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At least 325 records · Page 18

Tailoring MoS 2 for Small-Molecule Electroreduction: The Role of Metal Doping and Heterostructures

The electrification of chemical transformations central to sustainable fuel production and waste valorization, such as overall water splitting (OWS), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and electrochemical reduction of CO 2 (CO 2 R), presents a powerful opportunity to advance carbon-neutral energy technologies. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), particularly MoS 2 , have emerged as promising electrocatalyst candidates, owing to their abundance, tunable active sites, and defect-rich structures. This review highlights recent progress in leveraging metal doping and heterostructure engineering of MoS 2 to enhance the electrocatalytic activity and selectivity. By compiling insights from experimental studies and density functional theory (DFT) predictions, we examine how defect creation, electronic structure modification, and interface design contribute to improved charge transport and catalytic efficiency. Particular emphasis is placed on rational design principles, synthetic strategies, and operando characterization methods that provide a pathway to understanding and optimizing MoS 2 -based materials. We also discuss the challenges of stability, mechanistic ambiguity, and scaling while outlining opportunities to bridge theory and experiment. Collectively, this review underscores how defect and heterostructure engineering of MoS 2 can accelerate the development of efficient, sustainable electrocatalysts for both fuel generation and waste-to-value generation.

CO2 reduction↗

Bridging molecular-scale interfacial science with continuum-scale models

Solid–water interfaces are crucial for clean water, conventional and renewable energy, and effective nuclear waste management. However, reflecting the complexity of reactive interfaces in continuum-scale models is a challenge, leading to oversimplified representations that often fail to predict real-world behavior. This is because these models use fixed parameters derived by averaging across a wide physicochemical range observed at the molecular scale. Recent studies have revealed the stochastic nature of molecular-level surface sites that define a variety of reaction mechanisms, rates, and products even across a single surface. To bridge the molecular knowledge and predictive continuum-scale models, we propose to represent surface properties with probability distributions rather than with discrete constant values derived by averaging across a heterogeneous surface. This conceptual shift in continuum-scale modeling requires exponentially rising computational power. By incorporating our molecular-scale understanding of solid–water interfaces into continuum-scale models we can pave the way for next generation critical technologies and novel environmental solutions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A Technical and Economic Assessment of LWR Flexible Operation for Generation and Demand Balancing to Optimize Plant Revenue

With increased penetration of subsidized variable renewable energy (VRE) resources and competition from low natural gas prices, existing light water reactor (LWR) nuclear power plants (NPPs) are struggling to remain economically competitive. This work examines the potential economic competitiveness of various thermal energy storage (TES) technologies when coupled directly or indirectly with a NPP. To highlight their relative economic competitiveness, we contrast several energy storage solutions in stochastic dispatch optimization. We leverage data from recent work analyzing a range of TES technologies with varying capital costs, performance, and technology readiness level (TRL) to establish our case. We explore inserting these technologies into an electricity market with existing nuclear generation and large projected variable renewable energy (VRE) penetration. Although these technologies' projected capital costs may make them unlikely candidates in their current state, this analysis demonstrates a high-fidelity techno-economic analysis of energy storage. Furthermore, as the projected cost of energy storage technologies evolves, this analysis sets a precedent for similar future investigations. One region with projected trends that may be unfavorable for existing nuclear capacity is the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) market. New York state’s baseload generation has been historically provided by fossil-fired and nuclear assets. However, amid economic pressures from subsidized VREs and low natural gas prices, the state has recently deactivated Indian Point nuclear power plant units 2 and 3. Furthermore, the state plans to meet its zero-emission generation target by 2040 by replacing fossil-fired capacity with significant investments in VRE resources like wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage. Increased intermittent resource penetration lowers the baseload power requirement, adding further economic pressure to the state’s three remaining NPPs still in operation. With three NPPs still in operation in New York, this work analyzes potential economic benefits to NPPs on the New York grid when directly or indirectly coupled with various TES technologies. This work requires two modeling steps to analyze the potential economic benefits of various system configurations of the TES directly or indirectly coupled with nuclear. First, this analysis leverages capacity expansion modeling by experts at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Using their deterministic capacity expansion model, U.S. Regional Economy, Greenhouse Gas, and Energy (US-REGEN), EPRI analysts evaluated the capacity and generation evolution of the New York state energy market under four projection scenarios. These four projection scenarios were developed to represent the potential evolution of the capacity and generation in NYISO from 2015 to 2050 under various economic, technology, and policy constraints. The results from these capacity expansion models are then used as boundary conditions in the second modeling step. The second modeling step uses the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) for a set of stochastic techno-economic analyses (STEAs) to investigate the potential increase in the economic viability of various configurations of the TES. With no current capacity expansion capabilities, HERON takes the data generated from US-REGEN for 2050 to generate synthetic load, solar, and wind data. Then HERON economically optimizes the capacity and dispatch of the various TES configurations. The potential economic benefit is the differential net present value (NPV) of the TES configurations from the no-TES baseline. As a stochastic techno-economic analysis package, HERON introduces uncertainty into the economic metrics, while US-REGEN trades resolution for reduced computational complexity. Using HERON also allows the modeling of direct thermal coupling, a feature not common in capacity and dispatch models. As expected, with high capital costs, the costs of introducing energy storage for all the technologies considered outweighed the potential economic benefit of this strategy for flexible plant operation. The benefit of this analysis is primarily in demonstrating a workflow that examines innovative solutions to increase NPP revenue via TES coupling. HERON’s stochastic capacity and dispatch optimization process used in this work has proven an effective tool in observing and evaluating the impact of introducing storage technologies in a grid energy system.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Drought Impacts on Hydroelectric Power Generation in the Western United States

The Western United States experiences large fluctuations in rain and snowfall from year to year, affecting river flows and reservoir levels throughout the region. This interannual variability in water resources leaves a strong signature on total annual energy generated by the region’s fleet of hydroelectric dams. In a wet year, like 2011, hydroelectric power can meet 30 percent of annual western electricity demand. That contribution can drop below 20 percent during severe drought years. Characterizing the contribution of hydroelectric power to the western generation portfolio during drought is crucial to understanding the resilience of the hydropower sector to climate-related risk, both now and in the future. This report analyzes the impacts of historical western droughts on hydroelectric power production by combining two decades’ worth of annual generation—recorded at more than 600 hydroelectric power plants—with historical climate data developed for distinct hydropower subregions of the West. The most extreme impacts of drought on hydroelectric power are found at individual dams where reservoir levels are so low that released water and thus generation becomes severely restricted. These isolated cases often receive widespread media attention, leading to a common misconception that hydroelectric power is an unreliable technology whose role will diminish over time as the western climate produces longer and more severe droughts. Yet, when aggregated to the scale of the West, the observational records of hydropower generation reveal a different story. Even during the most severe droughts experienced since the turn of the century, the western hydropower fleet sustained more than 80% of its typical annual generation. Observational data indicate that drought in 2021 led to the worst year for hydropower generation in the West since 2001, with total generation approximately 16 percent below the 21st century two-decade average. The year 2021 was particularly severe in California (second worst hydro year of last two decades, ~48 percent below average) and Oregon (worst hydro year of last two decades), while generation in Washington and Idaho was affected to a lesser degree (~12 percent below average for combined region). The year 2001 remains the year of lowest western hydropower generation of the twenty-first century so far, owing to extreme drought in the Pacific Northwest, where about two-thirds of western hydropower capacity is located. The primary reason for this relative stability is the diversity of weather across the West; drought rarely impairs hydroelectric power across all river basins at the same time.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Challenges and Technology-Driven Opportunities for Safeguarding Microreactors

Nuclear microreactors (MRs) represent a new class of reactors characterized by their compactness, portability, and low power output. These features enable MRs to supply electricity and process heat to remote areas like military bases; inaccessible locations; small grids, such as on islands; or disaster impacted areas. Compared to traditional light water reactors, MRs have a unique set of attributes that need to be considered for the implementation of safeguard strategies. Current safeguard methodologies are reactor technology specific and are employed on large, stationary reactors where there is easy access by safeguards inspectors and where safeguard equipment can be easily installed and retrofitted. While there are numerous benefits to MRs, their compact size, portability, scalability, and operational lifetime create challenges to the traditional safeguard approaches, thus needing novel safeguard strategies. Here, this paper addresses the unique challenges posed by MRs to the international nuclear safeguards regime, including limited human resources, and explores how technology advancements can help mitigate these challenges. Specifically, it examines novel technologies that could contribute to establishing a comprehensive safeguards framework for MRs. These safeguards-enabling technologies encompass safeguards by design, remote sensing and monitoring technologies, applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, utilization of digital twins, and system of systems assessments. While each of these safeguards-enabling technologies offers partial solutions to the challenges posed by MRs for the international safeguards regime, none of them alone can entirely address these challenges. Consequently, a combination of the safeguards-enabling technologies outlined in this paper is recommended to establish a robust safeguards regime for MRs.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

Machine learning based simultaneous control of air handling unit discharge air and condenser water temperatures set-point for minimized cooling energy in an office building

In this study, an artificial intelligence based real-time prediction and control model to optimize condenser water temperature and discharge air temperature (DAT) set-points in water-cooled air handling unit (AHU) system has been developed. EnergyPlus-MATLAB co-simulation has been conducted to analyze the developed model's effectiveness. Here, to develop artificial neural networks (ANN) model, embedded neural network objects in MATLAB was utilized. The developed model could decide an optimal temperature set-points based on outdoor air wet-bulb temperature to reflect the Korean climate context. As a result, the developed ANN prediction model showed the predictive performance of Cv(RMSE) of approximately 21%. Compared to the conventional fixed temperature algorithm, which fixes AHU DAT at 14°C and condenser water temperature at 32°C, the ANN based optimized control showed a 22% total cooling energy reduction. These results show that significant energy savings can be achieved by simultaneously controlling condenser water temperature and AHU DAT set-points considering Korean climatic characteristics using AI technologies such as ANN models.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Maximizing the Proppant Carrying and Viscoelastic Properties of the Bakken Hypersaline-Produced Water with High-Viscosity Friction Reducers for Sustainable Applications

Summary The development and production of unconventional reservoirs, such as the Bakken Formation, have become a resolved mystery for operators in North America since the arrival and advancement of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. As a result, unconventional reservoir assets became the central focus of the oil and gas industry at the state, national, and global levels. The produced water from these activities in the Bakken Formation have high salt contents (110,000–350,000 ppm) total dissolve solids (TDS) and can pose significant challenges to the environment if not treated. Deep injection into disposal wells is the routine method used to get rid of the Bakken produced water. However, there have been some concerns that unrestrained injections, in addition to polluting the groundwater, could potentially lead to seismic activities either at the time of injection or in the near future. To diminish the environmental impacts that may be associated with induced seismicity, including the reduction of the costs of water acquisition, the produced water can be treated and reused in the hydraulic fracturing processes. Also, the treated water could be used for irrigation purposes, for power generation, and coal mining operations. The issues of waste water and residual oil high in TDS are challenges yet to be effectively addressed despite preceding research and studies on advancing produced water technologies. The goal of this study is to explore all applicable ways by which the produced water from the Bakken Formation can serve as a replacement base fluid for use with polymers like the high-viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) to create hydraulic fracturing fluids that can be stable with reservoir conditions and also be able to minimize environmental impacts and cost of operations. Experimental investigations using the high-salinity produced water from the Bakken Formation with HVFRs were carried out. The studies included a base case that served as a bench mark for comparing the effectiveness of the other scenarios. The results indicate that the Bakken hyper-saline produced water can withstand effect of heavy metals, salinity, hardness and remain stable through different shear rates (66–330 s−1) when treated with higher dosages [4–8 gal/1,000 gal (gpt)] of HVFRs. Filtration and dilution were the only methods used on the Bakken Formation produced wate for this research

Engineering↗

Sand Thermal Energy Storage Pilot Design (Final Report)

This report summarizes work done on developing a 10-MWhe pilot of the sand-based thermal energy storage (SandTES) technology at Alabama Power’s Plant Gaston Unit 5, an operating, supercritical coal power unit. The system will be integrated to the unit, obtaining steam to heat the sand through an air-blown fluidized-bed heat exchanger, then storing the water to be reused during discharging to produce steam that will then be vented. An electrical particle heater will also be included to provide part of the heat to the sand to provide data and learnings for commercial systems that will be fully electrically heated. Hot sand is contained in one bunker, while cold sand is housed in the other bunker, and standard solids handling equipment moves the sand around. This pilot would advance the SandTES technology to Technology Readiness Level 6 and position it for commercial readiness by 2030. This work was done in two phases: Phase I performed a conceptual study that provided Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) Class 5 costs and estimated performance, and then Phase II, which also involved a design update, performed a more detailed pre-front-end engineering and design study that elicited AACE Class 4 costs. Work was also done to provide estimated costs for commercial applications of the technology, assess its gaps, create its technology maturation and commercialization plans, and finally perform an Environmental Information Volume for the pilot site as a first step in the National Environmental Policy Act process.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Advanced CO 2 Capture Solvent Systems for Dynamic Power Generation

RTI International, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Carbon Capture Simulation for Industry Impact (CCSI 2 ), Electricity Power Research Institute (EPRI), and West Virginia University (WVU), successfully completed a joint research effort in developing a cost-effective, resilient, load-following advanced CO 2 capture technology for natural gas power plants. The project’s objective was to develop a CO 2 capture process that maximizes the net present value (NPV) of the electricity sale by minimizing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) under dynamic plant loads and high renewable penetration environments. The two key innovations developed in this project were the use of (i) advanced water-lean solvents (WLSs) and (ii) process intensification equipment, such as a rotating packed bed (RPB) absorber and dual-stage flash regeneration. The process’s low CO 2 capture cost is realized through WLSs’ low energy required for solvent regeneration, which lowers the operating cost while RPBs intensify the absorption process and reduces the power plant capital cost. A suite of advanced computational and simulation packages was implemented to guide the process design, validate the dynamic response of the capture plant, evaluate system-wide performance, and maximize the power plant’s profit. The project also engaged with power producers and other stakeholders to ensure its technical relevance and techno-economic viability. The development of this highly disruptive CO 2 capture technology could accelerate the industry adoption and thereby lower the greenhouse gas emissions of the U.S. power sector. Deployment of this technology can increase the reliability and decrease the cost of electricity generation in the U.S. by enabling the use of low-carbon fossil fuels to balance fluctuations of renewable energy availability.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Advancing the Predictability of Water Cycle Phenomena via the Application of AI to Model Ensemble Simulations and Observations

AI has the power to identify new pathways to extended predictability of the water cycle via its application to model ensembles together with accompanying observations. We discuss both scientific and technological aspects of this challenge, and address the parts of the MODEX approach involving “Model simulations, evaluation, analysis, and benchmarking” and “Identification of key knowledge gaps”. The widespread incorporation of AI into model analysis will significantly advance Earth system predictability and our predictive capabilities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Competitiveness Improvement Project 2020 Informational Workshop

These presentations from the Dec. 8, 2020, Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP) workshop provide an overview of the CIP process, evaluation criteria, certification requirements, and NREL's technical support opportunities for those interested in applying to CIP solicitations.

49 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Wind (EE-4W↗

An ICP-OES method for the precise and accurate quantification of rare earth elements in natural water: A comparative study from mine waste sites in New Mexico, USA

Inductively coupled plasma techniques such as ICP-OES and ICP-MS are routinely used to determine the concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) in water samples. However, their performance for the determination of REE concentration in mine drainage waters from epithermal vein and porphyry copper mining districts has not been evaluated extensively. In this work, we develop an REE analysis method on an Agilent 5900 ICP-OES instrument and assess the accuracy and precision for the quantification of REE in the natural waters collected from mine adits and an acid seep of mine sites in the Steeple Rock and Hillsboro mining districts, New Mexico, USA. The total REE concentrations in the water samples were measured using the methods we developed for both ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The power of the new ICP-OES method lies in routine analysis of μg/L level concentrations normally analyzed using ICP-MS, including a U.S. Geological Survey standard reference sample, laboratory blank samples spiked with a National Institute of Standards and Technology traceable standard, and surface water samples from mine waste sites. This ICP-OES method achieves low quantification limits ranging from 0.2 to 5 μg/L and excellent analytical accuracy and precision for REE analysis. The precision of light (La-Gd) and heavy (Tb-Lu) REE analysis using this method are better than 5% at average concentrations above 5 ± 4 μg/L and 3 ± 2 μg/L, respectively, and 3% at average concentrations above 10 ± 9 μg/L and 5 ± 4 μg/L, respectively. This method also shows excellent sensitivity and reproducibility for our laboratory and field samples.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Flue-Gas Desulfurization Effluent Management using an Innovative Low-Energy Biosorpotion Treatment System to Remove Key Contaminants

Among the most critical water contaminants of concern affecting wide geographical regions and a number of industries and natural systems is selenium. Selenium found in surface, ground and wastewater in originates from natural sources, as well as industrial sources such as petroleum refineries, electronics manufacturing, pesticides, and coal power plants and mining also contribute to selenium contamination in water in the US. At high concentrations, selenium is toxic to human and wildlife. There are a number of technologies that have been used to treat selenium and other similar contaminants in water. Biological treatment of selenium has been used in the past to reduce soluble SeVI and/or SeIV to insoluble Se0, which is then filtered in the same vessel. The insoluble selenium (Se0) is then backwashed from the system and solids are separated for subsequent disposal, if they meet the leaching and water content criteria. In order to promote biological reduction to insoluble Se0, heating of bioreactor is needed in some applications, and excess food source (electron donor) is added so that all selenium can be filtered. An additional disadvantage of these systems is the significant amount of water lost due to extensive and frequent backwash and rinse cycles. When comparing the advantages and energy requirements of the various treatment technologies, RO membrane filtration immediately stands out due to the excessive energy expenditure needed to pump water across the membrane although RO is an effective way to remove selenium. In addition, RO requires extensive pretreatment, such as MF membrane, and frequent maintenance, rendering it an expensive option that may be out of reach for certain applications. In fact, although the performance was good during the pilot testing by the NSMP Working Group for treatment naturally occurring selenium in the surface water, the high electricity requirements and significant reject water stream made it an infeasible alternative. While conventional ion exchange maybe an effective treatment option, it requires frequent regeneration of the resin when applied to highly contaminated water, which leads to several tons of contaminant-laden, high-salinity brine that needs to be disposed off-site each day. One of the water systems in the west coast currently uses ion exchange for selenium treatment and has been trucking selenium laden hazardous brine waste weekly in the last several years. Pneumatic pumping and rinse water pumping required for ion exchange also increase the energy usage. In comparison, adsorption process is a passive treatment system where contaminated water comes in contact with an adsorption media in a vessel. Typically, there is no mixing, backwash, or recycle pumping required, thus significantly reducing the energy usage. A passive single-use adsorption system does not require backwash, thereby generating small amount of process waste, and producing the highest water yield among the alternatives. The energy and water efficiencies, and applicability for SeVI and SeIV are summarized in Table 1. Despite these benefits though, adsorption typically does not work for the most oxidized form of selenium (SeVI). The innovative biosorption process integrates both process to increase the treatment efficiency while minimizing energy, chemical, and time required to treat both SeVI and SeIV. Additional advantages include simple partial biological reduction with reduced on-site waste generation, which lead to water and electricity savings, and less operational need compared to biological treatment alone. This makes biosorption especially suitable for remote areas, where liquid backwash and brine disposal may be cost prohibitive or infeasible.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Experimental Study on the Transfer of Cs, Sr, Pu and Water in Concrete for the Estimation of Contamination - 20085

As part of the 'Nuclear Energy Science and Technology and Human Resources Development project- through concentrating wisdom-by MEXT' in Japan, the major results from the second year of a project on the analysis of radionuclide contamination mechanisms of concrete and the estimation of contamination distribution at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station active during 2018-2020 are presented. The transfer of Cs, Sr, Pu, and water through concrete was studied experimentally. In a saturated condition, the clay did not affect the transfer and Cs penetrated much faster than Sr. In the dried condition, clay retarded Cs transfer. Carbonation of the concrete retarded the transfer of Cs and Sr. Pu was expected to be precipitated immediately in a high pH condition of concrete. Water suction depends on the temperature. Further, the detailed mechanism was analyzed by {sup 1}H-NMR. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Zero-Power Wireless Infrared Digitizing Sensors for Large Scale Energy-Smart Farm

This project, funded by ARPA-E and led by Northeastern University, developed zeropower infrared digitizing sensors to optimize irrigation and enhance crop yields. Traditional water stress detection methods are costly and require frequent maintenance, limiting their effectiveness. Our research identified shortwave infrared (SWIR) transmittance as the most reliable indicator of plant water stress and developed plasmonically enhanced micromechanical photoswitches (PMPs) that operate with minimal power. The sensors offer low-cost, large-scale deployment, auto-calibration across different crops, and a 10-year battery life, significantly reducing maintenance costs. The system achieved 4x greater accuracy than conventional soil moisture sensors while ensuring economic feasibility. By enabling precision irrigation, this technology conserves water, enhances crop productivity, and lowers operational costs, making it a scalable solution for sustainable agriculture and global food security.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Performance Modeling of Tandem Photovoltaics: A Yearlong Outdoor Degradation Analysis of a Ga⁢As//Si Minimodule

We present a performance modeling and degradation analysis framework for tandem photovoltaic modules, building upon established procedures for crystalline silicon devices and adapting them to account for the spectral sensitivity of multijunction technologies. The methodology employs filter criteria to select outdoor measurements close to standard test conditions (STC) under stable spectral and ambient conditions, followed by normalization of power production data with corrections for temperature, irradiance, and precipitable water vapor. We demonstrate this framework using a mechanically stacked four-terminal gallium arsenide (Ga⁢As) // silicon (Si) tandem solar minimodule deployed outdoors from October 2019 to January 2021 in Golden, Colorado, USA. We determined degradation rates of −4.1 ±0.2%/year for the Ga⁢As subcell and −2.5 ±0.9%/year for the Si subcell, with analysis of individual performance metrics indicating that packaging degradation, particularly delamination, was the dominant failure mode. Simulations using PVcircuit, an open-source equivalent-circuit solver, confirmed these findings. The presented methodology provides a reproducible foundation for performance modeling and degradation analysis of emerging tandem technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Integration of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems Into Artificial Intelligence Data Centers

This report presents the results of a techno-economic analysis (TEA) that evaluates the economic benefits of integrating solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems with artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The analysis was completed in two phases: a scoping-level analysis was performed to identify impactful integration opportunities, followed by a more detailed TEA. Results show that, due to their modularity, SOFC can meet the 99.999% availability requirement of data centers with minimal additional costs. Heat integration via absorption chillers decreases data center electricity consumption at the tradeoff of increased water consumption. Higher SOFC exhaust temperatures are important for achieving larger electricity savings. Finally, power electronics integration with SOFC direct current electricity can reduce electricity consumption by 9 percent and reduce water consumption by 6.4 percent.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗