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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Geothermal Reservoir Simulation Analysis in Support of Electricity Co-Production Feasibility Study at the Blackburn Oil Field, Nevada: Preprint

Geothermal electricity co-production is a viable option for oil reservoirs producing large water cuts with elevated wellhead-observed temperatures. Repurposing existing oil wells significantly reduces initial investment costs historically associated with geothermal resource utilization. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), partnering with Gradient Geothermal, Inc. (formerly known as Transitional Energy) and Grant Canyon Oil and Gas, has been tasked to evaluate the feasibility of geothermal electricity co-production at the Blackburn Oil Field with Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) generators. The Devonian steady-state reservoir has historically been producing high water cuts of 240 degrees F (115.6 degrees C) observed at the wellhead without documented pressure drawdown or thermal breakthrough. An estimated initial reservoir temperature of approx. 260degreesF (126.7 degrees C) has been observed in the field and history-matched in a wellbore production analysis and reservoir simulation. Our objective was to develop a conceptual geological model of the subsurface, simulate a natural-state reservoir, model production scenarios, and complete a technical feasibility analysis to accomplish this task. Through extensive modeling and the use of available proprietary and public data, it was possible simulate three scenarios that indicated minimal thermal decline over the duration of a simulated ten-year production and re-injection scheme.

Blackburn Nevada↗
DOE OSTI2025

Geothermal Reservoir Simulation Analysis in Support of Electricity Co-Production Feasibility Study at the Blackburn Oil Field, Nevada

Geothermal electricity co-production is a viable option for oil reservoirs producing large water cuts with elevated wellhead temperatures. Repurposing existing oil wells significantly reduces initial investment costs historically associated with geothermal resource utilization. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), partnering with Gradient Geothermal, Inc. (formerly known as Transitional Energy) and Grant Canyon Oil and Gas, has been tasked to evaluate the feasibility of geothermal electricity co-production at the Blackburn Oil Field with Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) generators. The Devonian steady-state reservoir has historically been producing high water cuts of 240 degrees F (115.6 degrees C) observed at the wellhead without documented pressure drawdown or thermal breakthrough. An estimated initial reservoir temperature of approx. 260 degrees F (126.7 degrees C) has been observed in the field and history-matched in a wellbore production analysis and reservoir simulation. Our objective was to develop a conceptual geological model of the subsurface, simulate a natural-state reservoir, model production scenarios, and complete a technical feasibility analysis to accomplish this task. Through extensive modeling and the use of available proprietary and public data, it was possible simulate three scenarios that indicated minimal thermal decline over the duration of a simulated ten-year production and re-injection scheme.

Blackburn Nevada↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hydropower expansion in eco-sensitive river basins under global energy-economic change

Vast hydropower resources remain untapped globally, the deployment of which could provide energy-economic benefits but impact riverine ecosystems. Across eco-sensitive river basins, it is unclear how drivers of hydropower expansion, such as rapid economic growth and a low-carbon energy transition, could interact with countervailing forces, such as increasingly cost-competitive variable renewable energy (VRE). Using an integrated energy-water-economy model, we explore the effects of these forces on long-term hydropower expansion in the world’s 20 most eco-sensitive basins, which have high ecological richness and untapped hydropower potential. Here, we find that a low-carbon transition exerts the strongest development pressure, causing deployment exceeding 80% of exploitable potential in more than 72% of eco-sensitive basins by 2050, most of which have limited deployment today. Rapid economic growth induces such extensive deployment in only 44% of eco-sensitive basins. Enhanced integration of VRE reduces deployment, alleviating the impacts of rapid economic growth but not the low-carbon transition.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Excitons and narrow bands determine the optical properties of cesium bismuth halides

We study the optical properties of Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 nanoplatelets using a combination of first-principles density functional theory, GW plus Bethe-Salpeter equation calculations, and spectroscopic experiments. We show that the material exhibits flat bands and hence high effective masses. This manifests itself in the lowest-energy transition in the absorption spectrum arising from excitons with a high binding energy of 300 meV and a Bohr radius smaller than 6 nm. Due to the indirect band gap, electrons and holes are efficiently separated in reciprocal space and recombine slowly across the band gap, leading to very weak photoluminescence. Our results resolve inconsistencies in previous studies on Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 and lay the groundwork for further applications of this material, reliant on charge separation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Applying energy justice metrics to photovoltaic materials research

Abstract Achieving the energy transition sustainably requires addressing how new technologies may impact justice in the energy system. The Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research (JUST-R) metrics framework was recently proposed to aid researchers in considering justice in early-stage research on energy technologies; however, case study evaluations of the framework revealed a desire from researchers to see metrics specialized to particular fields of study. Here, we refine metrics from the JUST-R framework to enhance its applicability to photovoltaic (PV) materials research. Metrics are reorganized to align with aspects of the research process (e.g., research team or source materials). For most metrics, baseline values are suggested to enable researchers to compare their project to competing technologies or standards at their institutions. These refinements are integrated into a tool to facilitate easier understanding and evaluation of justice considerations in early-stage PV research, which can serve as a template for evaluating other energy technologies. Graphical abstract

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating energy justice metrics in early-stage science and technology research using the JUST-R metrics framework

Embedding principles of energy justice throughout all aspects of clean energy technology research and development (R&D) can facilitate a more just energy transition; yet gaps remain in our understanding of how to best integrate energy justice from the earliest R&D stages. The Justice Underpinning Science and Technology Research (JUST-R) metrics framework has been developed to enable early-stage energy researchers to assess and address justice considerations associated with their research, but the impacts of the framework, and others like it, have yet to be evaluated. This study seeks to evaluate the JUST-R metrics framework in terms of its effectiveness and appeal to researchers engaged in early-stage technical R&D using qualitative analyses of documents and workshop transcripts. We find that the metrics framework helps researchers identify problems and potential solutions surrounding the energy justice implications of their work and spurs a change in perspective for researchers, but, simultaneously, there is no evidence of solution follow-through within the evaluation timeframe. Greater institutional support, specialization to research areas, knowledge of energy justice fundamentals, and earlier incorporation of energy justice considerations in research projects arise as factors needed to aid continued use of the framework and pursuit of identified solutions. This evaluation protocol and these findings can serve as a guide for improving other frameworks with similar goals of encouraging sociotechnical engagement in early-stage energy R&D.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

X-ray transient absorption reveals the 1Au (nπ*) state of pyrazine in electronic relaxation

Abstract Electronic relaxation in organic chromophores often proceeds via states not directly accessible by photoexcitation. We report on the photoinduced dynamics of pyrazine that involves such states, excited by a 267 nm laser and probed with X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy in a table-top setup. In addition to the previously characterized 1 B 2u (ππ*) (S 2 ) and 1 B 3u (nπ*) (S 1 ) states, the participation of the optically dark 1 A u (nπ*) state is assigned by a combination of experimental X-ray core-to-valence spectroscopy, electronic structure calculations, nonadiabatic dynamics simulations, and X-ray spectral computations. Despite 1 A u (nπ*) and 1 B 3u (nπ*) states having similar energies at relaxed geometry, their X-ray absorption spectra differ largely in transition energy and oscillator strength. The 1 A u (nπ*) state is populated in 200 ± 50 femtoseconds after electronic excitation and plays a key role in the relaxation of pyrazine to the ground state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Perspective on Solar Energy Materials, Design and Discovery, Defects, Disorder, and Interfaces

The energy transition still faces a daunting math. Currently, more than three quarters of final energy consumption occurs in form of fuels vs less than one quarter in electricity. On the other hand, renewable energy additions come almost exclusively in the form of electricity (dominantly photovoltaics and wind). Thus, meeting the terawatt challenge requires enormous growth in renewables, sufficient to convert excess electricity into fuels, as well as the development of non-electricity based solar fuel technologies, for example via solar thermochemical routes. In this presentation, we will review successes and challenges in photovoltaic materials from silicon to CdTe to halide perovskites and potential emerging materials, with a particular perspective on the role of first principles calculations and predictions. Materials design and discovery is evolving to incorporate defects, disorder, and interfaces. These phenomena play also an important role in the thermochemical generation of hydrogen, allowing to utilize synergies between renewable electricity and fuels in computational research. At the same time, machine learning approaches are increasingly geared toward properties of non-ideal materials, for example defect formation, allowing the screening for more complex material behavior as needed for the respective applications.

fuels↗
DOE OSTI2020

Strategies for Semiconductor/Electrocatalyst Coupling toward Solar‐Driven Water Splitting

Abstract Hydrogen (H 2 ) has a significant potential to enable the global energy transition from the current fossil‐dominant system to a clean, sustainable, and low‐carbon energy system. While presently global H 2 production is predominated by fossil‐fuel feedstocks, for future widespread utilization it is of paramount importance to produce H 2 in a decarbonized manner. To this end, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been proposed to be a highly desirable approach with minimal negative impact on the environment. Both semiconductor light‐absorbers and hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) catalysts are essential components of an efficient PEC cell. It is well documented that loading electrocatalysts on semiconductor photoelectrodes plays significant roles in accelerating the HER/OER kinetics, suppressing surface recombination, reducing overpotentials needed to accomplish HER/OER, and extending the operational lifetime of semiconductors. Herein, how electrocatalyst coupling influences the PEC performance of semiconductor photoelectrodes is outlined. The focus is then placed on the major strategies developed so far for semiconductor/electrocatalyst coupling, including a variety of dry processes and wet chemical approaches. This Review provides a comprehensive account of advanced methodologies adopted for semiconductor/electrocatalyst coupling and can serve as a guideline for the design of efficient and stable semiconductor photoelectrodes for use in water splitting.

Thalluri, Sitaramanjaneya Mouli↗
DOE OSTI2021

Life cycle energy demand and carbon emissions of scalable single-junction and tandem perovskite PV

Perovskite photovoltaics reached record efficiencies in the laboratory and, if sustainably commercialized, they would accelerate a green energy transition. Here, this article presents the development of life-cycle inventory material and energy databases of most promising four single-junction and three tandem scalable perovskite systems with assumptions regarding scalable production validated by industry experts. We conducted comprehensive “ex ante” Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Net Energy Analysis, analyzing their cumulative energy demand, global warming potential profiles, energy payback times and energy return on investment (EROI). LCA contribution analysis elucidates the most impactful material and process choices. It shows that solution-based perovskite manufacturing would have lower environmental impact than vapor-based methods, and that roll-to-roll (RtR) printing offers the lowest impact. Among material choices, MoOx/Al has lower impact than Ag, and fluorine-tin-oxide lower than indium-tin-oxide. Furthermore, we compare perovskites with commercial crystalline-silicon and thin-film PV, accounting for the most recent developments in crystalline-Si wafer production and differences in life expectancies and efficiencies. It is shown that perovskite systems produced with RtR manufacturing could reach in only 12 years of life the same EROI as that of single-crystalline-Si PV lasting 30-years. This work lays a foundation for sustainability investigations of perovskite large-scale deployment.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Carbon Capture, Transport, & Storage: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment (Final Report)

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. This report was completed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to examine carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture, transport, and storage technologies and associated supply chains that will be required to support the United States (U.S.) decarbonization goals by 2050. Specifically, the analysis sought to understand supply chain bottlenecks to achievingan upper-bound 2.0 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) per year in the United States. A literature review shows that in aggressive infrastructure deployment scenarios, the United States’ likely upper bound of CCS capacity is 1.7 Gigatons per annum (Gtpa) by 2050. This suggests the study design of 2.0 Gtpa capacity by 2050 is more aggressive yet and represents a conservative upper bound for supply chain analyses.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electric Grid Supply Chain Review: Large Power Transformers and High Voltage Direct Current Systems

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. The need to modernize and increase the capacity of the U.S. power grid is increasing due to growing population, aging infrastructure, grid resilience requirements, operational flexibility needs, and a growing portfolio of renewable energy. As part of the Paris Climate Agreement the United States has committed to reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels in 2030 and has set a goal of 100 percent carbon pollution free electricity by 2035 (The United States of America Nationally Determined Contribution, 2021). Meeting these targets will require a significant expansion of the power system to integrate a large amount of new renewable resources (United States Department of State & United States Executive Office of the President, 2021). However, many critical components supporting the power grid have limited to no domestic manufacturing capacity and face complex challenges in supporting a rapid expansion of the grid to meet multiple objectives, including decarbonization goals. This report focuses on two key grid components: large power transformers (LPTs) and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Water Electrolyzers and Fuel Cells Supply Chain: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. This report is one of a series that supports the analysis of the energy industrial base called for in Executive Order 14017 on America’s supply chains (Exec. Order No. 14017, 2021). Specifically, it provides a review of the supply chain for water electrolyzers and fuel cells with a focus on polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMEC), polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC), and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Water electrolysis and fuel cells are a nascent industry with little prior information related to supply chain needs and constraints. This report provides a preliminary assessment; further industry peer review and revisions are expected.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hydropower: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. Hydropower is a vital component of the U.S. Energy Sector Industrial Base. The United States has mature conventional hydropower and pumped storage hydropower (PSH) fleets with corresponding mature supply chains. Given the slow pace of new construction over the past few decades, the U.S. hydropower industry primarily supports the existing domestic fleets—the U.S. conventional hydropower fleet (80.3 GW) is the 4 th largest in the world and the U.S. PSH fleet (21.8 GW) is the third largest in the world. Additionally, U.S. hydropower manufacturing facilities export part of their output. This report examines the hydropower supply chain to identify potential bottlenecks, challenges, and opportunities, particularly if the U.S. demand for hydropower components grows significantly to meet decarbonization targets.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rare Earth Permanent Magnets: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. This report focuses on the supply chain for rare earth permanent magnets, specifically sintered neodymiumiron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, used in clean energy technologies. Sintered NdFeB magnets are the strongest magnets commercially available and provide a host of benefits to wide-ranging applications in consumer and industrial electronics, especially in advanced motor and drive systems. Within the Energy Sector Industrial Base, and clean energy in particular, NdFeB magnets are key intermediate components of permanent magnet synchronous (direct drive) generators in wind turbines (especially for offshore turbines) and electric synchronous traction motors for propulsion systems in battery and hybrid electric vehicles.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear Energy: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. This report responds to Executive Order 14017 by describing the current and potential future roles for nuclear energy in the United States and abroad, the various segments of the nuclear energy supply chain, and the main risks facing the sector. Some issues, such as uranium imports, relate both to existing nuclear reactors and advanced reactors under development, while other issues, such as production of high-assay low-enriched uranium, relate primarily to plans for advanced reactors.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Platinum Group Metal Catalysts: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. This report focuses on the supply chain for catalysts, specifically platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts, used for decarbonizing energy technologies. Catalysts are substances that increase the rate, conversion, and selectivity of chemical reactions and are used in a variety of applications such as chemical manufacturing, petroleum refining, and catalytic converters. Catalysts containing PGMs (“PGM catalysts”) are particularly useful in widespread industrial applications, including the production of high-volume chemicals such as ammonia, acetic acid, nitric acid, and the refining of crude oil into petroleum products. The PGM metals possess extraordinary properties such as being active oxidation and hydrogenation catalysts; excellent electrical conductors and electrodes; and outstanding adsorbers of oxygen and hydrogen. Within the energy industrial base, PGM catalysts improve the energy and materials efficiency of petroleum refining and chemical industry processes and reduce energy consumption in manufacturing. In addition to their use in catalytic converters, PGM catalysts are important to maximizing the efficiency of emerging decarbonization technologies, specifically in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers for green hydrogen production from water and PEM fuel cells for transportation and stationary energy storage. Green hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in decarbonization scenarios.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Wind Energy: Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment

The report “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition” lays out the challenges and opportunities faced by the United States in the energy supply chain as well as the federal government plans to address these challenges and opportunities. It is accompanied by several issue-specific deep dive assessments, including this one, in response to Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” which directs the Secretary of Energy to submit a report on supply chains for the energy sector industrial base. The Executive Order is helping the federal government to build more secure and diverse U.S. supply chains, including energy supply chains. To inform the DOE team’s supply chain review, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted research and analyses that characterize supply chain strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the wind industry, including both land-based and offshore wind. The team also conducted interviews with industry stakeholders and subject matter experts. This report documents these findings and provides a foundation for addressing the observed vulnerabilities and enhancing U.S. wind supply chain competitiveness.

17 WIND ENERGY↗