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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Water Management for Power stems: Systems Analysis Tasks

This presentation was given at the 2023 U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory Resource Sustainability Project Review Meeting. The presentation topics cover recent updates and current research directions for the Strategic Systems Analysis and Engineering Directorate in Water Management for Power Systems. The presentation includes preliminary results to meet objectives in reducing freshwater consumption and lowering the cost of treating effluent streams for energy production.

Fritz, Alison↗
DOE OSTI2020

Task 12 PV Sustainability - Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Residential PV and Battery Storage Systems

Using a life cycle assessment (LCA), the environmental impacts from generating 1 kWh of electricity for self-consumption via a photovoltaic-battery system are determined. The system includes a 10 kWp multicrystalline-silicon photovoltaic (PV) system (solar irradiation about 1350 kWh/m2/year and annual yield 1000 kWh/kWp), an iron phosphate lithium-ion (LiFePO4) battery, and other components such as the control system, battery housing, and two inverters (one for the PV system and one for the battery system). Three options for the AC-coupled system with changing battery capacities (5, 10, or 20 kWh nominal capacity) are investigated. The environmental impacts are assessed using the indicators greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand (separated into total and non-renewable cumulative energy demand). In addition, the four most important impact categories for PV electricity - respiratory inorganics (particulate matter), acidification, energy carrier resource use, and minerals and metals resource use - are assessed according to the environmental footprint (EF) method. Data are drawn from the DETEC data DQRv2:2018, recent literature, and product details provided by manufacturers. The results show larger environmental impacts of PV-battery systems with increasing battery capacity; for capacities of 5, 10, and 20 kWh, the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from 1 kWh of electricity generation for self-consumption via a PV-battery system are 80, 84, and 88 g CO 2- eq/kWh, respectively. The cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of PV electricity consumed directly or fed into the grid are 54 g CO 2 -eq/kWh. The corresponding total cumulative energy demands are 5.27, 5.40, and 5.50 MJ oil-eq/kWh, with non-renewable energy carriers contributing 1.16, 1.22, and 1.29 MJ oil-eq/kWh. In the investigated EF impact categories, we similarly observe a larger environmental burden with increasing battery capacity, except in the use of minerals and metals. Our sensitivity analyses show that using a nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) lithium-ion battery, instead of an LiFePO 4 battery, leads to a comparable environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand. However, the NCM battery increases the impact in the EF categories of acidification and respiratory inorganics by 7 and 10%, respectively, whereas energy carrier resource use decreases by 4% and minerals and metals resource use decrease by 1%. Using a copper indium selenium (CIS) PV panel instead of a multicrystalline-silicon decreases greenhouse gas emissions by 24%, non-renewable cumulative energy demand by 13%, and particulate matter emissions by 60% (the largest decrease). Furthermore, the calculated environmental impacts are sensitive to the assumed battery lifetime. A decrease from 5000 to 3000 charge cycles increases non-renewable cumulative energy demand by 24% and greenhouse gas emissions by 16%. Increasing from 5000 to 7000 charge cycles decreases the environmental impacts by 6% and 7% in terms of non-renewable cumulative energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. A utility-scale battery system case study shows that using batteries to store PV electricity overproduction reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to using natural gas backup electricity generation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

BUTTER-E - Energy Consumption Data for the BUTTER Empirical Deep Learning Dataset

The BUTTER-E - Energy Consumption Data for the BUTTER Empirical Deep Learning Dataset adds node-level energy consumption data from watt-meters to the primary sweep of the BUTTER - Empirical Deep Learning Dataset. This dataset contains energy consumption and performance data from 63,527 individual experimental runs spanning 30,582 distinct configurations: 13 datasets, 20 sizes (number of trainable parameters), 8 network "shapes", and 14 depths on both CPU and GPU hardware collected using node-level watt-meters. This dataset reveals the complex relationship between dataset size, network structure, and energy use, and highlights the impact of cache effects. BUTTER-E is intended to be joined with the BUTTER dataset (see "BUTTER - Empirical Deep Learning Dataset on OEDI" resource below) which characterizes the performance of 483k distinct fully connected neural networks but does not include energy measurements.

Array↗
DOE OSTI2022

Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Information for the United States

The Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Information for the United States report summarizes the results of nearly 30 national renewable energy resource assessments performed by the U.S. national laboratories since 2012. Included are assessments for solar, wind, biomass, marine, geothermal, and hydropower energy resource technologies. Increased attention is given to the renewable energy resources available near federally recognized Tribal Nations and low-to-moderate income households, where assessed.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Acidification in the U.S. Southeast: Causes, Potential Consequences and the Role of the Southeast Ocean and Coastal Acidification Network

Coastal acidification in southeastern U.S. estuaries and coastal waters is influenced by biological activity, run-off from the land, and increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Acidification can negatively impact coastal resources such as shellfish, finfish, and coral reefs, and the communities that rely on them. Organismal responses for species located in the U.S. Southeast document large negative impacts of acidification, especially in larval stages. For example, the toxicity of pesticides increases under acidified conditions and the combination of acidification and low oxygen has profoundly negative influences on genes regulating oxygen consumption. In corals, the rate of calcification decreases with acidification and processes such as wound recovery, reproduction, and recruitment are negatively impacted. Minimizing the changes in global ocean chemistry will ultimately depend on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, but adaptation to these changes and mitigation of the local stressors that exacerbate global acidification can be addressed locally. The evolution of our knowledge of acidification, from basic understanding of the problem to the emergence of applied research and monitoring, has been facilitated by the development of regional Coastal Acidification Networks (CANs) across the United States. This synthesis is a product of the Southeast Coastal and Ocean Acidification Network (SOCAN). SOCAN was established to better understand acidification in the coastal waters of the U.S. Southeast and to foster communication among scientists, resource managers, businesses, and governments in the region. Here we review acidification issues in the U.S. Southeast, including the regional mechanisms of acidification and their potential impacts on biological resources and coastal communities. We recommend research and monitoring priorities and discuss the role SOCAN has in advancing acidification research and mitigation of and adaptation to these changes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Financing Options for Onsite Generation, Energy Storage, and Energy Efficiency Projects

Across sectors, commercial and industrial facilities are benefiting from the implementation of renewable energy generation, storage, and energy efficiency projects. Despite the potential for these projects to reduce onsite energy consumption, build resiliency, and lower operational costs in the long term, the initial expenses are often high. However, there are a growing number of financing mechanisms that can be leveraged. When deployed strategically, these mechanisms can give organizations the financial tools to install projects that accomplish their energy goals. In 6 steps, this resource introduces organizations to a general process to contextualize the many different financing options, ultimately facilitating an informed selection of financing mechanisms. Step 1 discusses the importance of establishing clear organizational preferences. Step 2 briefly introduces common financing options and Steps 3 and 4 provide guidance for selecting mechanisms based on locational availability and organizational preferences. Finally, Steps 5 and 6 show how mechanisms can be combined with incentives and provide preliminary guidance for selecting and engaging with external partners. While this document provides a general approach to selecting a financing mechanism for renewable energy generation, storage, and/or energy efficiency, it does not contain tax and/or legal advice. A tax advisor should be consulted before taking any action.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Decarbonization and technology cost drivers: considerations for potential future thermoelectric water use in the power sector

The power sector is currently undergoing significant changes, driven by a combination of factors, including decarbonization and technology innovation. This study aims to assess implications of these drivers on U.S. power sector technology futures and the associated water and environmental implications for cooling thermoelectric power plants. Specifically, we evaluate four decarbonization scenarios for the contiguous United States that vary in assumptions concerning demand growth and technology costs, with technology costs driving alternative outcomes that prioritize either technologies that require low amounts of water (such as wind, solar, and battery) or high amounts of water (such as nuclear and carbon capture and storage). These scenarios are executed in a power sector capacity expansion model and compared to two reference scenarios that assume status quo with policy and cost drivers. Our analysis indicates that future U.S. thermoelectric water withdrawals could decrease by 25%–60%, but water consumption could more than triple in some scenarios. These changes are driven by a combination of retirement of some power facilities, shifts in cooling technologies, and new technology deployment. The water use patterns vary across the United States, with the eastern regions demonstrating a lot more variability in water consumption across scenarios than western regions. However, local concerns can influence these possible investments, since increased water consumption can exacerbate water scarcity, leading to conflicts among competing users and affecting regional social, environmental, and economic dynamics. Future work should consider possible costs associated with alternate water sources, as well as improve the representation of water constraints within simulations. Inclusion of extreme events and alternate modeling platforms (e.g. production cost modeling and resource adequacy) may also be warranted to further stress test the robustness of these possible technology futures. Such assessments will be critical for ensuring decarbonization and other infrastructure-oriented investments lead to a reliable and resilient power grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Incubation Temperature Affects Duckling Body Size and Food Consumption Despite No Effect on Associated Feeding Behaviors

Synopsis Developmental conditions can have consequences for offspring fitness. For example, small changes (<1°C) in average avian incubation temperature have large effects on important post-hatch offspring phenotypes, including growth rate, thermoregulation, and behavior. Furthermore, average incubation temperatures differ among eggs within the same nest, to the extent (i.e., >1°C) that differences in offspring phenotypes within broods should result. A potential consequence of within-nest incubation temperature variation is inequality in behaviors that could cause differences in resource acquisition within broods. To investigate this, we incubated wood duck (Aix sponsa) eggs at one of two ecologically-relevant incubation temperatures (35°C or 36°C), formed mixed-incubation temperature broods after ducklings hatched, and conducted trials to measure duckling behaviors associated with acquisition of heat (one trial) or food (three trials). Contrary to our predictions, we found no effect of incubation temperature on duckling behaviors (e.g., time spent occupying heat source, frequency of feeding bouts). However, we found evidence that ducklings incubated at the higher temperature consumed more food during the 1-h feeding trials, and grew faster in body mass and structural size (culmen and tarsus) throughout the study, than those incubated at the lower temperature. Apparent food consumption during the trials was positively related to culmen length, suggesting that differences in food consumption may be driven by structural size. This could result in positive feedback, which would amplify size differences between offspring incubated at different temperatures. Thus, our study identifies incubation temperature as a mechanism by which fitness-related phenotypic differences can be generated and even amplified within avian broods.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimal Storage Response to Utility Tariff Structures and Potential Use of Capacity Charges

Energy storage is increasingly being deployed in behind-the-meter use cases, partially in response to falling lithium-ion prices and new utility tariff structures. Utilities are grappling with new tariff design in the presence of distributed energy resources (DER), trying to motivate, fairly price the contribution of, and, in some cases, discourage, certain operation of DER. There are opportunities for energy storage under emerging tariff structures, but utility net load management objectives for storage remain unclear. Diverse tariff structures motivate the use of energy storage to provide one or a combination of: energy arbitrage, energy shifting, solar self-consumption, and import shaving. This paper formulates a linear optimization to demonstrate the optimal storage tariff response, examining customer net load metrics under diverse utility tariff structures, such as time-of-use, net metering, feed-in tariffs, zero export tariffs, and demand charges. A key contribution of this paper is the introduction and examination of a capacity charge as mechanism that can both motivate reductions in both peak import, and exports, along with greater load levelling.

behind-the-meter↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electric Grid Reliability in an Era of Unprecedented Uncertainty: A Review of Advances in Electric Sector Resource Adequacy Assessment and Planning

Recent changes to the principal causes of energy shortage events on the electric grid have necessitated are thinking of paradigms for resource adequacy (RA) assessment and the related topic of procurement of a reliable portfolio. Prior studies have laid out elements of a modern paradigm for these planning activities, but there does not exist a comprehensive overview of the topic spanning academic and gray literature, and the relationship of these suggested paradigms to methods used in industry has also not been surveyed. In this paper we review recent literature establishing best practices for RA assessment and reliable portfolio procurement, and survey current practices used in industry in relation to these best practices. We establish seven key best practices for RA assessment, cover a modern methodology for capacity accreditation, and find that industry practices are not far behind the identified best practices, though some key gaps remain. We also present a suggested agenda for both academic research on the topic and opportunities for advancement in the industry.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

EVI-X Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Toolbox

The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Toolbox offers resources for estimating charging infrastructure needs and associated electrical demands based on user-defined electric vehicle adoption scenarios. For more information and additional resources, see the full EVI-X modeling suite of electric vehicle charging infrastructure analysis tools.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Co-Simulation of Electric Power Distribution Systems and Buildings including Ultra-Fast HVAC Models and Optimal DER Control

Smart homes and virtual power plant (VPP) controls are growing fields of research with potential for improved electric power grid operation. A novel testbed for the co-simulation of electric power distribution systems and distributed energy resources (DERs) is employed to evaluate VPP scenarios and propose an optimization procedure. DERs of specific interest include behind-the-meter (BTM) solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as well as heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. The simulation of HVAC systems is enabled by a machine learning procedure that produces ultra-fast models for electric power and indoor temperature of associated buildings that are up to 133 times faster than typical white-box implementations. Hundreds of these models, each with different properties, are randomly populated into a modified IEEE 123-bus test system to represent a typical U.S. community. Advanced VPP controls are developed based on the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) 2045 standard to leverage HVAC systems as generalized energy storage (GES) such that BTM solar PV is better utilized locally and occurrences of distribution system power peaks are reduced, while also maintaining occupant thermal comfort. An optimization is performed to determine the best control settings for targeted peak power and total daily energy increase minimization with example peak load reductions of 25+%.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hydrolytic Softening of Ocean Water for Carbon Dioxide Removal

This project provided the proof of concept testing for hydrolytic softening, a process for ocean carbon dioxide removal (CDR) based on precipitation softening, where the hydrated lime used to initiate carbonate precipitation is regenerated using a low-energy thermochemical cycle. These proof of concept tests demonstrated each key step of the hydrolytic CDR process including: 1) precipitation of dissolved carbon dioxide from seawater using hydrated lime, 2) decomposing the precipitated calcium carbonate to separate a high-purity stream of carbon dioxide, and 3) regenerating hydrated lime from the decomposition products to complete the cycle. The experimental results were used as the basis for a chemical process model of hydrolytic CDR, which was then used to estimate the techno-economic performance of a conceptual full-scale system. Results included a total energy consumption estimate of 248 kJ per mole of separated and compressed CO 2 . The predicted levelized cost of ocean CDR using hydrolytic softening could reach the Department of Energy’s Carbon Negative Shot target of $\$$100/tCO 2 assuming optimally-sited wind power resources with a power cost of $\$$26/MWh. If developed further, hydrolytic CDR could be a near-term, scalable, and cost-effective method to draw down legacy carbon dioxide emissions that have been absorbed in the oceans. Offshore operations would create highly skilled jobs directly at the CDR facilities in addition to supporting a wider network of coastal service providers and their communities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Distributed clean energy opportunities for US oil refinery operations

The oil and gas industry is increasingly seeking operational improvements to reduce costs and emissions while improving resilience. This study describes techno-economic analysis of opportunities for distributed energy resources that could be integrated to support oil and gas companies’ economic, environmental, and energy resiliency goals. Specifically, the analysis evaluates solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, battery energy storage, landfill gas, biomass, municipal solid waste-to-energy, solar steam for process heat, combined heat and power, and electrolyzers for hydrogen production at two hypothetical refineries, one located in Louisiana and the other in southern California. These technologies could reduce the sites’ consumption of grid electricity and/or natural gas and thus can help reduce emissions. This study employs the ReOPT tool and System Advisor Model to evaluate the techno-economic potential for clean energy technologies to support refineries in achieving energy goals, including energy cost savings, resiliency, and emissions reductions. Results indicate that the associated costs of emissions reductions via several distributed clean energy technologies are competitive with other emissions reduction strategies such as energy efficiency, reducing flaring, direct carbon capture and sequestration, and markets under certain conditions. There are also cost beneficial opportunities for the use of renewable energy for refining, especially for resilience, depending on local conditions such as resources and utility costs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Introduction to ComStock

This presentation is an introduction to ComStock and the datasets it produces. The goal of this work is to help cities, states, utilities, and other stakeholders have information and resources needed to make informed decisions about their building stock.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fueling Seniors: Meal Subsidy through Co-Generation

Formed in 1971, The Towers is an affordable HUD 202, 328-unit, living community with supportive services for extremely low, low and moderately low-income seniors. The average resident age is 79 and the average annual income is $\$$18,900. Approximately 70% of our residents receive assistance with their activities of daily living (e.g. hands-on bathing, feeding, dressing and toileting). We offer such services in a unique person-centered way through a wraparound support services model not always available in smaller low-income housing sites with assisted living (e.g. onsite service coordinators, engagement programs specific to the needs of our current and changing resident population and onsite 24-hour security who act as first response staff). The Towers serves the City of New Haven and surrounding areas by providing community-based senior care and support services that are affordable for individuals with limited resources. Our unique cost structure enables hundreds of seniors to avoid premature placement into nursing homes or other institutional care settings, even though they lack personal financial resources. This enables us to proactively keep our residents independent and healthy for as long as possible.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

TRANSSFORM Workshop Empowering the US manufacturing industry proceedings report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) hosted the TRANSSFORM (Transformative, Resilient, Adaptive, Nimble, Sustainable, Smart, Flexible, Optimal, Robust, and Model-based1 – A Bold Vision for the Future of U.S. Manufacturing) Workshop on September 8–10, 2021. The objective of the workshop was to hear from stakeholders about how manufacturing digitalization can improve manufacturing competitiveness and reduce energy consumption and emissions production from U.S. manufacturing, and what research, development, and demonstrations are needed to have the desired impact.

manufacturing digitalization, decarbonization, IoT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Irrigation-induced land water depletion aggravated by climate change

Agricultural irrigation has experienced rapid expansion, and its growing freshwater consumption is potentially exacerbating water scarcity issues. Previous studies predominantly relied on observations or land-only simulations, often neglecting land–atmosphere interactions or failing to capture long-term evolution. We therefore analyse the effects of historical irrigation expansion on water fluxes and resources using seven Earth system models. Here we show that irrigation expansion in many regions substantially decreases the net water influx from the atmosphere to land, further aggravating the existing drying trends caused by climate change. For example, irrigation expansion changed the trend of this net influx from −0.664 ( ± 0.283) to −1.461 ( ± 0.261) mm yr −2 in South Asia after 1960. Consequently, the local terrestrial water storage depletion rate is substantially enlarged by irrigation expansion (for example, from −2.559 ( ± 0.094) to −16.008 ( ± 0.557) mm yr −1 ). Our results attribute the land water loss to irrigation expansion and climate change, calling for immediate solutions to tackle the negative trends.

irrigation↗