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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Community-Engaged Energy Transition Planning in Holyoke

The overarching motivation of this project is to provide stakeholder-engaged research and education to enable a clean, equitable, and resilient energy transition. Presently, low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately burdened by environmental harm, while also being routinely left out of planning processes and benefits from infrastructure improvements. The Energy Transition Institute (ETI) addresses these issues in three ways: community engagement, educating diverse future leaders, and cutting-edge research. As municipalities across the Commonwealth plan their transition to a climate-friendly energy system, research from ETI will advance technical and social understanding of heating electrification, energy storage, demand flexibility, reliability and resiliency of power distribution infrastructure, with attention to equity. This will benefit surrounding communities, cities and towns across Massachusetts, and the global research community

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Framework for Identifying Building Energy Models of Localized Utility Service Areas Using Smart Meter Data

Bottom-up load modeling of buildings offers a versatile approach to simulating baseline demand and scenarios of future technology evolution and adoption at the individual building level. This capability is essential to understanding how future load shapes may change with the adoption of electric equipment and vehicles, particularly as it relates to grid planning and infrastructure investments. Traditionally, grid planning techniques have used historical load data to predict future load and infrastructure needs. However, with the anticipated rise in adoption of electrification technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles, historical data become less reliable predictors of the future. By employing ResStock, a high-fidelity building stock modeling tool, we can fine-tune electrification scenarios and aggregate models to represent varying geographic resolutions of the grid system, while considering the underlying features of homes. This may enable a more accurate and responsive approach to anticipate and plan for the evolving landscape of energy demands. We present a new framework that leverages building stock energy modeling to identify building models that align with the load shapes and housing attributes of buildings with AMI data. This approach applies two model layers: (1) a classification step that identifies the presence of air conditioning, electric heating, and electric water heating, and (2) an optimization routine that identifies building energy models aligning with load profile data from advanced metering infrastructure meters. This report demonstrates one approach to deploying this framework, and presents results for three test cases that use both modeled and AMI data to assess performance. For a test case using AMI data in Fort Collins, Colorado, we observed a median monthly electricity load CV-RMSE of 16.6%, and a top ten daily heating and cooling median absolute percent error of 7.7% and 8.3%, respectively. For each AMI meter, we identify a set of potential energy models so that downstream use-cases can account for uncertainty driven by variability of baseline technologies and occupant behavior, which impact the response to electrification and energy efficiency scenarios. Our results indicate that ResStock has potential as a scalable solution for modeling residential energy demand at local grid resolutions. Its performance depends on location-specific factors, underlying building characteristics, and the level of aggregation, offering a path towards more precise and adaptive distribution grid planning for the evolving energy landscape.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hourly Load Profile Dataset for Electric Transit Bus Depots in the United States

Transit buses operate primarily in dense urban areas, where nearby populations face increased exposure to fine particulates, nitrogen oxides, and other harmful pollutants. Electrifying transit buses presents a clear opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve urban air quality. However, widespread adoption may pose significant energy and infrastructure challenges, which can be mitigated through proactive planning and investment. This report presents a robust modeling framework and an initial estimation of the hourly electricity demand at transit bus depots across the United States. The resulting depot-level dataset, available at data.nrel.gov/submissions/282, provides valuable insights for infrastructure planning and electricity demand forecasting, supporting the scalable electrification of transit bus fleets nationwide.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scalable Truck Charging Demand Simulation for Cost-Optimized Infrastructure Planning

This project developed a scalable, high-resolution model to simulate medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric truck charging demand and assess its impact on grid infrastructure. Using generative modeling, simulation, and cost optimization, the project delivered an end-to-end software pipeline and a library of 96 real-world scenarios for the Dallas–Houston megaregion. We demonstrated a modular architecture for transportation and grid modeling, implemented cost-optimized infrastructure planning methods, and quantified grid capital, operational, and environmental costs across a wide range of truck electrification scenarios. The results have been adopted by major utility stakeholders and contributed to regional planning efforts.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Power System Resilience Considering Hurricane Storms and Generator Step-up Transformers

Power system resilience describes the system’s ability to withstand and recover quickly from unexpected power outages due to extreme events. As society’s electrification continues at a rapid rate, it is imperative electric infrastructure is designed and operated with extra security. This work studies the impact of severe hurricane storms on the power system located along the United States’ Eastern Seaboard. Specific focus is designated to steady state system operation and loss of large generation step up power transformers. A series of phasor domain power system simulations are conducted to determine the critical point at which the system loses steady state operability. Additionally, active power load shedding and generator dispatching are studied as mitigation and recovery strategies. Results indicate generator dispatching as an effective proactive mitigation strategy and load shedding as an effective recovery strategy.

Liu, Yilu↗
DOE OSTI2026

Operational Simulation of Multi-Functional Charging Station for Sustainable Transportation

As transportation systems move toward electrification and decarbonization, multifunctional charging stations (MFCS) are emerging as key infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs). This paper presents a simulation model of an MFCS that integrates solar photovoltaic (PV), wind power, battery storage, hydrogen (\mathrm{H}_{2}) production, dual-pressure \mathrm{H}_{2} storage, fuel cells, and dynamic grid interactions. The model simulates daily operations using 5 -minute resolution data to capture realtime variability in renewable energy (RE), demand, and electricity prices. A flexible dispatch algorithm dynamically allocates energy for EV charging, \mathrm{H}_{2} production, storage, and grid transactions while respecting system constraints. Results show that the MFCS effectively prioritizes RE usage, minimizes waste, meets diverse energy demands, and achieves net operational profit. The model serves as a valuable decision-support tool for designing and optimizing integrated clean energy hubs for zero-emission transportation.

Gbadegoye, Jeremiah [University of Tennessee, Knox↗
DOE OSTI2025

Colorado Alternatively Powered Aircraft Airport Infrastructure Study

Advanced Air Mobility encompasses emerging technologies in propulsion of general aviation and commuter aircraft for the purpose of moving passengers and goods. The State of Colorado has a strong aerospace and aviation legacy, and this research explores the potential energy implications of a transition from traditional aircraft propulsion systems to more-electric, full electric and hydrogen powered aircraft in flight schools, and small community air service utilizing NASA's Regional Air Mobility Model. Effort includes identifying potential energy needs and cost-effective solutions to support those emerging needs analyzing potential benefits on on-site generation and storage to optimize energy systems.Advanced Air Mobility encompasses emerging technologies in propulsion of general aviation and commuter aircraft for the purpose of moving passengers and goods. The State of Colorado has a strong aerospace and aviation legacy, and this research explores the potential energy implications of a transition from traditional aircraft propulsion systems to more-electric, full electric and hydrogen powered aircraft in flight schools, and small community air service utilizing NASA's Regional Air Mobility Model. Effort includes identifying potential energy needs and cost-effective solutions to support those emerging needs analyzing potential benefits on on-site generation and storage to optimize energy systems.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

A review of energy storage for power system resilience: Functions, metrics, and applications

Aging infrastructure, increasing operational complexity, and surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence and electrification are straining the grid and heightening the risks of disruptions, making resilience a critical priority. Energy storage is increasingly deployed to provide critical power supply, fast grid support, and rapid restoration. However, current practice lacks consistent metrics and systematic methodologies to rigorously quantify the resilience benefits of storage. This paper provides a comprehensive review of energy storage in resilience enhancement, focusing on functional roles, quantification metrics, and integration strategies. A structured resilience metrics library is compiled and categorized to encompass both technical and economic performance aspects. Existing methodologies for resilience-oriented storage planning and operations are critically examined. Key technical and practical challenges are identified, and future research directions are outlined to strengthen storage contributions to grid resilience.

Benefit quantification↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Unified Design Theory for Multi-Port Polyphase Transformers Enabling Scalable Power-Multiplexed EV Fleet Charging Systems

This paper presents a unified analytical design theory for multi-port polyphase transformers, targeting scalable and isolated high-power Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet charging systems with power multiplexing capability. As fleet electrification accelerates, conventional one-to-one charger architectures face significant challenges in infrastructure cost, peak power demand, and low utilization of installed power electronics. Power-multiplexed charging architectures, which dynamically distribute power from a shared pool of converter modules across multiple vehicles, have emerged as a promising solution. However, such architectures require scalable, isolated multi-port power interfaces capable of routing energy among multiple inputs and outputs, whose design remains complex and dependent on iterative modeling. To address this gap, the proposed theory provides closed-form expressions for self-inductance, leakage inductance, and mutual coupling terms for arbitrary multi-phase, multi-port transformer structures. The formulation enables direct synthesis of isolated multi-input and multi-output resonant converter systems without reliance on geometry-specific finite-element analysis or extensive parameter extraction. This capability is particularly critical for power-multiplexed systems, where modular converter structures must interface with multiple vehicles while maintaining galvanic isolation and flexible power allocation. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated through the design of a 360 kW multi-phase system operating over a 700–900 VDC input and 400–1250 VDC output range. PLECS simulation results confirm accurate prediction of system behavior and validate the applicability of the approach to multi-port, power-multiplexed charging scenarios. The proposed method significantly reduces design complexity while enabling scalable, cost-effective, and fully utilized EV fleet charging infrastructure.

Asa, Erdem [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190884812)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Airport Ground Support Equipment Analysis

Ground support equipment (GSE) plays a critical role in providing services to aircraft at arrival and departure gates, ensuring smooth and efficient airport operations. As the airline industry seeks to reduce costs and expand energy options, electric GSE (eGSE) is emerging as a promising solution. This project examines the integration of eGSE into airport operations, addressing key considerations such as vehicle deployment, charging infrastructure, and grid impacts. We developed a flexible, bottom-up modeling framework to evaluate energy demands and infrastructure requirements across more than 300 U.S. airports, providing actionable insights to support electrification planning and implementation. The study focuses on eight major types of GSE with commercially available electric counterparts: aircraft tractors, ground power units, baggage tractors, belt loaders, cargo loaders, catering trucks, lavatory trucks, and water trucks. Project results include annual charging load profiles, total energy consumption, and the charger and fleet requirements for each airport.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electric Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Attributes and Development

Although more established for light-duty vehicles (LDVs), advancements in electric vehicle (EV) charging technology are being made in the medium- and heavy-duty (MD/HD) sector. Progress is also being made with the electrification of MD/HD vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, MD trucks, and HD trucks. The diverse set of operational requirements and duty cycles for each vocation, as well as the range in the size of fleets, present unique charging and infrastructure requirements. This report focuses on charging requirements for MD/HD vehicles and synergies with LDV infrastructure. This analysis leans toward the qualitative rather than quantitative because relevant model inputs are in development and will not be established for a few years, as EV deployments are more mature in the LDV sectors than MD/HD. The report begins with an overview of MD/HD vehicle classes and types of charging, including depot and residential charging, among others (Section 2). Section 3 analyzes the home bases (overnight dwell locations) of existing MD/HD vehicles, with an emphasis on depot and residential home bases, and discusses implications for charging infrastructure. Section 4 discusses the key characteristics for determining if, when, and where MD/HD vehicles can leverage LDV charging infrastructure rather than requiring dedicated chargers. These considerations include electricity demand, connectors, physical space requirements, payment considerations, and impacts on the grid. Section 5 summarizes shared characteristics for MD/HD vehicles that are appropriate for near-term electrification and includes a summary of the outlook of the electric MD/HD vehicle market. The conclusion (Section 6) summarizes the report's findings and outlines areas for future research.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dataset for Blueprinting Electrified Transit System Implementation

This dataset contains the figures and tabulated results generated from a system-level optimization study of transit fleet electrification planning. The dataset does not include executable modeling code required to reproduce the optimization. The dataset includes results for optimized charging infrastructure deployment by location and power level and service block assignments by fuel type, battery capacity selections, and distributed energy resource sizing. It also contains aggregated financial results, capital expenditures, operating cost summaries, net present cost comparisons across scenarios, and quantified air quality impacts. Results are structured to reflect multiple planning scenarios, including heuristic electrification plans, system-optimized configurations, and sensitivity cases with alternative objective weightings. The modeling was developed using publicly available General Transit Feed Specification data from Omnitrans and standardized modeling assumptions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dataset for Blueprinting Electrified Transit System Implementation

This dataset contains the figures and tabulated results generated from a system-level optimization study of transit fleet electrification planning. The dataset does not include executable modeling code required to reproduce the optimization. The dataset includes results for optimized charging infrastructure deployment by location and power level and service block assignments by fuel type, battery capacity selections, and distributed energy resource sizing. It also contains aggregated financial results, capital expenditures, operating cost summaries, net present cost comparisons across scenarios, and quantified air quality impacts. Results are structured to reflect multiple planning scenarios, including heuristic electrification plans, system-optimized configurations, and sensitivity cases with alternative objective weightings. The modeling was developed using publicly available General Transit Feed Specification data from Omnitrans and standardized modeling assumptions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Workshop Report: Rural Electric Cooperative Distributed Energy Resource Business Model Development Workshops

The United States' energy future is being shaped by decades of technology innovation, rapidly changing consumer requirements, and governmental focus on securing reliable, low-cost energy sources. With expanded electrification and increased emphasis on grid reliability coupled with the heightened complexity and risks associated with transmission infrastructure, the use of distributed energy resources (DERs) is more commonly being considered a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way to maintain grid resilience and reliability. Amidst improvements in performance, decreasing costs, and unprecedented federal policy support for DERs, electric cooperatives are considering new opportunities to use these assets to ensure secure and reliable operations for millions of customers. In light of these developments, a series of workshops were held to collaborate on the development of business models for DERs in rural electric cooperative ecosystems. The first workshop was held July 11, 2024, at the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc. headquarters in Westminster, Colorado (hereafter referred to as the "Tri-State Workshop"). The second workshop was hosted by PNGC Power on Oct. 9, 2024, in Portland, Oregon (hereafter referred to as the "PNGC Power Workshop"). These workshops convened representatives from G&Ts, distribution cooperatives,2 the energy industry, the financial community, the U.S. government, national and regional organizations, and national laboratories to share perspectives on the unique needs, challenges, and opportunities that they face as DERs are further integrated into the grid. The workshops were designed to address the following objectives: (1) develop the enabling attributes of electric cooperative DER business models, (2) explore pathways for generating community benefits from these assets, and (3) identify technical challenges and market risks for DERs in rural electric cooperative service territories. This report outlines key findings and major themes identified by workshop participants that federal agencies, G&Ts, distribution cooperatives, and other entities can consider to advance electric cooperative DER business models.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Zero-Emission Transit Bus Needs Assessment

The transition to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in public transit has gained traction due to significant federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This needs assessment, commissioned by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and conducted by researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory, explores the current state of electrification in transit agencies, identifying barriers to implementation, potential funding sources, and operational considerations necessary for a successful transition. The assessment involved qualitative interviews with representatives from 19 transit service providers across diverse geographic regions. Key findings highlight the challenges related to bus facilities and operations, which require careful planning for charging infrastructure and maintenance capabilities to accommodate battery electric buses (BEBs) and hydrogen fuel cell buses (HFCBs). Agencies reported operational hurdles due to the shorter range of BEBs compared to diesel buses, necessitating revised scheduling and routing strategies. Despite these challenges, many agencies expressed optimism about their capacity to adapt. Funding availability emerged as a critical factor influencing the transition to ZEVs. While agencies welcomed increased financial support, particularly from the Low or No Emission Grant Program (Lo-No), concerns about the sustainability of this funding and the ongoing operational costs were prevalent. The need for a comprehensive funding inventory was underscored to ensure transit agencies are aware of all available resources. Technological constraints were significant barriers to ZEV adoption. The limited range of BEBs was frequently cited as a concern, leading to operational challenges and reliability issues. Agencies reported difficulties in sourcing replacement parts, which exacerbated downtime and maintenance challenges. Workforce development and training were identified as pivotal for a successful transition. Many agencies rely heavily on manufacturers for technician training, highlighting the need for scalable training programs that equip staff with the necessary skills to maintain electric powertrains effectively. This assessment offers actionable recommendations for the Joint Office, including enhancing outreach to transit agencies, developing resources for effective utility partnerships, and facilitating comprehensive training programs. Establishing a zero-emission bus evaluation program to track performance metrics such as cost, range, and reliability could provide valuable insights for transit agencies. The needs assessment provides a detailed examination of the challenges and opportunities facing transit agencies in their transition to zero-emissions bus fleets. By addressing these issues through targeted support, stakeholders can collaboratively work towards a cleaner, more sustainable public transportation system that benefits all communities.

33 - ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Active and passive cooling approaches for a Southern California residential community

This study assesses cooling strategies in a low-income community in Southern California that lacks air conditioning and struggles with heat and air pollution. We used an urban building energy model and an electric distribution system model to evaluate active and passive cooling measures. The most effective space cooling measures were high-performance air-source heat pumps, cool coatings, window films, and harnessing the space cooling effect from heat pump water heaters. The results show that combining heat pump water heaters with window films and cool coatings reduces heat index hazard hours within buildings by 95 % to 99 % but increases total energy costs (equipment costs plus changes in utility bills) by 20 % to 60 % where the higher end includes building electrical upgrades. These measures also led to increased space heater use during colder months to avoid overcooling. Replacing conventional heaters with air source heat pumps eliminated unsafe indoor temperatures and reduced total energy use, but increased cost by 125 % to 150 %. In total, using heat pumps for space and water heating could reduce primary energy use by up to 57 %. The higher cost of active and passive cooling measures can be mitigated by existing and emerging incentive programs, especially those that support heat pumps. Electric distribution upgrades to support community electrification are estimated to increase utility costs by $\$$25 to $\$$40 per ratepayer per year. The results underscore the potential and challenges of adapting building infrastructure in communities at risk from climate and environmental stressors.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

EV Watts Public Database

With the rapid increase in vehicle electrification, there is a need for up-to-date, publicly available national data to understand end user charging and driving patterns, as well as vehicle and infrastructure performance, to inform research planning. Energetics worked with various partners to collect and analyze plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) data from 2019 to 2022. All sensitive attributes have been removed from this publicly available dataset. Researchers from one of the partner national labs under non-disclosure agreement (NDA) can request access to additional attributes by reaching out to evwattsdata@energetics.com.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Expanding Access to Charging at Home (EACH) Technical Report

This report summarizes the implementation, outcomes, and key learnings of Expanding Access to Charging at Homes (EACH), a nationwide multifamily housing charging initiative focused on accelerating deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at multifamily housing properties. The program combined education, outreach, and technical assistance to support property owners, managers, residents, and industry stakeholders in overcoming barriers to EV charging adoption. The report highlights program strategies, stakeholder engagement, resources developed, and recommendations to help scale charging access at multifamily housing nationwide.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗