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DOE OSTI2021

Optimizing design and dispatch of a renewable energy system

Renewable energy technologies are becoming increasingly important due to their cost-competitiveness, and because of enhanced climate concerns. We demonstrate the capabilities of an integer-programming optimization model that minimizes capital (investment) and operational costs, and utility charges, while adhering to system sizing constraints, demand requirements, and interoperability characteristics of the systems chosen. Furthermore, the model recommends an optimally sized mix of renewable energy, conventional generation, and energy storage technologies, while simultaneously optimizing the corresponding dispatch strategy. Our case studies explore several venues, i.e., a small campus and a local hospital, with complex utility rate tariffs, multi-technology integration opportunities, and incentives for renewable power production. Using an optimization model, versus applying rules of thumb, can produce millions of dollars in savings over a 25-year time horizon and result in thousands of kilowatts of installed renewable energy.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2025

STREAM: A technology planning and capacity expansion model for the industrial sector

The Strategic Technology Roadmapping and Energy, Environmental, and Economic Analysis Model—STREAM—is an optimization-based modeling tool and analysis framework to assist with strategic planning and technology investments of the industrial sector. This open-source framework is written in Julia using the JuMP package, which enables users to model future “pathways” for incumbent and future production technologies, costs, fuels and energy carriers, and energy and non-energy environmental impacts from industries as they transform in pursuit of a robust and competitive manufacturing sector. The model starts with an initial stock of industrial production technologies and assets at a facility level and then determines pathways that minimize cost, subject to an array of possible constraints on demand, market shares, environmental flows, and other exogenously specified operational considerations such as capacity utilization rates or regional energy costs. Key features of the framework include flexibility to model a wide range of industries and industrial technologies/processes at varying levels of granularity, ability to perform parametric sensitivity analyses, and ability to visualize model results using visualization objects.

capacity expansion↗

DOE OSTI2022

Versatile Heat Transfer Module

Development of micro-reactors that can be easily transported to remote areas for civilian or military applications is an immediate focus of U.S. nuclear industry and therefore is being pursued by multiple reactor vendors (e.g. HolosGen LLC, Westinghouse, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation, URENCO, etc.) and actively supported by DOE-NE, DOE-ARPA-E and by the Department Of Defense (DoD). Very-high-temperature gas-cooled (VHTR) and heat pipe cooled reactor technologies are regarded as promising concepts for microreactors applications since they enable compact power conversion systems and display beneficial inherent safety features. Development of microreactors with enhanced performance must be supported by innovations in nuclear technologies. Several technologies being developed by the microreactor industry are being revisited with material technologies developed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Innovative high-temperature compatible solutions are developed to enable advanced thermal-spectrum microreactor designs featuring improved neutronics performance at high-temperature operating conditions to enable high thermal efficiency and economic competitiveness. This report focuses on the Versatile Heat Transfer Module (VHTM) technology that is developed at ANL for heat-transfer in thermal-spectrum microreactors. This technology is built on a liquid alkali metal heat pipe concept while leveraging advanced nuclear material technologies for high-temperature applications at reduced neutronic penalty with potential improvement in inherent safety behavior. The VHTM can be applied to design high-temperature thermal-spectrum microreactor systems with reduced size, weight, uranium enrichment, or increased lifetime. The INFINIT technology deriving from the VHTM enables design of a highly compact long-life microreactor concept for fission surface power (FSP). Demonstration of multiphysics modeling capability was also completed to showcase the added inherent safety benefits obtained with this concept. The VHTM technology remain at an early development stage with low Technology Readiness Level and Manufacturing Readiness Level. The current demonstration of these technologies has focused on manufacturing capability, on performance of the hydrogen diffusion barrier under thermal cycling, while radiation tolerance demonstration is planned. The next step of the demonstration plan will be the assembly of miniature VHTM for high-temperature testing, which can be used as a prototype for future pilot scale demonstration. Such research is critical to pursue development of these technologies that have the clear potential to significantly improve the performance of currently investigated micro-reactors systems.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Cost optimization of low-salt-rejection reverse osmosis

Low-salt-rejection reverse osmosis (LSRRO) is an emerging membrane-based desalination technology for concentrating brines with potentially lower energy consumption and cost than thermally driven processes. We assess the technoeconomic performance of LSRRO by using an optimization model that minimizes the levelized cost of water (LCOW). We develop detailed models for the RO module and other equipment using WaterTAP (Water treatment Technoeconomic Assessment Platform), an open-source simulation and optimization software for water treatment. We improve upon previous LSRRO cost optimization studies by optimizing the salt permeability for each stage, which has significant implications for technoeconomic performance. We present the cost-optimal design, operation, and performance for three cases: 35 g/L TDS feed at 70% recovery, 70 g/L at 55%, and 125 g/L at 35%. The cost-optimal LCOW and specific energy consumption (SEC) for these cases are 0.70, 1.89, and 7.41 $/m 3 and 3.9, 8.4, and 30.4 kWh/m 3 , respectively. For each case, we use sensitivity analyses to provide guidance on key factors that impact economic viability. We also present the cost-optimal LCOW and SEC for feed concentrations between 5 and 220 g/L TDS and recoveries between 30 and 90%. So, we compare LSRRO to other high-salinity desalination technologies and find that it may be cost-competitive below feed concentrations of 125 g/L.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

A review of Geological Thermal Energy Storage for seasonal, grid-scale dispatching

Energy storage is essential for the decarbonization of the U.S. energy grid, especially with the increasing deployment of variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Geological thermal energy storage (GeoTES) has emerged as a promising long duration, grid scale solution, providing stability and security through flexible operations and valuable grid services. GeoTES utilizes subsurface reservoirs to store thermal energy for power generation and direct-use heating and cooling. This approach significantly enhances the use of low-temperature reservoirs, which would otherwise be unsuitable for geothermal power plants. It also aligns well with depleted oil and gas reservoirs, concentrating solar power, non-flexible renewables (photovoltaic and wind), and geothermal-related power cycles. Given the favorable marginal costs of GeoTES as storage duration increases, it becomes particularly competitive for seasonal, grid-scale dispatch, where few technologies are viable. This paper provides a comprehensive review of GeoTES systems and the research underpinning itsr development. This analysis begins by defining and categorizing the unique characteristics of thermal energy storage techniques, setting GeoTES apart from other technologies. The various components, configurations, subsurface characteristics, and modeling efforts that guide GeoTES development are then explored. Finally, challenges in GeoTES research, development, and deployment are discussed, along with mitigation strategies and lessons from related technologies. Beyond their economic benefits, GeoTES systems support grid resilience and decarbonize industrial processes. Their scalability, broad distribution, seasonal storage potential, and flexible dispatch capacity make GeoTES a valuable tool for expanding renewable energy deployment and addressing climate change.

15 - GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Bidirectional Ultrafast Control of Charge Density Waves via Phase Competition

The intricate competition between coexisting charge density waves (CDWs) can lead to rich phenomena, offering unique opportunities for phase manipulation through electromagnetic stimuli. Here, leveraging time-resolved x-ray diffraction, we demonstrate ultrafast control of a CDW in EuTe 4 upon optical excitation. At low excitation intensities, the amplitude of one of the coexisting CDW orders increases at the expense of the competing CDW, whereas at high intensities, it exhibits a nonmonotonic temporal evolution characterized by both enhancement and reduction. This transient bidirectional controllability, tunable by adjusting photoexcitation intensity, arises from the interplay between optical quenching and phase-competition-induced enhancement. Our findings, supported by phenomenological time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory simulations, not only clarify the relationship between the two CDWs in EuTe 4 , but also highlight the versatility of optical control over order parameters enabled by phase competition.

charge density waves↗

DOE OSTI2025

FlowDash Geothermal Energy Enhancer: Where is Next Geothermal Resource? Machine Learning + Multiple Datasets => Geothermal Exploration Indication?

This is the presentation delivered at the 2025 GEODE Datathon competition. GEODE is a consortium of experts that addresses technology and knowledge gaps in geothermal energy, leveraging technology and best practices from the oil and gas industry. NETL team was awarded the 1st place in the engineering track. 2025 GEODE Datathon had a total of 42 teams from top universities and several major industrial companies. This awarded work is founded on a robust idea and innovative approach that uses machine learning coupled to multiple datasets to visualize geothermal “sweet” spots/indications in Great Basin based on the data provided from the GEODE Datathon. The use case also leveraged other datasets and demonstrated insightful and valuable indications for geothermal exploration.

Geothermal energy, Machine learning, Multiple Data↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Comprehensive Assessment Tool for Low-TRL Current Energy Converters

Along with a market-competitive levelized cost of energy, a current energy converter technology strongly benefits from an extensive consideration of socioeconomic, environmental, and regulatory factors early in the design process. As part of a technology performance level assessment, a series of assessment questions and guidance are developed and presented to evaluate an early-stage current energy technology on holistic criteria considering the entire device lifecycle. The assessment represents an accumulation of industry and research experience to date and relies on regular updates to ensure alignment with industry best-practices, regulatory requirements, and up-to-date technical understanding. A cradle-to-grave (materials, manufacturing, installation and deployment, operations and maintenance, and end-of-life) assessment of capabilities and functional requirements (i.e., high, medium, and low) performance criteria for current energy converters deployed in tidal, ocean current, and/or river applications. Key considerations related to manufacturing and installation include supply chain robustness, manufacturability and related job creation in the end-user and/or adjacent communities, and the time-to-repayment of the embodied energy debt. During deployment and maintenance operations, the safety of the device and subsystems during disconnect or grid failure, the difficulty and frequency of offshore heavy-lift activities, the avoidance or mitigation of area-use conflicts, the sea-states and weather conditions that permit maintenance access, and the availability of contingency plans (should conditions change unexpectedly) are a portion of the considered assessment criteria. Results include the potential impact of early-stage design decisions on the socioeconomic, environmental, and regulatory performance of a technology that allows developers to increase the product value and probability of success, and minimize costly late-stage design iterations through early and broad consideration of factors affecting overall performance and acceptability.

life cycle analysis↗

DOE OSTI2023

Wind Plant Operations and Maintenance Challenges and Research Opportunities

Global wind industry has experienced tremendous growth during the past two decades and the trend does not appear changing in near future. However, the industry is still challenged by premature component failures and high operations & maintenance (O&M) costs, which can account for up to 35% of levelized cost of energy. It is imperative for the industry to improve performance, reliability and reduce O&M costs through advanced technologies, enabled by research in related disciplines, to be competitive. This talk will first briefly discuss the challenges with wind plant O&M, then give an overview of related NREL research in the areas of performance, reliability, and O&M cost modeling, finally touch on future R&D opportunities in related areas. The authors hope some of these challenges are of interested to and can be addressed by the INFORMS community in future.

costs↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Comprehensive Assessment Tool for Low-TRL Current Energy Converters: Preprint

Along with a market-competitive levelized cost of energy, a current energy converter technology strongly benefits from an extensive consideration of socioeconomic, environmental, and regulatory factors early in the design process. As part of a technology performance level assessment, a series of assessment questions and guidance are developed and presented to evaluate an early-stage current energy technology on holistic criteria considering the entire device lifecycle. The assessment represents an accumulation of industry and research experience to date and relies on regular updates to ensure alignment with industry best-practices, regulatory requirements, and up-to-date technical understanding. A cradle-to-grave (materials, manufacturing, installation and deployment, operations and maintenance, and end-of-life) assessment of capabilities and functional requirements for tidal, river, and ocean current technologies has been completed. This work presents the evaluation questions and qualitative performance criteria for current energy converters deployed in tidal, ocean current, and/or river applications. Key considerations related to manufacturing and installation include supply chain robustness, manufacturability and related job creation in the end-user and/or adjacent communities, and the time-to-repayment of the embodied energy debt. During deployment and maintenance operations, the safety of the device and subsystems during disconnect or grid failure, the difficulty and frequency of offshore heavy-lift activities, the avoidance or mitigation of area use conflicts, the sea-states and weather conditions that permit maintenance access, and the availability of contingency plans (should conditions change unexpectedly) are a portion of the considered assessment criteria. Results include the potential impact of early-stage design decisions on the socioeconomic, environmental, and regulatory performance of a technology that allows developers to increase the product value and probability of success, and minimize costly late-stage design iterations through early and broad consideration of factors affecting overall performance and acceptability.

industry support↗

DOE OSTI2023

A Comprehensive Assessment Tool for Low-TRL Current Energy Converters

Along with a market-competitive levelized cost of energy, a current energy converter technology strongly benefits from an extensive consideration of socioeconomic, environmental, and regulatory factors early in the design process. As part of a technology performance level assessment, a series of assessment questions and guidance are developed and presented to evaluate an early-stage current energy technology on holistic criteria considering the entire device lifecycle. The assessment represents an accumulation of industry and research experience to date and relies on regular updates to ensure alignment with industry best-practices, regulatory requirements, and up-to-date technical understanding. A cradle-to-grave (materials, manufacturing, installation and deployment, operations and maintenance, and end-of-life) assessment of capabilities and functional requirements for tidal, river, and ocean current technologies has been completed. This work presents the evaluation questions and qualitative performance criteria for current energy converters deployed in tidal, ocean current, and/or river applications. Key considerations related to manufacturing and installation include supply chain robustness, manufacturability and related job creation in the end-user and/or adjacent communities, and the time-to-repayment of the embodied energy debt. During deployment and maintenance operations, the safety of the device and subsystems during disconnect or grid failure, the difficulty and frequency of offshore heavy-lift activities, the avoidance or mitigation of area use conflicts, the sea-states and weather conditions that permit maintenance access, and the availability of contingency plans (should conditions change unexpectedly) are a portion of the considered assessment criteria. Results include the potential impact of early-stage design decisions on the socioeconomic, environmental, and regulatory performance of a technology that allows developers to increase the product value and probability of success, and minimize costly late-stage design iterations through early and broad consideration of factors affecting overall performance and acceptability.

converter↗

DOE OSTI2020

Enhancing Operational Performance and Productivity Benefits in Breweries through Smart Manufacturing Technologies

This article uses case studies to demonstrate the potential of smart manufacturing (SM) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to enhance operational performance and productivity in industry. The analysis highlights benefits such as cost reduction, production flexibility, shorter product time-to-market, energy/water efficiency and environmental impact reduction, and increased productivity. To illustrate the effectiveness of SM and IoT approaches, the authors sought out manufacturers currently implementing or seeking to implement SM and IoT technologies. The authors identified beer brewing (NAICS Code 312120) as a rapidly expanding industry whose members appear eager to implement SM technologies to optimize production lines by revealing bottlenecks and identifying performance-reducing nodes. This article presents two case studies based on SM and IoT technologies in breweries. It briefly describes a systematic framework introduced elsewhere by the authors and uses it to assess the energy productivity and competitiveness of SM applications in breweries. This article addresses questions concerning the information and communications technology infrastructure needed to build smart breweries and how corporations simplify the installation and deployment of SM and IoT components. This article was originally published in the Proceedings of the 2019 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2024

Establishing a clostridia foundry for biosystems design by integrating computational modeling, systems-level analyses, and cell-free engineering technologies (Final Report)

Rapid population growth, a rise in global living standards, and economic competitiveness have intensified the need for sustainable, low-cost biofuels and bioproducts production. Industrial biotechnology using microbial cell factories – and waste and/or renewable feedstocks – is one of the most attractive approaches for addressing this need, particularly when large-scale chemical synthesis is untenable. Unfortunately, designing, building, and optimizing biosynthetic pathways in cells remains a complex challenge. With support from the Department of Energy, we worked to address this challenge in a new interdisciplinary venture that established the world’s first clostridial Foundry for Biosystems Design (cBioFAB). Working both in vitro (cell-free) and in vivo, the goal of this project was to interweave and advance state-of-the-art computational modeling, genome editing, omics measurements, systems-biology analyses, and cell-free technologies to expand the set of platform organisms that meet DOE bioenergy goals. Specifically, we manufactured fuel and chemical intermediates via existing and de novo pathways. This report covers the outcomes of our research project.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Nuclear Power's Future Role in a Decarbonized U.S. Electricity System

This study explores the potential future role of nuclear energy in a decarbonized U.S. electricity system through a multi-model comparison approach. We employ four state-of-the-art CEMs with native and harmonized input assumptions, layered with different policy and technology trajectories. Comparing outputs across models, technology assumptions, and policy scenarios informs model understanding, interpretation, and development decisions. Under current policies, models differ in their projections for nuclear retirements, but nuclear power plants consistently run with high capacity factors and new builds only occur in scenarios with very low nuclear costs. String power sector carbon policies drive models to align in keeping existing nuclear capacity and employing nuclear plant flexibility, but they may not be enough to bring new nuclear capacity online in the absence of significant cost declines. Therefore, significant economic deployment of new nuclear capacity requires both a stringent electric sector CO2 policy and very low cost assumptions for new nuclear. While these scenarios should not be interpreted as predictions, they are informative for understanding differing model assessments of the relative competitiveness of nuclear energy under a range of policy and technology conditions.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fisheries Technology Associates, Inc. - Sweeping CHIRPs, Looming Darkness: In-Sync Stimuli - Fish Protection Prize (Final Report)

In FY2020, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) initiated a Prize competition with support from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office (DOE WPTO), to support the development of innovative methods for excluding fish from water diversions and intakes: the Fish Protection Prize. Proposed solutions can include new ideas for addressing fish exclusion or improvements to existing technologies. Solutions can be applied to river and canal diversions, unscreened diversion pipes, or intakes at dams. In FY20 PNNL provided voucher support in the form of technical reviews and support, as well as graphics and presentation support, in helping the 9 finalists prepare for the Pitch Contest at the American Fisheries Society (AFS) virtual meeting. There were no subject inventions, patent applications, copyrights, and trademarks under this CRADA. The report herein provides an abstract of the presentation that the finalist presented at the American Fisheries Society virtual meeting in September 2020.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2022

Appendix N: Technology Commercialization Program [Slides]

To transfer new and emerging technologies between the Laboratory and private industry to enhance the Laboratory's ability to meet mission requirements, improve the economic environment in which the Laboratory operates and further the industrial competitiveness of the United States; To develop improved mechanisms for the utilization of Laboratory technologies that stimulate new business startups, attract entrepreneurs, create alternative job opportunities, and attract businesses and capital to the region while continuing to serve the nation as a whole.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Phase 1 NuScale SMR FOAK Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The overarching objective of the Phase 1 NuScale SMR First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project was to enhance competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear industry by enabling timely deployment of the NuScale small modular reactor (SMR). The scope of this Phase 1 project continued to advance the licensing and design maturity, particularly in those areas related to supporting customer readiness, supply chain integration, cost competitiveness, and cost confidence. This investment provided by the Government has accelerated development of these designs and technologies so that the existing domestic fleet of nuclear power plants remains viable and the most mature in the nuclear industry. The intent is to have the new, advanced U.S. designs be deployed as early 2026, and be globally competitive. As a part of the First-of-a-Kind Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project, NuScale has been developing an advanced reactor design, leading the path for other development projects or complex technology advancements for existing plants that have significant technical and licensing risk. The NuScale Power team (NuScale) is advancing licensing, engineering, supply chain development, testing, and other required activities to enhance the innovation and competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear industry by enabling timely deployment of the NuScale SMR. Specifically, NuScale is performing the following activities in Phase 1. Fully supporting the NRC review of the NuScale DCA to ensure approval of a final safety evaluation report by the end of 2020. Improving plant cost confidence and cost competitiveness through design and supply chain advancement, incorporation of constructability best practices, and margin recovery to increase plant power output. Accelerating design maturity, technology development, and operational program readiness to support a customer commitment for plant deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), a unit of the Office of Science, fulfills agency-wide responsibilities to collect, preserve, and disseminate both unclassified and classified scientific and technical information (STI) emanating from DOE-funded research and development (R&D) activities at DOE national laboratories and facilities and at universities and other institutions nationwide. This scientific and technical report provides summaries of the analyses and research that was performed by NuScale under this project that achieves the objective of disseminating information to the nuclear industry to ensure the innovations realized are shared for the benefit of the industry at large.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Human and Technology Integration Evaluation of Advanced Automation and Data Visualization

While the existing United States (U.S.) light water reactors are highly reliable, safe, and provide a significant proportion of carbon-free electricity, the cost of operating and maintaining them has become less competitive compared to other electricity generating sources. The reason for the gap in operating and maintenance (O&M) costs can be at least in part attributed to the advent of new digital technologies that other electricity generating industries are currently using. Advanced capabilities including digital instrumentation and control (I&C) systems, advanced automation and analytics, and greater span of data integration (i.e., connectedness) across these non-nuclear plants has transformed the way work is performed and ultimately given them a competitive advantage in terms of the cost required for operating, maintaining, and supporting them. To reduce O&M cost and address obsolescence of the aging I&C infrastructure of the existing U.S. light water reactors, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program Plant Modernization Pathway is conducting targeting multidisciplinary research that 1) delivers a sustainable business model to enable a cost-competitive U.S. nuclear industry and 2) is developing technology modernization solutions that address aging and obsolescence challenges. The work described in this report supports these two objectives and describes the demonstration of human and technology integration across recent industry collaborations to support their large-scale digital I&C modifications. This technical report describes the demonstration of the human and technology integration methodology in performing full-scale performance-based human-in-the-loop tests to evaluate plant-specific advanced automation and data visualization applications within these collaborators’ digital modifications. This technical report also documents future applications of human and technology integration that expand beyond main control room modernization and digital I&C upgrades, which have been a central focus to date. Thus, this technical report discusses how to implement human and technology integration across new business opportunities and how to develop an evaluation plan that defines measures and criteria, and documents key assumptions to support full plant modernization.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗