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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 271 records · Page 15

Validation of Simplified Load Equations through Loads Measurement and Modeling of a Small Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Tower; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the modeling and prediction of small wind turbine dynamics, NREL tested a small horizontal axis wind turbine in the field at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). The test turbine was a 2.1-kW downwind machine mounted on an 18-meter multi-section fiberglass composite tower. The tower was instrumented and monitored for approximately 6 months. The collected data were analyzed to assess the turbine and tower loads and further validate the simplified loads equations from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-2 design standards. Field-measured loads were also compared to the output of an aeroelastic model of the turbine. Ultimate loads at the tower base were assessed using both the simplified design equations and the aeroelastic model output. The simplified design equations in IEC 61400-2 do not accurately model fatigue loads. In this project, we compared fatigue loads as measured in the field, as predicted by the aeroelastic model, and as calculated using the simplified design equations.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

United States Supports Distributed Wind Technology Improvements; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

This presentation provides information on the activities conducted through the Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP), initiated in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and executed through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support the distributed wind industry. The CIP provides research and development funding and technical support to improve distributed wind turbine technology and increase the competitiveness of U.S. small and midsize wind turbine manufacturers. Through this project, DOE/NREL assists U.S. manufacturers to lower the levelized cost of energy of wind turbines through component improvements, manufacturing process upgrades, and turbine testing. Ultimately, this support is expected to lead to turbine certification through testing to industry-recognized wind turbine performance and safety standards.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Technical Highlight: NREL Delivers In-Home HVAC Efficiency Testing Solutions

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have recently developed two simple in-home efficiency test methods that can be used by technicians, researchers, or interested homeowners to verify the correct operation and energy efficiency of a home’s air conditioning equipment.

heating, ventilation, air conditioning↗

NREL Develops High-Speed Scanner to Monitor Fuel Cell Material Defects

This highlight describes results of recent work in which polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell electrodes with intentionally introduced known defects were imaged and analyzed using a fuel cell scanner recently developed at NREL. The highlight is being developed for the September 2015 Alliance S&T Board meeting.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

U.S. Distributed Wind Sector Finds Support from NREL

Small and mid-sized wind turbine manufacturers in the United States have led the international distributed wind market in installed capacity for decades. Continued reductions in the cost of distributed wind systems are essential to successfully compete with currently economical photovoltaic systems. Annual capacity additions in 2013 were particularly low. In an effort to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of distributed wind systems manufactured in the United States, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided funding through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support several projects.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

360° Algae Lab Tour at NREL- Non-Narrated

Take a self-guided, 360-degree tour of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s algae biofuels research facility. Learn how NREL researchers are growing algae to study how it can be used as a renewable source of food, fuels, and other products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

360° Algae Lab Tour at NREL - Narrated

Explore the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s algae lab as researcher Nick Sweeney takes you on a 360-degree tour of the algal biofuels research facility. Discover how NREL is growing algae to learn how it can be used as a renewable source of food, fuels, and other products.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Demonstrating Distributed Resource Communications at NREL

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Schneider Electric are working with National Renewalbe Energy Laboratory (NREL) staff at the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) to demonstrate communication technologies for distributed energy resources.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

28 NREL Stratus - Enabling Workflows to Fuse Data Streams, Modeling, Simulation, and Machine Learning: Preprint

Integrating cloud services into advanced computing facilities provides significant new capabilities over focusing solely on traditional high performance computing (HPC) workloads. This brings complementary capabilities as well as enabling new focused roles for HPC. They are especially potent for workflows that fuse data streams, modeling and simulation ('modsim') and machine learning. A key challenge to adopting a hybrid edge-cloud-HPC model is to align optimal capability, data, and user intent on the right resources for each step in a workflow.?The NREL Stratus service provides a basis for this: Stratus layers capabilities needed to make?cloud services accessible to a lab-based scientific community on commercial offerings, and; currently supports upwards of 200 projects ranging from IOT integration to traditional modeling and simulation. This provides a real-world inventory of scientific workflow elements. A growing knowledge base enables placing these elements appropriately between the edge, cloud, and traditional HPC. This paper outlines a vision via reference architecture and the application of that architecture in a typical workflow highlighting multiple components: sensor data intake, cleaning and transforming (edge/cloud suitable); generation of synthetic data through modsim, computationally heavy ML training and hyperparameter optimization (HPC suitable), and; inference and deployment (cloud ideal). Every step in such a workflow involves a cost-benefit analysis regarding the data movement, computational efficiency, availability, latency, and resource capabilities. The reference architecture and examples outlined allow for understanding new opportunities in the context of emerging workflows that combine IOT, cloud, and HPC to bolster scientific productivity.

AI↗

The USAID-NREL Partnership

The United States Agency for International Development is drawing on U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory expertise to advance clean, resilient, and equitable energy systems in the developing world through the USAID-NREL Partnership.

advanced power systems↗

NREL Smart Grid Projects

Although implementing Smart Grid projects at the distribution level provides many advantages and opportunities for advanced operation and control, a number of significant challenges must be overcome to maintain the high level of safety and reliability that the modern grid must provide. For example, while distributed generation (DG) promises to provide opportunities to increase reliability and efficiency and may provide grid support services such as volt/var control, the presence of DG can impact distribution operation and protection schemes. Additionally, the intermittent nature of many DG energy sources such as photovoltaics (PV) can present a number of challenges to voltage regulation, etc. This presentation provides an overview a number of Smart Grid projects being performed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) along with utility, industry, and academic partners. These projects include modeling and analysis of high penetration PV scenarios (with and without energy storage), development and testing of interconnection and microgrid equipment, as well as the development and implementation of advanced instrumentation and data acquisition used to analyze the impacts of intermittent renewable resources. Additionally, standards development associated with DG interconnection and analysis as well as Smart Grid interoperability will be discussed.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Simple, Fast and Effective Correction for Irradiance Spatial Nonuniformity in Measurement of IVs of Large Area Cells at NREL

The NREL cell measurement lab measures the IV parameters of cells of multiple sizes and configurations. A large contributing factor to errors and uncertainty in Jsc, Imax, Pmax and efficiency can be the irradiance spatial nonuniformity. Correcting for this nonuniformity through its precise and frequent measurement can be very time consuming. This paper explains a simple, fast and effective method based on bicubic interpolation for determining and correcting for spatial nonuniformity and verification of the method's efficacy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗