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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 OSTI2022

Storage Futures Study: Grid Operational Impacts of Widespread Storage Deployment

This report, the fifth in the Storage Futures Study series, uses cost-driven scenarios from the ReEDS model as a starting point to examine the operational impacts of grid-scale storage deployment and relationships between this deployment and the contribution of variable renewable energy. We use commercial production cost modeling software to evaluate hourly operation of five scenarios that reach between 210 gigawatts (GW) and 930 GW of installed storage by 2050. We find that storage plays an important role in these power systems between now and 2050 - by storing the lowest-marginal cost generation (often, overgeneration from solar or wind plants) and generating energy during the highest net load periods of the day and year. Storage helps with the integration of variable renewable energy and by providing an important resource to provide continued reliable power.

battery↗
DOE OSTI2023

Turbine-based Power System Tool

Advanced research tools are essential to illustrate the effects of turbine-based power system operations on the electric grid network. This paper presents the development of an open-source tool to visualize the operation of turbine-based electricity generation. The tool exposes power system models, control parameters, and corresponding values of the turbine model and its electrical system, allowing them to customize the simulation according to their needs. The developed tool enables users to simulate power profiles for different turbinebased energy generation such as wind, tidal, and gas turbines. It allows users to investigate the details of the generated profiles of various types of turbine systems at various scales. It can provide valuable insights into model development and facilitate the analysis of integrated power systems. By enabling access to turbine-based operations visualization, the tool aims to bridge the gap between advanced research tools and users, facilitating broader adoption of renewable energy technologies and aiding in developing sustainable power systems.

Kini, Roshan L.↗
DOE OSTI2026

U.S. Department of Energy Competitiveness Improvement Project 2024 Technology Commercialization Awardee: Intelligent Energy Systems

This fact sheet describes the 2024 Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) award received by Intelligent Energy Systems for technology commercialization. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) CIP awards cost-shared subcontracts and technical support to manufacturers of small and medium-sized wind turbines. Managed by NLR on behalf of DOE's Wind Energy Technologies Office, CIP helps advance wind energy as a cost-effective, distributed-generation technology option.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1988

Physical implications of the eclipsing binary pulsar

The observed characteristics of the msec pulsar P1957+20, discovered in an eclipsing binary by Fruchter et al. (1988), are considered theoretically. Model equations for the stellar wind and optical emission are derived and used to estimate the effective temperature and optical luminosity associated with wind excitation; then the energy levels required to generate such winds are investigated. The color temperature of the pulsar-heated stellar surface calculated under the assumption of adiabatic expansion is 1000-10,000 K, in good agreement with the observational estimate of 5500 K.

Wasserman, Ira↗
DOE OSTI2026

Regulatory and Technical Challenges and Barriers to Adoption of Distributed Wind Energy in Agricultural Settings

Distributed wind (DW) energy development can benefit agricultural landowners through the possibility of improved resilience of electrical service from onsite generation and associated economic benefits. DW development currently faces technical and regulatory challenges related to interconnection of projects with distribution or transmission equipment on the main electrical grid. A review was conducted of barriers to adoption for agricultural DW projects and potential roles of various stakeholders in addressing them. One major barrier is that the unique characteristics of wind energy generation such as its variability and intermittency, may require upgrades for the whole power line, which can lead to prohibitive cost burdens on individual interconnection customers. Another barrier is compliance with federal, state, or utility-level regulations that require technology-agnostic, industry-standard equipment that is often not technically realistic for DW projects. DW developers, grid infrastructure owner-operators, regulators, and standards publishers can work together to address these challenges and facilitate DW development.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advanced Lightweight HiE PMDD Generator for WTGs

Preliminary designs of advanced lightweight permanent magnet direct drive generators for offshore and “tall wind” onshore applications utilizing funding from DOE/EERE/WETO were developed by WEG, RTX, NREL and supporting partners. This work significantly reduces tower head mass, increases efficiency, reduces the rare earth content of the generator, and leads to additional turbine system benefits that improve competitiveness, such as the use of taller towers onshore and less expensive foundations (“hull”) for floating offshore. The end result is an approximately 10% reduction of LCOE in both cases, which could significantly improve competitiveness and support the EERE/DOE goal of promoting US manufacturing.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Joint Resource Modeling and Assessment for Hybrid Distributed Solar and Wind Systems

The inherent variability and uncertainty in distributed energy resources can presents myriad challenges to the planning and operations of power systems. These risks are poised to become larger as the penetration of renewable energy sources rises in the power generation mix. Hybrid solar-wind energy systems are able to mitigate some of these risks by their complementary resource availability. Surface solar and wind fields are coupled and correlated in both space and time. Appropriately estimating the hybrid solar wind energy system requires simulating the spatio-temporal structure of these fields that can be produced for each time horizon. We introduce a novel joint spatio-temporal stochastic differential equation (SPDE) approach that captures the spatio-temporal dynamics of solar and wind fields and their joint dependency over a domain for each time step. In the case study on Colorado, we consider nonstationary three-level hierarchical spatio temporal models for both hourly solar irradiance data and wind speed data in Colorado. Dependence between the solar irradiance data and wind speed data is captured by a shared spatio-temporal random effect. Our approach performs well in terms of the prediction score criterion.

joint modeling↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulated wind farm wake sensitivity to configuration choices in the Weather Research and Forecasting model version 3.8.1

Wakes from wind farms can extend over 50 km downwind in stably stratified conditions. These wakes can undermine power production at downwind turbines, adversely impacting revenue. As such, wind farm wake impacts must be considered in wind resource assessments, especially in regions of dense wind farm development. The open-source Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical weather prediction model includes a wind farm parameterization to estimate wind farm wake effects, but model configuration choices can influence the resulting predictions of wind farm wakes. These choices include vertical resolution, horizontal resolution, and whether or not to include the addition of turbulent kinetic energy generated by the rotating wind turbines. Despite the sensitivity to model configuration, no clear guidance currently exists for these options. Here we compare simulated wind farm wakes produced by varying model configurations with meteorological observations near a land-based wind farm in flat terrain over several diurnal cycles. A WRF configuration comprised of horizontal resolutions of 3 km or 1 km paired with a vertical resolution of 10 m provides the most accurate representation of wind farm wake effects, such as the correct surface warming and elevated wind speed deficit. The inclusion of turbine-generated turbulence is also critical to produce accurate surface warming and should not be omitted.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Valuation of Distributed Wind in an Isolated System

Remote communities are increasingly adopting renewable energy, such as wind, as they transition away from diesel energy generation. It is important to understand the benefits and costs of wind energy to isolated systems so that decision-makers can optimize their choices in these communities. There are few examples of valuation of wind energy as a distributed resource and numerous differences in valuation approaches, especially in the inclusion of environmental and economic impacts. We apply a distributed wind valuation framework to calculate the benefits and costs of wind in St. Mary’s, Alaska, to the local electric cooperative and to society, finding that the project does not have a favorable benefit-to-cost ratio unless societal benefits are included, in which case the benefit-to-cost ratio is nearly double. Government funding is important to reducing the initial capital expenditures of this wind project and will likely be the case for projects with similar characteristics. Additional fuel savings benefits are potentially possible for this project through technological additions such as energy storage and advanced controls.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1995

The energy associated with MHD waves generation in the solar wind plasma

Gyrotropic symmetry is usually assumed in measurements of electron distribution functions in the heliosphere. This prevents the calculation of a net current perpendicular to the magnetic field lines. Previous theoretical results derived by one of the authors for a collisionless plasma with isotropic electrons in a strong magnetic field have shown that the excitation of MHD modes becomes possible when the external perpendicular current is non-zero. We consider then that any anisotropic electron population can be thought of as 'external', interacting with the remaining plasma through the self-consistent electromagnetic field. From this point of view any perpendicular current may be due to the anisotropic electrons, or to an external source like a stream, or to both. As perpendicular currents cannot be derived from the measured distribution functions, we resort to Ampere's law and experimental data of magnetic field fluctuations. The transfer of energy between MHD modes and external currents is then discussed.

delaTorre, A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced Turbulence Models for Large-Scale Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flows

We present high-fidelity large-eddy-simulation (LES) modeling approaches for the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) flows. Wind energy is a prime example of an application driven by ABL. Generation of electrical energy from farms of wind turbines at night in the stable ABL is a particularly interesting situation. In this report, we consider the well-known GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study (GABLS) stably stratified benchmark LES case. We use a high-order spectral element code Nek5000/RS, which is supported under the DOE's Exascale Computing Project (ECP) Center for Efficient Exascale Discretizations (CEED) project, targeting application simulations on various acceleration-device based exascale computing platforms. In our earlier ANL report, we demonstrated our newly developed subgrid-scale (SGS) models based on high-pass filter (HPF), mean-field eddy viscosity (MFEV), and Smagorinsky (SMG) with no-slip and traction boundary conditions, provided with low-order statistics, convergence and turbulent structure analysis. In this report, we extend the range of our SGS modeling approaches in the context of the mean-field eddy viscosity (MFEV), to include the solution of an SGS turbulent kinetic energy equation (TKE). We demonstrate the model fidelity of Nek5000/RS in comparison to that of AMR-Wind, a block-structured second-order finite-volume code with adaptive-mesh-refinement capabilities, with which we studied scaling performance for both codes in comparison on DOE's leadership computing platforms.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

2022 Prototype Manufacture and Installation Awardee: Sonsight Wind

The Sonsight Wind 3.5-kilowatt (kW) prototype turbine is designed to compete with solar power, meeting energy needs for a wide range of smaller-scale applications, such as powering individual homes and irrigation systems on farms and ranches in remote areas. The technology's innovative high-torque, low-rotations-per-minute generator permits the use of longer blades that, at moderate wind speed sites, generate the energy of a 5-kW turbine with lower thrust forces than similarly rated turbines. The 3.5-kW turbine is projected to ofer greater durability at a signifcantly lower levelized cost of energy. Sonsight Wind advanced the development of the prototype with a previous Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) funding award.

competitiveness improvement project↗
DOE OSTI2020

Radiation-Induced Catalysis of Chemical Reactions

Nuclear energy is a process which achieves zero-carbon energy and heat generation that can provide a consistent electricity load to supply the grid when renewables are not available. However, on a cost per kilowatt-hour comparison, nuclear energy is more expensive than many of the renewable energy generation technologies such as wind and solar. In order to increase the economic viability of next generation nuclear reactors for energy production, generation of a secondary product such as a chemical feedstock would increase the economic viability of nuclear energy, particularly for new installations of next-generation nuclear reactors for power production. Currently, commercial nuclear reactors are primarily used for their heat to generate steam for electricity production. There is a large amount of unused energy in the form of photon and neutron radiation that could be exploited to drive chemical processes to produce feedstock materials as a secondary product of a nuclear plant. Chemical processing with radiation is not a new concept. In fact, gamma radiation is an excellent source of high energy photons to drive photochemical reactions. Dow chemical produced commercial quantities of ethyl bromide using gamma irradiation from a 60 Co source in the 1960s and 1970s because it was the most cost-effective means of production to meet the demand.5, 6 Due to the potential economic advantages, there is a new emphasis on studying feedstock production which can be enhanced by excess gamma and neutron radiation, particularly if the reaction could be monitored in real-time which is advantageous for process optimization. A model system of lignocellulose degradation under γ- radiation was chosen for this study while following the degradation products with Raman spectroscopy in real-time.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2023

A database of hourly wind speed and modeled generation for US wind plants based on three meteorological models

Abstract In 2022, wind generation accounted for ~10% of total electricity generation in the United States. As wind energy accounts for a greater portion of total energy, understanding geographic and temporal variation in wind generation is key to many planning, operational, and research questions. However, in-situ observations of wind speed are expensive to make and rarely shared publicly. Meteorological models are commonly used to estimate wind speeds, but vary in quality and are often challenging to access and interpret. The Plant-Level US multi-model WIND and generation (PLUSWIND) data repository helps to address these challenges. PLUSWIND provides wind speeds and estimated generation on an hourly basis at almost all wind plants across the contiguous United States from 2018–2021. The repository contains wind speeds and generation based on three different meteorological models: ERA5, MERRA2, and HRRR. Data are publicly accessible in simple csv files. Modeled generation is compared to regional and plant records, which highlights model biases and errors and how they differ by model, across regions, and across time frames.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Error-Level-Controlled Synthetic Forecasts for Renewable Generation

Renewable energy resources, including solar and wind energy, play a significant role in sustainable energy systems. However, the inherent uncertainty and intermittency of renewable generation pose challenges to the safe and efficient operation of power systems. Recognizing the importance of short-term (hours ahead) renewable generation forecasting in power systems operation, it becomes crucial to address the potential inaccuracies in these forecasts. To systematically evaluate the performance of controllers in the presence of imperfect forecasts, we generate synthetic forecasts using actual renewable generation profiles (one from solar and one from wind). These synthetic forecasts incorporate different levels of statistical error, allowing us to control and manipulate the accuracy of the predictions. The primary objective is to employ synthetic forecasts with controlled yet realistic error levels to systematically investigate how controllers adapt to variations in forecast accuracy, providing valuable insights into their robustness and effectiveness under real-world conditions.

Array↗
NASA NTRS1975

Wind energy utilization: A bibliography

Bibliography cites documents published to and including 1974 with abstracts and references, and is indexed by topic, author, organization, title, and keywords. Topics include: Wind Energy Potential and Economic Feasibility, Utilization, Wind Power Plants and Generators, Wind Machines, Wind Data and Properties, Energy Storage, and related topics.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2024

Offshore wind and wave energy can reduce total installed capacity required in zero-emissions grids

Abstract As the world races to decarbonize power systems to mitigate climate change, the body of research analyzing paths to zero emissions electricity grids has substantially grown. Although studies typically include commercially available technologies, few of them consider offshore wind and wave energy as contenders in future zero-emissions grids. Here, we model with high geographic resolution both offshore wind and wave energy as independent technologies with the possibility of collocation in a power system capacity expansion model of the Western Interconnection with zero emissions by 2050. In this work, we identify cost targets for offshore wind and wave energy to become cost effective, calculate a 17% reduction in total installed capacity by 2050 when offshore wind and wave energy are fully deployed, and show how curtailment, generation, and transmission change as offshore wind and wave energy deployment increase.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Opportunities for green hydrogen production with land-based wind in the United States

Hydrogen (H 2 ) is an efficient energy carrier and storage mechanism that can supply both stationary and transport energy demand. Rapidly declining renewable energy generation costs; technology innovations in wind, solar, battery storage, and electrolysis; and a global push for more sustainable and secure energy have driven increased interest in green H 2 production. In this study, we develop an H 2 scenario analysis tool to assist in rapid, high-resolution insights into future, green H 2 pathways to achieve policy goals and market competitiveness. Using this tool, we estimate H 2 production and costs for U.S., off-grid scenarios given varying policy and cost scenarios from 2025–2035. Results indicate that achieving economically competitive green H 2 production (below $\$$2/kg) is possible in 2030 with no policy incentives (one site achieves this target), while increasing policy support to include wind and green H 2 production tax credits enables widespread economic viability sooner, with sub-$\$$2/kg LCOH targets achieved by 2025 and 51.7% of sites achieving this target by 2035. Maximizing policy support through prevailing wage and apprenticeship credit multipliers enable widespread economic viability, including sub-$\$$2/kg of green H 2 by 2025 and even negative pricing by 2035. Regions with lowest LCOH values correspond to high wind resource areas and capacity factors. Achieving decarbonization goals with green H 2 depends on technology cost reductions and policy support, with a maximum average LCOH reduction of $\$$23.10 between no and maximum policy support scenarios, and a maximum average LCOH reduction of $\$$25.86 between current, conservative technology costs and 2035 projected technology cost assumptions.

08 HYDROGEN↗