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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 OSTI2021

A Guide to Updating Interconnection Rules and Incorporating IEEE Standard 1547

The intent of this paper is to support local authorities in adopting the most current technical requirements for interconnecting distributed energy resources (DERs) to the electric distribution system as specified in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources with Associated Electric Power Systems Interfaces (IEEE Std 1547-2018). To create interconnection rules that successfully address policy goals, market trends, and technical requirements, state regulators need to be well informed of DER integration considerations. Interconnection processes and technical issues often overlap; the two are not easily segregated, and they are often considered and evaluated concurrently within the context of interconnection rulemaking. Accordingly, this paper addresses both the technical issues and related process considerations. A lack of uniform and transparent procedures for addressing interconnection rule changes can result in implementation issues or inefficiencies, such as unclear, lengthy, and complicated interconnection rules that can increase distributed generation "soft costs" (i.e., non-hardware costs). This can further delay the deployment of DERs and jeopardize time-constrained national and state policy goals, such as renewable energy targets, or limit participation in emerging techno-economic trends. Additionally, misconstructed interconnection rules are at risk of becoming mired in stakeholder conflicts. This guide addresses the concerns of electric service regulators from both the process and technical standpoints by presenting a structured, step-by-step approach to developing and updating existing interconnection rules. In this document, the process of developing and updating interconnection rules is subdivided into three steps: (1) determining the context (stakeholders and major drivers); (2) developing the rule, including updating technical requirements; and (3) maintaining and revising the rule over time.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Frequency Response Assessment and Enhancement of the U.S. Power Grids towards Extra-High Photovoltaic Generation Penetrations – an Industry Perspective

Nonsynchronous generations such as photovoltaics (PVs) are expected to undermine bulk power systems (BPSs)' frequency response at high penetration levels. Though the underlying mechanism has been relatively well understood, the accurate assessment and effective enhancement of the U.S. interconnections, frequency response under extra-high PV penetration conditions remains an issue. In this paper, the industry-provided full-detail interconnection models were further validated by synchrophasor frequency measurements and realistically-projected PV geographic distribution information were used to develop extra-high PV penetration scenarios and dynamic models for the three main U.S. interconnections, including Eastern Interconnection (EI), Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Up to 65% instantaneous PV and 15% wind penetration were simulated and the frequency response change trend of each U.S. interconnection due to the increasing PV penetration level were examined. Most importantly, the practical solutions to address the declining frequency response were discussed. This paper will provide valuable guidance for policy makers, utility operators and academic researchers not only in the U.S. but also other countries in the world.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Hardware-in-the-loop grid simulator system and method

A hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) electrical grid simulation system and method that combines a reactive divider with a variable frequency converter to better mimic and control expected and unexpected parameters in an electrical grid. The invention provides grid simulation in a manner to allow improved testing of variable power generators, such as wind turbines, and their operation once interconnected with an electrical grid in multiple countries. The system further comprises an improved variable fault reactance (reactive divider) capable of providing a variable fault reactance power output to control a voltage profile, therein creating an arbitrary recovery voltage. The system further comprises an improved isolation transformer designed to isolate zero-sequence current from either a primary or secondary winding in a transformer or pass the zero-sequence current from a primary to a secondary winding.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Packaged Combined Heat and Power Technology Overview and Market Profile

Combined heat and power (CHP), sometimes referred to as cogeneration, is an efficient and clean approach to generating electric power and useful thermal energy onsite from a single fuel source, offering reliable and affordable energy services to businesses and institutions. Furthermore, CHP provides a cost effective opportunity to improve the environmental footprint and resilience of industrial and commercial facilities across the United States. CHP equipment can be custom-engineered or installed as a predesigned and assembled package. A packaged CHP system is a standardized, pre-engineered system that includes all equipment, piping, wiring, and ancillary components to deliver electricity and thermal energy to a host facility with minimal onsite engineering and design time. Packaged CHP systems can be shipped as single or multiple modules with standard interconnections (e.g., fuel; electrical; thermal—hot water, steam, and/or chilled water), which simplifies installation and reduces the costs associated with the project. Most containerized or single packaged CHP system offerings range from 10 kW to 3 MW in capacity. Packaged CHP systems are extending the operating, efficiency, and emissions benefits of CHP to nontraditional markets in commercial, institutional, multifamily, light manufacturing, government, and military applications. These markets tend to be served by smaller systems (less than 5 MW) that are conducive to pre-engineered packaging and/or modularization. Many of these sectors have limited CHP experience and technical resources to adequately evaluate, install, and maintain onsite CHP systems. The introduction of packaged CHP offerings from experienced CHP Packagers and Solution Providers has accelerated CHP adoption, lowered energy costs, reduced emissions, and strengthened energy resilience in these sectors. In 2019, the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Packaged CHP eCatalog to promote increased acceptance of efficient, cost-effective CHP in these applications. The Packaged CHP eCatalog is a web-based, searchable platform that hosts DOE-recognized packaged CHP systems with features designed to reduce economic and performance risks for designers, developers, owners, and facility operators interested in installing CHP. DOE established the Packaged CHP Accelerator at the same time to help launch and publicize the eCatalog, and to validate project performance, cost, and installation time of CHP packages across a variety of applications. Accelerator efforts documented installed cost reductions and installation time reductions of more than 20% for packaged CHP systems over 100 kW compared with custom-engineered systems. The Packaged CHP Accelerator and eCatalog established a peer-to-peer network connecting public and private sector partners including utilities, state energy offices, and energy efficiency program administrators interested in promoting cost-effective, efficient CHP systems, Packagers, and Solution Providers. Feedback from these partners, along with input from DOE’s CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships (CHP TAPs), was critical in understanding the current market for packaged CHP technologies, stimulating investment in these technologies, and guiding future directions for packaged CHP systems and their applications. This report provides background on packaged CHP systems, an overview of their benefits, a profile of current packaged CHP installations, and a summary of future market trends; this report is intended for facility owners, project developers, engineers, policymakers, and other stakeholders looking to increase the adoption of efficient, flexible, and resilient packaged CHP systems.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1980

Coolidge solar powered irrigation pumping project

A 150 kW solar thermal electric power plant which includes over 2100 square meters of parabolic trough type collectors and an organic Rankine cycle turbine engine was constructed on an irrigated farm. The plant is interconnected with the electrical utility grid. Operation is providing an evaluation of equipment performance and operating and maintenance requirements as well as the desirability of an on farm location.

Larson, D. L.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Renewable Electricity Futures: Operational Analysis of the Western Interconnection at Very High Renewable Penetrations

The goal of this work was to perform a detailed, sub-hourly analysis of very high penetration scenarios for a single interconnection (the Western Interconnection). The scenarios analyzed for this study included a variety of generation infrastructure buildouts and power system operational assumptions, with three different portfolios of renewable generators. The primary conclusion of this study is that sub-hourly operation of the grid is possible with renewable generation levels between 80% and 90%. Dynamic studies will need to be done to understand any impacts on reliability during contingencies and transient events.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

In-situ determination of moisture- and temperature-driven deflection of an encapsulated Si photovoltaic cell

Module reliability and service lifetime are critical factors in improving photovoltaic system performance and reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Soldering and lamination of the cell impart residual stresses that persist over time and superimpose additional loads during operation. This paper demonstrates the use of X-ray Topography (XRT) to image in-situ the dynamic response of a glass/backsheet mini-module upon drying at elevated temperature after saturation at humidity levels compatible with accelerated testing. The local water content in the encapsulant is also determined in-situ over time via Water Reflectometric Detection (WaRD), with diffusion of water in the front (glass side) and rear (backsheet side) resolved. As water diffuses out from the back of the glass/backsheet module, the cell curves towards the backsheet concomitantly. Here we find that the cell edges deflect 40μm out-of-plane with respect to its center while the encapsulant dries, compared to ~100 μm deflection when heating from 25°C to 85°C. The local cell deflections (changes in cell orientation) are correlated with the dynamic loss of water in the backside encapsulant. We conclude that the observed cell deflections are the result of hygroscopic stress induced by the encapsulant upon moisture outdiffusion. Therefore, the cell experiences a continually changing stress state and curvature dependent on local humidity and temperature. Depending on cell architecture and interconnection, this “breathing” mode of the cell may induce wear out and fatigue of the interconnects, affect the electrical connection of cracked pieces or cause failure near the interconnected edges of two cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

SEIN: Breaking Barriers Resilient Energy System Analysis [Slides]

The Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) is a collaborative research program that supports multi-stakeholder teams in researching and sharing solutions to real-world challenges associated with solar energy adoption. The Breaking Barriers project was selected to participate in the Solar Energy Innovation Network, Round 2, and was led by Groundswell, a D.C.-based clean energy project developer. The Breaking Barriers team included Partnership for Southern Equity, Atlanta University Center campus facility managers and professors, the City of Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Unit T, and Georgia Power Company. The project aimed to design and construct innovative urban energy resiliency hubs integrating microgrid technology, solar generation, and energy storage in Atlanta colleges and communities. The hubs will help these historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the energy-burdened broader community in West Atlanta be more resilient, in addition to informing new course curricula at Atlanta University Center campuses. With many possible options for the system's battery size, the Breaking Barriers team needed insight into the relationships between BESS size, economic performance, and resilience at Spelman College's Manley Center. These insights are crucial for entering procurement negotiations with project developers, establishing resilience capabilities that the HBCU campuses can plan around, and guiding the team's fundraising targets. This analysis includes estimates of PV and battery performance, costs, savings, and resilience for multiple battery sizes. In order to provide power during a grid outage, the resilient energy system also needs to be connected to the Manley Center in a safe and island-able manner (electrically isolated from the grid). Analysis of potential electrical configurations and estimated setup costs is key to successfully entering a required interconnection agreement with Georgia Power, as well as informing requests for engineering firms to construct the system. This analysis includes conceptual options and rough order of magnitude cost estimates for electrically interconnecting the resilient energy system to the Manley Center and the grid. The Breaking Barriers team used this analysis to select preferred system characteristics and design for the resilient energy system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Developing a Power Plant Suitability Model for the Energy Zones Mapping Tool

This report provides an example of designing, developing, and running a power plant suitability model in the Energy Zones Mapping Tool (EZMT), a public, web-based mapping tool with a large spatial database focused on energy infrastructure, energy resources, and related siting factors. The example focuses on natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants, which have several unique and interesting characteristics. NGCC plants typically provide peaking power to the electrical grid. Such plants can be started or stopped relatively quickly and are often used to supplement base load plants (such as nuclear or coal) during times of peak electrical consumption or to counterbalance lulls in variable power generation (such as wind or solar). Due to these and other factors, NGCC plants have been projected to increase in number under energy planning studies such as Hadley et al. The scope of the Hadley et. al. study is the Eastern Interconnection (EI), the electrical transmission grid serving much of the United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. Results in the study are organized according to 22 Multi-region National—North American Electricity and Environment Model (NEEM) regions within the EI. NGCC plants usually have lower water requirements than other thermoelectric power plants they may replace; therefore, they are expected to have an interesting role in reducing the overall water requirements of energy generation.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Co-Planning of Investments in Transmission and Merchant Energy Storage

We observe suitably located energy storage systems are able to collect significant revenue through spatiotemporal arbitrage in congested transmission networks. However, transmission capacity expansion can significantly reduce or eliminate this source of revenue. Investment decisions by merchant storage operators must, therefore, account for the consequences of potential investments in transmission capacity by central planners. This paper presents a tri-level model to co-optimize merchant electrochemical storage siting and sizing with centralized transmission expansion planning. The upper level takes the merchant storage owner's perspective and aims to maximize the lifetime profits of the storage, while ensuring a given rate of return on investments. The middle level optimizes centralized decisions about transmission expansion. The lower level simulates market clearing. The proposed model is recast as a bi-level equivalent, which is solved using the column-and-constraint generation technique. A case study based on a 240-bus, 448-line testbed of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council interconnection demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed tri-level model.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1991

Optical Backplane Interconnection

Optical backplane interconnection (OBIT), method of optically interconnecting many parallel outputs from data processor to many parallel inputs of other data processors by optically changing wavelength of output optical beam. Requires only one command: exact wavelength necessary to make connection between two desired processors. Many features, including smallness advantageous to incorporate OBIT into integrated optical device. Simplifies or eliminates wiring and speeds transfer of data over existing electrical or optical interconnections. Computer hookups and fiber-optical communication networks benefit from concept.

Hendricks, Herbert D.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pathways to the Next-Generation Power System With Inverter-Based Resources: Challenges and recommendations

Managing the stability of today's electric power systems is based on decades of experience with the physical properties and control responses of large synchronous generators. Today's electric power systems are rapidly transitioning toward having an increasing proportion of generation from nontraditional sources, such as wind and solar (among others), as well as energy storage devices, such as batteries. In addition to the variable nature of many renewable generation sources (because of the weather-driven nature of their fuel supply), these newer sources vary in size - from residential-scale rooftop systems to utility-scale power plants - and they are interconnected throughout the electric grid, both from within the distribution system and directly to the high-voltage transmission system. Most important for our purposes, many of these new resources are connected to the power system through power electronic inverters. Collectively, we refer to these sources as inverter-based resources.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of Leaky Wave Antennas for Layered Ridge Dielectric Waveguide

The millimeter wave, especially above 100 GHz, and the submillimeter wave frequency spectrum offers the possibility for narrow-beam, high-resolution antennas which are critical for high definition radars required for space debris tracking, airport ground avoidance radars, and missile tracking. In addition, the frequency which most atmospheric constituents may be detected lie in this part of the frequency spectrum. Therefore, the development of electronic components for millimeter/submillimeter wave passive sensors is required for environmental monitoring of the Earth's atmosphere. Typical microwave transmission lines such as microstrip and coplanar waveguide rely on two or more electrical conductors to concentrate and guide the electromagnetic energy. Unfortunately, the surface resistance of the conductors increases as the square root of frequency. In addition, the circuit dimensions must be decreased with increasing frequency to maintain a single mode transmission line which further increases the conductor loss. An alternative family of transmission lines are formed from two or more insulating materials and rely on the differences in the permittivities between the two materials to guide the wave. No metal conductors are required although some dielectric waveguides do utilize a metallic ground plane to facilitate the interconnections of active electrical elements or to reduce the transmission line size. Examples of such transmission lines are image guides, insulated image guides, trapped image guides, ridge guide, and layered ridge dielectric waveguide (LRDW). Although most dielectric waveguides have dimensions on the order of lambda to provide sufficient field confinement, the LRDW has been shown to provide good field confinement for electrically small lines. This offers an advantage in circuit integration. It has been shown that a periodic array of metallic strips placed either along or on top of a dielectric waveguide forms an effective radiator. This antenna is easy to fabricate and there is good background of microstrip type antenna design information in the literature. This paper reports the development of the first frequency scanning antenna fed by a LRDW.

Ponchak, George E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Graphene-Based Interconnect Exploration for Large SRAM Caches for Ultrascaled Technology Nodes

Graphene-based interconnects are considered promising replacements for traditional copper (Cu) interconnect due to their great electric properties. In this article, an interconnect-memory co- design framework is developed to efficiently optimize various graphene-based interconnect technologies. Four interconnect materials and heterogeneous design schemes are benchmarked against their traditional Cu counterparts to optimize large cache-level SRAM performance in terms of delay and energy per access, energy-delay product (EDP), and energy-delay-area product (EDAP). Here, a large design space exploration is performed based on realistic subarray design and device technology. Various interconnect- and array-level design parameters are studied to quantify the true potential of graphene-based wires for optimal memory performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Electronic interconnects and devices with topological surface states and methods for fabricating same

An interconnect is disclosed with enhanced immunity of electrical conductivity to defects. The interconnect includes a material with charge carriers having topological surface states. Also disclosed is a method for fabricating such interconnects. Also disclosed is an integrated circuit including such interconnects. Also disclosed is a gated electronic device including a material with charge carriers having topological surface states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electronic interconnects and devices with topological surface states and methods for fabricating same

An interconnect is disclosed with enhanced immunity of electrical conductivity to defects. The interconnect includes a material with charge carriers having topological surface states. Also disclosed is a method for fabricating such interconnects. Also disclosed is an integrated circuit including such interconnects. Also disclosed is a gated electronic device including a material with charge carriers having topological surface states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗