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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Assessment of the US Department of Energy's Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers Grant Program

This report presents the results of an assessment of the Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) grant program that was administered by the US Department of Energy Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Office. Grants totaling $90 million were awarded to 101 local weatherization agencies located in 27 states. More than 15,000 housing units were touched by the SERC program. Close to 29,000 SERC technologies were installed and/or services delivered. The report summarizes the results of site visits to 27 agencies in which the following 14 technologies were observed: solar photovoltaic panels, solar hot water heaters, solar thermal air panels for space heating, tankless water heaters, heat pump water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, super-evaporative cooling systems, combination boilers and indirect water heaters, small-scale residential wind systems, cool roofs, masonry spray foam insulation, attic radiant barriers, mini-split heat pumps, and in-home energy monitors. The evaluation found that the national weatherization network is capable of installing and delivering a wide range of new and innovative technologies, but the usability and adoptability of some technologies may prove impractical for the weatherization network and the demographic for which it serves.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Protonic ceramic materials for clean and sustainable energy: advantages and challenges

In recent years, the hydrogen economy has been strongly favoured by governmental and industrial bodies worldwide. A tremendous number of papers are published every year on different aspects of protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) due to their lower operation temperature, easier reversible operation, and brighter prospects for further development. While new progress is being made continuously, many critical challenges remain. The effort on PCEC investigation could be more aligned for greater collective impact, e.g. the academic community could devote more effort to overdue critical problems but less to incremental improvements. This review aims to provide some insightful perspectives on critical challenges facing the development of PCECs, to sort out priorities in future effort, and to suggest promising directions to pursue. In this way, it is hoped that the technical readiness level of PCECs might advance more quickly, toward field demonstrations and commercialization for a clean and sustainable energy era.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Terrestrial radiative cooling: Using the cold universe as a renewable and sustainable energy source

Photonic materials designed at wavelength scales have enabled a range of emerging energy technologies, from solid-state lighting to efficient photovoltaics that have transformed global energy landscapes. Daytime passive radiative cooling materials shed heat from the ground to the cold universe by taking advantage of the terrestrial thermal radiation that is as large as the renewable solar energy. Newly developed photonic materials permit subambient cooling under direct sunshine, and their applications are expanding rapidly enabled by scalable manufacturing. We review here the recent advancement of daytime subambient radiative cooling materials, which allow energy-efficient cooling and are paving the way toward technologies that harvest the coldness from the universe as a new renewable energy source.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Satellite Data Applications for Sustainable Energy Transitions

Transitioning to a sustainable energy system poses a massive challenge to communities, nations, and the global economy in the next decade and beyond. A growing portfolio of satellite data products is available to support this transition. Satellite data complement other information sources to provide a more complete picture of the global energy system, often with continuous spatial coverage over targeted areas or even the entire Earth. We find that satellite data are already being applied to a wide range of energy issues with varying information needs, from planning and operation of renewable energy projects, to tracking changing patterns in energy access and use, to monitoring environmental impacts and verifying the effectiveness of emissions reduction efforts. While satellite data could play a larger role throughout the policy and planning lifecycle, there are technical, social, and structural barriers to their increased use. We conclude with a discussion of opportunities for satellite data applications to energy and recommendations for research to maximize the value of satellite data for sustainable energy transitions.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2022

Satellite Data Applications for Sustainable Energy Transitions

Transitioning to a sustainable energy system poses a massive challenge to communities, nations, and the global economy in the next decade and beyond. A growing portfolio of satellite data products is available to support this transition. Satellite data complement other information sources to provide a more complete picture of the global energy system, often with continuous spatial coverage over targeted areas or even the entire Earth. We find that satellite data are already being applied to a wide range of energy issues with varying information needs, from planning and operation of renewable energy projects, to tracking changing patterns in energy access and use, to monitoring environmental impacts and verifying the effectiveness of emissions reduction efforts. While satellite data could play a larger role throughout the policy and planning lifecycle, there are technical, social, and structural barriers to their increased use. We conclude with a discussion of opportunities for satellite data applications to energy and recommendations for research to maximize the value of satellite data for sustainable energy transitions.

energy↗
DOE OSTI2021

Building a Just Transition to a Sustainable Energy Future

Residential and commercial buildings consume roughly 74% of U.S. electricity and are responsible for approximately 35% of carbon emissions. As a result, there is no pathway to a sustainable energy future that does not prioritize a transformation in how we use, store, and generate energy in our nation’s buildings. Consequently, the importance and timeliness of research, development, demonstration, and deployment of clean energy building technologies is more pressing than ever. However, inequities that permeate society are acutely prevalent in the energy economy, particularly in the buildings sector. Therefore, as we transition to a sustainable energy future, we should prioritize a “just transition,” where we ensure the benefits, as well as costs, are more equitably distributed. As a scientific and technical community, we should take the lead in centering equity in clean energy technology innovation by permeating equity throughout the RDD&D spectrum. This talk will discuss pathways to achieving a just transition toward a sustainable energy future. It will highlight current Department of Energy and national laboratory RDD&D efforts that advance clean energy goals. The talk will conclude by challenging the ASME community to look through a lens of equity that prioritizes an equitable distribution of benefits and costs for our sustainable energy future.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Cyber Resilience and Social Equity: Twin Pillars of a Sustainable Energy Future

This paper examines the intersection of security and accessibility within energy systems amidst the rise of grid modernization and digitization, especially considering the regulatory changes and the imperatives of inclusive energy strategies. It addresses the dual need for secure, resilient infrastructure and a commitment to mitigate energy poverty while maintaining equitable access to energy. Amid escalating cybersecurity and physical threats, the paper advocates for sustainable energy delivery systems that ensure robust defenses without compromising the goals of reducing energy poverty and ensuring energy security. This paper identifies the pressing need for Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) and Secure-by-Design (SbD) principles, highlighting how these strategies can protect critical infrastructure and democratize access to secure energy, particularly for disadvantaged communities. The analysis underscores the challenges presented by the expansion of attack surfaces, interoperability requirements, and grid-edge analytics, offering innovative solutions that leverage advanced technologies and data-driven insights. Furthermore, this paper addresses the workforce development gap, emphasizing the necessity for public-private partnerships and vendor engagement in creating a skilled cybersecurity workforce. This paper has a dual focus on both the technological aspect of cybersecurity and the social dimension of equity within the context of sustainable energy development. It suggests a comprehensive examination of how these two critical elements interact and support the overarching goal of a sustainable energy future.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multimodal In Situ Characterization Uncovers Unexpected Stability of a Cobalt Electrocatalyst for Acidic Sustainable Energy Technologies

An accelerated development of durable and affordable sustainable energy technologies is often hindered by a limited understanding of how non-precious materials within these systems degrade. In acidic proton exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers, metallic cobalt (Co) is considered an unstable component that is often combined with precious metals or other stabilizers. To understand the mechanisms behind Co instability, we employ an experimental platform that quantifies dissolution with on-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and product formation with electrochemical mass spectrometry during electrochemical testing, along with ex- situ characterization. Under varied conditions (electrocatalysis, time, gas-type saturation, and ion concentration), windows of Co stability are observed that are different than predicted with classical chemical thermodynamics, suggesting new stabilization and degradation mechanisms than previously understood. Notably, Co is active for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with prolonged stability that is ~300 mV different than thermodynamically projected. Additionally, in an oxygenated environment, Co concurrently performs the HER and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) yet undergoes different morphology changes and dissolution mechanisms. Interestingly, in the absence of electrocatalysis, there is a 22x decrease in dissolution in an oxygen-free environment, proposing a route to decrease Co losses during device shutdown protocols. Lastly, under more extreme operating conditions, Co becomes stable after a substantial amount of dissolution, suggesting that high concentrations of Co 2+ ions in the microenvironment induce the formation of a stable CoHO 2 surface. Altogether, these results can be leveraged to improve the design and development of more robust and cost-effective sustainable energy technologies, as well as promote strategic strategies for prolonged material utilization.

Dissolution↗
DOE OSTI2019

A novel system for ammonia-based sustainable energy and agriculture: Concept and design optimization

Here this work presents a new vision for sustainable energy supply and agriculture: an ammonia-based sustainable energy agriculture (ABSEA) system. This intensified system uses renewables to produce ammonia both as fertilizer and as fuel for tractors and grain drying, to meet local electrical power demand and to provide predictable, consistent power export to the grid. The conceptual design of this system exploits synergies between ammonia production and energy supply to allow for economic viability, specifically time-varying chemical production as well as the potential of ammonia and hydrogen as energy storage media. A framework for combined optimization of the ABSEA design and its inherently time-varying operating schedule is proposed with a view on further improving economic competitiveness. A case study which considers the use of wind turbines to meet ammonia fertilizer and fuel demands of 40,300 kg/year and an annual hourly average power demand of 985 kW demonstrates the promise of the ABSEA system and the associated design-scheduling optimization framework. The annual net present cost is approximately $\$$75,000, which corresponds to an emissions reduction cost of $\$$17.60/tonCO2. The ABSEA optimal design uses both hydrogen and ammonia, but not a battery, for energy storage, illustrating their efficacy in this synergistic application.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Guest Editorial: Special Section on Sustainable Energy for Enhancing Grid Resiliency

Extreme weather threatens lives, disables communities, and devastates energy generation, transmission, and distribution systems. These extreme events are likely to become more frequent or more intense due to climate change. Energy networks have shown significant vulnerability during record hurricanes, deadly heat waves, destructive wildfires, and winter storms in the past few years. Because of the energy transition process, modern power grids will feature a high penetration level of the use of renewable resources. The adoption of renewable energy and the rise of omnidirectional power delivery mean that our energy network is more decentralized than ever. In this new environment, grid operation becomes more complex, and achieving resiliency is more difficult than in the past. Many utilities are seeking the latest technologies to improve energy security and responsiveness to severe events. On the one hand, sustainable energy resources can provide emergency power and assist grid restoration in disastrous events. On the other hand, their volatility, susceptibility, interdependency, and other unique features must be carefully considered when being used for grid resilience enhancement. This special section brings together 22 papers that range from innovative research advances tackling fundamental challenges of achieving more resilient grids to real-world demonstrations of leveraging sustainable energy resources to enhance grid resiliency. These papers can be categorized into three groups.

climate change↗
DOE OSTI2020

Identifying institutional barriers and policy implications for sustainable energy technology adoption among large organizations in California

Large organizations wield considerable market power, their procurement activities can be leveraged to achieve social, economic and environmental goals by ‘pulling’ more desirable products into the market. However, while there is substantial research in individual consumer buying behavior and market barriers to sustainable technology adoption, less is known about large organizational buying behavior and the impact of institutional barriers in this area. To address these research gaps, in this work we conducted an exploratory study aimed at better understanding the process through which large organizations purchase sustainable energy technologies and what internal barriers they experience during that process. Additionally, we surveyed and interviewed 120 individuals involved in procurement from Californian organizations representing both public and private sectors. Survey results indicate the need to resolve the conflict between prioritizing lowest first cost and lowest life cycle cost, better engage multiple stakeholders involved in internal decision-making around purchasing, and improve existing procurement tools or offer new ones. We provide recommendations for how policymakers can apply our findings to increase the adoption of sustainable energy technologies in their own organizations and communities.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Opinion: Quantum solutions for a sustainable energy future

Humanity's technological, economic and societal progress since the onset of the industrial revolution has left us facing one of the greatest challenges in history, as well as the tools to solve it: how to power our world sustainably while minimizing environmental harm. In this Perspective, we highlight the important role that quantum chemistry has in sustainable energy research and our vision of its future impact. Important technical problems in the field of sustainable energy and their potential quantum solutions are covered. Here, the development of advanced quantum mechanical methods, which can be combined with other simulation tools, affords insights that will help to secure our energy and environmental future.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Machine Learning for Sustainable Energy Systems

In recent years, machine learning has proven to be a powerful tool for deriving insights from data. In this review, we describe ways in which machine learning has been leveraged to facilitate the development and operation of sustainable energy systems. We first provide a taxonomy of machine learning paradigms and techniques, along with a discussion of their strengths and limitations. We then provide an overview of existing research using machine learning for sustainable energy production, delivery, and storage. Finally, we identify gaps in this literature, propose future research directions, and discuss important considerations for deployment.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
DOE OSTI2020

Constrained Deep Reinforcement Learning for Energy Sustainable Multi-UAV Based Random Access IoT Networks With NOMA

In this paper, we apply the Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) technique to improve the massive channel access of a wireless IoT network where solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) relay data from IoT devices to remote servers. Specifically, IoT devices contend for accessing the shared wireless channel using an adaptive p-persistent slotted Aloha protocol; and the solar-powered UAVs adopt Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) to decode multiple received data from IoT devices to improve access efficiency. To enable an energy-sustainable capacity-optimal network, we study the joint problem of dynamic multi-UAV altitude control and multi-cell wireless channel access management of IoT devices as a stochastic control problem with multiple energy constraints. We first formulate this problem as a Constrained Markov Decision Process (CMDP), and propose an online model-free Constrained Deep Reinforcement Learning (CDRL) algorithm based on Lagrangian primal-dual policy optimization to solve the CMDP. Extensive simulations demonstrate that our proposed algorithm learns a cooperative policy in which the altitude of UAVs and channel access probability of IoT devices are dynamically controlled to attain the maximal long-term network capacity while ensuring energy sustainability of UAVs, outperforming baseline schemes. The proposed CDRL agent can be trained on a small network, yet the learned policy can efficiently manage networks with a massive number of IoT devices and varying initial states, which can amortize the cost of training the CDRL agent.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Management of Sustainable Energy Resources: Visibility, Operation, and Control

The rapid global transition toward sustainable energy resources (SERs) is reshaping how modern power systems are observed, optimized, and controlled. While SERs have significantly advanced decarbonization, their weather dependence, variability, and inverter-dominated characteristics challenge traditional, centralized, and deterministic grid operation. At the same time, the proliferation of high-resolution data from inverters, smart meters, and sensors offers unprecedented visibility into system dynamics. Yet, it also exceeds the analytical capability of conventional model-based approaches. Artificial intelligence (AI) provides a new foundation for addressing these challenges by bridging physical laws with data-driven learning, enabling accurate state awareness, adaptive operation, and coordinated control across distributed assets. This article examines how AI transforms the management of SER-rich power systems along three critical dimensions: 1) enhancing visibility by inferring behind-the-meter (BTM) activities, assessing SER flexibility, and reconstructing system states from sparse or noisy measurements; 2) improving operation through AI-enhanced SER service provision, volt/var control (VVC), and dynamic operating envelopes (DOE) for efficiency and security; and 3) advancing control by embedding learning-based intelligence into inverter coordination, voltage and frequency regulation, and long-term dispatch. Together, these developments reveal how AI can convert the variability of SERs from an operational challenge into a source of flexibility, resilience, and intelligence, paving the way toward sustainable, adaptive, and self-optimizing power systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗