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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

West Africa Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Capacity Building - Discussion of BESS Tariffs: Payment Structures and Case Studies [Slides]

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are emerging as critical assets for enhancing grid reliability, integrating renewable energy, and enabling system flexibility. Yet, the regulatory and financial frameworks that determine how BESS projects are compensated vary widely across jurisdictions. This presentation explores international case studies - from Honduras, Costa Rica, Chile, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil - to illustrate how tariff design and payment structures are evolving to support large-scale BESS deployment. The cases highlight a range of ownership and revenue models, including cost-of-service mechanisms, energy and capacity payments, and market-based arbitrage, as well as hybrid approaches under development. The discussion will examine key challenges such as defining remuneration for ancillary services, addressing double charging, and accounting for efficiency losses and degradation over time. By comparing experiences across markets, the presentation identifies emerging best practices for valuing BESS and designing tariffs that align technical performance with economic incentives, providing insights for regulators, utilities, and policymakers pursuing storage integration.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Gulf of Mexico Health & Air Quality: Mapping Methane Emission Plumes Using Sunglint-configured Imagery for Monitoring Offshore Oil and Gas Activity

We had three project objectives that we set out to accomplish. The first objective is to demonstrate how remote sensing can complement the current bottom-up methane emission assessments. Currently, quantities of disposed gas vented and flared are self-reported by operators to BOEM and BSEE. Meanwhile, inspections are uncommon, and ground sensors are non-existent. Therefore, remote sensing may be the agencies' best bet in verifying these operator accounts. The second objective is to identify methane plumes in the Gulf of Mexico, Asia, and elsewhere using Sentinel-2, LandSat, and PRISMA images, and then present an estimate of their emission rate. While methane retrievals from oil and gas infrastructure on-shore has been relatively well-documented, doing so on the offshore oil and gas platforms is more difficult, less prevalent, and contingent on the presence of specific conditions. The final objective is to give our partners, BOEM and BSEE, a more robust understanding of methane emissions from oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. This increased knowledge, paired with a demonstration of methane monitoring, is intended to help our partners think about how they can incorporate remote sensing into their monitoring, regulatory and enforcement framework.

Ben Dahan↗
DOE OSTI2016

Sharing Lessons Learned 'Across the Pond' on Two Major Construction Projects: Evaporator D and SWPF - 16050

This paper compares and contrasts two projects, the Salt Waste Processing Facility at Savannah River in the US and Evaporator D at Sellafield in the UK, to highlight the similar challenges that each project has experienced since contract award and how these challenges have been addressed. The paper compares the life-cycles of the projects, project strategy, design, construction, and regulatory issues, along with cost and schedule performance. There is also some discussion about the anticipated challenges in the future as the projects move into the startup and commissioning phase. Overall, the paper identifies some of the common areas that have affected these projects and how these similarities have been the subject of sharing and collaborating lessons learned on a broader scale, even though the delivery organizations operate in different countries under different regulatory and Government frameworks. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Framework for Organizing Current and Future Electric Utility Regulatory and Business Models

Many regulators, utilities, customer groups, and other stakeholders are reevaluating existing regulatory models and the roles and financial implications for electric utilities in the context of today’s environment of increasing distributed energy resource (DER) penetrations, forecasts of significant T&D investment, and relatively flat or negative utility sales growth. When this is coupled with predictions about fewer grid-connected customers (i.e., customer defection), there is growing concern about the potential for serious negative impacts on the regulated utility business model. Among states engaged in these issues, the range of topics under consideration is broad. Most of these states are considering whether approaches that have been applied historically to mitigate the impacts of previous “disruptions” to the regulated utility business model (e.g., energy efficiency) as well as to align utility financial interests with increased adoption of such “disruptive technologies” (e.g., shareholder incentive mechanisms, lost revenue mechanisms) are appropriate and effective in the present context. A handful of states are presently considering more fundamental changes to regulatory models and the role of regulated utilities in the ownership, management, and operation of electric delivery systems (e.g., New York “Reforming the Energy Vision” proceeding).

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Policy Reforms to Unleash Domestic Critical Minerals Mining and Processing

The United States faces growing strategic and economic risks due to its limited ability to mine, process, and refine the minerals required for national defense, energy systems, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Although the country possesses significant geological resources, development has been slowed by long and unpredictable permitting timelines, fragmented regulatory responsibilities, limited midstream processing capacity, and a shrinking technical workforce. These structural barriers have created supply chain vulnerabilities that constrain industrial growth and reduce national resilience. This report presents a comprehensive set of reforms intended to modernize the nation’s approach to critical minerals. The recommendations address federal permitting, environmental review processes, the legal framework governing mining activities, interagency coordination, domestic processing and refining capacity, and the education and workforce systems needed to support long term industry development. The analysis emphasizes practical steps to shorten project timelines, improve regulatory clarity, expand processing infrastructure, enable recovery from both conventional and nontraditional sources, and update outdated requirements that hinder the development of essential materials. Taken together, the recommended reforms would strengthen domestic supply chains, improve investment certainty, and reduce dependence on external minerals and processing infrastructure. By aligning policy, regulatory frameworks, and workforce capabilities with national needs, the United States can build a more resilient and secure critical minerals ecosystem that supports long term economic competitiveness and technological leadership.

29 - ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

The trans-regulatory landscape of gene networks in plants

The transcriptional effector domains of transcription factors play a key role in controlling gene expression; however, their functional nature is poorly understood, hampering our ability to explore this fundamental dimension of gene regulatory networks. To map the trans-regulatory landscape in a complex eukaryote, we systematically characterized the putative transcriptional effector domains of over 400 Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factors for their capacity to modulate transcription. We demonstrate that transcriptional effector activity can be integrated into gene regulatory networks capable of elucidating the functional dynamics underlying gene expression patterns. We further show how our characterized domains can enhance genome engineering efforts and reveal how plant transcriptional activators share regulatory features conserved across distantly related eukaryotes. Our results provide a framework to systematically characterize the regulatory role of transcription factors at a genome-scale in order to understand the transcriptional wiring of biological systems.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Final Report on Community Solar Design Models for Consumer, Industry, & Utility Success

Since the inception of the first community solar program in 2006, a number of different utility, solar industry and consumer driven community solar program models have emerged across the country with varying regulatory and solar market frameworks behind them. There is little consistency in how programs are administered, participant benefits are assigned, and customers are charged for participation. Further, while it is regularly speculated that community solar programs meet the needs of customers, no such consumer research has been completed against different community solar program models. This collaborative research effort addressed three primary issues: Program design models are numerous and evolving, with varying degrees of applicability across different state policy, utility regulatory, and solar market types. The agents, transaction methods, and accruing costs and benefits are highly variable and largely built on anecdotally successful model evolution. ‘Community solar’ (shared/group solar, solar gardens, etc.) has become a catch-all concept that means different things to different stakeholders, limiting constructive program development and growth. Everything from green pricing programs to remote net metering to metering aggregation has been framed as community solar. Consumer research on individual concepts and program models has been done, but no comprehensive and comparative market research on the broader design models and attributes has been performed. SEPA’s collaborative research effort on Community Solar Design Models for Consumer, Industry, & Utility Success is premised on the principle that greater standardization of community solar models and better understanding of consumer interests are key underpinnings of increased community solar deployment. Utilizing a cross-sectional multi-stakeholder working group, as well as focus groups and surveys, webinars, targeted outreach, and other tools, this project aims to expand the community solar knowledge base, facilitate information exchange, identify opportunities for standardization and improvement, determine what consumers’ interests are and how best to message to them, promote the research results within the solar and utility industries, and advance key opportunities for strategic deployment plans for community solar. A summary of these key takeaways/lessons learned during the grant period include: Siting of system should be evaluated up-front in the process Engage stakeholders collaboratively and early to help ensure the best chance for a successful program IT/billing departments must have a seat at the design table Establish upfront target objectives with respect to residential and commercial program access levels helps ensure program success Balance trade-offs to manage utility and developer risk with customer participation carefully to optimize pricing and sizing the program offering Over the course of the 42 month grant period, SEPA and its project team conducted a series of activities all designed to accelerate the number and size of community solar programs across the country. These activities included: Community Solar Program Design Models (2 reports) – SEPA, in collaboration with its projects team, the Coalition for Community Solar Access, and over 60 administrators of actual community solar programs, developed two reports providing hard data on the developments of community solar. These reports touched on program performance, quantity and type of programs, and program design steps, among other aspects. The reports collectively received over 2000 unique downloads. Market Research Report – SEPA, in collaboration with The Shelton Group, conducted a series of national surveys and focus groups to identify what customers were looking for in a community solar offering. The resulting report, “What the Community Solar Customer Wants”, received over 1,000 unique downloads. Technical Assistance Projects – SEPA supported 8 organizations who were pursuing community solar programs. Based on this support, over 5.7 MWs of new solar capacity have been developed. Technical Assistance Case Studies – SEPA developed two case studies detailing the technical assistance work in Fremont, NE Department of Utilities and the public power arm of Minster Ohio. These two reports have received 1,002 unique downloads. Webinar – SEPA hosted two webinars on community solar which collectively received 743 participants. The webinars focused on disseminating the findings of the research conducted under this project, as well as the research conducted in separate solar market pathways projects. Community Solar Design Workshops – 120 registrants learned about the trends in community solar and participated a business case exercise to design their own programs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Idaho National Laboratory Integrated Multisite SSHAC Level 3: Probabilistic Volcanic Hazards Assessment

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) resides on the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP), part of the Snake River Plain (SRP) with a complex origin and geologic history of volcanism. Much of the Quaternary (last 2.58 million years) volcanism within 400 km of INL is genetically associated with a major thermal anomaly referred to as the Yellowstone hotspot, which is currently located more than 180 km northeast of INL. Near INL, local volcanic sources include silicic domes near its southern border, and numerous dike-fed basaltic vents of the ESRP, some of which are near or within the INL boundaries. Quantitative probabilistic assessments of screened-in volcanic hazardous phenomena for nine different facility complexes at the INL are presented for a Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) Level 3 (SL3) study. The comprehensive, integrated multisite SSHAC study consists of a single regional Probabilistic Volcanic Hazards Assessment (PVHA) that pertains to all nine INL facility complexes, with site-specific information developed at each respective area of interest (AOI), referred to as the "INL facility AOI" (Figure ES-1). Hazard products are generated for specified INL facility AOIs for use by multiple stakeholders from different agencies in risk-informed decision-making regarding site selection, operations, and design of nuclear facilities at INL, consistent with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulatory guidance. The study also serves as the basis for future periodic safety assessments required for existing DOE facilities, such as 10-year evaluations of natural-phenomena hazards. Elements of the INL PVHA including initial characterization, screening, quantitative assessments of eruption and hazard potential, and consideration of facility needs are conducted using the three phases of the SSHAC process: evaluation, integration, and documentation. As per regulatory guidance, the SSHAC framework provided the necessary processes and procedures for the PVHA Technical Integration (TI) team, at three workshops, five formal working meetings and many TI team remote meetings, to conduct initial characterization, screen the volcanic hazards, create PVHA model inputs, exercise those models in the PVHA, consider facility-specific volcanic hazard needs, and perform final hazard calculations. The Participatory Peer Review Panel (PPRP) provided independent oversight and performed process and technical reviews of the PVHA throughout its duration. The study included an extensive New Data Collection and Analyses (NDCA) program developed by the PVHA TI team to reduce uncertainties in hazard-significant elements in the PVHA model. NDCA activities generated 20 reports providing important contributory datasets and results to the project database for characterizing the ESRP. For example, a report compiling the dimensions of ESRP shield volcanoes and lava fields was used to construct volcanic footprints (areas of impact), was compared with data from INL subsurface cores, and was used to validate the results of lava-flow inundation modeling on the contemporary terrain. Another example is the acquisition of aeromagnetic data over INL and its surrounding area, with maps of buried magmatic features (e.g., subsurface volcanoes and swarms of feeder dikes) that informed the PVHA conceptual model of volcanism. The SSHAC evaluation process was used to conduct all elements of the PVHA including initial characterization and screening. Existing data and NDCA activities provided the foundation to develop the tectonomagmatic conceptual model of volcanism for the region of geographical interest in the SRP and Yellowstone hotspot volcanic system, and for considering volcanoes in the western US. Considering Quaternary volcanic sources active during this period, the screening approach identified and evaluated magma compositions, types of eruptive and intrusive phenomena, types of hazardous phenomena, and proximity of sources to INL. The PVHA TI team evaluated 18 types of magmatic sources in terms of 20 potentially hazardous phenomena, resulting in 360 screening decisions. The screening process resulted in 140 screened-in hazardous volcanic phenomena for Quaternary volcanic sources 1) proximal to INL facility complexes in the ESRP (64 basaltic and 54 silicic), 2) regional sources associated with the Yellowstone caldera system and Blackfoot Reservoir volcanic field (7), and 3) more distal sources from thirteen Cascade volcanoes and two volcanoes at Long Valley caldera (CA).

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Comparative genomics and evolution of transcriptional regulons in Proteobacteria

Comparative genomics approaches are broadly used for analysis of transcriptional regulation in bacterial genomes. In this work, we identified binding sites and reconstructed regulons for 33 orthologous groups of transcription factors (TFs) in 196 reference genomes from 21 taxonomic groups of Proteobacteria. Overall, we predict over 10 600 TF binding sites and identified more than 15 600 target genes for 1896 TFs constituting the studied orthologous groups of regulators. These include a set of orthologues for 21 metabolism-associated TFs from Esc herichia coli and/or Shewanella that are conserved in five or more taxonomic groups and several additional TFs that represent non-orthologous substitutions of the metabolic regulators in some lineages of Proteobacteria. By comparing gene contents of the reconstructed regulons, we identified the core, taxonomy-specific and genome-specific TF regulon members and classified them by their metabolic functions. Detailed analysis of ArgR, TyrR, TrpR, HutC, HypR and other amino-acid-specific regulons demonstrated remarkable differences in regulatory strategies used by various lineages of Proteobacteria. The obtained genomic collection of in silico reconstructed TF regulons contains a large number of new regulatory interactions that await future experimental validation. The collection provides a framework for future evolutionary studies of transcriptional regulatory networks in Bacteria. It can be also used for functional annotation of putative metabolic transporters and enzymes that are abundant in the reconstructed regulons.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Regulatory Foundations for Cross-Border Electricity Trading: Nepal

Cross-border electricity trading (CBET) can reduce costs, improve reliability, and reduce emissions for all participating countries. Regulatory coordination is essential to making CBET successful. For Nepal, expanding CBET mechanisms could help accelerate development of the country’s large hydroelectric potential, especially if Nepal, India, and Bangladesh were parties to a comprehensive CBET framework. This report maps the regulatory issues Nepal might address if it elects to develop a national strategy for CBET with its neighbors in South Asia.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Metabolic kinetic modeling provides insight into complex biological questions, but hurdles remain

Metabolic models containing kinetic information can answer unique questions about cellular metabolism that are useful to metabolic engineering. Several kinetic modeling frameworks have recently been developed or improved. In addition, techniques for systematic identification of model structure, including regulatory interactions, have been reported. Each framework has advantages and limitations, which can make it difficult to choose the most appropriate framework. Common limitations are data availability and computational time, especially in large-scale modeling efforts. However, recently developed experimental techniques, parameter identification algorithms, as well as model reduction techniques help alleviate these computational bottlenecks. Opportunities for additional improvements may come from the rich literature in catalysis and chemical networks. In all, kinetic models are positioned to make significant impact in cellular engineering.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Timing Is everything: quantifying regulatory and market readiness levels for technology transition policy analysis

People save for retirement throughout their career because it is virtually impossible to save all you’ll need in retirement the year before you retire. Similarly, without installing incremental amounts of clean fossil, renewable or transformative energy technologies throughout the coming decades, a radical and immediate change will be near impossible the year before a policy goal is set to be in place. This notion of steady installation growth over acute installations of technology to meet policy goals is the core topic of discussion for this research. This research operationalizes this notion by developing the theoretical underpinnings of regulatory and market acceptance delays by building upon the common Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework and offers two new additions to the research community. The new and novel Regulatory Readiness Level (RRL) and Market Readiness Level (MRL) frameworks were developed. These components, collectively called the Technology, Regulatory and Market (TRM) readiness level framework allow one to build new constraints into existing Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) to address research questions such as, ‘To meet our desired technical and policy goals, what are the factors that affect the rate we must install technology to achieve these goals in the coming decades?’

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Drosophila Nanos acts as a molecular clamp that modulates the RNA-binding and repression activities of Pumilio

Collaboration among the multitude of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) is ubiquitous, yet our understanding of these key regulatory complexes has been limited to single RBPs. We investigated combinatorial translational regulation by Drosophila Pumilio (Pum) and Nanos (Nos), which control development, fertility, and neuronal functions. Our results show how the specificity of one RBP (Pum) is modulated by cooperative RNA recognition with a second RBP (Nos) to synergistically repress mRNAs. Crystal structures of Nos-Pum-RNA complexes reveal that Nos embraces Pum and RNA, contributes sequence-specific contacts, and increases Pum RNA-binding affinity. Nos shifts the recognition sequence and promotes repression complex formation on mRNAs that are not stably bound by Pum alone, explaining the preponderance of sub-optimal Pum sites regulated in vivo . Our results illuminate the molecular mechanism of a regulatory switch controlling crucial gene expression programs, and provide a framework for understanding how the partnering of RBPs evokes changes in binding specificity that underlie regulatory network dynamics.

Weidmann, Chase A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Complete Documentation of Applicable Regulations and Regulatory Authority for Transportation

This report fulfills the M4 milestone M4MR-20PN0303023, “Complete Documentation of Applicable Regulations and Regulatory Authority for Transportation. Microreactors are very small nuclear reactors with a power output of 20MWe or less and are designed to be factory-built, modular in nature, and highly portable. The objective of this report is to identify and document applicable regulations, the appropriate regulatory authority, and the associated framework for microreactor transport. Sections 2 and 3 of this report summarize U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and NRC regulations related to the transportation of Class 7 (radioactive) materials. These sections concentrate on the transport of fissile material packages and Type B packages, which would be most applicable to the transport of a microreactor before and after irradiation. Section 4 summarizes DOE hazardous and radioactive material transportation regulations. Section 5 summarizes U.S. Coast Guard regulations related to the transport of radioactive material. Section 6 discusses state requirements for the permitting of oversize and/or overweight truck shipments. Section 7 presents detailed schedules of requirements for transporting fissile material packages and Type B packages based on NRC and DOT regulations. The schedules are presented in a two-column format, the right column is the regulatory requirement and the left column is the citation of the regulation in which the requirement is found.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Global Regulations for Sustainable Battery Recycling: Challenges and Opportunities

With the rapid expansion of transportation electrification worldwide, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has increased dramatically, creating new and sustainable growth opportunities for the global economy. However, as the most expensive component of EVs, lithium-ion batteries pose significant sustainability challenges due to raw material consumption and supply chain constrains, as well as the complexities of end-of-life battery disposal and recycling. To address these concerns, many countries are actively establishing regulations to promote sustainable pathways for battery reuse and recycling. Despite these efforts, existing battery recycling regulations remain often inefficient and vary significantly across different countries in legal enforcement, producer responsibility, waste classification, recycling targets, design standards, public engagement, and financial incentives, particularly given the complexities of the global supply chain and resource distribution within the battery industry. Understanding these regulatory differences and establishing a unified framework are therefore crucial to ensuring sustainable and efficient battery recycling. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the necessity of establishing robust regulations for sustainable development of battery recycling industry. The evolution and refinement of battery recycling regulations are deeply reviewed to identifying persistent gaps and challenges in key countries. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges associated with regulatory enforcement and propose strategies for developing a more cohesive legislative framework to ensure the effective utilization of retired batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

State Spotlight on Resilience: The Michigan Public Service Commission and Data Informed Accountability

Resilience activities are an emerging area within regulatory utility policy. As resilience frameworks develop, many Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) are looking to initiate resilience activities and have identified enhancing grid reliability as a practical starting point. Reliability describes the grid’s ability to deliver electricity steadily and without interruptions under normal or “blue sky” conditions. Reliability is measured using industry standard metrics such as outage frequency (SAIFI) and outage duration (SAIDI). Resilience is broader, reflecting the grid’s ability to both withstand and recover from disruptions, particularly those caused by extreme events such as severe storms. A reliable grid minimizes routine disruptions; a resilient grid ensures the system can recover quickly when disruptions occur, preventing them from escalating into widespread or prolonged crises.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Metastable multimeric G-quadruplex 2′FY-RNA aptamers that selectively bind pyoverdines

Two 2′FY-RNA aptamers with distinct sequences were selected for specific binding to pyoverdine-Pf5 (PVD-Pf5), increasing chromophore fluorescence upon binding. They also recognized the peptide portion of pyoverdines, as shown by their differential specificity for related variants. Computational analysis and experimental data (NMM binding, CD spectra) identified G-quadruplex structures that were thermally metastable but reformed in the presence of PVD-Pf5. Further structural studies mainly with one aptamer revealed imino proton peaks in 1D H-NMR and pressure stability up to 2 kbar. Electrophoretic evidence identified dimeric G-quadruplexes formed by the 2′FY-RNA aptamers and their RNA equivalents. While cations were necessary for PVD-Pf5 binding, they were not required for G-quadruplex formation. Given the established role of G-quadruplexes as protein interaction sites, multimeric G-quadruplexes offer a potential framework for structure-based regulatory mechanisms in cellular RNAs. In addition to previously characterized multimeric G-quadruplexes, these aptamers contribute novel sequences that expand the repertoire of known multimeric G-quadruplexes.

2′FY-RNA↗