Bioregenerative Life Support for Space Exploration: Applications for Resources Use Efficiencies on Earth
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Sustainability; Conservation;↗
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Protecting Customer Privacy Through Distributed Energy Resource Anonymization
Due to their stochastic nature, the increase of Renewable Energy Resources (RERs) as a primary source of energy for power grids creates challenges regarding the reliability and resilience of the system. In order to combat these obstacles, expansion of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and their participation in Demand Response (DR) programs is necessary. Widespread participation requires prioritizing customer privacy and addressing concerns that may arise regarding communication between DERs and the Grid Service Provider (GSP). This paper discusses the use of flow reservation resources to split the operating cycles of DER load profiles into unique phases. The splitting of phases increases anonymization of the DERs by making it more difficult to determine the individual characteristics of the device. We discuss an example of this using simulated DER load profile data and examine the resulting effectiveness by using a machine learning algorithm for classification, called Support Vector Machine (SVM).
Distributed Energy Resource, Anonymization, Renewa↗
Single-cell chromatin accessibility and cis -regulatory element analyses in plants using the scPlantReg platform
Understanding gene regulation is fundamental to plant improvement, but the lack of plant-specific single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (scATAC-seq) frameworks and cross-species databases has limited insights into cell-type-specific cellular regulation. Here we present ‘scPlantReg’, an integrated framework and database for plant scATAC-seq data. scPlantReg supports end-to-end analyses from raw data processing to biological interpretation and features ‘scATACtor’, a supervised machine-learning approach that outperforms existing tools for cell-type annotation. We applied scPlantReg to pearl millet to characterize cell-type-specific chromatin accessibility and identify validated activating and repressing accessible chromatin regions (ACRs), revealing WRKY transcription factors as potential regulators of xylem development. Furthermore, we reanalysed scATAC-seq datasets from 8 plant species, spanning 11 tissues and multiple developmental stages, enabling cross-species comparisons. Furthermore, these analyses uncovered conserved regulatory programmes, including AP2/EREBP-associated ACRs linked to cell wall development and cell-type-conserved TFs across grasses. Collectively, scPlantReg provides a general framework and resource for comparative regulatory analysis in plants.
Epigenomics↗
Opportunities for agrivoltaic systems to achieve synergistic food-energy-environmental needs and address sustainability goals
Achieving decarbonization goals to address global climate change and increasing energy needs requires significant continued investments in solar energy. The expansion of utility-scale solar development across the globe has increased the pressure on land resources for energy generation and other land uses (e.g., agriculture, biodiversity conservation). To address this growing issue, greater emphasis has been placed on solar development strategies that maximize the benefits of solar energy generation and multiple ecosystem services, such as the development of agrivoltaics systems that co-locate solar energy production and various forms of conservation and agricultural land uses. The purpose of this paper is to systematically synthesize the potential ecosystem services of agrivoltaics and summarize how these development strategies could address several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our review will focus on four broad potential ecosystem services of agrivoltaics: (1) energy and economic benefits; (2) agricultural provisioning services of food production and animal husbandry; (3) biodiversity conservation; and (4) regulating ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water and soil conservation. In particular, we will highlight the state of the science, challenges, and knowledge gaps that represent opportunities for further study to better understand how solar energy deployment can facilitate sustainable development.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
UESC Overview and FEMP Resources for Project Success
The first part of this webinar provides an introduction to utility energy service contracts (UESCs) and describes the features and benefits of utilizing UESCs to install energy conservation measures at federal sites. The second part introduces the newly launched UESC On-Demand Training Series and other recently published FEMP resources. The modular series of short webinars has been designed to provide in-depth understanding of UESCs and is a great resource for federal agencies and utilities interested in UESC projects.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Lahaina Energy Partnership: Technical Assistance Task Updates and Discussion Part 1 [Slides]
The Lahaina Energy Partnership (LEP) is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to support energy planning and rebuilding efforts in Hawaii's historic town of Lahaina on Maui as the community recovers from a devastating fire on August 8, 2023, with technical assistance provided by the National Laboratory of the Rockies. NLR has partnered with Hawaii-based community organizations to engage with Lahaina the community on energy priorities and inform the technical assistance scope. This virtual workshop presentation is the first in a two-part series to provide progress updates and request community input to guide next steps. Workshop 1 on November 18 (this presentation) will focus on Hydropower resource potential, building energy modeling, workforce development. Workshop 2 on December 11 (presentation forthcoming) will focus on microgrids, electric grid hardening, policy and regulation.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Lahaina Energy Partnership: Technical Assistance Task Updates and Discussion Part 2
The Lahaina Energy Partnership (LEP) is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to support energy planning and rebuilding efforts in Hawaii's historic town of Lahaina on Maui as the community recovers from a devastating fire on August 8, 2023, with technical assistance provided by the National Laboratory of the Rockies. NLR has partnered with Hawaii-based community organizations to engage with Lahaina the community on energy priorities and inform the technical assistance scope. This virtual workshop presentation is the second in a two-part series to provide progress updates and request community input to guide next steps. Workshop 1 on November 18 focused on hydropower resource potential, building energy modeling, and workforce development. Workshop 2 on December 11 (this presentation) will focus on microgrids, electric grid hardening, policy and regulation.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Novel Catalysts and Processing Technologies for Production of Aerospace Fuels from Non-Petroleum Raw Materials
Transportation fuels production (including aerospace propellants) from non-traditional sources (gases, waste materials, and biomass) has been an active area of research and development for decades. Reducing terrestrial waste streams simultaneous with energy conversion, plentiful biomass, new low-cost methane sources, and/or extra-terrestrial resource harvesting and utilization present significant technological and business opportunities being realized by a new generation of visionary entrepreneurs. We examine several new approaches to catalyst fabrication and new processing technologies to enable utilization of these nontraditional raw materials. Two basic processing architectures are considered: a single-stage pyrolysis approach that seeks to basically re-cycle hydrocarbons with minimal net chemistry or a two-step paradigm that involves production of supply or synthesis gas (mainly carbon oxides and H2) followed by production of fuel(s) via Sabatier or methanation reactions and/or Fischer-Tröpsch synthesis. Optimizing the fraction of product stream relevant to targeted aerospace (and other transportation) fuels via modeling, catalyst fabrication and novel reactor design are described. Energy utilization is a concern for production of fuels for either terrestrial or space operations; renewable sources based on solar energy and/or energy efficient processes may be mission enabling. Another important issue is minimizing impurities in the product stream(s), especially those potentially posing risks to personnel or operations through (catalyst) poisoning or (equipment) damage. Technologies being developed to remove (and/or recycle) heteroatom impurities are briefly discussed as well as the development of chemically robust catalysts whose activities are not diminished during operation. The potential impacts on future missions by such new approaches as well as balance of system issues are addressed.
space processing↗
Intrinsic and environmental drivers of pairwise cohesion in wild Canis social groups
Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cohesion remains a gap in our knowledge of cooperative behavior in animals. We tracked 574 individuals from six species within the genus Canis in 15 countries on four continents with GPS telemetry to estimate the time that pairs of individuals within social groups spent in close proximity and test hypotheses regarding drivers of cohesion. Pairs of social canids (Canis spp.) varied widely in the proportion of time they spent together (5%–100%) during seasonal monitoring periods relative to both intrinsic characteristics and environmental conditions. The majority of our data came from three species of wolves (gray wolves, eastern wolves, and red wolves) and coyotes. For these species, cohesion within social groups was greatest between breeding pairs and varied seasonally as the nature of cooperative activities changed relative to annual life history patterns. Across species, wolves were more cohesive than coyotes. For wolves, pairs were less cohesive in larger groups, and when suitable, small prey was present reflecting the constraints of food resources and intragroup competition on social associations. Pair cohesion in wolves declined with increased anthropogenic modification of the landscape and greater climatic variability, underscoring challenges for conserving social top predators in a changing world. We show that pairwise cohesion in social groups varies strongly both within and across Canis species, as individuals respond to changing ecological context defined by resources, competition, and anthropogenic disturbance. Our work highlights that cohesion is a highly plastic component of animal sociality that holds significant promise for elucidating ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying cooperative behavior.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Water and Wastewater Systems as Potential Distributed Energy Resources for California - High-level Feasibility Assessment
Water systems in California are a major electricity user, and electricity costs represent a significant portion of water utilities’ operating costs. Water and wastewater utilities have the capacity to shift demand in response to grid needs or price signals and can generate power through biogas, hydropower or onsite renewable energy systems like solar panels and wind turbines. This report points to some of the most promising opportunity areas for water and wastewater utilities to implement distributed energy resources while also carefully laying out practical considerations.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Modeling Environment for Testing a Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) Using GridAPPS-D Platform
Not Available
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Home energy management under realistic and uncertain conditions: A comparison of heuristic, deterministic, and stochastic control methods
We report home energy management systems (HEMS) have been shown to reduce energy bills and to provide grid services including peak demand reduction and demand flexibility. However, uncertainty in residential energy systems is a significant issue and can reduce the benefits of a HEMS to the homeowner or grid operator. Sources of uncertainty include weather forecasts, predictions of energy-related occupant activities (e.g., hot water draws), and parameter estimation for the building envelope and energy-consuming equipment. This paper tackles the problem of uncertainty by developing a framework that simulates HEMS in uncertain conditions and evaluates the performance of multiple control strategies. A linear, reduced-order residential building model for model predictive control applications is derived and compared to a full-order model. Stochastic model predictive control is shown to perform better than deterministic and heuristic methods when considering realistic forecasts with uncertainty. The framework can evaluate the performance of HEMS in real-world applications, which can help de-risk HEMS deployment.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Nova Analysis (Final Technical Report)
As the adoption of solar plus storage technology is rapidly increasing, there is a need for a more wholistic view of homes adopting them. In homes, both energy efficiency (EE) upgrades and DERs provide value not just to the homeowner, but to utilities and even society at large through emissions. Traditionally, EE and DERs are separate sectors, which makes it difficult to understand the co-benefits of their adoption. To address this, we created a novel workflow of tools that allows for a complete analysis of both efficiency and DERs. We also looked at a suite of metrics designed to capture the different benefits provided to different stakeholders, demonstrated with multiple sets of field data. A final report demonstrates the potential of the simulation workflow by simulating hundreds of buildings spread across the U.S. and demonstrating how a variety of factors affect the optimal sizing of DERs along with several other key metrics including energy, utility bills, emissions, and average resilience hours.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Lahaina Energy Partnership: Community Priorities and Technical Assistance Scope of Work [Slides]
The Lahaina Energy Partnership (LEP) is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to support energy planning and rebuilding efforts in Hawaii's historic town of Lahaina on Maui as the community recovers from a devastating fire on August 8, 2023, with technical assistance provided by NREL. To inform the scope of technical assistance, NREL has partnered with Hawaii-based community engagement and sustainability-focused organizations to connect with Lahaina residents, business owners to understand the community's energy priorities and vision for the future. This presentation presents a summary of the community's energy priorities and NREL's scope of work for the project, to be completed in early 2027.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Harnessing genetic engineering to drive economic bioproduct production in algae
Our reliance on agriculture for sustenance, healthcare, and resources has been essential since the dawn of civilization. However, traditional agricultural practices are no longer adequate to meet the demands of a burgeoning population amidst climate-driven agricultural challenges. Microalgae emerge as a beacon of hope, offering a sustainable and renewable source of food, animal feed, and energy. Their rapid growth rates, adaptability to non-arable land and non-potable water, and diverse bioproduct range, encompassing biofuels and nutraceuticals, position them as a cornerstone of future resource management. Furthermore, microalgae’s ability to capture carbon aligns with environmental conservation goals. While microalgae offers significant benefits, obstacles in cost-effective biomass production persist, which curtails broader application. This review examines microalgae compared to other host platforms, highlighting current innovative approaches aimed at overcoming existing barriers. These approaches include a range of techniques, from gene editing, synthetic promoters, and mutagenesis to selective breeding and metabolic engineering through transcription factors.
09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
Estimating the Drivers of the Cost of Saved Electricity in Utility Customer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs
Energy efficiency programs funded by utility customers provide an electricity resource in most U.S. states, but their scale and cost of saving electricity varies significantly by state. In this paper, we explore the drivers of the cost of saved electricity in these programs with an econometric model and nearly a decade of data reported by efficiency program administrators. We found strong evidence for economies of scale and weak evidence for diseconomies of scale, which suggests that states with low levels of efficiency savings relative to retail sales can increase the size of their efficiency programs without large increases to the cost of saved electricity. We discuss examples of energy efficiency forecasting and potential modeling in light our econometric analysis and identify methodological improvements relevant to utilities and grid operators. This paper provides insights into the economics of customer-funded efficiency programs that will support regulators, utilities, and policymakers to utilize energy efficiency as a resource.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
The political economy of conservation
A political economic purview of energy conservation in the United States was delineated. The concepts of substitution and elasticity are distinguished, and further distinctions are made between short run price elasticity, cross price elasticity, and available fund elasticity. An assessment of the role which cost factors can play in conservation is given. The structure of the petroleum industry and foreign petroleum resources is discussed. Also discussed is the role of government, industry and the consumer with the economic sphere.
Source record↗
A Pragmatic Path to Investigating Europa's Habitability
Assessment of Europa's habitability, as an overarching science goal, will progress via a comprehensive investigation of Europa's subsurface ocean, chemical composition, and internal dynamical processes, The National Research Council's Planetary Decadal Survey placed an extremely high priority on Europa science but noted that the budget profile for the Jupiter Europa Orbiter (1EO) mission concept is incompatible with NASA's projected planetary science budget Thus, NASA enlisted a small Europa Science Definition Team (ESDT) to consider more pragmatic Europa mission options, In its preliminary findings (May, 2011), the ESDT embraces a science scope and instrument complement comparable to the science "floor" for JEO, but with a radically different mission implementation. The ESDT is studying a two-element mission architecture, in which two relatively low-cost spacecraft would fulfill the Europa science objectives, An envisioned Europa orbital element would carry only a very small geophysics payload, addressing those investigations that are best carried out from Europa orbit An envisioned separate multiple Europa flyby element (in orbit about Jupiter) would emphasize remote sensing, This mission architecture would provide for a subset of radiation-shielded instruments (all relatively low mass, power, and data rate) to be delivered into Europa orbit by a modest spacecraft, saving on propellant and other spacecraft resources, More resource-intensive remote sensing instruments would achieve their science objectives through a conservative multiple-flyby approach, that is better situated to handle larger masses and higher data volumes, and which aims to limit radiation exposure, Separation of the payload into two spacecraft elements, phased in time, would permit costs to be spread more uniformly over mUltiple years, avoiding an excessively high peak in the funding profile, Implementation of each spacecraft would be greatly simplified compared to previous Europa mission concepts, minimizing new development while achieving the key Europa science objectives. We will report on the status of this evolving concept, and will solicit community feedback, as we pursue an innovative and low-cost ways to explore Europa and investigate its habitability.
Pappalardo↗