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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Demand response event simulator and risk-aware bidding tool for industrial customers

Incentive Based Demand Response (IBDR) program participation delivers financial benefits to the consumers and resiliency benefits to the electricity grid. Effectively participating in these programs as an industrial consumer requires bidding strategies that balance financial risk with operational constraints. Existing bidding tools tend not to fully incorporate stochastic IBDR event modeling, program specific baseline and payment/penalty calculations, or demand reduction process control schemes that account for the cascading impacts of shutdown in complex facilities. Here, this work presents an IBDR event simulator and risk-aware bidding framework tool integrating three key components: a flexible, parameterized demand response event generator that rigorously accounts for program structures and stochasticity, a demand response operational simulation model that generates explicit control strategies for load reduction, and a Monte Carlo simulator to evaluate financial risk for varied capacity bids. A case study at a wastewater treatment plant participating in PG&E's Capacity Bidding Program demonstrates the framework's utility. In the peak capacity price month of August, optimal bidding by the wastewater treatment plant nets a mean IBDR benefit of $101,000 (67% of the August electricity bill) with 0.4% probability of a financial loss. This framework enables industrial operators to make informed bidding decisions, negotiate better program terms with demand response load aggregators, and analyze energy flexibility investments at their facilities. Ultimately, this work reduces participation barriers in IBDR programs and supports the broader goal of enhancing grid reliability and renewable energy integration.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1985

Commercial use of space - The space business era

Progress and avenues being explored by NASA to hasten the commercialization of space are described. A task force has recommended that the effort begin at once, that bureaucratic barriers to commercial space activities be removed, and that a partnership between government and industry be seriously explored. The government role is to establish links with private industry, invest in high-leverage technologies and space facilities which will be attractive to commercial ventures, and contribute to commercial enterprises where risks are high and significant economic benefits can be foreseen. The government/industry relationship can be legally evinced by MOUs, joint endeavor agreements, technical exchange agreements and industrial guest investigator arrangements. The Space Station is the first step in that it allows Americans to live and work in space. It is expected that international participation in Space Station development and utilization will accelerate the space business era.

Griffin, G. D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Research to Expand UAS Operations for Disaster Response

Natural disasters can result in the loss of life and cost governments and private industry billions to recover each year. Over the past decade the rate and severity of natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes have resulted in increasingly negative impacts to communities, public health, natural ecosystems, and the economy. To help reduce these impacts, NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is working to advance technologies and enable the safe and efficient inclusion of novel aviation applications to better assist in disaster response. To execute on these efforts, NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) and System-Wide Safety (SWS) projects have developed coordinated strategic research plans focused on aviation operations for disaster response. The ACERO project will be a multi-year effort that focuses on enabling the use of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to improve firefighter safety and efficiency and enable the use of UAS to conduct new missions such as logistics and aerial suppression. The ACERO project will demonstrate technologies that support the Second Shift concept, enabling UAS and ground technologies to support aerial suppression in degraded visual conditions (e.g., heavy smoke, nighttime). The SWS project will be a multi-year effort that focuses on addressing the key safety barriers that are preventing the authorization of UAS operations in a variety of increasingly complex disaster response applications: post-hurricane response, medical courier, and urban disaster response. The SWS project will demonstrate an In-Time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) designed to effectively monitor, assess, and mitigate safety risks associated with hazards to UAS operations for disaster response. This paper will provide a deeper insight into NASA’s research and development plans and discuss how solutions developed in partnership with industry stakeholders and federal agencies will improve disaster response across the globe.

disaster response↗
DOE OSTI2024

Demonstrate and De-Risk an Internally Lined Tank Design for Molten-Salt Thermal Energy Storage Benefitting CSP and Nuclear-Energy Sectors

The LIMOSA project extends the Gen3 CSP "Liquid Pathway" project to evaluate 720 degrees C thermal energy storage based on molten chloride salts. While SETO selected the Particle Pathway for Gen3 demonstration, LIMOSA was created to resolve a major risk factor with molten chloride salts - the design of the salt storage tank. The project team designed and assembled a test system leveraging experience from Oak Ridge National Lab and the Liquid Pathway Phases 1 and 2. The key innovation in the project is development of a graphite-foil barrier to protect insulation from salt intrusion and wetting.

chloride salt↗
NASA NTRS2011

Spacecraft Testing Programs: Adding Value to the Systems Engineering Process

Testing has long been recognized as a critical component of spacecraft development activities - yet many major systems failures may have been prevented with more rigorous testing programs. The question is why is more testing not being conducted? Given unlimited resources, more testing would likely be included in a spacecraft development program. Striking the right balance between too much testing and not enough has been a long-term challenge for many industries. The objective of this paper is to discuss some of the barriers, enablers, and best practices for developing and sustaining a strong test program and testing team. This paper will also explore the testing decision factors used by managers; the varying attitudes toward testing; methods to develop strong test engineers; and the influence of behavior, culture and processes on testing programs. KEY WORDS: Risk, Integration and Test, Validation, Verification, Test Program Development

Britton, Keith J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Incorporating Coverage-Dependent Reaction Barriers into First-Principles-Based Microkinetic Models: Approaches and Challenges

Mean-field microkinetic models (MKMs) are appealing for their relatively facile construction, computational tractability, and high-throughput catalyst screening capabilities. As such, they will continue to be a valuable tool for materials design in heterogeneous catalysis even as the field aims to describe more complex systems. Numerous prior reports have provided the groundwork for constructing first-principles-based MKMs, including the analysis of strategies for incorporating lateral interactions into thermodynamic parameters (e.g., adsorption energies). Yet, there remains a need for concerted dialogue on methods for calculating and incorporating coverage-dependent kinetic parameters into MKMs. In this Perspective, we assess strategies for doing so, including the corresponding key physical implications and computational challenges. Here, we emphasize that decoupling thermodynamic and kinetic parameters within MKMs can violate thermodynamic consistency and risk unphysical solutions. For some reactions and catalyst materials, scaling relationships can predict coverage-dependent activation energies, but there are several exceptions evident in the literature, indicating that this approach is not universally applicable and that the field could benefit from research aimed at elucidating the limitations. Conducting high-coverage transition state searches is a rigorous but computationally costly strategy, and the effects of various methods for mitigating this cost on resulting energetics have yet to be broadly explored and validated. The goal of this Perspective is to generate discussion on and inspire focused research into the physical relevance of approaches for describing coverage-dependent reaction barriers in MKMs, including the development of computationally tractable methodologies, to advance the applicability of MKMs across diverse reaction chemistries and conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Demonstration and Evaluation of Explainable and Trustworthy Predictive Technology for Condition-based Maintenance

The domestic nuclear power plant (NPP) fleet has historically relied on labor-intensive and time-consuming predictive maintenance (PdM) programs, thus driving up operation and maintenance (O&M) costs to achieve high-capacity factors. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) can help simplify complex problems such as diagnosing equipment degradation to enable more effective decision-making efforts. The benefits of AI will be felt through more efficient plant O&M, improved work processes, and better integration of people and technology. Together, these benefits hold the promise to make nuclear power more sustainable by reducing O&M costs while improving employee engagement. While AI and ML technologies hold significant promise for the nuclear industry, there are challenges or barriers to their adoption. Explainability and trustworthiness of AI are two salient challenges that need to be addressed for wider deployment of these technologies in NPPs. This research focuses specifically on addressing the explainability and trustworthiness of AI technologies to advance the human, technical, and organization (HTO) readiness levels in adopting a risk-informed PdM strategy at commercial NPPs. In addition, this approach can be adapted to enhance the acceptability of AI in other nuclear applications with a few application-specific modifications. The technical approach ensuring wider adoption of AI technologies was developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL)—in collaboration with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), Nuclear, LLC—by utilizing the circulating water system (CWS) at two PSEG-owned plant sites for demonstration. Focused user studies were performed in collaboration with subject matter experts (SMEs) from PSEG and other nuclear domains to enhance human and organization readiness by building trust in AI-informed technologies. VIsualization for PrEdictive maintenance Recommendation (VIPER)—a Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, copyrighted software—was developed and expanded to provide a user-centric visualization by incorporating inputs from the collaborating utility, human factors engineering guidelines, and data analysts. The VIPER software enables users, who may be unfamiliar with ML in general, to be interactively engaged by asking technical questions about PdM, work orders, diagnosis results and their confidence levels, the kind of data being used, and the types of ML algorithms employed. This interactive engagement enhances explainability and builds trust. One of the enabling accomplishments was the integration of large language models (LLMs), both text-based and vision-based, in the VIPER software.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enabling Dynamic Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Physical Security Using EMRALD and MAAP

The optimization of physical security in nuclear power plants requires sophisticated methodologies that integrate operator actions and plant behavior through advanced simulation tools. To address this, Idaho National Laboratory [JL2.1]has developed the Modeling and Analysis for Safety and Security using the Dynamic EMRALD Framework (MASS-DEF) methodology, an approach that integrates force-on-force simulations, dynamic probabilistic risk assessment, and thermal-hydraulics modeling [JL3.1]to enhance security planning while reducing costs. We developed a tool that produces reduced order models using thermal hydraulic simulations from the Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP) [1]. These models can quickly evaluate reactor core behavior during attack simulations, and in so doing, address two barriers of traditional methods: (1) MAAP simulations are computationally intensive, and (2) attack scenarios must be run in a secure environment, which complicates analysis and validation. By precomputing scenario outcomes for a small number of modified parameters, the reduced order model significantly decreases the computational cost and enables offsite review of the results.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS2021

Hydrologic Baseline Conditions and Projected Trends for Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Barrier Island Complex

The purpose of this document is the creation of a comprehensive collection of data, information and knowledge on the eco-hydrologic setting, and current and predicted (2030 -2080) hydrologic conditions that will directly and indirectly influence the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) industrial and ecological system. Focus is on identification of existing data sources (web based, published, in-house) and identification of future possible needs. The document will aid in assessment of risks to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and stakeholder missions associated with changing local, regional and global conditions. This living document will allow for rapid updates as new data and improved spatial data (LiDAR elevations, land use, land cover, runoff coefficients, etc.) are accumulated by the Environmental Management Branch (EMB), stakeholders, and supporting staff from the NASA Environmental and Medical Contract (NEMCON) currently managed by Herndon Solutions Group LLC. (HSG).The report summarizes and visualizes hydrologic conditions supporting long-term trends monitoring, management and regulatory compliance needs, climate risk mitigation, and achievement of KSC and stakeholder’s sustainability goals. Future utility may extend to implementation actions of the KSC future development plan, KSC updates to future KSC Environmental Resource Documents (ERD), and the regional multi-agency Indian River Lagoon Health Initiative.

Carlton Hall↗
DOE OSTI2023

Mechanistic modeling of copper corrosions in data center environments

Air-side economizers are increasingly used to take advantage of “free-cooling” in data centers with the intent of reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. However, they can introduce outdoor pollutants to indoor environment of data centers and cause corrosion damage to the information technology equipment. Here, to evaluate the reliability of information technology equipment under various thermal and air-pollution conditions, a mechanistic model based on multi-ion transport and chemical reactions was developed. The model was used to predict Cu corrosion caused by Cl2-containing pollutant mixtures. It also accounted for the effects of temperature (25 °C and 28 °C), relative humidity (50%, 75%, and 95%), and synergism. It also identified higher air temperature as a corrosion barrier and higher relative humidity as a corrosion accelerator, which agreed well with the experimental results. The average root mean square error of the prediction was 13.7 Å. The model can be used to evaluate the thermal guideline for data centers design and operation when Cl2 is present based on pre-established acceptable risk of corrosion in data centers’ environment.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

HPC for the EEC: Industrial Trade Tools for the Aging Energy Infrastructure

The petrochemical and refining sectors are challenged with reliably delivering safer and cleaner energy to US consumers, while meeting an ever-growing global demand. The petrochemical and refining infrastructure in the USA is aging, and corrosion and damage mechanisms are constant threats to mechanical integrity, safety, and profitability. However, governments and industry stakeholders are reluctant to replace or upgrade the existing infrastructure due to the immense cost. To better understand and mitigate the risks of aging energy infrastructure, strong technical analysis capabilities, combined with optimized monitoring and decision making, is critical. Today, this is accomplished via complex simulations and data analysis. To this end, advanced High-Performance-Computing (HPC) software will be leveraged and integrated in easy-to-use industrial trade tools, to lower the barrier for new users, increase the ease of access for experienced users, and allow for smarter decisions to be made in the midstream and downstream energy sectors.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Digital-Threat Bias and Psychological Distance: Barriers to Foundational Digital-Security Improvement

Modern life is held together by a web of digital dependencies that enable and provide delivery of critical services and functions—think the provision of utilities such as electricity and water, as well as our dependency on digital services for social and economic services (internet, communication, etc.). As this dependency grows, the complexity related to the delivery of these critical services increases as well. As complexity increases, the understanding of the risk and impact associated with potential disruption, degradation, or destruction—due to either malicious or non-malicious events of those digitally enabled functions—decreases. One potential explanation for the difficulty to 1) understand the risks faced and 2) address them appropriately and effectively is the abstractness and psychological distance assigned to “digital threat.” The complexity of these digitally enabled services creates a perceived complicatedness; as a result, digital threats are treated differently than similarly devasting (but more easily understood) kinetic or physical threats. How we categorize these threats also matters. Acts of cyber-enabled sabotage to critical infrastructure need to be defined as irregular warfare. By inadequately defining the threat, we compound the problem. Acknowledging this digital-threat bias is foundational to improving the ability to protect critical infrastructure. Using construal-level theory and psychological-distance concepts provides an intriguing starting point to address these issues, to reframe the challenges faced, and pursue more effective critical infrastructure security and defense policy.

29 - ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Policy Reforms to Unleash Domestic Critical Minerals Mining and Processing

The United States faces growing strategic and economic risks due to its limited ability to mine, process, and refine the minerals required for national defense, energy systems, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Although the country possesses significant geological resources, development has been slowed by long and unpredictable permitting timelines, fragmented regulatory responsibilities, limited midstream processing capacity, and a shrinking technical workforce. These structural barriers have created supply chain vulnerabilities that constrain industrial growth and reduce national resilience. This report presents a comprehensive set of reforms intended to modernize the nation’s approach to critical minerals. The recommendations address federal permitting, environmental review processes, the legal framework governing mining activities, interagency coordination, domestic processing and refining capacity, and the education and workforce systems needed to support long term industry development. The analysis emphasizes practical steps to shorten project timelines, improve regulatory clarity, expand processing infrastructure, enable recovery from both conventional and nontraditional sources, and update outdated requirements that hinder the development of essential materials. Taken together, the recommended reforms would strengthen domestic supply chains, improve investment certainty, and reduce dependence on external minerals and processing infrastructure. By aligning policy, regulatory frameworks, and workforce capabilities with national needs, the United States can build a more resilient and secure critical minerals ecosystem that supports long term economic competitiveness and technological leadership.

29 - ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Impact of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) on the Sorption of Nd(III), Th{sup (IV)}, and U(VI) onto Dolomite in WIPP-Relevant Brines, GWB and ERDA-6 - 20356

Storage of legacy, transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) requires accurate risk models for performance assessments. These models must predict the long-term fate and transport of contaminants in the WIPP and surrounding environment. Laboratory support is necessary for the development of an accurate model through better understanding of contaminant behavior in the WIPP. The WIPP is a deep geologic repository that is characterized by high ionic strength due to evaporite deposits in the Salado formation (porewaters up to 7.4 M). High concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl{sub 2}), and magnesium chloride (MgCl{sub 2}) are particularly of concern due to their potential impact on solubility and ultimately transport of contaminants of concern. Additionally, ligands capable of forming strong complexes with metals are found in significant concentrations in the WIPP environment due to their disposal from waste processing and formation during degradation of repository components (e.g. cellulose degradation by calcium hydroxide in cement). Consequently, there is a need to investigate the fate and transport of contaminants in the WIPP environment with a focus on the effects of high ionic strength and strongly coordinating ligands. Contaminants of high concern include the actinides (U(VI), Pu(IV), and Am(III)). Laboratory support of the WIPP modeling efforts was provided by this research. A series of batch experiments were utilized to study the impact of ionic strength, contaminant concentration, and the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on the sorption of Nd(III), Th(IV), and U(VI) onto dolomite, a carbonate mineral found within the Culebra formation. The Culebra formation is the most transmissive layer above the WIPP, making transport of contaminants the most likely route in previous risk assessments. Two brines specifically designed to imitate conditions within the WIPP environment were used in these experiments. The U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration Well 6 (ERDA-6, 95%) brine simulates a low Mg environment, while the generic weep brine (GWB, 95%) simulates the WIPP environment with a high Mg concentration. Mg is added to the repository in the form of MgO as an engineered barrier and is naturally present in some formations. It is expected to scavenge carbonate from solutions decreasing formation of the highly soluble and competitive uranium-carbonate complexes. EDTA is used during manipulations of nuclear materials due to its ability to form strong, stable complexes with the actinides and may be found in high concentrations (up to 0.08 mM) within the WIPP as waste canisters degrade. Further, it may provide additional avenues for unwanted transport of contaminants. Nd(III) and Th(IV) were used as stable analogues of Am(III) and Pu(IV), respectively, to represent the most common oxidation states of actinides in the WIPP environment in addition to U(VI). The potential for colloid formation was also investigated with low and high concentrations of contaminants (10 and 1000 μg/L) using three size-dependent particle separation steps. The results of this research provide a better understanding of potential behavior of actinides in the presence of EDTA and within WIPP-relevant brines. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Self-Healing Films for Vacuum Insulation Panels (Final Report)

Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) have an extremely high thermal resistance of around R35/inch, which makes them ideal for building envelope retrofits and prefabricated construction with space constraints. However, the barrier film that maintains the vacuum and thermal performance of the panel can be easily damaged during transportation, installation, and service life. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed a self-healable barrier film for VIPs that instantly self-heals damages caused by punctures. The multi-layer barrier film is manufactured using roll-to-roll (R2R) methods. The self-healing barrier film prevents loss of vacuum in VIPs and maintains the exceptional thermal insulation performance. Enhanced durability of VIP by self-healable barrier film and establishing the commercialization path will increase the use of VIPs, thus reducing overall energy usage of buildings. This project has fine-tuned the slurry chemistry of the self-healing components and transitioned the R2R manufacturing trials from mid-scale lab equipment to large-scale industrial equipment for de-risking the technology for commercialization with our TCF CRADA partner, FLEXcon.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2026

Stereo-vision thermal imaging system for tracking flying animals in wind farm areas (CRADA #763) Abstract

CRADA 763: abstract ThermalTracker-3D (TT3D) is a stereo vision thermal imaging system that provides 3D flight information on detected birds, bats, and other flying targets. The system was initially developed for use in the siting and monitoring of offshore wind projects to establish pre-construction and operation collision risk data but can be applied to terrestrial wind energy projects as well as national security monitoring. This technology will reduce monitoring cost, decrease processing time, and provide more accurate data for wind energy developers/operators and regulatory agencies. While the current technology is at a high level of readiness, Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7, there remain several barriers to commercialization, particularly around ease-of-use, that result in a low Adoption Readiness Level (ARL). The proposed work will advance commercialization readiness by streamlining calibration methods for built systems. This work will:1. 1. develop a software package for factory and dynamic calibration processes 2. test that package with existing prototype TT3D systems, and 3. conduct outreach with industry end-users.

ThermalTracker↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integrating Safety, Security, and Nuclear Operations for Advanced Reactors

The traditional separation between safety, security, and operations teams has created significant barriers to achieving optimal outcomes. When security considerations are introduced late in the design process, they often conflict with already-established architectural, operational, or engineering parameters. Retrofitting security measures can lead to increased costs, schedule delays, and compromises in security effectiveness. For instance, the need to retrofit physical barriers or surveillance systems often results in trade-offs that could have been avoided with earlier input from security professionals. Delayed integration can also affect regulatory processes and result in licensing delays. Security reviews conducted at later stages frequently identify gaps that necessitate significant redesign efforts, impacting not only scope, schedule, and budget, but also adding risk and lowering stakeholder confidence in the project. This paper aims to address these challenges by identifying practical opportunities for integrating security considerations seamlessly with design and operations teams throughout the entire lifecycle of nuclear facilities—from conceptual design to commissioning and beyond. The research emphasizes the value of early and continuous collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that security measures are robust, operationally effective, and cost-efficient. By examining case studies, analyzing past incidents, and leveraging best practices from other high-security industries, this study highlights actionable strategies for bridging the gap between safety, security, and operations teams.

Zineddin, Dr. Z. [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000848740725)↗
DOE OSTI2021

DOE Deep Energy Retrofit Cost Survey

A survey was conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on deep energy retrofit (DER) market drivers, opportunities, and challenges. The survey was part a research study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy to gather information on the costs of DER from home performance contractors and stakeholders. Cost data was gathered from DER projects that use a comprehensive, whole-home approach to drastically reduce energy use and improve performance. DER projects often aim at reducing energy use by 50% or more. In addition, these projects can improve home comfort and potentially benefiting occupant health. Yet, market adoption of DER has been limited. Major limiting factors include complex projects, high costs, perceived risks, extensive disruption, and unfamiliar work scopes to some contractors. In order to better understand what motivates and deters DER projects in today’s market, a survey was conducted to gather this information, and to learn about promising approaches and technologies from the industry perspective. Past surveys on homeowners and home energy performance professionals have studied the motivations and barriers of energy efficiency retrofits. Two surveys of home energy performance professionals were conducted in recent years. The Resources for the Future (RFF) Home Energy Audit and Retrofit Survey was conducted in 2011 by recruiting energy auditors and retrofit installers through members of Efficiency First and Building Performance Institute (BPI) accredited contractors. The survey asked about the business and services that respondents provide, how often homeowners follow their recommendations to retrofit their homes, and the respondents’ opinion on barriers faced by the industry. The survey found that not enough homeowners know about energy audits, but more importantly, it is the high cost of retrofits compared to low energy prices that is responsible for few energy audits and retrofits being completed. The RESNET Deep Retrofit Industry Stakeholder Survey was conducted shortly after launching of the EnergySmart Home Performance Team program. The EnergySmart Team program involves a formal agreement among allied contractors who are engaged in high performance retrofits. Using this allied team approach, teams can pool their expertise and provide each other with customer referrals. The survey asked EnergySmart Team members and outside stakeholders on questions about market and technical barriers in performing home energy retrofits. Survey respondents identified lack of consumer awareness and lack of affordable financing for consumers as the leading market barriers to home energy retrofits. In their written comments, many survey respondents also echoed that the high costs of retrofit compared to low energy prices is a market barrier. Respondents found “certain housing characteristics that prevent effective retrofit” and “energy analysis software inaccuracy or limitations” are the two leading technical barriers. Their choices for technical barriers were reflective of the energy rater/auditor role played by the majority (78%) of the survey respondents. In comparison to past surveys, this work aimed to gather inputs from a broader segment of the home performance industry to identify the opportunities and barriers faced by DERs from all perspectives. The survey asks for project costs to help breakdown the high costs of DERs. This survey is also motivated by a need to better understand the role of DERs in reducing energy use by the residential sectors and meeting climate goals. The survey is designed towards obtaining more substantive inputs from survey respondents by encouraging written comments, rather than setting the goal to reach a large number of respondents. We took this approach because DER is currently still a niche market, so it is more valuable to gather in-depth inputs from individuals who are performing this work rather than getting to the masses.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗