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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 OSTI2022

Community-Scale AHA Go Solar Initiative and Net Zero Initiative

The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is a sovereign, federally acknowledged Indian Tribe. The Tribal Council created the Akwesasne Housing Authority (AHA) by ordinance in July 1984 and has designated the AHA as its agency for purposes of administering the Tribe’s Indian Housing Block Grant under the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act of 1996. The Go Solar project will install approximately 615 kilowatts (kW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities to serve housing related buildings on the Tribe’s reservation and use net metering programs to reduce the energy costs for AHA and Tribal members by up to $\$$4,417,501 over the life of the project. AHA will initiate four (4) net zero buildings: two (2) new net zero low-income housing buildings located at Sunrise Acres III, which include the Veterans Supportive Housing Building and the Seniors Supportive Housing building, and one (1) older, existing net zero building used by the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club (ABGC Building), and (1) Tribal Administration Building.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tracking and Positioning System for Floating Solar (CRADA Abstract)

The project goal is to develop a floating solar photovoltaics (FPV) tracking & position system that: (1) increases annual energy production of FPV projects by >10%, (2) lowers levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for FPV by >10%, and (3) leverages U.S. contract supply chain & manufacturing. The outcome of the project will be a certified tracking product that has undergone extensive field testing and is ready for commercial sales. The primary objectives for each budget period are: • BP1: Define product requirements, develop initial controls architecture and design other sub-components, complete small-scale pilot testing, install a larger-scale pilot, secure sites for commercial pilots, and develop the beta-version of a user portal. • BP2: complete control system and sub-component design, successful demonstration and testing at a commercial pilot, certification & bankability, finalize user portal, and complete various commercialization activities related to supply chain, customer acquisition, and sales. PNNL will provide support during both project phases for prototype development and testing of the controls architecture, software, and hardware components of the tracking and positioning system. PNNL will provide support during both project phases for prototype development and testing of the controls architecture, software, and hardware components of the tracking and positioning system. This effort represents PNNL’s first opportunity to support the floating solar photovoltaics (FPV) industry with capabilities, facilities, and personnel developed to contribute to the marine energy (e.g., wave and tidal energy) sector. This portfolio expansion leverages internal and DOE EERE investments and the growing visibility of PNNL-Sequim’s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory (MCRL) and our marine research capabilities, in general. The development of effective and low-cost FPV platforms is a potential way to increase the nation’s set of tools for providing emission-free electricity without utilizing valuable terrestrial resources. Successful commercialization of such a project may lead to economic benefits through job creation, supply chain creation, and access to a cheaper source of electricity.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Novel Resilience-Oriented Cellular Grid Formation Approach for Distribution Systems with Behind-the-Meter Distributed Energy Resources

This paper presents a resilience-oriented cellular grid formation approach to achieve scalable and reconfigurable community microgrid operations for distribution systems with behind-the-meter distributed energy resources. A set of interconnected solar photovoltaics, energy storage systems, and load is termed as a cell, implying a subset of the grid that can operate independently using its own resources. Cells are identified such that each cell inherently has sufficient energy resources to black start and can provide a certain level of backup power for its load under the loss of utility power supply. The proposed cell formation approach builds on a unique self-organizing map-based method (SomRes) to quantify a system's resilience. Using SomRes and a non-dominated sorting-based genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), a fast and efficient cell formation algorithm is developed to identify cells in a distribution system that are resilient against extreme events. The efficacy of the proposed approach is demonstrated on a numerical model of a real distribution feeder in Colorado, United States.

distributed energy resource↗
DOE OSTI2023

Pioneer WEC concept design report

The "Pioneer WEC" project is targeted at developing a wave energy generator for the Coastal Surface Mooring (CSM) system within the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Pioneer Array. The CSM utilizes solar photovoltaic and wind generation systems, along with rechargeable batteries, to power multiple sensors on the buoy and along the mooring line. This approach provides continuous power for essential controller functions and a subset of instruments, and meets the full power demand roughly 70% of the time. Sandia has been tasked with designing a wave energy system to provide additional electrical power and bring the CSM up-time for satisfying the full-power demand to 100%. This project is a collaboration between Sandia and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), along with Evergreen Innovations, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Eastern Carolina University (ECU), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This report captures Phase I of an expected two phase project and presents project scoping and concept design results.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2022

Solid-State Transformer and Hybrid Transformer With Integrated Energy Storage in Active Distribution Grids: Technical and Economic Comparison, Dispatch, and Control

Solid-state transformer (SST) and hybrid transformer (HT) are promising alternatives to the line-frequency transformer (LFT) in smart grids. The SST features medium-frequency isolation, full controllability for voltage regulation, reactive power compensation, and the capability of battery energy storage system (BESS) integration with multiport configuration. The HT has a partially-rated converter for fractional controllability and can integrate a small BESS. Fast grid-edge voltage fluctuations from increased solar photovoltaic (PV) and electric vehicle (EV) penetration are difficult to manage for mechanical load tap changers. Hence, along with the trend towards more BESS in the grid, the controllability and the storage integration capability of the SST and HT are of strong interest. However, a review of literature shows existing SST and HT research is mostly at converter level, while system-level assessments are scarce. Assessing technical and economic impacts is critical to understanding the benefits and role of the SST and HT to guide future research, which is presented for the first time in this article. Experimental results from medium-voltage (MV) SST and MV HT prototypes are shown to confirm equipment-level feasibility, where the voltage controllability waveforms of a MV HT prototype are reported for the first time. Comparative simulations are performed on a modified IEEE 34-bus system. Here, a grid-model-less decentralized grid-edge voltage control method and a day-ahead BESS dispatch method are proposed for the SST and HT. The simulations show that the SST and HT with integrated storage can host more PV, achieve peak shaving, mitigate voltage fluctuation and reverse power flow, and support energy arbitrage for operational cost reduction, as compared to the LFT. Moreover, comprehensive analyses of net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) are performed under different installed PV capacities, HT’s partial converter ratings, and BESS capacities. Sensitivities to future cost reductions of the PV and BESS are studied. Although the NPV and IRR are currently negative, 60% capital cost reduction or 150% revenue increase will make the SST and HT economically viable in the use case studied.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Wind Conditions for Solar Energy Facility Design Based on Field Measurements at Nevada Solar One

This study characterises near-surface wind conditions at the Nevada Solar One (NSO) concentrated solar power plant using two years of measurements from a 15-m mast located 30 m west of the solar arrays. The surrounding terrain is fairly flat within 3 km, but nearby solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) installations introduce strong directional wind inhomogeneity, which motivates a sector-based analysis that distinguishes undisturbed inflow from waked flow. The analysis uses data from three sonic anemometers to assess whether turbulence in the surface layer can be represented as Gaussian and whether standard surface-layer scaling remains valid below 10 m height. The roughness length and displacement height are estimated for twelve directional sectors under near-neutral wind conditions, and all three velocity components show departures from Gaussian behaviour. Spectral analysis indicates that the turbulence contains low-frequency fluctuations with amplitudes higher than those predicted by standard models such as the Kaimal model or the Simiu and Scanlan model. The study introduces a new turbulence spectral model based on the eddy-surface-layer framework to better represent near-surface wind turbulence. The analysis further quantifies the influence of the surrounding power plants on mean wind profiles, one-point spectra, and vertical coherence for all velocity components. The solar collector arrays located 30 m east of the mast significantly modify the turbulence structure, whereas PV installations situated a few hundred metres away have only a limited influence on the turbulence measured at the mast. These findings highlight the limitations of conventional turbulence models for near-surface wind over solar infrastructure and provide improved parameterisations to support the structural design. The implications for the structural response of parabolic troughs and PV modules to such turbulence remain uncertain and require further investigation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Development of Tools Training and Outreach to Address Solar Glare and Flux-Related Avian Impacts

Millions of dollars and significant resources are being spent by developers of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants to address federal and local requirements regarding glare and avian hazards. Solar glare can occur from the glass surfaces of PV modules and from mirrors in CSP systems, which can produce safety and health risks for pilots, motorists, and residents located near these systems. In addition, concentrated solar flux at CSP plants has the potential to singe birds as they fly through regions of high solar flux. This work will develop tools to characterize and mitigate these potential hazards, which will address regulatory policies and reduce costs and efforts associated with the proposed deployment of gigawatts of solar energy systems throughout the nation. The development of standardized and publicly available tools to address these regulatory policies and ensure public and environmental safety is an appropriate role for the government.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhanced convection for higher module and system efficiency (Final Technical Report)

The goal of this work is to develop new solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and solar system-scale designs that promote an increase of the convective heat transfer coefficient of at least 40%, reducing the operating temperature of the solar PV panels, and leading to a boost on the annual energy yield by at least 5%. By achieving this goal, we further foresee decreasing solar panel degradation by +0.3%/year, reducing the LCOE by 2.9-4.5¢/kWh. Currently, this question and/or approach is not considered though it is a relevant factor in performance/efficiency. The technology proposed will be at a mature stage by the end of the project and could be aligned to be proven on a full-field test. PV users, installers and manufacturers will be interested in the technology due to the aforementioned benefits. The work was conducted through a suite of wind tunnel experiments, numerical simulations and field experiments. These were then evaluated through a correlation encompassing the entire data set and implementing findings into NREL SAM. The work resulted in eight peer reviewed publications with three others in preparation. The key results of the project are 1.) Showing the capability of increasing the solar farm power production by increasing the heat transfer coefficient; 2.) Providing strategies for achieving this through large scale arrangement manipulation (heights, spacings, angles), flow deflectors and vortex generators; 3.) Demonstrating scalability of results by comparing numerical simulations, wind tunnel experiments and field experiments; 4.) Providing a correlation to be able to capture the various arrangements while exploiting the heat transfer coefficient; and 5.) Proving the feasibility of such strategies and their capacity through a comprehensive techno-economic analysis. For the heat transfer coefficients, gains of 40% were attained and increases in power in the excess of 5% were observed. For heat mitigation strategies, consideration at the PV array scale were inter-panel spacing, panel height and panel angles while at the module level, wind breaks such as solid walls and selected gaps were evaluated as well as vortex generators on the panel. All proposed strategies saw an increase in heat transfer coefficient. For scalability, results were compared against field experiments and a correlation for the heat transfer quantity was attained leading to a parametric understanding of the variations and impact in the heat transfer coefficient independent of tools implemented (wind tunnel/numerical simulations). The strategies were also further assessed by a technoeconomic analysis finding improvements based on LCOE with respect to location (several states with varies atmospheric conditions/geographic locations) yielded different results. Improvements on this end were also observed especially towards the colder climates and when considering bi-facial modules. The quantitative demonstrations of such conclusions are provided in the main portion of this document with complementary results and their narration. Milestones and go/no-go points were successfully met in the project.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Navy Ratchets Up Resilience Through Agency/Utility Collaboration

The Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Mississippi Power Company (MPC) have integrated a 15-acre solar photovoltaic (PV) array, battery storage, and backup generation with an innovative microgrid. The Navy and utility teams are helping ensure mission readiness at NCBC while increasing renewable energy generation on the grid in MPC's service area. The NCBC/MPC resilience effort will allow the base to more effectively deploy disaster recovery activities in the event of a grid outage.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Annual Technology Baseline: The 2021 Electricity Update [Slides]

Consistent cost and performance data for various electricity generation technologies can be difficult to find and may change frequently for certain technologies. With the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory annually provides an organized and centralized set of such cost and performance data. The ATB uses the best information from the Department of Energy national laboratories' renewable energy analysts. The ATB has been reviewed by experts and it includes the following electricity generation technologies: land-based wind, offshore wind, utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), commercial-scale solar PV, PV plus storage, residential-scale solar PV, concentrating solar power, geothermal power, hydropower, utility-scale battery storage, coal, and natural gas. EIA data for nuclear and conventional biopower are included for reference. This webinar presentation introduces the 2021 update to the ATB Electricity data and documentation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Annual Technology Baseline: The 2022 Electricity Update

Consistent cost and performance data for various electricity generation technologies can be difficult to find and may change frequently for certain technologies. With the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory annually provides an organized and centralized set of such cost and performance data. The ATB uses the best information from the Department of Energy national laboratories' renewable energy analysts. The ATB has been reviewed by experts and it includes the following electricity generation and storage technologies: land-based wind, offshore wind, distributed wind, utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), commercial-scale solar PV, residential-scale solar PV, concentrating solar power, geothermal power, hydropower, utility-scale battery storage, commercial battery storage, residential battery storage, pumped storage hydropower, coal, and natural gas. EIA data for nuclear and conventional biopower are included for reference. This webinar presentation introduces the 2022 update to the ATB Electricity data and documentation.

capacity factor↗
DOE OSTI2026

Supply Chain for Photovoltaics in the United States: 2024 in Review

Solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies are two immediately available options for meeting U.S. electricity demands, which are increasing due to expansion of loads from end uses including data centers, buildings, vehicles, and factories. Globally, PV and BESS supply chains are dominated by products manufactured in China and elsewhere by Chinese companies. However, U.S. PV and BESS manufacturing have recently grown, with some capacity in each step of the PV supply chain, albeit not enough to currently meet demand with domestic manufacturing alone. This study analyzes U.S. PV supply chains and costs in 2024, for the crystalline silicon and cadmium telluride module supply chains. The full report additionally addresses the PV balance of system, inverter and BESS supply chains. The study concludes with an analysis of technology installation trends, government support for domestic manufacturing, manufacturing jobs, and the domestic content of PV systems installed in the United States in 2024.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Vegetation Management Cost and Maintenance Implications of Different Ground Covers at Utility-Scale Solar Sites

Utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) is the largest and fastest-growing sector of the solar energy market, and plays an important role in ensuring that state and local jurisdictions can meet renewable energy targets. Potential adverse environmental impacts of utility-scale solar PV are well-documented, and the effects of diverse mitigation and dual land use strategies under the banner of ’low-impact solar’ are justly receiving more attention; this article seeks to contribute to improving understanding of this topic. Capital costs for different PV configurations are well-documented; however, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for vegetation management at low-impact utility-scale solar PV sites are not as well-understood, particularly as they compare to costs for sites that use more conventional ground cover practices, such as turfgrass or gravel. After a literature review of different vegetation strategies and O&M cost considerations, we collected data from utility-scale solar PV O&M stakeholders, including site owners/operators, O&M service providers, vegetation maintenance companies, and solar graziers, on costs and activities associated with vegetation management at low-impact, agrivoltaic, and conventional PV sites. In this paper, we perform data analysis to detail the per-activity and total O&M costs for vegetation management at PV sites with different ground covers and management practices, providing the most comprehensive and detailed assessment of PV vegetation O&M costs to date. For the 54 sites included in our analysis, we found that while the per-acre and per-kilowattdc (kWdc) costs for individual activities, such as mowing, trimming, and herbicide application at native or pollinator friendly ground covers, were lower than at turfgrass sites, the total combined vegetation O&M costs were slightly higher; this is presumably because more individual activities are required for the first 3–5 years of vegetation establishment. Qualitative results include recommendations from data providers for site and system design, and ongoing vegetation management operations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

SolarSMART 2020 Georgia Survey

The SolarSMART 2020 Georgia Survey dataset provides results from a survey of 1,544 residents of the State of Georgia above the age of 18 on their perceptions of photovoltaic solar energy. The survey includes the following: demographic information for each respondent, their location in the state (by ZIP Code); the type of house they reside within; whether they have or have not adopted solar energy (and if so, how did they adopt solar energy); their personal views and perceptions of solar energy both for themselves and within their community; and their perceptions of who within Georgia and across the United States would or would not be inclined to adopt solar. Respondents were asked to provide their responses to questions addressing the following issues as they pertained to both themselves and their perceptions of others (Georgians and Americans writ large): (a) perception of how home type shape solar adoption; (b) perceptions of personal values (interpersonal, political, environmental); (c) the design of solar and the marketing of it; (d) financial dimensions of adopting solar energy; (d) and favorability towards new technologies. This data was collected via an online survey through a third-party distributor between June and September of 2020. Respondents were from 151 of the 159 counties of the State of Georgia, with representation of both urban and rural residents. In total, the dataset includes 171 variables, with one being an open-ended question coded by the research team. Variables include demographic characteristics (personal, housing, location), multiple-choice single answer, ranked-choice responses to different statements about solar, and a series of two digital map exercises where respondents highlighted geographic regions (states or parts of Georgia) based on whether the believe residents there do, do not, or they do not know if the respondents do or do not adopt solar.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Best Practices Handbook for the Collection and Use of Solar Resource Data for Solar Energy Applications: Fourth Edition

As the world increasingly seeks low-carbon energy solutions, solar power emerges as the most abundant resource on our planet. However, the challenge of effectively harnessing this energy is crucial in the coming years. Solar energy applications such as photovoltaics, solar heating and cooling, and concentrating solar power use different technologies to capitalize on sunlight. Each system has unique capabilities and requirements, underscoring the need for reliable information about solar resources across diverse installations, from residential rooftops to large-scale power plants. This is especially important for substantial projects, often exceeding $1 billion in construction costs. Before embarking on such ventures, it is imperative to obtain accurate data concerning solar resource quality and reliability at specific sites. Developers require detailed historical information, including seasonal, daily, hourly, and, ideally, subhourly variability to effectively predict a power plant's annual performance. Without these vital data, financial analyses fall short. Moreover, with the growing adoption of distributed photovoltaics, integrating these generation sources becomes critical to maintaining grid reliability and stability. By accurately forecasting generation patterns, utilities and system operators can facilitate greater integration of solar energy, thus ensuring the operational stability of the grid. The complexity and importance of these issues have prompted the foremost experts in the field to collaborate under the auspices of the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) Task 16 to publish this handbook, which summarizes state-of-the-art information about all these topics. The efforts focus on providing reliable data and insights that can help shape our investments in solar energy and drive a sustainable future.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Annual Technology Baseline: The 2024 Electricity Update

Consistent cost and performance data for various electricity generation technologies can be difficult to find and may change frequently for certain technologies. With the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory annually provides an organized and centralized set of such cost and performance data. The ATB uses the best information from the Department of Energy national laboratories' energy analysts. The ATB has been reviewed by experts and it includes the following electricity generation and storage technologies: land-based wind, offshore wind, distributed wind, utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), commercial-scale solar PV, residential-scale solar PV, concentrating solar power, geothermal power, hydropower, utility-scale battery storage, commercial battery storage, residential battery storage, pumped storage hydropower, nuclear, coal, and natural gas. EIA data for conventional biopower are included for reference. This webinar presentation introduces the 2024 update to the ATB Electricity data and documentation.

battery storage↗
DOE OSTI2021

Combined Land Use of Solar Infrastructure and Agriculture for Socioeconomic and Environmental Co-Benefits in the Tropics

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are on the rise even in areas of low solar insolation. However, in developing countries with limited capital, land scarcity, or with geographically isolated agrarian communities, large solar infrastructures are often impractical. In these cases, implementation of low-density PV over existing crops may be required to integrate renewable energy services into rural communities. Here, using Indonesia as a model system, we investigated the land use, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, economic feasibility, and the environmental co-benefits associated with off-grid solar PV when combined with high value crop cultivation. The life cycle analyses indicate that small-scale dual land-use systems are economically viable in certain configurations and have the potential to provide several co-benefits including rural electrification, retrofitting diesel electricity generation, and electricity for processing agricultural products locally. A hypothetical full-density off-grid solar PV for a model village in Indonesia shows that electricity output (1907.5 GJ yr-1) is much higher than the total residential consumption (678 GJ yr-1), highlighting the opportunity to downscale the PV infrastructure by half to lower capital cost, to co-locate crops, and to support secondary income generating activities. Economic analysis shows that the 30-year net present cost of electricity from the half-density co-located PV system (12,257 million IDR) is significantly lower than that of the flat cost of diesel required to generate equivalent electricity (14,702 million IDR). Our analysis provides insights for smarter energy planning by optimizing the efficiency of land use and limiting conversion of agricultural and forested areas for energy production.

agrivoltaics↗