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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Power Budget Analysis for High Altitude Airships

The High Altitude Airship (HAA) has various potential applications and mission scenarios that require onboard energy harvesting and power distribution systems. The energy source considered for the HAA s power budget is solar photon energy that allows the use of either photovoltaic (PV) cells or advanced thermoelectric (ATE) converters. Both PV cells and an ATE system utilizing high performance thermoelectric materials were briefly compared to identify the advantages of ATE for HAA applications in this study. The ATE can generate a higher quantity of harvested energy than PV cells by utilizing the cascaded efficiency of a three-staged ATE in a tandem mode configuration. Assuming that each stage of ATE material has the figure of merit of 5, the cascaded efficiency of a three-staged ATE system approaches the overall conversion efficiency greater than 60%. Based on this estimated efficiency, the configuration of a HAA and the power utility modules are defined.

Choi, Sang H.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Adaptive Control for Residential HVAC Systems to Support Grid Services

In this paper, we propose an adaptive control strategy for residential buildings' heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to support grid services. The proposed control strategy captures the time-varying characteristics of the building and weather environments. It assigns to each building a local controller to maintain the indoor temperature within a desired comfort level, while the load aggregator allocates the assigned reference power provided by the distribution system operator to support a specific grid service, such as demand peak reduction, balancing supply and demand, and consuming the solar photovoltaic (PV) power locally. Simulation results are presented to verify the performance of the proposed control strategy in terms of maintaining the indoor temperatures of several buildings within the desired comfort bands while tracking the reference power profile. Also, a comparison with a recently developed model-free control strategy is presented.

Wu, Tumin↗
DOE OSTI2022

Automated defect identification in electroluminescence images of solar modules

Solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are susceptible to manufacturing defects, mishandling problems or extreme weather events that can limit energy production or cause early device failure. Trained professionals use electroluminescence (EL) images to identify defects in modules, however, field surveys or inline image acquisition can generate millions of EL images, which are infeasible to analyze by rote inspection. Here, we develop a rapid automatic computer vision pipeline (~0.5 seconds/module) to analyze EL images and identify defects including cracks, intra-cell defects, oxygen-induced defects, and solder disconnections. Defect identification is achieved with a machine learning model (Random Forest, ResNet models and YOLO) trained on 762 manually-labeled EL images of PV modules. We compare model performance on an imbalanced real-world validation set containing 134 EL images and determine that ResNet18 and YOLO are the optimal models; we next evaluated these models on a dedicated testing set (129 module images) with resulting macro F1 scores of 0.83 (ResNet18) and 0.78 (YOLO). Using a field EL survey of a PV power plant damaged in a vegetation fire, we analyze 18,954 EL images (2.4 million cells) and inspect the spatial distribution of defects on the solar modules. The results find increased frequency of ‘crack’, ‘solder’ and ‘intra-cell’ defects on the edges of the solar module closest to the ground after fire. We also find an abnormal increase of striation rings on cells which were assumed to be caused mainly in fabrication process. Our methods are published as open-source software. It can also be used to identify other kinds of defects or process different types of solar cells with minor modification on models by transfer learning.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cybersecurity Certification Recommendations for Interconnected Grid Edge Devices and Inverter Based Resources

Escalating deployment of PV and grid-edge devices on the distribution grid has increased the sustainability and efficiency of the electric grid. However, the increasing number of distributed energy resources (DERs) deployed creates a heightened cyber-physical interdependency on the distribution grid and thus creates more vectors for cyber-attacks to exploit through information and communication technology (ICT) systems and networks. For example, control signal packets can be modified, intercepted, or corrupted due to vulnerabilities in communication protocols used by microgrid controllers and grid edge devices for power control. Therefore, to mitigate and prevent cyber-attacks on grid edge devices and the inverter-based resources connected to the distribution grid, the U.S. Department of Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) awarded funding to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) to research, develop, and harmonize cybersecurity standards for Photovoltaic (PV) systems and for other kinds of DERs. To help develop a standard for DER cybersecurity, NREL established certification recommendations and test cases, in consensus with the solar industry and UL, for ensuring intrinsic design security for DERs. These recommendations were developed to bolster the cybersecure functionalities such as TLS, MAC, CRL, session resumption/renegotiation, and password, system, and service security management within the DER devices. The proposed test cases verify authentication, authorization, confidentiality, and data integrity for data and communications of DERs that use Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). They were also developed to protect DER communications from eavesdropping, replay, man-in-the-middle, denial of service (DoS), spoofing through security certificates, least-privilege violation, and brute-force credentials. This report, which has been validated and reviewed by UL, expands upon those test cases to provide DER cybersecurity certification recommendations which increase DER resiliency and help to mitigate cyber-attacks. UL's collaboration with NREL and approval of this document will accelerate the adoption of a UL standard for DER cybersecurity.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technical and Economic Screening for Potential of Distributed Energy Resource Integration at Chervonohrad Water Utility in Ukraine

In this report, the authors present a preliminary techno-economic screening for distributed renewable energy for Chervonohrad Vodokanal, the water utility in Chervonohrad, Ukraine. The screening estimates the technical potential and economics of integrating solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) at Chervonohrad Vodokanal water pumping stations, Pravda, Bendiuha, and Mezhyrichchya. For the Ukrainian version of this report, see NREL/TP-7A40-90360 (https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy24osti/90360.pdf).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

ТЕХНІКО-ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ ІНТЕГРАЦІЇ РОЗПОДІЛЕНИХ ЕНЕРГЕТИЧНИХ РЕСУРСІВ ДЛЯ ВОДОКАНАЛУ М.ЧЕРВОНОГРАД В УКРАЇНІ [Technical and Economic Screening for Potential of Distributed Energy Resource Integration at Chervonohrad Water Utility in Ukraine] (Ukrainian Translation)

In this report, the authors present a preliminary techno-economic screening for distributed renewable energy for Chervonohrad Vodokanal, the water utility in Chervonohrad, Ukraine. The screening estimates the technical potential and economics of integrating solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) at Chervonohrad Vodokanal water pumping stations, Pravda, Bendiuha, and Mezhyrichchya. For the English version of this report, see NREL/TP-7A40-89599 (https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy24osti/89599.pdf).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Distributed Wind Monitoring Best Practices

Accessible performance and operational data have been identified as a key enabler for distributed wind energy industry advancement. While utility-scale wind turbines benefit from reliable and continuous supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)-based monitoring platforms, monitoring of the U.S. fleet of distributed wind (DW) turbines has been more inconsistent, unreliable, and sometime difficult to access. Without fleet monitoring data, the industry will never understand and thus work to improve turbine under-performance and reliability issues. For the DW industry to scale up, attract investors, and boost credibility, fleetwide monitoring must be robust and reliable, select data must be made accessible to stakeholders, and the data must be in a format useful to users. To help move the industry toward a more standardized, accessible stream of monitoring data, this distributed wind monitoring best practices report attempts to cover topics including key monitoring channels, hardware, communication strategies, and accessibility. Strategic engagement with DW original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), service providers, lab and university researchers, testing organization, certification bodies, end users and solar photovoltaic (PV) monitoring experts has enabled a better understanding of the current state-of-the-art of monitoring and aided in articulating this set of best practices that will guide OEMs toward harmonized monitoring strategies, aimed at a future goal of achieving accessible performance and operational data for the entire fleet of U.S. distributed wind turbines.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cybersecurity in Photovoltaic Plant Operations

This paper provides practical information for PV plant operators regarding cybersecurity. Plans to integrate photovoltaic generation into utility systems requires that cybersecurity be considered in every aspect- from customer data to business information to plant monitoring and control operations. This paper describes the types of threats encountered in operation of PV plants; challenges faced by photovoltaic plant operators in implementing cybersecurity; cybersecurity standards that apply to photovoltaic plant operations; cybersecurity response plans and recommended best practices to ensure photovoltaic plant cybersecurity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

OPET Hardware (Open PV Electrical Tool Hardware) [SWR-25-42]

OPET (Open-source Photovoltaic Electrical Tool) is used for performance measurements of solar photovoltaic (PV) devices in the field under natural sunlight or in the lab under artificial light. Its primary use is in research and development of solar cells and modules, specifically in reliability and durability research of PV devices. Some features and functions include: -IV curve measurements with linear or cosine distributed measurement points -PV device active loading at open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current (Isc) and maximum power point (Pmp) -Bias power supply to overcome series resistance in contact wires for Isc measurements and loading -PV voltage input in five ranges from 1V to 100V -PV current input ranges -Low current version, six current ranges from 1.1mA to 340mA -High current version, six current ranges from 50mA to 15A -IO ports for I2C and SPI temperature sensor Arduino extension boards -Integrated fan control This repository contains everything relating to the hardware of the OPET device. If you are looking for the firmware or software repositories, links are below: https://github.com/NREL/opet-firmware https://github.com/NREL/opet-control

McDanold, Byron [National Renewable Energy Laborat↗
DOE OSTI2023

Lessons Learned From Techno-Economic Analysis of Solar Photovoltaics and Battery Energy Storage at a Vietnam Industrial Park

Through the Clean Energy Investment Accelerator (CEIA), engineers from the United States (U.S.) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a case study analysis evaluating the techno-economic feasibility of battery energy storage systems (BESS) at an industrial park in Vietnam. The analysis uses NREL's REopt platform, a distributed energy modeling and optimization tool, to identify the cost-optimal system sizing for BESS, in conjunction with onsite renewables such as solar photovoltaics (PV), to reduce electricity costs, increase onsite renewable energy generation utilization, and improve resilience to grid outages.

batteries↗
DOE OSTI2023

Conservation Voltage Reduction with Distributed Energy Resource Management System, Grid-Edge, and Legacy Devices: Preprint

Distribution utilities use conservation voltage reduction (CVR) to obtain energy savings and lower peak demand by reducing bus voltages. Traditionally, the CVR is accomplished by controlling the legacy assets such as load tap changers, voltage regulators, and capacitor banks. The deployment of the advanced distribution management system (ADMS) and distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) enables the integration of distributed energy resources into the distribution networks and provide the grid services including CVR. This paper studies the coordinated operation of an ADMS and a DERMS in achieving CVR and voltage regulation. A commercial ADMS uses legacy devices and Edge-of-Network Grid Optimization (ENGO) devices to obtain energy savings through CVR. A prototype DERMS dispatches the photovoltaic smart inverters based on real-time optimal power low to ensure voltage regulation across the feeder. The results show that the coordinated operation of ADMS and DERMS is effective in achieving CVR and voltage regulation. Specifically, energy savings of up to 4.7% are observed in the real utility distribution system used in this study.

advanced distribution management system↗
DOE OSTI2021

Improving the Power Outage Resilience of Buildings with Solar PV through the Use of Battery Systems and EV Energy Storage

Buildings with solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and a stationary battery energy storage system (BESS) may self-sustain an uninterrupted full-level electricity supply during power outages. The duration of off-grid operation is dependent on the time of the power fault and the capabilities of the home energy management system (HEMS). In this paper, building resilience is quantified by analyzing the self-sustainment duration for all possible power outages throughout an entire year. An evaluation method is proposed and exercised on a reference house in California climate zone 9 for which the detailed electricity usage is simulated using the EnergyPlus software. The influence of factors such as energy use behavioral patterns, energy storage capacity from the BESS, and an electric vehicle (EV) battery on the building resilience is evaluated. Varying combinations of energy storage and controllable loads are studied for optimally improved resilience based on user preferences. It is shown that for the target home and region with a solar PV system of 7.2 kW, a BESS with a capacity of 11 kWh, and an EV with a battery of 80 kWh permanently connected to the home, off-grid self-sustained full operation is guaranteed for at least 72 h.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Addressing the split incentive challenge for rooftop solar PV and battery energy storage in multifamily rental buildings (CRADA 638 Final Report)

This project advances the understanding of how roof solar PV systems and battery energy storage systems (BESS) can be effectively deployed in multifamily residential buildings, a sector that has historically faced barriers due to misaligned incentives between landlords and tenants. By leveraging high-resolution building stock data and simulation tools, the research demonstrates how energy consumption patterns vary across building types, climates, and occupant characteristics, and how these variations influence the optimal sizing and operation of distributed energy resources. A key contribution is the development of a publicly accessible, web-based tool named RESIDE (Residential Energy Systems & Infrastructure Data Evaluation) that allows users to explore building energy use and evaluate solar and battery configurations without requiring specialized expertise. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for stakeholders such as property owners, utilities, and policymakers. From a technical perspective, the project shows that integrating rooftop solar PV with battery energy storage can substantially reduce electricity costs and peak demand through strategies such as energy arbitrage and peak shaving. The modeling framework incorporates real-world constraints, including time-of-use electricity pricing and battery degradation, providing realistic and actionable insights. Economically, the results indicate that properly sized systems can deliver meaningful cost savings, improving the feasibility of energy investments in multifamily housing. More broadly, the project benefits the public by supporting the transition to affordable and reliable energy, particularly in rental multifamily housing where adoption has traditionally lagged.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pricing Strategy of Electric Vehicle Aggregators Based on Locational Marginal Price to Minimize Photovoltaic (PV) Curtailment

The global climate crisis demands urgent action to mitigate global warming. Using renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, for electricity generation is crucial. This shift from centralized to distributed power systems, however, brings challenges, including voltage fluctuations and renewable energy curtailment. The rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) industry adds complexity, increasing overall electricity demand and straining the power supply during peak charging times. This paper proposes a scheduling strategy for EV aggregators to reduce renewable energy curtailment and stabilize grid operation by strategically scheduling EV charging. Using Multi -Agent Transport Simulation (MATSim), a traffic simulation tool, EV driving data in Denver, Colorado, USA, were modeled. The EV aggregator adjusts charging fees based on locational marginal prices, encouraging EVs to charge at different stations according to pricing. Simulations on an IEEE 33-bus system with distributed energy resources and EV charging stations validate the proposed algorithm, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing curtailment by 12.55% and stabilizing grid operation.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Challenges of Modeling Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) as Blackstart Resources and for Volt-VAR Optimality

Modeling, testing and instituting Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) as Blackstart Resoucrces presents several challenges due to the fundamental differences between traditional black start resources (e.g., large generators) versus DERs like solar PV systems with battery storage. This paper addresses some of these key challenges. These include intermittency of coordinating DERs to provide continuous power during a black start event, especially during extended periods of cloud cover or when battery energy storage is depleted. This paper additionally addresses the collapsing voltage and stability control challenges specific to maintaining bulk power system stability during black start synchronization These physical and engineering limitations require careful engineering design, modeling and engineering to ensure that DERs can support critical loads and substations during black start events. A variety of additional challenges also exist. Additionally, there are challenges associated with feeder location and low voltage secondary system impacts on DER functions and settings. We compare typical functions and settings for DERs for power factor control and correction. We also demonstrate how voltag control via Volta-VAR power factor correction can be done

Mukherjee, Srijib↗
DOE OSTI2022

Microgrid-Integrated Solar-Storage Technology (MISST)

Microgrid-Integrated Solar-Storage Technology (MISST) project addresses availability and variability issues inherent in the solar photovoltaic (PV) technology by utilizing smart inverters for solar PV/battery storage and working synergistically with other components within a microgrid community. A key contribution of this project to the state-of-the-art is the practical implementation of seamless and coordinated control between the previously developed and DOE-funded Microgrid Master Controller (MMC) and the MISST controller, the latter is a dedicated solar-storage controller to manage high penetration of solar PV and energy storage systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗