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DOE OSTI2012

Preliminary Process and Market Evaluation: Better Buildings Neighborhood Program

This document presents the preliminary process and market evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP). The document was prepared in partial fulfillment of a contract with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to conduct a comprehensive program assessment of BBNP. BBNP is one of many programs funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The funding initially targeted city and state governments, local neighborhood associations, nonprofits, colleges and universities, utilities, and financial institutions through the competitive Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program Retrofit Ramp-Up Solicitation. Initially DOE made 25 awards to local governmental or nonprofit organizations in amounts ranging from $1.2 to $40 million. Nine similar grantees from the Formula Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program and seven from the State Energy Program solicitation resulted in 41 Better Building grantees, with award allocations of $508,302,786 in funding for Better Buildings projects.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2011

DOE/DHS Industrial Control System Cyber Security Programs: A Model for Use in Nuclear Facility Safeguards and Security

Many critical infrastructure sectors have been investigating cyber security issues for several years especially with the help of two primary government programs. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National SCADA Test Bed and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Control Systems Security Program have both implemented activities aimed at securing the industrial control systems that operate the North American electric grid along with several other critical infrastructure sectors (ICS). These programs have spent the last seven years working with industry including asset owners, educational institutions, standards and regulating bodies, and control system vendors. The programs common mission is to provide outreach, identification of cyber vulnerabilities to ICS and mitigation strategies to enhance security postures. The success of these programs indicates that a similar approach can be successfully translated into other sectors including nuclear operations, safeguards, and security. The industry regulating bodies have included cyber security requirements and, in some cases, have incorporated sets of standards with penalties for non-compliance such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection standards. These DOE and DHS programs that address security improvements by both suppliers and end users provide an excellent model for nuclear facility personnel concerned with safeguards and security cyber vulnerabilities and countermeasures. It is not a stretch to imagine complete surreptitious collapse of protection against the removal of nuclear material or even initiation of a criticality event as witnessed at Three Mile Island or Chernobyl in a nuclear ICS inadequately protected against the cyber threat.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2015

A program-level management system for the life cycle environmental and economic assessment of complex building projects

Climate change has become one of the most significant environmental issues, of which about 40% come from the building sector. In particular, complex building projects with various functions have increased, which should be managed from a program-level perspective. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a program-level management system for the life-cycle environmental and economic assessment of complex building projects. The developed system consists of three parts: (i) input part: database server and input data; (ii) analysis part: life cycle assessment and life cycle cost; and (iii) result part: microscopic analysis and macroscopic analysis. To analyze the applicability of the developed system, this study selected ‘U’ University, a complex building project consisting of research facility and residential facility. Through value engineering with experts, a total of 137 design alternatives were established. Based on these alternatives, the macroscopic analysis results were as follows: (i) at the program-level, the life-cycle environmental and economic cost in ‘U’ University were reduced by 6.22% and 2.11%, respectively; (ii) at the project-level, the life-cycle environmental and economic cost in research facility were reduced 6.01% and 1.87%, respectively; and those in residential facility, 12.01% and 3.83%, respective; and (iii) for the mechanical work at the work-type-level, the initial cost was increased 2.9%; but the operation and maintenance phase was reduced by 20.0%. As a result, the developed system can allow the facility managers to establish the operation and maintenance strategies for the environmental and economic aspects from a program-level perspective. - Highlights: • A program-level management system for complex building projects was developed. • Life-cycle environmental and economic assessment can be conducted using the system. • The design alternatives can be analyzed from the microscopic perspective. • The system can be used to establish the optimal O&M strategy at the program-level. • It can be applied to any other country or sector in the global environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Application of automated measurement and verification to utility energy efficiency program data

Trustworthy savings calculations are critical to convincing regulators of both the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency program investments and their ability to defer supply-side capital investments. Today’s methods for measurement and verification (M&V) of energy savings constitute a significant portion of the total costs of energy efficiency programs. They also require time-consuming data acquisition. A spectrum of savings calculation approaches is used, with some relying more heavily on measured data and others relying more heavily on estimated, modeled, or stipulated data. The increasing availability of “smart” meters and devices that report near-real time data, combined with new analytical approaches to quantify savings, offers the potential to conduct M&V more quickly and at lower cost, with comparable or improved accuracy. Commercial energy management and information systems (EMIS) technologies are beginning to offer these ‘M&V 2.0’ capabilities, and program administrators want to understand how they might assist programs in quickly and accurately measuring energy savings. This paper presents the results of recent testing of the ability to use automation to streamline the M&V process. In this paper, we apply an automated whole-building M&V tool to historic data sets from energy efficiency programs to begin to explore the accuracy, cost, and time trade-offs between more traditional M&V, and these emerging streamlined methods that use high-resolution energy data and automated computational intelligence. For the data sets studied we evaluate the fraction of buildings that are well suited to automated baseline characterization, the uncertainty in gross savings that is due to M&V 2.0 tools’ model error, and indications of labor time savings, and how the automated savings results compare to prior, traditionally determined savings results. The results show that 70% of the buildings were well suited to the automated approach. In a majority of the cases (80%) savings and uncertainties for each individual building were quantified to levels above the criteria in ASHRAE Guideline 14. In addition the findings suggest that M&V 2.0 methods may also offer time-savings relative to traditional approaches. Lastly, we discuss the implications of these findings relative to the potential evolution of M&V, and pilots currently being launched to test how M&V automation can be integrated into ratepayer-funded programs and professional implementation and evaluation practice.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

The role of above-code labeling programs in reducing CO 2 e emissions in residential buildings

Residential buildings account for 15 % of total U.S. carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. Voluntary, above-code labeling programs, such as the ENERGY STAR and Zero Energy Ready Home programs, can play a crucial role in reducing the carbon footprint of the new construction residential building sector by encouraging adoption of more energy-efficient and lower emissions building practices and technologies. It's important for the industry to understand the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) and energy cost savings potential of these programs. Here, to estimate the potential CO 2 e emissions savings for homes built to above-code labeling program levels, it is imperative to have reliable and accurate tools for estimating emissions from buildings. The open-source OpenStudio-ERI workflow employs detailed physics-based building energy modeling (BEM) to estimate energy usage and operational CO 2 e emissions. In this study we use the OpenStudio-ERI workflow and regional, time-varying emissions factors from the Cambium database to compare the CO 2 e emissions and energy costs of homes built to performance levels required by these above-code labeling programs relative to homes built to model energy codes. We present the results of our analysis and provide a range of emissions and annual energy cost savings for the above-code labeling programs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2012

Excellence in Radiation Research for the 21st Century (EIRR21): Description of an Innovative Research Training Program

Purpose: To describe and assess an interdisciplinary research training program for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows focused on radiation medicine; funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research since 2003, the program entitled 'Excellence in Radiation Research for the 21st Century' (EIRR21) aims to train the next generation of interdisciplinary radiation medicine researchers. Methods and Materials: Online surveys evaluating EIRR21 were sent to trainees (n=56), mentors (n=36), and seminar speakers (n=72). Face-to-face interviews were also conducted for trainee liaisons (n=4) and participants in the international exchange program (n=2). Results: Overall response rates ranged from 53% (mentors) to 91% (trainees). EIRR21 was well received by trainees, with the acquisition of several important skills related to their research endeavors. An innovative seminar series, entitled Brainstorm sessions, imparting 'extracurricular' knowledge in intellectual property protection, commercialization strategies, and effective communication, was considered to be the most valuable component of the program. Networking with researchers in other disciplines was also facilitated owing to program participation. Conclusions: EIRR21 is an innovative training program that positively impacts the biomedical community and imparts valuable skill sets to foster success for the future generation of radiation medicine researchers.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Pathways of clean energy heating electrification programs for reducing carbon emissions in Northwest China

We report clean energy heating electrification programs provide a promising way to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion and consumption. This work studies the cost competitiveness of clean energy heating technologies under three dynamic mechanisms: investment costs, subsidy policies, and operating costs with real data. It provides key insights into the cost competitiveness of the different heating technologies deployed in different areas, as well as their sensitivity to the three dynamic mechanisms. The results show that currently, the distinct heating programs are more cost-efficient in the urban area with existing heating networks. The average payback period of all district clean energy heating programs in the urban area is 14.9 years, while that of the individual clean heating programs is 24.7 years. The individual heating programs are becoming increasingly cost-competitive with the incentive mechanisms, especially the electricity pricing mechanisms. Moreover, individual heating technologies present remarkable advantages on flexibility and sustainability in the long run. According to the technology diffusion model proposed in this paper, the individual clean heating programs will occupy more than 50% of the market share in 2050 under the comprehensive effect of CAPEX, government subsidies, and OPEX. The real-world results and analysis render references to shape the pathway of clean energy heating electrification in Northwest China and other regions with a similar situation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2024

R&D Needs for a US Fusion Magnet Base Program

Significant technology maturation efforts are underway by privately funded fusion startups with the goal to demonstrate mature HTS magnet technology. To support the private sector development effort and the DOE milestone based program, a U.S. Fusion Magnet Community Workshop was held on March 14-15, 2023 in Princeton, NJ. This was the first U.S. community workshop focused on fusion magnet technologies aimed at determining the structure and technical direction for a public program designed to complement the private fusion industry landscape. Based on the wide range of different contributions, a set of general themes and fusion magnet R&D needs were identified and discussed. Feedback received to the workshop charge questions highlighted critical magnet R&D gaps such as availability of existing large cable and coil test facilities, a magnet education program that can generate a trained and essential workforce by leveraging R&D capabilities of universities, U.S. national labs, and fusion industry. Other opportunities synergistic and complementary with high energy physics, high field magnets that are open for a broad range of science drivers. The defined R&D gaps underpin the need for a mid-term and long-term public program in fusion magnet development, which reflects the purpose of the workshop in developing the rationale and consent for such a base program. A self-consistent, fusion specific U.S. fusion magnet program will complement and de-risk fusion pilot plants (FPPs) of promising magnetic configurations developed by private companies on a timeline consistent with the NASEM report on bringing fusion to the U.S. grid. We describe the magnet challenges presented and R&D needs discussed in the workshop. In conclusion, these challenges and R&D needs provide focus for the development of U.S. mid-term and long term roadmaps on enabling HTS for high field fusion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2016

Sci-Fri AM: Quality, Safety, and Professional Issues 05: QC Program Management and the Benefits of QATrack+

Purpose: Treatment unit uptime statistics are typically used to monitor radiation equipment performance. The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre has introduced the use of Quality Control (QC) test success as a quality indicator for equipment performance and overall health of the equipment QC program. Methods: Implemented in 2012, QATrack+ is used to record and monitor over 1100 routine machine QC tests each month for 20 treatment and imaging units ( http://qatrackplus.com/ ). Using an SQL (structured query language) script, automated queries of the QATrack+ database are used to generate program metrics such as the number of QC tests executed and the percentage of tests passing, at tolerance or at action. These metrics are compared against machine uptime statistics already reported within the program. Results: Program metrics for 2015 show good correlation between pass rate of QC tests and uptime for a given machine. For the nine conventional linacs, the QC test success rate was consistently greater than 97%. The corresponding uptimes for these units are better than 98%. Machines that consistently show higher failure or tolerance rates in the QC tests have lower uptimes. This points to either poor machine performance requiring corrective action or to problems with the QC program. Conclusions: QATrack+ significantly improves the organization of QC data but can also aid in overall equipment management. Complimenting machine uptime statistics with QC test metrics provides a more complete picture of overall machine performance and can be used to identify areas of improvement in the machine service and QC programs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Sandia National Laboratories, California Hazardous Materials Management Program annual report.

The annual program report provides detailed information about all aspects of the Sandia National Laboratories, California (SNL/CA) Hazardous Materials Management Program. It functions as supporting documentation to the SNL/CA Environmental Management System Program Manual. This program annual report describes the activities undertaken during the calender past year, and activities planned in future years to implement the Hazardous Materials Management Program, one of six programs that supports environmental management at SNL/CA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

Distributed Solar Incentive Programs: Recent Experience and Best Practices for Design and Implementation

Based on lessons from recent program experience, this report explores best practices for designing and implementing incentives for small and mid-sized residential and commercial distributed solar energy projects. The findings of this paper are relevant to both new incentive programs as well as those undergoing modifications. The report covers factors to consider in setting and modifying incentive levels over time, differentiating incentives to encourage various market segments, administrative issues such as providing equitable access to incentives and customer protection. It also explores how incentive programs can be designed to respond to changing market conditions while attempting to provide a longer-term and stable environment for the solar industry. The findings are based on interviews with program administrators, regulators, and industry representatives as well as data from numerous incentive programs nationally, particularly the largest and longest-running programs. These best practices consider the perspectives of various stakeholders and the broad objectives of reducing solar costs, encouraging long-term market viability, minimizing ratepayer costs, and protecting consumers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2011

Geothermal Technologies Program: 2011 Peer Review Report

On June 6-10, 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP or the Program) conducted its annual program peer review in Bethesda, Maryland. In accordance with the EERE Peer Review Guide, the review provides an independent, expert evaluation of the strategic goals and direction of the program and is a forum for feedback and recommendations on future program planning. The purpose of the review was to evaluate DOE-funded projects for their contribution to the mission and goals of the Program and to assess progress made against stated objectives.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Federal Workplace Charging Program Guide

The 2015 Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorizes the installation, operation, and maintenance of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for the purpose of recharging employees' privately owned vehicles (POVs) under the custody or control of the General Services Administration (GSA) or a Federal agency. It requires the collection of fees to recover the costs of installing, operating, and maintaining this equipment and imposes reporting requirements. This program guide reviews those requirements, excerpts the relevant language in Appendix A, and describes when and how fees may be required to cover costs of electricity, network costs, EVSE units, and installations in various scenarios. This program guide is designed to support Federal agencies developing and refining workplace charging programs for employee POVs. While it provides guidance and best practices, it does not replace agencywide policies or agency-specific legal counsel. It contains a roadmap for agency workplace charging programs and defines roles and responsibilities. This guide explains how to determine the number of POVs likely to charge at a given site and contains a sample employee survey in Appendix B. It reviews EVSE planning, including unit selection and acquisition, charger location(s), accounting for available power capacity, using existing infrastructure, and funding an incentive program. It also discusses the costs associated with EVSE acquisition, installation, and network management. These costs inform the subsequently provided information, which describes how to amortize costs to determine appropriate fees for each charging session. The final two sections of this guide address aspects of ongoing program management that the facility coordinator should consider and the reporting requirements associated with the FAST Act. The insights in this guide are applicable to all agency-owned and GSA-leased buildings or facilities offering the use of EVSE or a 120-volt receptacle for the purpose of recharging an employee's POV. However, the FAST Act requirements typically do not apply to any building or facility operated and maintained by a third-party vendor offering the use of EVSE as part of a commercial building lease unless the agency is managing the station and/or energy on behalf of the building and collecting POV fees.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2012

Integrating The Non-Electrical Worker Into The Electrical Safety Program

The intent of this paper is to demonstrate an electrical safety program that incorporates all workers into the program, not just the electrical workers. It is largely in response to a paper presented at the 2012 ESW by Lanny Floyd entitled "Facilitating Application of Electrical Safety Best Practices to "Other" Workers" which requested all attendees to review their electrical safety program to assure that non-electrical workers were protected as well as electrical workers. The referenced paper indicated that roughly 50% of electrical incidents involve workers whose primary function is not electrical in nature. It also encouraged all to "address electrical safety for all workers and not just workers whose job responsibilities involve working on or near energized electrical circuits." In this paper, a program which includes specific briefings to non-electrical workers as well as to workers who may need to perform their normal activities in proximity to energized electrical conductors is presented. The program uses a targeted approach to specific areas such as welding, excavating, rigging, chart reading, switching, cord and plug equipment and several other general areas to point out hazards that may exist and how to avoid them. NFPA 70E-2004 was incorporated into the program several years ago and with it the need to include the "other" workers became apparent. The site experience over the years supports the assertion that about half of the electrical incidents involve non-electrical workers and this prompted us to develop specific briefings to enhance the knowledge of the non-electrical worker regarding safe electrical practices. The promotion of "May is Electrical Safety Month" and the development of informative presentations which are delivered to the general site population as well as electrical workers have greatly improved the hazards awareness status of the general worker on site.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2015

U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Program

The National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) interfaces with the User Community and manages the coordination of isotope production across the facilities and business operations involved in the production, sale, and distribution of isotopes. A virtual center, the NIDC is funded by the Isotope Development and Production for Research and Applications (IDPRA) subprogram of the Office of Nuclear Physics in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. PNNL’s Isotope Program operates in a multi-program category-2 nuclear facility, the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL), that contains 16 hot cells and 20 gloveboxes. As part of the DOE Isotope Program, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory dispenses strontium-90, neptunium-237, radium-223, and thorium-227. PNNL’s Isotope Program uses a dedicated hot-cell for strontium-90 dispensing and a dedicated glovebox for radium-223 and thorium-227 dispensing. PNNL’s Isotope Program has access to state of the art analytical equipment in the RPL to support their research and production activities. DOE Isotope Program funded research at PNNL has advanced the application of automated radiochemistry for isotope such as zirconium-89 and astatine-211 in partnership with the University of Washington.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2018

2017 Annual Progress Report: DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program

In the past year, the DOE Hydrogen Program (the Program) made substantial progress toward its goals and objectives. The Program has conducted comprehensive and focused efforts to enable the widespread commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in diverse sectors of the economy. With emphasis on applications that will effectively strengthen our nation's energy security and improve our stewardship of the environment, the Program engages in research, development, and demonstration of critical improvements in the technologies. Highlights of the Program's accomplishments can be found in the sub-program chapters of this report.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

DOE OSTI2011

Going Beyond Code: A Guide for Creating Effective Green Building Programs for Energy Efficient and Sustainable Communities

This guide is designed to help state and local governments design and implement successful "beyond code" programs for new commercial and residential buildings. The goal is to help states and localities establish voluntary or mandatory programs that go well beyond traditional minimum code requirements for new buildings. The guide addresses keys to successful adoption and implementation and discusses the primary areas that are typically included in beyond code or green building programs, including energy-efficiency materials and resource conservation, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and site development and land use. Detailed descriptions and analysis of actual programs are discussed, including lessons learned and best practices. States and localities can use the information on local programs, model codes and standards, and the model energy-efficiency criteria for residential and commercial buildings to find the best approach for their jurisdiction to develop and implement an effective beyond code program.

Code adoption and implementation, sustainability, ↗

DOE OSTI2024

Customer enrollment and participation in building demand management programs: A review of key factors

Increasing the efficiency and flexibility of electricity demand is necessary for ensuring a cost-effective and reliable transition to zero-carbon electricity systems. Such demand-side management (DSM) resources have been procured by utilities for decades via energy efficiency and demand response programs; however, the key drivers of program enrollment and customer participation levels remain poorly understood — even as governments and grid planners seek to scale up the deployment of DSM assets to meet climate targets. Here we systematically review the evidence on multiple factors that may influence customer enrollment and participation in building DSM programs, focusing primarily on residential and commercial buildings. We examine the contexts in which relationships between DSM factors and outcomes are most often explored and with which methods; we also score the strength, direction, and internal consistency of each factor's reported impact on the enrollment and participation outcomes. We find that studies most commonly assess the effects of economic incentives for load flexibility on program participation levels, often using simulation-based methods in lieu of measured data. Few studies focus on program enrollment outcomes or regulatory drivers of either enrollment or participation, and gaps are also evident in the coverage of emerging DSM opportunities like load electrification. Removal of structural barriers (e.g., the lack of controls infrastructure) and the use of third party services (e.g., load aggregators) are the factors with the largest positive impacts on DSM outcomes, but no single factor emerges as clearly most impactful. For a given factor, the range of reported impacts typically varies widely across the relevant studies reviewed. Our findings provide a snapshot of the state of knowledge about building DSM and customer decision-making, and they expose key gaps in understanding that must be filled if building DSM is to expand as a critical resource for operating clean power grids.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗