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All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2022

North Carolina Water Utility Builds Resilience with Distributed Energy Resources

As the frequency and duration of grid outages increase, backup power systems are becoming more important for ensuring that critical infrastructure continues to provide essential services. Most facilities rely on diesel generators, which may be ineffective during long outages owing to limited fuel supplies and high generator failure rates. Distributed energy resources such as solar, storage, and combined-heat-and-power systems, coupled with on-site biofuel production, offer an alternative source of on-site generation that can provide both cost savings and resilience (i.e., the ability to respond to catastrophic events with longer-term consequences). A mixed-integer linear program minimizes costs and maximizes resilience at a wastewater treatment plant in Wilmington, North Carolina. We find that the plant can reduce life-cycle energy costs by 3.1% through the installation of a hybrid combined-heat-and-power, photovoltaic, and storage system. When paired with existing diesel generators, this system can sustain full load for seven days while saving $664,000 over 25 years and reducing diesel fuel use by 48% compared with the diesel-only solution. This analysis informed a decision by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority to allocate funds for the implementation of a combined-heat-and-power system at the wastewater treatment plant in fiscal year 2023. Finally, the benefits of deploying hybrid combined-heat-and-power technologies and the utilization of on-site biofuel production extend, on a national scale, to thousands of wastewater treatment facilities and other types of critical infrastructure.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2020

Impacts of Distributed Speed Harmonization and Optimal Maneuver Planning on Multi-Lane Roads

A commonly proposed method for improving traffic flow on freeways is speed harmonization. The effectiveness of current speed harmonization approaches, such as variable speed limits, is extremely reliant on human driver compliance. Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) are expected to come to market within this decade, offering the opportunity to eliminate or reduce the reliance on human compliance. However, extending current roadside infrastructure-based approaches of assigning centrally computed harmonization speeds to individual vehicles is, costly. An alternative approach is to have individual vehicles estimate the traffic state on-board and make distributed decisions to achieve the harmonization goal autonomously. In this work, we present a distributed algorithm for estimating the current average speed of traffic. We couple this with a distributed 2D maneuver planning approach. Then, we study the impact on traffic efficiency in terms of energy consumption and travel time at varying CAV penetration rates.

Goulet, Nathan↗

DOE OSTI2023

Nuclear explosion monitoring network design considerations

Design of an efficient monitoring network requires information on the type and size of releases to be detected, the accuracy and reliability of the measuring equipment, and the desired network performance. This work provides a scientific basis for optimizing or minimizing networks of 133 Xe samplers to achieve a desired performance level for different levels of release. The approach of this work varies the density of sampling locations to find optimal location subsets, and to explore the properties of variations of those subsets – how crucial is a specific subset; are substitutions problematic? The choice of possible station locations is arbitrary but constrained to some extent by the location of islands, land masses, difficult topography (mountains, etc.) and the places where infrastructure exists to run and support a sampler. Performance is evaluated using hypothetical releases and atmospheric transport models that cover an entire year.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

DOE OSTI2020

Innovative rail transport of a supersized land-based wind turbine blade

Wind turbine blade logistic providers are being challenged with escalating costs and routing complexities as one-piece blade approach lengths of 75 m in various regions of the U.S. land-based market. New lower cost solutions are needed to enable further reductions in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and continued market expansion. In this paper, a novel method of using existing U.S. rail infrastructure to deploy 100-m, one-piece blades to U.S. land-based wind sites is numerically investigated. The study removes the constraint that blades must be kept rigid during transport, and it allows bending to keep blades within a clearance profile while navigating horizontal and vertical curvatures. Novel system optimization and blade design processes consider blade structural constraints and rail logistic constraints in parallel to develop a highly flexible, rail-transportable blade. Results indicate maximum deployment potential in the Interior region of the United States and limited deployment potential in other regions. The study concludes that innovative rail transportation solutions combined with advanced rotor technologies can provide a feasible alternative to segmentation and support continued LCOE reductions in the U.S. land-based wind energy market.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

The way electricity is generated and consumed in the US is quickly changing, including in terms of the rapid growth in variable power generation resources and the need for large-scale investments to replace aging infrastructure and modernize the grid. Buildings that coordinate electricity use with grid conditions are a flexible and cost-effective resource to address the evolving power system challenges. Outfitted with smart technologies, GEBs are energy-efficient buildings with smart technologies characterized by the active use of distributed energy resources to optimize energy use for grid services, occupant needs and preferences, and cost reductions in a continuous and integrated way. In doing so, GEBs can play a key role in promoting greater affordability, resilience, environmental performance, and reliability. The report finds that, over the next two decades, GEBs could deliver between $100 and $200 billion in savings to the US power system and cut CO 2 emissions by 80 million tons per year by 2030, or 6% of total power sector CO 2 emissions. The report also provides 14 recommendations for addressing the top barriers to overcome barriers to GEB adoption and deployment.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2020

Real-Time Coupling of Geographically Distributed Research Infrastructures: Taxonomy, Overview, and Real-World Smart Grid Applications

Novel concepts enabling a resilient future power system and their subsequent experimental evaluation are experiencing a steadily growing challenge: large scale complexity and questionable scalability. The requirements on a research infrastructure (RI) to cope with the trends of such a dynamic system therefore grow in size, diversity and costs, making the feasibility of rigorous advancements questionable by a single RI. Analysis of large scale system complexity has been made possible by the real-time coupling of geographically separated RIs undertaking geographically distributed simulations (GDS), the concept of which brings the equipment, models and expertise of independent RIs, in combination, to optimally address the challenge. This article presents the outputs of IEEE PES Task Force on Interfacing Techniques for Simulation Tools towards standardization of GDS as a concept. First, the taxonomy for setups utilized for GDS is established followed by a comprehensive overview of the advancements in real-time couplings reported in literature. The overview encompasses fundamental technological design considerations for GDS. The article further presents four application oriented case studies (real-world implementations) where GDS setups have been utilized, demonstrating their practicality and potential in enabling the analysis of future complex power systems.

distributed laboratories↗

DOE OSTI2026

Quantum entanglement distribution coexisting with high-rate, broadband classical optical communications over a real-world fiber connecting remote, synchronized nodes

Compatibility with existing classical network infrastructure offers a scalable path towards deploying large-scale quantum networks. Here, we demonstrate O-band polarization-encoded quantum entanglement distribution over an installed 24.4-km fiber while coexisting with a state-of-the-art fully loaded C-band classical communications line system and a picosecond-level precision L-band synchronization signal. The classical system carries two 800-Gbps channels while the remainder of the C-band is filled with amplified spontaneous emission, as is standard for such state-of-the-art communications systems. We examine the spontaneous Raman scattering spectrum generated from this broadband C-band light and offer insights into wavelength allocation for O-band quantum channels. Optimal wavelength selection and narrow filtering enable well-preserved Bell state fidelity when coexisting with 21.4-dBm aggregate launch power across the C-band suitable for 36-Tbps transmission. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first implementation of entanglement-based quantum communications between two remote nodes coexisting with independent classical communications traffic. We demonstrate coexistence of quantum entanglement with ultra-high power levels and record classical bandwidth, offering promise for real-world entanglement-based networking integrated within high-capacity communications infrastructure.

Talcott, Gina M. [Northwestern U.] (ORCID:00000002↗

DOE OSTI2021

Predictive Data Analytics Framework Using Advanced Test Reactor Acoustic Data

Although a nuclear reactor is a hostile environment for sensing and electrical communications, the reactor core is amenable to acoustic communication. An acoustic measurement infrastructure (AMI) has been installed at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) nozzle trench area to record acoustic signals that has the ability to capture different operating regime of the reactor. This AMI includes ATR in-pile structural components, coolant, acoustic receivers, primary coolant pumps (PCP) as signal sources, a data acquisition system, and signal-processing algorithms, enabling real-time. This report will discusses development of recursive Fast Fourier Transform approach to process in real-time acoustic signals, application of short time Fast Fourier Transform to the ATR brush data to understand the vibration level and to develop spectrograms for different primary coolant pump combinations. The combination of primary coolant pumps for normal and power axial locator mechanism of ATR are different and generates different signatures. These acoustic signatures were used to develop machine learning approaches to automatically classify different operating regimes. This lay the foundation for predictive analytic framework that can be leverage by ATR to optimize their operation and maintenance. The path forward involves continued engagement with ATR and expanded implementation of AMI and predictive framework at ATR and other facilities within INL and at other experimental reactors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Hierarchical Control Architecture: Utilization of Behind-the-Meter Appliances with Increased Visibility and Controllability

Optimal operations of distribution systems to enhance reliability and resiliency can be achieved if information with higher fidelity can be accessed from grid premise devices. This paper discusses a hierarchical control architecture that can introduce higher visibility and controllability by utilizing the estimated injection and absorption of different behind-the-meter controllable loads, and DERs, including EVs, within a premise. The acquired information is used to make control decisions for scheduling the premise appliances to reduce energy consumptions. The premise controller can also optimize the consumptions on a day-to-day basis in addition to taking input signals from the utility operators to support grid-service events (e.g., peak shaving). The entire control architecture is designed in a modular and scalable fashion that provides benefits to the utility from the reuse of existing infrastructure while creating opportunities for various grid services to be enabled by the operation of premise controllers.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2023

Natural Gas Community of the Future (Final Report)

Nicor Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company Gas and its parent company Southern Company, is developing the concept of the Carbon-neutral, Affordable, Resilient, and Equitable Community ("CARE Community") to address the challenges of accessibility and affordability of grid-interactive efficient buildings in historically disadvantaged communities. The CARE Community is a new construction net-zero energy and carbon neutral residential neighborhood consisting of 50 homes with electricity and natural gas services in South Suburban Chicago, built as low-income affordable housing. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is assisting Southern Company to explore how energy efficiency, renewable technologies, and the reliability and resilience of natural gas can be combined and optimized in an islandable energy system as part of a broader effort to understand the role natural gas plays in future communities integrated with renewable energy and improved energy efficiency. The CARE Community will demonstrate how energy efficiency, distributed energy resources (DERs), and advanced controls can be combined with existing natural gas infrastructure to serve historically disadvantaged communities in a cold climate with low energy cost for affordable housing programs and enhanced resilience to withstand extreme weather. Homes will be a part of an islandable energy system, integrating multiple DER technologies such as solar panels, natural gas fuel cells, reciprocating natural gas engines, and battery storage. The CARE Community will provide a replicable template that affordable housing developers and energy companies can adopt throughout the United States. In this report, we present the design and modeling of the community and potential approaches for integrating DERs. We analyze and discuss annual simulations under normal operating conditions and week-long simulations under electric power grid outage conditions.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Optimizing Transportation Networks for E-Waste Reverse Logistics: A Multi-Modal Cost Allocation and Pricing Strategy

The exponential growth of electronic waste (e-waste) poses critical challenges for sustainable reverse logistics and transportation network optimization. This study develops a dual-channel transportation framework for e-waste logistics that integrates dynamic freight pricing, cost allocation mechanisms, and game-theoretic coordination. The model captures interactions between centralized hubs and distributed processing networks, accounting for freight rate elasticity, volume allocation, and capacity constraints. Using Stackelberg game theory and cost-sharing strategies, the framework optimizes transportation efficiency and profit distribution across logistics channels. Numerical simulations show that the dual-channel structure increases centralized hub profit by 226.8% compared to baseline single-channel operations, while boosting total transported volume by 1.2% and nearly doubling freight collector profit under cost-sharing. Scenario analyses across regional infrastructures reveal that network density, policy incentives, and logistics costs shape routing efficiency and profit allocation. These findings suggest that coordinated strategies combining dynamic pricing, targeted infrastructure investment, and strategic cost allocation are needed to design efficient, resilient, and regionally adaptable e-waste transportation systems.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Cyclic moisture reactivation of calcium sorbents for long duration thermochemical energy storage

The transition to a flexible and reliable energy infrastructure, using electro-thermal energy generation technologies such as geothermal, concentrated solar power, and nuclear, usually demands simultaneous advancement of thermal energy storage (TES) to support on-demand electricity generation and industrial applications while mitigating the inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources and power outages from direct energy generation. Among TES technologies, thermochemical energy storage (TCES) based on calcium looping emerges as a compelling high-power energy storage candidate due to its high reaction enthalpy, compatibility with elevated operating temperatures, and abundance of low-cost materials. However, the long-term durability of calcium-based sorbents for TCES is hindered by surface sintering and particle aggregation, leading to performance degradation over repeated thermal cycles. This study explores a moisture hydration-based strategy to regenerate a degraded calcium sorbent and mitigate performance degradation for long duration TCES. The addition of moisture transforms calcium oxide into calcium hydroxide and produces intercalation water layers, associated with a regenerated surface area and reduced calcium oxide crystallite size. Both these effects are beneficial in restoring the sorbents' reactivity for carbonization. Additionally, an optimized hydration-assisted reactivation protocol balances the recovered energy storage capacity with heating penalty required for moisture removal from hydrated samples, resulting in an enhanced energy storage capacity up to 176% compared to benchmark sorbents that undergo cycling without reactivation after 60 cycles. In conclusion, these results highlight the potential of hydration-assisted reactivation to enhance the long-term performance of TCES, providing an effective pathway to advancing electro-thermal storage technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Opportunities for Hybrid Wind and Solar PV Plants in India

The share of variable renewable energy (VRE) on India's grid has surpassed 100 GW, and the government has ambitious plans reach 450 GW by 2030. One strategy to increase wind and solar PV deployment is through the co-location of wind and solar PV plants to form a single hybrid power plant. Hybrid plants have the potential to reduce transmission infrastructure costs and variability in the output power profile compared to a standalone plant with a single technology, and this resource analysis aims to take a first step towards quantifying the potential savings from hybridizing wind and solar PV plants in India and the size of this opportunity. We utilize a brute-force optimization to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for standalone wind, standalone solar PV, and hybrid wind/solar PV plants across all of India. By comparing these LCOEs, we determine that locations where hybrid plants exhibit potential cost savings and grid benefits exhibit both; a high interconnection cost and; a wind capacity factor between roughly 34% and 38%. However, because our work does not capture the value of the electricity generated by looking at energy prices, nor does it quantify the potential of hybrids to provide other value streams such as firm capacity and reserves. Further, because the work does not compare solar PV and wind hybrids to alternative generation technologies or storage systems, it cannot be considered a holistic cost-benefit analysis.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Enhancements and Deployment of the TDAQ System for the Mu2e Experiment

The Real Time Processing Systems Division at Fermilab has deployed new features to the Off-The-Shelf Data Acquisition framework (otsdaq) for the Mu2e experiment. The Mu2e experiment will search for the coherent neutrino-less conversion of a muon into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus with a sensitivity improvement of 10,000 times over existing limits. Such a charged lepton flavor-violating reaction probes new physics at a scale unavailable at present or planned high-energy colliders. The Mu2e Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system uses otsdaq as its online Data Acquisition System (DAQ) framework. otsdaq integrates the artdaq and art frameworks for event transfer, filtering, and processing. otsdaq is a web-based DAQ software suite focusing on flexibility and scalability and provides a multi-user interface accessible through a web browser. artdaq handles the entire data stream, which is read over the peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus to a software filter algorithm that selects events combined with the data flux coming from a cosmic-ray veto (CRV) system. Detector front-ends are configured through the PCIe bus by customized otsdaq plugins. The otsdaq slow controls infrastructure has been further developed using the experimental physics and industrial control system (EPICS) open-source platform for monitoring, controlling, alarming, and archiving. The detector control system (DCS) for Mu2e has been integrated into otsdaq. The production TDAQ and DCS system has been deployed at the experimental hall and is being debugged and optimized for experiment operations. We report on the feature enhancements and deployment of otsdaq for Mu2e.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Depot Charging Schedule Optimization for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Battery-Electric Trucks

Charge management, which lowers charging costs for fleets and prevents straining the electrical grid, is critical to the successful deployment of medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric trucks (MHD BETs). This study introduces an energy demand and cost management framework that optimizes depot charging for MHD BETs by combining an energy consumption machine learning model and a linear program optimization model. The framework considers key factors impacting real-world MHD BET operations, including vehicle and charger configurations, duty cycles, use cases, geographic and climate conditions, operation schedules, and utilities’ time-of-use (TOU) rates and demand charges. The framework was applied to a hypothetical fleet of 100 MHD BETs in California under three different utilities for 365 days, with results compared to unmanaged charging. The optimized charging solution avoided more than 90% of on-peak charging, reduced fleet charging peak load by 64–75%, and lowered fleet energy variable costs by 54–64%. This study concluded that the proposed charge management framework significantly reduces energy costs and peak loads for MHD BET fleets while making recommendations for fleet electrification infrastructure planning and the design of utility TOU rates and demand charges.

Song, Shuhan↗

DOE OSTI2021

Winning Asset Management Improvement Team: Maintenance Planning and Scheduling in a Highly Regulated Environment

The Y-12 National Complex (Y-12) site has numerous aging facilities that are crucial to the Department of Energy and the national security strategy for the nation. Y-12’s commitment to safety and regulatory compliance is of the highest importance. The commitment to meet the national security mission also creates additional rigor and complexity to the everyday maintenance and planning process. Y-12 is a collection of many facilities, both old and new, nestled between two ridges in Oak Ridge, TN. Y-12 was made with the short-term focus of ending “The Great War” through the creation of the worlds’ first atomic bomb. Almost eighty (80) years have passed since the groundbreaking, with the mission of the site changing from decade to decade. While the mission has changed, the way Y-12 employees continuously meet the challenge has not. The site was created to react and overcome; Y-12 still takes pride in the ability to react and overcome. The difference is the site is no longer ignorant to the need for a better way to manage the aging facilities and infrastructure. Shear willpower and determination was once the way to reach the objectives, but as a wise man once said, “Work smarter, not harder.” The business case for change started within the senior leadership at Y-12. A team of managers sat down and dictated objectives to provide a clear scope for the maintenance planning and scheduling optimization team, to include our Eruditio integrated blended learning coaches. In addition to providing the direction, they also made themselves available for escalation of issues in the event the team ran in to road blocks.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2022

An overview of the operation architectures and energy management system for multiple microgrid clusters

The emerging novel energy infrastructures, such as energy communities, smart building-based microgrids, electric vehicles enabled mobile energy storage units raise the requirements for a more interconnective and interoperable energy system. It leads to a transition from simple and isolated microgrids to relatively large-scale and complex interconnected microgrid systems named multi-microgrid clusters. In order to efficiently, optimally, and flexibly control multi-microgrid clusters, cross-disciplinary technologies such as power electronics, control theory, optimization algorithms, information and communication technologies, cyber-physical, and big-data analysis are needed. This paper introduces an overview of the relevant aspects for multi-microgrids, including the outstanding features, architectures, typical applications, existing control mechanisms, as well as the challenges.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Moving small files in a networked environment

Globally distributed computing infrastructures, such as clouds and supercomputers, are currently used to manage data that is generated with an unprecedented speed from a variety of resources. Coping with this trend, the volume of data exchanged across distant sites increases substantially. To accelerate data transfer, high-speed networks are provided to connect remote sites. Most existing data movement solutions are optimized for moving large files. However, it is still challenging to transfer a large number of small files across networks. This disadvantage not only lowers data transfer performance, but also decreases overall system utilization. Here, we identify that moving small files is mainly constrained by degraded file system throughput, not just network performance as might be suspected. We have built a data transfer pipeline model to analyze the impact of small network I/O and storage I/O on data movement. Extending one of the widely used open source data movement solutions, GridFTP, we demonstrate several appropriate engineering approaches that mitigate the bottleneck and increase data transfer efficiency. We show optimizations that improve data transfer performance more than 5 times. In comparison to existing solutions, our approaches can save a significant amount of system resources for moving lots of small files.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗