Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “profit”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Impact of Space Heating Options on Electricity Rates and Affordability

Electricity prices have increased in many regions of the U.S., with a national average of 18 cents/kWh projected for 2026, up from 16 cents/kWh in 2020. While the increases can be attributed to a number of factors, increasing electricity use in an efficient and strategic manner - with energy efficient building envelope upgrades and high performance HVAC systems - has the potential to increase revenue for utilities without significantly increasing electricity demand, and therefore could help moderate rate increases. This effect has been studied for electric vehicle charging[1] and dual-fuel heat pumps in Minnesota[2]. Leveraging a recently developed system cost methodology and FERC data on utility revenue, spending, and profits, this poster will present the direction and relative magnitude of rate impacts for efficient space heating upgrades in utility balancing areas across the contiguous U.S., using current prices and showing how the rate impacts would evolve under future grid scenarios.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Q1 2023 U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks With Minimum Sustainable Price Analysis Data File

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) aims to accelerate the advancement and deployment of solar technology in support of an equitable transition to a decarbonized economy no later than 2050, starting with a decarbonized power sector by 2035. Its approach to achieving this goal includes driving innovations in technology, hardware, and soft cost reductions to make solar affordable and accessible for all. As part of this effort, SETO must track solar cost trends so it can focus its research and development (R&D) on the highest-impact activities. The benchmarks in this report are bottom-up cost estimates of all major inputs to PV and energy storage system installations. Bottom-up costs are based on national averages and do not necessarily represent typical costs in all local markets. Like last year's report, this year's report includes two distinct sets of benchmarks: minimum sustainable price (MSP) benchmarks and modeled market price (MMP) benchmarks. MSP benchmarks can be interpreted as the minimum price a company needs to charge to remain financially solvent in the long term based on the minimum sustainable prices of all inputs including minimum sustainable profit margins. MMP benchmarks can be interpreted as the actual cash sales price a company charges in the given benchmark period. These simplified estimates are useful for tracking technological progress, but they do not reflect all experiences. In fact, no individual estimate under any approach can reflect the diversity of the PV and storage manufacturing and installation industries.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1963

Proceedings of the Conference on Space-Age Planning: A Part of the Third National Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Space, Chicago, May 1-9, 1963

The Space-Age Planning sessions of the Third National Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Space have been planned by its principal sponsors-the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Mayor's Committee for Economic and Cultural Development of Chicago-and the 17 regional participating agencies to meet varied interests and contribute to future planning and profit. Its objectives are as follow: (1) To develop widespread local and regional interest in every phase of man's relationship to outer space (2) To bring about maximum utilization of regional industrial and educational resources in the Nation's space program (3) To obtain full utilization by regional industries and universities of the spin-off research that the Space Age is generating. The papers presented herein are concerned with exploration of space, man in space, the university-industry partnership in space programs, how space activities are changing the economy, business opportunities from space research, the placement and management of research and development projects, and the opportunities and challenges in space procurement.

NASA PROGRAM↗
NASA NTRS1972

Large-scale terrestrial solar cell power generation cost: A preliminary assessment

A cost study was made to assess the potential of the large-scale use of solar cell power for terrestrial applications. The incentive is the attraction of a zero-pollution source of power for wide-scale use. Unlike many other concepts for low-pollution power generation, even thermal pollution is avoided since only the incident solar flux is utilized. To provide a basis for comparison and a perspective for evaluation, the pertinent technology was treated in two categories: current and optimistic. Factors considered were solar cells, array assembly, power conditioning, site preparation, buildings, maintenance, and operation. The capital investment was assumed to be amortized over 30 years. The useful life of the solar cell array was assumed to be 10 years, and the cases of zero and 50-percent performance deg-radation were considered. Land costs, taxes, and profits were not included in this study because it was found too difficult to provide good generalized estimates of these items. On the basis of the factors considered, it is shown that even for optimistic projections of technology, electric power from large-sclae terrestrial use of solar cells is approximately two to three orders of magnitude more costly than current electric power generation from either fossil or nuclear fuel powerplants. For solar cell power generation to be a viable competitor on a cost basis, technological breakthroughs would be required in both solar cell and array fabrication and in site preparation.

Spakowski, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The social function of technology assessment

The problem of preserving the uneasy balance between a dynamic society and the equilibrium of man-environment society is discussed. Four sets of activities involved in technology assessment are considered: (1) Technology forecasting is necessary to warn of future dangers and opportunities, for effective timing, and to identify tradeoffs and alternatives. But forecasting is also chancy at best. (2) Social indicators need to be developed for the characterization of social status and measurement of social progress, as well as a better understanding of social needs. (3) With respect to technology assessment, the conflict between profitable directions of innovations and socially desirable directions is described, and a systematic way is needed to determine in advance what is technologically feasible to meet social needs. (4) National goals with respect to scientific and technological developments are also required.

Huddle, F. P.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Study of an intraurban travel demand model incorporating commuter preference variables

The model is based on the substantial travel data base for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The model is of the abstract type, and makes use of commuter attitudes towards modes and simple demographic characteristics of zones in a region to predict interzonal travel by mode for the region. A characterization of the STOL/VTOL mode was extrapolated by means of a subjective comparison of its expected characteristics with those of modes characterized by the survey. Predictions of STOL demand were made for the Bay Area and an aircraft network was developed to serve this demand. When this aircraft system is compared to the base case system, the demand for STOL service has increased five fold and the resulting economics show considerable benefit from the increased scale of operations. In the previous study all systems required subsidy in varying amounts. The new system shows a substantial profit at an average fare of $3.55 per trip.

Holligan, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Automatic recognition of vector and parallel operations in a higher level language

A compiler for recognizing statements of a FORTRAN program which are suited for fast execution on a parallel or pipeline machine such as Illiac-4, Star or ASC is described. The technique employs interval analysis to provide flow information to the vector/parallel recognizer. Where profitable the compiler changes scalar variables to subscripted variables. The output of the compiler is an extension to FORTRAN which shows parallel and vector operations explicitly.

Schneck, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Mineral exploration from high altitude imagery

Types of remote sensing which can best be done from spacecraft and types which can best be done from aircraft are discussed. Five geologically distinctive areas in northwestern Saudi Arabia were selected for detailed study. The areas were mapped as thoroughly as possible on each of several different types of imagery. The final objective was to identify those classes of geologic problems that can best be resolved using satellite data and then to identify areas where orbital imagery might profitably be used to extend existing knowledge, with emphasis placed on mineral exploration.

Blodget, H. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

STOLports must be good neighbors.

Discussion of STOL aircraft and airport objectives, acceptance prerequisites, and realization requirements, and brief review of some STOL evaluation and feasibility studies performed by American Airlines. Ground, airport, and destination congestion and convenient STOLport location are examined as STOL-favoring factors, along with flight security and high-density routes. Approaches to neighborhood STOLport acceptance and the problem of STOL profit potential are given special attention.

Ransone, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Active controls - Changing the rules of structural design.

Approaches making use of aerodynamic surfaces in combination with advanced flight computers, and electrohydraulic systems could be used to improve economics of commercial aircraft operation, smooth the passenger's ride, reduce terminal-area noise, and ease terminal-area congestion. This emerging technology is becoming known as active controls technology. Maximum benefits from active controls can come only by considering controls early in the design cycle. Active controls can save weight by reducing the structural strength necessary. Some of the technical benefits of active controls would increase return on investment and raise profits. Details of a proposed active controls research program are discussed.

Hood, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Selected Technical Spin Offs from the Space Program

The report describes some of the problems which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has encountered in getting people to understand how the general public has profited from the technical discoveries of the space program. Next, it describes NASA's Technology Utilization Program and comments on it. It then describes some of the many spin-offs from the space program. These include examples from management technology, communications, aeronautics, medicine, fabrics highway safety, and weather forecasting.

Gilmore, H. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Basic Economic Principles

An economic approach to design efficient transportation systems involves maximizing an objective function that reflects both goals and costs. A demand curve can be derived by finding the quantities of a good that solve the maximization problem as one varies the price of that commodity, holding income and the prices of all other goods constant. A supply curve is derived by applying the idea of profit maximization of firms. The production function determines the relationship between input and output.

Tideman, T. N.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Differential Pricing Policy

Differential pricing is a valid means of improving profits, keeping the total cost of air transportation down, and making it possible for more people to use air transportation.

Gebhardt, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Objectives of the Airline Firm: Theory

Theoretical models are formulated for airline firm operations that revolve around alternative formulations of managerial goals which these firms are persuing in practice. Consideration is given to the different objective functions which the companies are following in lieu of profit maximization.

Kneafsey, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

A business man views commercial ventures in space.

Paper reviews technical, resource planning and marketing steps an industrial organization must perform in arriving at a decision to undertake space development and production of commercial products or services for Users on the ground. Technical elements are supported by particular examples. Analysis of required resources emphasizes facility and financial inter-relationships between commercial organizations and NASA. Marketing planning covers elements of profitability. Paper addresses questions related to protection of corporate stockholders and public interest, investment decision timing, budget variations. Paper concludes with observations on timeliness of planning shuttle-based commercial ventures and on key industry/NASA problems and decisions.

Scarff, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Sink-float ferrofluid separator applicable to full scale nonferrous scrap separation

Design and performance of a ferrofluid levitation separator for recovering nonferrous metals from shredded automobiles are reported. The scrap separator uses an electromagnet to generate a region of constant density within a pool of ferrofluid held between the magnetic poles; a saturated kerosene base ferrofluid as able to float all common industrial metals of interest. Conveyors move the scrap into the ferrofluid for separation according to density. Results of scrap mixture separation studies establish the technical feasibility of relatively pure aluminum alloy and zinc alloy fractions from shredded automobile scrap by this ferrofluid levitation process. Economic projections indicate profitable operation for shredders handling more than 300 cars per day.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1974

Assessment of the application of advanced technologies to subsonic CTOL transport aircraft

Design studies of the application of advanced technologies to future transport aircraft were conducted. These studies were reviewed from the perspective of an air carrier. A fundamental study of the elements of airplane operating cost was performed, and the advanced technologies were ranked in order of potential profit impact. Recommendations for future study areas are given.

Graef, J. D.↗