Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Electricity Grid”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-State Transportation Electrification Impact Study: Preparing the Grid for Light-, Medium-, and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles

Recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notices of proposed rulemakings for GHG emissions standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty on-road vehicles would accelerate ongoing advancements already happening in the industry because of private investment, consumer demand, state-level policies, and federal incentives. As the EPA finalizes these regulations, questions persist regarding the cost of the requisite charging infrastructure and associated upgrades to the nation's electric grid. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and the EPA, a multidisciplinary team conducted a Multi-State Transportation Electrification Impact Study that quantitatively assesses the incremental investment necessary to enable the levels of vehicle electrification expected to be induced by pending EPA regulations and to estimate the potential value of deferred investments in electric distribution infrastructure stemming from proactive vehicle-grid integration planning and deployment. This study finds the simulated incremental capital cost of charging infrastructure (including grid upgrades) to be at least 2.5 times smaller than the lifetime net benefits of vehicle electrification (including fuel savings but excluding the value of avoided emissions). Additionally, the incremental distribution grid upgrade cost of the EPA Action-Unmanaged scenario was found to be approximately 3% of existing utility distribution system investments (on an annual basis). Finally, the potential for managed charging to defer distribution grid upgrades was found to be significant with costs found to decrease from $2.3 billion to an incremental cost of $1 billion across five states in the Action-Managed scenario (relative to the No Action-Unmanaged scenario).

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Savings in Action: Lessons from Observed and Modeled Residential Solar Plus Storage Systems

The electric grid is rapidly evolving as small-scale, demand-side resources play increasingly important roles in grid operations and decarbonization. Maximizing the potential of demand-side resources involves incentivizing electricity customers to use those resources in ways that benefit the broader electrical grid. These incentives depend largely on the electricity cost savings that customers can realize from demand-side resource adoption. Determining these potential cost savings is a complex task. Cost savings depend on numerous factors, including the characteristics of different technologies, the algorithms that control these devices, system performance, customer behavior, electricity rate structures, and climatic factors. Another challenge is that estimated cost savings are frequently based on modeled rather than observed system performance, particularly in the academic literature. In this study, we begin to fill the gap in empirical research of demand-side resources using data from a new construction residential community equipped with rooftop solar and storage (S+S) in Arizona. We use these data to analyze the factors that determine customer electricity cost savings and emissions impacts of S+S in the real world. We then compare these data to modeled system performance to understand how models deviate from real-world outcomes. Based on these findings, we explore ways to improve such models and, conversely, use modeled results to suggest improvements to actual S+S deployment. The results of these analyses can be summarized in four key findings: 1) rate structures play a central role in the grid and customer value of demand-side resources; 2) certain customers can benefit more from demand-side resource adoption than others; 3) modeled battery dispatch and sizing reveals opportunities for additional cost savings; and 4) optimal dispatches can reduce grid emissions while maximizing bill savings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mobile Sorption-based Thermal Battery for Harvesting Low-Temperature Geothermal Energy

Around 20% of the total primary energy in the United States is consumed for thermal demands of buildings such as space cooling, dehumidification, and space heating (EIA 2018). Low-temperature geothermal energy is abundant and can effectively satisfy buildings’ thermal demands. However, low-temperature geothermal energy is underutilized because the energy density of geothermal fluid is too low to justify the costs associated with transporting it between existing geothermal resources and buildings. The mobile sorption-based thermal battery (MSTB) system has been developed using three-phase (i.e., vapor–liquid, solution–solid, crystal) sorption technology to harvest low-temperature heat and store it with a much higher energy density than the geothermal fluid. The energy density of salt crystals is over six times higher than geothermal fluid, which makes long-distance transportation of salt crystals economically feasible. Salt crystals can be used to dehumidify air or provide space cooling in buildings, which alleviates peak demand on the electricity grid by offsetting electricity use for these end uses. This helps improve the grid’s stability and resilience. High-energy storage density, fast crystallization, and dissolution of salt crystals are all critical to the viability and performance of the MSTB system. Therefore, the design and operation of MSTB systems need to ensure effective generation and dissolution of salt crystals inside the MSTB. To achieve this target, this seedling project developed an experimental apparatus for characterizing the crystallization and dissolution processes. The energy density and potential latent cooling capacity of the MSTB are also evaluated based on lab test results. The crystallization results showed that the generated lithium chloride hydrate crystals are fluffy, the crystallization process lasts about 50 min, and the maximum crystal fraction (i.e., the ratio of crystal mass to the mass in the MSTB) can be up to 51.1% of the total mass in the MSTB at a solution flow rate of 1.58 g/s. The dissolution results show that the salt crystals in the MSTB can be fully dissolved within 15–28 min, based on different test conditions. Reducing solution flow rate and cooling water temperature can achieve increased energy storage density and crystal fraction. While the increase in the discharge rate (i.e., latent cooling capacity for dehumidifying air) is achieved by increasing flow rate and temperature of inlet diluted solution, as well as by using a pump for internal solution circulation, the discharge rate increases by 38%, from 0.95 kW to 1.31 kW. Compared with increasing the inlet solution flow rate, power consumption of salt solution transportation can be reduced by using a pump for internal solution circulation. The crystallization test results also showed that the maximum energy storage density is 981.8 kJ/kg, and the maximum discharge rate of the dissolution tests is ≤1.79 kW. Both are above the target values of 900 kJ/kg and 1.75 kW) for this project. The work reported here proves the feasibility and advancement of the MSTB system, which is helpful to the further study and improvement of the MSTB system.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nighttime electric power generation at a density of 50 mW/m 2 via radiative cooling of a photovoltaic cell

A large fraction of the world's population lacks access to the electric grid. Standard photovoltaic (PV) cells can provide a renewable off-grid source of electricity but only produce power from daytime solar irradiance and do not produce power at night. While there have been several theoretical proposals and experimental demonstrations of energy harvesting from the radiative cooling of a PV cell at night, the achieved power density is very low. Here, we construct a device, which incorporates a thermoelectric generator that harvests electricity from the temperature difference between the PV cell and the ambient surrounding. We achieve 50 mW/m 2 nighttime power generation with a clear night sky, with an open-circuit voltage of 100 mV, which is orders of magnitude higher as compared with previous demonstrations. During the daytime, the thermoelectric generator also provides additional power on top of the electric power generated directly from the PV cells. Our system can be used as a continuous renewable power source for both day- and nighttime in off-grid locations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Integrated Distribution Planning

The contemporary distribution planning landscape is comprised of an increasing number of factors that require integration into the engineering of the modern electric grid. Expectations for electric utilities to accommodate heightened awareness of stakeholders' interest in things like decarbonization, resilience and equity are growing. As these interests are formed into objectives, many jurisdictions will experience increasing levels of load modifying technologies like DER, building and industrial electrification and electric vehicles which prove not only to challenge the capabilities of the grid; but the processes by which planning for it is traditionally done. Other related factors that strain the conventional distribution planning mold are the swelling amount and sources of data associated with these technologies and the need it creates for improved capabilities in the processes and tools that manage it. As the complexity of the distribution system expands, so will the distribution system's effects on the transmission and generation systems that it is a part of. Forecasting distribution system load and DER are examples of areas where this complexity will manifest, and harmonizing distribution forecasting with transmission and generation forecasting requires higher amounts of intentionality as these typically separate processes become a solitary one. Of course, core activities do not cease as a utility begins to integrate these other factors, and in this webinar we explore specifics of how distribution planning can be expected to evolve as progress towards Integrated Distribution System Planning is made.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Occupant-Centric Demand Response for Thermostatically-Controlled Home Loads

Efficiently managing energy usage to balance supply and demand on the electric grid is crucial, especially with the widespread deployment of distributed variable renewable electricity generation. This paper introduces two duty-cycle control methods for heating systems, adjusting thermostat setpoints to limit and shift electricity demand. The control approaches employ innovative techniques, such as adaptive duty cycling, to prioritize household thermal comfort while reducing peak demand. These control methods can respond to signals from the electric grid, including demand targets and time-of-use tariffs, and were tested physically on an electric furnace and heat pump in a test home during winter conditions in 2021 and 2022. The results are given as average demand reductions and energy use impacts with respect to the average indoor-outdoor temperature difference during the control period. For heat pumps, demand limiting control reduced power by 18.5% and 23.3% for indoor-outdoor temperature differences of 30°F and 40°F. Preheating-based demand shifting achieved reductions of 34.8% and 33.2% for the same temperature differences. Electric furnace tests showed demand reductions of 33.8% and 25.3% for demand limiting, and 56.1% and 45.7% for preheating-based demand shifting. These findings highlight the potential for innovative control methods to enhance grid efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solar Futures Study

Dramatic improvements to solar technologies and other clean energy technologies have enabled recent rapid growth in deployment and are providing cost-effective options for decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid. The Solar Futures Study explores the role of solar in decarbonizing the grid. Through state-of-the-art modeling, the study envisions deep grid decarbonization by 2035, as driven by a required emissions-reduction target. It also explores how electrification could enable a low-carbon grid to extend decarbonization to the broader energy system (the electric grid plus all direct fuel use in buildings, transportation, and industry) through 2050.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Grid-Ready Energy Analytics Training with Data (“GREAT with Data”)

GridEd is a collaborative educational initiative consisting of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), 5 Partner Universities (Stony Brook University, The University of Texas at Austin, University of California – Riverside, Virginia Tech, Washington State University), and participating industry sponsors. This educational initiative focuses on developing and training the next generation of power engineers so they can help shape the electric grid of the future by anticipating and fulfilling the needs of changing electric industry requirements. GridEd is leveraging electric industry research to educate a future electric grid workforce by empowering new and continuing education students, not only to become competent and well-informed engineers, but also to participate and influence major technological, social, and policy decisions that address critical global challenges. GridEd’s activities are centered around four core pillars: Enhancement of university power systems engineering curricula; Professional development and training for a diverse electric industry workforce; Stimulating students to join the movement for the next generation of power engineers, and; Improve workforce development efforts in the electric utility industry. Major accomplishments over the course of the project were: Over 50 unique professional short courses were delivered by more than 30 instructors across the GridEd network; Over 3,600 unique learners, many who took multiple courses, received more than 27,000 professional development hours (PDH) and over 1,000 certificates of completion; Approximately 2,900 unique learners undertook a course that was offered LIVE online or in-person; Approximately 700 unique learners undertook a course that was offered as computer-based training (CBT); Over 35 unique university courses were delivered by more than 30 instructors to 1,500 university students across the GridEd network; One-hundred-and-fifty-seven (157) students were funded to completed 43 student projects in topics of power systems and data science, and; Six (6) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) recruited as Affiliate Universities via Utility Partners. The professional training initiative and workforce development activities launched by this project will be sustained through EPRI’s collaborative business model with industry. Stimulating students to join the power engineering workforce of the future and the enhancement of tertiary training may continue to need government support.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Distributed control of electric power grids

A method for determining power output levels of a plurality of nodes in an electric power system includes receiving, at a first node of the plurality of nodes, voltage information and multipliers of all neighboring nodes of the first node within the electric power system, determining, by the first node, a local power generation and a local voltage using the voltage information and the multipliers of the neighboring nodes and distributing the local power generation and the local voltage to the neighboring nodes, determining, by the first node, an estimated voltage of each of the neighboring nodes and distributing the estimated voltage to each of the neighboring nodes, and updating, by the first node, a local multiplier using the voltage information received from the neighboring nodes and the estimated voltage of each of the neighboring nodes determined by the node.

Ghosh, Soumyadip↗
DOE OSTI2022

Times (and the Grid) are A-Changin'

<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: &quot;Neue Plak&quot;, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(111, 114, 135);">This webinar highlighted two datasets that provide forward-looking projections of electric grid GHG emissions for the United States. These data sets were created to help present-day analyses and decision-support tools incorporate what we know about the ongoing evolution of the U.S. electric grid.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><br><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: &quot;Neue Plak&quot;, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(111, 114, 135);">Additionally, the webinar compared these two databases to other data sources to summarize differences (i.e., attributional versus consequential emissions rates, age and source of underlying data, regionalization approach, and boundary conditions) and highlighted the value and need for expert guidance when an analyst or developer is choosing how to represent electric-sector GHG emissions.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><br><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: &quot;Neue Plak&quot;, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(111, 114, 135);">This webinar was intended to set the stage for ACLCA roundtable events to further discuss these issues.</span>

Jamieson, Matthew↗
DOE OSTI2026

HydraGNN_OPF_GFM_2026 - Ensemble of predictive graph foundation models for power grid applications

This dataset supports research on graph foundation models for optimal power flow (OPF) on electric grids using HydraGNN. It contains heterogeneous graph representations of PGLib-OPF cases spanning systems from 14 to 13,659 buses, together with packed HDF5 datasets for pretraining, feasibility classification, and N-1 contingency analysis. The release includes OPF solution data, downstream fine-tuning datasets, pretrained HeteroSAGE and HeteroHEAT model checkpoints, hyperparameter-optimization summaries across multiple heterogeneous GNN architectures, and aggregated fine-tuning results for sample-efficiency studies. The dataset is designed to enable scalable training, evaluation, and transfer-learning studies for OPF surrogate modeling, including node-level AC-OPF solution prediction, graph-level prediction, feasibility classification, operating-condition generalization, and contingency-response tasks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling and Analysis of a Thermophotovoltaic Integrated Self-Powered Furnace

This work investigates the energy efficiency and carbon reduction potential of self-powered residential building heating equipment using a thermodynamic modeling approach. An integrated thermophotovoltaic power module and residential scale furnace system (40,000 Btu/h) were modeled and studied in detail to assess the influence of different design configurations on primary energy efficiency. Operational characteristics such as total power generation, electrical efficiency, and heat recovery were examined in a self-powered system configuration. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the influence of the electric grid’s carbon dioxide footprint (carbon intensity) and the cost of electricity on the environmental, as well as the economic, benefit associated with the self-powered configuration. Compared with a traditional furnace powered by an electric grid at a carbon intensity of 0.5 kg CO 2eq /kWh EL , the self-powered furnace was shown to decrease the annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 550 kg (~75% reduction), while also saving more than USD 200 in utility expenses, annually. Additionally, the carbon emission reduction potential of blending different concentrations of hydrogen in natural gas fuel was also studied.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nondestructive Analysis of Commercial Batteries

Electrochemical batteries play a crucial role for powering portable electronics, electric vehicles, large-scale electric grids, and future electric aircraft. However, key performance metrics such as energy density, charging speed, lifespan, and safety raise significant consumer concerns. Enhancing battery performance hinges on a deep understanding of their operational and degradation mechanisms, from material composition and electrode structure to large-scale pack integration, necessitating advanced characterization methods. These methods not only enable improved battery performance but also facilitate early detection of substandard or potentially hazardous batteries before they cause serious incidents. Here, this review comprehensively examines the operational principles, applications, challenges, and prospects of cutting-edge characterization techniques for commercial batteries, with a specific focus on in situ and operando methodologies. Furthermore, it explores how these powerful tools have elucidated the operational and degradation mechanisms of commercial batteries. By bridging the gap between advanced characterization techniques and commercial battery technologies, this review aims to guide the design of more sophisticated experiments and models for studying battery degradation and enhancement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Modeling of Synfuel Production Process: ASPEN Model of FT production with electricity demand provided at LWR scale

Synfuels, or electro-fuels (e-fuels) have the unique potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the transportation sector. This is especially true for applications with substantial payloads and daily miles traveled, such as long-haul heavy-duty vehicles, rail locomotives, marine vessels and aviation aircrafts that are challenging to directly electrify via battery or fuel cell powertrain technologies. Synfuels, or electro-diesel/electro-jet fuels, have similar properties with the incumbent petroleum fuels, compatible with current infrastructure but have much lower GHG emissions relative to the petroleum counterpart, because they utilize waste carbon dioxide (CO2) streams and green hydrogen (H2) sourced from electrolysis. To achieve substantial reductions in GHG emissions, electricity sources must be zero carbon or near-zero carbon, which is the case with solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power. Compared to the intermittency of solar, wind and hydro, nuclear energy provides a steady energy source. In addition, it’s advantageous for nuclear power to produce synfuels because it provides not only near-zero carbon electricity to displace grid electricity, but also near-zero carbon steam to displace carbon-intensive natural gas combustion for steam generation. The availability of electricity and steam also enables more efficient green hydrogen production by using high-temperature electrolysis. In this work, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) models a synfuel production process via the Fischer- Tropsch (FT) reaction by using nuclear power to provide electricity and steam. In 2021, using ASPEN Plus software, ANL established a detailed process model of a stand-alone FT production facility, assuming feedstocks of pure CO2 and H2. This stand-alone model can be expanded to integrate H2 production from nuclear power via low-temperature and high-temperature electrolysis at light-water reactor (LWR) scale. This report summarizes the stand-alone ASPEN Plus model results with a detailed mass and energy analysis. Our modeled facility produces 351 MT/day (130,000 gal/day) of FT fuel (a mixture of naphtha, jet fuel, and diesel) by converting 223 MT/day of H2 and 2,387 MT/day of CO2. The FT fuel production energy efficiency is 58% and the carbon conversion efficiency (from CO2 to FT fuel) is 46%. The production of green hydrogen requires 390–470 MWe of electricity, which is compared with the capacity of an LWR plant. For the stand-alone FT process, the detailed energy demand (electricity and heat) is summarized in the table below. Based on the energy supply source and the required temperature, potential insertion points of nuclear energy are identified. Based on the potential nuclear energy utilization, this report discusses potential modification options for expanding the system boundary to integrate nuclear power use, for example on-site hydrogen production via water electrolysis. Modeling of the integrated system is conducted by closely working with ANL and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) collaborators to harmonize design parameters of nuclear plants and the FT production process.

Zang, Guiyan↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flex Charging Case Study

FlexCharging innovates at the intersection of EVs and the Electrical Grid, helping to accelerate EV adoption while reducing their impact on the electrical grid and the environment.

Grunkemeyer, Brian↗
DOE OSTI2024

Statistical Estimation of EV Driver Charging Behavior and Influential Factors

INL received data collected via telematics from battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and these vehicles were owned by retail customers who had entered into a telematics user agreement. The goal of analyzing these data was to develop mathematical models to characterize how different sets of BEV drivers use charging infrastructure at home and away from home (i.e., public charging) and quantify how various factors influence BEV drivers’ decision to charge and use available infrastructure. The data used in this analysis are unique because they provide real world BEV driving and charging behavior at the individual driving and parking event level. In this study we seek to leverage this data to quantify BEV charging and driving metrics to help inform models that predict quantities like the specific times when loads are imposed on the electrical grid due to BEV charging. Most models that have been developed to predict electrical grid load due to BEV charging, use simulations of BEV driving events and rely on assumptions such as every vehicle charges every night. Using a statistical modelling framework, we seek to investigate BEV charging behavior and quantitatively assess these common assumptions of BEV charging behavior.

33 - ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2021

GT Flex: A Coordinated Multi-Building Pilot Study

Buildings are a significant and untapped resource for providing utility electric grid services. Recent studies have estimated that buildings could reduce the peak demand on the electric grid in the U.S. by almost 25% through effective combinations of energy efficiency (EE) measures and load flexibility strategies (Langevin et al. 2021). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established a goal to triple energy efficiency and demand flexibility in both residential and commercial sections by 2030 compared to 2020 levels (Satchwell et al. 2021). Such findings place buildings alongside electric vehicles, photovoltaics, electric batteries, and other distributed energy resources (DERs) as primary technologies needed for supporting high renewable energy generation grids. Coordinating and optimizing multiple buildings and other DERs is more beneficial and valuable when compared with individual buildings and DERs operating as siloed resources, uncoordinated with others (Olgyay et al. 2020). A pilot study at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) was conducted to evaluate value propositions of a multi-building scale project seeking carbon reduction, energy efficiency and grid-interactive capabilities, by demonstrating the means by which stakeholders can determine the technical and financial merits of grid-interactivity and energy efficiency technologies coordinated across multiple assets. The study focused on analyzing technical feasibility of deploying thermal load flexibility strategies at the multi-building scale, coordinated to not exceed existing infrastructure constraints at the pilot site. Results show that campus can provide 3-3.5 MW of potential load shed over a 4-hour event window through coordinated dispatch of thermal cooling load flexibility without exceeding existing infrastructure capacities. Under future high renewable scenarios, this thermal flexibility resource is also valuable when coordinated to reduce curtailment of intermittent renewables. Economic analyses were performed to effectively communicate various value propositions of grid-interactive and efficient building (GEB) thermal flexibility strategies. Load flexibility presents a financial value proposition to the campus today. By conducting rationalized, coordinated dispatch in response to real time price (RTP) fluctuations, the campus can benefit materially from daily price arbitrage. The RTP signal acts as an aggregating mechanism between the utility and customer to call on demand flexibility resources, with a large portion of the benefit deriving from a relatively small number of days. Realizing and maximizing this benefit with thermal load flexibility requires careful attention to the timing of pricing signals and parameterization of dispatch to overcome efficiency penalties. Grid value and signals are expected to evolve over time, and thermal load flexibility shows potential to adapt dispatch logic to support intermittent renewable generation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗