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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.
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The one-time fusion researcher worries that public understanding of climate change is slipping, and says political attacks on social sciences are misguided.
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Электроэнергетический сектор является значительным источником загрязнения воздуха и связанных с ним нарушений состояния здоровья в Центральной Азии и других регионах. Выбросы электростанций, работающих на ископаемом топливе, содержат широкий спектр вредных загрязняющих веществ и их прекурсоров. Из этих веществ наибольшее воздействие на здоровье оказывают твердые частицы и озон. Поскольку после попадания загрязнителей в атмосферу их практически невозможно удалить, меры по реализации политики улучшения качества воздуха должны ограничивать такие выбросы до их осуществления. Однако борьба с таким типом загрязнения воздуха сопряжена с трудностями, особенно в развивающихся странах, где электроснабжение является базовой потребностью населения и стимулом экономического роста. В настоящем докладе представлены примеры подходов, регулирующих загрязнение воздуха предприятиями электроэнергетического сектора в странах Центральной Азии — Казахстане, Кыргызстане, Таджикистане, Туркменистане и Узбекистане. Эта публикация дополняет ранее выпущенный доклад по мерам политики в Южной Азии. Как и при составлении доклада по Южной Азии, информация о политике в некоторых странах оказалась труднодоступной, поэтому данное исследование не является всесторонним, а скорее представляет собой обзор текущего состояния сектора. В обзоре представлены: 1) меры по реализации политики, направленной на прямое регулирование качества воздуха путем сокращения выбросов от конкретных источников энергии (например, за счет сокращения часов работы) и 2) примеры косвенных мер, которые создают положительные и отрицательные стимулы для деятельности, связанной с загрязнением окружающей среды, в том числе меры, поощряющие переход на более экологически чистое топливо или отказ от него. Следует обратить внимание на то, что настоящий доклад был подготовлен до начала российско-украинского конфликта, поэтому последствия данной войны для Центральной Азии в нем не учитываются. Основные выводы доклада: 1. В странах Центральной Азии, как правило, имеется относительно небольшое число инструментов политики для регулирования выбросов в атмосферу. 2. Многие страны, особенно те, в которых наблюдается несоответствие между сезонным спросом и доступностью ресурсов, могли бы повысить энергетическую безопасность и уменьшить загрязнение воздуха за счет развития международной торговли электроэнергией (МТЭ). 3. Некоторые страны проводят противоречивую политику, например, одновременно поощряя использование и угля, и возобновляемых источников энергии. This report is also available in English: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/81861.pdf.
This presentation summarizes the findings of a published paper on the first commercialization of four diverse energy technologies: thin film photovoltaics, wind turbine blades, dual-stage refrigeration evaporators, and fuel cells for material handling equipment.
A summary of California's and Maine's climate and marine energy laws, and proposal for other states to follow based on lessons learned from California and Maine.
This document summarizes proposed and enacted legislation and activities related to energy storage for nine states, which are presented alphabetically. These states were selected to provide a high-level view of various energy storage efforts taking place across the United States.
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This talk will discuss EPA congressional testimony and follow-up letters, as well as letters to other stakeholders on EPA's perspectives on the disposition of radioactive waste outside of the NRC licensed disposal facility system. This will also look at Superfund's historical practices, and emerging trends in the NRC and agreement states on waste disposition. (author)
Abstract Obligated parties have chosen to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by increasing the blending of biomass‐based biodiesel beyond originally targeted levels rather than increasing blending/consumption of ethanol to targeted levels that would have required pricing higher blends of ethanol (E85) at or below an energy‐equivalent level to E10. This paper develops a welfare‐economic framework to analyze the extent to which the nested design and the accompanying cellulosic waiver credit and biodiesel tax credit contributed to a compliance strategy by blenders that favored blending of biodiesel instead of inducing consumption of E85, and its implications for social welfare.
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Competitive wholesale electricity markets can help facilitate energy system decarbonization by incentivizing investments in clean energy technologies that meet evolving system needs. We explore market structure impacts on generator operations and deployment by risk-averse, heterogeneous investor firms using the Electricity Markets and Investment Suite - Agent-based Simulation (EMIS-AS) model. Here we apply clean energy targets of 45%-100% by 2035 considering energy, ancillary services, capacity, and clean energy credit products and pricing and eligibility rules. Results highlight a complexity conundrum, whereby finding the "right" market design to achieve decarbonization goals and avoid unintended consequences can be a highly-nuanced, non-incremental challenge. Carefully designed energy-only markets can achieve the same clean energy targets as capacity market structures but with different revenue and profitability outcomes. Operating reserve demand curve-based scarcity pricing can substitute capacity markets for similar deployment outcomes. Carbon pricing alone is most effective at achieving decarbonization levels at low clean energy targets, and clean energy credit markets and carbon pricing are substitutionary at high clean energy targets. Restricting technology participation in capacity and operating reserve markets can impact deployment and operations, even for nonrestricted technologies. Adding an inertia product with fast frequency response yields insufficient provision at high clean energy targets, but work is needed to understand frequency requirements and capabilities.
Prior to market entry, new chemical substances are assessed for their risk to human health and the environment. Conventional risk assessment (RA) is limited in scope, i.e. it usually does not cover the entire life cycle of a substance, nor does it take into account sustainability aspects such as the amount of raw materials and energy required to produce the substance. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can provide this pivotal information to support an informed decision on the sustainability of a new substance. Unfortunately, LCA has had little regulatory application up to now. We believe that increasing the focus on combined use of LCA and life cycle-based RA could lead to improved regulatory long-term decisions for marketed chemicals. Inclusion of human biomonitoring could increase the robustness of such decisions even further. In addition, the combined use of the three methods allows a robust search for sustainable alternatives of currently marketed chemicals that have an unfavourable risk profile. - Highlights: •We recommend a framework of three approaches for a chemical safety assessment. •LCA evaluates the sustainability of chemicals in comparison to alternatives. •Human biomonitoring allows the assessment of total exposure to critical chemicals. •A case study on nanomaterials demonstrates the value of the combined approach.
This paper explores the tensions involved in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and environmental licensing through a detailed analysis of the legal disputes and public contestations surrounding two projects, a large hydroelectric dam and a gold mine, which are proximately located to each other. Broadly, we argue that EIAs may function to reinforce rather than genuinely inform or potentially resist prevailing developmental logics. The research extends David Mosse's argument that development self-perpetuates “success” through participation and procedural licensing mechanisms while on-the-ground realities diverge significantly. It offers a critical examination of EIA utility and processes through identifying three general mechanisms within EIA and environmental licensing procedures that contribute to approval of projects and promote a perception of their legitimacy, while detracting from the intended purposes of EIAs as opportunities for meaningful public discussion and sustainability-oriented decision making. These mechanisms include discourses that entrench project necessity and make them appear inevitable, public participation, and the isolated treatment of related projects. This work situates an understanding of particular EIAs within a deeper process of regional territorial development and resource extraction.
Here, we present a parametric analysis of factors that can influence advanced fuel and technology deployments in U.S. Class 7–8 trucks through 2050. The analysis focuses on the competition between traditional diesel trucks, natural gas vehicles (NGVs), and ultra-efficient powertrains. Underlying the study is a vehicle choice and stock model of the U.S. heavy-duty vehicle market. Moreover, the model is segmented by vehicle class, body type, powertrain, fleet size, and operational type. We find that conventional diesel trucks will dominate the market through 2050, but NGVs could have significant market penetration depending on key technological and economic uncertainties. Compressed natural gas trucks conducting urban trips in fleets that can support private infrastructure are economically viable now and will continue to gain market share. Ultra-efficient diesel trucks, exemplified by the U.S. Department of Energy's SuperTruck program, are the preferred alternative in the long haul segment, but could compete with liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks if the fuel price differential between LNG and diesel increases. However, the greatest impact in reducing petroleum consumption and pollutant emissions is had by investing in efficiency technologies that benefit all powertrains, especially the conventional diesels that comprise the majority of the stock, instead of incentivizing specific alternatives.
Large organizations wield considerable market power, their procurement activities can be leveraged to achieve social, economic and environmental goals by ‘pulling’ more desirable products into the market. However, while there is substantial research in individual consumer buying behavior and market barriers to sustainable technology adoption, less is known about large organizational buying behavior and the impact of institutional barriers in this area. To address these research gaps, in this work we conducted an exploratory study aimed at better understanding the process through which large organizations purchase sustainable energy technologies and what internal barriers they experience during that process. Additionally, we surveyed and interviewed 120 individuals involved in procurement from Californian organizations representing both public and private sectors. Survey results indicate the need to resolve the conflict between prioritizing lowest first cost and lowest life cycle cost, better engage multiple stakeholders involved in internal decision-making around purchasing, and improve existing procurement tools or offer new ones. We provide recommendations for how policymakers can apply our findings to increase the adoption of sustainable energy technologies in their own organizations and communities.