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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling Framework for Evaluating Grid Disturbances

Recent research in the literature proposed parameter-based functional forms to quantify the impact of disturbances on electric power grids. This modeling was based on a concept of generalized grid disturbances that harmonized reliability and resilience. Three main stages—avoid, react, and recover—were identified, and to support practicality, were intended to be independently planned. An objective of the grid disturbance model was to fairly analyze the potential impacts of novel mitigations like transactive energy systems (TES) on grid reliability and resilience. Quantitative evaluation of a common performance metric (e.g., area under the curve of percentage customers online before, during, and after an event) over time was shown as an effective tool for such analysis. Such quantification may also enable system planners to assess the impact of appropriate mitigative actions for improving grid performance against potential disturbances. This is the focus of this report, i.e., presenting an evaluation modeling framework that can be utilized to evaluate grid performance against disturbances, under a variety of existing and possible new mitigative actions.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

State Energy Offices’ Engagement in Electric Distribution Planning to Meet State Policy Goals

NASEO and Berkeley Lab released a new publication on State Energy Offices’ Engagement in Electric Distribution Planning to Meet State Policy Goals. State and Territory Energy Offices develop plans, programs, policies, and projects that have a substantial impact on electric distribution systems. They also can participate in distribution system planning (DSP) processes to help ensure that utilities – consumer- and investor-owned – meet the state’s future energy needs. This paper recognizes the wide spectrum of roles that State Energy Offices can play in DSP processes, including planning for distributed energy resources and grid modernization. It highlights various examples of non-regulatory activities by State Energy Offices including planning, conducting studies, convening stakeholder processes, and implementing programs that inform and contribute to distribution system planning. It also provides examples of State Energy Offices’ engagement in proceedings before their respective public utility commissions. As State Energy Offices face myriad challenges associated with meeting state policy goals, preparing for anticipated rates of distributed energy resource deployment, addressing concerns regarding grid reliability and resilience, and recommending and making long-term investment decisions, the examples provided through this guide can serve as a resource in navigating those challenges.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluate Distributed Energy Technologies for Cost Savings and Resilience With REopt Lite

NREL's REopt Lite TM web tool evaluates the economics of grid connected photovoltaics (PV), wind, and battery storage at a site. It allows users to identify the system sizes and battery dispatch strategy that minimize a site's life cycle cost of energy, and it estimates the amount of time a PV, wind, battery, and diesel generator system can sustain the site's critical load during a grid outage.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Hydropower representation in water and energy system models: a review of divergences and call for reconciliation

Abstract Reservoir-based hydropower systems represent key interactions between water and energy systems and are being transformed under policy initiatives driven by increasing water and energy demand, the desire to reduce environmental impacts, and interacting effects of climate change. Such policies are often guided by complex system models, whereby divergence in system representations can potentially translate to incompatible planning outcomes, thereby undermining any planning that may rely on them. We review different approaches and assumptions in hydropower representation in water and energy systems. While the models and issues are relevant globally, the review focuses on applications in California given its extensive development of energy and water models for policy planning, but discusses the extent to which these observations apply to other regions. Structurally, both water-driven and energy-driven management models are similar. However, in energy models, hydropower is often represented as a single-priority output. Water management models typically allocate water for competing priorities, which are generally uninformed by dynamic electricity load demand, and often result in a lower priority for hydropower. In water models, constraints are increasingly resolved for non-energy components (e.g. inflow hydrology and non-energy water demand); few analogues exist for energy models. These limitations may result in inadequate representations of each respective sector, and vastly different planning outcomes for the same facilities between the two different sectors. These divergent modeling approaches manifest themselves in California where poorly reconciled outcomes may affect decisions in hydropower licensing, electricity grid flexibility and decarbonization, and planning for environmental water. Fully integrated water-energy models are computationally intensive and specific to certain regions, but better representation of each domain in respective efforts would help reconcile divergences in planning and management efforts related to hydropower across energy and water systems.

Rheinheimer, David E. (ORCID:0000000315259069)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhancing Responsiveness and Resilience with Distributed Applications in the Grid

A number of trends are increasing the variability in electric power systems resulting in a need for new approaches in control. The increased variability is originating from distributed energy resources and an increasing demand for personalized energy choice from customers grid-edge. Electricity distribution systems continue to incorporate increasing numbers of intelligent end devices, automated switchgear, and sensing and measurement devices which are providing more visibility and control at the grid-edge. Traditional distribution system planning and operations techniques must evolve to meet the new complexity while continuing to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective energy. New technologies are enabling new capabilities at the grid-edge to respond to these needs. Distributed applications can deploy intelligence across the distribution grid with peer-to-peer communications and a shared data context for their local environment. These applications can cooperate with each other to respond quickly to changing grid conditions. This enables a layered coordination framework spanning the centralized Advanced Distribution Management System functions with wide area visibility to these new distributed applications running at intelligent devices and meters throughout the distribution system. This paper describes an open-architecture, open-source system approach for commercial scale integration of devices and intelligence at the grid-edge.

Ogle, James P.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Scaled Implementation of Smart Charge Management for Electric Vehicles

Smart charge management (SCM) has become a critical strategy for mitigating potential grid impacts and reducing electricity costs for all customers. This study will evaluate the economics of implementing light-duty EV SCM at scale across the United States. This work will enhance distribution system analysis by estimating SCM implementation costs, exploring viable business cases, and developing a framework for national-level applications. The primary methodology involves leveraging detailed grid modeling from a specific service territory and using spatial extrapolation techniques to generalize findings to other regions. The analysis will develop key metrics to quantify the costs and benefits of SCM, including implementation costs relative to strategy and scale, the cost of distribution system upgrades with and without SCM, and the percentage of peak-load reduction. The objective is to produce a comprehensive report and a parameterized framework that enables utilities to self-assess the value of SCM in their own service territories. This will support the development of cost-effective charging strategies, accelerate the energization of new EV chargers, and facilitate the seamless integration of EVs into the nation's power grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Resilience in an Evolving Electrical Grid

Fundamental shifts in the structure and generation profile of electrical grids are occurring amidst increased demand for resilience. These two simultaneous trends create the need for new planning and operational practices for modern grids that account for the compounding uncertainties inherent in both resilience assessment and increasing contribution of variable inverter-based renewable energy sources. This work reviews the research work addressing the changing generation profile, state-of-the-art practices to address resilience, and research works at the intersection of these two topics in regards to electrical grids. The contribution of this work is to highlight the ongoing research in power system resilience and integration of variable inverter-based renewable energy sources in electrical grids, and to identify areas of current and further study at this intersection. Areas of research identified at this intersection include cyber-physical analysis of solar, wind, and distributed energy resources, microgrids, network evolution and observability, substation automation and self-healing, and probabilistic planning and operation methods.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Architecture for Quantum-in-the Loop Real-Time Simulations for Designing Resilient Smart Grids

With the power grid growing more complex every day with the inclusion of new sensors and regulatory approvals that enable end-users and small local developers to participate in the grid, it is becoming challenging for conventional smart grid simulation, emulation, and testing technologies to keep up. In this work, we propose that quantum-encoded real-time simulations can be helpful under the new paradigm and operational circumstances to solve optimization problems for power grids. By leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, the proposed quantum-in-loop (QIL) framework will enable better and faster optimization solutions based on real-world, real-time data streams, facilitating the real-time planning and operations of electrical grids that rely on millions of distributed sensors and controllers. Furthermore, QIL will allow researchers and engineers to assist utilities in designing, developing, and de-risking algorithms to optimize power grid operation and resilience by considering inputs from millions of grid-connected devices. QIL framework is being developed to have a self-limiting triage mechanism, which will help engineers and practitioners identify fundamental physical limits on quantum processors, revealing what quantum algorithms can and cannot do in utility-specific use cases and must continue to count on classical high-performance computing infrastructure.

digital real-time simulation↗
DOE OSTI2021

U.S. Industrial and Commercial Motor System Market Assessment Report Volume 1: Characteristics of the Installed Base

Motor systems are an integral part of our industrial and commercial facilities. They provide the motive force behind the fans, pumps, compressors, chillers, and conveyors in these facilities. Given their centrality to any facility’s operations, they are a critical energy end use to understand, particularly when developing technologies and policies to meet sustainability goals, improve productivity, and enhance resilience. In the late 1990s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducted two seminal studies to better understand the installed stock and energy savings opportunities of industrial and commercial motor systems. In the industrial sector, The United States Industrial Electric Motor Systems Market Opportunities Assessment used primary data collected through onsite assessments and led to a greater understanding of the installed base of motor systems, their characteristics, and the opportunities for energy savings (U.S. Department of Energy, 2002). Notable findings included the following: Industrial motor systems consumed 679 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 1994, representing 23 percent of U.S. electricity consumption. Cost-effective energy efficiency measures could result in 62-104 billion kWh of energy savings annually. Sixty-two percent of the energy savings potential was from fan, pump, and compressor end use equipment. Nearly half of motor system electricity consumption was attributable to approximately 3,500 facilities, or 1.5 percent of U.S. manufacturing facilities. Opportunities for Energy Savings in the Residential and Commercial Sectors with High Efficiency Electric Motors provided an evaluation of the installed stock of motor driven equipment in U.S. commercial and residential buildings and opportunities for utilization of high efficiency motors and variable speed technologies (Arthur D. Little, 1999). Notable findings included the following: Commercial motor systems consumed 343 billion kWh in 1995, with refrigeration and space conditioning constituting 93 percent of the total. Cost-effective energy efficiency measures could result in 51 billion kWh of energy savings annually. Due in no small part to these seminal studies, motor system technologies and usage characteristics have changed drastically since the late 1990s. Greater awareness of cost-effective strategies for reducing motor system electricity consumption have been developed and deployed. This includes several software tools, literature, and utility and government programs promoting energy efficiency improvements in motor driven systems. Additionally, several rounds of energy efficiency standards have been enacted, resulting in improved installed motor efficiency. The cost of variable speed drives has dropped substantially, and combined with utility rebate programs, has led to their greater adoption. Further, since these results were published, the U.S. manufacturing sector has undergone a massive transformation. Due to global competition, some sectors have relocated operations overseas. Others have brought operations onshore to avail low cost and abundant natural gas. Additionally, automation and robotics have pervaded the entire sector. Consequently, these two reports likely do not represent the current state of motor driven systems in U.S. industrial and commercial facilities. As cited in recent studies, the lack of current information on motor system electricity consumption and use characteristics limits the ability to conduct analysis on energy savings potential, develop technologies to address energy and productivity gaps, and develop programs to promote energy efficiency practices and technologies for motor systems (International Energy Agency, 2007; UNIDO, 2010; McKane and Hasanbeigi, 2011; Waide and Brunner, 2011). Specifically, the lack of information affects a range of stakeholders: Governments must rely on outdated information when setting research agendas, developing policies, and designing energy efficiency programs and offerings. Utilities and energy efficiency programs cannot identify the current market needs or potential impact when designing rebate and energy efficiency programs. Electric grid planners cannot identify motor system usage characteristics when developing plans to support the resilience of the electric grid. Manufacturers of motors, motor driven equipment, and drives are hampered when developing technologies to meet the needs of their market. Motor system end users are limited in their ability to identify energy saving opportunities within their own facilities because they do not have reliable benchmark information. In response to the lack of current information and analysis on industrial and commercial motor systems, the DOE initiated an update to these two studies. Launched in 2016 and led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), the Motor System Market Assessment (MSMA) provides an updated, more comprehensive assessment of the installed stock of motor systems in both the industrial and commercial sectors, a review of the supply chains supporting motor and drives in the U.S., and the performance improvement opportunity available from using best available technologies and maintenance and operation practices. The outcomes of the MSMA are documented in three U.S. Industrial and Commercial Motor System Market Assessment reports, with this report being the first listed: 1. Volume 1: Characteristics of the Installed Base (this report) documents the findings on the installed base of motor systems in the U.S. industrial and commercial sectors. Quantification of energy savings potential is not documented in this report but in Volume 3. 2. Volume 2: Motors and Drives Supply Chain Review reviews the state of supply chains for motors and drives installed in U.S. industrial and commercial facilities, focusing on advanced motor and drive technologies and their constituent materials. 3. Volume 3: Energy Savings Opportunity analyzes the energy performance improvement opportunity for the installed base of U.S. industrial and commercial motor systems. This report has been prepared as a reference for motor system stakeholders. It provides factual information as could be best determined by the assessment results and avoids speculating on any findings.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Worldwide Population Estimates for Small Geographic Areas

This chapter discusses the basis for these population estimates, scope, and limitations based on experiences in development of massive global population datasets and usage of these datasets as a basis for sampling design. It presents tools and approaches for using these georeferenced population estimates for complex household survey sampling. The chapter provides a unified resource for understanding current gridded population datasets, their use in survey research, and promising areas of future work toward improved population estimates. It includes an overview of popular gridded population datasets, common methodological frameworks for developing gridded population estimates, and discusses pros and cons for selecting a gridded population dataset from a survey perspective. The chapter focuses on survey methods that use gridded population estimates specifically. It highlights differences between census population estimates and gridded population estimates that may be relevant when planning data collection. The chapter presents a case study of gridded population data and sampling methods in Nigeria.

Amer, Safaa↗
DOE OSTI2022

Investigating capacity credit sensitivity to reliability metrics and computational methodologies

Assigning capacity value to renewable energy sources (RES) is a challenge faced in planning their integration with the grid. The difficulties stem from the natural characteristics of variability and intermittency of wind and solar sources. The capacity credit (CC) analysis evaluates the system’s actual power output compared with a constant capacity generator, i.e., conventional generator and determines an effective capacity to use for planning and operation. Herein this paper presents different factors that could affect the CC of a system. Two methods are proposed to determine the CC, namely equivalent firm capacity (EFC) and effective load carrying capability (ELCC). Since these methods are based on satisfying reliability criteria, daily loss of load expectation (LOLE), hourly loss of load (LOLH), and expected energy not served (EENS) have been employed as indices. To obtain the CC value, both methods apply two techniques: traditional and optimization. Genetic algorithm (GA) is the optimization approach used in this paper. Then, this work compares the two techniques and shows the superior performance of the optimization approach. Two hybrid systems, stand-alone (SA) and grid-connected (GC) modes, are proposed and used as case studies. The hybrid systems consist of photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), and battery energy storage system (BESS). In this work, three different scenarios are used to compare capacity credit: system as a whole, only wind, and no batteries. Finally, sensitivity analysis is carried out to examine the impact of varying the wind speed, solar irradiation, and load. It is demonstrated that the choice of reliability index plays an important role in determining the capacity credit and it is shown that EENS is a more comprehensive and consistent index of reliability.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Geothermal Representation in Power System Models

Power system models generally fail to capture the range of characteristics geothermal resources provide and the value they potentially contribute to decarbonization and reliability of future electricity grids as firm, dispatchable, non-combustion power resources. This study reviews the results of power system modeling efforts to investigate geothermal deployment potential in the United States, including the U.S. DOE GeoVision analysis and ongoing modeling and analysis efforts to support planning and development of future grids with 100% renewable energy in California. Several themes are identified that could be implemented immediately to improve the accuracy of geothermal representation in power system models: consistency of model inputs, modeling of baseload and dispatchable geothermal resources, accurate valuation of grid services, improved representation of capacity factor, use of contemporary LCOE estimates, improved understanding of the evolution of geothermal value, and use of accurate resource potential constraints. Many of the models reviewed produced significantly different amounts of geothermal resource selection - even when modeling the same region and time period. This highlights the variability of inputs and assumptions among models, so creating a consistent set of geothermal inputs is a first step toward more accurate representation of geothermal in models. Research opportunities are identified that could help improve geothermal data inputs in modeling efforts, including analyses of historical data, sensitivity to model inputs, and comparative value of geothermal generators as baseload or dispatchable resources. Outcomes of such research can inform the geothermal community about how best to guide geothermal development toward wider deployment in support of future electricity grids through improved understanding of the evolution of geothermal value over time and the characteristics that contribute to that value.

capacity expansion models↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accelerating Transitions to Zero Carbon Power Systems

As power systems evolve, becoming increasingly renewable, distributed, dynamic, and digital, managing them becomes ever more challenging and complex. System operators serve as the "air traffic controllers" for electricity grids, working to balance supply and demand, manage evolving electricity markets, and ensure the safety and reliability of electricity systems. To adapt to the rapidly changing energy landscape and support the transition to modern, zero carbon power systems, system operators must develop and adopt new technologies, approaches, and frameworks. The Global Power System Transformation (G-PST) Consortium is a network of system operators, research institutions, and industry partners working to accelerate and scale the technical solutions required to transform our world's power systems. By developing and sharing robust models and tools, research and demonstration results, knowledge, and innovation, the G-PST Consortium is empowering system operators to transition to 100% renewable energy while ensuring the reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness of grid operations.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY,POWER TRANSMI↗
DOE OSTI2024

South Asia Group for Energy-India

The South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE) is working with Grid India and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to determine the best methods to deploy more inverter-based resources (IBR) such as solar photovoltaic generators and utility-scale battery. To address grid strength and stability concerns, planners and operators are working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) team, through SAGE, to identify potential solutions for strengthening the grid and fostering grid reliability.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Data-Driven Unit Commitment Refinement - a Scalable Approach for Complex Modern Power Grids

Integration of renewable generation, which is often intermittent and decentralized, substantially increases the stochasticity and complexity of power grid operations. Future power systems planning will require significant computational capability to evaluate balance between demand and supply under varying conditions, both temporally and spatially. The standard approach for generation unit commitment is to use mixed-integer linear programming to find the optimal generation schedule considering ramping and generator constraints. In the future grid this poses computational scalability challenges because generation and demand are not known with certainty due to stochasticity in weather and complexity of the grid. To address this challenge, we present a data-driven unit commitment approach that can efficiently include stochastic weather impacts and contingency considerations to improve unit commitment. Our approach uses graph-based data analytics techniques on solutions to the security constrained (and possibly stochastic) economic dispatch problem to identify potential improvements to a given unit commitment. Recent breakthroughs in fully-parallel stochastic economic dispatch software allow this approach to be scalably deployed. Simulations on synthetic South Carolina and Texas grids show this method can improve grid reliability with security constraints over a set of contingencies, while also meaningfully lowering total generation cost.

Holt, Timothy↗
DOE OSTI2021

Climate-Induced Tradeoffs in Planning and Operating Costs of a Regional Electricity System

Electricity grid planners design the system in order to supply electricity to end users reliably and affordably. Climate change threatens both objectives through potentially compounding supply- and demand-side climate-induced impacts. Uncertainty surrounds each of these future potential impacts. Given long planning horizons, system planners must weigh investment costs against operational costs under this uncertainty. Here, we developed a comprehensive and coherent integrated modeling framework combining physically-based models with cost-minimizing optimization models in the power system. We applied this modeling framework to analyze potential tradeoffs in planning and operating costs in the power grid due to climate change in the Southeast U.S. in 2050. We find that planning decisions that do not account for climate-induced impacts would result in a substantial increase in social costs associated with loss of load. These social costs are a result of under-investment in new capacity and capacity deratings of thermal generators when we included climate change impacts in the operation stage. Finally, these results highlight the importance of including climate change effects in the planning process.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Equitable Energy Transition Planning in Holyoke, Massachusetts: A Technical Analysis for Strategic Gas Decommissioning and Grid Resiliency

Buildings account for 30% of the emissions in Massachusetts and are the largest source of emissions in the United States, along with transportation. Pipeline-delivered methane gas is the dominant heating source in Massachusetts, representing 51% of heating in the state. The current gas network in Massachusetts and across many other US states is aging, a relic of the coal gas era, with thousands of miles of cast iron and unprotected steel pipes that are considered leak prone. Even newer plastic pipes are subject to degradation and in need of replacement, an upgrade that averages $2.8 million per mile of pipeline replacement across investor-owned utilities in Massachusetts.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Resource Adequacy in Decarbonizing Power Systems

Decarbonization of the power sector is instrumental to reducing emissions worldwide. Following the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial conference (CEM13) in 2022, several governments signaled their intention to develop power sector decarbonization action plans. The 21st Century Power Partnership (21CPP), in coordination with all Clean Energy Ministerial power workstreams and collaborators, is providing technical support on critical focus areas as these countries prepare their action plans. Countries will present the action plans at the upcoming CEM14 in India. Brought to you by the Clean Energy Solutions Center and 21CPP, this webinar will focus on resource adequacy and grid flexibility, key themes in the CEM14 action plans and critical topics for integrating variable renewable energy into the grid while ensuring system reliability. Global energy experts will discuss how grid planners can ensure stable supply while rapidly decarbonizing the power system and how various policies can increase the power grid's flexibility.

emissions↗