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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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Economic and population growth is leading to increased energy demand across all sectors—buildings, transportation, and industry. Adoption of new energy consumers such as electric vehicles could further increase this growth. Sensible utilization of clean renewable energy resources is necessary to sustain this growth. Thermal needs in a building pose a significant challenge to the energy infrastructure. Potential technological solutions to address growing energy demand while simultaneously lowering the carbon footprint and enhancing the grid flexibility are presented in this study. Performance assessment of heat pumps, solar thermal collectors, nonfossil fuel-based cogeneration systems, and their hybrid configurations is reported in this study. The impact of design configuration, coefficient of performance (COP), electric grid’s primary energy efficiency on the key attributes of total carbon footprint, life cycle costs, operational energy savings, and site-specific primary energy efficiency are analyzed and discussed in detail. In conclusion, heat pumps and hydrogen-fueled solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are highly effective building energy resources compared to traditional approaches; however, the carbon intensity of electrical energy and hydrogen production are keys to the overall environmental benefit.
As energy policy makers and professionals convene in the Oresund region for the 9th Annual Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9), the global community is as united as ever around the common goal of accelerating the transition to global clean energy. Through sustained collective effort and thought leadership, CEM partners and stakeholders are systematically addressing the barriers to the widescale deployment of clean energy technologies. Pivotal to their progress is the efficient sharing and dissemination of knowledge. To address that need, the CEM-initiative International SmartGrid Action Network (ISGAN) launched the Knowledge Transfer Project (KTP) in March 2016 to capture, collect, and share knowledge about smart grid technologies among countries and key stakeholders. Building on ISGAN's experience with delivering deep-dive workshops, the KTP fosters meaningful international dialogue on smart grids with a focus on developing competence and building capacity. After a successful 2016 pilot project and two consecutive projects, each with a different focus and structure, the KTP has become an established practice that can support existing ISGAN or CEM initiatives. To accommodate different purposes, needs, and practical circumstances, ISGAN has adopted three basic models for delivering KTP workshops: Country-Centric, Multilateral, and Hybrid. This fact sheet describes each approach through case studies of workshops in Mexico, India, and Belgium, and invites new ideas and partners for future KTPs.
As the global economy moves toward net-zero carbon emissions, large-scale energy storage becomes essential to tackle the seasonal nature of renewable sources. Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) offers a feasible solution by allowing surplus renewable energy to be transformed into hydrogen and stored in deep geological formations such as aquifers, salt caverns, or depleted reservoirs, making it available for use on demand. This study thoroughly evaluates UHS concepts, procedures, and challenges. This paper analyzes the most recent breakthroughs in UHS technology and identifies special conditions needed for its successful application, including site selection guidelines, technical and geological factors, and the significance of storage characteristics. The integrity of wells and caprock, which is important for safe and efficient storage, can be affected by the operating dynamics of the hydrogen cycle, notably the fluctuations in pressure and stress within storage formations. To evaluate its potential for broader adoption, we also examined economic elements such as cost-effectiveness and the technical practicality of large-scale storage. We also reviewed current UHS efforts and identified key knowledge gaps, primarily in the areas of hydrogen–rock interactions, geochemistry, gas migration control, microbial activities, and geomechanical stability. Resolving these technological challenges, regulatory frameworks, and environmental sustainability are essential to UHS’s long-term and extensive integration into the energy industry. This article provides a roadmap for UHS research and development, emphasizing the need for further research to fully realize the technology’s promise as a pillar of the hydrogen economy.
The island of Itbayat, Philippines, faces significant challenges in maintaining a reliable and resilient power supply due to its current reliance on a vulnerable power distribution system managed by a local electric cooperative. The existing infrastructure, which includes diesel generators and a radial network configuration with some above-ground lines, is highly susceptible to frequent typhoons and adverse weather conditions. These factors, combined with inadequate staffing and high operational costs, result in frequent power outages that disrupt daily life and hinder economic development. This white paper proposes a comprehensive solution to enhance the resilience and reliability of Itbayat's power system by integrating renewable energy sources, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery storage, and a microgrid controller. The proposed solution aims to reduce dependency on diesel fuel, optimize energy use, and provide a sustainable and robust power supply for the island. Key components of the solution include: 1. Solar PV Installation: Deploying solar PV panels to harness abundant solar energy, reducing reliance on diesel fuel. 2. Battery Storage Systems: Installing battery storage to store excess solar energy and ensure a continuous power supply during low solar generation periods. 3. Microgrid Controller: Implementing a microgrid controller to manage and optimize the integration of solar PV, battery storage, and existing diesel generators. The proposed solution addresses several critical issues, including system vulnerability, generator dependency, and operational inefficiencies. By adopting this innovative approach, Itbayat Island can achieve a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy infrastructure, ensuring a stable power supply for its residents and enhancing overall energy security.
Combustion-based transportation, electricity generation, and industrial heating in manufacturing constitute the three largest sectors of energy demand. Some of the recent technology development in these sectors are: switching to low-carbon fuels for the transportation sector, increasing energy efficiency in the power sector, and capturing carbon emissions from conventional power generators. Several teams at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been actively advancing research in these areas by leveraging computational modeling of combustion processes across the heavy-duty land based transportation, aviation, and power generation sectors. This article summarizes some of these efforts, demonstrating the potential of advanced computational techniques to generate technological solutions that will transform the global energy system.
Rocky Mountain Institute's multi-year, 61-author, peer-reviewed Reinventing Fire synthesis showed how the U.S. can realistically run a 2.6× bigger U.S. economy in 2050 with no oil, coal, or nuclear energy, one-third less natural gas, tripled efficiency, and 74% renewable supplies (80% for electricity). This transition, at historically reasonable rates, could be led by business for profit, applying normal rates of return, with some innovative subnational and administrative policies but no Acts of Congress. Excluding carbon emissions and all other externalities, the net present value would be $5 trillion more favorable than business-as-usual, averaging a 14% Internal Rate of Return.
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) consume significant amount of energy to sustain their operation. From this point, the current study aims to enhance the capacity of these facilities to meet their energy needs by integrating renewable energy sources. The study focused on the investigation of two primary solar energy systems in As Samra WWTP in Jordan. The first system combines parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) with thermal energy storage (TES). This system primarily serves to fulfill the thermal energy demands of the plant by reducing the demands from boiler units, which allows more biogas for electricity generation. The second system is a photovoltaic (PV) system with Lithium-Ion batteries, which directly produces electricity that will be used to cover part of the electrical energy demands of plant. To assess the optimal configuration, two distinct scenarios have been formulated and compared to the current case scenario (SC#1). The first scenario focuses on maximizing the net present value (NPV) and minimizing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The second scenario is centred on minimizing the levelized cost of heat (LCOH). The findings indicate that both scenarios succeeded in reducing the reliance on the grid to a value that reach 1 %. Moreover, they both reduced biogas percentage in energy production from 88 % to approximately 65 % through the integration of the PV system. In terms of thermal demand, SC#2 reduced the reliance on biogas boiler units from 100 % to 25 %, while SC#3 achieved an even more impressive reduction to just 8 %. The best LCOE value was attained in SC#2, at 0.0895 USD/kWh, with an NPV of 10.54 million USD. Conversely, SC# 3 yielded an LCOH value of 0.0432 USD/kWh th compared to 0.0534 USD/kWh th USD for SC#2. In conclusion, despite their relatively high capital and operating costs, SC#2 and SC#3 managed to substantially decrease the annual electricity expenditure from approximately 2 million USD to 86,000 USD and 0 USD, respectively.
Overview of NREL's work in Alaska. NREL provides objective, data-driven support to aid decision-makers in Alaska as they deploy advanced energy technologies and reduce energy burdens across the nation's largest state. NREL's technical assistance, research, and outreach activities are providing the catalyst for transforming the way Alaska uses energy.
I present a robust algorithm that resolves the 180-deg ambiguity in measurements of the solar vector magnetic field. The technique simultaneously minimizes both the divergence of the magnetic field and the electric current density using a simulated annealing algorithm. This results in the field orientation with approximately minimum free energy. The technique is well-founded physically and is simple to implement.
The main purpose of this project is to advance the organic photovoltaic cell technology by addressing the three pillars: (I) efficiency, (II) reliability, and (III) low cost and scalability. This project uses several proprietary technologies, such as multi-junction planar mixed solar cells, exciton blocking layers, organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD), liquid and vacuum-phase deposition processes, developed at the University of Michigan. The methods used are based primarily (although not exclusively) on small molecular weight organic materials used in high power conversion efficiency (PCE) single- and multi-junction cells. At the same time, we explore the operational lifetime, and fundamental failure modes for both discrete and multijunction cells employing our most efficient materials sets (as already developed, or to be developed under separate funding). Large test modules consisting of up to (10 cm)2 arrays of 1 cm2 devices will be made using scalable growth technologies including organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD), liquid and vacuum-phase deposition processes developed in our laboratory. All deposition techniques used have the ability to scale to very large substrates, including having compatibility with roll-to-roll deposition.
The state of Alaska recognizes the challenges these rural communities face and provides financial support via the Power Cost Equalization (PCE) program. The PCE subsidizes the electricity prices paid by customers of these high-cost utilities. The PCE program is designed to spread the benefits of Alaska’s natural resources more evenly throughout the state. Yet even with this subsidy, electricity is still much more expensive for these rural customers. And beyond the PCE, other forms of assistance to rural utilities are becoming scarce given the state’s current fiscal environment. Nearly 90 percent of Alaska’s unrestricted budget funds in recent years have been tied to oil royalties—a sector experiencing significant declines in production and oil prices. Consequently, as Alaska looks to tighten budgets, the challenge of lowering rural utility costs, while encouraging self-sufficiency, has become more urgent.This study examines reliability, capital and strategic planning, management, workforce development, governance, financial performance and system efficiency in the various communities visited by the research team. Using those attributes, a tier system was developed to categorize rural Alaska utilities into Leading and Innovating Systems (Tier I), Advanced Diesel Systems (Tier II), Basic Systems (Tier III), and Underperforming Systems (Tier IV). The tier approach is not meant to label specific utilities, but rather to provide a general set of benchmarks and guideposts for improvement.
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Presented by NETL at GRC Annual Meeting, 10/17
On overview of BETO's investment in research to develop innovative products made from biological material. Bioproducts can help by not only replacing, but often improving upon everyday petroleum-based products.
An overview of BETO's innovations in biofuels research to enhance transportation technologies and infrastructure. With over 300 active R&D projects, BETO initiatives encourage cost-competitive, efficient, and sustainably produced biofuels.