnection (EI), the electrical transmission grid serving much of the United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. Results in the study are organized according to 22 Multi-region National—North American Electricity and Environment Model (NEEM) regions within the EI. NGCC plants usually have lower water requirements than other thermoelectric power plants they may replace; therefore, they are expected to have an interesting role in reducing the overall water requirements of energy generation.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Informing Transmission Supply Chain Needs from National Transmission Studies

Recent national studies indicate significant transmission expansion can provide the lowest-cost option to maintain grid reliability while meeting growing demand. However, constraints in domestic supply chains may limit grid expansion across the U.S., with higher costs and longer delays for required transmission equipment. Despite growing evidence of supply chain constraints for transmission components, transmission planning studies often assume transmission equipment is readily available for deployment or analyze future demand using historical trade and manufacturing data that may not capture evolving grid needs. This report aims to address this gap by demonstrating methods to quantify future demand for critical transmission components and input materials from national-scale planning models. These components include power transformers, generator step-up transformers, converter transformers, conductors, circuit breakers, and transmission towers and the materials include aluminum, steel, grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES), and copper. The analytical approach is applied to two nodal transmission expansion scenarios from the National Transmission Planning Study (NTP) to illustrate the methods. These scenarios represent different transmission expansion strategies for the contiguous U.S. to the year 2035: the Alternating Current (AC) scenario includes AC transmission expansion within each interconnection and the Multiterminal (MT) scenario includes interregional transmission expansion across the country using both AC and multiterminal HVDC options between neighboring zones. We also explore potential heuristics to derive transmission component demand from zonal capacity expansion models (CEMs) with coarse representation of the transmission grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2024

Grid-Forming Inverters: Project Demonstrations and Pilots

Power system operators around the world are pushing the limits of integrating inverter-based resources (IBRs) to very high levels, approaching 100% instantaneous penetration under certain operating conditions. This often applies to smaller power systems with very little or no ac interconnections to other neighboring regions or sometimes to fringes of large balancing areas, such as Denmark or Portugal, within the mainland European power system. These jurisdictions have identified the potential of grid-forming (GFM) technology as a key enabler to support the energy transition with very few or no synchronous generators online. Until recently, practical applications of GFM inverters were limited to microgrids and isolated grids and in smaller grid applications on the order of a few tens of megawatts (MW).

Australia↗

DOE OSTI2024

One Year In: Tracking the Impacts of NEM 3.0 on California’s Residential Solar Market

On December 15, 2022, the California Public Utilities Commission passed an overhaul of the net metering program for the state’s investor-owned utilities. The changes replaced the long-standing net energy metering (NEM) tariffs with a net billing tariff (NBT) structure—colloquially known as “NEM 3.0”—which significantly reduces the compensation for behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The NEM tariffs remained open for new interconnection applications until April 15, 2023, but after that date, all new interconnection applications were submitted under NBT. Now, one year later, we have an opportunity to evaluate how the California solar market has evolved under this new compensation regime. As a precursor to its annual Tracking the Sun report, Berkeley Lab has released a short technical brief describing key trends in the California residential solar market since the roll-out of the new NBT structure. The purpose of this analysis is to provide empirical insights into how the market has evolved over the past year, confirming some expectations while also revealing several striking surprises.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Informing Transmission Supply Chain Needs from National Transmission Studies

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

USAID Colombia Young Leaders Workforce Training Program Action Plans: Regulatory Road Map for Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Interconnection and Interoperability

As part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Young Leaders Workforce Training Program in Colombia, participants from Colombia's Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) leveraged their training and professional experience to develop a regulatory roadmap for the interconnection and interoperability of increasing integration of distributed energy resources (DERs). CREG was one of four teams selected by the training program development team to receive continued technical assistance and strategic advisory support from the USAID-NREL Partnership for action plan development and implementation. This case study provides an overview of the key activities and outcomes of the technical assistance provided by NREL on the CREG Action Plan, and key next steps for implementation of Colombia's DER Integration Regulatory Roadmap.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗