Results for “Resource” — Page 16

DOE OSTI2019

Southeast Offshore Storage Resource Assessment (SOSRA) (Final Technical Report)

Subsurface geologic storage of CO 2 can play a major role in offsetting greenhouse gas emissions in a manner that is safe, economical, and acceptable to the public. Due to legal advantages and potential vast resource capacity, offshore storage offers an attractive alternative to onshore storage. Indeed, the success of the Sleipner project in the North Sea demonstrates the technical feasibility of offshore storage as not only a viable option, but as an early opportunity for commercial deployment. Although the storage capacity of offshore reservoirs is expected to be vast, no comprehensive assessment of the offshore storage resource in the southeastern United States had been performed. In a preliminary analysis of a 10,000 mi 2 area of offshore Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle, Hills and Pashin (2010) suggested that about 170 Gt of CO 2 could be stored in Miocene sandstone and that at least 30 Gt could be stored in deeper Cretaceous formations. A task force convened by the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) found that no assessment had been made of the offshore storage resource potential in the shelf areas of the Atlantic seaboard and the eastern Gulf of Mexico in the southeastern US. Considering that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 40% of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions in the US are generated in the southeast, the lack of an offshore CO 2 assessment constitutes a major gap in understanding of the regional storage resource. In order to address this significant gap in knowledge of the regional storage resources and geologic capacity the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) led a coalition of southern universities and technical experts to assess prospective geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the State and Federal waters of three planning areas: The Mid-Atlantic; The South Atlantic; and The eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Southeast Offshore Storage Resource Assessment (SOSRA) project developed a high-level approximation of the amount of CO 2 that might be stored utilizing key geologic and environmental factors which influence the storage potential. The research included significant advances in knowledge and technology that will facilitate assessment and quantification of offshore CO 2 storage resources in the SOSRA region and provide a pathway toward commercialization.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Roane and Anderson Counties, Tennessee Historic Architectural Resource Survey June 2018

From February through September 2017, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. personnel completed a historic architectural resource survey of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Roane and Anderson Counties, Tennessee. The survey was completed at the request of UT-Battelle, LLC, the private not-for-profit company that manages and operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy. The purpose of the survey was to assist the Department of Energy in complying with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, by providing updated recommendations regarding the National Register of Historic Places eligibility of historic architectural resources at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The survey included the entirety of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s main campus that occupies approximately 1,100 acres in Bethel and Melton Valleys and on Chestnut Ridge. Based on Facilities Information Management System data and guidance provided by UT-Battelle, LLC, preservation and modernization staff, the survey team developed a list of resources for inclusion in the survey. The list included all substantial buildings constructed in or before 1980 in order to provide sufficient coverage of buildings that will turn 50 years of age within the next decade. Only those buildings with recorded area over 100 sq ft were included in the survey. Additionally, the UT-Battelle team identified 15 buildings for more intensive survey because such buildings are central to Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s future mission needs and are expected to undergo renovations in the foreseeable future. These building were subject to both exterior and interior documentation with particular focus on identifying character-defining features, and thus were subject to more detailed analysis than the other resources included in the survey. The findings of this historic resource survey build on the conclusions of the 1994 survey by DuVall & Associates, Inc., as well as the survey updates completed by Thomason and Associates in 2004 and 2015 in support of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Historic Preservation Plan. Within 12 distinct areas of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as outlying areas, the survey recorded 195 buildings and structures constructed in or before 1980. In consideration of the role and significance of each area and each individual resource within the context of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and in light of their current integrity and condition, each recorded resource was evaluated to determine if it is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

National User Resource for Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

The National User Resource for Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (User Resource) will provide isotopic analysis (primarily radiocarbon or 14C) by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for NIH- funded researchers across the United States and will be the only User Resource of its type in the United States. The User Resource will provide measurement capability and expertise to a research community that requires highly sensitive, quantitative isotope analyses. Since commissioning a new accelerator mass spectrometer in June 2014, we have measured over 4000 samples a year for collaborators and service users. The User Resource will enable us to continue to meet these research needs, as well as provide for new users whose research programs would benefit from AMS as a measurement tool. The User Resource’s forte will be ultra-high sensitivity quantitation of radiocarbon and selected other radioisotopes for research studies where isotopes are required. Radioisotope labeling studies have been and will continue to be an important tool for addressing many complex biomedical science problems. AMS is a specialized and unique type of mass spectrometry that provides absolute quantitation of radiocarbon and other relevant radioisotopes with extreme sensitivity, having limits of detection in real samples on the order of a few attomol/mg of sample at measurement precisions of ~3%. It is the only instrumental method capable of quantifying radioisotope-labeled agents routinely in real-world samples with such precision and sensitivity. The sensitivity of AMS allows for the quantification of radiolabeled metabolites in extremely complex matrices of cells and organisms at very low concentrations and in small samples. AMS allows studies to be conducted without perturbing metabolism leading to more relevant quantification of metabolic rates and pathways. In addition, it enables quantification of pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties of toxicants at environmentally relevant concentrations in model systems as well as the ability to quantify pharmacokinetics and other molecular endpoints directly in humans. Such quantitative assessments can 1) improve risk assessment for toxicants, 2) address safety and efficacy considerations for therapeutic entities, 3) deepen understanding of xenobiotic and intermediary metabolism, 4) help understand the interactions between critical molecular pathways, and 5) improve efforts to model and predict various metabolic and biological states. These capabilities have been applied in a number of areas including research in carcinogenesis, toxicology, nutrition, pharmacology/drug development and basic biological science. As a NIGMS National Resource the National User Resource for Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry will help NIH funded scientists achieve a deeper understanding of the etiology of human health concerns by (1) enabling the quantification of pharmacokinetics and other molecular endpoints directly in humans; (2) offering the ability to conduct quantitative studies using biologics such as proteins or lipids, and thereby reducing the amount of radioisotope usage in biomedical labs; and (3) enabling more relevant studies of metabolic pathways in health and disease through the use of much lower, more biologically-relevant, concentrations of metabolic substrates in cells and intact organisms. Such studies support NIGMS’s basic biomedical research areas that contribute to the understanding of fundamental cellular and physiological principles and enable research supported by the Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB); Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (GMCDB); Pharmacology, Physiology, Biological Chemistry (PPBC) and Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD) Divisions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2025

National User Resource for Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (Final Report)

The National User Resource for Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (User Resource) will provide isotopic analysis (primarily radiocarbon or 14C) by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for NIH- funded researchers across the United States and will be the only User Resource of its type in the United States. The User Resource will provide measurement capability and expertise to a research community that requires highly sensitive, quantitative isotope analyses. Since commissioning a new accelerator mass spectrometer in June 2014, we have measured over 4000 samples a year for collaborators and service users. The User Resource will enable us to continue to meet these research needs, as well as provide for new users whose research programs would benefit from AMS as a measurement tool. The User Resource’s forte will be ultra-high sensitivity quantitation of radiocarbon and selected other radioisotopes for research studies where isotopes are required. Radioisotope labeling studies have been and will continue to be an important tool for addressing many complex biomedical science problems. AMS is a specialized and unique type of mass spectrometry that provides absolute quantitation of radiocarbon and other relevant radioisotopes with extreme sensitivity, having limits of detection in real samples on the order of a few attomol/mg of sample at measurement precisions of ~3%. It is the only instrumental method capable of quantifying radioisotope-labeled agents routinely in real-world samples with such precision and sensitivity. The sensitivity of AMS allows for the quantification of radiolabeled metabolites in extremely complex matrices of cells and organisms at very low concentrations and in small samples. AMS allows studies to be conducted without perturbing metabolism leading to more relevant quantification of metabolic rates and pathways. In addition, it enables quantification of pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties of toxicants at environmentally relevant concentrations in model systems as well as the ability to quantify pharmacokinetics and other molecular endpoints directly in humans. Such quantitative assessments can 1) improve risk assessment for toxicants, 2) address safety and efficacy considerations for therapeutic entities, 3) deepen understanding of xenobiotic and intermediary metabolism, 4) help understand the interactions between critical molecular pathways, and 5) improve efforts to model and predict various metabolic and biological states. These capabilities have been applied in a number of areas including research in carcinogenesis, toxicology, nutrition, pharmacology/drug development and basic biological science. As a NIGMS National Resource the National User Resource for Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry will help NIH funded scientists achieve a deeper understanding of the etiology of human health concerns by (1) enabling the quantification of pharmacokinetics and other molecular endpoints directly in humans; (2) offering the ability to conduct quantitative studies using biologics such as proteins or lipids, and thereby reducing the amount of radioisotope usage in biomedical labs; and (3) enabling more relevant studies of metabolic pathways in health and disease through the use of much lower, more biologically-relevant, concentrations of metabolic substrates in cells and intact organisms. Such studies support NIGMS’s basic biomedical research areas that contribute to the understanding of fundamental cellular and physiological principles and enable research supported by the Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB); Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (GMCDB); Pharmacology, Physiology, Biological Chemistry (PPBC) and Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD) Divisions. Over the next five years, our goals are to: 1. Improve the efficiency of operation for AMS measurements through installation of new interfaces to our AMS systems, technical modifications to improve gas accepting ion source efficiency and upgrading our data analysis software for improved ease of use and data reporting. 2. Increase the accessibility and visibility of ultra-sensitive 14C measurements for the biomedical research community by training of new investigators and expanding our national user base. 3. Provide high throughput, ultra-sensitive 14C analysis for the NIGMS and NIH user community.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2020

Temporal Resource Continuity Increases Predator Abundance in a Metapopulation Model: Insights for Conservation and Biocontrol

The amount of habitat in a landscape is an important metric for evaluating the effects of land cover on biodiversity, yet it fails to capture complex temporal dimensions of resource availability that could be consequential for species population dynamics. Here, we use a spatially-explicit predator–prey metapopulation model to test the effect of different spatiotemporal resource patterns on insect predators and their prey. We examined population responses in model landscapes that varied in both the amount and temporal variability of basal vegetation. Further, we examined cases where prey comprised either a single generalist species or two specialist species that use different resources available either early or late in the growing season. We found that predators and generalist prey benefitted from lower temporal variance of basal resources, which increased landscape-scale abundances. However, increasing the amount of basal resources also increased the variability of generalist prey populations. Specialist prey, on the other hand, did not benefit from less temporally variable basal resources, as they were restricted by habitat type, while also suffering greater predation. Predators achieved greater prey suppression in landscapes with less temporally variable resources, but the overall effects on prey abundance depended on prey habitat specialization. Our simulations demonstrate the joint importance of both the amount and temporal variability of resources for understanding how landscape heterogeneity influences biodiversity and ecosystem services such as the biological control of agricultural pests.

Spiesman, Brian↗

NASA NTRS1992

Space resources. Overview

Space resources must be used to support life on the Moon and in the exploration of Mars. Just as the pioneers applied the tools they brought with them to resources they found along the way rather than trying to haul all their needs over a long supply line, so too must space travelers apply their high technology tools to local resources. This overview describes the findings of a study on the use of space resources in the development of future space activities and defines the necessary research and development that must precede the practical utilization of these resources. Space resources considered included lunar soil, oxygen derived from lunar soil, material retrieved from near-Earth asteroids, abundant sunlight, low gravity, and high vacuum. The study participants analyzed the direct use of these resources, the potential demand for products from them, the techniques for retrieving and processing space resources, the necessary infrastructure, and the economic tradeoffs.

Mckay, Mary Fae↗

NASA NTRS1993

Resource utilization model for the algorithm to architecture mapping model

The analytical model for resource utilization and the variable node time and conditional node model for the enhanced ATAMM model for a real-time data flow architecture are presented in this research. The Algorithm To Architecture Mapping Model, ATAMM, is a Petri net based graph theoretic model developed at Old Dominion University, and is capable of modeling the execution of large-grained algorithms on a real-time data flow architecture. Using the resource utilization model, the resource envelope may be obtained directly from a given graph and, consequently, the maximum number of required resources may be evaluated. The node timing diagram for one iteration period may be obtained using the analytical resource envelope. The variable node time model, which describes the change in resource requirement for the execution of an algorithm under node time variation, is useful to expand the applicability of the ATAMM model to heterogeneous architectures. The model also describes a method of detecting the presence of resource limited mode and its subsequent prevention. Graphs with conditional nodes are shown to be reduced to equivalent graphs with time varying nodes and, subsequently, may be analyzed using the variable node time model to determine resource requirements. Case studies are performed on three graphs for the illustration of applicability of the analytical theories.

Stoughton, John W.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Use of Drying Technologies for Resource Recovery from Solid Wastes and Brines

Long term storage of unprocessed biological wastes and human wastes can present major health issues and a loss of potential resources. Space vehicles and planetary habitats are typically resource-scarce or resource-limited environments for long-term human habitation. To-date, most of the resources will need to be supplied from Earth, but this may not be possible for long duration human exploration. Based on present knowledge, there is only very limited in-situ resources on planetary habitats. Hence, the opportunity to "live off the land" in a planetary habitat is limited. However, if we assume that wastes generated by human explorers are viewed as resources, there is great potential to utilize and recycle them, thereby reducing the requirements for supply Earth and enabling the "live off the land" exploration scenario. Technologies used for the recovery of resources from wastes should be reliable, safe, easy to operate, fail-proof, modular, automated and preferably multifunctional in being capable of handling mixed solid and liquid wastes. For a lunar habitat, energy does not appear to be the major driving factor amongst the technologies studied. Instead, reliability appears to be more important[1] . This paper reports studies to date on drying technologies to remove water from solid wastes and brines. Experimental performance data obtained for recovery water from wastes and brine are presented. Simplicity of operation of hardware and energy efficiency are discussed. Some improvements and modifications to hardware were performed. Hopefully, this information will assist in future efforts in the "downselection" of technologies for recovery of water and resources from solid wastes and brines.

Wignarajah, Kanapathipillai↗

NASA NTRS2018

Space Resources and Mining: Current Objectives, Plans, and Missions

Why are Space Resources and Their Use Important? There are many reasons why people and nations want to explore space, and there are many different ways in which space can be explored. A critical interface linking both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of space exploration is the identification, extraction, and use of resources in space. In both NASA’s Journey to Mars: Pioneering Next Steps in Space Exploration released in October of 2015 and the Global Exploration Roadmap released in August 2013, the ability to find, quantify, extract, process, and use space resources was identified as a critical objective by NASA and over 14 other space agencies for achieving affordable and sustainable human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit, encouraging and creating new commercial entities and markets based on space activities, and increasing the terrestrial economy and quality-of-life benefits for all humankind. Robotic and especially human space exploration up to this point in time can be considered to be ‘Earth reliant’ in that everything needed to support and enable the mission is launched from Earth. The past Apollo missions to the Moon and the International Space Station currently in orbit above the Earth all rely on hardware, habitats, power, transportation, and life support consumables sent from Earth to keep the crew alive and working. As the distance from Earth increases, the cost of transportation and the risks due to failures and logistics disruptions also increases. By using resources found at the site of exploration to make mission critical consumables (such as propellants, fuel cell reactants and life support commodities), spare parts, and infrastructure needed to support surface activities (such as landing pads, roads, habitats/shelters, and power/thermal systems) commonly referred to as In Situ Resource Utilization, a significant amount of launch mass and cost can be saved and risk reduced. The ability to do these things also changes how exploration is performed from Earth Reliant to NASA’s goal of ‘Earth Independent’ exploration. After the US Apollo program was over, people began to recognize that it had been an inspiration for a generation of young students to go into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, and that the US industry and economy had significantly grown and lived off these students and the technological advances made to achieve these missions for decades. Space exploration should no longer be focused solely on scientific advancement or national pride, but for economic growth and population standard of living advancement. Considering the economic value of human exploration and how it could expand the economy of the US was brought to full light in a speech by John Marburger, the director of US Office of Science and Technology Policy under George W Bush at the Goddard Symposium in 2006. In his speech he highlighted that the ultimate goal was not to just Explore space but to Use space for the benefit of mankind. He further stated that the use of off-planet resources, in this case from the Moon, should be a critical architectural consideration for human space exploration to make it more affordable and sustainable. This could be achieved in two ways. The first is to start by encouraging and commercializing the extraction and production of transportation and life support related products from space resources, which could than lead to other resource uses once an affordable transportation architecture is established. The second is to encourage the spin-in of terrestrial technologies into space applications and spin-off of space technologies into terrestrial applications to increase the efficiency and profitability of terrestrial industries.

Sanders, Gerald B.↗

DOE OSTI2015

Controlling user access to electronic resources without password

Described herein are devices and techniques for remotely controlling user access to a restricted computer resource. The process includes pre-determining an association of the restricted computer resource and computer-resource-proximal environmental information. Indicia of user-proximal environmental information are received from a user requesting access to the restricted computer resource. Received indicia of user-proximal environmental information are compared to associated computer-resource-proximal environmental information. User access to the restricted computer resource is selectively granted responsive to a favorable comparison in which the user-proximal environmental information is sufficiently similar to the computer-resource proximal environmental information. In at least some embodiments, the process further includes comparing user-supplied biometric measure and comparing it with a predetermined association of at least one biometric measure of an authorized user. Access to the restricted computer resource is granted in response to a favorable comparison.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2016

An Estimate of Shallow, Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources of the United States: Preprint

Low-temperature geothermal resources in the United States potentially hold an enormous quantity of thermal energy, useful for direct use in residential, commercial and industrial applications such as space and water heating, greenhouse warming, pool heating, aquaculture, and low-temperature manufacturing processes. Several studies published over the past 40 years have provided assessments of the resource potential for multiple types of low-temperature geothermal systems (e.g. hydrothermal convection, hydrothermal conduction, and enhanced geothermal systems) with varying temperature ranges and depths. This paper provides a summary and additional analysis of these assessments of shallow (= 3 km), low-temperature (30-150 degrees C) geothermal resources in the United States, suitable for use in direct-use applications. This analysis considers six types of geothermal systems, spanning both hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). We outline the primary data sources and quantitative parameters used to describe resources in each of these categories, and present summary statistics of the total resources available. In sum, we find that low-temperature hydrothermal resources and EGS resources contain approximately 8 million and 800 million TWh of heat-in-place, respectively. In future work, these resource potential estimates will be used for modeling of the technical and market potential for direct-use geothermal applications for the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Vision Study.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

An Estimate of Shallow, Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources of the United States

Low-temperature geothermal resources in the United States potentially hold an enormous quantity of thermal energy, useful for direct use in residential, commercial and industrial applications such as space and water heating, greenhouse warming, pool heating, aquaculture, and low-temperature manufacturing processes. Several studies published over the past 40 years have provided assessments of the resource potential for multiple types of low-temperature geothermal systems (e.g. hydrothermal convection, hydrothermal conduction, and enhanced geothermal systems) with varying temperature ranges and depths. This paper provides a summary and additional analysis of these assessments of shallow (= 3 km), low-temperature (30-150 degrees C) geothermal resources in the United States, suitable for use in direct-use applications. This analysis considers six types of geothermal systems, spanning both hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). We outline the primary data sources and quantitative parameters used to describe resources in each of these categories, and present summary statistics of the total resources available. In sum, we find that low-temperature hydrothermal resources and EGS resources contain approximately 8 million and 800 million TWh of heat-in-place, respectively. In future work, these resource potential estimates will be used for modeling of the technical and market potential for direct-use geothermal applications for the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Vision Study.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS AND CASE STUDIES: The National Park Service Visual Resource Inventory: Capturing the Historic and Cultural Values of Scenic Views

Several United States (US) federal agencies have developed visual resource inventory (VRI) and management systems that reflect specific agency missions and visual resource management objectives. These programs have varied in the degree to which they incorporate historic and cultural elements and values into the scenic inventory process. The recent nationwide expansion of renewable energy and associated transmission development is causing an increase in visual impacts on both scenic and historic/cultural resources. This increase has highlighted the need for better integration of visual and historic/cultural resource assessment and management activities for land use planning purposes. The US Department of the Interior National Park Service (NPS), in response to concerns arising from potential scenic impacts from renewable energy, electric transmission, and other types of development on lands and waters near NPS units, has developed a VRI process for high-value views both within and outside NPS unit boundaries. The NPS VRI incorporates historic and cultural elements and values into the scenic resource inventory process and provides practical guidance and metrics for successfully integrating historic and cultural concerns into the NPS’s scenic resource conservation efforts. This article describes the NPS VRI process and compares it with the VRI processes of the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management and the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, with respect to the incorporation of historic and cultural values. The article discusses why a scenic inventory approach that more robustly integrates the historic and cultural values of the landscape is essential for NPS landscapes, and for fulfillment of NPS’s mission. Inventories are underway at many NPS units, and the results indicate that the VRI process can be used successfully to capture important historic and cultural resource information and incorporate that information into the assessment of the scenic values of views within and outside NPS units. Environmental Practice 18: 166–179 (2016)

cultural↗

DOE OSTI2017

An improved global wind resource estimate for integrated assessment models

This study summarizes initial steps to improving the robustness and accuracy of global renewable resource and techno-economic assessments for use in integrated assessment models. We outline a method to construct country-level wind resource supply curves, delineated by resource quality and other parameters. Using mesoscale reanalysis data, we generate estimates for wind quality, both terrestrial and offshore, across the globe. Because not all land or water area is suitable for development, appropriate database layers provide exclusions to reduce the total resource to its technical potential. We expand upon estimates from related studies by: using a globally consistent data source of uniquely detailed wind speed characterizations; assuming a non-constant coefficient of performance for adjusting power curves for altitude; categorizing the distance from resource sites to the electric power grid; and characterizing offshore exclusions on the basis of sea ice concentrations. The product, then, is technical potential by country, classified by resource quality as determined by net capacity factor. Additional classifications dimensions are available, including distance to transmission networks for terrestrial wind and distance to shore and water depth for offshore. We estimate the total global wind generation potential of 560 PWh for terrestrial wind with 90% of resource classified as low-to-mid quality, and 315 PWh for offshore wind with 67% classified as mid-to-high quality. These estimates are based on 3.5 MW composite wind turbines with 90 m hub heights, 0.95 availability, 90% array efficiency, and 5 MW/km 2 deployment density in non-excluded areas. We compare the underlying technical assumption and results with other global assessments.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Tidal Stream Energy Resource Characterization in the Salish Sea

Tidal stream energy holds great potential as a renewable energy source in regions of the world where tidal currents are strong and predictable. The tidal stream energy resource of a region is strongly controlled by its tidal wave characteristics, the local bathymetry, and coastal geometric features. The Salish Sea, a large estuary on the Pacific Northwest coast, represents a great tidal stream resource because of its strong tidal currents in many tidal channels. However, the tidal resource in the Salish Sea has not been systematically characterized, primarily because of its large area and complex bathymetry and coastlines. This paper presents a modeling study conducted to characterize the tidal energy resource of the Salish Sea based on a high-resolution three-dimensional tidal hydrodynamic model of the Salish Sea, which was extensively validated using data derived from 10 tidal gauge stations and 132 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler stations. Model validation results indicated the Salish Sea hydrodynamic model is skillful in simulating tidal wave propagation and velocity distributions in the Salish Sea. Based on model results, a total of 16 tidal channels with strong tidal currents, 9 in the San Juan Islands and Rosario Strait regions and 7 in the Puget Sound, were identified as hotspots for potential tidal energy development. Velocity probability distributions and exceedance curves of cross-channel average velocity magnitudes were calculated at all 16 channels based on the recommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Specifications for tidal energy resource characterization. The tidal energy resource at the 16 hotspots was also characterized using power density distributions and kinetic energy fluxes. The ranking of the kinetic energy fluxes suggested that Admiralty Inlet, Rosario Strait, and Middle Channel are the top three hotspot sites in the Salish Sea for tidal stream energy development. The study demonstrated the need for a high-resolution 3-D modeling framework for accurate simulation of tidal currents in large complex estuarine systems, in the context of tidal energy resource characterization.

tidal stream energy, resource characterization, Sa↗

DOE OSTI2016

Resource Sharing Controls Gene Expression Bursting

Episodic gene expression, with periods of high expression separated by periods of no expression, is a pervasive biological phenomenon. This bursty pattern of expression draws from a finite reservoir of expression machinery in a highly time variant way, i.e., requiring no resources most of the time but drawing heavily on them during short intense bursts, that intimately links expression bursting and resource sharing. Yet, most recent investigations have focused on specific molecular mechanisms intrinsic to the bursty behavior of individual genes, while little is known about the interplay between resource sharing and global expression bursting behavior. In this paper, we confine Escherichia coli cell extract in both cell-sized microfluidic chambers and lipid-based vesicles to explore how resource sharing influences expression bursting. Interestingly, expression burst size, but not burst frequency, is highly sensitive to the size of the shared transcription and translation resource pools. The intriguing implication of these results is that expression bursts are more readily amplified than initiated, suggesting that burst formation occurs through positive feedback or cooperativity. When extrapolated to prokaryotic cells, these results suggest that large translational bursts may be correlated with large transcriptional bursts. This correlation is supported by recently reported transcription and translation bursting studies in E. coli. Finally, the results reported here demonstrate a strong intimate link between global expression burst patterns and resource sharing, and they suggest that bursting plays an important role in optimizing the use of limited, shared expression resources.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

An Improved Global Wind Resource Estimate for Integrated Assessment Models: Preprint

This paper summarizes initial steps to improving the robustness and accuracy of global renewable resource and techno-economic assessments for use in integrated assessment models. We outline a method to construct country-level wind resource supply curves, delineated by resource quality and other parameters. Using mesoscale reanalysis data, we generate estimates for wind quality, both terrestrial and offshore, across the globe. Because not all land or water area is suitable for development, appropriate database layers provide exclusions to reduce the total resource to its technical potential. We expand upon estimates from related studies by: using a globally consistent data source of uniquely detailed wind speed characterizations; assuming a non-constant coefficient of performance for adjusting power curves for altitude; categorizing the distance from resource sites to the electric power grid; and characterizing offshore exclusions on the basis of sea ice concentrations. The product, then, is technical potential by country, classified by resource quality as determined by net capacity factor. Additional classifications dimensions are available, including distance to transmission networks for terrestrial wind and distance to shore and water depth for offshore. We estimate the total global wind generation potential of 560 PWh for terrestrial wind with 90% of resource classified as low-to-mid quality, and 315 PWh for offshore wind with 67% classified as mid-to-high quality. These estimates are based on 3.5 MW composite wind turbines with 90 m hub heights, 0.95 availability, 90% array efficiency, and 5 MW/km2 deployment density in non-excluded areas. We compare the underlying technical assumption and results with other global assessments.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Impacts of Price Formation Efforts Considering High Renewable Penetration Levels and System Resource Adequacy Targets

Future markets with very high penetrations of renewable energy could have many low- to zero-cost periods, which would reduce energy revenues for the generation fleet. This can impact the ability of resources that are needed for long-term reliability to recover operating and capital costs. This paper explores the impact of an alternative pricing mechanism, relaxed minimum pricing, on revenue sufficiency on existing and future resource mixes, including those with high penetrations of wind and solar. This study evaluates eight scenarios encompassing three different sensitivity categories: (1) one alternative pricing mechanism versus traditional LMP pricing, (2) high versus low renewable penetration levels, and (3) using a resource mix that has been adjusted to a preset resource adequacy target versus one that contains a full set of resources. Results show renewable penetration has a greater impact on pricing and resulting profits than does the adjusted resource mix, the two pricing methods have modest variations in profits, and prices under the higher renewable penetration case were higher than under low renewable penetration. These conclusions are not intended to be direct predictions for future outcomes but rather to lead to additional research on the impacts of pricing on investment incentives and future resource adequacy targets.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗