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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Feedback and Oscillations: Constructing Feedback Systems for Root Cause Analysis of Oscillations in Power Grids

Dynamic phenomena linked to inverter-based resources (IBRs) have gained global attention. Several IBR-induced dynamics have caused bulk power system-connected wind or solar power plants to trip, and some have even led to widespread outages. In addition, many oscillations have been observed involving IBR power plants. In 2023, the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) IBR Subsynchronous Oscillations (SSO) task force published a journal article, “Real-World Subsynchronous Oscillation Events in Power Grids With High Penetrations of Inverter-Based Resources,” in which 19 IBR oscillation events were examined for their causation. Earlier in 2020, another PES task force article, “Definition and Classification of Power System Stability-Revisited & Extended,” authored by prominent academics, introduced converter-driven stability as a new category of stability. The international power grid industry community also took action by publishing the CIGRE Green Book, Power System Dynamic Modelling and Analysis in Evolving Networks (led by Babak Badrzadeh and Zia Emin) in 2024. In August 2024, the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) released a practical guide led by Nick Miller, “Diagnosis and Mitigation of Observed Oscillations in IBR-Dominant Power System: A Practical Guide.” The goal of the guide is to assist practicing engineers in making initial judgments and conducting detailed analyses about oscillations. Finally, when addressing the classification of stability and oscillations, the guide emphasizes a causality-based taxonomy for grouping, such as voltage control-induced oscillations, synchronization-induced oscillations, and frequency or active power control-induced oscillations.

Fan, Lingling [Univ. of South Florida, Tampa, FL (↗
DOE OSTI2025

Collaborative energy and land use planning

Energy models make projections for infrastructure, yet struggle to map deployment pathways at the ground level, where risks and benefits to human and natural systems materialize. Furthermore, a study now shows how blending in geospatial science can help to preserve natural capital while allowing for new infrastructure to be built.

Energy and society↗
DOE OSTI2025

Topology Optimization of Curved Electrodes with Suggested Simplified Corrugated Designs

The demand for space-efficient energy storage, from grid to device scale, has soared with the rapid electrification of society. To increase energy density while maintaining high rate performance, shaping electrodes has been shown to be an effective strategy. Computational optimization can suggest designs that improve energy storage performance; however, generated designs are often complex, leading to manufacturing challenges. Additionally, most optimization is typically conducted in standard rectangular domains, whereas some applications, such as in the aerospace industry or in consumer electronics, may benefit from optimized electrodes that fit in a nonstandard form factor. Here, in this work, we use topology optimization to design capacitive full-cell electrodes in a curved domain. We propose a simplified corrugated electrode design based on the optimization results and show that the energy stored in the simplified design is only reduced by about 5–27% when compared to that in the fully optimized design, with more deviation occurring when ionic transport in the porous electrode is particularly impeded. Overall, we find that these simplified designs are promising, particularly given the more conventional manufacturing techniques required, and have a 42–369% increase in energy stored compared to monolithic electrodes.

Energy - Storage↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reaction Optimization for Enzymatic Deconstruction of Industrially Relevant Nylon Composites

Plastics such as polyamides (PAs) possess unique physicochemical properties that make them indispensable in modern society. However, their energy‐intensive production and challenging end‐of‐life management highlight the urgent need for efficient recycling or remanufacturing solutions. Enzymatic depolymerization offers a promising route toward circular recycling, yet remains constrained by limited enzyme characterization, lack of validation under industrially relevant conditions and substrates, and overall performance. Here, we optimized the reaction conditions for three recently discovered nylon‐degrading enzymes. One of them, Nyl12, achieved product titers with PA6 and PA66 that exceed previously reported values, without enzyme engineering or substrate pretreatment. We further demonstrated the scalability of the process and its application to complex PA‐based materials used in microelectronic components. Analysis of substrate features, including surface area and particle size, revealed key parameters governing enzymatic activity and provided a framework for future pretreatment and process optimization efforts. In combination, these efforts provide a new benchmark for enzymatic nylon recycling.

nylon↗
DOE OSTI2025

Uranyl Capture and Activation with Lewis Acids and Macrocyclic Hosts (Final Technical Report)

This document is the final report for the project with the title, “Uranyl Capture with Lewis Acids and Macrocyclic Hosts.” Nuclear power is attractive for meeting the current and future energy needs of society, in that it does not release carbon dioxide or other pollutants into the atmosphere during routine use. This motivated the project, because preparation of nuclear fuel, recovery of useful components from used fuel, and handling of waste materials remain significant impediments to further deployment of important nuclear technologies. In part, these problems arise from limited availability of chemical reactions that can reliably interconvert forms of uranium and other heavy elements during preparation and processing. For example, harsh and expensive chemicals are often required for making and breaking chemical bonds to uranium, and the reactions involved are inefficient. The overall objective of this research was to harness knowledge of chemical structure and bonding to develop a useful and predictive und

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Community civic capacities for meaningful engagement in siting infrastructure for the energy transition

To address the driving forces of climate change and to ensure society has reliable and plentiful energy, considerable amounts of new energy infrastructure will need to be built in scores of communities over the near future. Democratic societies give communities considerable authority, influence, and autonomy on land-use decisions and regulatory policy making. Involving community members and stakeholders in decision making about facility siting and hosting is vital to minimize local opposition. But while there is much written about how to engage communities successfully, there is comparatively little attention given to understanding the civic capacities communities need to be able to participate. This paper reviews literatures on civic capacity and presents a new taxonomy based on six categories: leadership, knowledge, resources, civic engagement, social capital, and culture. It then proposes a systems framework to convey how capacities are developed and employed in collaborative decision making processes about siting and hosting energy facilities. Project sponsors, regulators, stakeholder groups, and communities can use these insights to better prepare and empower communities to participate as equal partners in conversations about energy facility siting.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Optimal Power Management for Large-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems via Bayesian Inference

Large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) have found ever-increasing use across industry and society to accelerate clean energy transition and improve energy supply reliability and resilience. However, their optimal power management poses significant challenges: the underlying high-dimensional nonlinear nonconvex optimization lacks computational tractability in real-world implementation, and the uncertainty of the exogenous power demand makes exact optimization difficult. This paper presents a new solution framework to address these bottlenecks. The solution pivots on introducing power-sharing ratios to specify each cell’s power quota from the output power demand. To find the optimal power-sharing ratios, we formulate a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) problem to achieve power-loss-minimizing BESS operation while complying with safety, cell balancing, and power supply-demand constraints. We then propose a parameterized control policy for the power-sharing ratios, which utilizes only three parameters, to reduce the computational demand in solving the NMPC problem. This policy parameterization allows us to translate the NMPC problem into a Bayesian inference problem for the sake of 1) computational tractability, and 2) overcoming the nonconvexity of the optimization problem. We leverage the ensemble Kalman inversion technique to solve the parameter estimation problem. Concurrently, a low-level control loop is developed to seamlessly integrate our proposed approach with the BESS to ensure practical implementation. This low-level controller receives the optimal power-sharing ratios, generates output power references for the cells, and maintains a balance between power supply and demand despite uncertainty in output power. We conduct extensive simulations and experiments on a 20-cell prototype to validate the proposed approach.

Battery energy storage systems (BESSs)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multicaloric Cryocooling Using Heavy Rare-Earth Free La(Fe,Si) 13 -Based Compounds

The transition toward a carbon-neutral society based on renewable energies goes hand in hand with the availability of energy-efficient technologies. Here, magnetocaloric cooling is a very promising refrigeration technology to fulfill this role regarding cryogenic gas liquefaction. However, the current reliance on highly resource critical, heavy rare-earth-based compounds as magnetocaloric material makes global usage unsustainable. Here, we aim to mitigate this limitation through the utilization of a multicaloric cooling concept, which uses the external stimuli of isotropic pressure and magnetic field to tailor and induce magnetostructural phase transitions associated with large caloric effects. In this study, La 0.7 Ce 0.3 Fe 11.6 Si 1.4 is used as a nontoxic, low-cost, low-criticality multiferroic material to explore the potential, challenges, and peculiarities of multicaloric cryocooling, achieving maximum isothermal entropy changes up to −28 J (kg K) −1 in the temperature range from 190 K down to 30 K. Thus, the multicaloric cooling approach offers an additional degree of freedom to tailor the phase transition properties and may lead to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly gas liquefaction based on designed-for-purpose, noncritical multiferroic materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Drivers and implications of alternative routes to fuels decarbonization in net-zero energy systems

Energy transition scenarios are characterized by increasing electrification and improving efficiency of energy end uses, rapid decarbonization of the electric power sector, and deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies to offset remaining emissions. Although hydrocarbon fuels typically decline in such scenarios, significant volumes remain in many scenarios even at the time of net-zero emissions. While scenarios rely on different approaches for decarbonizing remaining fuels, the underlying drivers for these differences are unclear. Here we develop several illustrative net-zero systems in a simple structural energy model and show that, for a given set of final energy demands, assumptions about the use of biomass and CO2 sequestration drive key differences in how emissions from remaining fuels are mitigated. Limiting one resource may increase reliance on another, implying that decisions about using or restricting resources in pursuit of net-zero objectives could have significant tradeoffs that will need to be evaluated and managed.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Deployment expectations of multi-gigatonne scale carbon removal could have adverse impacts on Asia’s energy-water-land nexus

Abstract Existing studies indicate that future global carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) removal (CDR) efforts could largely be concentrated in Asia. However, there is limited understanding of how individual Asian countries and regions will respond to varying and uncertain scales of future CDR concerning their energy-land-water system. We address this gap by modeling various levels of CDR-reliant pathways under climate change ambitions in Asia. We find that high CDR reliance leads to residual fossil fuel and industry emissions of about 8 Gigatonnes CO 2 yr −1 (GtCO 2 yr −1 ) by 2050, compared to less than 1 GtCO 2 yr −1 under moderate-to-low CDR reliance. Moreover, expectations of multi-gigatonne CDR could delay the achievement of domestic net zero CO 2 emissions for several Asian countries and regions, and lead to higher land allocation and fertilizer demand for bioenergy crop cultivation. Here, we show that Asian countries and regions should prioritize emission reduction strategies while capitalizing on the advantages of carbon removal when it is most viable.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Digital Twin for Chemical Science: a case study on water interactions on the Ag(111) surface

Directly visualizing chemical trajectories offers insights into catalysis, gas-phase reactions and photoinduced dynamics. Tracking the transformation of chemical species is best achieved by coupling theory and experiment. Here we developed Digital Twin for Chemical Science (DTCS) v.01, which integrates theory, experiment and their bidirectional feedback loops into a unified platform for chemical characterization. DTCS addresses a core question: given a set of experimental conditions, what is the expected outcome and why? It consists of a forward solver that takes a chemical reaction network and predicts spectra under experimental conditions, and an inverse solver that infers kinetics from measured spectra. We applied DTCS to ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of the Ag–H2O interface as an example. This approach enables real-time knowledge extraction and guides experiments until a stopping condition is met based on accuracy and degeneracy. As a step toward autonomous chemical characterization, DTCS provides mechanistic knowledge in a verified, standardized manner.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2024

Chemical and electrochemical pathways to low-carbon iron and steel

Currently, the iron and steel industry is responsible for 7% of global CO 2 emissions. In this review, we summarize the operational principles of current emissions-intensive steelmaking technologies and review emerging low- and zero-carbon technologies that could substantially reduce emissions. Current technologies that are discussed include blast furnaces, electric arc furnaces, and smelting. Promising low-carbon routes include use of alternative reductants for ore processing (hydrogen direct reduction, hydrogen plasma-smelting, hydrogen smelting, and ammonia-based reduction), electrolytic iron production (with aqueous and molten oxide electrolytes) and biocarbon-based electric arc furnace operation. Advantages of each approach are presented, and remaining research hurdles are identified.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pathway to Decarbonization Through Industrial Energy Efficiency: Micro and Macro Perspectives from Compressed Air Usage

Abstract Energy audits directly provided the industrial sector with reduced energy costs and avoided emissions. Still, they also lead to far-reaching indirect and induced local, regional, and national benefits. This paper aims to present the techno-economic-environmental analysis to achieve decarbonization through implementing industrial energy efficiency at micro and macro levels. An integrated techno-economic-environmental methodology is developed. Case studies of micro-level carbon reduction efforts through industrial energy efficiency technologies are presented. The broader macroeconomic and environmental effects of technology on society are analyzed using data from 206 energy audits of industrial compressed air systems conducted over 13 years. The impacts show that energy-efficient improvements lead to direct cost savings for manufacturers, boost economic activity across sectors, and affect carbon dioxide emissions both short-term and long-term in the region. Given their extensive benefits, energy audits significantly influence policymaking. We devised a methodology to link micro-level energy audit data with macroeconomic and environmental analyses to quantify these cascading benefits. The economic scenario analysis shows that $228 M has been saved from direct industrial energy savings from implementing all compressed air recommendations in the studied periods and the region. In addition, the investment made through manufacturers would create 2,025 jobs and $383 M annually, cascading regional economic impacts. The environmental analysis shows that the regional manufacturers have directly avoided about 2.8 M metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spacetime pq theory for AC and DC electric power systems

The 50/60 Hz alternating current (AC) electric power has been the standard and most flexible energy source powering our modern societies for one and a half centuries since the war of the currents: AC versus direct current (DC). A reactive power concept that was introduced at the beginning of the AC power was very useful for circuit/system analysis, design, control, optimization, and ultimately for more efficient and stable generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption. The initial reactive power theory was based on single-phase sinusoidal AC power to capture inductive and capacitive power that yields to net-zero average power over one fundamental cycle. Soon it was expanded to non-sinusoidal AC power and finally to instantaneous three-phase AC power. However, these reactive power theories remain separate and limited to special cases and have never been consolidated and made valid to all cases. Today, more widespread adoption of power electronics and renewable energy is bringing back DC power into the electric grids. The reactive power concept has never been applied to DC power systems. There is no reactive power in DC power systems according to the existing reactive power theories. Do DC power systems really have no reactive power? Capacitors and inductors are widely used in DC just like in AC power systems. Are they not reactive power components? Why are they different from their AC counterparts? Furthermore, are batteries active or reactive power components? What about active devices like power converters (or inverters) with AC (or DC) on one side and DC (or AC) on the other? Do they generate or consume reactive power? Finally, what about AC and DC hybrid power systems? How to define reactive power in such a complex power system that has a multitude of loads, buses, and sources? Is there reactive power between any two loads, any two buses, or any two sources in a power system and what is the total reactive power in such a complex power system as a whole? As the motivation and goal of this paper to answer the above basic questions, to unify the existing AC reactive power theories and to ultimately provide theoretical and insightful guidance for system analysis, design, control, efficiency, optimization, and operation of complex power systems, a concept of spacetime (both spatial and temporal) active and reactive power (pq) theory—the spatiotemporal aspect of active and reactive power—is developed for both AC and DC power systems. The theoretical definitions and physical meanings of the spacetime reactive power will be developed, and real applications and thought experiments/cases/exercises will be explored and discussed. The developed mathematics to define the active (or real) and reactive (or imaginary) power— p and q respectively by dot (scalar) and cross (vector) products of multi-dimension spacetime vectors and time-space mapping principle/law can have some fundamental implications as well.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Limitations of Hydrogen Detection After 150 Years of Research on Hydrogen Embrittlement

Hydrogen's significance in contemporary society lies in its remarkable energy density, yet its integration into the worldwide energy grid presents a substantial challenge. Exposing materials to hydrogen environments leads to degradation of mechanical properties, damage, and failure. While the current approach for assessing hydrogen's impact on materials involves mainly multiscale modeling and mechanical testing, there exists a significant deficiency in detecting the intricate interactions between hydrogen and materials at the nanoatomic scales and under in situ conditions. This perspective review highlights the experimental endeavors aimed at bridging this gap, pointing toward the imminent need for new experimental techniques that can detect and map hydrogen in materials’ microstructures and their site‐specific dependencies.

Tunes, Matheus A.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Revolutionizing Energy Storage: AI, Automation, and Advanced Modeling as Catalysts for Next-Generation Breakthroughs

The Presidential Symposium (PRES) at the 2025 Fall Meeting, hosted by the President’s Office and Energy and Fuels Division, American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, DC, brought together a diverse group of chemists, engineers, and materials scientists working in battery materials & systems, automation and artificial intelligence from academia, industry, and national laboratories. The accelerating demand for high-performance, scalable, and sustainable energy storage has catalyzed a paradigm shift in how materials are dis-covered, devices are engineered, and systems are optimized. This Presidential Symposium, entitled “Revolutionizing Energy Storage: AI, Automation, and Advanced Modeling Driving Next-Gen Breakthroughs”, brings together global leaders to unveil transformative strategies anchored in the AAA framework: Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Advanced Modeling. Artificial Intelligence is redefining the frontiers of energy storage by enabling predictive design, real-time optimization, and intelligent control across diverse chemistries and architectures. Automation is streamlining the synthesis, characterization, and testing of battery materials, dramatically accelerating innovation cycles and unlocking scalable solutions for grid and mobility applications. Advanced Modeling, spanning atomic to system-level scales, provides unprecedented insight into electrochemical dynamics, degradation pathways, and thermal behavior, particularly when coupled with physics-informed machine learning and digital twin technologies. Digital twins, in turn, leverage the AAA framework by integrating real-time data, physics-based models, and AI predictions into dynamic virtual replicas, enabling proactive diagnostics, optimization, and system resilience. Together, these synergistic pillars are not only re-shaping the scientific landscape but also forging a new era of reproducible, data-driven, and resilient energy storage innovation. In conclusion, this symposium marks a pivotal moment in the convergence of computational intelligence and experimental rigor, charting the course for next-generation breakthroughs in lithium-ion, solid-state, and flow battery technologies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Battery Storage Unlocked: Lessons Learned From Emerging Economies

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a global forum that promotes policies and programs that advance clean energy technology. The CEM's mission is to bring together a community of global leaders to scale clean energy, amplifying the impact to all the sectors of the economy and applying a whole-of-society approach to meet collective climate and clean energy goals. At COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the CEM announced the Supercharging Battery Storage Initiative as a vehicle to accelerate battery storage deployment around the world. The initiative supports countries around the world in co-creating strategies that enhance policy, regulation, supply chain, manufacturing, and financing solutions for battery energy storage deployment. Additionally, the initiative seeks to reduce the cost of the technology and promote diversified, sustainable, and secure supply chains (CEM n.d.). Through international collaboration, the initiative supports the integration of renewable energy globally, while securing the stability and reliability of the electricity grid.

batteries↗