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At least 631 records · Page 35

Impacts of rising air temperatures and emissions mitigation on electricity demand and supply in the United States: a multi-model comparison

The electric power sector both affects and is affected by climate change. Numerous studies highlight the potential of the power sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yet fewer studies have explored the physical impacts of climate change on the power sector. The present analysis examines how projected rising temperatures affect the demand for and supply of electricity. We apply a common set of temperature projections to three well-known electric sector models in the United States: the US version of the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM-USA), the Regional Electricity Deployment System model (ReEDS), and the Integrated Planning Model (IPM®). Incorporating the effects of rising temperatures from a control scenario without emission mitigation into the models raises electricity demand by 1.6 to 6.5 % in 2050 with similar changes in emissions. The increase in system costs in the reference scenario to meet this additional demand is comparable to the change in system costs associated with decreasing power sector emissions by approximately 50 % in 2050. This result underscores the importance of adequately incorporating the effects of long-run temperature change in climate policy analysis.

McFarland, James↗

From ground to excited electronic state dynamics of electron and ion irradiated graphene nanomaterials

Microscopes utilizing convergent electron and ion beams are emerging as powerful tools for both imaging and manipulating two-dimensional materials with atomic resolution, allowing the ultimate limits of nanofabrication to be realized. In this chapter, we detail the use of time-dependent electronic structure theory to determine the excited state properties and reactivity of functionalized graphene nanostructures. A time-dependent density functional theory treatment of electronic excitations of materials is presented, with specific emphasis on predicting the position-dependent electronic response of two-dimensional nanomaterials to electron beams. The method is demonstrated in a study highlighting the important role that electronic excitation can play in opening reaction pathways relevant to atomically precise defect manipulation in graphene. Finally, we provide some perspective on future development directions for methods of simulating nonequilibrium electronic and vibrational dynamics induced by electron/ion beams.

Lingerfelt, David↗

Numerical study of the stress state of a deformation twin in magnesium

We present here a numerical study of the distribution of the local stress state associated with deformation twinning in Mg, both inside the twinned domain and in its immediate neighborhood, due to the accommodation of the twinning transformation shear. A full-field elastoviscoplastic formulation based on fast Fourier transformation is modified to include the shear transformation strain associated with deformation twinning. We have performed two types of twinning transformation simulations with: (i) the twin completely embedded inside a single crystal and (ii) the twin front terminating at a grain boundary. We show that: (a) the resulting stress distribution is more strongly determined by the shear transformation than by the intragranular character of the twin or the orientation of the neighboring grain; (b) the resolved shear stress on the twin plane along the twin direction is inhomogeneous along the twin–parent interface; and (c) there are substantial differences in the average values of the shear stress in the twin and in the parent grain that contains the twin. We discuss the effect of these local stresses on twin propagation and growth, and the implications of our findings for the modeling of deformation twinning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A practical introduction to tensor networks: Matrix product states and projected entangled pair states

This is a partly non-technical introduction to selected topics on tensor network methods, based on several lectures and introductory seminars given on the subject. It should be a good place for newcomers to get familiarized with some of the key ideas in the field, specially regarding the numerics. After a very general introduction we motivate the concept of tensor network and provide several examples. We then move on to explain some basics about Matrix Product States (MPS) and Projected Entangled Pair States (PEPS). Selected details on some of the associated numerical methods for 1d and 2d quantum lattice systems are also discussed. - Highlights: • A practical introduction to selected aspects of tensor network methods is presented. • We provide analytical examples of MPS and 2d PEPS. • We provide basic aspects on several numerical methods for MPS and 2d PEPS. • We discuss a number of applications of tensor network methods from a broad perspective.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Long-term implications of sustained wind power growth in the United States: Direct electric system impacts and costs

This paper evaluates potential changes in the power system associated with sustained growth in wind generation in the United States to 35% of end-use demand by 2050; Wiser et al. (2016) evaluate societal benefits and other impacts for this same scenario. Under reference or central conditions, the analysis finds cumulative wind capacity of 404 gigawatts (GW) would be required to reach this level and drive 2050 incremental electricity rate and cumulative electric sector savings of 2% and 3% respectively, relative to a scenario with no new wind capacity additions. Greater savings are estimated under higher fossil fuel costs or with greater advancements in wind technologies. Conversely, incremental costs are found when fossil fuel costs are lower than central assumptions or wind technology improvements are more-limited. Through 2030, the primary generation sources displaced by new wind capacity include natural gas and coal-fired generation. By 2050, wind could displace other renewables. Incremental new transmission infrastructure totaling 29 million megawatt-miles is estimated to be needed by 2050. In conjunction with related societal benefits, this work demonstrates that 35% wind energy by 2050 is plausible, could support enduring benefits, and could result in long-term consumer savings, if nearer-term (pre-2030) cost barriers are overcome; at the same time, these opportunities are not anticipated to be realized in their full form under 'business-as-usual' conditions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

The future of natural gas infrastructure development in the United states

Changes in the natural gas market have spawned the need for pipeline infrastructure planning. Previous studies have analyzed natural gas infrastructure development largely independent of the interactions of the natural gas sector with the broader economy. However, natural gas infrastructure development is strongly influenced by broader domestic and international socioeconomic conditions. We couple a global Human-Earth system model with state-level detail in the United States (GCAM-USA) that provides the broader socioeconomic context for natural gas supply and demand with a natural gas infrastructure investment model (NANGAM) to examine interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure development in the U.S. under a range of socioeconomic scenarios. Here we show that existing pipeline infrastructure in the U.S. is insufficient to satisfy the increasing demand for natural gas and investments in pipeline capacity will be required. However, the geographic distribution of investments within the U.S. is heterogeneous and depends on the capacity of existing infrastructure as well as the magnitude of increase in demand. Our results also illustrate the risks of under-utilization of pipeline capacity, in particular, under a scenario characterized by long-term systemic transitions toward a low-carbon economy. More broadly, our study highlights the value of integrated approaches to facilitate informed decision-making.

Feijoo, Felipe↗

The environmental and public health benefits of achieving high penetrations of solar energy in the United States

Here, we estimate the environmental and public health benefits that may be realized if solar energy cost reductions continue until solar power is competitive across the U.S. without subsidies. Specifically, we model, from 2015 to 2050, solar power–induced reductions to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollutant emissions, and water usage. To find the incremental benefits of new solar deployment, we compare the difference between two scenarios, one where solar costs have fallen such that solar supplies 14% of the nation's electricity by 2030 and 27% by 2050, and a baseline scenario in which no solar is added after 2014. We monetize benefits, where credible methods exist to do so. We find that under these scenarios, solar power reduces GHG and air pollutants by ~10%, from 2015 to 2050, providing a discounted present value of 56–789 billion USD (central value of ~250 billion USD, equivalent to ~2 ¢/kWh-solar) in climate benefits and 77–298 billion USD (central value of 167 billion USD, or ~1.4 ¢/kWh-solar) in air quality and public health benefits. The ranges reflect uncertainty within the literature about the marginal impact of emissions of GHG and air pollutants. Solar power is also found to reduce water withdrawals and consumption by 4% and 9%, respectively, including in many drought-prone states.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Patience is a virtue: A data-driven analysis of rooftop solar PV permitting timelines in the United States

© 2020 The Authors Local permitting can ensure the safe installation and operation of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. At the same time, burdensome local permitting processes and local variation in requirements may pose challenges to PV deployment. In this article, we explore new data on the durations between key steps in the PV permitting process in the United States. The data suggest that a typical customer can expect to wait around 25–100 days from permit application until an installed system passes inspection. Permit durations vary significantly across jurisdictions, due in part to differences in local permitting policies. However, permit durations vary as significantly within jurisdictions as across them, in part due to significant variation across installers, suggesting that installer strategies and practices play an important role in permitting timelines. Permit durations have declined over time, reflecting progress from permit streamlining policies and jurisdiction learning-by-doing, though durations have stabilized in recent years. The data suggest that typical PV customers still face long and uncertain permitting timelines in the United States.

O'Shaughnessy, E↗

Approximate Bayesian Model Inversion for PDEs with Heterogeneous and State-Dependent Coefficients

We present two approximate Bayesian inference methods for parameter estimation in partial differential equation (PDE) models with space-dependent and state-dependent parameters. We demonstrate that these methods provide accurate and cost-effective alternatives to Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation. We assume a parameterized Gaussian prior on the unknown functions, and approximate the posterior density by a parameterized multivariate Gaussian density. The parameters of the prior and posterior are estimated from sparse observations of the PDE model's states and the unknown functions themselves by maximizing the evidence lower bound (ELBO), a lower bound on the log marginal likelihood of the observations. The first method, Laplace-EM, employs the expectation maximization algorithm to maximize the ELBO, with a Laplace approximation of the posterior on the E-step, and minimization of a Kullback-Leibler divergence on the M-step. The second method, DSVI-EB, employs the doubly stochastic variational inference (DSVI) algorithm, in which the ELBO is maximized via gradient-based stochastic optimization, with nosiy gradients computed via simple Monte Carlo sampling and Gaussian backpropagation. We apply these methods to identifying diffusion coefficients in linear and nonlinear diffusion equations, and we find that both methods provide accurate estimates of posterior densities and the hyperparameters of Gaussian priors. While the Laplace-EM method is more accurate, it requires computing Hessians of the physics model. The DSVI-EB method is found to be less accurate but only requires gradients of the physics model.

approximate Bayesian inference, model inversion, v↗

Quantum phase transitions between a class of symmetry protected topological states

The subject of this paper is the phase transition between symmetry protected topological states (SPTs). We consider spatial dimension d and symmetry group G so that the cohomology group, Hd+1(G,U(1)), contains at least one Z2n or Z factor. We show that the phase transition between the trivial SPT and the root states that generate the Z2n or Z groups can be induced on the boundary of a (d+1)-dimensional View the MathML source-symmetric SPT by a View the MathML source symmetry breaking field. Moreover we show these boundary phase transitions can be “transplanted” to d dimensions and realized in lattice models as a function of a tuning parameter. The price one pays is for the critical value of the tuning parameter there is an extra non-local (duality-like) symmetry. In the case where the phase transition is continuous, our theory predicts the presence of unusual (sometimes fractionalized) excitations corresponding to delocalized boundary excitations of the non-trivial SPT on one side of the transition. This theory also predicts other phase transition scenarios including first order transition and transition via an intermediate symmetry breaking phase.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗