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DOE OSTI2015

Interactive statistical decision tools (GiSdT): An open source software integration of decision analysis and stakeholder judgment for sustainable waste management, disposal and remediation - 15650

The vast majority of remediation and waste management decisions are made without quantitative consideration of economic and socio-political factors. They are made instead based on quantitative metrics of human health risk. Sustainable decisions need to be made based on all three 'pillars of sustainability' (economics, environment and social), and require understanding and characterization of the costs and values associated with each pillar. In addition, such decisions need to conform to regulatory or other legal requirements, which often constrains the decision space of interest. Although efforts are often made to include factors across all three pillars (for example, for decisions made under CERCLA), these efforts are usually qualitative, and hence difficult to defend. They lack technical defensibility, transparency and traceability. The purpose of GiSdT (Guided Interactive Statistical Decision Tools) is to provide a quantitative framework whereby all aspects of a decision problem, such as remediation and waste management decisions, can be addressed quantitatively, and hence, defensibly, transparently and traceably. Most decision-makers do not currently have access to useful or usable methods and approaches when are presented with choices that have significant impacts across all three pillars of sustainability. The goal of GiSdT is to provide that access by identifying or developing effective and user-friendly decision methods and approaches that empower decision-makers to explicitly and routinely incorporate all aspects of sustainability into their decision-making. To identify and develop these methods and approaches, GiSdT provides the tools needed for decision-makers and stakeholders to understand and characterize their knowledge of their current decision-making processes, and what methods and approaches they need to pro-actively and quantitatively address all aspects of sustainability in their decisions. GiSdT is an open source interactive framework program that provides the tools needed to address the relevant components of a sustainability-based decision problem, including describing the decision landscape, translating that landscape into goals and objectives, valuing the measurable attributes that describe each objective, identifying decision options and addressing the uncertainty in the attributes (e.g., human health risk, institutional controls) through appropriate probabilistic models. In addition to addressing these quantitative technical components, the GiSdT program is aimed at facilitating stakeholder involvement so that the perspectives, values and objectives are all relevant stakeholders are addressed explicitly in the decision making process. The technical underpinnings of our software program, called Guided Interactive Statistical Decision Tools (GiSdT), are described. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

PHOENIX - Web-Based Application for Accessing Hanford Tank Monitoring Data - 16157

Data volume, complexity, and access issues pose severe challenges for analysts, regulators, and stakeholders interested in evaluating scientific data to support decision making at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a suite of web applications known collectively as PHOENIX (PNNL-Hanford Online Environmental Information exchange) to address data access, transparency, and integration challenges through intuitive query, visualization, and analysis tools that are accessible via desktop computer or mobile device by simply accessing the application web page (http://phoenix.pnnl.gov). Beginning in 2013, DOE's Office of River Protection (ORP) has worked with PNNL to develop a PHOENIX Tank Farm application to provide access to, and visualization of, in-tank monitoring data that had only been available to the public as text downloads for almost two decades. The Tank Farm application's user-friendly web-interface allows the public, stakeholders, regulators, and program managers to quickly and easily visualize in-tank and ex-tank data, facilitating data transparency and high-level decisions related to tank operations and management. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Public Outreach in FUSRAP - 16201

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the lead federal agency for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) which was initiated in 1974 to address contamination remaining from Manhattan Engineer District and early U.S. Atomic Energy Commission activities. As the lead agency, USACE follows the protocols set forth in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to address FUSRAP sites. During certain project milestones of the CERCLA process, community outreach initiatives occur to communicate the status and/or findings from site investigations and project decision documents. The style of public interaction is tailored to match the project milestone, technical complexity of a project, the stakeholder involvement level, or type of decision being made on a particular project. Community involvement is one of the most important aspects of environmental work, and proactive and transparent communication can build meaningful relationships with the community and between project stakeholders. The USACE Buffalo District has experience using different stakeholder interaction techniques and providing information on projects through a variety of media. Rather than simply distributing information, the goal of community outreach is to encourage participation in the process and to provide opportunities for the public to fully understand, ask questions about, and provide feedback on the complex technical issues involved in decision-making for each FUSRAP site. The frequency and method of interaction depends on the project, and the USACE Buffalo District has worked to promote openness and transparency and to ensure the community is provided with many opportunities for public participation. Project information has been provided to stakeholders using multiple techniques, such as formal project workshops, poster sessions, site tours, news releases, storybooks, and videos. Aside from project-specific community relations plans, the USACE Buffalo District has participated in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs established to inspire current and future generations of young people to pursue careers in STEM fields. Each year, the USACE Buffalo District performs outreach in the community to share information on our projects as well as to introduce students to various disciplines associated with environmental careers. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

A Paradigm Shift continued: An Application of Structured Decision Making for Sustainable Waste Management - 16486

Structured decision making presents an opportunity for DOE and others engaged in solving complex environmental and waste management problems to find solutions that are stakeholder engaged and cost effective. This approach represents a paradigm shift that was introduced in a series of papers and a panel session at the WM2015 Symposium. The advantages of structured decision making over less formal approaches to decision making include technical defensibility, traceability and transparency. Structured decision making also overcomes the limitations of misapplication of conservatism in modeling, addresses stakeholder concerns and competing objectives directly, and provides a formal method through which internal and external stakeholders are encouraged to collectively and carefully consider all relevant attributes of solving complex problems. The first requirement of this paradigm shift is a realization and recognition that the problems faced are inherently decision problems, and that there is a formal theory of decision analysis that can, and should, be used to support finding the best solutions. Structured decision making is, very simply, formalized common sense. The formalities include: framing the problem; identification of objectives and measures for valuing those objectives; costs or values associated with those objectives; management options or alternatives for taking action that are tied directly to the objectives; and, science-based models to evaluate the options. Decision analysis is used to evaluate objectives and choose management options by balancing probability and consequence. The science-based models are built probabilistically based on expectation and uncertainty, and costs and value judgments are used to fulfill addressing stakeholder concerns. Consequently, this approach avoids misplaced conservatism in science-based modeling and properly places values in the objectives component of a decision model. This approach honestly addresses uncertainty and value judgments and balances these competing components to find the most effective decision. A software framework program called Guided Interactive Statistical Decision Tools (GiSdT - pronounced 'gist') is used to support an application of this paradigm shift towards structured decision making. In this application objectives and management options for a waste disposal problem at the Los Alamos National Laboratory are identified, and features, events and processes are described and defined to form the basis of a conceptual site model. This establishes the decision model structure. Objectives are addressed through the three pillars of sustainability - economic, environmental, and social - and also address regulatory concerns or constraints. Management options include removal of waste to another location and engineering designs for leaving waste in place. Using structured decision making, the relationship between objectives, management options, and the conceptual site model is made clear, and leads to a comprehensive, defensible, transparent and traceable approach to effective decision making. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2018

Cost Estimates for NPP Decommissioning Projects and Insights from Cost Analysis - 18118

The technical ability to decommission NPPs shut down after normal operation has been well demonstrated. However, concerns remain about the ability to accurately calculate and demonstrate the validity of decommissioning cost estimates, and to control costs during decommissioning. This paper describes recent international guidance on quality cost estimates for nuclear decommissioning projects and explores the potential added value that could be attained through more systematic analysis and reporting of decommissioning project costs. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have long been concerned about the need to promote greater transparency in decommissioning costing and have collaborated in a number of initiatives in pursuit of this objective. Together with the European Commission, they published 'The International Structure for Decommissioning Costing (ISDC)' in 2012. The ISDC provides a useful common reporting format for decommissioning costing. The NEA has also published guidance on the international peer reviews of decommissioning cost studies (2014) and on the practice of decommissioning cost estimation (2015). In September 2017, the NEA and IAEA published detailed guidance on addressing uncertainties in decommissioning cost estimates (the 'Addressing Uncertainties' report). This joint report sets out an approach to treating uncertainties reflecting current good practices in cost estimating. Specifically, it describes how uncertainties in decommissioning cost estimation can be addressed using standardized methods of estimating uncertainty and risk analysis. Its recommendations aim at enabling a consistent and comprehensive treatment of risk and uncertainty in the preparation of decommissioning cost estimates. Together these publications establish a good basis for producing comprehensive and high-quality cost estimates for nuclear decommissioning projects and for enhancing confidence in the estimates through improving transparency concerning the underpinning data and calculations, and more explicit representation of the uncertainties that may impact on project costs. There is increasing attention on understanding variations between cost estimates and apparent escalation of decommissioning costs. This arises both from the need to assure the adequacy of financing arrangements for future decommissioning projects and the ambition to improve the performance and ensure value-for-money in the delivery of decommissioning projects and services. A systematic analysis of actual decommissioning project costs in relation to the cost estimates would be expected to yield valuable insights about key cost drivers in actual decommissioning projects, and the extent to which current cost estimates accurately capture and reflect these. Aligning the reporting of decommissioning project costs with the underpinning cost estimates for the projects would also facilitate the identification of causes of major deviations between projected and actual costs. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2018

Need for an Independent Monitoring of Nuclear Waste Repository: Lessons from WIPP Experience - 18130

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the only operating deep geological repository for the permanent disposal of defense transuranic (TRU) waste in the world. The facility recently resumed waste disposal operations after recovering from a February 2014 accident involving a radiological release from a waste container in the WIPP underground. WIPP had been a DOE success story, operating nearly 15 years with no significant incidents or accidents. Many factors contributed to this success, one of the most important being the overwhelming support exhibited by the local community and the local elected officials. One component of the broad public acceptance by the citizens of Southeast New Mexico has been the concept of independent, third party monitoring of environmental effluents at the site. Independent environmental monitoring ensures a role for the local community in ongoing evaluation of the safety and performance of the site. At WIPP this has been achieved through an independent environmental monitoring program operated by the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC). The CEMRC has been conducting independent environmental monitoring activities on and around the WIPP site since 1991 and makes the results of monitoring activities available and easily accessible to members the general public. The public's free and open access to this data and their direct participation in the CEMRC's whole body counting program provides transparency, which is key to maintaining public trust and confidence. The circumstances following the 2014 radiological release event at WIPP reinforced the value of independent environmental monitoring in order to maintain the high level of transparency necessary for long term local acceptance and support for nuclear facilities. Following what was a minor radiological release event, there were understandably fearful reactions from a number of citizens residing in Carlsbad and the nearby communities of Hobbs, Loving, and Artesia. CEMRC's independent environmental monitoring program and their early public engagement proved invaluable in providing timely and accurate environmental data to local community leaders and members of the general public. The data, and open communication from CEMRC, helped reassure citizens in Carlsbad and the surrounding area that the release was extremely low and the extent was very limited. CEMRC further communicated that the probability of any environmental or health impacts from the release was extremely low. It is unlikely the local community would have placed the same level of trust in similar assurances of safety coming from DOE or other State and Federal regulators. The CEMRC's performance in the days following the release meant the local community had access to independent monitoring data and an independent voice in the dialogue with DOE and state officials that shaped the recovery and eventual re-opening of the WIPP facility. The WIPP radiological release event yielded a plethora of lessons learned that will frame the next phase of operational, oversight, and emergency planning surrounding the facility. In this presentation we will be discussing the value and viability of federally-funded, university-housed independent monitoring programs in maintaining trust of state officials and the local communities. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2018

Stakeholder Engaged Structured Decision Making to Improve Performance and Reduce Costs While Protecting Human Health and the Environment - 18645

The objective of the Best Practice is to facilitate a paradigm shift when it comes to approaches to the decision making process for nuclear waste management, disposal, and remediation decisions. The stakeholder-engaged structured decision making (SDM) paradigm shift provides a transparent framework for developing optimal solutions to complex problems (Keeney, 1992, Gregory et al, 2012). This is a deliberative-analytical process. The deliberative side centers on understanding stakeholder concerns and values, and developing objectives while identifying options that may achieve those objectives. SDM is implemented with the aid of computer tools that are aimed specifically at capturing these deliberative aspects of a decision analysis. SDM captures this information in a structured format that allows access to the values, objectives, and options that have been identified to help. Through this approach we achieve transparency, traceability, and reproducibility. The goal of SDM at this stage is to provide a formal structure for capturing and processing deliberative information. The deliberative part sets the stage for the analytical part of SDM. A variety of Subject matter experts (SMEs) are engaged in how to evaluate the options through the objectives. Objectives often include minimizing human health risk and minimizing cost, but in the full scope of a sustainability-based approach to decision making, it can include objectives related to economic, environmental and social issues. Subject matter experts might provide other options for achieving the objectives, but their primary role is to evaluate/model the options to the endpoint defined by the objectives or in other words perform a consequence analysis. The structure of SDM makes it clear exactly what is needed from the SMEs, because the options are identified, and the endpoint (objectives) are defined - evaluations and/or models are needed to connect options to objectives. This consequence analysis completes the evaluation, and directly addresses which of the options is the best option. The same SDM approach to finding the best options can also be used for prioritization and resource allocation. Because all of the information is captured in a formal system with the help of computer tools (a software framework for implementing SDM), the decision models that are developed for an application can be fully evaluated numerically and for the insights gained from using a formal process for managing the multiple factors that need to be considered for complex decisions. This includes uncertainty and sensitivity analysis that can be used to guide the need for further data/information collection if the optimal decision is not adequately supported - that is, if there is insufficient confidence in the decision. Also, this feeds directly into adaptive management therefore if more data/information are collected then the efficacy of the current decision can be evaluated, potentially leading to a change in decisions if warranted. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2019

Implementation of a Risk-Informed Monitoring Program for the Saltstone Disposal Facility - 19374

Section 3116(b) of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (NDAA) requires the US NRC, in coordination with the appropriate State agency, to monitor certain disposal actions of the US DOE to assess compliance with the performance objectives in Subpart C of Part 61 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Under Section 3116(b), the US NRC monitors the US DOE disposal of salt waste at the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. Since the first US NRC monitoring plan for the SDF was issued in 2007, the US NRC staff has made the risk-significant areas of interest more specific. Following the US DOE issuance of the 2009 performance assessment for the SDF and the US NRC review of that document, the US NRC issued its second monitoring plan for the SDF in 2013. The 2013 US NRC monitoring plan included 11 monitoring areas, which were broken down into 40 specific monitoring factors. The US NRC prioritized those monitoring factors (i.e., low, medium, high) based on the sensitivity of model results to the assumptions or processes covered by the monitoring factor and the uncertainty in those assumptions or processes. Those monitoring factors can be opened, closed, revised, and re-prioritized based on new information or changes in the US DOE activities and plans. For example, the list of US NRC high-priority monitoring factors has changed in response to changing information. The flexibility of this approach allows the US NRC to remain focused on risk-significant areas of interest. The US NRC staff has made changes to the NDAA monitoring program at the SDF since the issuance of the 2007 monitoring plan. First, the development of more specific monitoring factors and the prioritization of those monitoring factors has been successful in focusing the US NRC and the US DOE resources on risk-significant issues and providing transparency to stakeholders. Second, the US NRC reviews have become more focused on addressing specific monitoring factors, which has made the process for updating the monitoring plan more transparent. Finally, periodic management meetings and monthly telephone calls maintain open communications between the US NRC, US DOE, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), and US EPA. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2020

Removing the Cloak of Secrecy from Legacy Cleanup at Los Alamos national Laboratory - 20395

With the establishment in 2018 of the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and its contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) embarked on an expansive program to engage a broad range of local and regional stakeholders in the decision-making process for cleanup of legacy wastes (pre-1999) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). From the inception of LANL during the Manhattan Project until the issuance of the new cleanup contract, the site was managed by a single management and operations (M and O) contactor whose main focus was national security. Segmenting from laboratory operations a separate cleanup contract managed by DoE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) brought new opportunities for the cleanup of legacy waste. That change likewise has opened new opportunities for engaging the community on legacy cleanup decisions. The new legacy cleanup contract - an unclassified contract - emphasizes public outreach, marking a cultural shift in how stakeholders in Los Alamos and throughout northern New Mexico are engaged. Without the constraints of classified work, EM-LA and N3B have increased the level of transparency with the public regarding cleanup activities. EM-LA and N3B have crafted an approach that best meets the values, priorities and needs of the neighboring communities by adapting the model successfully employed at Rocky Flats. Through enhanced stakeholder involvement, EM-LA will implement decisions that have considered broad input and deliver a safe and efficient cleanup of the site. EM-LA and N3B began the expanded stakeholder outreach program in January 2019, leading up to four Environmental Management Cleanup Forums held in the summer of 2019. EM-LA and N3B are now in the process of initiating a series of meetings with various stakeholder groups to determine their 'values' as they relate to cleanup using a novel approach that elicits and records values. The entire process is documented, ensuring that should questions arise about how, when and why decisions were made, they can be easily addressed. In addition to other public meetings to present cleanup scenarios and solicit active public involvement in cleanup decisions, the EM-LA and N3B approach involves discussions with stakeholders who want to explore specific technical issues and cleanup discussions in depth. EM-LA and N3B are also evaluating and implementing a variety of communications tools to help ensure the engagement plan sets the gold standard for transparency in legacy cleanup and stakeholder involvement. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2020

Stakeholder-Engaged Structured Decision Making for the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Mission - 20501

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) environmental legacy cleanup program requires decisions to be made for environmental remediation, decommissioning and disposal or management of radioactive waste. This legacy cleanup program was established to address groundwater contamination, material disposal areas (MDAs) that have been used to dispose of radioactive and other waste material, and 'aggregate areas' that might produce radioactive or other chemical waste as a result of remediation activities. The LANL site is regulated for environmental concerns under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). However, some parts of LANL, such as material disposal area G (MDA G), have disposed of radioactive waste under DOE Order 435.1, and are subject to other regulations. For example, decommissioning the remote-handled TRU material stored in 33 shafts at MDA G falls under EPA's 40 CFR 191. Collectively, the regulations are all aimed in the same direction of finding the best solution, either through constructs such as 'as low as reasonably achievable' (ALARA), considering balancing factors as opposed to only cost and human health risk, and, under EPA regulations such as RCRA and NEPA, evaluating impact from all chemicals and both human health and ecological endpoints. Despite the basic goals and objectives of the regulations or their guidance, the main challenge is in their implementation. Arguably perhaps, but really in principle, all of these (and similar) regulations are asking for a decision analysis to be performed. Implementation challenges encountered have included lack of understanding of decision analysis in the industry, lack of effective stakeholder engagement in the decision analysis process, and lack of appreciation of the need to separate value judgments from science, the latter leading to developing conservative, or protective, science-based models. Conservative models lead to poor solutions, lack of effective stakeholder engagement leads to long drawn out protracted approaches to finding a solution (which also might never be found with this approach), and lack of understanding of decision analysis and Bayesian statistics causes poor models to be built, which creates unfortunate situations of 'garbage in, garbage out' becoming the basis for decision making. Stakeholder-engaged structured decision making (SDM) is an approach to solving problems that relies on the theory of decision science to involve stakeholders in the decision-making process. This approach incorporates stakeholder values using a scientifically rigorous methodology that separates value judgments from science in a way that helps avoid the pitfalls of biased, protective, or conservative modeling. This approach has its foundation in Keeney's 1992 treatise on value-focused thinking [1]. Keeney advocated a paradigm shift in decision making based on the idea that the standard way of thinking about decisions is backwards. The standard approach of focusing first on identifying alternatives rather than on articulating values results in a reactive approach with the emphasis on mechanics and fixed choices instead of the core values that have meaning to stakeholders. This paradigm shift effectively engages all stakeholders in the decision-making process while using a values focused thinking approach that can lead to the identification of decision opportunities and the creation of better alternatives. The intent is to be proactive and generate solutions that are related directly to values and objectives as identified by stakeholders. There are, perhaps, two overarching reasons why SDM can be used to benefit LANL's environmental legacy cleanup. Some of LANL's remaining waste management and environmental management problems are challenging and complex (for example, the Cr and RDX plumes, and MDAs) and while the traditional approach has, arguably, worked well for relatively simple risk-based problems, it cannot, or should not, be applied to more complex problems if the most effective and efficient solutions are desired. The second reason is cost. This has perhaps become more critical since publication of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that DoE's environmental liability is considered a high-risk concern for the nation [2]. The focus of SDM is on structuring solutions to decision risk problems by first addressing stakeholder and decision maker values and subsequently developing decision objectives and ways to measure those objectives, preference weighting across objectives, identifying decision alternatives that best achieve those values, and characterizing uncertainty in predictions of the measures. Because a complete decision model is created using SDM, it can be evaluated to find the main elements of the model that drive, or predict, the best solution. This approach creates complete decision models that are transparent, traceable, reproducible and technically defensible. The science behind SDM, or decision analysis, is well founded, yet it is not unusual to see ad hoc approaches to decision making implemented under various environmental regulations that are pertinent to the LANL site, including NEPA, RCRA and DOE Order 435.1. Such ad hoc approaches are often not transparent or traceable, and lack reproducibility and technical defensibility. The LANL legacy cleanup program has embarked on using SDM to address the complex problems that remain. Stakeholder meetings have been held, and a prototype version of the stakeholder value system has been developed. Further meetings are expected in the future to address specific project needs. This is a long-term endeavor considering the complex environmental problems faced by DOE EM in Los Alamos (EM-LA), and careful planning, consideration of stakeholder value systems, and engagement with stakeholders throughout the SDM process is expected to lead to a successful endpoint. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2024

Accelerating Application Bulk Synchronous Writes in HPC Environments

High-bandwidth storage tiers are becoming more common for their capability to absorb high-rate, bursty I/Os. Notably, the designs of these fast storage tiers differ from system to system. The variation of these layers and non-uniform methods of access can pose chal- lenges for applications seeking to run at multiple HPC facilities. Therefore, in this work, we present Spectral, a rapid-output ab- straction library to accelerate application, bulk-synchronous writes on HPC systems. We design Spectral to enable applications to use high-bandwidth storage, such as node-local storage and dis- tributed, write-caches (e.g., burst buffers) transparently without requiring modifications to the application or file system source code. The key idea is to allow applications to spend most of the time performing productive work and to not require any source code changes for maximum portability on different HPC archi- tectures. Spectral internally re-routes write-only files through available, high-performance I/O resources before ultimately mi- grating them to the shared global parallel file system. For instance, on Summit, Spectral transparently places application outputs on node-local storage and then utilizes asynchronous migration to the center-wide GPFS file system. We evaluate Spectral on the Summit HPC system (1024 nodes) using the IOR benchmark and real scientific applications. Spectral shows linear performance scaling, improving application write performance by over an order of magnitude when compared to GPFS.

Khan, Awais↗
DOE OSTI2025

An R shiny graphical user interface for highprecision mass spectrometric data analysis

• There is currently a lack of software that meets the needs for the analysis of raw data produced by modern isotope ratio mass spectrometers for both R&D and routine use at SRNL and other US national labs • Needs to accommodate multiple isotope systems, instruments, and manufacturers • Include modern statistical methods and handling/visualization of uncertainty • Flexible software with transparent (no “black box”) and reproducible methods • This project is inspired by existing discipline-specific data analysis software (e.g., Tripoli1 , ET_Redux2, IsoplotR3) used in the geochemical community • Our goal is to build an open source data analysis software package that focuses on flexibility, transparency, and reproducibility

LABONE, ELIZABETH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mechanically stacked tandem photovoltaic cells with intermediate optical filters

A method of fabricating a multi-junction photosensitive device is provided. The method may include fabricating at least two photoactive layers, wherein at least one photoactive layer is fabricated on a transparent substrate, and at least one photoactive layer is fabricated on a reflective substrate, patterning at least one optical filter layer on at least one photoactive layer fabricated on a transparent substrate, and bonding the at least two photoactive layers using cold weld or van der Waals bonding. A multi-junction photosensitive device is also provided. The device may have at least two photoactive layers, and at least one optical filter layer, wherein at least two layers are bonded using cold weld or van der Waals bonding. The optical filter layer may be a Distributed Bragg Reflector.

Forrest, Stephen R.↗
DOE OSTI2024

System and method embodiments for modifying gas content in printable compositions for additive manufacturing

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a system for use in additive manufacturing methods. The system can comprise a first container, and a first fluid and a second fluid forming a fluid-fluid interface within the first container. The first fluid is between the fluid-fluid interface and the transparent portion of the first container and configured to remove oxygen from the second fluid at the fluid-fluid interface to facilitate polymerization of a monomeric component in the second fluid. The system can also comprise a circulation system configured to circulate the first fluid through the first container such that the first fluid flows between the fluid-fluid interface and the inner surface of the transparent portion of the first container.

Cluff, Kyle↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ultrathin layer photocatalysts

A transparent ceramic substrate is covered by a photocatalyst layer, at least partially. The photocatalyst layer includes a semiconductor material that, upon exposure to electromagnetic radiation, forms a plurality of electrons and a plurality of holes that remain confined to the photocatalyst layer. The transparent ceramic substrate has a diameter that is larger than the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation for light trapping.

Wang, Yifeng↗
DOE OSTI2024

Systems and methods for organic semiconductor devices with sputtered contact layers

Systems and methods for organic semiconductor devices with sputtered contact layers are provided. In one embodiment, an organic semiconductor device comprises: a first contact layer comprising a first sputter-deposited transparent conducting oxide; an electron transport layer interfacing with the first contact layer; a second contact layer comprising a second sputter-deposited transparent conducting oxide; a hole transport layer interfacing with the second contact layer; and an organic semiconductor active layer having a first side facing the electron transport layer and an opposing second side facing the hole transport layer; wherein either the electron transport layer or the hole transport layer comprises a buffering transport layer.

Hammond, Scott R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mesoporous optically clear heat insulators for sustainable building envelopes

Mesoporous materials exhibit highly controlled nanoscale structures, often templated by liquid crystalline assemblies of surfactants, with emergent and often designable physical properties. However, scaling their fabrication to be suitable for uses like envelopes of buildings is challenging. Here we describe fabrication of flexible square-meter-sized films and multi-centimeter-thick slabs made of three-dimensional spatial graphs of mesopore tubes having all structural features under 50 nanometers. Solution-based kinetic fabrication process templates growing networks of cylindrical surfactant micelles with thin tubes of polysiloxane forming gel networks and, upon replacing surfactants and solvents with air, yields lightweight materials with >99% visible-range optical transparency and ~10 mW K-1m-1 thermal conductivity. Such predesigned metamaterials enable transparent thermal barriers for wall-grade insulated glass units, square-meter window retrofits and unconcentrated solar thermal energy harnessing.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Best practices: Organizational execution

This article, the fourth and final installment in the DOE–IDEA series, focuses on organizational execution and how strong management practices, teamwork, and preparedness contribute to successful district energy systems. It highlights case studies from Ashley Energy and Cornell University to illustrate effective operational strategies. Ashley Energy demonstrates the importance of emergency preparedness and rapid response. After a major flood disrupted its plant, the organization restored service in under 72 hours by relying on pre-established plans, vendor relationships, and trained staff. The case emphasizes proactive contingency planning, understanding insurance processes, and empowering skilled personnel to improvise during crises. Cornell University’s example highlights the role of collaboration and transparency in long-term success. Its district energy system benefits from strong data sharing, real-time energy monitoring, and active involvement of faculty and students in system planning and innovation. This culture of teamwork and data-driven decision-making supports sustainability goals and continuous system improvement. Overall, the article shows that effective organizational execution—through preparedness, collaboration, and data transparency—is essential for maintaining reliable, efficient, and sustainable district energy systems.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗