Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Anderson, M. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Anderson, M. J..

Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment (Abbreviated Final Technical Report)

Tribal land in the United States represents approximately 2% of the country’s total landmass and holds more than 5% of the solar photovoltaic potential (Doris, Lopez, and Beckley 2013). Though many Tribes have explored options to install solar photovoltaic (PV) generation capacity on their land, regulatory hurdles have often prevented them from doing so. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA) partnered on this 3-year project, Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment. The project sought to unlock Tribal solar potential by bringing together Tribal, regulatory, utility, and other stakeholders to articulate key barriers to Tribal solar PV adoption and develop replicable solutions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment

This project, Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment, seeks to unlock some of this potential by bringing Tribal, regulatory, utility, and other stakeholders together to articulate key barriers to Tribal solar adoption and develop replicable solutions. By increasing institutional capacity and developing frameworks, trainings, and a technical document repository for regulatory bodies, utilities, and Tribes, this project can help expand an emerging market.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment: Preprint

Although Tribal land represents more than 5% of the solar photovoltaic technical potential in the United States, this resource is largely untapped due to a range of barriers, including complex project economics, Tribal technical and human resource capacity, project funding and financing obstacles, and regulatory challenges. To identify and better understand the regulatory barriers, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association (MTERA) engaged Tribes, utilities, and regulators. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the 3-year effort seeks to address regulatory challenges or barriers that affect Tribal solar projects differently - specifically or disproportionately because they are located on Tribal lands. This paper, largely excerpted from a comprehensive (draft) guidebook released by NREL and MTERA, provides an overview of 13 key regulatory barriers identified through this research, as well as potential short- and long-term solutions. In addition, the paper points to potential pathways for addressing key barriers through case studies highlighting successful Tribal solar projects along with considerations for stakeholders working with Tribes. These resources can support stakeholders in creating meaningful relationships and pursuing workable solar projects.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,SOLAR ENERGY↗

The thermal conductance of solid-lubricated bearings at cryogenic temperatures in vacuum

The thermal conductance of Hertzian contacts is of great importance to cryogenic spacecraft mechanisms such as the Infra-Red Space Observatory (ISO) and the Far Infra-Red Space Telescope (FIRST). At cryogenic temperatures, cooling of mechanism shafts and associated components occurs via conduction through the bearings. When fluid lubricants are cooled below their pour points, they no longer lubricate effectively, and it is necessary to use low shear strength solid lubricants. Currently, only very limited low temperature data exists on the thermal conductance of Hertzian contacts in both unlubricated and lubricated conditions. This paper reports on measurements of thermal conductance made on stationary ball bearings under cryo-vacuum conditions. Quantitative data is provided to support the development of computer models predicting the thermal conductance of Hertzian contacts and solid lubricants at cryogenic temperatures.

Anderson, M. J.↗

Lyapunov optimal feedback control of a nonlinear inverted pendulum

Liapunov optimal feedback control is applied to a nonlinear inverted pendulum in which the control torque was constrained to be less than the nonlinear gravity torque in the model. This necessitates a control algorithm which 'rocks' the pendulum out of its potential wells, in order to stabilize it at a unique vertical position. Simulation results indicate that a preliminary Liapunov feedback controller can successfully overcome the nonlinearity and bring almost all trajectories to the target.

Grantham, W. J.↗

Detailed design of a quiet high flow fan

A single stage fan was designed to demonstrate the noise abatement properties of near-sonic inlet flow and long-chord stator vanes for the reduction of both upstream and downstream propagated fan source noise. It is designed to produce a pressure ratio of 1.653:1 with an adiabatic efficiency of 83.9%. The fan has a 508 mm inlet diameter with a hub/tip ratio of 0.426 and a design tip speed of 533.4 m/sec. The design inlet specific flow rate is 219.71 kg/sec sq m and there are 10 tandem stator vanes with a combined aspect ratio of 0.54.

Soltau, J. D.↗