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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Chapter 5: Integration of Renewable Energy Technologies in Buildings and Cities

Sustainable Energy Technologies, such as the solar, wind, and waterpower systems described in other chapters of this book, need to be integrated into our energy systems to expand access to energy while avoiding harmful effects on the environment. The existing utility system or 'grid' is a network that consists of components for generation, transmission, distribution, and control of electric power from producers (also called 'resources') to consumers (also called 'loads' or 'demand'). Public safety necessitates that the grid be reliable, and public policy requires that grid power be affordable and broadly accessible. Much of the existing power grid was constructed before the advent of modern information technology for controls and automation. The existing grid is facing new challenges related to increases in power demand, complexity in managing more diverse and distributed resources, power quality issues introduced by 'non-linear' loads (that have parasitic inductance and capacitance like LED lights or computers), physical and cybersecurity threats, and challenges to the existing economic model of costs and revenues. Increases in power demand include not only growth in population and per-capita electricity use, but also call for electricity to meet the need for heating and transportation as well. Electric vehicles are a rapidly growing example of this electrification of previously fossil-fueled uses. [Your author's Chevrolet Volt vehicle uses about the same amount of electricity as his house, around 300 kWh/month. Fortunately, both are served with solar photovoltaics (PVs)]. Therefore, there is an immediate need for improvement toward a reliable, self-regulating, efficient, and economical grid system that will allow the integration of renewable distributed power generation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Intermolecular electron transfer from intramolecular excitation and coherent acoustic phonon generation in a hydrogen-bonded charge-transfer solid

Organic materials that produce coherent lattice phonon excitations in response to external stimuli may provide next generation solutions in a wide range of applications. However, for these materials to lead to functional devices in technology, a full understanding of the possible driving forces of coherent lattice phonon generation must be attained. To facilitate the achievement of this goal, we have undertaken an optical spectroscopic study of an organic charge-transfer material formed from the ubiquitous reduction-oxidation pair hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone. Upon pumping this material, known as quinhydrone, on its intermolecular charge transfer resonance as well as an intramolecular resonance of p-benzoquinone, we find sub-cm{sup −1} oscillations whose dispersion with probe energy resembles that of a coherent acoustic phonon that we argue is coherently excited following changes in the electron density of quinhydrone. Using the dynamical information from these ultrafast pump-probe measurements, we find that the fastest process we can resolve does not change whether we pump quinhydrone at either energy. Electron-phonon coupling from both ultrafast coherent vibrational and steady-state resonance Raman spectroscopies allows us to determine that intramolecular electronic excitation of p-benzoquinone also drives the electron transfer process in quinhydrone. These results demonstrate the wide range of electronic excitations of the parent of molecules found in many functional organic materials that can drive coherent lattice phonon excitations useful for applications in electronics, photonics, and information technology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Helping IT and OT Defenders Collaborate

Cyber-physical systems, especially in critical infrastructures, have become primary hacking targets in international conflicts and diplomacy. However, cyber-physical systems present unique challenges to defenders, starting with an inability to communicate. This paper outlines the results of our interviews with information technology (IT) defenders and operational technology (OT) operators and seeks to address lessons learned from them in the structure of our notional solutions. We pre-sent two problems in this paper: (1) the difficulty of coordinat-ing detection and response between defenders who work on the cyber/IT and physical/OT sides of cyber-physical infrastruc-tures, and (2) the difficulty of estimating the safety state of a cyber-physical system while an intrusion is underway but be-fore damage can be effected by the attacker. To meet these chal-lenges, we propose two solutions: (1) a visualization that will enable communication between IT defenders and OT operators, and (2) a machine-learning approach that will estimate the distance from normal the physical system is operating and send information to the visualization.

Cyber Physical Systems, internet of things, visual↗
DOE OSTI2022

CP‐SyNet: A tool for generating customised cyber‐power synthetic network for distribution systems with distributed energy resources

Abstract The integration of distributed energy resources and advancement in information technology has enabled the transition of traditional power distribution systems to active cyber‐physical distribution systems. A growing amount of research has been done on the modelling, analysis, and optimisation of power distribution system behaviour. However, existing publicly available distribution test feeders are limited in numbers and have minimal features. Furthermore, these test feeders do not include cyber models and are not customisable. To bridge this gap, we propose and develop Cyber‐physical synthetic distribution system network (CP‐SyNet), a tool for generating customisable cyber‐physical synthetic distribution test feeders. CP‐SyNet generates three‐phase unbalanced test feeders according to users' requirements, while simultaneously considering both the cyber side and the physical side of the network for cyber‐physical analysis. The physical test network is developed using a graph‐theoretical approach that employs information from existing test feeders. The cyber side considers an equivalent communication network by transforming the physical topology into possible and feasible simulated network. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework to generate cyber‐physical test feeders.

Wang, Lusha↗
DOE OSTI2023

Layer-Dependent Magnetism and Spin Fluctuations in Atomically Thin van der Waals Magnet CrPS 4

van der Waals (vdW) magnets, an emerging family of two-dimensional (2D) materials, have received tremendous attention due to their rich fundamental physics and significant potential for cutting-edge technological applications. In contrast to the conventional bulk counterparts, vdW magnets exhibit significant tunability of local material properties, such as stacking engineered interlayer coupling and layer-number dependent magnetic and electronic interactions, which promise to deliver previously unavailable merits to develop multifunctional microelectronic devices. As a further ingredient of this emerging topic, here we report nanoscale quantum sensing and imaging of atomically thin vdW magnet chromium thiophosphate CrPS 4 , revealing its characteristic layer-dependent 2D static magnetism and dynamic spin fluctuations. We also show a large tunneling magnetoresistance in CrPS 4 -based spin filter vdW heterostructures. Here, the excellent material stability, robust strategy against environmental degradation, in combination with tailored magnetic properties highlight the potential of CrPS 4 in developing state-of-the-art 2D spintronic devices for next-generation information technologies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Federation of UML models for cyber physical use cases

This method employs the concept of federation, which is defined as the use of existing models that represent aspects of a system in specific domains (such as physical and cyber security domains) and building interfaces to link all of domain models. Federation seeks to build on existing bodies of work. Some examples include the Common Information Models (CIM) maintained by the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 57 (IEC TC 57) for the electric power industry. Another relevant model is the CIM maintained by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF)? this CIM defines a representation of the managed elements in an Information Technology (IT) environment. The power system is an example of a cyber-physical system, where the cyber systems, consisting of computing infrastructure such as networks and devices, play a critical role in the operation of the underlying physical electricity delivery system. Measurements from remote field devices are relayed to control centers through computer networks, and the data is processed to determine suitable control actions. Control decisions are then relayed back to field devices. It has been observed that threat actors may be able to successfully compromise this cyber layer in order to impact power system operation. Therefore, future control center applications must be wary of potentially compromised measurements coming from field devices. In order to ensure the integrity of the field measurements, these applications could make use of compromise indicators from alternate sources of information such as cyber security. Thus, modern control applications may require access to data from sources that are not defined in the local information model. In such cases, software application interfaces will require integration of data objects from cross-domain data models. When incorporating or federating different domains, it is important to have subject matter experts work together, recognizing that not everyone has the same knowledge, responsibilities, focus, or skill set.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2025

Land-Based Wind Reference Architecture

This report describes a summary and the final deliverables for the Wind Reference Architecture project funded by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Wind Energy Technology Office (WETO). The project objective was to further refine the reference architecture of the existing wind power plant reference architecture developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) by expanding the wind turbine generator (WTG) into a separate individual wind turbine reference architecture. Additional details regarding the wind turbine system and how it integrates with a wind power plant were researched and reflected in the reference architecture. This addition is important because it allows researchers to understand the components and devices in a wind turbine, how they function and how a wind turbine integrates into a wind power plant to be able to perform cybersecurity evaluations on the system. The communication and control systems were the focus while developing this reference architecture to understand the cybersecurity posture of a wind turbine and power plant. The information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems perspective are integral in helping improve the cybersecurity posture by creating a starting point to study how wind energy can be safely designed and deployed in our power grid from an integrated systems standpoint. A holistic wind power plant and turbine reference architecture and simulation was developed and made open-sourced for further research efforts.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Solar Thermal Energy Planner (STEP 1): A New Decision Support Tool for Solar Industrial Process Heat Applications

Solar thermal technologies are a promising technology to supply low-cost thermal energy to industrial processes, but there are often significant barriers to entry to industrial owners considering these technologies for their energy demands. To overcome this barrier and convey economic value to customers, NREL and Sandia National Laboratories developed Solar Thermal Energy Planner (STEP 1), a new web-based decision support tool for solar industrial process heat systems. At SolarPACES 2024, the STEP 1 tool was still under development; progress, methodologies, and a preliminary case study was presented. With the STEP 1 tool launch in May 2025, in this work, the initial version of the full public tool will be presented with demonstrations of its capabilities using a few case studies. First, the user's process heat needs such as location, process media (e.g., steam, air), process temperature, land availability, electricity and fuel costs, among other parameters. STEP 1 features a mapping interface that allows users to draw land and roof boundaries. The process media and temperature inform technology selection criteria modules that determine the appropriate solar thermal collection technologies, as well as congruent heat transfer media (e.g., hot water, oil, salt). Once the solar thermal technology selected, its nominal thermal production for the given site is characterized using NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM). Then, a modified version of NREL's REopt optimal sizing and dispatch optimization tool determines cost-optimal sizing. Within minutes, the user receives the results of the technoeconomics analysis, including the size and performance of the cost-optimal solar-plus-storage system. The cost of the system is compared to business-as-usual (e.g., an existing, standalone natural gas boiler). Users can download key results to store for sensitivity analyses. Examples of flat plate collector, parabolic trough, and molten salt tower applications with and without PV hybridization for different industrial facility types are presented in this work. The STEP 1 tool aims to reduce barriers to the adoption of solar heating solutions stemming from a lack of familiarity and technical background with solar system design options and costs among industry stakeholders.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1993

Micro-video display with ocular tracking and interactive voice control

In certain space-restricted environments, many of the benefits resulting from computer technology have been foregone because of the size, weight, inconvenience, and lack of mobility associated with existing computer interface devices. Accordingly, an effort to develop a highly miniaturized and 'wearable' computer display and control interface device, referred to as the Sensory Integrated Data Interface (SIDI), is underway. The system incorporates a micro-video display that provides data display and ocular tracking on a lightweight headset. Software commands are implemented by conjunctive eye movement and voice commands of the operator. In this initial prototyping effort, various 'off-the-shelf' components have been integrated into a desktop computer and with a customized menu-tree software application to demonstrate feasibility and conceptual capabilities. When fully developed as a customized system, the interface device will allow mobile, 'hand-free' operation of portable computer equipment. It will thus allow integration of information technology applications into those restrictive environments, both military and industrial, that have not yet taken advantage of the computer revolution. This effort is Phase 1 of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Topic number N90-331 sponsored by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport. The prime contractor is Foster-Miller, Inc. of Waltham, MA.

Miller, James E.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Integrated, Automated Distributed Generation Technologies Demonstration

The purpose of the NETL Project was to develop a diverse combination of distributed renewable generation technologies and controls and demonstrate how the renewable generation could help manage substation peak demand at the ATK Promontory plant site. The Promontory plant site is located in the northwestern Utah desert approximately 25 miles west of Brigham City, Utah. The plant encompasses 20,000 acres and has over 500 buildings. The ATK Promontory plant primarily manufactures solid propellant rocket motors for both commercial and government launch systems. The original project objectives focused on distributed generation; a 100 kW (kilowatt) wind turbine, a 100 kW new technology waste heat generation unit, a 500 kW energy storage system, and an intelligent system-wide automation system to monitor and control the renewable energy devices then release the stored energy during the peak demand time. The original goal was to reduce peak demand from the electrical utility company, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), by 3.4%. For a period of time we also sought to integrate our energy storage requirements with a flywheel storage system (500 kW) proposed for the Promontory/RMP Substation. Ultimately the flywheel storage system could not meet our project timetable, so the storage requirement was switched to a battery storage system (300 kW.) A secondary objective was to design/install a bi-directional customer/utility gateway application for real-time visibility and communications between RMP, and ATK. This objective was not achieved because of technical issues with RMP, ATK Information Technology Department’s stringent requirements based on being a rocket motor manufacturing facility, and budget constraints. Of the original objectives, the following were achieved: • Installation of a 100 kW wind turbine. • Installation of a 300 kW battery storage system. • Integrated control system installed to offset electrical demand by releasing stored energy from renewable sources during peak hours of the day. Control system also monitors the wind turbine and battery storage system health, power output, and issues critical alarms. Of the original objectives, the following were not achieved: • 100 kW new technology waste heat generation unit. • Bi-directional customer/utility gateway for real time visibility and communications between RMP and ATK. • 3.4% reduction in peak demand. 1.7% reduction in peak demand was realized instead.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2011

The 2010 AOP Workshop Summary Report

The rationale behind the current workshop, which was hosted by Biospherical Instruments Inc. (BSI), was to update the community and get community input with respect to the following: topics not addressed during the first workshop, specifically the processing of above-water apparent optical property (AOP data) within the Processing of Radiometric Observations of Seawater using Information Technologies (PROSIT) architecture; PROSIT data processing issues that have developed or tasks that have been completed, since the first workshop; and NASA instrumentation developments, both above- and in-water, that are relevant to both workshops and next generation mission planning. The workshop emphasized presentations on new AOP instrumentation, desired and required features for processing above-water measurements of the AOPs of seawater, working group discussions, and a community update for the in-water data processing already present in PROSIT. The six working groups were organized as follows: a) data ingest and data products; b) required and desired features for optically shallow and optically deep waters; c) contamination rejection (clouds), corrections, and data filtering; d) sun photometry and polarimetry; e) instrumentation networks; and f) hyperspectral versus fixed-wavelength sensors. The instrumentation networks working group was intended to provide more detailed information about desired and required features of autonomous sampling systems. Plenary discussions produced a number of recommendations for evolving and documenting PROSIT.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Process Mining in Healthcare - A Case Study for the Corporate Data Warehouse of the Veterans Affairs Office

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working with the Veteran’s Affairs Administration Office (VA) on a series of studies having the objective of detecting harmful anomalies (i.e., hazards) in VA health information technology systems using its Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW). This progress report describes an ORNL study focused on applying a process mining methodology to that CDW database. In the approach presented herein, process mining methodology is combined with additional software tools, metrics, and filters to permit a quick examination of large volumes of data to address specific research questions. In this work, a case study is presented in which the performance of the combined ORNL approach is evaluated by applying it to the CDW database. We performed an evidence-based study to effectively identify process models and to define metrics of frequency and performance for four health care domains: Consults, Radiology, Laboratory, and Outpatient Medication (RxOut) orders. Additionally, we classified the termination classes of the different cases by mapping to the OASIS Human Task Specification standard. We demonstrated, via process mining, that extracted raw data can aid the understanding of the flow of information in different clinical order processes. We showed that using the stepby- step approach described herein to discover processes in raw electronic health record data can be extremely effective in revealing irregular state transitions in the data and understanding clinical order information flows that are not apparent in analyzing the CDW as it is, without feature extraction.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nanometer Resolution Structure‐Emission Correlation of Individual Quantum Emitters via Enhanced Cathodoluminescence in Twisted Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Understanding the atomic structure of quantum emitters, often originating from point defects or impuritie, is essential for designing and optimizing materials for quantum technologies such as quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Despite the availability of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale cathodoluminescence microscopy, experimentally determining the atomic structure of individual emitters is challenging due to the conflicting needs for thick samples to generate strong cathodoluminescence signals and thin samples for structural analysis. To overcome this challenge, significantly enhanced cathodoluminescence at twisted interfaces is leveraged to achieve sub-nanometer localization precision for the first time in mapping individual quantum emitters in carbon-implanted hexagonal boron nitride. This unprecedent spatial sensitivity, together with correlative electron energy loss spectroscopy quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, and first principles density functional theory calculations, enables the identification of the atomic structure of the 440 nm blue emitter in hexagonal boron nitride as a substituted vertical carbon dimer. Building on the atomic structure insights, nanoscale spatially precise creation of blue emitters is demonstrated by electron beam irradiation of carbon-coated hexagonal boron nitride. This advancement in correlating atomic structures with optical properties lays the foundation for a deeper understanding and precise engineering of quantum emitters, significantly advancing the development of cutting-edge quantum information technologies.

2D material↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessment of Cloud-based Applications for Enabling a Scalable Riskinformed Predictive Maintenance Strategy

The current light-water reactor fleet uses time-based maintenance strategies to achieve high-capacity factors. But to make nuclear more competitive in the energy market, these reactors could utilize emerging artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing technologies to achieve a cost-effective, predictive-maintenance strategy. This paper presents discussion and results on the application of cloud computing in the nuclear industry. The technical viability of cloud computing was analyzed using data from a boiling-water reactor’s safety relief valve. The models were hosted on three different systems: a local personal computer, Idaho National Laboratory’s high-performance computer system, and Microsoft Azure. The data were loaded and processed, and two types of models were trained in an A/B fashion. Based on the speed at which these actions were completed, it was determined that cloud computing affords adequate computing resources. Additionally, the computing power can scale with the demanded load. To enable cloud computing in the existing fleet, additional sensors, networks, and other requirements must be implemented to ensure a smooth transition from current maintenance strategies. However, the benefit is that the plants no longer need to manage their own servers, software, cybersecurity, and information technology support staff for in-house data analytics purpose. Many of these features can be offloaded to the cloud provider for a potential cost savings. Demonstrating how AI can improve the maintenance and operation of non-safety-related systems seems the likely path forward for implementing AI and cloud computing resources inside nuclear power plants.

azure↗
DOE OSTI2019

Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Phase Transformations in Energy Materials (Final Report)

The primary goal of this program is to develop computational tools and methodology for enabling a shift from empirical trial-and-error driven materials discovery towards data and information technology driven design of materials with targeted functional properties. Both thermodynamic and kinetic factors need to be taken into account when designing new materials. Thermodynamics sets the necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions for the suitability of a particular material in a given application, while the kinetics controls the rates of microscopic processes and hence the performance in energy applications (e.g., power in energy storage, conversion efficiencies in solar cells and thermoelectrics, chemical activity in catalysis). The complexity of these phenomena makes computational design difficult, not least due to the lack of suitable theoretical methods and computational tools. To address these needs, we develop systematic, quantitatively accurate first-principles methods to address two important problems: (i) predict and optimize the thermodynamics of materials over a large composition and structure space, and (ii) model kinetic processes such as mass and heat transport in crystalline solids under non-equilibrium conditions. These tasks are addressed by combining high-throughput computation with automatic construction of accurate lattice models using mathematically rigorous methods of information theory, such as compressive sensing and Bayesian inference.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Role and Evolution of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems

One of the three strategic goals of NASA is to Advance understanding of Earth and develop technologies to improve the quality of life on our home planet (NASA strategic plan 2014). NASA's Earth Science Data System (ESDS) Program directly supports this goal. NASA has been launching satellites for civilian Earth observations for over 40 years, and collecting data from various types of instruments. Especially since 1990, with the start of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Program, which was a part of the Mission to Planet Earth, the observations have been significantly more extensive in their volumes, variety and velocity. Frequent, global observations are made in support of Earth system science. An open data policy has been in effect since 1990, with no period of exclusive access and non-discriminatory access to data, free of charge. NASA currently holds nearly 10 petabytes of Earth science data including satellite, air-borne, and ground-based measurements and derived geophysical parameter products in digital form. Millions of users around the world are using NASA data for Earth science research and applications. In 2014, over a billion data files were downloaded by users from NASAs EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS), a system with 12 Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) across the U. S. As a core component of the ESDS Program, EOSDIS has been operating since 1994, and has been evolving continuously with advances in information technology. The ESDS Program influences as well as benefits from advances in Earth Science Informatics. The presentation will provide an overview of the role and evolution of NASAs ESDS Program.

Remote Sensing↗
NASA NTRS2011

Ground Processing Affordability for Space Vehicles

Launch vehicles and most of their payloads spend the majority of their time on the ground. The cost of ground operations is very high. So, why so often is so little attention given to ground processing during development? The current global space industry and economic environment are driving more need for efficiencies to save time and money. Affordability and sustainability are more important now than ever. We can not continue to treat space vehicles as mere science projects. More RLV's (Reusable Launch Vehicles) are being developed for the gains of reusability which are not available for ELV's (Expendable Launch Vehicles). More human-rated vehicles are being developed, with the retirement of the Space Shuttles, and for a new global space race, yet these cost more than the many unmanned vehicles of today. We can learn many lessons on affordability from RLV's. DFO (Design for Operations) considers ground operations during design, development, and manufacturing-before the first flight. This is often minimized for space vehicles, but is very important. Vehicles are designed for launch and mission operations. You will not be able to do it again if it is too slow or costly to get there. Many times, technology changes faster than space products such that what is launched includes outdated features, thus reducing competitiveness. Ground operations must be considered for the full product Lifecycle, from concept to retirement. Once manufactured, launch vehicles along with their payloads and launch systems require a long path of processing before launch. Initial assembly and testing always discover problems to address. A solid integration program is essential to minimize these impacts, as was seen in the Constellation Ares I-X test rocket. For RLV's, landing/recovery and post-flight turnaround activities are performed. Multi-use vehicles require reconfiguration. MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) must be well-planned--- even for the unplanned problems. Defect limits and standard repairs need to be in-place as well as easily added. Many routine inspections and maintenance can be like an aircraft overhaul. Modifications and technology upgrades should be expected. Another factor affecting ground operations efficiency is trending. It is essential for RLV's, and also useful for ELV's which fly the same or similar models again. Good data analysis of technical and processing performance will determine fixes and improvements needed for safety, design, and future processing. Collecting such data on new or low-frequency vehicles is a challenge. Lessons can be learned from the Space Shuttle, or even the Concorde aircraft. For all of the above topics, efficient business systems must be established for comprehensive program management and good throughput. Drawings, specifications, and manuals for an entire launch vehicle are often in different formats from multiple vendors, plus they have proprietary constraints. Nonetheless, the integration team must ensure that all data needed is compatible and visible to each appropriate team member. Ground processing systems for scheduling, tracking, problem resolution, etc. must be well laid-out. The balance between COTS (commercial off the shelf) and custom software is difficult. Multiple customers, vendors, launch sites, and landing sites add to the complexity of efficient IT (Information Technology) tools.

Ingalls, John↗