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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Industrial Conveyor Motor Performance Evaluation

The purpose of this project is to estimate the energy savings potential from a switched-reluctance motor (SRM) compared to an induction motor equipped with variable frequency drive (VFD) in a straight belt conveyor application. To experimentally evaluate savings in a realistic scenario, a baseline motor and VFD were selected from one of ComEd’s manufacturing customers’ conveyor systems. It was desired to not only estimate savings in the selected conveyor system, but to evaluate potential savings from using the SRM in any straight belt conveyor. Therefore, NREL developed a conveyor system energy calculation tool to supplement the experimental results of this assessment.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electric Distribution System Planning with DERs - High-level Assessment of Tools and Methods

This document addresses analytical tools and methods to support electric distribution system planning with distributed energy resources (DERs) and grid modernization, drawing on leading-edge research and examples from around the United States. In this report, tools include computer models and software, as well as other analytical aids and practices that support distribution system planning. At its core, distribution system planning is about supporting investment decisions. Enhanced and integrated distribution system planning allows utilities to move from a passive reactive role to smart proactive planning with respect to DERs. Distribution system planning can increase transparency around utility distribution system investments before they are brought to the regulatory body for cost recovery, can support deferring traditional infrastructure investments, and can provide information and incentives to customers and third parties about where DERs can help the grid. A growing number of states are beginning to consider a comprehensive distribution system planning process that addresses the costs and benefits of DERs, reflects more choices coming from the customer/third-party domains, is integrated with resource and transmission planning, and incorporates planning scenarios that reflect the dynamic and changing nature of the electricity system

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technology progress and clean vehicle policies on fleet turnover and equity: insights from household vehicle fleet micro-simulations with $\text{ATLAS}$

This paper documents the design and application of ATLAS (Automobile and Technology Lifecycle-Based ASsignment), a comprehensive household vehicle transaction and technology adoption micro-simulator in the San Francisco Bay Area. ATLAS evolves the fleet mix of individual households by simulating the vehicle transaction and choice decisions in response to co-evolving demographics, land use, and vehicle technology simulations. While most existing literature has focused on the aggregate clean vehicle uptake, this paper differentiates distributional effects and decomposes the underlying mechanisms across heterogeneous sub-populations of households. Using scenarios and sensitivity simulations that vary vehicle technology and policy assumptions, we find that Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) penetrate into higher income groups at a faster rate than into lower income groups, which is intuitive and aligns with expectations. Interestingly, the relative income disparity in ZEV ownership shrinks over time across all scenarios, with a ZEV mandate coupled with declining battery cost leading to the greatest reduction in disparity of ZEV ownership by 2050. Federal, state, and local financial incentives influence the redistribution of ZEV uptake across income groups and contribute to narrowing income disparity. Vehicle transaction frequency and new versus used market dynamics are found to be important factors contributing to the income disparity.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling Framework for the Assessment of a Sustainable Hydrogen Production and Supply Chain Network in California

The cost-effective and sustainable deployment of hydrogen supply and demand networks, especially in large economic regions like California, can be challenging considering the spatial-temporal availability and variability of the different actors across the network such as production processes, distribution modes, and end-users. In this presentation, we will provide an overview and demonstration of a modeling framework used to assess the environmental, economic, and human health impacts of plausible hydrogen production and supply chain networks in California. Scenarios focus on green hydrogen production pathways using water electrolysis and biomass gasification. End-use applications included in the model are transit, medium and heavy-duty trucking, port authorities, and power and aviation companies that currently consume natural gas, diesel, and aviation fuel for their day-to-day operation. Representative locations for hydrogen production and end-use are based on recent projections of the hydrogen economy in California. All mass and energy flows, as well as estimated emissions, are based on H2A process model designs and projections of technology performance, literature review, and LBNL process, economic and life cycle modeling, and not on company data for the sake of this presentation. Human health impacts are included following methodologies developed for the University of California Irvine HyDeal project. Life cycle phases associated with hydrogen production include feedstock preparation (water and biomass), energy production and consumption (renewable, grid, and combination of renewable and grid electricity), maintenance (chemical utilization in electrolysis and natural gas combustion in gasification), carbon sequestration, hydrogen storage (compression and liquefaction), and distribution (truck and pipeline). We apply the framework utilizing California specific emission factors, financial data, and human health damages and explore the impact of network characteristics on results. Example variations include: the inclusion of policy incentives or not, different representations of the electricity grid and source, electrolysis versus gasification versus combinations of both for production, liquefaction versus compression based on producer capacity cutoffs, transportation truck versus pipeline based on existing infrastructure, and ultimate end use. Comparison of these different scenarios can help inform future projects by demonstrating the trade-offs among environmental, economic, and human health impacts. This model, automated in R, is a starting platform upon which new analysis, modeling capabilities, locations, and emission factors can be rapidly tested and integrated.

Zaki, Mohammed Tamim↗
DOE OSTI2021

Used Plug-in Electric Vehicles as a Means of Transportation Equity in Low-Income Households

This report examines improving the equity of low-income households through access to reliable means of transportation. Used plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) can serve as a low-cost and low-maintenance means of transport for low-income households. Zero tail-pipe emissions from PEVs is also a benefit of these drivetrain compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). Barriers to the adoption of the used PEVs, and incentives that may address these barriers were reviewed.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

The State of Demand Flexibility Programs and Rates

This report provides foundational data on programs and rates that promote demand flexibility in residential and commercial buildings in the United States. Leveraging a dataset of 148 programs and 94 rates collected through a review of utility websites, published electricity tariffs, and a database of demand-side programs, we describe the structure of demand flexibility events and the types and levels of incentives offered. For the two most common program types in our dataset—Wi-Fi thermostat and battery storage programs—we provide additional details on program designs. We also report data on program outcomes, including enrollment and participation, energy and demand savings, and costs. Furthermore, we describe the structure of dynamic rate events, report prices for critical peak pricing and variable peak pricing rates, and describe features of technology rates.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI1969

Application of Nuclear Technology to Art Identification Problems: First Annual Report

Throughout the centuries, as man has become increasingly affluent, his interest in antiquities and objects of art, and the price he has been willing to pay for them, has increased. Inevitably, one result has been to attract the unscrupulous to the production and sale of counterfeit paintings, sculptures, and other works of art. The skill of forgers varies but often is highly sophisticated. However, dealers, museum curators, and other experts have also become more skillful in the detection of forgeries. Scientific tools of increasing sensitivity and sophistication have gradually been applied to the examination of the materials of art and archaeology. Such tools frequently support and render more reliable the judgment of the experts. The quality of forgeries may improve further as their makers become acquainted with the new methods of detection and in turn learn to circumvent or confound the methods. Therefore, the development of still more advanced methods of examination has great utility in the art world. This is particularly true if the ultimate effect is to make circumvention of the methods of examination so costly that the economic incentives for producing forgeries may be substantially reduced, if not eliminated.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Implementing the First Incentive-Drive Carbon Capture and Storage Projects

Conference presentation at International Fuel and Ethanol Workshop and Expo (FEW), Omaha, Nebraska, June 13, 2023. An overview of the Plains CO 2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Initiative and active commercial carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) activity in the region. Includes solutions for CCUS deployment challenges.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Analysis of the Financial Impacts of Building Performance Standard Penalties on Commercial Buildings in Aurora, Colorado

Buildings are responsible for 30% of total energy consumption worldwide. To address building energy, jurisdictions in the USA have enacted Building Performance Standards (BPS) legislation. The objective of BPS is to reduce energy consumption in buildings, thereby reducing the energy burden on utility infrastructure and other externalities. This is accomplished by setting mandatory energy use limits coupled with penalties for exceeding those limits. One of the key questions in BPS policymaking is how these penalties might impact the finances of building owners and tenants. This paper presents an analysis of BPS penalties in Aurora, Colorado, specifically targeting buildings impacted by the adopted statewide BPS legislation. Several BPS penalty structures were applied to the affected building stock in Aurora, and the potential impacts on building owner returns and tenant rents were estimated. The results show that for some combinations of building types and penalty structures, potential rent increases due to penalties could match or exceed typical yearly rent increases. The results also show that in most cases, for Aurora, there was no statistically significant difference in impact between buildings located in under-resourced and well-resourced areas.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Scaling Decarbonization Development Innovation with Emerging Community-Based Developers: Preprint

The building real estate development industry is being asked to lead in delivering building decarbonization solutions across the United States. However, creating decarbonized best practices and development innovation while increasing developer diversity and community ownership is often not a primary focus of this sector. To address these issues, we have created an incubator and support ecosystem specifically for the innovation scaling we have found in a leading group of emerging, small-scale developers. These leaders are not just working at the forefront of decarbonized development but addressing diversity and bolstering community generational wealth. We have found that small development firms are the ones who often take risks to innovate and demonstrate despite lacking a specific set of resources or support ecosystems focused on emerging decarbonization developers. Those with the fewest resources are being asked to lead our decarbonization innovation efforts. This paper documents the necessity of a cohort and incubator program to provide a decarbonization-specific ecosystem to support small developers and scale innovation. The incubator creates connections, fosters innovative strategies to access incentives and alternative funding, and assembles resources for small and emerging minority developers with the goal of sustainability and affordability. For instance, collaborative efforts with leading developers and utilities can enable the seamless integration of distributed energy resources through optimal metering and interconnection and significantly reduce the utility cost of electrification, benefiting the utility, the developer, and the tenant economically. The process described in this paper will result in case studies and how-to resources to provide tangible examples of innovation within the emerging development field.

carbon↗
DOE OSTI2020

Grid Integration of Small-Scale Photovoltaic Systems in Secondary Distribution Network—A Review

The relative share of renewable energy, specifically the solar photovoltaic (PV), is increasing exponentially in the world electric energy sector. This is a cumulative result of reduction in the cost of solar panels, improvement in the panel efficiency, and advancement in the associated power electronics. Among different types of PV plants, installation of small-scale rooftop PV is growing rapidly due to direct end-user benefits and lucrative governmental incentives. There are various standards developed in regards to grid integration of PVs and other distributed generations (DGs). Different power converter topologies are developed to interface the PV panel with the utility grid. To keep up with the stringent regulations imposed by the standards, various control strategies and grid synchronization methods have been developed. This review article amalgamates and summarizes all of the aforementioned aspects of a grid-integrated PV system including various standards, power stage architectures, grid synchronization methods, operation under extreme events, and control methodologies, pertaining to small-scale PV plants. This article will help freshman researchers to gain some familiarity with the topic and introduce them to some of the key issues encountered in this field.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

From Silos to Synergy: Identifying a Roadmap for Cross-Sector Research to Accelerate the Clean Energy Transition

The U.S. Department of Energy's blueprints for the transportation, buildings, and electricity sectors call for substantial reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. These plans focus on zero-emission vehicles, investments in transit, energy-efficient buildings, and the widespread adoption and deployment of renewable energy technologies like solar photovoltaics (PV), energy storage and energy-efficient appliances. However, these sectors are often studied and modeled in isolation, overlooking how household decisions to adopt clean technologies in one sector influence others. This study, led by an interdisciplinary team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), explores opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to drive more effective and equitable decarbonization. Through discussions with 22 NREL researchers across transportation, building, solar, and grid sectors, the study highlights the need for integrated tools and models that capture interactions between these sectors. Key insights include the need for data standardization and interoperability to enable cross-sector analysis and decision-making. Strengthening utility partnerships is also critical to align energy policies with decarbonization goals and manage the increased demand for renewable energy. The study also emphasizes the importance of equity in the clean energy transition, calling for targeted incentives and support to ensure that low-income and underserved communities benefit from clean technologies like electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances. To support these efforts, innovative funding mechanisms must be expanded to facilitate interdisciplinary research, such as city-specific decarbonization plans and federal projects like DOE"s Standard Scenarios. By encouraging collaboration and integrating cross-sector insights, this study aims to provide a roadmap to accelerate the clean energy transition and ensure it is both sustainable and inclusive.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modeling distributed energy resource aggregations in security constrained unit commitment and economic dispatch

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently issued Order 2222, which requires all wholesale electricity markets in the US to allow distributed energy resources (DERs) to participate in the market as aggregated resources. These DER aggregations may be composed of many individual resources that are offered and dispatched by the market as a single entity. We present here a model of a distributed energy resource aggregator (DERA) that is scheduled by a market operator’s security constrained unit commitment (SCUC) and security constrained economic dispatch (SCED). The DERA model includes constraints for battery energy storage systems (BESSs), demand response resources (DRRs), and a simple distributed energy resource (DER). This paper describes a model for each resource type and presents two methods for the DERA to generate market offer curves: a profit-maximizing optimization to compute cost curves and a direct cost algorithm to determine dispatch costs for each resource and combine into cost curves. Once all participating DERAs are scheduled in SCUC/SCED, the model is then modified to dispatch individual DERs to maximize profit or minimize schedule deviation of the DERAs. A simulation of a representative day illustrates the DERA offers, the scheduled generation, and the DERA dispatch. Findings show the potential for unavoidable schedule deviations due to internal DER constraints and due to economic incentives to deviate from the SCUC/SCED schedules. This highlights the importance of DERA offer construction on market efficiency and system reliability. Novel aspects of our approach include: (1) We consider the asymmetry of price incentives impacting DERAs from the wholesale market compared to those impacting consumers from the retail market, as imposed by current regulations and laws. (2) We model aggregate consumer response through statistically parameterizable utility functions rather than a potentially impractical approach of modeling each individual consumer. (3) We show how to use the DERA operational dispatch model to create offers into the wholesale electricity market. (4) We show how DERAs may fail to meet their scheduled dispatch because the market offer format may not permit them to fully express their operational features such as intertemporal costs and constraints to the market.

aggregations↗
DOE OSTI2026

The global policy landscape of ISO 50001 energy management systems

While many options exist to improve industrial demand-side energy efficiency, energy management systems (EnMSs)—particularly those aligned with ISO 50001—are proven to drive continuous and meaningful energy performance improvements. Governments leverage these EnMSs in their policies to advance national objectives including enhancing industrial competitiveness and achieving environmental goals. Existing research has focused on the impact of EnMSs at the company level, while comprehensive work on EnMSs in a global policy context is lacking. We seek to close this gap by investigating the extent to which current national policies incorporate the utilization of EnMSs, particularly the ISO 50001 standard. Our paper employs a hybrid approach, combining a literature review and expert interviews across 28 governments representing > 86% of global primary energy consumption. We dissect policy mechanisms, governance levels, underlying motivations, and trends in present EnMS policies. We find that > 96% of the investigated countries include EnMSs within their policy scope; 90% of policies including EnMSs utilize the ISO 50001 standard in some capacity. Primary policy motivations include decarbonization, energy savings for industrial competitiveness, and energy system resilience. We highlight that in the EnMS context, policy mixes—combining economic incentives, regulatory instruments, and information-based approaches—are more effective than standalone measures. Our work provides a novel global overview of governmental EnMS policies, moving beyond whether EnMS should be adopted to focus on how they can be implemented most effectively.

Moreno, Francisco Luis↗
DOE OSTI2024

ATLAS-MAP: An Automated Test Station for Gated Electronic Transport Measurements

The diversification of electronic materials in devices provides a strong incentive for methods to rapidly correlate device performance with fabrication decisions. In this work, we present a low-cost automated test station for gated electronic transport measurements of field-effect transistors. Utilizing open-source PyMeasure libraries for transparent instrument control, the “ATLAS-MAP” system serves as a customizable interface between sourcemeters and samples under test and is programmed to conduct transfer curve and van der Pauw methods with static and sweeping gate voltages. Zinc oxide transistors of variable thickness (5, 10, and 20 nm) and channel size (50 μm to 3 mm, of equal length and width) were fabricated to validate the design. Standardization of testing procedures and raw data formatting enabled automated data analysis. A detailed list of parts and code files for the system are provided.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Policy and Cost Allocation Considerations for Large Electric Load Interconnections: Emerging Policy Trends in Rate Structures, Interconnection, and Cost Impacts on Other System Users

Load growth in the United States is rapidly increasing: load from data centers alone has tripled over the past decade, and this growth is forecasted to continue accelerating. These and other large electric loads (LELs) promise economic benefits at the state and local level, but their deployment has also led to increasing concerns about grid impacts and potential cost shifts onto other ratepayers. Legislators, regulators, and other stakeholders are increasingly proposing and enacting policies in effort to balance these and other considerations. This white paper reviews state-level legislation, selected utility rate cases, and relevant federal orders in an effort to describe and categorize relevant trends in policies related to LEL cost allocation, interconnection, and deployment. Policy categories identified through this review include tax incentives, rate actions, and requirements related to interconnection, permitting, and reporting. By offering a taxonomy of policies, this white paper aims to offer a resource to policymakers and other stakeholders navigating this transformative moment for the grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Heat pumps for all? Distributions of the costs and benefits of residential air-source heat pumps in the United States

Electrification of fossil-fuel combustion in buildings is a key component of achieving global greenhouse gas emissions targets. We use physics simulations of 550,000 statistically representative households to analyze distributions of the costs and benefits of three air-to-air heat pump performance levels, with and without insulation upgrades, across the diversity of the US housing stock. We find positive greenhouse gas reductions in every US state for all performance levels across five 2022-2038 electric grid scenarios, with full adoption reducing national emissions by 5%-9%. We find that air-to-air heat pumps could be cost effective without subsidies in 59% of households (65 million). However, efficiency is key: whereas minimum-efficiency equipment could increase energy bills in 39% of households, this fraction is only 19% when also upgrading insulation or 5% when using higher-efficiency equipment, though both strategies have higher upfront costs. Such affordability challenges could be addressed through supportive incentives, policy, and innovation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Future marine biofuels in the port of Seattle region

Marine transportation, a vital global sector, emits 3% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions, which are predicted to increase in the future. Marine biofuels derived from biomass or waste sources like wood residue, waste oil and municipal solid waste can be used for decarbonization. However, limited studies have explored if sufficient marine biofuels could be produced and supplied to major regional ports given feedstock, supply chain and technological constraints. We fill this gap by evaluating the feasibility of supplying marine biofuels to the Port of Seattle. The Regional Bio-Economy Model (RBEM) and the Freight and Fuel Transportation Optimization Tool (FTOT) are used to build scenarios for simulating marine biofuel production in the Port region. We harmonized technoeconomic assumptions for RBEM and FTOT, input FTOT feedstock utilization and routing outputs into RBEM, and modelled conversion, feedstock, and policy scenario variations in RBEM. In RBEM, overall biofuel production was constrained primarily by the biofuel cost, and then by feedstock availability. Providing policy incentives and reducing permitting time frames alleviated these constraints and spurred the buildout of a robust industry through industrial learning dynamics in the initial years. With these measures in place, the RBEM results show that 100% of fuel demand at the Port can be supplied by biofuels with policy incentives and suitable technoeconomic conditions, but the addition of transportation cost considerations using FTOT led to 27.8% of demand being able to be met by biofuels at reasonable fuel delivery cost.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗