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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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This analysis leverages available data from EnergySage, an online solar marketplace, to offer the first data-driven characterization of quote variation faced by prospective PV customers, lending early insight into the decisions customers face once they have initial buy-in.
The PV Fault Detection Tool project plans to demonstrate that the FDT can (a) detect catastrophic and degradation faults and (b) identify the type of fault. This will be accomplished by collecting fault signatures using different instruments and integrating this information to establish a logical controller for detecting, diagnosing and classifying each fault.
We have examined ground faults in PhotoVoltaic (PV) arrays and the efficacy of fuse, current detection (RCD), current sense monitoring/relays (CSM), isolation/insulation (Riso) monitoring, and Ground Fault Detection and Isolation (GFID) using simulations based on a Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis SPICE ground fault circuit model, experimental ground faults installed on real arrays, and theoretical equations.
Project Objective: To procure a photovoltaic array (PV) system which will generate approximately 256kW of power to be used for the operations of the Aquatic Complex and the adjacent Senior Facility at the Heritage Park. This project complies with the EERE’s work and objectives by promoting the development and deployment of an energy system that will provide current and future generations with clean, efficient, affordable, and reliable energy.
This report describes options for the solar PV firming project at LANL.
The Qweak project is seeking to find new physics beyond the Standard Model. It is aimed to measure the weak charge of the proton, which has never been measured, at 4% precision at low momentum transfer. The experiment is performed by scattering electrons from protons and exploiting parity violation in the weak interaction at low four-momentum transfer. In this experiment, two measurements were considered: which are elastic and inelastic. The elastic is to measure the proton's weak charge. In addition, the inelastic asymmetry measurement, which will extract the low energy constant d. That measurement works in the neutral current sector of the weak interaction. Qweak measures the asymmetry in the N → Δ; transition. Because the elastic radiative tail gives a dominant contribution to the uncertainty to the N → Δ; asymmetries, this thesis will discuss the radiative correction. In addition, this thesis will describe in details the extensive simulations preformed to determine the impact of all simulated background processes on extracting the PV N → Δ; asymmetries. In the process of verifying the validity of these background fractions, we determined the best value of a quantity measured during the Qweak experiment: the beam normal single spin asymmetry, Bn, in the N → Δ; transition.
(1) We successfully developed an ultrasonic spray coating system that can be used to deposit thin chalcogenide films with composition gradients. 4 publications under the contract have been published with the instrument. The instrument was used to reveal the effects of intrinsic composition and examine the effects of 25 different dopant elements. Surprisingly, doping with most elements had little to no effect on the quasi-Fermi level splitting of bare films. Ge and Li were explored in depth, and our best devices utilize lithium doping. (2) We developed a new model of absorption coefficients, that when combined with absolute intensity photoluminescence, yield the steady-state quasi-Fermi level splitting and a way to quantify the sub-bandgap absorption. This has resulted in 2 publications on the method, with another in preparation. This is a significant development that should impact other PV technologies. (3) We found that lithium doping has several beneficial effects on CZTSSe. It improves the open-circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor, and shunt resistance. By using scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) and conductive AFM (along with device measurements, DLPC, and XPS), we discovered that lithium acts to increase the p-type doping in both the grain and grain boundaries (GBs). The effect is stronger in the GBs and changes the direction of the electric field at the GB. In lithium doped devices, an electric field repels minority carrier electrons away from the GB. This resulted in a publication and the fabrication of 11.8% efficient devices from a DMSO-thiourea molecular ink. The mechanism of action is most likely due to the formation of LiCu, which inhibits the formation of the donor defect ZnCu. This reduces compensation and increases the net p-type doping. (4) By alloying with germanium, we have fabricated CZTGSSe devices with the best open-circuit voltage (relative the maximum theoretical open-circuit voltage for the bandgap) for any kesterite solar cell. The Voc/Voc,max is 63%, compared to 58% for the record efficiency cell from hydrazine. The origin of the increased voltage efficiency appears to be related to the conduction band off-set and the suppression of a deep defect (~0.8 eV), most likely due to CuSn, but SnZn or SnCu are also possible. All milestones and go/no-go metrics were met with exception of the device efficiency milestone (15% then 20%). However, under the contract, hydrazine-free CZTSSe device efficiencies increased from 7.2% at the start of the contract to 11.8% upon completion.
This module will help attendees understand nuances between different types of renewable energy goals, the importance of terminology when setting and announcing goals, the value of formally clarifying priorities, and how priorities may impact procurement options. It is the first training in a series intended to help municipal staff procure solar PV for their land and buildings.
This data shows the PV power by neighborhood for Oahu, Hawaii.
This data shows the PV power for all Oahu during the year 2014.
The key objectives of this project were to increase meaningful stakeholder engagement in photovoltaic performance modeling and reliability areas. We did this by hosting six workshop over the past three years, giving conference and workshop presentations and contributing to technical standards committees. Our efforts have made positive contributions by increasing the sharing of information and best practices and by creating and sustaining a technical community in PV Performance Modeling. This community has worked together over the past three years and has improved its practice and decreased performance modeling uncertainties.
An increasing number of jurisdictions are adopting Distributed Energy Resource (DER) interconnection standards which require photovoltaic (PV) inverters, energy storage systems, and other DER to include interoperable grid-support functionality. These functions provide grid operators the nobs to support local and bulk power system operations with DER equipment, but the associated grid operator-to-DER communications networks must be deployed with appropriate cybersecurity features. In some situations, additional security features may prevent control system scalability or increase communication latencies and dropouts. These unintentional consequences of the security features would therefore hinder the ability of the grid operator to implement specific control algorithms. This project evaluated the tradeoffs between power system performance and cybersecurity metrics for several grid services.
Beyond the Federal Investment Tax Credit, the two primary financial incentives provided by residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are electricity bill savings and state and local government incentives. Using transaction-level data on third-party owned systems from 2012-2015, we estimate how value associated with these incentives are passed along the installer-financier-consumer supply chain in the third-party owned market. Our analysis finds evidence of financial incentive pass-through to system prices and customer payments with respect to both types of incentives. Moreover, we document differences in the levels of pass-through for different contract types: total pass-through to customer payments for both types of incentives is greater for PPAs than for UFOs. We find some evidence that pass-through rates to customer payments for PPAs change with market concentration. Finally, we illustrate that the magnitude of estimated pass-through changes for PPAs if we account for simultaneity between system prices and customer payments.
The Santo Domingo Tribe’s endeavor to seek a solution to the high electricity costs for the operation of the drinking water pumphouse was made viable through the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy grant program for the installation of 100,000-watt photovoltaic (PV) solar power system. This source of alternative renewable energy was and is imperative to the Tribe in identifying a solution to off-set the costs of the Water Pump and Treatment Facility (WPT). The Tribe has a great interest in continuing their development of a model for future energy saving projects that will greatly eliminate or reduce costly electric utility bills and save the Tribe money.
The project developed and demonstrated a new paradigm in the grid integration of hybrid distributed energy resources (DERs) through leveraging multi-port power electronics building blocks for DC side interconnection of solar PV and energy storage prior to inversion and AC grid integration.
The purpose of a Conceptual Location Analysis is to identify potential project/building sites in the planning phase of a project. The analysis includes review and comment on the potential sites by relevant disciplines. Site criteria encompasses DOE and NNSA requirements pertaining to real property and environmental stewardship and additionally addresses SNL site planning objectives such as sustainability and efficiency. This analysis is intended to be used as a tool to provide a comprehensive perspective on siting decisions, and is not intended to supersede previous siting decisions or agreements. This conceptual location analysis is for the siting of PV for power production. The goal of this Conceptual Location Analysis is to weigh different sites, and come to a consensus on preferred sites for potential solar arrays through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) or a Utility Energy Service Contract (UESC).
The objective of the Photovoltaic Collaborative to Advance Multi-climate and Performance Research (PVCAMPER) is to create a multi-climate research platform similar to the US DOE Regional Test Center (RTC) program. Overall, the goal is to foster collaborative research and to build an international organization dedicated to sharing data and exchanging best practices related to PV performance.
An increasing number of jurisdictions are adopting Distributed Energy Resource (DER) interconnection standards which require photovoltaic (PV) inverters, energy storage systems, and other DER to include interoperable grid-support functionality. These functions provide grid operators the nobs to support local and bulk power system operations with DER equipment, but the associated grid operator-to-DER communications networks must be deployed with appropriate cybersecurity features. In some situations, additional security features may prevent control system scalability or increase communication latencies and dropouts. These unintentional consequences of the security features would therefore hinder the ability of the grid operator to implement specific control algorithms. This project evaluated the tradeoffs between power system performance and cybersecurity metrics for several grid services. This was conducted in two parts.