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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Improved defect analysis of Gallium Arsenide solar cells using image enhancement

A new technique has been developed to capture, digitize, and enhance the image of light emission from a forward biased direct bandgap solar cell. Since the forward biased light emission from a direct bandgap solar cell has been shown to display both qualitative and quantitative information about the solar cell's performance and its defects, signal processing techniques can be applied to the light emission images to identify and analyze shunt diodes. Shunt diodes are of particular importance because they have been found to be the type of defect which is likely to cause failure in a GaAs solar cell. The presence of a shunt diode can be detected from the light emission by using a photodetector to measure the quantity of light emitted at various current densities. However, to analyze how the shunt diodes affect the quality of the solar cell the pattern of the light emission must be studied. With the use of image enhancement routines, the light emission can be studied at low light emission levels where shunt diode effects are dominant.

Kilmer, Louis C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Speculation on a Solar Chronometer for Climate

Solar activity has been correlated to climatic fluctuations and has been postulated as a major factor in quasi-periodic global climatic change. However, correlations are not explanations of physical mechanisms and do not couple cause with effect. A mechanism for a chronometer for solar output variability is proposed based on relations between properties of thermonuclear fusion, nuclear magnetic moment, and nuclear magnetic resonance. A fundamental oscillation of a nucleus with a net nuclear magnetic moment (NMM) is the precession of its axis of rotation when subjected to a magnetic field. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is the preferred frequency of precession for a nucleus of a particular isotope when placed in a magnetic field of specific intensity. The NMM for those isotopes involved in the proton-proton (p-p) chain pathway for solar fusion varies from strong positive to strong negative. Individual fusion events, for hydrogen and helium isotopes which release varying amounts of energy, may be controlled by NMR frequencies. The pulses of energy from fusion events occurring at NMR frequencies in the solar interior may be transformed into pressure or gravity waves that emerge as gravity or acoustic waves at the surface. Dictated by spherical harmonics, certain wavelengths may be reinforced and reenter the solar interior to modulate the fusion process. Qualitative analysis of solar and climatic data support the interaction of the three basic components of the chronometer, magnetic activity, oscillation frequency, and solar energy output.

Perry, Charles A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Electrical design and analysis of the TOPEX/Poseidon solar array

TOPEX/Poseidon, a scientific satellite to be launched into low earth orbit, will map the surface topography of the earth's oceans. The satellite derives its primary electrical power from a deployable, sun tracking, rigid, single wing, rectangular solar array with overall dimensions of approximately 26 by 11 ft. The requirements which affect the electrical performance of the solar array and the method by which each requirement is satisfied are addressed. The worst-case power calculations used to size the solar array and to verify power capability are discussed. Also included is a detailed description of the solar array configuration and a summary of the qualification and acceptance testing.

Roufberg, Lew↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Methodology Report of Cost Benefit Analysis of Space Based Solar Power

Space-based solar power (SBSP) is the concept of gathering power in space and transmitting it wirelessly to users on Earth or elsewhere in space. SBSP has seen renewed interest from governments, businesses, and universities for reasons including persistent operations in space, achieving carbon neutrality targets, and more. Several major government agencies in Europe, Asia, and the Americas have renewed their SBSP investigations, and hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated to universities to advance the technical state of the art. Given the renewed interest, this study will identify and update some key system parameters to current performance levels. This paper presents the methodology and approach to identify the fiscal and environmental costs and benefits of SBSP when compared to other sustainable and grid-scale energy sources. From these divergent angles the models evaluate fiscal and environmental impacts, identify the state of the most sensitive parameters of the designs, and seek to provide context to leadership on the relative value of pursuing SBSP related technologies.

Space-based solar power↗
NASA NTRS2023

Small-Scale Magnetic Flux Ropes in Stream Interaction Regions From Parker Solar Probe and Wind Spacecraft Observations

Using in situ measurements from the Parker Solar Probe and Wind spacecraft, we investigate the small-scale magnetic flux ropes (SFRs) and their properties inside stream interaction regions (SIRs). Within SIRs from ∼0.15 to 1 au, SFRs are found to exist in a wide range of solar wind speeds with more frequent occurrences after the stream interface, and the Alfvénicity of these structures decreases significantly with increasing heliocentric distances. Furthermore, we examine the variation of five corresponding SIRs from the same solar sources. The enhancements of suprathermal electrons within these SIRs persist at 1 au and are observed multiple times. An SFR appears to occur repeatedly with the recurring SIRs and is traversed by the Wind spacecraft at least twice. This set of SFRs has similarities in variations of the magnetic field components, plasma bulk properties, density ratio of solar wind alpha and proton particles, and unidirectional suprathermal electrons. We also show, through the detailed time-series plots and Grad–Shafranov reconstruction results, that they possess the same chirality and carry comparable amounts of magnetic flux. Lastly, we discuss the possibility for these recurring SFRs to be formed via interchange reconnection, maintain the connection with the Sun, and survive up to 1 au.

Solar wind↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Evaluation and Optimal Design Analysis of Continuous-Operation Solar-Driven Cooling Absorption Systems With Thermal Energy Storage

A solar absorption cooling system consisting of a flat plate collector, thermal energy storage tank, and absorption chiller is analyzed in this work. A dimensionless model is developed from the energy balance on each component and the chiller's characteristic performance curves. The model is used to determine the interaction and influence of different parameters such as tank size, solar collector area, chiller size, cooling load, cooling temperature, heat loss, and mass flow rates on the performance. From the analysis, smaller solar collector areas are required for lower cooling loads and smaller tank volumes. A specific cooling load of 1 x 10^-5 will require a specific solar collector area between two and six times larger, depending on the initial tank temperature, than the area required for a baseline system that considers typical commercial design and operation parameters. A similar behavior was observed for the specific tank volume. For the baseline system, the minimum specific area of the collector of 9.57 is achieved for an initial tank temperature of 1.19. For a cooling load of 1 x 10^-5, the optimum initial tank temperature will be 1.11 that results in a minimum specific solar collector area of 25.26. A specific tank volume of 4 x 10^-4 will also have an optimum initial tank temperature of 1.11 that minimizes the specific solar collector area to a value of 28.18. The approach and analysis in this work can be used to determine design parameters for solar absorption cooling systems based on a proper relation among system's dimensions to achieve optimum operation.

cooling load↗
NASA NTRS1981

Silicon solar cell process development, fabrication, and analysis

Two large cast ingots were evaluated. Solar cell performance versus substrate position within the ingots was obtained and the results are presented. Dendritic web samples were analyzed in terms of structural defects, and efforts were made to correlate the data with the performance of solar cells made from the webs.

Yoo, H. I.↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE EFFECT OF ELECTRON THERMAL PRESSURE ON THE OBSERVED MAGNETIC HELICITY IN THE SOLAR WIND

Statistical analysis of magnetic helicity spectra in the solar wind at 1 au is carried out. A large database of the solar wind intervals assembled from Wind spacecraft magnetic and plasma data is used. The effect of the electron thermal pressure on the wavenumber position of the helicity signature, i.e., the peak of the spectrum, is studied. The position shows a statistically significant dependence on both the electron and proton pressures. However, the strongest dependence is seen when the two pressures are summed. These findings confirm that the generation of the magnetic helicity is associated with an increasing compressibility of the turbulent fluctuations at smaller kinetic scales. It is argued that instrumental artifacts do not contribute to the helicity signature.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1984

A 154-day periodicity in the occurrence of hard solar flares?

An analysis of the temporal distribution of 139 solar flares monitored by the Gamma Ray Spectrometer aboard the Solar Maximum Mission is reported. It is found that, instead of being randomly distributed in time, these events have a tendency to occur in groups with a mean spacing of about 154 days (75 nHz) over the observing interval. A larger sample of flares with an X-ray classification of M 2.5 or larger recorded by the GOES satellite showed a similar regularity.

Rieger, E.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Sharing the Sun: Community Solar Deployment and Subscriptions (As of January 2026)

The community solar market analysis presented here is based primarily on data collected through Sharing the Sun, an initiative of the National Community Solar Partnership+ (NCSP+). Sharing the Sun data collection and analysis are conducted by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) as part of its support for implementation of NCSP+. NLR first released a dataset of community solar projects in 2018 and updates it biannually. The January 2026 dataset, data collection methodology, and all the previous datasets are available from NLR's Data Catalog: https://data.nlr.gov/submissions/244. The dataset presents project-level information including location, capacity, operating utility, and year of interconnection. The dataset is created from multiple data sources such as utility data, public utility commissions, project developer websites, media releases, primary data collection by NLR, and data provided by developers under nondisclosure agreements. This presentation builds on a previous analysis of the community solar project dataset, Sharing the Sun: Community Solar Deployment and Subscriptions (as of June 2024). Dr. Gabriel Chan and his team at the University of Minnesota contribute to this effort. NCSP+ is led and funded by U.S. Department of Energy's Integrated Energy Systems Office (IESO).

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗