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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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At least 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Electrification of residential and commercial buildings integrated with hybrid renewable energy systems: A techno-economic analysis

Here, this study assesses the techno-economic viability of city-scale building electrification, comparing a base case scenario with conventional HVAC systems to an electrified scenario with heat pump systems. EnergyPlus simulations reveal a 28% increase in annual electricity consumption in the electrified scenario, shifting the peak consumption from summer to winter with a 49% surge. Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) are then evaluated using HOMER Pro, considering renewable penetration from 0% to 100%. The net present cost (NPC) of the base case and electrified scenarios range from $\$10.34$ to $\$24.38$ billion and $\$8.79$ to $\$50.31$ billion, respectively. Sensitivity analysis explores the impact of carbon tax, fuel price, and renewable subsidies on HRESs in the electrified scenario. Results indicate that applying a carbon tax up to $\$120$/tonne of CO 2 increases the optimum renewable fraction from 5% to 26%, while higher fuel prices and renewable subsidies further enhance the feasibility by shifting the optimum renewable fraction to 60% and 54%, respectively, demonstrating the interplay between economic factors and renewable integration in electrified urban contexts.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantifying the Sensitive Parameters of the New Energy Vehicles in China

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the Chinese government has put effort into decarbonizing the transportation sector. Consequently, China elaborated a new energy vehicle strategy promoting the production of electric vehicles and expanding into hydrogen (H2) vehicle technologies including fuel cell electric vehicles and H2 internal combustion engine vehicles. The Transportation Energy Analysis Model (TEAM) projects the market penetration as well as energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in China up to 2050. By integrating the Monte Carlo simulation, this study tests the robustness of TEAM and investigates the key parameters that will shape passenger vehicle sales and emissions in the future. The results show that fuel cell cost, H2 price, and battery cost are the most sensitive parameters for H2 vehicle technologies.

Saafi, Mohamed Ali↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Transactive Approach for Service Restoration Utilizing Customer Load Flexibility and Grid-Edge Resources: Preprint

This paper develops a transactive energy system model to restore electricity to customers in an isolated distribution system after an outage. The model engages a variety of customer types -- prosumers, flexible loads, critical/noncritical customers, and distributed generators -- as active participants in the restoration process. Unlike many existing transactive approaches, the proposed model is developed for service restoration and accounts for various customer types and their \textit{autonomy} and \textit{privacy} through an iterative approach to determine the optimal market price, while maintaining system-level power flow and voltage constraints. The advantages of the proposed approach are numerically validated on a modified IEEE 123-bus test system.

distributed energy resources↗
DOE OSTI2022

Wound Field and Hybrid Synchronous Machines for EV Traction with Brushless Capacitive Rotor Field Excitation (Final Report)

This project focused on the development of wound field synchronous machines (WFSMs) and hybrid excitation synchronous machines (HESMs) with brushless capacitive power transfer for the field excitation. The target application for the machines developed is the main traction motor in electric vehicles. The magnetization in these types of machines is provided by a field winding on the rotor which is excited with DC current. The magnetization level in the machine can be varied by changing the magnitude of the field current. The variable magnetization or field is one of the key features of WFSMs. WFSMs are commonly used as generators however they have several attractive features for automotive traction applications. 1) No use of permanent magnet: Rare earth permanent magnets are primarily mined and processed in China. They have been subject to large price and supply variations and their export may be restricted during times of geopolitical tension. 2) Easy field weakening: Wound field synchronous machines have complete control of their field excitation. With proper design, this type of machine can electromagnetically have an infinite constant power speed range. 3) High power factor: With proper choice of the field excitation, WFSMs may be operated with high or even unity power factor. This potentially allows for the inverter connected to the stator winding to be downsized. In comparison induction machines and interior permanent magnet synchronous machines must supply reactive power to the stator increasing the kVA rating and cost of the inverter. 4) Reduced iron losses at high speed: By reducing the field excitation, the iron loss in the stator can be reduced. This is in comparison to interior permanent magnet synchronous machines which must use stator current to buck or reduce the flux produced by the permanent magnets. Generally, WFSMs have their highest efficiency at high speed. 5) Torque output at high temperatures: The magnetization provided by the field winding only depends on the field current and not on the field winding temperature. This is in contrast to permanent magnet machines where the permanent magnet flux decreases as the magnet temperature increases. Historically a number of approaches have been developed to provide DC current to the rotating field winding in WFSM’s including brushes and slip rings, low frequency brushless exciters, and high frequency rotary transformers and rectifiers. In this project, a different approach was used: brushless capacitive power transfer. Brushless capacitive power transfer uses two sets of rotating capacitors or electrodes in which an AC electric field is established by a high frequency inverter. A displacement current can flow through the airgap in the rotating capacitors which is rectified on the rotor using a diode bridge. The potential advantage of capacitive power transfer is that there is no need for heavy iron to guide magnetic flux. The electric flux lines terminate on the charges on the rotary capacitor surfaces. This should also limit the electric field outside the rotary capacitor airgaps. The main challenge with capacitive power transfer is that the capacitance and surface area of the rotating capacitors is small. Because capacitive power transfer systems are essentially a dual of a magnetic system, an Ampere per Hertz relationship is characteristic versus a Volts per Hertz relationship. A very high frequency power inverter must be used to provide sufficient excitation to the field winding. The concept of using capacitive power transfer to excite a high performance WFSM was initially developed in a previous U.S.A. Dept. of Energy project, DE-EE0006829. This project focused on increasing the power density of the WFSMs and reducing the cost and manufacturing complexity of the capacitive power transfer system. This project has demonstrated that WFSMs with brushless capacitive field power transfer can provide a high-power density and low-cost automotive powertrain technology.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Transactive Approach for Service Restoration Utilizing Customer Load Flexibility and Grid-Edge Resources

This paper develops a transactive energy system model to restore electricity to customers in an isolated distribution system after an outage. The model is developed to engage a variety of customer types - prosumers, flexible loads, critical/noncritical customers, and distributed generators - as active participants in the restoration process. Unlike many existing transactive approaches, the proposed model is developed for service restoration and accounts for various customer types and their autonomy and privacy through an iterative approach to determine the optimal market price, while maintaining systemlevel power flow and voltage constraints. The advantages of the proposed approach are numerically validated on a modified IEEE 123-bus test system.

distributed energy resources↗
DOE OSTI2020

Practice Summary: Improved Reliability via Optimization in Residential Microgrids

Southern Company is an electric utility that is embracing residential microgrids as a platform for distributed energy. The first residential microgrid in the southeastern United States was constructed in Hoover, Alabama, as a testbed for development. To operate the microgrid, we developed an optimization model for unit commitment and economic dispatch. We report the optimization model was implemented in a microgrid central controller and tested under various operational scenarios. Challenges also include developing a pricing algorithm to deliver price forecasts to the residential homes in the microgrid and open-source software restrictions.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Accessibility and Availability of Gas Stations for Liquid Fuel Supply During Severe Weather Events

Energy infrastructure is a pivotal lifeline with wider inter-dependencies. Electric power is essential to the continued functioning of critical assets; liquid fuels and other physical primary energy commodities that are used to supply the local energy needs of these assets during extreme events when electricity infrastructure is compromised. During Superstorm Sandy, the disruption of fuel supplies in the Tri-state area necessitated increasing situational awareness about oil and natural gas (ONG) systems to redirect fuel supplies to first responders and for restoration efforts. During winter storm events over the past several years, the demand for ONG for heating and power generation has skyrocketed in the north-east, which subsequently had caused ONG price to hit their highest level in years. ONG is a major energy source for restoration and recovery activities. However, very little, if any, situational awareness information about ONG supply and demand is available to those coordinating emergency efforts. Often this lack of information is due to the decentralized nature of the ONG supply chain and proprietary data maintained by private entities. To understand the impact of fuel availability on response and recovery efforts, this research focuses on (i) determining the accessibility to gas stations for liquid fuel supply across space and time, and (ii) examining the spatio-temporal variation of fuel availability and demand during extreme weather events. The broader scope of the project focuses on providing spatio-temporal situational awareness information about ONG availability and demand across the fuel supply chain for positioning of resources for response activities.

Kar, Bandana↗
NASA NTRS1982

Vehicle test report: Battronic pickup truck

An electric pickup truck was tested to characterize certain parameters and to provide baseline data that can be used for the comparison of improved batteries that may be incorporated into the vehicle at a later time. The vehicle tests were concentrated on the electrical drive subsystem; i.e., the batteries, controller, and motor. The tests included coastdowns to characterize the road load and range evaluations for both cyclic and constant speed conditions. A qualitative evaluation of the vehicle's performance was made by comparing its constant speed range performance with other vehicles.

Price, T. W.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Intensity and daily pattern of passenger vehicle use by region and class in China: estimation and implications for energy use and electrification

Given the explosive growth of the passenger vehicle market and energy demands in China, research on vehicle-use intensity and driver-travel patterns is critical for better assessing travel demand and its implications for alternative fuel vehicles, energy security, and environmental policies. This study attempts to estimate annual vehicle kilometers traveled (AVKT) per privately-owned passenger vehicle and their daily distance patterns by vehicle class and geographic region. The data sample from a survey consists of 169,292 privately owned passenger vehicles, made by 177 car manufacturers during 2003–2018, running in 82 cities from 27 provincial regions. The log-transformed average AVKT is estimated to be 12,377 km with 95% probability ranging from 5490 to 28,579 km. The investigation reveals that vehicles from South China have the highest AVKT at 13,320 km. Generally, vehicles in small cities have higher AVKT than in big cities, except AVKT of tier 1 cities being higher. Another trend is that more expensive or larger vehicles tend to be driven more. A model is fitted for estimating AVKT based on region, city type, automaker, price range, and certain vehicle features including class and age. Data of daily commuting distances in recent years are also analyzed. The average daily commuting distances typically range from 21 to 28 km. Using the validated Gamma distribution method, daily distance distributions are specified for different regions. It is found that 99% of the daily driving distance is no more than 88.0–112.0 km, depending on region. Utility factors of plug-in electric vehicles are also estimated to be much higher than those based on driving data in the USA. Finally, these findings suggest global mitigations strategies on vehicle fuel use, electrification, and greenhouse gases should consider vehicle-use intensity at the regional level.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Vehicle test report: Jet Industries Electra Van 600

The Electra Van 600, an electric vehicle, was tested. Tests were performed to characterize parameters of the Electra Van 600 and to provide baseline data to be used for comparison of improved batteries and to which will be incorporated into the vehicle. The vehicle tests concentrated on the electrical drive subsystem, the batteries, controller, and motor; coastdowns to characterize the road load and range evaluation for cyclic and constant speed conditions; and qualitative performance was evaluated. It is found that the Electra Van 600 range performance is approximately equal to the majority of the vehicles tested previously.

Price, T. W.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Regional Hybrid Energy Systems Technoeconomic Analysis

This presentation summarizes the final outputs from a multi-year HFTO-funded project that evaluated the potential for hybridized nuclear power plants to economically produce hydrogen. The focus of this presentation is on the interactions between the electricity system modeling and hydrogen system optimization and the resulting figures of merit. This project partnered with Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, and Xcel Energy.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

AutoBEM: A scalable framework for nationwide building energy simulation and retrofit evaluation in the United States

This paper presents AutoBEM, an integrated, automated framework for nationwide building energy modeling and retrofit evaluation in the United States. Unlike prior UBEM platforms that either rely primarily on representative stock sampling or operate at city scale, AutoBEM automates the generation of building-resolved, physics-based EnergyPlus/OpenStudio simulation models at national scale using GIS-derived geometry, prototype-based assumptions, and standardized scalable workflows. Leveraging the Model America dataset and high-performance computing, AutoBEM generates and simulates energy models for 122.9 million buildings, representing 97.8% of the U.S. building stock. These models are being made publicly and freely available as the Model America v1.0 (MAv1) dataset. AutoBEM supports detailed, building-level assessments of energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and post-processed anthropogenic heat emissions (AHE), and evaluates 151 energy conservation measures (ECMs) using localized utility pricing and building characteristics. In addition, AutoBEM incorporates both typical and future climate conditions through integration with Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) and Future TMY (fTMY) weather data derived from IPCC scenarios. In a case study of Phoenix, Arizona, AutoBEM identified several high-efficiency HVAC upgrades and selected envelope measures with short modeled payback periods (1.5 years) for certain building types and standards. Simulations under future climate scenarios (SSP5–RCP8.5) project an 11.3% increase in electricity use and a 32% reduction in natural gas demand by 2100, underscoring the need for climate-adaptive retrofit planning. By enabling reproducible, bottom-up, and location-specific analysis at scale, AutoBEM provides a step toward a national digital twin of the built environment and supports data-driven screening and planning for decarbonization, resilience, and energy equity.

Li, Hang [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000306001920)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market: 2022 Data

Voluntary green power, for the purposes of this report, refers to renewable energy procurement by retail electricity customers above what is otherwise provided by load-serving entities. This report is part of an annual series of reports synthesizing trends in the United States voluntary green power market. In 2022, about 9.6 million retail electricity customers procured about 272 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of voluntary green power, representing about 38% of non-hydro renewable energy sales and about 6% of all U.S. retail electricity sales. Most of the remainder of U.S. renewable energy sales reflects renewable energy procured by load-serving entities to comply with state renewable energy mandates, also known as compliance-based procurement.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Aniak Energy Efficiency Retrofit Project

The Native Village of Aniak (NVA), a federally recognized Yup'ik Tribe, undertook this energy efficiency initiative to enhance energy performance in key community buildings, including the Tribal Office, Community Center, Duplex, and Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) Office. Through energy audits and upgrades, the project focused on high-impact improvements like air sealing, LED lighting, and programmable thermostats, primarily in the Tribal Office due to funding constraints. The initiative aimed to reduce energy waste, lower heating and electricity costs, and improve facility comfort and longevity while achieving long-term savings for further improvements by decreasing reliance on imported fuel oil. Despite scope limitations exacerbated by budget constraints, this project achieved an approximately 52% reduction in EUI. Reducing operational costs emphasizes economic and environmental benefits, aligning closely with Aniak's broader energy sustainability objectives. This initiative aligned with the Tribe's vision for responsible energy use, addressing the challenges of high fuel prices in a remote community; it could serve as a model for similar efforts in Aniak and other Alaska Native villages pursuing energy self-reliance.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Q1-2024 Solar Cost Benchmarks

Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and its national laboratory partners develop cost benchmarks for U.S. solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. These benchmarks track progress toward reducing solar costs and guide R&D priorities. Unlike typical studies that report only $/W, SETO uses intrinsic units (e.g., $/m² for mounting structures) to better capture how technology improvements such as module efficiency would impact system costs. This allows flexible modeling where inputs can vary significantly to assess cost sensitivity. Costs are reported in two ways: Minimum Sustainable Price (MSP): Long term, financially viable price under stable market conditions. Modeled Market Price (MMP): Actual market price, influenced by short term distortions such as tariffs or subsidies. Three national labs collect cost data from industry stakeholders, ensuring no duplication in outreach to stakeholders. Data reflects real transactions (primarily from Q1) and is weighted based on the number of sources per cost element. The PV System Cost Model (PVSCM) divides total installed system cost into eight categories: 1. Module (PV) 2. Inverter 3. Energy Storage System (ESS) 4. Structural BOS (SBOS) 5. Electrical BOS (EBOS) 6. Fieldwork 7. Office work 8. Other (developer/EPC costs) The first five are hardware costs, while the last three are soft costs. Each category includes fixed and variable cost components, where “size” depends on context (e.g., manufacturing capacity for modules vs. system capacity for installation costs). Variable costs are expressed using appropriate intrinsic units. The model reflects the owner’s upfront overnight capital cost, excluding tax credits. Tariffs and subsidies are treated as temporary market distortions affecting MMP but not MSP. PVSCM is implemented in Excel, where cost elements are aggregated into total system cost. Additional sheets handle unit conversions and operation & maintenance (O&M), with O&M costs levelized over the system’s lifetime.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1988

Diode laser-pumped solid-state lasers

An evaluation is made of the consequences for solid-state lasers of novel diode laser-pumping technology. Diode laser-pumped neodymium lasers have operated at an electrical-to-optical efficiency of 10 percent in a single spatial mode, with linewidths of less than 10 kHz, and with a spectral power brightness sufficiently great to allow frequency extension by harmonic generation in nonlinear crystals; this has yielded green and blue sources of coherent radiation. Q-switched operation with kW peak powers and mode-locked operation with 10-picosec pulse widths have also been demonstrated. All-solid-state lasers at prices comparable to those of current flash-lamp-pumped laser systems are foreseen, as are power levels exceeding 1 kW, for coherent radar, global satellite sensing, and micromachining.

Byer, Robert L.↗
DOE OSTI2019

H2@Scale Analysis

The 'H2@Scale' concept focuses on the opportunity for hydrogen to be an energy intermediate like electricity that supports both production opportunities and demand applications. Hydrogen is complementary to electricity because of its inherent capability to be stored. It can also be produced easily from electricity and is fungible with a variety of applications. This presentation summarizes the H2@Scale analysis efforts performed during the latter half of 2017 and the first third of 2018. The analysis focused on the technical and economic potential for hydrogen and found that the technical potential is 87 million metric tons (MMT) annually. The analysis shows sufficient wind and solar resources to meet that demand. Four economic potential scenarios are also presented. Their market sizes, prices, sources, and applications are estimated through development of national supply and demand curves and using them to estimate market equilibria. The resulting market size ranges from 16 MMT/yr to 31 MMT/yr. Analysis is underway to identify the lowest-cost delivery and storage options for those four scenarios. Additional proposed work focuses on developing regional fidelity and understanding potential opportunities for a transition from today's hydrogen market to one with H2@Scale.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

What Is the Best Use of Biomass? A Harmonized LCA-TEA Framework Quantifying Economic and Environmental Metrics for Bioenergy Pathways

Bioresource utilization is expected to play a pivotal role in complementing existing energy pathways and enhancing energy resilience. This study develops a harmonized life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) framework to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential, minimum fuel selling price (MFSP), and marginal abatement cost (MAC) of bioenergy pathways. We analyze 19 pathways, including liquid biofuels (via catalytic fast pyrolysis, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, and gasification), bioelectricity, and biomass-to-hydrogen, with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS). The GHG impacts are assessed using the GREET 2022 model, while U.S. Billion-Ton 2016 biomass availability projections are used to estimate scale-up potential. Additionally, we evaluate the influence of a low-carbon electricity grid on pathway performance. Our results show that CCS implementation reduces carbon intensities (CI) to net-negative values for several pathways, with MAC ranging from $\$$32 to $\$$600 per metric ton (MT) CO2e avoided. Bioelectricity pathways with CCS achieve the lowest MAC ($\$$32–$\$$68/tCO2e), while liquid biofuels and hydrogen pathways remain critical for hard-to-abate sectors like aviation and heavy industry. Pathways with net-positive electricity demand benefit from a low-carbon grid, whereas those co-producing electricity experience increased MAC under lower electricity grid CI scenarios. This open-source framework provides a robust tool for harmonized evaluation of bioenergy pathways, enabling policymakers and stakeholders to identify cost-effective strategies for biomass utilization and carbon abatement at scale. The findings underscore the importance of CCS, co-product credits, and feedstock availability in optimizing bioenergy deployment for a low-carbon economy.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗