Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Response”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12

Extracellular calcium elicits a chemokinetic response from monocytes in vitro and in vivo

Recruitment of macrophages to sites of cell death is critical for induction of an immunologic response. Calcium concentrations in extracellular fluids vary markedly, and are particularly high at sites of injury or infection. We hypothesized that extracellular calcium participates in modulating the immune response, perhaps acting via the seven-transmembrane calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) on mature monocytes/macrophages. We observed a dose-dependent increase in monocyte chemotaxis in response to extracellular calcium or the selective allosteric CaR activator NPS R-467. In contrast, monocytes derived from mice deficient in CaR lacked the normal chemotactic response to a calcium gradient. Notably, CaR activation of monocytes bearing the receptor synergistically augmented the transmigration response of monocytes to the chemokine MCP-1 in association with increased cell-surface expression of its cognate receptor, CCR2. Conversely, stimulation of monocytes with MCP-1 or SDF-1alpha reciprocally increased CaR expression, suggesting a dual-enhancing interaction of Ca(2+) with chemokines in recruiting inflammatory cells. Subcutaneous administration in mice of Ca(2+), MCP-1, or (more potently) the combination of Ca(2+) and MCP-1, elicited an inflammatory infiltrate consisting of monocytes/macrophages. Thus extracellular calcium functions as an ionic chemokinetic agent capable of modulating the innate immune response in vivo and in vitro by direct and indirect actions on monocytic cells. Calcium deposition may be both consequence and cause of chronic inflammatory changes at sites of injury, infection, and atherosclerosis.

Non-NASA Center↗

The Value of Near Real-Time Earth Observations for Improved Flood Disaster Response

Information is a critical resource in disaster response scenarios. Data regarding the geographic extent, severity, and socioeconomic impacts of a disaster event can help guide emergency responders and relief operations, particularly when delivered within hours of data acquisition. Information from remote observations provides a valuable tool for assessing conditions "on the ground" more quickly and efficiently. Here, we evaluate the social value of a near real-time flood impact system using a disaster response case study, and quantify the Value of Information (VOI) of satellite-based observations for rapid response using a hypothetical flooding disaster in Bangkok, Thailand. MODIS imagery from NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) system is used to produce operational estimates of inundation depths and economic damages.These rapid Earth observations are coupled with a decision-analytical model to inform decisions on emergency vehicle routing. Emergency response times from vehicles routed using flood damage data are compared with baseline routes without the benefit of advance information on road conditions. Our results illustrate how the application of near real-time Earth observations can improve the response time and reduce potential encounters with flood hazards when compared with baseline routing strategies. Results indicate a potential significant economic benefit (i.e.,millions of dollars) from applying near real-time Earth observations for improved flood disaster response and management.

emergency response↗

Analysis of Mars 2020 Entry with Coupled Material Response and CFD

When computing the response of an ablating thermal protection system during entry, the aerothermal environment and material response are traditionally computed independently, with the introduction of a blowing correction term in the material response model to account for the outgassing of char and pyrolysis gases. This study presents an approach, where the pyrolysis blowing gases, calculated within the PATO material response code [1], are integrated into the DPLR hypersonic CFD code [2] via a blowing boundary condition. This methodology employs an iterative process, whereby the blown pyrolysis gas products from PATO are incorporated into DPLR, refining surface heating predictions. The NEQAIR code is used to compute radiative heating [3]. The method is applied in computing 3D material response of the Mars 2020 entry. When compared with uncoupled material response, the coupled simulations show a lower surface heat flux initially and a higher heat flux at peak heating as shown in Fig. 1. This is in agreement with previous work using a sphere case with environments from MSL [4].

Heat Transfer↗

Analysis of Mars 2020 Entry with Coupled Material Response and CFD

When computing the response of an ablating thermal protection system during entry, the aerothermal environment and material response are traditionally computed independently, with the introduction of a blowing correction term in the material response model to account for the outgassing of char and pyrolysis gases. This study presents an approach, where the pyrolysis blowing gases, calculated within the PATO material response code, are integrated into the DPLR hypersonic CFD code via a blowing boundary condition. This methodology employs an iterative process, whereby the blown pyrolysis gas products from PATO are incorporated into DPLR, refining surface heating predictions. The NEQAIR code is used to compute radiative heating. The method is applied in computing 3D material response of the Mars 2020 entry. When compared with uncoupled material response, the coupled simulations show a lower surface heat flux initially and a higher heat flux at peak heating as shown in Fig. 1. This is in agreement with previous work using a sphere case with environments from MSL.

Heat Transfer↗

101 Surveys in 28 Days - Evaluating Response Rates to a Demanding Request

We report the results of a survey test conducted in advance of a series of community response tests (CRTs) to evaluate response to noise from NASA’s X-59 aircraft. The CRTs will require a substantial number of observations to generate a dose response curve and the timeframe is limited due to resource and scheduling constraints with an experimental aircraft. Within each CRT area, we will recruit a sample of residents in advance and ask them to fill out a brief survey each time the aircraft passes over. Respondents will be asked to fill out the survey either on the web or as part of an application they are able to download onto their mobile phones. On many days, respondents will be asked to fill out the survey for multiple passes. The survey test followed the proposed methodology of the CRTs, albeit gauging reactions to normal in-situ aircraft events. To demonstrate initial interest, we will present response rates to the recruitment portion of the survey test which used an ABS frame. We will then evaluate the ongoing response rates among the recruited population to a demanding survey schedule involving 101 surveys over a 28-day period. The response rate evaluation will focus on demographics, mode (app vs. web) and whether and how these change over time. We will use the results of this work to confirm or improve the design of the CRTs, ensuring the collection of data needed by NASA to evaluate the impact of this innovative technology.

response rates↗

An optimization-based approach to tailor the mechanical response of soft metamaterials undergoing rate-dependent instabilities

An optimization-based design framework is proposed to tune the response of soft metamaterials involving both geometric instabilities and nonlinear viscoelastic material behavior. Designing the response of soft metamaterials to harness instabilities and undergo large, tailored configuration changes will enable advancements in soft robotics, shock and vibration mitigation, and flexible electronics. In line with the metamaterial concept, the response of these materials is governed to a large extent by the geometric and topological makeup of their small-scale features. However, the link between structure and response is less intuitive for soft metamaterials due to their reliance upon highly nonlinear responses triggered by geometric instabilities. This is further complicated by the effects of viscoelastic relaxation, which recent studies have shown to alter the emergence of instabilities in non-intuitive ways. Here, these effects are accounted for in our framework to achieve various design objectives, including tailored force–displacement response and maximized energy absorption from both geometric and material effects. To fully automate this process, it is essential to have a completely robust equation solver for forward problems involving instabilities and viscoelastic relaxation. We achieve this by casting the search for stable mechanical equilibrium — i.e. the forward problem — as a minimization problem and utilize a trust region algorithm to robustly handle instabilities and follow energetically-favorable equilibrium paths through critical points.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Optimal sizing of battery energy storage systems for peak shaving and demand response using a degradation-aware Bayesian Optimization-Mixed-Integer Linear Programming framework

The increasing integration of renewable energy and rising electricity demand highlight the importance of battery energy storage systems for peak shaving and demand response. Unlike prior approaches that overlook operational impacts on degradation, this study proposes a Bayesian Optimization–Mixed Integer Linear Programming framework for optimal battery energy storage system sizing. In this framework, Mixed Integer Linear Programming determines short-term scheduling while a calibrated electrochemical model iteratively evaluates degradation. The central hypothesis is that the framework can efficiently identify optimal sizes that yield realistic and economically robust outcomes. The method is tested across three scenarios: peak shaving, peak shaving with energy-reduction demand response, and peak shaving with power-reduction demand response. Results show that the framework converge to the optimum within 20 iterations out of 150 possible sizes. Under baseline conditions, the framework consistently selects the smallest feasible system, minimizing unnecessary degradation costs from oversized storage. Sensitivity analyses reveal that larger systems are favored as demand rates or incentives increase. Comparisons of demand response programs indicate that power-reduction demand response offers greater economic benefits than energy-reduction demand response, although demand savings from peak shaving remain the dominant contributor to overall performance. This study demonstrates that the proposed framework balances computational tractability with degradation fidelity, identifies critical economic thresholds for investment, and offers a practical, flexible tool to guide industrial stakeholders in cost-effective battery energy storage system deployment.

Batteries↗

Joint scheduling of energy, fast and primary frequency response reserves in integrated transmission–distribution networks

Inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs) connected to distribution networks (DNs) can provide fast frequency support, but their reserve deliverability depends on feeder constraints and differs from synchronous primary frequency response (PFR). Existing transmission–distribution coordination studies usually treat reserve generically or neglect feeder-level feasibility, while frequency-security scheduling studies rarely represent distribution feeders explicitly. This paper develops a bi-level day-ahead scheduling framework for integrated transmission–distribution networks that jointly clears energy, transmission-side PFR, and distribution-side fast frequency response (FFR) under exogenous hourly inertia and largest-loss inputs from an external unit commitment (UC) schedule. The transmission problem is modeled with DC-optimal power flow (OPF) and closed-form second-order cone (SOC) frequency-security constraints, whereas each DN is represented by a reserve-aware branch-flow AC-OPF so that scheduled fast reserves remain deliverable during activation. The bi-level problem is reformulated through Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions into a mixed-integer SOC program, and a penalty term is used to tighten the distribution-network relaxation. In the reduced test system, lower exogenous inertia increased the required primary response from 179.64 MW to 191.08 MW, distribution-side fast response reduced total frequency-response procurement by up to 4.9%, and neglecting distribution constraints overstated the combined distribution-side energy and reserve award by up to 18%. In the expanded study, the largest case was solved in 2.02 s with a 0.00% optimality gap. Time-domain simulations kept the frequency nadir above 59.0 Hz in all tested hours. These results demonstrate the value of fast-response modeling and distribution-feasible reserve delivery in coordinated market clearing.

Noh, Seung-Gil↗

Numerical simulation of vortex-induced vibration response of a single IEA 10-MW wind turbine blade

Three-dimensional simulation of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a single International Energy Agency (IEA) 10-MW reference wind turbine blade with a length of 97.325 m is performed using the ExaWind stack, an open-source suite of codes. This study aims to illustrate the spanwise VIV response characteristics and cross-validate the results with an existing commercial framework. Five near-body meshes and three time steps are selected for the convergence study. To improve computational efficiency, several VIV triggering methods are also compared to shorten the VIV development period. The ExaWind-based VIV simulation strategy for a single IEA 10-MW blade is determined. First, the modal shape is validated against published results. Then, spanwise VIV responses of four blade configurations under a fixed and varied incoming flow velocity are analyzed. Results show that the VIV response is dominated by the first edgewise (second overall) mode. Little first-mode contributions appear near the second-mode node, producing a pi phase jump, and a higher harmonics response occurs near the blade root. Rotational degrees of freedom are minor compared with translational motion. The response versus reduced velocity is analyzed, showing a two-branch behavior similar to that of VIV for a bluff cylinder. Across all tested cases, the dominant frequency remains locked to the natural frequency of the second mode with no observed desynchronization. A mild deviation is observed for the case of 90-degree pitch and 310-degree azimuth rotation near a reduced velocity of 6, which will be examined with additional cases in future work. These findings indicate that severe VIV responses can arise under specific configurations and flow conditions, thereby increasing the potential for VIV fatigue damage and requiring greater attention during operation.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Radiative, Hydrologic, and Circulation Responses to Warming in Cess‐Potter Simulations Using the Global 3.25‐km SCREAM

Using the global 3.25-km Simple Cloud Resolving E3SM Atmosphere Model (SCREAM 3 km), a pair of 13-month Cess-Potter simulations are performed to quantify the radiative feedbacks and the hydrologic and circulation responses to warming. Large-scale aspects of SCREAM 3 km's top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes, precipitation rates, and circulations are in good agreement with observations and reanalysis, with notable differences, including a drier lower free-troposphere in the Tropics, reduced precipitation and humidity over the Tropical West Pacific, and poleward shifted Southern Hemisphere midlatitude jet. In response to warming, SCREAM 3 km predicts a total radiative feedback within the top 15% of the CMIP5 and CMIP6 models, which puts it substantially higher than the feedback reported by other kilometer-scale models. SCREAM 3 km's high radiative feedback stems from a strongly positive shortwave cloud feedback, most prominent over the mid- and high-latitudes. SCREAM 3 km's high precipitation response also puts it among the highest of CMIP models, whereas its circulation response is within the spread of CMIP models. An ensemble of five perturbed initial condition Cess-Potter simulations with a 12 km version of SCREAM (SCREAM 12 km) is performed to characterize uncertainty and resolution sensitivity. It suggests that the uncertainty from analyzing a pair of 1-year simulations is small compared to the inter-model spread in feedbacks and precipitation response. SCREAM 12 km also produces a strong precipitation response to warming but a much lower cloud feedback and total radiative feedback. The results from these experiments suggest that the spread in climate feedbacks will likely persist in the next generation of kilometer-scale models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Titanium alloy response sensitivity to variations in spectral reconstructions of National Ignition Facility xenon line-emission x-ray sources

Thermomechanical shock experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) aim to study high strain rate dynamic material response. In such experiments, the NIF laser is used to generate high fluence x-ray emission sources, which irradiate material samples of interest. Under sufficiently high x-ray energy deposition, thermomechanical impulses are generated in the materials. While it is known that the characteristics of x-ray generated impulses vary as a function of incident x-ray spectra, it remains unclear how spectral assumptions and uncertainties in NIF spectral reconstructions affect our interpretation of impulsive loading. Here, in this paper, we simulate the response of a standard titanium alloy baseline sample to synthetic analytically derived and measured NIF xenon line-emission x-ray sources with a radiation hydrodynamics code. We vary the source spectral characteristics based on different source reconstruction techniques to understand the resulting variation in baseline sample response and compare the simulated response with experimental results. We find that the response is highly sensitive to assumptions made about the spectral contents and that knowledge of spectral uncertainties bounds our understanding of the resulting material response. The results of this effort help to extend our ability to use baseline material samples to extract quantitative properties from x-ray experiments on the NIF.

Alloys↗

Photosynthetic responses to temperature across the tropics: a meta-analytic approach

Background and Aims Tropical forests exchange more carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with the atmosphere than any other terrestrial biome. Yet, uncertainty in the projected carbon balance over the next century is roughly three times greater for the tropics than other for ecosystems. Our limited knowledge of tropical plant physiological responses, including photosynthetic, to climate change is a substantial source of uncertainty in our ability to forecast the global terrestrial carbon sink. Methods Here, we used a meta-analytic approach, focusing on tropical photosynthetic temperature responses, to address this knowledge gap. Our dataset, gleaned from 18 independent studies, included leaf-level light-saturated photosynthetic (A sat ) temperature responses from 108 woody species, with additional temperature parameters (35 species) and rates (250 species) of both maximum rates of electron transport (J max ) and Rubisco carboxylation (V cmax ). We investigated how these parameters responded to mean annual temperature (MAT), temperature variability, aridity and elevation, as well as also how responses differed among successional strategy, leaf habit and light environment. Key Results Optimum temperatures for A sat (T optA ) and J max (T optJ ) increased with MAT but not for V cmax (T optV ). Although photosynthetic rates were higher for ‘light’ than ‘shaded’ leaves, light conditions did not generate differences in temperature response parameters. T optA did not differ with successional strategy, but early successional species had ~4 °C wider thermal niches than mid/late species. Semi-deciduous species had ~1 °C higher T optA than broadleaf evergreen species. Most global modelling efforts consider all tropical forests as a single ‘broadleaf evergreen’ functional type, but our data show that tropical species with different leaf habits display distinct temperature responses that should be included in modelling efforts. Conclusions This novel research will inform modelling efforts to quantify tropical ecosystem carbon cycling and provide more accurate representations of how these key ecosystems will respond to altered temperature patterns in the face of climate warming.

Carter, Kelsey R. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (↗

Climate history modulates stress responses of common soil bacteria under experimental drought

Soil drying challenges microbial viability and survival, with bacteria employing various mechanisms to respond to shifts in osmolarity, including dormancy or metabolic upregulation of osmoprotectants. However, the extent to which these responses are shaped by an organism's phylogeny, or the climate history of a given environment is poorly understood. This study examines the responses of phylogenetically similar bacteria from semi-arid and humid tropical forest soils to osmotic and matric stress using synchrotron radiation-based Fourier Transform Infrared spectromicroscopy. This non-destructive approach depicts the biochemical phenotype for whole cells under control and stress conditions. We observed that, under osmotic stress, bacteria upregulated cell-signaling pathways, rapidly turned over lipid-storage compounds, and increased osmolyte production. In contrast, matric stress induced a more muted response, typically elevating the production of carbohydrate stress compounds, such as glycine betaine and trehalose. Whereas phylogenetically similar bacteria showed comparable biochemistry under control conditions, climate history played an important role in regulating responses to stress, whereby a stronger metabolic response was observed from semi-arid relative to tropical forest isolates. We conclude that bacterial stress response to drought can be more diverse than previously observed and regulated by both phylogeny and climate history.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Towards the Flexibility of HVDC-Interconnected Systems: A Novel Emergency Freqeuncy Response Model

In this paper, we propose a novel multi-time scale emergency frequency response model by unlocking the flexibility of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems. Unlike assigning power ramping rates for FACTS to regulate frequency in traditional methods, this paper designs a step-change electromagnetic power frequency response (EPFR) scheme, by leveraging the temporal over/under DC voltage capability of HVDC. Wherein the Kullback-Leibler Divergence is adopted to convexify the modified swing equation after integrating the step-change power. Further, to avoid the complicated differential equations, we equivalently reformulate the duration limits of DC voltage deviation into the HVDC decreasing power ramping rates, which participate in the system primary frequency response. Finally, the new steady-state operation level of HVDC is involved with the secondary frequency response. As a result, an improved three-level algorithm is developed to solve the model, wherein the instant step-change, primary, and secondary frequency response are coordinated together. After applying the proposed frequency response scheme on the test system, the EPFR is validated to effectively provide the most instantaneous supports when faced with bulk power loss due to extreme contingencies, and the resilience is ensured within acceptable expenditures.

Jiang, Sufan↗

A tissue‐resolved, network‐based transcriptomic framework for abiotic stress responses in sorghum

Developing climate‐resilient crops requires a detailed understanding of stress‐induced gene expression dynamics, as maladaptive responses can compromise their productivity and survival. Sorghum, a globally important cereal with exceptional tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, provides a powerful system for investigating these dynamics. However, how stress type, tissue specificity, and temporal progression jointly shape transcriptomic responses in crops remains poorly understood. Here, we present a comparative, time‐resolved transcriptomic atlas of sorghum responses to drought, heat, and salinity stress across shoot and root tissues. Integrative analyses revealed that tissue specificity is the dominant determinant of abiotic stress‐induced gene reprogramming across all three stresses. Building on these global comparisons, we focused on heat stress, as it elicited the most coherent and pronounced transcriptional and regulatory responses, enabling deeper network‐level interrogation. Co‐expression network analysis identified tissue‐specific modules enriched for phytohormone‐responsive genes, while gene regulatory network (GRN) mapping and cistrome analyses uncovered transcription factors (TFs) controlling key hub genes within these modules. Together, this study provides a foundational transcriptomic and network‐based resource for dissecting the regulatory architecture of abiotic stress responses in sorghum and offers prioritized candidates for future functional validation and engineering of climate‐resilient crops.

abiotic stress↗

Pangenomes suggest ecological-evolutionary responses to experimental soil warming

ABSTRACT Below-ground carbon transformations that contribute to healthy soils represent a natural climate change mitigation, but newly acquired traits adaptive to climate stress may alter microbial feedback mechanisms. To better define microbial evolutionary responses to long-term climate warming, we study microorganisms from an ongoing in situ soil warming experiment where, for over three decades, temperate forest soils are continuously heated at 5°C above ambient. We hypothesize that across generations of chronic warming, genomic signatures within diverse bacterial lineages reflect adaptations related to growth and carbon utilization. From our bacterial culture collection isolated from experimental heated and control plots, we sequenced genomes representing dominant taxa sensitive to warming, including lineages of Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria. We investigated genomic attributes and functional gene content to identify signatures of adaptation. Comparative pangenomics revealed accessory gene clusters related to central metabolism, competition, and carbon substrate degradation, with few functional annotations explicitly associated with long-term warming. Trends in functional gene patterns suggest genomes from heated plots were relatively enriched in central carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism pathways, while genomes from control plots were relatively enriched in amino acid and fatty acid metabolism pathways. We observed that genomes from heated plots had less codon bias, suggesting potential adaptive traits related to growth or growth efficiency. Codon usage bias varied for organisms with similar 16S rrn operon copy number, suggesting that these organisms experience different selective pressures on growth efficiency. Our work suggests the emergence of lineage-specific trends as well as common ecological-evolutionary microbial responses to climate change. IMPORTANCE Anthropogenic climate change threatens soil ecosystem health in part by altering below-ground carbon cycling carried out by microbes. Microbial evolutionary responses are often overshadowed by community-level ecological responses, but adaptive responses represent potential changes in traits and functional potential that may alter ecosystem function. We predict that microbes are adapting to climate change stressors like soil warming. To test this, we analyzed the genomes of bacteria from a soil warming experiment where soil plots have been experimentally heated 5°C above ambient for over 30 years. While genomic attributes were unchanged by long-term warming, we observed trends in functional gene content related to carbon and nitrogen usage and genomic indicators of growth efficiency. These responses may represent new parameters in how soil ecosystems feedback to the climate system.

Choudoir, Mallory J. (ORCID:0000000291175150)↗

Nonsteady Load Responses of Wind Turbines to Atmospheric and Mountain-Generated Turbulence Eddies, With Impacts on the Main Bearing: A Validation Study

Previous computational and field experiments identify three characteristic time scales in the aerodynamic responses of utility-scale wind turbine loads to atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) turbulence: a 30-90 second time scale for the passage of high/low speed "streaks" through the rotor plane, the blade and rotor rotation time scales (approximately 1 to 5 seconds), and a sub-second time scale created by blade rotation through gradients within eddy coherent structure. In the current study we compare aerodynamic load responses from daytime ABL turbulence quantified with large-eddy simulation and a actuator line model of the NREL 5 MW wind turbine with analysis of field data from the NREL/GE 1.5 MW wind turbine 5 kilometers east of the Rocky Mountain Front Range in Colorado. In addition, we contrast the responses to the passage of the mountain-generated eddies embedded within the westerly winds with the ABL eddies embedded within northerly/southerly winds. These analyses are in context with the nonsteady forcing of the main bearing by the aerodynamic generation of nontorque bending moments on the main shaft. Potentially relevant to main bearing failure mechanisms, both computational and field data show that the magnitudes of turbulence-generated nontorque bending moments, that we show generate nonsteady force on the main bearing, are of order, and often larger than, torque (which underlies power). However, the temporal variations in these two responses are uncorrelated, implying that the aerodynamic mechanisms that drive power and main bearing response are fundamentally different. We find this to be the case in the field with both mountain-generated eddies (westerly winds) and ABL-generated eddies (northerly/southerly winds). Whereas the time and length scales are comparable, the mountain eddies were somewhat more energetic than the northerly/southerly ABL eddies. Interestingly, however, the fluctuations in nontorque bending moment that force the main bearing were found to be stronger when forced by the ABL eddies than the mountain eddies. The field studies validate the key results from the computational study and show even stronger response in the nontorque bending moment than in the computer simulations. In all cases, the torque and nontorque bending moments are temporally uncorrelated, torque and power are driven by time variations in rotor-averaged horizontal wind velocity and nontorque bending moments are driven by time changes in the degree of nonuniformity in the distribution of velocity over the rotor plane. Thus the results generalize the mechanisms underlying nonsteady aerodynamic forcing to classes of turbulence eddy types with strength of order or stronger than ABL eddies with transverse scale of order the wind turbine rotor. These include atmospheric turbulence eddies, topography-generated turbulence eddies and, by extension, impacts of turbine-wake-scale turbulence eddies on downstream wind turbine rotors.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Potential Impacts of Dynamic Electricity Pricing in California: Load Shape and Customer Bill Impacts Under Elastic Customer Response

The increasing penetration of renewable energy in California has intensified grid management challenges, exemplified by the “duck curve” and the resulting need for steep ramping and curtailment of renewables. To address these issues, dynamic electricity tariffs that vary in near-real time are being considered to incentivize customers to shift demand and support the grid. This study extends previous work on the bill impacts of such tariffs in the absence of load response by quantifying the system-level and customer impacts of load response based on customer price elasticity. Customer-level load response modeling was conducted using meter data from 411,000 customers across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Customer demand elasticity was estimated using literature-based values, with scenarios ranging from low to high elasticity, including an automation-enhanced scenario. Results indicate that universal adoption of, and response to, dynamic tariffs can significantly reduce peak net load (by 15%) and maximum ramping requirements (by 20%) with moderate elasticity, delivering demand response resources comparable to or exceeding current programs at all elasticity levels. Bill analysis shows that, when responding elastically to dynamic prices, most non-PV customers experience modest savings, while PV customers may see higher effective rates due to lower compensation for exports during low-price periods. Emissions analysis reveals a reduction in per-kWh emissions system-wide, with a total absolute load increase of 2% accompanied by a negligible absolute emissions increase. The study concludes that while dynamic tariffs offer substantial grid benefits, customer bill savings under modeled response behaviors may be too modest to drive widespread adoption without additional incentives or enabling technologies. Future research should model flexible loads and advanced control technologies with greater fidelity to better represent the potential opportunities of dynamic tariffs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗