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DOE OSTI2019

Improving Solar PV Degradation Prediction Certainty: PREDICTS2 (Final Technical Report)

The rate and type of in-service PV performance degradation vary for different module designs, vintages, and operating climates. The current IEC 61215 module qualification testing standard can be used to identify design and manufacturing flaws that may lead to early life failures, but it was not intended to accurately predict degradation rates in the first 5 to 10 years of a PV plant’s lifetime, nor long-term performance, under varied operating conditions. Correlations between accelerated aging data and real-world degradation data are needed to better predict wear-out degradation in response to environmental stressors, such as elevated temperature, temperature cycling, moisture, wind load, and solar radiation. The PREDICTS2 project aged 36 pristine-condition ‘spare’ modules from a commercial PV power plant in the U.S. Southwest using the IEC 61215 and Qualification Plus (Qual Plus) testing standards. The study is unique in its ability to compare performance degradation data for fielded modules operating outdoors for 6 years in a commercial plant environmental with degradation data for modules of the same make, model and vintage that have been aged artificially in an indoor laboratory. Changes in individual module current-voltage (I-V) curve data were measured before and after the artificial aging process and compared to I-V curve data for the fielded modules. This project advanced the industry’s understanding of how environmental stressors affect performance degradation and established relationships between degradation mechanisms and changes to module electrical parameters and power loss. Improved certainty in degradation rates is expected to be the greatest source of LCOE reduction resulting from this project. Reducing the spread in the degradation rate probability distribution lowers project risk, which translates to lower project financing costs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Potential Role of Concentrating Solar Power within the Context of DOE's 2030 Solar Cost Targets

For solar electricity generating technologies to be cost competitive at a large scale with conventionally generated electricity, cost reductions are needed for both concentrating solar power (CSP) and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established solar cost targets that corresponded to reducing CSP and PV prices by approximately 75% in order to achieve a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of $0.06 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for both utility-scale PV and high-capacity factor CSP-TES systems in 2020. Utility-scale PV achieved its 2020 cost target in 2017, and recent estimates for the LCOE of CSP-TES with a molten-salt power tower system are approximately $0.10/kWh for projects that are expected to come online in 2020, which represents a substantial reduction since 2010 - when the LCOE for CSP-TES was around $0.21/kWh. To continue the momentum for cost reductions in solar technologies, DOE recently established cost targets for 2030 that would make solar one of the lowest-cost sources of new electricity in the United States. For CSP-based systems, the new targets correspond to an LCOE in 2030 of $0.05/kWh for a dispatchable, high-capacity factor CSP-TES plant configuration. This aggressive target would have been unimaginable a decade ago. However, building on the previously described reduction in CSP-TES costs over the past decade, recent announcements suggest the next phase of projects will continue this downward trend through lower installation costs, attractive financing, longer-duration PPAs, and the ability to capitalize on the value that the flexibility of storage brings CSP. This presentation summarizes a recent report that evaluates the potential impacts of simultaneously achieving the 2030 cost targets for PV and CSP-TES, and it includes a detailed evaluation of the role that CSP-TES could play in realizing those impacts. The scenarios in this analysis are designed to isolate and assess the potential impacts of achieving DOE's 2030 cost targets for CSP-TES and PV, and they do not reflect the potential benefits or system impacts associated with success in other DOE research programs. The low-cost solar scenarios include DOE's 2030 solar cost targets--which are represented via a roughly 50% reduction in LCOE by 2030 (from current levels) with additional cost reductions thereafter representing technology learning and/or improvements that could result from innovation - coupled with a variety of market, technology, and demand assumptions. With these assumptions, the evolution of the contiguous U.S. electricity system is evaluated with NREL's Renewable Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model, which was specifically designed to represent the temporal and locational value of renewable generation technologies in the U.S. power system. ReEDS relies on system-wide least-cost optimization to estimate the type and location of future generation and transmission capacity. In addition, it accounts for the locational and temporal variations in variable renewable technologies, including the need for new transmission, curtailment, dynamic capacity value, and the need to hold operating reserves to account for the uncertainty and variability of these technologies. This presentation summarizes the key findings that arise from a detailed evaluation of the impacts of achieving DOE's 2030 cost targets for CSP-TES and PV systems, noting again the inherent challenges associated with modeling future scenarios of the large, complex system electricity system in the contiguous United States within the context of various market features.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Measuring Degradation of Fielded Systems on an Ongoing Basis with RdTools

The solar investment community needs up-to-date and data-derived system degradation rates to use in financial models that calculate the risk and expectation of energy revenue. To date, the majority of financial models choose degradation rates from past studies that are limited and may not be representative of future solar assets (systems) they are financing. As the solar industry expands in all sectors (residential, commercial, and utility), there is a growing amount of energy production available to analyze. With the help of the open source degradation analysis code (RdTools) it is now possible to derive degradation on an ongoing basis and continuously provide up-to-date durability statistics to the investment community. Ongoing and accurate statistics of fielded photovoltaic systems allows financial stakeholders to constrain energy revenue projections, lower financial risk, and increase the bankability of solar. This poster will present considerations and software engineering best practices to encourage data owners to measure degradation of their own photovoltaic assets on an ongoing basis. This poster will also preview an upcoming DOE-funded kWh Analytics degradation project which involves applying RdTools analysis on kWh Analytics’ industry database, aggregating results across variables such as weather, hardware, system configurations etc., and sharing the aggregated results with the broader community.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Using Federal Energy Assistance Funds for PV to Reduce Energy Burden for Low-Income Households

Though the rapid decline in the cost of solar has resulted in unprecedented levels of solar deployment across the country, the majority of residential solar installations have been in middle-to-affluent households. Also, federal energy assistance programs have traditionally focused on weatherization with energy efficiency measures or bill assistance. Coupled with innovative financing mechanisms, solar photovoltaics (PV) now present another attractive option for helping low-income households reduce their energy burden. Seizing this opportunity, several states have undertaken efforts to include solar investments in Department of Health and Human Services' Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funded projects. To support these state initiatives, DOE's WAP and the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) have been collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to provide states with additional guidance and technical support to gain approval to use WAP funds for PV. Early examples of states demonstrating cost effectiveness of PV within Colorado and New York state SETO and NREL have also begun exploring how established solar business models could align with the LIHEAP utility assistance model.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2019

Standards and Best Practices for Solar Measurements

NREL leads and contributes to the development of radiometric standards and associated best practices through the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) International and others, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Development of best practices and consensus standards in solar measurement enables industry to develop widely accepted protocols for various stages of solar project development and operations. This reduces barriers to seeking financing and reduces warranty costs. These standards and best practices play an essential role in all aspects of weathering and durability, including standard conditions, methods and instrumentation, accelerated testing, and service lifetime of materials systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Managing Environmental Effects to Facilitate Marine Renewable Energy Development

The marine renewable energy (MRE) industry is in the early stages of commercial development. In addition to the challenges of deploying and maintaining devices under harsh ocean conditions and transporting electricity to shore, concerns around potential environmental effects continue to slow permitting (consenting) processes. Regulators and stakeholders perceive a wide array of potential environmental interactions as risky and highly uncertain, and request that considerable baseline assessments and post-installation monitoring be carried out in order to permit or license a project. The MRE industry is struggling with the high cost of baseline assessments and post-installation monitoring, as well as extended timelines for obtaining permits, leading to uncertainty and risk for financing projects. As a means to mitigate this uncertainty and risk, regulators in the US have been engaged to ensure that they understand the underlying science that drives these challenges and to explore the feasibility of transferring learning and information from early MRE projects and analogous industry interactions to inform potential environmental effects and permitting for new MRE projects. The ability to use data and information from one project or location to another can aid the industry by reducing the high costs of environmental monitoring and accelerating permitting processes for future projects. This paper presents findings of a regulator survey and other engagements with regulators, provides insight into the process of data transferability, suggests a framework for data transferability and collection consistency, and details efforts to engage the research community in furthering this process.

Marine renewable energy, environmental effects, da↗
DOE OSTI2019

Solar and Energy Efficiency: Resources to Support Local Initiatives for Low-to-Moderate Income Communities

This SolSmart webinar serves as an educational resource for local governments interested in better understanding market barriers and expanding solar and energy efficiency deployment in low to moderate income (LMI) communities. Viewers will be able to explore and visualize data developed by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) focused on how rooftop solar on LMI housing represents an opportunity to help modernize the U.S electric grid and advance energy affordability in LMI communities. NREL and the American Council on an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) also discuss financing options and incentives for solar development and energy efficiency in LMI communities.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

BACKFLIP Project: Determination of BACKsheet Material Properties: A Comparison of Market-Benchmark Technologies to Novel Non-Fluoro-Based Co-Extruded Backsheet Materials and Their Correlation and Impact on PV Module Degradation Rates

Quantifying degradation rate of backsheets will help procuring materials for 30+ years. Today most backsheets on the market have a laminated PET core; polyolefin materials may provide better properties for backsheets (barrier to water, mechanical properties through UV and hydrolytic environments, etc.). End-of-life regulations may require fluorine-free backsheet products in future global markets. Parametrized equation predicting the service life of backsheets, and validated by both lab and outdoor extensive testing. Technical and commercial confidence to the entire value chain: from backsheet and module manufacturers to the downstream community (IPP, banks, developers) that materials of higher quality can help reduce finance costs, therefore driving down LCOE. A fast track PV module market adaptation for novel high-quality materials, such as co-extruded polyolefin-core backsheets, by obtaining unbiased durability data.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tools Assessing Performance

For the distributed wind industry, it can be challenging to accurately predict the performance and annual energy production of projects prior to their installation. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Tools Assessing Performance (TAP) project aims to improve wind resource characterization, thereby reducing the uncertainty of project performance and financing costs, increasing consumer confidence, and lowering the levelized cost of distributed wind energy. A collaborative effort among DOE National Laboratories, TAP will create a computational framework that provides the distributed wind community with access to newly developed wind resource data and modeling capabilities. These capabilities will allow users to perform timely and accurate performance assessments for distributed wind projects at locations across the United States.

wind, distributed, tools, performance↗
DOE OSTI2020

ePROJECT BUILDER: PROMOTING WIDER ADOPTION OF ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS THROUGH STANDARDIZATION AND TRANSPARENCY

The United States Federal Government has been conducting guaranteed savings energy savings performance contracts for over 20 years and now relies on ESPC for the majority of its energy efficiency work. Along with a related financed project type, these deals resulted in $4.2 billion of project investment in the five years ending in 2016, a pace that has even accelerated since. Measurement and verification (M&V) on the projects is the key to assuring savings realization and persistence. Perceived as a weakness or burdensome added cost in the early years of the program, M&V has become a strength. All energy conservation measures (ECMs) have some form of measurement – defined as a measured baseline establishment followed by at least one measurement of the main energy-saving parameter taken in the performance period for each ECM. The government’s in-house energy consulting office, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), now recommends measurement of these “Option A” M&V ECMs throughout the contract term, usually annually. Moreover, a significantly higher percentage of projects are now characterized by more ambitious M&V, including Option B (all parameter measurement) for most generation (including renewable) and some efficiency measures, and more frequent Option C (whole facility utility bill analysis) for “deep retrofit” projects with multiple, interactive ECMs. Coincident with this progress in M&V has been a much greater embracing of ESPC by the federal agencies, resulting in the enormous rate of projects now executed. This paper traces the evolution of M&V in federal ESPC and argues that the heightened credibility of the savings has contributed significantly to the procurement vehicle’s long-term viability. This focus on savings integrity via M&V has been learned over two decades for U.S. federal ESPC, but countries with developing ESPC markets would be wise to emphasize it as their markets emerge, allowing them to avoid some of the “growing pains” experienced in the U.S.

Earni, Shankar↗
DOE OSTI2020

M&V in ESPC: The U.S. Federal Experience and Implications for Developing ESPC Markets

The United States Federal Government has been conducting guaranteed savings energy savings performance contracts for over 20 years and now relies on ESPC for the majority of its energy efficiency work. Along with a related financed project type, these deals resulted in $4.2 billion of project investment in the five years ending in 2016, a pace that has even accelerated since. Measurement and verification (M&V) on the projects is the key to assuring savings realization and persistence. Perceived as a weakness or burdensome added cost in the early years of the program, M&V has become a strength. All energy conservation measures (ECMs) have some form of measurement – defined as a measured baseline establishment followed by at least one measurement of the main energy-saving parameter taken in the performance period for each ECM. The government’s in-house energy consulting office, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), now recommends measurement of these “Option A” M&V ECMs throughout the contract term, usually annually. Moreover, a significantly higher percentage of projects are now characterized by more ambitious M&V, including Option B (all parameter measurement) for most generation (including renewable) and some efficiency measures, and more frequent Option C (whole facility utility bill analysis) for “deep retrofit” projects with multiple, interactive ECMs. Coincident with this progress in M&V has been a much greater embracing of ESPC by the federal agencies, resulting in the enormous rate of projects now executed. This paper traces the evolution of M&V in federal ESPC and argues that the heightened credibility of the savings has contributed significantly to the procurement vehicle’s long-term viability. This focus on savings integrity via M&V has been learned over two decades for U.S. federal ESPC, but countries with developing ESPC markets would be wise to emphasize it as their markets emerge, allowing them to avoid some of the “growing pains” experienced in the U.S.

Coleman, Philip↗
DOE OSTI2020

M&V in ESPC: The U.S. Federal Experience and Implications for Developing ESPC Markets

The United States Federal Government has been conducting guaranteed savings energy savings performance contracts for over 20 years and now relies on ESPC for the majority of its energy efficiency work. Along with a related financed project type, these deals resulted in $4.2 billion of project investment in the five years ending in 2016, a pace that has even accelerated since.Measurement and verification (M&V) on the projects is the key to assuring savings realization and persistence. Perceived as a weakness or burdensome added cost in the early years of the program, M&V has become a strength. All energy conservation measures (ECMs) have some form of measurement – defined as a measured baseline establishment followed by at least one measurement of the main energy-saving parameter for a given ECM taken in the performance period. The government’s in-house energy consulting office, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), now recommends measurement of these “Option A” M&V ECMs throughout the contract term, usually annually. Moreover, a significantly higher percentage of projects are now characterized by more ambitious M&V, including Option B (all parameter measurement) for most generation (including renewable) and some efficiency measures, and more frequent Option C (whole facility utility bill analysis) for “deep retrofit” projects with multiple, interactive ECMs. Coincident with this progress in M&V has been a much greater embracing of ESPC by the federal agencies, resulting in the enormous rate of projects now executed. This paper traces the evolution of M&V in federal ESPC and argues that the heightened credibility of the estimated (and guaranteed) savings has contributed significantly to the procurement vehicle’s long-term viability. This focus on savings integrity via M&V has been learned over two decades for U.S. federal ESPC, but countries with developing ESPC markets would be wise to emphasize it as their markets emerge, allowing them to avoid some of the “growing pains” experienced in the U.S.

Coleman, Philip↗
DOE OSTI2016

Exports and leasing: The future of distributed wind?

Distributed wind installations are closing in on the 1 gigawatt capacity threshold. Yet over the past three years, growth rates in distributed wind have plateaued, pressing U.S. manufacturers to look for new ways to open markets. With record small wind sales abroad and new financing mechanisms redefining opportunities at home, exports and wind leasing represent two market drivers that might help industry transition into a new chapter for distributed wind.

Foster, Nikolas AF↗
DOE OSTI2020

Large-Scale Solar Development: A Playbook for Southwest Virginia

his playbook is an introductory guide for local governments to facilitate large-scale solar projects in Southwest Virginia. In a region that has a long history of energy production, solar technologies offer enormous potential for economic development and job growth. Large-scale solar can take many forms, including rooftop or ground-mounted installations at local corporate offices, nonprofit organizations, or schools. It can also encompass utility-scale projects over many acres on former agricultural or timberlands, mined lands, or industrial sites. Regardless of the type of project, solar is a widely popular, cost-competitive energy choice that helps create sustainable and prosperous communities. This playbook is directed to municipal and county governments that have an essential role to play in encouraging large-scale solar projects. The first section provides an overview of state and national trends, including recent state legislation that will impact local oversight of solar development. This is followed by an overview of the solar project approval process from a developer’s perspective. The next section is an overview of the state and local permitting process for solar projects, followed by other development considerations such as local tax revenue options, financing incentives, and considerations for solar on brownfields and previously mined lands. The playbook concludes with a step-by-step guide for local governments to facilitate large-scale solar development.This playbook is part of the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia’s effort to bring solar energy and associated jobs to the region. Over the past few years, the workgroup has met with stakeholder groups and crafted a strategy for local solar energy development. The workgroup has collaborated with cities and counties to bring SolSmart designation to eight counties and cities, implemented group purchase campaigns for commercial solar, and led research efforts.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Installing Carport Solar Array

This case study describes how a Hampton Inn & Suites location installed a 102-kilowatt (kW) carport-mounted solar photovoltaic array and financed it using a Blackstone Hospitality Group Small Business Administration Green 504 loan.

Carport-mounted array, solar, solar photovoltaic, ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Roof-Mounted Solar Array in Healthcare

This case study describes how North Shore-LIJ Healthcare System installed and financed a 50-kilowatt solar array on one of their auxiliary buildings.

Commercial, healthcare, solar, solar photovoltaic,↗
DOE OSTI2020

DOE-ART HT(G)R R&D Overview

The US Government currently has no plans to finance or build advanced nuclear reactors. Instead, the DOE performs research and development to raise the technological readiness of new concepts, fuels and component materials so that private industrial partners are more likely to design and build plants. Develop technologies that can enable new concepts and designs to achieve greater levels of safety and resilience, flexibility of use, sustainability and construction or operational affordability. Collaborate with industry to identify and conduct essential research to reduce technical risk associated with advanced reactor technologies. Sustain essential technical expertise and capabilities within national laboratories, universities, and industry to perform needed research. Collaborate with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Standards Developing Organizations (ASME, ANS, ANSI, etc.) to address gaps in codes and standards to support advanced reactor designs

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2014

On-Site Commercial Solar PV Decision Guide

This report provides guidance for commercial building owners considering implementing solar photovoltaics (PV) on their commercial buildings and includes best practices for each step in the decision-making process including technical studies, financing, procurement, execution, operations and maintenance, and assessment.

Rooftop Solar, Solar, PV, Photovoltaic, solar PV, ↗