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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 37 records · Page 2

Organizational Influence on Supply Chain for Digital Energy Infrastructure: Business Models, and Policy Landscape

Significant investment is driving the essential modernization and digitization of U.S. energy infrastructure, but the United States faces a key challenge in this grid transformation: our renewable and clean energy supply chains have limited capacity to source necessary digital assets through U.S. or allied sources. Batteries and their associated power electronic interfaces are key components to delivering clean and more resilient energy delivery, providing much-needed fast ramping, emergency discharge, generation, and operations support to the electric grid. These services have grown to be invaluable over the past 10 years and will soon be an irreplaceable component of energy delivery. While there have been significant strides to move supply chains for raw and critical materials to U.S. and allied nations, the control and power electronic industry has lagged, in part because of lower cost margins. For example, the United States now has growing capacity to manufacture solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, but 90% of the inverters—which are essential to the conversion of DC to AC for grid connection and controls—are made in or source parts from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While a global supply chain is beneficial for many economic and supply diversification reasons, presence of foreign entities of concern (FEOC) in a dominant role in this supply chain brings additional concerns for national security of infrastructure. The BESS relationship and new clean energy have features that warrant discussions and additional focus on impact for technology security, given their critical role. This review considers the impact and solutions for complex business and policy landscapes in clean energy supply chain, and the benefit trade-offs, focusing on the Battery Energy Storage System case study, and its complex organizational relationships across both the US, Allied countries and Foreign Entities of Concern. While many examples in this paper are presented on PRC focused manufacture, this could apply to any potentially adversarial relationship

25 - ENERGY STORAGE↗

Multiparameter optical fiber sensing for energy infrastructure through nanoscale light–matter interactions: From hardware to software, science to commercial opportunities

Monitoring of energy infrastructure through robust yet economical sensing platforms is becoming an area of increased importance, with ubiquitous applications including the electrical grid, natural gas and oil transportation pipelines, H2 infrastructure (storage and transportation), carbon storage, power generation, and subsurface environments. Plasmonic and functional nanomaterial enabled fiber optic sensors show excellent promise for a wide range of sensing applications due to their versatility to be engineered for specific analytes of interest while retaining inherent advantages of the optical fiber sensor platform. Through the design of novel sensing layers, the optical transduction mechanism and wavelength dependence can also be tailored for ease of integration with low-cost interrogation systems enabling an inexpensive yet highly functional optical fiber sensing platform. In addition, recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning theoretical methods have been leveraged to simultaneously extract multiple parameters through multi-wavelength interrogation such that unique wavelengths can also serve as unique sensing elements, analogous to electronic nose sensor technologies. The concept of an optical fiber based “photonic nose” via multiple interrogation wavelengths and/or sensor nodes offers a compelling platform technology to realize multiparameter speciation of chemical analytes within complex gas mixtures. In this Perspective, we further generalize the notion of multiparameter sensing through the novel “photonic nervous system” concept based upon low-cost, functionalized optical fiber sensor probes monitoring a variety of distinct analyte classes (physical, chemical, electromagnetic, etc.) simultaneously to provide broad situational awareness via integrated sensors.

Su, Yang-Duan (ORCID:0000000214820902)↗

The Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize (Final Technical Report)

This is a final technical report for the American-Made Manufacture of Advanced Key Energy Infrastructure Technologies (MAKE IT) Prize, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in collaboration with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The MAKE IT Prize aims to catalyze domestic manufacturing of critical energy technology components, moving manufacturing facilities from planning to shovel-ready and enabling strategies for vibrant manufacturing activities in communities. This prize was launched with a prize pool of approximately $30 million spread across two tracks: Facilities and Strategies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Dover CoreGuard Ⓡ Cybersecurity Protections for Critical Energy Infrastructure Final Report

This report documents the status of technical objectives and activities for the Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project, titled “Dover CoreGuard Ⓡ Cybersecurity Protections for Critical Energy Infrastructure” (Award No. DE-SC0023743), undertaken by Dover Microsystems, Inc., Wayland, MA. The Principal Investigator for this project was Dr. Stephen Papa, Dover’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The contract PoP (Period of Performance) is scheduled for completion by February 9, 2024.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize Final Technical Report

This is a final technical report for the American-Made The Solutions for Lasting, Viable Energy Infrastructure Technologies (SOLVE IT) Prize, funded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act through the Technology Commercialization Fund, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in collaboration with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The SOLVE IT Prize aimed to enable local organizations to identify and implement innovative energy solutions in a way that works for their unique needs and challenges. The competition awarded $3,740,000 to winning teams across two phases. The prize was designed to support local stakeholders and organizations as they identified and implemented innovative energy solutions. In doing so, the SOLVE IT Prize looked to promote the commercialization of promising energy technologies that will lead to reliable, affordable energy across the U.S.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

High-resolution climate model datasets for energy infrastructure planning in a renewable-dependent future

Electrification and renewables deployment efforts are amplifying the interdependence of the climate and energy systems. Increases in climate model resolution, which is now approaching that of reanalysis datasets and operational weather forecast models, present a unique opportunity to use future climate projections for energy infrastructure planning. In this Perspective, we review recent developments in high-resolution climate modeling, which have been driven by increased computing power and advanced software tools. We then look ahead to discuss how high-resolution climate data can be used to plan for a renewable-dependent future, and envision a unified climate-energy model framework that captures the two-way feedbacks between these interdependent systems.

climate change↗

Elevating Engagement: Insights for Energy Infrastructure Siting from Oregon Literature

Our study conducts a meta-synthesis of existing Oregon-based literature on stakeholder and community engagement methods across a variety of contexts to identify best practices and lessons learned to inform future engagement processes for Oregon’s energy siting. We analyze and synthesize these strategies to understand what has worked well across engagement practices and how we can integrate and learn from a variety of methods to develop more effective practices for engagement moving forward. We look at the successes and challenges for each method, applying lessons learned to the pre-permitting phase of energy development and infrastructure planning in Oregon. Our results synthesize key recommendations for engagement in the pre-permitting phase for energy infrastructure siting in Oregon, such as consensus and relationship building, local partnerships, and background research to understand community context.

energy infrastructure↗

Characterizing Uncertainty in Synthetic Tropical Cyclone Hazard Models for U.S. Energy Infrastructure Resilience

Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are intense storms that pose a persistent and considerable risk to coastal communities and infrastructure in the global tropics and subtropics, including the United States (US). With known limitations associated with observations and high-resolution earth system models, synthetic TC models that capture a wide spectrum of storm possibilities have been developed to robustly quantify TC risk. Here we examine the simulation of various TC features in the North Atlantic relevant for US coastal risk in three synthetic TC models forced with ERA5 reanalysis: MIT, CHAZ and RAFT. While there is a broad agreement among these models in terms of their representation of salient TC characteristics, certain differences do exist. To connect these modeling uncertainties with energy infrastructure resilience, we apply fragility curves that link simulated TC intensities to damage probabilities, demonstrating how uncertainty in storm states may translate into that in coastal impacts. Our study indicates that acknowledging and accounting for inter-model uncertainty leads to more reliable risk assessments, strengthening science-to-action pathways for managing risks associated with TCs.

Baby John, Effy↗

HPC for the EEC: Industrial Trade Tools for the Aging Energy Infrastructure

The petrochemical and refining sectors are challenged with reliably delivering safer and cleaner energy to US consumers, while meeting an ever-growing global demand. The petrochemical and refining infrastructure in the USA is aging, and corrosion and damage mechanisms are constant threats to mechanical integrity, safety, and profitability. However, governments and industry stakeholders are reluctant to replace or upgrade the existing infrastructure due to the immense cost. To better understand and mitigate the risks of aging energy infrastructure, strong technical analysis capabilities, combined with optimized monitoring and decision making, is critical. Today, this is accomplished via complex simulations and data analysis. To this end, advanced High-Performance-Computing (HPC) software will be leveraged and integrated in easy-to-use industrial trade tools, to lower the barrier for new users, increase the ease of access for experienced users, and allow for smarter decisions to be made in the midstream and downstream energy sectors.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

A heuristic tool to assess regional impacts of renewable energy infrastructure on conservation areas

Wind and hydropower are important renewable components of national energy portfolios, but their infrastructure negatively affects biodiversity. Regional development requires identification of scenarios that minimize the cumulative impacts of multiple facilities. We introduce the cumulative impact plot (CIP) to quantify cumulative impacts of renewable energy development within a region. Summed impacts of facilities are plotted as a function of the number of facilities, with facilities ranked by increasing (the best-case scenario) or decreasing (worst-case scenario) individual impact. These curves represent lower and upper bounds to which alternative development scenarios (e.g., facilities ranked by generating capacity) can be compared. We used CIPs to assess overlap of potential wind and hydropower facilities with two types of conservation area in the United States: (1) federally protected lands and (2) critical habitats of federally threatened and endangered species. Here, we evaluated two alternative scenarios: facilities ranked by (A) decreasing generating capacity and (B) increasing distance from urban centers. Differences between the best-case and worst-case scenarios were large, thus revealing opportunities to develop facilities with limited impact on conservation areas. Alternative scenarios maximizing energy density generally resulted in conservation area overlap intermediate to best-case and worst-case scenarios. CIPs can also identify the proportion of wind versus hydropower favored under alternative scenarios. Build-out scenarios aimed at minimizing conservation area overlap favor hydropower, whereas alternative scenarios favor wind power. We conclude that CIPs can (1) complement—but should not replace—project-level environmental impact assessment, (2) integrate strategic, cumulative, and scenario-based assessments, and (3) harness rapidly growing geospatial data.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Learnings From the 2022 NREL Partner Forum: Research Needs for Energy Infrastructure

During the 2022 Partner Forum at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), stakeholders and experts from across aviation came to the whiteboard to outline common goals, align interests, understand technologies, and discuss steps for safely and seamlessly decarbonizing aviation. Attendees identified challenges, strategies, and needed research on aviation fuels, infrastructure, and aircraft. Initial insights, strategies, and high-level suggestions from a focused infrastructure workshop are summarized below, including potential barriers and synergies for achieving bold decarbonization goals.

advanced air mobility↗

A Convergence of Public-Private Benefits in Denver: Surveys and Analyses to Inform Urban Mobility-, Energy-, Infrastructure- and Behavior-Related Innovation: Preprint

Cities, public transit agencies, and new private ride hailing services seek to understand emerging traveler dynamics, the shifting demographics of urban travelers,and new energy-efficient mobility opportunities. This includes exploring how new infrastructure investments, public and private mobility services, and smart-phone mobility apps are reshaping behaviors, demands (e.g. mobility-on-demand services), travel experiences and energy-efficient urban travel preferences. Currently, cities and metropolitan regions are providing and experimenting with many new mobility options, technologies, and personalized information services at the intersection of urban mobility, energy, and infrastructure systems (e.g., new commuter rail). To date, technology alone has not been able to crack the nut of 'creating faster trip times, less congestion, safer streets, and cleaner air for its citizens through fewer cars on the road'. This paper focuses on this gap by offering new concepts and potential for integrated approaches. Accommodating more vehicles miles traveled in cities, without increases in person miles traveled (PMT), could be costly, generating: 1) tremendous demands for new infrastructure, land, road space, materials, and energy; 2) higher traffic fatality risks; and 3) worsening air quality. Therefore, this study focuses on reducing single occupancy vehicle use by enhancing integrated mobility, helping transit and ridehailing increase occupancy in ways that also reduce energy use, and improve quality of life for urban travelers and communities. This study focuses on a survey of urban travelers in Denver, as a representative case study for metropolitan regions experiencing rapid growth, ageing populations, increased urban sprawl, traffic-related delays, and inefficient energy use per PMT.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Securing Digital Energy Infrastructure: BESS Procurement Guidance & Sample Contract Terms

Presentation for Procurement webinar providing technical guidance for entities, procuring Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Inverter Based Resources (IBR), Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) and other energy digital systems and services on how to incorporate cybersecurity requirements into the procurement process to enhance both supply chain security as well as entity-specific supply chain risk management (SCRM) programs.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗