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DOE OSTI2024

Merefa Community Microgrid: Supporting Distributed Energy Resource Deployment in Ukraine

A conceptual design is described for a community microgrid in Ukraine. Microgrid resources include solar photovoltaics, battery energy storage, and conventional natural gas fueled reciprocating engine generators. The conceptual architecture was informed by the microgrid developer, NREL subject matter experts, and the application of REopt, an NREL-developed software tool created for identification of least-cost combination of resources for achieving cost savings, resilience, and renewable energy goals. This fact sheet is a summary of a previously published technical report; see NREL/TP-7A40-89527, which includes conceptual architecture, estimates of key summary financial metrics, and sequence of operations.

battery storage↗
DOE OSTI2024

Offshore Wind Composite Siting Exclusions Scenarios

This dataset consolidates criteria that restrict the siting of offshore wind energy installations, an update from Zuckerman et al. (2023). All scenarios exclude area from wind energy development due to legal or administrative restrictions (e.g., Marine Protected Areas), existing infrastructure, and technical constraints (e.g., 1,300 m bathymetry limit). A TIF data file and a PNG cartographic map of the data are provided for three scenarios ("Open", "Reference", and "Limited"), showing areas where offshore wind energy is restricted across the contiguous United States. The "Open" scenario only excludes areas with known preclusions for offshore wind deployment. The "Reference" scenario excludes all areas from the "Open" scenario, as well as additional best management practices such as known proposed protected areas, and state waters. The "Limited" scenario excludes all area from the "Reference" scenario. Additionally, it has more stringent siting criteria such as larger setbacks from shore and infrastructure, as well as shallower depth limits on floating technology. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Zuckerman, Gabriel R., Anthony Lopez, Travis Williams, Rebecca Green, and Grant Buster. 2023. Impacts of Siting Considerations on Offshore Wind Technical Potential in the United States. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20- 85088.

Array↗
DOE OSTI2021

Collaboration to Enable Higher Penetrations of Solar Power Generation Using the Natural Gas Pipeline System for Energy Storage (CRADA CRD-14-00567)

This unique project explored one possible solution for photovoltaic (PV) generation to become a reliable and dispatchable energy resource similar to conventional baseload fossil fuel electricity generation. Solar power generation is a renewable resource that varies naturally from day-to-day as well as seasonally. To use solar power as a baseload generation asset requires a flexible storage system that can recover power on both a daily and seasonal basis. Converting solar power to natural gas (i.e., first to hydrogen and then to methane) and having access to utility-scale storage in the natural gas network has the potential to make solar power generation a baseload asset. This will: 1) Increase the net energy yield from solar resources by increasing the effective capacity factor and maximize the energy produced during the assets’ lifetimes. 2) Improve the economics of energy storage for solar project developers, thereby accelerating the deployment of new solar generation. 3) Reduce the impact of increasing solar penetration on congestion of the electrical transmission system by shifting power delivery in time using the gas pipeline network for long-duration storage. 4) Reduce the impact of increasing solar generation on electrical distribution system control. 5) Offer alternative revenue sources for solar power generation beyond electricity including: hydrogen (H 2 ) production for stationary fuel cells and fuel cell electric vehicles, conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to methane (CH 4 ) as a direct drop-in replacement for fossil natural gas use, and transmission as high volumetrically-dense CH 4 for use in transportation, heating, power generation, chemical production or conversion back to H2 at the point of use. Additional work was added to this CRADA in modification 4 having a primary objective to characterize the performance of the electrolyzer, Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) bioreactor and balance of plant to demonstrate production of renewable natural gas (RNG) from renewable H 2 and CO 2 using single-cell, self-replicating organisms. The additional scope of work allowed researchers to ramp up gas flowrates and pressure of the system over the designed range to grow the cells and begin to show the load-following capabilities of this anaerobic gas fermentation process. These activities enabled the research team to predict system performance at much greater scales; namely 10’s of mega-watts (MWs) of electrolyzer nameplate capacity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing DER Deployment for Climate, Health, Resilience, and Energy Bill Benefits Using the REopt Model

Climate change, public health, and resilience to power outages are of critical concern to local governments, federal agencies, and the private sector, and are increasingly motivating investments in distributed energy resources (DERs). However, designing a solar-plus-storage system to co-optimize for climate, health, resilience, and energy bill benefits requires complex trade-offs. To address this need, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has integrated climate and health impacts of grid-purchased electricity and on-site fuel consumption into the publicly-available REopt web tool and API - a techno-economic model that determines the cost-optimal DER system sizes and dispatch strategy. This presentation will provide an overview of the tool's methodology, datasets, and capabilities, including costing emissions into system sizing and dispatch and setting emissions reductions targets. Results of previous work will demonstrate the use of new emissions accounting capabilities by quantifying the impact of including climate and health costs on the optimal resilient microgrid configurations for a hospital, school, and warehouse across 14 U.S. cities.

climate↗
DOE OSTI2023

Safety Analysis of FeCrAl Accident-Tolerant Fuels with Increased Enrichment and Extended Burnup

The U.S. nuclear industry is facing a strong challenge to maintain regulatory-required levels of safety while ensuring economic competitiveness to stay in business. Safety remains a key parameter for all aspects related to the operation of light water reactor nuclear power plants (NPPs), and it can be achieved more economically by using a risk-informed ecosystem, such as that being developed by the Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway under the U.S. Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. This program is promoting a wide range of research and development activities to maximize both the safety and economically efficient performance of NPPs through improved scientific understanding, especially given that many plants are considering a second license renewal. The Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway has two main goals: (1) The deployment of methodologies and technologies that enable a better representation of the safety margins and factors that contribute to cost and safety, and (2) The development of advanced applications that enable cost-effective plant operation. As part of this pathway, the Enhanced Resilient Plant project refers to an NPP where safety is improved by implementing various measures, such as accident-tolerant fuels, diverse and flexible coping strategies, enhancements to plant components and systems, incorporation of augmented or new passive cooling systems, and utilization of advanced battery technologies. The objective of the Enhanced Resilient Plant project is to use novel methods and computational tools to enhance existing reactors’ safety while reducing operational costs. This report documents research and development conducted in support of deployment of accident-tolerant fuels. This project performed safety analyses for the steady-state normal operation, anticipated operational occurrences, and design-basis accidents of a representative four-loop pressurized water reactor model with Zr and FeCrAl accident-tolerant fuel clad with higher enrichment and burnup supporting plant refueling cycles of 18 and 24 months. The source terms and environmental impacts were studied for a large-break loss of coolant accident, including uncertainty analyses.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Causes of and Solutions to Wind Speed Bias in NREL's 2020 Offshore Wind Resource Assessment for the California Pacific Outer Continental Shelf

This report provides the results of a detailed analysis into the causes of high wind speed bias in the 20-year wind resource data set for offshore California the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released in 2020, herein called CA20. The data set was developed using the state-of-the-art Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Notably, no floating lidars were available at the time in offshore California to validate offshore hub-height wind speeds. In late 2020, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) deployed two floating lidars in the California outer continental shelf (OCS), near the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) call areas of Humboldt and Morro Bay. Using these observations through 2021, NREL found considerable bias in modeled hub-height winds at both locations: up to +2 m/s at Humboldt over a 6-month period, and up to +1 m/s at Morro Bay over a one-year period. Upon the discovery of this bias, the Department of Energy (DOE) and BOEM funded NREL and PNNL to investigate the causes of, impacts of, and solutions to the bias in the CA20 data set. This report summarizes the findings of this research. We first investigated whether different WRF model setups could lead to reduced bias. We found that the choice of planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme - which controls the vertical turbulent mixing of momentum, heat, and moisture in the lowermost part of the atmosphere - greatly affected hub-height wind speeds in the region. Specifically, switching from the Mellor-Yamada-Nakanishi-Niino (MYNN) scheme used in CA20 (and widely used across a range of operational and research weather models) to the less common Yonsei University (YSU) scheme nearly eliminated the bias at both the Humboldt and Morro Bay lidar locations. The large discrepancy between the MYNN- and YSU-modeled hub-height winds pointed towards the role of atmospheric stability. In general, PBL schemes agree well in conditions of high turbulence and mixing, normally referred to as "unstable" conditions. By contrast, PBL schemes start to diverge in "stable" conditions, where turbulence is low and thermal stratification (i.e., higher temperature air sitting on top of colder air) greatly suppresses vertical mixing. Under such conditions, winds aloft can decouple from surface effects and greatly accelerate, causing high wind speeds at hub-height and frequent low-level jets (LLJs). We determined that these stable conditions are in fact dominant in offshore California. The region is characterized by moderate-to-extreme stable stratification with a LLJ on average around 200 meters above sea-level. To our knowledge, no wind energy area globally has as strongly stable stratification as offshore California. Under these extreme conditions, we determined that the MYNN scheme models higher stability than YSU, resulting in less vertical turbulent mixing than YSU, allowing for the acceleration of hub-height winds, more intense LLJs, and higher-amplitude inertial oscillations. Using surface observations, we found that MYNN overestimates near-surface stability, whereas YSU tends to model stability better. We then considered several short-term case studies to assess additional meteorological drivers of the bias at Humboldt. We found that during synoptic scale northerly flows driven by the North Pacific High and inland thermal low, a coastal warm bias in the MYNN case studies contributes to the modeled wind speed bias by altering the boundary layer thermodynamics via a thermal wind mechanism. Given the strong performance of the YSU-based runs in offshore California, NREL has produced and published an updated version of the CA20 data set with YSU as the PBL scheme. This updated data set is now part of NREL's 2023 National Offshore Wind (NOW-23) data set, which covers all the U.S. offshore waters. The development and final validation of the NOW-23 data set in offshore California is documented in this report.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Restoration Hydro: A Watershed Approach to Standard Modular New Hydropower

The objectives of FOA DE- FOA-0001836- “Standard Modular Hydropower” included designing a standardized, modular, and environmentally compatible hydropower schematic for implementation in greenfield sites that generate up to 10 MW of capacity. Utilizing funds competitively awarded under DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office, the Natel Energy team developed a concept for modular new stream reach (NSR) hydropower that incorporates multi species upstream and downstream fish passage, improved river channel connectivity, and recreational modules. The in-stream design of the collective modules minimized site specific design and maximized the opportunities for modularity. Financial data was also presented using actual costs from regional suppliers, with figures provided in 2022 dollars. While the project team did not address potential permitting process improvements, the site selection criteria did consider established barriers to hydropower development such as tribal and preserved lands, interconnection proximity, and endangered species to exclude or deprioritize. The project’s design schematic met the objectives of the FOA, and presented a unique solution that targets alluvial pockets as natural features for sustainable development. Natel’s concept also incorporated the company's fish-safe Restoration Hydro Turbine for safe downstream passage, while featuring a rock arch that integrates fish passage, water, recreation, and grade control modules (including sediment). Alignment with the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) “Innovative Design Concepts for Standard Modular Hydropower and Pumped-Storage Hydropower” Program: According to the Hydropower Vision (DOE, 2016), approximately 16 GW of hydropower growth is possible with the development of technology solutions that balance efficiency, economics, and environmental sustainability. The desired outcome of the SMH program is transformational innovation specifically in the site identification, conceptual, and detailed design phases of technology development lifecycles (DOE, 2018). In developing the SMH design schematic, the team aimed to address the opportunities outlined in the Vision through an inverted design philosophy; rather than singularly prioritizing efficiency and power production, the team focused on integrating hydropower with restoration of degraded streams to optimal ecosystem function and provision of exceptional recreation value as design criteria. To achieve this, Restoration Hydro incorporates the principles of nature-based engineering (WWAP, 2018) and biomimicry (Biomimicry NL.) to strategically deploy complementary combinations of permanent, semi-permanent, and ephemeral low-head structures - such as natural and engineered log jams - that harness geomorphological and hydrological processes at the landscape-scale. Primary applications of Restoration Hydro include: 1) restoration of degraded watersheds’ natural ecological function and enhancement of hydrological connectivity; and 2) creation of associated co-benefits to hydro production, including increased groundwater recharge, improved sediment transport and management, improved water security and water quality. Restoration Hydro projects build upon proven watershed restoration engineering techniques by integrating hydropower turbines into low-head structures using innovative and evolving civil works concepts that facilitate fish and sediment passage, and in some cases create additional revenue-generating recreational opportunities. Powering low-head structures creates a directly monetizable layer of economic value in the form of flexible, reliable, renewable energy on top of the already high-value water, environmental and recreational benefits of watershed and river restoration. The approach aims to create a virtuous, self-reinforcing cycle whereby Restoration Hydro projects support the scaling of ecosystem restoration activities, creating a water-energy-carbon multiplier effect that, through the principles of adaptive change management: 1) improves the resilience of landscapes and downstream population centers for changing hydrological cycles; 2) creates a reliable energy resource that facilitates the integration of intermittent renewable power sources into grids; and 3) supports climate change mitigation through grid decarbonization and enhanced ecosystem carbon capture and retention.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Recent Advances in Assessing Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Around the World

Marine renewable energy (MRE) is increasingly of interest to coastal nations as a source of renewable energy that can support climate change mitigation goals as well as provide secure locally-produced energy for coastal and island communities. MRE extracts power from tidal streams, waves, ocean currents, run of rivers, and gradients in the ocean, with specialized devices developed and tested for each energy resource. Alongside development of MRE technologies and systems, first in Europe and then in North America, Australia, Asia, and other regions, it has been universally recognized that there is also a need to examine potential effects on marine animals, habitats, ecosystem processes, local communities and other sea users, to ensure that the MRE industry can be developed in a responsible and sustainable manner. This paper looks at the status of assessment and monitoring for potential environmental effects associated with MRE projects around the world. Over 80 projects were identified worldwide as having been tested, demonstrated, or commercially deployed with associated environmental monitoring. Five of the projects that represent tidal stream, wave, and run of river projects are examined in more detail to determine the types of data and information collected for those projects, the outputs of the monitoring campaigns, and the actions taken as a result of the data collection and analysis. Recommendations are provided for standardization of the monitoring approaches, instruments, and analysis methods at MRE project sites worldwide.

marine renewable energy, environmental effects, ri↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electrolytic Renewable Fuel Production Optimal Operation Investigation - H2@Scale: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-19-00818

This work explored the optimal design and operation of electrolytic hydrogen production from renewable power. While there are many financial incentives for renewable hydrogen, this work investigated the effects of Low Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS) on the hydrogen breakeven cost. To this end, this project developed optimized operational strategies for electrolytic hydrogen facilities in the California. Four specific model projects were used as the basis for the analysis. Three model projects will be located in California and one in Texas or the Midwest to be determined during the project. All projects include interconnection to the natural gas grid as a method of transport for the product fuel and the hydrogen cases will also consider alternative modes of transport. The operational optimization will maximize project return through fuel production and grid services based on future scenarios for the value of each. The effort will rely on modeling tools developed by NREL and the UCI for grid modeling as well as the integrated resource planning tool (IRP), RESOLVE, which is the official IRP tool used by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC). The development of this project can help to inform future hydrogen deployment, policy and regulation makers, research and development decisions, and private and public investment.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Opportunities for agrivoltaic systems to achieve synergistic food-energy-environmental needs and address sustainability goals

Achieving decarbonization goals to address global climate change and increasing energy needs requires significant continued investments in solar energy. The expansion of utility-scale solar development across the globe has increased the pressure on land resources for energy generation and other land uses (e.g., agriculture, biodiversity conservation). To address this growing issue, greater emphasis has been placed on solar development strategies that maximize the benefits of solar energy generation and multiple ecosystem services, such as the development of agrivoltaics systems that co-locate solar energy production and various forms of conservation and agricultural land uses. The purpose of this paper is to systematically synthesize the potential ecosystem services of agrivoltaics and summarize how these development strategies could address several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our review will focus on four broad potential ecosystem services of agrivoltaics: (1) energy and economic benefits; (2) agricultural provisioning services of food production and animal husbandry; (3) biodiversity conservation; and (4) regulating ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water and soil conservation. In particular, we will highlight the state of the science, challenges, and knowledge gaps that represent opportunities for further study to better understand how solar energy deployment can facilitate sustainable development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Numerical Modeling & Size Optimization of Thermal Energy Storage for Iron & Steel Production

Iron and steel production are responsible for 90 million MtCO2 per year in the United States. Hydrogen direct reduction of iron (H2DRI) is a promising pathway for a more sustainable iron production than commercially deployed technologies which rely on natural gas. The H2DRI process requires hydrogen at a temperature of up to 950 degrees C fed into a reduction furnace to produce pellets or briquettes that are used in the downstream iron and steelmaking process. In this work, we propose to use an electrical thermal energy storage (ETES) system, that can use renewable electricity to store high-temperature heat and dispatch it upon demand. Such a system can buffer the H2DRI plant from the variability of electricity prices by charging during curtailment and running the plant from storage during times of peak electricity price. We have developed heat transfer models for two different ETES systems that can be used to heat up hydrogen to the required temperatures: a particle-based ETES and a firebrick ETES. These models are used to evaluate the performance of such a system and support the sizing and preliminary cost estimation. The preliminary results using both models show that designing ETES systems for an industrial-scale H2DRI furnace is feasible. The firebrick ETES system has limited operational duration, which might limit the price buffering effect unless significantly oversized. The particle ETES system heat exchanger has industry-feasible dimensions, but its storage capacity would be decided upon the number of particle storage silos.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Wind Energy Accomplishments and Year-End Performance Report: Fiscal Year 2022

Four decades ago, construction was just beginning on experimental turbines at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). Today, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) facility is the centerpiece of the laboratory's Flatirons Campus, a world-class hub for renewable energy research. The nation's shift to 100% clean electricity by 2035 will require a mix of renewable energy sources and strategies - and together, wind and solar energy could account for 60% to 80% of that clean energy resource. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, NREL scientists, engineers, and analysts contributed to these visionary goals through their wind energy research. As wind innovations push into new areas, NREL continues to play a vital role in advancing technology and addressing deployment barriers in pursuit of more efficient, reliable, and predictable wind energy systems. FY 2022 wind research and development explored the potential for dramatic growth in land-based systems, the launch of the nation's first commercial-scale offshore installations, and transmission infrastructure buildout. Land-based wind energy is one of the most cost-effective electricity supply options - but utility-scale deployment will require up to 10 times the current number of turbines. An NREL plan addressed this need to accelerate U.S. wind technology rollout at distributed and utility scales. Another project conducted by NREL and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) helps position the nation's first major offshore wind corridor for success. The WETO-funded Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study is evaluating options for balancing electricity supply and demand, while supporting resilience of the grid and marine industries. WETO, NREL, and other partners are working to enable the enormous supply chain and workforce changes the U.S. wind energy industry will need to meet net-zero-carbon-emissions targets. As part of a seminal series of DOE-funded supply chain studies, NREL analysts reported on the trade-offs involved in manufacturing large volumes of wind technologies, while addressing cost, workforce, and logistics issues. All of this research is supported by NREL's outstanding research teams, tools, data, and facilities. A WETO-funded international wind energy field campaign, the American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN), has brought together experts from NREL, PNNL, and Sandia National Laboratories to create the world's most comprehensive set of high-resolution data on wind energy atmospheric phenomenon. This study could lead to more accurate predictions of losses from turbine-to-turbine wake interactions, eventually helping wind plants capture more energy and operators save millions of dollars. In addition, NREL researchers developed testing, modeling, and analysis tools to improve the security of power grids by identifying wind power plant dynamic stability problems. A new Stochastic Soaring Raptor Simulator (SSRS) protects golden eagles from turbine encounters by predicting flight paths. This report provides more detail on these top achievements and other accomplishments made by NREL and its partners during FY 2022 (between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022).

accomplishments↗
DOE OSTI2024

Decision Points and Practical Considerations for AI Projects

In this presentation, I will present business-relevant decisions, risks, and considerations for practical implementations of AI projects. I will use energy efficiency and renewable energy AI projects at NREL as examples and case-studies highlighting the journey from concept to implementation. First, I present challenges, questions, and trade-offs related to system inputs: the data. Next, I will examine issues with system behavior and trust, presenting examples, risks, and mitigation strategies. Finally, I will discuss challenges to effective widespread deployment of AI systems including energy, compute, and time requirements.

AI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recyclable Design for Retaining High Solar Absorptivity of the Media in CSP

Efficient thermal energy storage is pivotal to lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. In solid-particle systems, however, prolonged high-temperature service degrades particle solar absorptivity, eroding overall efficiency. This project demonstrates a hydrogen-assisted recovery process that reliably restores absorptivity to >90 %, offering a practical route to sustain long-term CSP performance. Bench-scale investigations mapped the reduction kinetics of optically faded particles across hydrogen concentrations, temperatures, and residence times. Coupling mass-spectrometric monitoring with machine-learning optimization minimized energy demand while maximizing absorptivity gain. The resulting process window—moderate hydrogen partial pressures, 15–30 min dwell times, and temperatures well below initial calcination levels—cuts energy consumption well below that of incumbent re-blackening methods. A prototype recovery reactor processed multiple 2 kg batches with repeatable outcomes, confirming scalability and operational robustness. Integrated techno-economic analysis indicates material and operating cost reductions exceeding 15 % relative to conventional particle replacement or chemical re-coating, translating directly into lower LCOE for next-generation CSP facilities. By uniting fundamental reaction-kinetics insight with pragmatic engineering, this work advances the solid-particle pathway, delivering a cost-effective, field-deployable solution to one of CSP’s key durability challenges and strengthening the commercial outlook for high-temperature renewable power.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development Support for NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM): Cooperative Research and Development, CRADA Number CRD-20-16998 (Final Report)

The variable nature of renewable generation, which depends on the sun shining and wind blowing for example, presents challenges for adequate and least-cost resource planning. The deployment of renewable generation assets is anticipated to increase due to various drivers, such as declining costs, favorable government policies, and increasing procurement by corporations and consumers. High levels of renewable penetration are anticipated to pose flexibility, reliability, and cost challenges to the electrical system. The development and implementation of new features into performance modeling software, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) System Advisor Model (SAM), is one way to help think through these challenges and develop appropriate strategies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

AC Transit Fuel Cell Electric Bus Progress Report (Data Period Focus: Jan. 2020 through Dec. 2020) [Slides]

This report presents early results from a deployment of fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) operated by Alameda Contra-Costa Transit (AC Transit) in the east bay area of California. The ten FCEBs, produced by New Flyer, feature an electric drive propulsion system powered by a Ballard fuel cell system. The project team is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. The goal of this evaluation is to compare the FCEB performance to that of conventional technology and to track progress over time toward meeting the technical targets set by DOE and the Department of Transportation (DOT). The FCEBs were delivered beginning in late-2019. The data period covers January 2020 through July 2020. NREL collects data on two different baseline bus fleets for comparison: five 2017 model year diesel buses and five 2016 model year diesel hybrid buses.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of Genetic Algorithm Based Multi-Objective Plant Reload Optimization Platform

The U.S. nuclear industry is facing a challenge in maintaining required levels of safety while ensuring economic competitiveness to stay in business. Safety remains a key parameter for all aspects of light-water reactor nuclear power plant operations. Safety can become more economical by using a risk-informed ecosystem, such as the one being developed in the Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway under the U.S. Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program promotes a wide range of research and development activities to maximize both the safety and economic efficiency of nuclear power plants through improved scientific understanding, especially given that many plants are now considering second license renewals. The Risk-Informed Systems Analysis Pathway has two main goals: Deploy methodologies and technologies that better represent safety margins and cost and safety factors; Develop advanced applications that enable cost-effective plant operations. The Plant Reload Optimization Platform development project aims to build a reactor core design tool that includes reactor safety and fuel performance analyses and uses artificial intelligence to support the optimization of core design solutions. This report summarizes genetic-algorithm-based multi-objective fuel reload optimization activities, specifically: Developing the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimizer in the Risk Analysis and Virtual ENviroment (RAVEN); Demonstrating and validating the developed non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimizer using benchmark optimization problems.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

WHISPER: Wireless Home Identification and Sensing Platform for Energy Reduction

Many regions of the world benefit from heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to provide productive, comfortable, and healthy indoor environments, which are enabled by automatic building controls. Due to climate change, population growth, and industrialization, HVAC use is globally on the rise. Unfortunately, these systems often operate in a continuous fashion without regard to actual human presence, leading to unnecessary energy consumption. As a result, the heating, ventilation, and cooling of unoccupied building spaces makes a substantial contribution to the harmful environmental impacts associated with carbon-based electric power generation, which is important to remedy. For our modern electric power system, transitioning to low-carbon renewable energy is facilitated by integration with distributed energy resources. Automatic engagement between the grid and consumers will be necessary to enable a clean yet stable electric grid, when integrating these variable and uncertain renewable energy sources. We present the WHISPER (Wireless Home Identification and Sensing Platform for Energy Reduction) system to address the energy and power demand triggered by human presence in homes. The presented system includes a maintenance-free and privacy-preserving human occupancy detection system wherein a local wireless network of battery-free environmental, acoustic energy, and image sensors are deployed to monitor homes, record empirical data for a range of monitored modalities, and transmit it to a base station. Several machine learning algorithms are implemented at the base station to infer human presence based on the received data, harnessing a hierarchical sensor fusion algorithm. Results from the prototype system demonstrate an accuracy in human presence detection in excess of 95%; ongoing commercialization efforts suggest approximately 99% accuracy. Using machine learning, WHISPER enables various applications based on its binary occupancy prediction, allowing situation-specific controls targeted at both personalized smart home and electric grid modernization opportunities.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗