Results for “American-Made” — Page 2

DOE OSTI2024

Environmental Testing of SolarSCADA's SSI Data Acquisition System

In April of 2022, SolarSCADA, Inc., was awarded voucher funding to conduct research and analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) per the American-Made Solar Prize. SolarSCADA produces a fully integrated data acquisition system that is designed specifically for PV fields and includes a data monitoring platform. SolarSCADA is focused providing the SSI unit with all sensors/measurements per requirements in IEC-61724-1 [1] and with utility scale bankability. The objective of the SolarSCADA voucher funding was established as follows: Leverage NREL's existing calibration and environmental testing capabilities to evaluate the stability of the SSI channels and overall systeme in response to extreme environmental conditions associated with fielded PV.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Application of a Prize Mechanism to Address Data Utilization Challenges at Utilities

The electric industry sector is facing an “explosion” of data from a variety of sources. Electric sector stakeholders need to define how to capitalize on large datasets, both those they create and those from other sources (like data on weather, buildings, electric vehicles, etc.), to improve reliability and resilience and meet the changing system dynamics from renewable integration. For the electricity sector to fully utilize these vast new datasets, it must undergo a transformation in how it manages data quality, storage, and processing. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) is committed to accelerating research, development, and demonstration of new technologies and tools within the electricity sector to advance reliability, resilience, and affordable operation of the power system. Through the prize mechanism, OE identified two widespread data-related challenges for utilities—load modeling and data analysis automation—and offered an opportunity for utilities and teams of software engineers to identify additional challenges faced by utilities. After completing one round of the American-Made Digitizing Utilities Prize, OE, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as the prize administrator, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as the domain experts have compiled the results and lessons learned to feed into the second round of the prize.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements (VELOCITI) Round 6 (Abstract)

For the past several years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have provided technical assistance to the recipients of Department of Energy (DOE)-funded voucher programs, namely American-Made Challenges (AMC), the Incubator Program, and the Small Business Vouchers Program. Drawing on lessons learned and from first-hand experiences, NREL is leading a new holistic and streamlined voucher program aimed at strengthening ties between American innovators and the national labs. This new program, “Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements,” or VELOCITI, will leverage the successful elements of past programs, create administrative efficiencies, and enable the buildout of a national program to drive strong relationships between entrepreneurs and the national labs to accelerate the roll-out of new technologies in the US solar sector. This work will develop a comprehensive techno-economic assessment to understand the potential of repurposed batteries to achieve the DOE’s target of 5 cents per kWh Levelized Cost of Storage (LCOS), thereby facilitating the more affordable and widespread adoption of solar energy.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Hawaii Fish Company Inc. Technical Assistance Voucher (Abstract)

For the past several years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have provided technical assistance to the recipients of Department of Energy (DOE) -funded voucher programs, namely American-Made Challenges (AMC), the Incubator Program, and the Small Business Vouchers Program. Drawing on lessons learned and from first-hand experiences, NREL is leading a new holistic and streamlined voucher program aimed at strengthening ties between American innovators and the national labs. This new program, “Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements,” or VELOCITI, will leverage the successful elements of past programs, create administrative efficiencies, and enable the buildout of a national program to drive strong relationships between entrepreneurs and the national labs to accelerate the roll-out of new technologies in the US solar sector. This work will evaluate Hawaii Fish Company’s (HFC’s) floating renewable energy-powered aeration systems, designed primarily for aquaculture ponds, with crossover applications to farm ponds, reservoirs, and other water bodies. Notably, HFC’s systems include a variety of configurations, such as direct-solar systems, battery-storage systems, and systems with a secondary wind turbine option. HFC is planning to refine and commercialize their renewable energy aeration platforms. Presently, HFC is fabricating multiple configurations of the systems for deployment in multiple locations in the U.S. PNNL will apply technical expertise to assist in these goals, benefitting the industry partner by giving them an understanding of the performance of their systems. The technical objectives of this project are to understand system performance and reliability, determine a path toward certification, and model the performance of the systems in different locations.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Integrate Latimer Controls' Solution into RTAC (CRADA Final Report, CRD-23-24672)

Latimer Controls, Inc. was awarded two vouchers under the Department of Energy's American-Made Solar Prize Round 6 to conduct collaborative research at a national laboratory. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was selected as a partner to assist Latimer Controls in the performance evaluation of its photovoltaic (PV) control software. This collaboration focuses on developing a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed at NREL, which will be used to test and validate the Latimer PV control technology in a realistic yet de-risked environment. Both Latimer and NREL teams will work together to analyze the collected test data, derive insights, and disseminate the scientific findings. Recent studies underscore the potential of solar energy as a zero-marginal-cost and zero-emission flexibility resource within the bulk power system, particularly when integrated with advanced control systems. To enhance the performance of such systems, Latimer Controls has developed leading-edge technologies, including machine learning (ML) algorithms and hierarchical inverter set-point allocation methods. These innovations are designed to estimate the operational headroom of large PV plants for grid integration and control. However, comprehensive validation under real-world conditions remains necessary. To address this gap, the concurrent CRADA project proposes the real-world application and validation of the Latimer Control solution within a HIL environment. Initially, the Latimer algorithm was developed and tested within MATLAB Simulink, a platform suitable for research-level simulations and iterative development. However, transitioning this technology to a real solar site as an industry-ready solution necessitates implementation in a format compatible with widely used solar power plant controllers. In this additional CRADA work, the MATLAB Simulink-based logic will be translated into Structured Text, a programming language compliant with IEC 61131 standards, which is commonly used for custom logic implementations in industry-leading programmable logic controllers (PLCs), such as the Schweitzer SEL real-time automation controller (RTAC). This transition will facilitate the deployment of the Latimer Control solution in real-world solar power plants, thereby advancing the technology towards commercialization.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

CRADA 611 Noria Energy R6 (Abstract)

For the past several years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have provided technical assistance to the recipients of Department of Energy (DOE) -funded voucher programs, namely American-Made Challenges (AMC), the Incubator Program, and the Small Business Vouchers Program. Drawing on lessons learned and from first-hand experiences, NREL is leading a new holistic and streamlined voucher program aimed at strengthening ties between American innovators and the national labs. This new program, “Vouchers to Enable Laboratory and Organizational Collaboration for Innovation and Technology Improvements,” or VELOCITI, will leverage the successful elements of past programs, create administrative efficiencies, and enable the buildout of a national program to drive strong relationships between entrepreneurs and the national labs to accelerate the roll-out of new technologies in the US solar sector.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2026

The Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize (Final Technical Report)

This is a final technical report for the American-Made Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in collaboration with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The MAKE IT Prize aims to catalyze domestic manufacturing of critical energy technology components, moving manufacturing facilities from planning to shovel-ready and enabling strategies for vibrant manufacturing activities in communities. This prize was launched with a prize pool of approximately $30 million spread across two tracks: Facilities and Strategies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize Final Technical Report

This is a final technical report for the American-Made The Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize, funded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act through the Technology Commercialization Fund, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in collaboration with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The SOLVE IT Prize aimed to enable local organizations to identify and implement innovative energy solutions in a way that works for their unique needs and challenges. The competition awarded $3,740,000 to winning teams across two phases. The prize was designed to support local stakeholders and organizations as they identified and implemented innovative energy solutions. In doing so, the SOLVE IT Prize looked to promote the commercialization of promising energy technologies that will lead to reliable, affordable energy across the U.S.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Floating Offshore Wind U.S. Manufacturing and Commercialization: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

The American-Made FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize provides the Participant with a voucher technical support provided by DOE national laboratories, such as the Contractor. The primary goals include providing insights for the INO/INOC floating offshore wind platform on 1) an evaluation the workforce requirements for the full-scale production and deployment; and 2) an assessment of domestic supplier capabilities for the main components US regional and national supply chain constraints and gaps.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Testing of Prototype PV Modules (CRADA Final Report)

The American-Made Solar Prize is a prize competition from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that is designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing. The competition aims to support the growth of U.S. solar manufacturing and reenergize American energy innovation by tapping into Americans’ competitive spirit and the nation's unparalleled innovation ecosystem, leveraging national labs, incubators, facilities, and more. Finalists have been chosen based on the work they intend to do with a manufacturing partner to advance their innovation to market. NLR will provide technical advisement to assist participants in demonstrating the full potential of their product.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Prizes Power NREL Water Power Innovation

NREL administered and managed several DOE American-Made Challenges prizes in Fiscal Year 2021, which support a number of DOE initiatives and administration goals. NREL's contributions to the success of these prizes included preparing and disseminating communications materials to and between competitors, partners, supporting institutions, sponsors, and the public.

HYDRO ENERGY,TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2022

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between National Energy Technology Laboratory and West Virginia University Research Corporation (Abstract)

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and West Virginia University Research Corporation (Participant) will collaborate on the testing of a 3D printed sparger in a temperature and pressure chamber, for the purpose of supporting the “American-Made Geothermal Prize” competition, designed to catalyze manufacturing innovation in the American geothermal industry by harnessing the rapid advances additive manufacturing can provide in improving design, fabrication, and functionality, which is accomplished through a series of prize competitions and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources from across the United States. The intent is to connect competitor teams with national laboratories that can help accelerate the development of innovative solutions and products. Teams who have won the Set!, Go!, Make! Contests are eligible to utilize vouchers at national laboratories to advance their ideas.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Contech to Accelerate Cleantech: Seeding Emerging Innovation Programs for Construction Productivity and Energy Efficiency Integration; Preprint

Investments in U.S.-based start-ups that focus on advanced building construction technologies to increase construction productivity (contech) surged to approximately $3.1 billion in 2018 (as per Crunchbase data). More recently, emerging programs by government funding agencies, philanthropic foundations, and venture capitalists have been instrumental in supporting contech start-ups for innovations that increase productivity of energy efficiency integration and accelerate clean energy technologies (cleantech) for the buildings sector. These programs include R&D support and funding mechanisms for contech and cleantech. Traditionally, contech and cleantech are considered as two different innovation ecosystems. To enhance and scale up energy efficiency in buildings, creative programs that bring together contech and cleantech are critical. This paper provides a landscape assessment of the "contech-for-cleantech" innovation ecosystem in the U.S. and its impact in accelerating technology readiness and the development pipeline of "contech-for-cleantech". Technologies highlighted are robotics for retrofits, prefabrication of energy-efficient products, and advanced manufacturing of low-carbon net-zero buildings construction. Programs discussed include those led by (1) government funding agencies: American-Made Challenges with prizes like E-ROBOT for retrofits with robotics, (2) philanthropic foundations: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) that includes focus on energy efficiency and prefabrication, and (3) venture capitalists: Shadow Ventures Green Building Accelerator program which provides funding support to start-ups with ambitious plans for decarbonizing the built environment. This paper will also expand upon robust processes and criteria involved in judging and down-selection of start-ups through vetting and feedback from national lab researchers and industry experts in both cleantech and contech.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2023

PIVOT: Powering the Transformation of the Global Energy Economy - 2023 JISEA Annual Report

The 2023 JISEA Annual Report describes accomplishments from the past year at the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis, which is powering the transformation of the global energy economy. 2022 was filled with high-impact work in supply chain analysis, industrial decarbonization, sustainable communities, and more. This year, JISEA also launched the Green Computing Catalyzer and welcomed the American-Made program to the center.

catalyzer↗

DOE OSTI2025

Durability and Accelerated Aging Test of the Polymeric Mirror-Film Prototype (CRADA Final Report)

The participant is developing a low-cost liquid metal coating for concentrated solar power (CSP) polymeric mirrors. Current CSP technology uses bulky and costly glass mirrors. As a lighter alternative, polymeric mirror film is cheaper than glass mirrors, yet expensive to manufacture. The participant is working to develop a room temperature liquid-metal thin-film deposition technique and CSP polymeric mirror film that will reduce expenditures by 80% and film cost by 50%.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗