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DOE OSTI2026

Analyze Landscape of Solar Panel Installations and Retirements - Solar Prize Round 7 (CRADA CRD-24-30364 Final Report)

By projecting the solar capacity until 2050 at a granular, census tract level, we aim to define Participant's Total Addressable Market for Electra's registration service and examine the volumes and locations of panels reaching end-of-life with corresponding state policies and planned recycling locales. This dual-faceted data will be pivotal in developing a sustainable, per-watt pricing strategy for our state central funds and key areas for collection hubs, ensuring these volumes can adequately support our collection, hauling, and recycling provider network.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

The impact of policies and business models on income equity in rooftop solar adoption

Low- and moderate-income (LMI) households are less likely to adopt rooftop solar photovoltaics (PVs) than higher-income households in the United States. As the existing literature has shown, this dynamic can decelerate rooftop PV deployment and has potential energy justice implications, in light of the cost-shifting between PV and non-PV households that can occur under typical rate structures and incentive programmes. Here we show that some state policy interventions and business models have expanded PV adoption among LMI households. Additionally, we find evidence that LMI-specific financial incentives, PV leasing and property-assessed financing have increased the diffusion of PV adoption among LMI households in existing markets and have driven more installations into previously underserved low-income communities. By shifting deployment patterns, we posit that these interventions could catalyse peer effects to increase PV adoption in low-income communities even among households that do not directly benefit from the interventions.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Availability of state-level climate change projection resources for use in site-level risk assessment

In recent years, incorporating climate change considerations has become an important focus of organizations’ resilience planning and risk assessment efforts, including United States federal agencies. This has led to an increasing demand for higher-resolution and higher-quality climate projection information that is easy to understand for non-expert users. In particular, there is a demand for information about how climate change may affect high-impact, low-frequency (HILF) hazards that are central to risk assessments focused on infrastructure. While national-level resources like the National Climate Assessment provide information on climate impacts for different sectors and regions in the United States, downscaled information with location-specific context is often required for site-level resilience planning. As higher-resolution and higher-quality climate resources continue to be developed at the state level, it is imperative to understand ongoing and planned efforts, as well as key drivers for developing these state-level resources. Based primarily on stakeholder input from climate experts from 31 states, we identify key state-level climate resources, as well as drivers accelerating the development of these resources. We assess the availability of climate change resources, specifically those with information about HILF events that have been developed at the state level and can support users in conducting site-level resilience planning. We identify three key drivers or predictors for the development of climate change resources at the state level: (1) existence of state laws, mandates, Executive Orders, and other state policies, (2) existence of university partnerships; and (3) the makeup of the stakeholder groups (in terms of dominant discipline/expertise) participating in the effort. The diverse state strategies and resources surveyed in this study could support the incorporation of higher-resolution climate information into site-level planning.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Clean Air as a Bonus for Achieving Energy-Related State Goals: A Review of Policies and Programs in 15 States

This report explores connections between six common areas for state action on energy-related issues — resilience, economic development, energy affordability, electrifying transportation, grid modernization, and using local resources — and reducing air emissions. Although clean air often is not a driver for such state actions, they nonetheless reduce a variety of emissions, including particulates, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The study spans 15 geographically diverse states: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. While these states have not adopted mandatory climate goals, they conduct a wide range of energy-related activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants as a side benefit.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Policy Innovation and Governance for Irrigation Sustainability in the Arid, Saline San Joaquin River Basin

This paper provides a chronology and overview of events and policy initiatives aimed at addressing irrigation sustainability issues in the San Joaquin River Basin (SJRB) of California. Although the SJRB was selected in this case study, many of the same resource management issues are being played out in arid, agricultural regions around the world. The first part of this paper provides an introduction to some of the early issues impacting the expansion of irrigated agriculture primarily on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and the policy and capital investments that were used to address salinity impairments to the use of the San Joaquin River (SJR) as an irrigation water supply. Irrigated agriculture requires large quantities of water if it is to be sustained, as well as supply water of adequate quality for the crop being grown. The second part of the paper addresses these supply issues and a period of excessive groundwater pumping that resulted in widespread land subsidence. A joint federal and state policy response that resulted in the facilities to import Delta water provided a remedy that lasted almost 50 years until the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 was passed in the legislature to address a recurrence of the same issue. The paper describes the current state of basin-scale simulation modeling that many areas, including California, are using to craft a future sustainable groundwater resource management policy. The third section of the paper deals with unique water quality issues that arose in connection with the selenium crisis at Kesterson Reservoir and the significant threats to irrigation sustainability on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that followed. The eventual policy response to this crisis was incremental, spanning two decades of University of California-led research programs focused on finding permanent solutions to the salt and selenium contamination problems constraining irrigated agriculture, primarily on the west side. Arid-zone agricultural drainage-induced water quality problems are becoming more ubiquitous worldwide. One policy approach that found traction in California is an innovative variant on the traditional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) approach to salinity regulation, which has features in common with a scheme in Australia’s Hunter River Basin. The paper describes the real-time salinity management (RTSM) concept, which is geared to improving coordination of west side agricultural and wetland exports of salt load with east side tributary reservoir release flows to improve compliance with river salinity objectives. RTSM is a concept that requires access to continuous flow and electrical conductivity data from sensor networks located along the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries and a simulation model-based decision support designed to make salt load assimilative capacity forecasts. Web-based information dissemination and data sharing innovations are described with an emphasis on experience with stakeholder engagement and participation. The last decade has seen wide-scale, global deployment of similar technologies for enhancing irrigation agriculture productivity and protecting environmental resources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Solar Power + Electric Vehicle Charging: Capturing Synergies in Minnesota

Despite the state policy support, significant market barriers to decarbonization of transportation remain. Analysis conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and others confirm that without routine access to charging infrastructure, both at home and in non-residential locations, bullish market forecasts are unlikely to materialize. Similarly, the expansion of EV charging and variable renewable energy deployment each have potentially disruptive and costly effects on the distribution grid. Finally, electrification of passenger vehicles is not enough to decarbonize transportation without pathways to carbon-free electrification, linking EV charging and clean energy generation. This document examines the opportunity to jointly deploy solar energy and EV charging infrastructure to capture synergistic value, mitigate for risks associated with integrating and scaling both solar and EV charging, and accelerate their mutual deployment.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project Strategic Energy Plan for Washington County, Maine

This Strategic Energy Plan (SEP) for Washington County, Maine was developed through the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP) to address local challenges related to electricity reliability, affordability, and safety. Grounded in a "relational infrastructure" approach, the plan recognizes that improved energy outcomes depend not only on physical grid investments but also on strengthened coordination and trust between utilities and communities. Using utility-provided reliability data, public datasets, and community input, the plan identifies key risks, including vegetation-related outages, high energy burden, and vulnerability among elderly and medically dependent populations. The SEP establishes three priority areas: hazard mitigation for energy infrastructure, outage safety and emergency readiness, and energy assistance and thermal safety. It outlines community-driven actions designed to complement utility-led system improvements, including targeted outreach, municipal coordination, and expanded access to energy programs. The plan also situates local conditions within broader state policy, market dynamics, and funding opportunities. Intended as a living document, this SEP provides a scalable framework for collaborative action to improve resilience, safety, and affordability in rural energy systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comparing Offshore Wind Energy Procurement and Project Revenue Sources Across U.S. States

The pace of offshore wind energy procurement in the United States has rapidly accelerated in recent years. U.S. states along the Atlantic Coast have set procurement goals for offshore wind energy to meet renewable portfolio standards and serve state policy needs. By the end of 2019, projects with a total capacity of 6.4 gigawatts (GW) had established long-term contracts (or equivalent regulatory requirements) with utility off-takers. The prices established in these contracts since 2017 have been well below expectations from many industry observers, prompting stakeholders to compare price levels across U.S. states and globally. However, comparing procurement prices across projects and jurisdictions is often challenging because of differences in project parameters, support regimes, supply chains, and the applicable tax and regulatory environment. These characteristics provide critical context for understanding project revenue streams, delivery obligations, and risk allocation, which need to be accounted for when comparing across different projects. In combination, variation in these characteristics between projects results in measurable differences in project costs and revenues and, consequently, in different offer bids. In this report, we systematically analyze offshore wind energy support regimes across U.S. states. Because offshore wind energy procurement prices from U.S. projects are often compared not only among states but also with European tenders, this report also provides an overview of support regimes and taxonomy used in European offshore wind markets. The content of this report was derived from a literature review, primarily regulatory filings and summary reports, and 16 interviews with leading industry experts from state agencies, energy sector consultancies, and law practices. The comparison between U.S. states focuses on several dimensions, including statutory authority, solicitation procedures, procurement goals and awards, and the structuring of physical and transactional delivery of energy services.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Key Drivers for Offshore Wind Deployment in the Western United States

The western coast of the United States has abundant natural resources, including wind, sun, and water. Despite strong ocean winds, offshore wind energy (OSW) in the Western United States is in the early stages of technology development due largely to the deep water off the coast, which requires floating platforms rather than fixed‐bottom turbines. Floating OSW increases the technical difficulty of installation and thus the cost relative to both fixed‐bottom OSW and land‐based turbines. OSW is a potential generation option to help meet increasing demand on the west coast of the United States because it likely has fewer land‐use conflicts than other technologies and complements sources in the existing electricity supply by providing energy during times of high system stress. This paper examines the possible drivers and barriers to OSW deployment on the West Coast using the National Laboratory of the Rockies' state‐of‐the‐art capacity expansion model and the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model. We use ReEDS to explore a multitude of future scenarios looking at key drivers for OSW deployment, including variations on the cost of OSW, electricity demand growth, and the availability of competing technologies to examine the factors that may play a role in OSW growth. Assuming coastal state policies such as renewable portfolio and clean energy standards remain in place, we find that OSW can play a role in meeting electricity demand and provide energy during stressful grid conditions and find that deployment from the least‐cost investment model ranges from 7.6 to 38 GW by 2045.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multiscale geographically and temporally weighted regression (MGTWR): exploring the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of EV market adoption

As an innovative vehicle technology, electric vehicles are experiencing growing sales and have made significant inroads into the traditional automotive market in the United States and around the world. However, EV adoption rates vary significantly across space and over time, influenced by a complex interplay of socio-economic and infrastructural factors alongside federal and state policies. Here, this paper presents a comprehensive spatial–temporal investigation of EV market adoption within one city in the US, that of Chicago, utilizing Multiscale Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (MGTWR) alongside Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR). The aim is to unravel the spatial and temporal dynamics affecting EV adoption and to explore how the influence of various determinants of EV adoption, such as demographic factors and economic conditions, vary spatially. Moreover, by utilizing MGTWR, we provide insights into the evolution of these relationships over time, offering a predictive outlook on future EV market growth. Our findings, with an 86.6% prediction accuracy for EV market adoption, tailored policy measures to support accelerated EV adoption. Methodologically, this work advances MGWR frameworks by integrating temporal dynamics to examine nonstationary processes in spatially disaggregated contexts. These findings offer evidence–based guidance for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders in the automotive industry, supporting the transition toward a more sustainable and efficient transportation system.

EV Market Adoption↗
DOE OSTI2025

Floating Offshore Wind US Manufacturing and Commercialization: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

NREL assessed the supply chain and workforce considerations for the OCG-Wind floater technology, a floating semi-submersible offshore wind substructure, as well sharing vessel needs to inform their installation strategy. This technical assistance was in support of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize Phase 2 submission. NREL provided an assessment of domestic supplier capabilities for the main components of their floating offshore wind platform design and analyzed US regional and national supply chain constraints and gaps. Thirteen interviews with companies including steel distributors, forges, foundries, ports, large component fabricators, subcomponent fabricators, and secondary suppliers provided key insights such as 1) assembly ports are the key infrastructure barrier standing in the way of unlocking the domestic assembly and component fabrication for steel-based FOW platforms, 2) domestic steel producers can supply the types and quantities of steel necessary for FOW platforms, and 3) coordination between stakeholders will be a vital part of successfully developing the supply chain and infrastructure needed to domestically produce FOW platforms. In the workforce assessment, NREL documented a step-by-step approach to conduct a place-based assessment of the foundational workforce consideration for recruiting, upskilling, and retaining a workforce, such as supportive local and state policy, nearby education and training programs, and existing relevant industry. This approach was applied to Tacoma, Washington. Tacoma was indicated to have the potential be a successful location for fabrication and assembly of floating offshore wind energy in terms of workforce development. To share data on vessel requirements to install the OCG-Wind floater, NREL compiled resources that help answer the questions related to anchor handling tug vessels, shared a database of cable laying vessels, and answered questions on complying with the Jones Act.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

State Strategies to Bring Solar to Low- and Moderate-Income Communities

This Final Technical Report describes the goals, objectives, activities, results, and accomplishments of the State Strategies to Bring Solar to Low- and Moderate-Income Communities Project, managed by the Clean Energy States Alliance. This project enabled five states (Connecticut, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia to develop and implement strategies for expanding market penetration of solar PV among LMI residents and communities. The project disseminated successful strategies and lessons learned from those states to other states and stakeholders across the country.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Opportunities for Renewable Energy, Storage, Vehicle Electrification, and Demand Response in Rajasthan's Power Sector

To support the government of Rajasthan and inform state policy makers, regulators, planners, and system operators on power system trends, NREL undertook a long-term capacity expansion planning study. We used NREL's flagship capacity expansion planning tool for the power sector called the Regional Energy Deployment System India (ReEDS-India) to understand the generation and transmission needs of Rajasthan through 2050. NREL's modeling framework includes co-optimized decisions about generation, energy storage, transmission, and reserves investments needed to meet future demand while maintaining reliable electricity supply. Scenario analysis was conducted to assess a range of potential future scenarios, providing insight for planning agencies, utilities, and local stakeholders about key trends and sources of uncertainty.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Updated Review of the Solar PV Installation Workforce Literature

In order to develop a well-trained, equitable, and inclusive workforce with high quality jobs, the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) identified a need for analytical context around different PV project characteristics and labor aspects, and how they might impact workforce wellbeing and PV industry growth. To determine the most valuable novel analytical contributions, this work reviews existing literature on solar workforce topics to identify what areas have been studied previously and where gaps remain. Focus areas included the following topics: (1) metrics for solar workforce, deployment, costs, and associated studies capturing aspects such as demographics and regional distribution, (2) solar workforce wellbeing, including employee contracting mechanisms, compensation, occupational safety and health, and community impacts, (3) national and state policies most relevant to the U.S. solar workforce, and (4) ongoing efforts to expand solar workforce participation, including local staffing dynamics, challenges, and relevant strategies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the Viability of Geothermal Microgrid Deployment: A Geospatial Analysis Across the United States

Geothermal microgrids hold a potential of supplying clean and dependable power to communities throughout the United States (US), all while sidestepping the expenses associated with connecting to strained or isolated power grids. Nonetheless, their implementation is still in its early stages in the country. The objective of this analysis is to leverage available data to pinpoint regions across the US that exhibit favorable conditions for the development of geothermal microgrids. Drawing from a variety of sources, including estimates of geothermal resources, the costs associated with geothermal energy generation and electricity transmission, existing microgrid locations, and subsidy programs, we aim to identify promising areas for further exploration. By mapping out the contiguous US, Alaska, and Hawaii, we delineate regions with high relative favorability for geothermal microgrid deployment. Our findings reveal the presence of highly favorable regions across the Western states of the contiguous US, as well as isolated areas in Alaska and Hawaii. Furthermore, we delve into a discussion on state policies and incentive programs, considering their role in fostering favorable conditions or posing barriers to geothermal microgrid development.

Alaska↗
DOE OSTI2022

Reinforcement learning for adaptive maintenance policy optimization under imperfect knowledge of the system degradation model and partial observability of system states

Maintenance policy optimization usually is faced with challenges that arise from an imperfect knowledge of system degradation models and from the partial observability of system degradation states. Here, this paper proposes a reinforcement learning method to address these two challenges for a class of maintenance problems with Markov degradation processes. The reinforcement learning approach consists of a learning component and a planning component. Using sequentially collected observations, at each step of decision-making the learning component improves the knowledge of system degradation in terms of the probability distributions of the transition rates based on sequential Bayesian inference. Using the updated transition rates, at each step of decision-making the maintenance policy optimization problem is then formulated as a partially observable Markov decision problem, and the planning component computes the optimal maintenance policy that maximizes the expected cumulative reward. The proposed method is illustrated using a numerical example with repair and inspection maintenance actions. The result shows that as more observations are collected, the learning component progressively learns the true system degradation process, and the planning component adjusts the optimal maintenance policy accordingly as well, which leads to increased reward.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Laws in Order: An Inventory of State Renewable Energy Siting Policies

This report identifies which government entity or entities in each state or territory have the jurisdictional authority to make siting and permitting decisions about large scale wind and solar projects. The report also covers established timelines for siting and permitting processes, requirements for public involvement in those processes, and the availability of permitting guides and model ordinances designed to assist local jurisdictions. It details state renewable energy siting policies and permitting authorities across the United States, profiling all 50 states plus Puerto Rico. The report release also includes an interactive map that allows users to easily explore each state’s authorities and policy features. The map, hosted by DOE, includes high-level information on each state’s siting and permitting processes and link directly to the profiles in the report.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗