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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Management of Sustainable Energy Resources: Visibility, Operation, and Control

The rapid global transition toward sustainable energy resources (SERs) is reshaping how modern power systems are observed, optimized, and controlled. While SERs have significantly advanced decarbonization, their weather dependence, variability, and inverter-dominated characteristics challenge traditional, centralized, and deterministic grid operation. At the same time, the proliferation of high-resolution data from inverters, smart meters, and sensors offers unprecedented visibility into system dynamics. Yet, it also exceeds the analytical capability of conventional model-based approaches. Artificial intelligence (AI) provides a new foundation for addressing these challenges by bridging physical laws with data-driven learning, enabling accurate state awareness, adaptive operation, and coordinated control across distributed assets. This article examines how AI transforms the management of SER-rich power systems along three critical dimensions: 1) enhancing visibility by inferring behind-the-meter (BTM) activities, assessing SER flexibility, and reconstructing system states from sparse or noisy measurements; 2) improving operation through AI-enhanced SER service provision, volt/var control (VVC), and dynamic operating envelopes (DOE) for efficiency and security; and 3) advancing control by embedding learning-based intelligence into inverter coordination, voltage and frequency regulation, and long-term dispatch. Together, these developments reveal how AI can convert the variability of SERs from an operational challenge into a source of flexibility, resilience, and intelligence, paving the way toward sustainable, adaptive, and self-optimizing power systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Scaled Implementation of Smart Charge Management for Electric Vehicles

Smart charge management (SCM) has become a critical strategy for mitigating potential grid impacts and reducing electricity costs for all customers. This study will evaluate the economics of implementing light-duty EV SCM at scale across the United States. This work will enhance distribution system analysis by estimating SCM implementation costs, exploring viable business cases, and developing a framework for national-level applications. The primary methodology involves leveraging detailed grid modeling from a specific service territory and using spatial extrapolation techniques to generalize findings to other regions. The analysis will develop key metrics to quantify the costs and benefits of SCM, including implementation costs relative to strategy and scale, the cost of distribution system upgrades with and without SCM, and the percentage of peak-load reduction. The objective is to produce a comprehensive report and a parameterized framework that enables utilities to self-assess the value of SCM in their own service territories. This will support the development of cost-effective charging strategies, accelerate the energization of new EV chargers, and facilitate the seamless integration of EVs into the nation's power grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Universal Wide-area Damping Control for Mitigating Inter-area Oscillations in Power Systems

The active damping of inter-area oscillations of low frequencies has been successfully demonstrated to improve the dynamic response of the power grid in a satisfactory manner. It also enhances the system stability and reliability as well. The existence of inter-area oscillations has already become one of the key challenges in large-scale interconnected power grids because they are detrimental to the achievement of maximum power transfer and optimal power flow. This project focuses on the development of a universal damping control based on phasor measurements so that it can be easily implemented by a mix of various fast-acting resources to effectively mitigate inter-area oscillations. With the proposed advanced damping control strategies, the power grid stability and reliability can be managed in a much more flexible manner by utilizing different resources that are geographically dispersed in both the transmission and distribution systems. Moreover, higher power transfer capacity can be also achieved.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Keystone Solar Future Project (KSFP)

The Keystone Solar Future Project (KSFP, also referred to as “Keystone Project” in the report) implements a cost-effective, secure, reliable, and safe technology platform that paves the way for future interconnected distributed energy resources (DER), creates a framework that enables high penetration of DER, and transforms the DER interconnection process. The project is important and necessary in a few aspects. First, the industry definition of Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) is not yet validated against field deployments and mostly implemented in small pilots relying on third party integration. Keystone project implements a direct plug and play communication to inverter based DER systems. Secondly, most interconnection application portal is not yet fully integrated with back-end system, thus lacks the capability to drive a complete and accurate modeling of DER assets into the planning and operational systems. Keystone project rolled out a fully integrated modeling process of DERs from interconnection to operational management. Lastly, customers were given an opportunity to learn about the advanced functions of the inverters and take full advantages of their benefits through participation in the pilot program. During the project, the technical effectiveness and economic feasibility of DER management were investigated and demonstrated in real life events and simulation studies. The project highlighted the importance of coordinated DER interconnection, installation and management with the rest of the distribution system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advancing Federal Infrastructure Through Innovation: Connecting to Utilities with EV U-Finder

Executive Order 14057 requires federal agencies to achieve 100 percent zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) acquisitions by 2035. In order to do so, agencies will need to work closely with their local utilities to successfully manage the electric vehicle supply equipment development to support the ZEV fleet. NREL, with the support of DOE FEMP, has developed the Electric Vehicle Utility Finder (EV U-Finder) tool to help local fleet managers find utility contacts and incentives.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,POWER TRANSMISSION AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electric Vehicles at Scale (EVs@Scale) Laboratory Consortium

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Electric Vehicles at Scale Lab Consortium (EVs@Scale Lab Consortium) is accelerating research to support the establishment of a secure and scalable national network of charging infrastructure. This network will be critical to support tens of millions of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty EVs on American roads by 2030. The EVs@Scale Lab Consortium brings together national laboratories and key stakeholders to conduct infrastructure research and development (R&D) that advances innovations in, and sets unified standards for, high-power and wireless charging. The effort will also develop technologies to integrate vehicle charging with the power grid, and develop cybersecurity measures to protect drivers, vehicles, equipment, and the grid.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,POWER TRANSMISSION AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Data management and processing workflow for the Materials Physics and Engineering group beamlines at the Advanced Photon Source

The ability to store, organize, process and distribute experimental data effectively, efficiently and securely is particularly important for large user facilities like the Advanced Photon Source. In this article, the deployment of the APS Data Management System (DM) at the 1-ID and 6-BM beamlines of the APS is described. These two beamlines support a wide range of experimental techniques and generate data at relatively high rates, making them ideal candidates to illustrate the deployment and customization of the DM system and its tools. Using several usage examples at these beamlines, various capabilities of the DM system are described.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

foresee™ (SWR-17-15)

foresee™ is a home energy management system (HEMS) that provides a user centric energy automation solution for residential building occupants. Built upon advanced control and machine learning algorithms, foresee™ intelligently manages the home appliances and distributed energy resources (DERs) such as photovoltaics and battery storage in a home. Unlike existing HEMS in the market, foresee™ provides a tailored home automation solution for individual occupants by learning and adapting to their preferences on cost, comfort, convenience and carbon. foresee™ improves not only the energy efficiency of the home but also its capability to provide grid services such as demand response. Highly reliable demand response services are likely to be incentivized by utility companies, making foresee™ economically viable for most homes.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2024

EV Forecasting-Based Model Predictive Control for Distribution System Congestion Mitigation

The uncoordinated charging of electric vehicles (EVs) in time and space brings congestion issues to the distribution network. This paper proposes an EV charging demand forecasting-based model predictive control (MPC) method for distribution system congestion management. To effectively forecast the time-series EV station charging demand, a hybrid forecasting model that integrates the long short-term memory network (LSTM) and Transformer is proposed. The Transformer-LSTM model is trained using a one-year real historical charging dataset of EV stations to forecast future charging demand in 15-minute intervals. This informs the MPC for distribution network congestion management and minimization of PV curtailment. Numerical results carried out on the modified IEEE 123-bus distribution system demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively resolve line congestion issues through EV smart charging and PV curtailment while outperforming other benchmarks.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Test Protocols for Advanced Inverter Interoperability Functions - Appendices

Distributed energy resources (DER) such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, when deployed in a large scale, are capable of influencing significantly the operation of power systems. Looking to the future, stakeholders are working on standards to make it possible to manage the potentially complex interactions between DER and the power system. In 2009, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) initiated a large industry collaborative to identify and standardize definitions for a set of DER grid support functions. While the initial effort concentrated on grid-tied PV inverters and energy storage systems, the concepts have applicability to all DER. A partial product of this on-going effort is a reference definitions document (IEC TR 61850-90-7, Object models for power converters in distributed energy resources (DER) systems) that has become a basis for expansion of related International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, and is supported by US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). Some industry-led organizations advancing communications protocols have also embraced this work. As standards continue to evolve, it is necessary to develop test protocols to independently verify that the inverters are properly executing the advanced functions. Interoperability is assured by establishing common definitions for the functions and a method to test compliance with operational requirements. This document describes test protocols developed by SNL to evaluate the electrical performance and operational capabilities of PV inverters and energy storage, as described in IEC TR 61850-90-7. While many of these functions are not now required by existing grid codes or may not be widely available commercially, the industry is rapidly moving in that direction. Interoperability issues are already apparent as some of these inverter capabilities are being incorporated in large demonstration and commercial projects. The test protocols are intended to be used to verify acceptable performance of inverters within the standard framework described in IEC TR 61850-90-7. These test protocols, as they are refined and validated over time, can become precursors for future certification test procedures for DER advanced grid support functions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electric Vehicles at Scale (EVs@Scale) Laboratory Consortium Deep-Dive Technical Meetings: High Power Charging (HPC) Summary Report

Electric vehicle (EV) adoption will change the composition of EV charging load to higher-power charging as more medium- (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) applications are electrified, and as all vocations, including light-duty (LD) vehicles, are capable of faster charging. These shifts provide the opportunity for high-power charging (HPC) and facility equipment to evolve and improve efficiency, cost, and space. High-Power Electric Vehicle Charging Hub Integration Platform (eCHIP) project designs and develops a high-power, interoperable charging experimental platform to research, develop, and demonstrate the integration approaches and technology solutions. The project addresses (1) interconnection and management of a grid-tied inverter; (2) development of a DC distribution system that is responsible for system energy management, interoperability, and DC protection; (3) modular DC/DC conversion for vehicle charging; (4) EV charging interface and DC/DC integration; and (5) smart charge control and vehicle-to-edge (vehicle-to-building [V2B], vehicle-to-everything [V2X]) capability. This summary presentation is the first technical progress output of the project. It provides insight for the first deep-dive technical meeting outputs in terms of research presentations and also includes summary of the discussions occurred in the follow-up breakout sessions. The summary presentation covers three technical areas: (1) HPC: State of the art power architectures and the design of the power electronics, (2) Modeling, energy management, and power control in the HPC station, and (3) Codes and standards work that are in line with the previous two topic areas.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,POWER TRANSMISSION AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Test Protocols for Advanced Inverter Interoperability Functions – Main Document

Distributed energy resources (DER) such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, when deployed in a large scale, are capable of influencing significantly the operation of power systems. Looking to the future, stakeholders are working on standards to make it possible to manage the potentially complex interactions between DER and the power system. In 2009, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) initiated a large industry collaborative to identify and standardize definitions for a set of DER grid support functions. While the initial effort concentrated on grid-tied PV inverters and energy storage systems, the concepts have applicability to all DER. A partial product of this on-going effort is a reference definitions document (IEC TR 61850-90-7, Object models for power converters in distributed energy resources (DER) systems) that has become a basis for expansion of related International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, and is supported by US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). Some industry-led organizations advancing communications protocols have also embraced this work. As standards continue to evolve, it is necessary to develop test protocols to independently verify that the inverters are properly executing the advanced functions. Interoperability is assured by establishing common definitions for the functions and a method to test compliance with operational requirements. This document describes test protocols developed by SNL to evaluate the electrical performance and operational capabilities of PV inverters and energy storage, as described in IEC TR 61850-90-7. While many of these functions are not currently required by existing grid codes or may not be widely available commercially, the industry is rapidly moving in that direction. Interoperability issues are already apparent as some of these inverter capabilities are being incorporated in large demonstration and commercial projects. The test protocols are intended to be used to verify acceptable performance of inverters within the standard framework described in IEC TR 61850-90-7. These test protocols, as they are refined and validated over time, can become precursors for future certification test procedures for DER advanced grid support functions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transportation Electrification Impact Study (TEIS)

Recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notices of proposed rulemakings for GHG emissions standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty on-road vehicles would accelerate ongoing advancements already happening in the industry because of private investment, consumer demand, state-level policies, and federal incentives. As the EPA finalizes these regulations, questions persist regarding the cost of the requisite charging infrastructure and associated upgrades to the nation's electric grid. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and the EPA, a multidisciplinary team conducted a Multi-State Transportation Electrification Impact Study that quantitatively assesses the incremental investment necessary to enable the levels of vehicle electrification expected to be induced by pending EPA regulations and to estimate the potential value of deferred investments in electric distribution infrastructure stemming from proactive vehicle-grid integration planning and deployment. This study finds the simulated incremental capital cost of charging infrastructure (including grid upgrades) to be at least 2.5 times smaller than the lifetime net benefits of vehicle electrification (including fuel savings but excluding the value of avoided emissions). Additionally, the incremental distribution grid upgrade cost of the EPA Action-Unmanaged scenario was found to be approximately 3% of existing utility distribution system investments (on an annual basis). Finally, the potential for managed charging to defer distribution grid upgrades was found to be significant with costs found to decrease from $2.3 billion to an incremental cost of $1 billion across five states in the Action-Managed scenario (relative to the No Action-Unmanaged scenario).

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,POWER TRANSMISSION AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integrated Boiler Management through Advanced Condition Monitoring and Component Assessment

The objective of this project, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) under DEFE0031683, is to develop, demonstrate, and support technology transfer of an integrated boiler management system inclusive of distributed sensing and near real-time damage assessment tools to provide for the first highly accurate condition monitoring system for boiler components.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2015

Grid-Scale Energy Storage Demonstration of Ancillary Services Using the UltraBattery Technology

The collaboration described in this document is being done as part of a cooperative research agreement under the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Demonstration Program. This document represents the Final Technical Performance Report, from July 2012 through April 2015, for the East Penn Manufacturing Smart Grid Program demonstration project. This Smart Grid Demonstration project demonstrates Distributed Energy Storage for Grid Support, in particular the economic and technical viability of a grid-scale, advanced energy storage system using UltraBattery ® technology for frequency regulation ancillary services and demand management services. This project entailed the construction of a dedicated facility on the East Penn campus in Lyon Station, PA that is being used as a working demonstration to provide regulation ancillary services to PJM and demand management services to Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Next-Generation Performance-Based Regulation: Emphasizing Utility Performance to Unleash Power Sector Innovation

Performance-based regulation (PBR) enables regulators to reform hundred-year-old regulatory structures to unleash innovations within 21st century power systems. An old regulatory paradigm built to ensure safe and reliable electricity at reasonable prices from capital-intensive electricity monopolies is now adjusting to a new century of disruptive technological advances that change the way utilities make money and what value customers expect from their own electricity company. Advanced technologies are driving change in power sectors around the globe. Innovative technologies are transforming the way electricity is generated, delivered, and consumed. These emerging technology drivers include renewable generation, distributed energy resources such as distributed generation and energy storage, demand-side management measures such as demand-response, electric vehicles, and smart grid technologies and energy efficiency (EE). PBR enables regulators to recognize the value that electric utilities bring to customers by enabling these advanced technologies and integrating smart solutions into the utility grid and utility operations. These changes in the electric energy system and customer capacities means that there is an increasing interest in motivating regulated entities in other areas beyond traditional cost-of-service performance regulation. This report addresses best practices gleaned from more than two decades of PBR in practice, and analyzes how those best practices and lessons can be used to design innovative PBR programs. Readers looking for an introduction to PBR may want to focus on Chapters 1-5. Chapters 6 and 7 contain more detail for those interested in the intricate workings of PBR or particularly innovative PBR.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗