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DOE OSTI2024

Concrete Thermal Energy Storage Enabling Flexible Operation without Coal Plant Cycling

The work described in this report is responsive to the Office of Fossil Energy program “Energy Storage for Fossil Power Generation.” The pilot plant built as a result of this project demonstrated the feasibility and performance of a concrete thermal energy storage (CTES) system integrated with a supercritical coal power plant. The 10 MWh electrical (>25 MWh thermal) CTES unit, developed by Storworks Power, was designed to enable flexible operation of coal plants without cycling damage. The project's key technical achievements showcase a significant advancement in energy storage technology. A modular CTES system using 42 “Bolderblocs” units was successfully designed and constructed at Alabama Power’s Plant Gaston Unit 5, with each block containing embedded stainless-steel coils in specialized, cost-effective high-temperature concrete. The system interfaced seamlessly with the plant's 3500 psig (241 barg), 1000°F (538°C) supercritical steam, demonstrating operational flexibility. Over 86 full cycles, the CTES exhibited rapid charging and discharging capabilities, effectively mimicking steam turbine feed conditions and handling varying load profiles and storage durations. Performance validation confirmed the system's ability to consistently meet design target steam conditions of 75 bar-a and ~400°C for nominal baseline discharge. The concrete material withstood repeated thermal cycling without degradation, validating earlier lab-scale tests. Integration of balance of plant components, including a condensate management system with storage tank and air-cooled condenser, minimized plant interfaces and water consumption. A robust control scheme ensured safe, automated operation across various scenarios. Key learnings from the project were invaluable: 1. Initial concrete drying and commissioning procedures were refined for future deployments, enhancing efficiency in subsequent installations. 2. System flexibility exceeded expectations, with rapid response to changing conditions. 3. Design improvements were identified including optimized insulation and piping that will enhance overall system efficiency in future deployments 4. Full cycle thermal roundtrip efficiencies exceeded 88%. While the roundtrip electrical efficiency was somewhat limited by known challenges using input steam, such constraints may be mitigated by swapping steam for hot air as thermal input. 5. A summary of key performance parameters for the pilot test and predicted performance of a full scale commercial system with specified improvements determined from the pilot are shown in Section 8. The project faced challenges, including COVID-19 delays and host plant availability constraints. However, these were overcome through adaptive planning and execution. The successful management of these obstacles demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of the project team and the robustness of the CTES technology. This successful pilot demonstrates the potential for CTES to enhance coal plant flexibility, supporting grid stability as renewable penetration increases. The validated design and operational data provide a solid foundation for scaling up to utility-scale implementations, potentially transforming how thermal plants operate in evolving energy landscapes. The system's ability to rapidly respond to changing grid conditions while maintaining high efficiency makes it a promising solution for balancing intermittent renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the project highlighted the potential for even greater efficiencies in future iterations. The use of air as an input medium could potentially eliminate the limitations observed with steam input, opening new possibilities for energy storage applications beyond coal plant integration. In conclusion, this pilot project not only achieved its primary goals but also uncovered additional benefits and potential applications of the CTES technology. It represents a significant step forward in addressing the challenges of grid stability and flexibility in an increasingly renewable-driven energy landscape.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2024

RACEE: Community of Klawock Competition Project Summary

RACEE is a US Department of Energy (DOE) competition that challenged rural Alaskan communities to commit to saving 15% energy by 2020 (baseline 2010) which aligns with the State’s Energy Efficiency goal. In January 2016, 64 communities, including eight Southeast communities, submitted pledges to become energy champions and move to the next phase of the competition. In April, DOE announced that 13 communities would be eligible to apply for up to $3.4 million in funding to implement the community energy efficiency plans they develop in Phase II of the competition. Klawock is one of those 13 communities and the only eligible community in Southeast Alaska.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2025

A Cultural Resource Survey of 110.55 Acres at the Coyote Test Field, Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico

This report presents the results of a Section 110 cultural resource survey of Sandia National Laboratories’ (Sandia) 9930 and 9939 Complexes, in the Coyote Test Field (CTF), located on lands permitted to the Department of Energy (DOE) by the Department of Defense (DOD), Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), Bernalillo County, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Sandia Field Office (DOE/NNSA SFO) and National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, in accordance with Section 110 and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations 36 C.F.R. Part 800, states that every federal agency must establish their own historic preservation program for the identification, evaluation, and protection of historic properties and to ensure that historic preservation is fully integrated into the ongoing programs of federal agencies. Sandia’s Cultural Resources Program (CRP) establishes areas of potential effects based upon projected Sandia mission needs. Some of these areas have no immediate undertakings planned but are in areas where undertakings can happen at a future date.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

New Community Center Integrated Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) and Solar Photovoltaic Generation System in the Forest County Potawatomi Community

The Forest County Potawatomi Community (“FCPC” or “the Tribe”), is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in Wisconsin. With the support of the United States Department of Energy, Office of Indian Energy (DOE IE) grant funding, the Tribe implemented their New Community Center Integrated EEMs and Solar Photovoltaic System in the Forest County Potawatomi Community project (the “Project”). The Project was developed and executed with the goal of partially energizing the Community Center while concurrently pursuing Tribal energy sovereignty through cost effective energy efficiency and generation measure.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Renewable Energy Integration in Remote Alaska Communities

This guide was developed through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) technical assistance (TA) projects for Nikolski and St. George. Both communities had wind turbine projects that failed due to integration and maintenance issues. Due to these failures, Nikolski and St. George sought help to investigate renewable energy alternatives and associated integration strategies, with a focus on technologies that could be easily maintained within the community. The primary objective of this guide was to interview subject matter experts and document lessons learned to address potential renewable energy and storage integration issues in remote Alaskan communities. This guide is intended to provide information to rural Alaskan communities considering renewables with the purpose of sharing best practices and case studies to facilitate the successful implementation of future renewable energy projects.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Community Solar and Community Solar+Storage: A Roadmap of Barriers and Solutions for Commercial Systems in NYC

Sustainable CUNY worked with decision makers and subject matter experts (SME's) to identify the barriers to and solutions for advancing commercial Community Solar (CS) and CS+Storage (CS+S) in urban areas. This roadmap captures the key challenges and solutions identified by New York City (NYC) stakeholders, including the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), through a collaborative process. Solar, as well as storage, are among the fastest growing energy segments in the United States, with CS, also known as Community Distributed Generation (CDG), gaining popularity with those who may not own or have access to a viable roof. Urban areas like NYC, which have a large population of renters, are particularly well suited for CS projects where credits from the power produced by a large remote installation are offered on a subscription basis to residents or businesses in the community. However, CS and CS+S projects have stalled at the doorstep of many cities. Host site owners, particularly those with large rooftops, have been slow to commit to installing CS due to competing rooftop usage and programs, limited knowledge about incentives, lack of economic data, and a complicated implementation process.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Novel Carbon Storage Monitoring Methods

Conference presentation at American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, October 27–31, 2024. We presented a high-level overview of many novel and sustainable carbon storage monitoring methods that are at various stages of planning or demonstration to accelerate the deployment of CCS technologies at future CCS sites across the United States. Our work impacts the general CCS industry by providing novel and more sustainable methods for tracking CO 2 plume migration and performing assurance monitoring. Our work primarily benefits three parties: 1) CCS community members through knowledge sharing of lessons learned; 2) CCS operators through commercialization of additional methods, including improvements on workflows and simplification of fieldwork; and 3) stakeholders of CCS projects through implementation of low-impact and more autonomous monitoring solutions.

02 PETROLEUM↗

DOE OSTI2024

SMART Task 6: Evaluation of the Costs of Geologic CO2 Storage for the Illinois Basin Decatur Project Site Using the NRAP/SMART Technoeconomic and Liability Evaluation for Storage (TALES) Model

This is a presentation featuring an analysis related to SMART Task 6 in which CO2 storage costs are presented. The National Energy Technology Laboratory has developed the NRAP/SMART Technoeconomic and Liability Evaluation for Storage (TALES) model to provide quantitative cost-based insights to support developers planning CO2 injection and storage projects. TALES calculates the revenues, costs, and financial performance of candidate CO2 saline storage project based on site-specific activity costs and financial parameters. TALES is being integrated as a module pertaining to storage cost as part of the broader SMART Visualization and Decision Support Platform (SVDSP). In this study, the TALES model was applied using real activity cost data associated with the development and operations at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) CO2 storage project site. Scenario analysis was implemented in which crucial operational and cost attributes were varied and the associated cost implications observed. Key results data and project cost summary metrics like first-year breakeven price of CO2 ($/tonne) and net present value (NPV) are presented in similar fashion to how they will appear in the SVDSP.

Vikara, Derek↗

DOE OSTI2025

Two Project Concepts on Skills Matching for an Equitable Energy Transition

This is the final scientific/technical report for Two Project Concepts on Skills Matching for an Equitable Energy Transition. The primary objective of this research into skills matching is to aid in the development and implementation of locally tailored policies to support the US energy workforce as it transitions in the years ahead.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2026

NuMI Graphite Target Fin Removal Assembly

Materials scientists want to study the irradiated graphite target from the Neutrino at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam line. In order to gather these irradiated graphite fins from the target canister, it will have to be done remotely. Therefore, a removal assembly will need to be created in order to do this efficiently and well. This project aims to make progressive steps towards deploying the final target removal assembly. Furthermore, calculations related to the removal assembly design were done, and tests were planned to discover further information about the feasibility of this design. The main result from this project is the deflection of the cantilever arm, which is 0.354 inches due to the weight of the beam and cutting tool. Additionally, more results of this project are the testing assembly CAD model and the feasibility of design. This project concludes that there is still more work that needs to be done for the removal assembly to be deployed, but there were foundational steps that were made in the implementation of this design. Finally, there should be further steps and tests to determine the feasibility of this removal assembly.

Malovski, Azra [NIU, DeKalb]↗

DOE OSTI2026

NuMI Graphite Target Fin Removal Assembly

Malovski, Azra [NIU, DeKalb]↗

DOE OSTI2024

Final Physics Design of Proton Improvement Plan-II at Fermilab

This paper presents the final physics design of the Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) at Fermilab, focusing on the linear accelerator (Linac) and its beam transfer line. We address the challenges in longitudinal and transverse lattice design, specifically targeting collective effects, parametric resonances, and space charge nonlinearities that impact beam stability and emittance control. The strategies implemented effectively mitigate space charge complexities, resulting in significant improvements in beam quality—evidenced by reduced emittance growth, lower beam halo, decreased loss, and better energy spread management. This comprehensive study is pivotal for the PIP-II project's success, providing valuable insights and approaches for future accelerator designs, especially in managing nonlinearities and enhancing beam dynamics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Final Physics Design of Proton Improvement Plan-II At Fermilab

This paper presents the final physics design of the Proton Improvement Plan-II (PIP-II) at Fermilab, focusing on the linear accelerator (Linac) and its beam transfer line. We address the challenges in longitudinal and transverse lattice design, specifically targeting collective effects, parametric resonances, and space charge nonlinearities that impact beam stability and emittance control. The strategies implemented effectively mitigate space charge complexities, resulting in significant improvements in beam quality -- evidenced by reduced emittance growth, lower beam halo, decreased loss, and better energy spread management. This comprehensive study is pivotal for the PIP-II project's success, providing valuable insights and approaches for future accelerator designs, especially in managing nonlinearities and enhancing beam dynamics.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Energy Efficiency Field Study: Influence of Key Measures in Home Rules States

The goal of the Energy Efficiency Field Study: Influence of Key Measures in Home Rule States project is to empower and support the states of Utah and Arizona in the successful implementation of their building energy codes. Employing the Department of Energy (DOE) Residential Building Energy Code Field Study Data Collection & Methodology, the research team evaluated real-world implementation status against a baseline, with a particular focus on the unique challenges presented by the dry, hot climates of Utah and Arizona.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Building an AI-native Research Ecosystem for Experimental Particle Physics: A Community Vision

Experimental particle physics seeks to understand the universe by probing its fundamental particles and forces and exploring how they govern the large-scale processes that shape cosmic evolution. This whitepaper presents a vision for how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can accelerate discovery in this field. We outline grand challenges that must be addressed to enable transformative breakthroughs and describe how current and planned experimental facilities can implement this vision to advance our understanding of the vast and complex physical world from the smallest to the largest scales. We show how facilities currently under construction, such as the HL-LHC, DUNE and soon EIC, can both benefit from and serve as proving grounds for this vision, while also enabling a longer-term goal for how future experiments -- like FCC-ee at CERN, IceCube-Gen2, a Muon Collider in the U.S., and smaller to mid-scale projects -- can be fully AI-native. We describe how a truly national-scale collaboration, jointly managed across large funding partners, and involving both DOE laboratories and universities, can make this happen.

Aarrestad, Thea Klaeboe [ETH, Zurich (main)]↗

DOE OSTI2024

Cost-Benefit Analysis For Indonesia Building Sector: Whole-Building Cooling Solutions

The Net Zero World (NZW) Initiative Collaborative Work Program with the Government of Indonesia (GoI) includes technical assistance and investment mobilization facilitation to accelerate deployment of energy efficiency technologies and solutions for the building sector. A February 2023 U.S.–Indonesia Joint Workshop on Decarbonizing the Building Sector yielded a NZW Indonesia Building Decarbonization Working Group (NZW IBDWG) with four sub-working groups (SWG): SWG-A National Center, SWG-B Capacity Building, SWG-C Investment and Financing, and SWG-D Pilot Projects. Technical analysis of whole-building cooling solutions for tropical climates of Indonesia was conducted by SWG-A to quantify energy savings, carbon dioxide reductions, and comfort improvements offered by 12 passive or low-energy cooling strategies: ceiling fans with and without thermostat setbacks; cool roofs; cool walls; exterior awnings; exterior shades; interior shades; insulated roofs; insulated walls; low-e windows; solar window films; and natural ventilation. Leveraging the results from SWG-A, cost-benefit analysis (CBA) was conducted by SWG-C to assess the consumer and national costs and impacts associated with these 12 cooling solutions. The evaluation involved estimating life-cycle costs (LCC), payback period (PBP), net present values (NPV), annual electricity burden change for low-income households, and reduced national annual power-sector generation demand by 2030, 2040, 2050, and 2060. This evaluation can help guide Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) investments in policies and programs to advance research, development, deployment, and commercial adoption (RDDCA) of efficient residential building sector cooling technologies and solutions in Indonesia. Four key energy conservation measures (ECM) have been identified to reduce air-conditioning (AC) energy demand in single-family housing in Indonesia: ceiling fan with temperature setback (to 28.1 °Celcius from 25 °C); insulated walls; insulated roof; and cool roof. This study found that low-income households with AC installations in Indonesia currently face a high energy cost burden of approximately 10%. However, by implementing a ceiling fan with temperature setback, this burden could decrease to 2.5% today and further reduce to 1.3% by the year 2060. The PBP for a ceiling fan with temperature setback is one year, indicating one of the lowest LCC and best NPV. In the planned upcoming phase of CBA, a series of building cooling improvement scenarios can be further defined, incorporating more than one ECM in combination with socio-economic factors evaluated in the initial CBA phase. Additionally, the analysis of ECM effects in multifamily housing can be expanded. This broader national analysis aims to encompass a holistic and comprehensive system-level perspective, including factors such as avoided power sector infrastructure investments, domestic job creation, domestic manufacturing job creation, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Solar Energy Innovation Network 2017-2024: Abbreviated Final Technical Report

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office under the Agreement/Award Number 32954 for Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) Project, 2017-2024. SEIN is a dynamic program that assembles diverse teams of stakeholders to research solutions to real-world challenges associated with solar energy adoption. In conjunction with its partner organizations, NREL implemented the program by providing research, analysis, and technical expertise directly to project teams and groups of teams (cohorts), by facilitating networked learning through cohorts and peer exchange, and by facilitating dissemination and replication of solutions and lessons learned among stakeholders across the U.S. with similar challenges.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

A control-inspired approach for energy transition planning under uncertainty

As the global carbon footprint continues to grow, many countries are implementing carbon emission reduction policies which have incentivized the expansion of low-carbon and renewable technologies. However, the speed and scale of deployment falls short of that needed to meet climate goals. Energy system models serve as key tools for guiding investment decisions and helping policymakers evaluate the effects of various policies on the development of an energy system. This study focuses on the energy system of the United States and builds upon prior work by incorporating more geographic granularity to account for the trade of commodities and addresses transmission congestion through electricity price adjustments. Furthermore, real-world characteristics, such as delays in constructing new liquid fuel production and electricity generation facilities, are integrated using a sequential decision-making approach that better reflects how decisions can be updated as uncertainties unfold. Results demonstrate that stochastic programming combined with sequential decision-making produces energy transition pathways that are robust to multiple uncertain futures. Additionally, considering real-world characteristics significantly impacts the deployment of renewable technologies and the ability to meet carbon emission reduction goals while also reliably meeting demand. These findings highlight the importance of accounting for uncertainty and real-world characteristics to avoid overly optimistic projections in energy system planning.

energy systems↗