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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Exploiting Kubernetes to Simplify the Deployment and Management of the Multi-purpose CMS Pilot Job Factory

GlideinWMS, a widely utilized workload management system in high-energy physics (HEP) research, serves as the backbone for efficient job provisioning across distributed computing resources. It is utilized by various experiments and organizations, including CMS, OSG, Dune, and FIFE, to create HTCondor pools as large as 600k cores. In particular, a shared factory service historically deployed at UCSD has been configured to interface with more than 500 routes to compute clusters. As part of our team’s initiative to modernize infrastructure and enhance scalability, we undertook the migration of the GlideinWMS factory service into the Kubernetes environment. Leveraging the flexibility and orchestration capabilities of Kubernetes, we successfully deployed the factory service within the OSG Tiger Kubernetes cluster. The major benefits Kubernetes gives us is it streamlines the management and monitoring of the factory infrastructure, and improves fault tolerance through its resilient deployment strategies. Through this case study, we aim to share insights, challenges, and best practices encountered during the migration process. Our experience underscores the benefits of embracing containerization and Kubernetes orchestration for HEP computing infrastructure, paving the way for scalability and resilience in distributed computing environments.

Dost, Jeffrey Michael [UC, San Diego (main)]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Wildfire and power grid nexus in a changing climate

Global wildfire events have had increasingly severe impacts in recent years, particularly in the western USA, driven by extreme fire-weather conditions, fuel accumulation and multiple ignition sources. Wildfires sparked by power lines tend to be larger and more destructive, as they often occur during high winds, which accelerate the spread of fires. Moreover, efforts to contain wildfires frequently result in power outages, causing considerable economic disruption. Here, in this Review, we examine wildfire risks related to power-line-induced ignitions, infrastructure damage, climate-induced environmental impacts, grid operational risks, real-time grid management risks, vegetation management risks, and financial and funding risks in the context of a changing climate and their interdependence with power grid infrastructures. We then explore the resilience of power grids under wildfire threats, looking at risk analysis, prediction and mitigation strategies. The Review also shares practical insights and experiences in the USA to inform researchers, policymakers and industry professionals.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Typical Use Cases for Energy Storage in Rural Areas

Public power utilities and cooperatives play a crucial role in delivering reliable and affordable electricity to remote and sparsely populated regions. Unlike their urban counterparts, these utilities often face a unique set of challenges that can complicate their operations and service delivery. One of the primary challenges is the vast geographical area they must cover, which often results in higher transmission and distribution costs per customer. Additionally, public power utilities in rural areas often cannot afford the investments required to maintain and upgrade aging grid infrastructure to provide reliable and resilient power or withstand the impacts of recurring, severe weather events, which can cause extended outages and disrupt service delivery. Energy storage has emerged as a promising tool to help public power utilities meet these challenges. By enabling the storage of excess energy during low demand periods and providing a source of backup electricity during outages, energy storage systems can help utilities balance supply and demand more effectively. Additionally, they can help integrate a portfolio of various energy sources, reduce the need for expensive peak power purchases and provide ancillary services that stabilize the grid. This white paper describes potential use cases for energy storage in rural areas as well as documents a set of relevant example projects by project types.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expanding Collaborative Capacity to Address Climate Resiliency in the Great Lakes Region

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Award DE-SC0023215, Expanding Collaborative Capacity to Address Climate Resiliency in the Great Lakes Region, supported capacity and partnership building between researchers at Central Michigan University (CMU) and scientists at DOE laboratories. The work involved identifying potential collaborations both internal to CMU and between CMU researchers and DOE staff, developing collaborative research proposals, and partnering on pilot-scale research projects focused on enhancing resilience of Great Lakes communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure to global change and environmental stressors. DOE funds supported travel, time to develop collaborations, investigate new research pathways, and draft grant proposals, and a loan of DOE equipment to collect pilot data in support of future work. The project achieved its goal of strengthening research collaborations between interdisciplinary researchers at CMU and establishing new collaborations and partnerships between CMU and DOE scientists. These collaborations resulted in 5 pre-applications and 4 full applications for funding to DOE BER Funding Opportunities, a successfully funded DOE BER award (DE-SC0025260), a new pilot project that leveraged DOE resources (AquaBOT) to improve understanding of water quality conditions in Michigan rivers, and two presentations of preliminary results at national scientific conferences. This project’s outcomes will benefit the Great Lakes Region via new lines of collaborative research focused on improving the resilience of Michigan communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cyber-Informed Engineering: Standards Development Organization Quick Start Guide

Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) is an emerging methodology focused on identifying and reducing high-consequence events that may affect physical critical infrastructure systems as a result of their dependence on digital technology. CIE, developed by National Laboratories and promoted by the Department of Energy (DOE), incorporates consequence-focused planning into the design and engineering process from the earliest stages of a project. This guide provides a concise overview of CIE and offers practical insight into how Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) can interpret CIE principles and apply those concepts in updates to various standards. It is important to remember that CIE extends beyond a compliance checklist, emphasizing a broader, interpretive approach. Instead, it encourages an interpretive mindset - a "turning of 'what if' to 'even if'" approach that anticipates and engineers out high-consequence events. The authors encourage SDOs to establish and promote CIE principles as enhancements for more resilient-by-design outcomes across critical infrastructure energy sectors. The 12 core principles of CIE outline specific behaviors and actions that SDOs and engineers may adopt to enhance system resilience. This guide applies these principles in a manner intended to be relevant across various technologies and threat landscapes. We welcome institutions and vendors to identify new or different framework alignments and mappings as we collectively work towards a safer and more reliable digital landscape.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Adapting Grid Criticality for Data Centers

This presentation explores the evolving definition of “critical load” in the electric grid, emphasizing the growing importance of digital infrastructure—particularly data centers—in grid resilience, restoration, and modernization. As utilities increasingly rely on AI-driven analytics and software-defined control systems, data centers have shifted from passive electricity consumers to essential computational hubs that enable National Critical Functions (NCFs) and support real-time grid operations. The deck examines the scale and impact of digital loads, the need for grid modernization to manage rapid load growth, and the diverse computing paradigms required for AI deployment. It introduces a tiered taxonomy for classifying critical loads, highlights operational dependencies between the grid and digital infrastructure, and discusses policy implications for integrating data centers into emergency planning and restoration protocols. Through case studies and practical frameworks, the presentation provides actionable insights for utilities, regulators, and planners navigating the digital transformation of the power sector.

29 - ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Data Management for Digital Twin Implementation: Enhancing Existing SCADA Architecture for INL's CITRC Test Distribution System

The United States power grid will continue to experience stress from aging infrastructure, extreme weather, and increasing loads. In order to strengthen resiliency, researchers need to run tests and simulations that model real-life infrastructure. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is creating a digital twin of its Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex (CITRC). CITRC is an at-scale grid testbed which can be configured in utility-realistic distribution scenarios for a variety of tests, such as advanced grid protection and control. A digital twin of this infrastructure would support in-depth tests/simulations without risking physical consequences, before trialing devices under test at-scale. This project focuses on the data acquisition part of constructing a digital twin. It investigates the Supervisory Data Acquisition and Control (SCADA) system of CITRC and explores ways to utilize this system for the twin. Future “ideal” at-scale implementations such as upgraded equipment, modern communication protocols, and automation applications are also explored.

24 - POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Integrating Cyber-Informed Engineering into Enterprise Risk Management

This document supports the application of Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) within the context of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to enhance cyber-resilience. It highlights that many critical infrastructure organizations use ERM to manage business risks and emphasizes the importance of evaluating critical systems and assets. The proposed approach can be adopted independently of formal ERM processes and offers a starting point for integrating CIE alongside existing or new ERM practices. Both CIE and ERM are iterative, and their alignment fosters continuous improvement and supports the engineering and operations cultures of an organization.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Solar and battery can reduce energy costs and provide affordable outage backup for US households

Distributed energy resources are promising solutions for household energy affordability and resilience as weather extremes and aging infrastructure intensify grid reliability risks. This study presents a comprehensive nationwide assessment of over 500,000 U.S. households, evaluating economic and backup viability of solar-battery systems. We find that 60% of households could reduce electricity costs with average savings of 15%, while 63% of households could achieve affordable backup power during power outages covering an average of 51% of their essential energy needs. However, these benefits show limited alignment with areas of greatest need, particularly in regions facing high outage risks. We also identify significant disparities in access to solar and battery, with less-populated and disadvantaged communities showing consistently lower viability. Furthermore, these findings demonstrate the need for targeted policy interventions to ensure equitable access to solar-battery benefits, especially as states transition from net energy metering to other electricity tariff policies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Improving EV Charger Resiliency for MW Charging Systems

In this paper, the resiliency of a megawatt-scale EV charging station is investigated. Fault detection and tolerance methodologies are presented, based on monitoring the voltage offsets in DABs and switch-level currents in three-phase inverters, with the goal of maintaining operation at rated power during single faults and at reduced power under multiple fault conditions. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy, simulation results at the rated 1 MW power of the charging station are carried out, followed by controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) experiments on a 250 kW section of the station. The results highlight the feasibility of the integrated fault-tolerant methods for resilient, high-power EV charging infrastructure.

Adib, Aswad [ORNL] (ORCID:000000020997056X)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Modeling and Calibration of Supplier Selection Problem in Freight Agent-Based Simulations

Freight transportation modeling often struggles with data limitations, especially in accurately representing complex supplier selection processes and their impact on network flows. This research addresses this critical gap by developing a large-scale, calibrated agent-based model for supplier selection, complemented by a probabilistic heuristic for international shipments. Our approach integrates trade relationships between industry sectors, transportation costs, and a supplier-rating model adapted from existing literature. The model’s core objective is to minimize the discrepancy between modeled and observed commodity flows while ensuring a close match to regional shipping distance distributions. Implemented and tested across four major U.S. metropolitan areas—Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, and Los Angeles—the model demonstrates high fidelity in replicating observed freight patterns. Key findings reveal consistent alignment with national shipping distance trends and highlight significant spatial variations in commodity trade assignments and demand across the study regions. This behaviorally informed and transport-sensitive framework is designed to approximate real-world decision making, providing a robust tool for policymakers and planners to evaluate targeted interventions, assess infrastructure investments, and enhance supply chain resilience in the face of disruptions.

Ismael, Abdelrahman (ORCID:0000000303712110)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Airport Ground Support Equipment Infrastructure & Logistics Electrification Assessment Tool: 2025 Data Development, Modeling and Analysis for DFW

The aviation industry is increasingly turning to modernize freight facilities by integrating electric Ground Support Equipment (eGSE) to enhance operational efficiency of freight facility moving vehicles and equipment. Airports worldwide are adopting eGSE to streamline cargo movement, reduce fuel and maintenance costs, and improve logistics coordination.1 North America, with its advanced aviation infrastructure, leads this transition, leveraging Internet of things (IoT)-enabled automation and zero emission technologies to boost reliability and reduce human errors.2 Electrification of freight facility moving vehicles and equipment boosts turnaround times, improves equipment reliability, and optimizes logistics coordination, giving operators a competitive advantage. With rising fuel price volatility and the pressure to meet stringent performance benchmarks, airports are focusing on cost-effective, scalable solutions for long-term financial and operational gains. To further accelerate electrification, airports are integrating Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) into rental car fleets and deploying electric baggage carts, requiring strategic investments in charging infrastructure. 3 The shift, however, presents challenges, such as limited technical expertise, high capital costs, and complex procurement processes. By forging strategic partnerships, leveraging advanced technologies, and optimizing infrastructure investments, airports can create a resilient, future-ready ecosystem that enhances the movement of people and goods through electrification-driven efficiency. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), this electrification effort provides a scalable, cost-effective solution to improve airport freight operations. Through targeted investments and innovation, airports enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and meet performance benchmarks while advancing toward a resilient, electrified future.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evaluation of IEC 62443 Standard Gaps for Electric Grid Substation Model Use Case

This report presents an evaluation of the IEC 62443 standards in the context of electric grid substations, as part of a collaborative effort among Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The primary objective is to assess the applicability of these standards to enhance cybersecurity measures for industrial automation and control systems (IACS) within the energy sector. The evaluation identifies strengths, such as the scalability of security levels and the structured lifecycle guidance provided by IEC 62443. However, it also highlights significant gaps, including limited integration of physical security, insufficient guidance for legacy systems, and challenges in addressing emerging threats like supply chain vulnerabilities. Recommendations for refining the standards are proposed, including the need for tailored guidance for securing legacy systems, integrating physical security with cybersecurity frameworks, and enhancing interoperability across multi-vendor environments. By addressing these gaps, the IEC 62443 standards can be strengthened to ensure comprehensive cybersecurity for electric grid substations, thereby supporting the resilience and reliability of critical energy infrastructure.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Feasibility and Qualitative Risk Assessment of Fuel Cell Electric Bus Use for Emergency Backup Power for Airport Applications

Airports rely on robust backup power systems to maintain critical operations during emergencies. This paper investigates the feasibility of using hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) as emergency backup power sources, focusing on their technical specifications, operational challenges, and associated risks. Using Portland International Airport as a case study, the analysis evaluates the power output and hydrogen consumption of New Flyer’s 40’ Xcelsior Charge fuel cell buses, to provide power for key airport systems. Additionally, the paper explores the design and layout of how FCEBs can be connected to airport facilities, and addresses safety considerations, hydrogen supply logistics, and electrical compatibility. While FCEBs present significant advantages in terms of sustainability and resilience, their implementation requires careful planning, infrastructure investment, and adherence to safety standards. This research provides actionable insights for airport stakeholders seeking to transition to hydrogen-based backup power system.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

Pumped Thermal Energy Storage Using Low-Cost Particles and a Fluid Bed Heat Exchanger for Maximum Power Efficiency

Robust, efficient, cost-effective long-duration electricity storage (LDES) solutions can enhance grid resiliency, support existing transmission and distribution infrastructure, and enable a greater share of low-cost, variable alternative energy sources to penetrate the market. To meet this need, the project team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a transformative LDES system based on pumped thermal energy storage (TES) using low-cost particles and a fluid bed heat exchanger for maximum power efficiency (PUMP). The PUMP system is composed of high-temperature, low-cost particle TES coupled with an advanced pressurized fluid bed heat exchanger (PFB HX) that supports a high-efficiency pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) system integrated with concentrating solar thermal power (CSP). The PUMP project developed and de-risked a PFB HX and particle CSP system intended to be integrated with reversible turbomachinery and a modeling tool to assess PTES cost and performance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Future Intensity‐Duration‐Frequency Curves of Extreme Precipitation in the Midwest United States From Convection‐Permitting Modeling

Abstract During the last four decades, global warming has statistically significant intensified extreme precipitation events in the Midwestern United States (defined here as the region covering Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky), leading to increased risks to human life, property, and infrastructure. To enable climate change adaptation and resilience across various economic and social sectors in this region, updated information about future climate changes, specifically at finer spatial scales, is essential. Leveraging a new 150‐year dynamical downscaling data set at convection‐permitting resolution, this study introduces a framework to construct the projected future intensity‐duration‐frequency (IDF) curves of heavy precipitation, which are prominent tools for infrastructure design and water resources management. This framework generates IDF curves at both sub‐daily and multi‐day duration utilizing hourly in situ observations as well as quantile‐based statistical techniques in bias‐correction and return levels selection. The assumption of non‐stationarity in the distribution parameter fitting process is also implemented in this workflow. Compared to historical IDF curves for 1980–2022, future projected IDF curves for 2058–2100 under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios indicate an average intensity increase of approximately 15% and 25%, respectively, across 74 stations, considering both annual and seasonal timescales. Future projections suggest that extreme precipitation events may become more severe across six investigated return periods, with longer return periods showing a greater increase. The frequency of future extreme precipitation events in the Midwest region is also projected to double. Furthermore, current results reveal spatial heterogeneity of future trends across stations owing to the high‐resolution input data set. Plain Language Summary This study investigates the evolving nature of extreme precipitation events in the Midwestern United States under a changing climate. By leveraging a high‐resolution dynamical downscaling data set, we construct projected intensity‐duration‐frequency (IDF) curves for future extreme rainfall events. These curves serve as vital tools for infrastructure planning and water resource management. Our analysis reveals a significant increase in both the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation events in the region. Future projected IDF curves for the late century indicate an average intensity increase of approximately 15%–25% compared to historical values. Moreover, the frequency of such events is expected to double. Spatial heterogeneity in future trends is observed across different stations within the Midwest, highlighting the importance of high‐resolution modeling in capturing localized climate variability. These findings underscore the urgent need for climate adaptation strategies to mitigate the increasing risks associated with extreme precipitation events in the region. Key Points This study introduces a workflow to construct future intensity‐duration‐frequency (IDF) curves over the Midwest United States using a new convection‐permitting modeling data set The current IDF construction workflow reproduces well the historical observed IDF 30 curves in summer months with median relative errors of 2.4% among 74 stations and 6 investigated durations The projected IDF curves show diverse future trends of extreme precipitation across stations, with intensity increases of approximately 15% and 25% under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, respectively, and a doubling of frequency on average

Nguyen, Trung↗
DOE OSTI2025

Architecting the Grid Edge: Ensuring Reliability and Resilience

Changes in technology, customer expectations, and business and regulatory environments are rapidly evolving causing fundamental changes in the nation’s electrical infrastructure. Nowhere is this more apparent that at the “grid edge”, where there is an increasing number of new devices and systems, as well as complex new interactions between them. This is leading to the traditional relationship between the end-use customers and their utilities being expanded by an increasing number of stakeholders, each with their own operational and financial objectives, governed by regulatory policy. While there are concerns about the rapidly increasing complexity negatively impacting reliable and resilience of the electrical infrastructure, these changes are also bringing new resources and opportunities that hold great potential if they can be properly coordinated. This white paper outlines the considerations for the coordination of multi-stakeholder objectives with electric utility requirements using the concept of grid services. Describing a framework that enables new stakeholders to achieve their local technical and economic objectives, while simultaneously delivering operational benefits to the electrical infrastructure. The concepts of grid architecture are presented as a tool to evaluate how stakeholders might participate in, and benefit from, services, and how utilities can make decision on the reliance on services to ensure reliability and resilience, translating abstract concepts into actionable information for utilities and grid edge stakeholders. The end result of proper coordination, informed by grid architecture, will be a range of new devices and systems, operated by new stakeholders, achieving their local objectives while also increasing the reliability, resilience, security, and affordability of the nation’s critical electrical infrastructure.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Architecting the Grid Edge: Ensuring Reliability and Resilience

Changes in technology, customer expectations, and business and regulatory environments are rapidly evolving causing fundamental changes in the nation’s electrical infrastructure. Nowhere is this more apparent that at the “grid edge”, where there is an increasing number of new devices and systems, as well as complex new interactions between them. This is leading to the traditional relationship between the end-use customers and their utilities being expanded by an increasing number of stakeholders, each with their own operational and financial objectives, governed by regulatory policy. While there are concerns about the rapidly increasing complexity negatively impacting reliable and resilience of the electrical infrastructure, these changes are also bringing new resources and opportunities that hold great potential if they can be properly coordinated. This white paper outlines the considerations for the coordination of multi-stakeholder objectives with electric utility requirements using the concept of grid services. Describing a framework that enables new stakeholders to achieve their local technical and economic objectives, while simultaneously delivering operational benefits to the electrical infrastructure. The concepts of grid architecture are presented as a tool to evaluate how stakeholders might participate in, and benefit from, services, and how utilities can make decision on the reliance on services to ensure reliability and resilience, translating abstract concepts into actionable information for utilities and grid edge stakeholders. The end result of proper coordination, informed by grid architecture, will be a range of new devices and systems, operated by new stakeholders, achieving their local objectives while also increasing the reliability, resilience, security, and affordability of the nation’s critical electrical infrastructure.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗