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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 415 records · Page 23

Advancing Urban Water Resilience: Coproducing Knowledge through Civic–Academic Global Partnerships on Water and Climate

As extreme weather events become more pronounced, the vulnerabilities associated with the urban water supply and wastewater systems in megacities are intensified in multiple interconnected dimensions. These multifaceted water challenges can benefit from enhanced cross-sectoral collaboration and sharing of critical knowledge, which are essential for sustainable and adaptive water governance frameworks. In this context, the Megacity Alliance for Water and Climate (MAWAC)–Europe and North America Region (ENAR) Working Group convened a workshop in March 2023, followed by a subsequent workshop in London, United Kingdom, from 11 to 13 September 2024. These workshops aimed to investigate and devise solutions for the cascading hazards with water systems. The solutions examined various aspects focused on climate adaptation and mitigation, stormwater management, and the governance of water and wastewater systems. Additionally, discussions highlighted the importance of community engagement, economic considerations, equity, and effective communication in addressing these pressing challenges. Over the course of 3 days, experts from academia, government agencies, and industry engaged in meaningful discussions on digital modeling for integrated water management, climate-informed urban planning, and public–private–academic partnerships (Fig. 1). Case studies from cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Chicago highlighted innovative governance strategies for managing water and wastewater systems, promoting water reuse, planning infrastructure, and fostering stakeholder-driven and stakeholder-informed adaptation. The workshop participants emphasized the need for data-driven decision-making, scalable governance models, and knowledge-sharing networks to enhance urban water governance for sustainability and resilience. This workshop report presents the key takeaways from the 3-day convening, providing a roadmap for integrating scientific research, policy frameworks, and emerging technologies to address water challenges faced by megacities.

Hydrologic models↗

Corn and Switchgrass Derived Sustainable Aviation Fuel Carbon Intensity

The production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) could lower aviation's carbon footprint. Feedstock agricultural management can optimize—or potentially determine—SAF sustainability and profitability, but long-term SAF feedstock comparisons are limited. Life cycle assessments (LCA) are commonly used to estimate the carbon intensity of producing SAF from emerging feedstocks due to the limited availability of long-term, primary field data. We quantified the agricultural phase and well-to-wake (WTWa) carbon intensities of producing SAF from no-till, continuous corn (Zea mays L.) under 120 kg N ha−1 year−1 (120 N corn) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) under 60 or 120 kg N ha−1 year−1 (60 N and 120 N SWG, respectively) via LCAs based on measured data from a long-term (1998-present) field experiment on marginally productive cropland located in Eastern NE, USA. Measured data included crop productivity, long-term changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks (0–150 cm), annual soil N2O emissions, and field management practices. Both 120 N corn (2078 L ha−1) and 120 N SWG (1752 L ha−1) produced more SAF than 60 N SWG (1229 L ha−1) (p < 0.0001). However, making SAF from corn had greater life cycle GHG emissions (i.e., WTWa carbon intensity) than making SAF from 120 N and 60 N SWG (61.5 > −14.5 and −27.5 g CO2e MJ−1 SAF, respectively; p = 0.0007), primarily due to SOC accrual during crop production. Here, we demonstrate that agricultural management (e.g., crop type, fertilizer use) can determine the sustainably and productivity of producing SAF by using long-term, measured field data in LCAs.

carbon intensity↗

Integrated Land Suitability Assessment for Depots Siting in a Sustainable Biomass Supply Chain

A sustainable biomass supply chain would require not only an effective and fluid transportation system with a reduced carbon footprint and costs, but also good soil characteristics ensuring durable biomass feedstock presence. Unlike existing approaches that fail to account for ecological factors, this work integrates ecological as well as economic factors for developing sustainable supply chain development. For feedstock to be sustainably supplied, it necessitates adequate environmental conditions, which need to be captured in supply chain analysis. Using geospatial data and heuristics, we present an integrated framework that models biomass production suitability, capturing the economic aspect via transportation network analysis and the environmental aspect via ecological indicators. Production suitability is estimated using scores, considering both ecological factors and road transportation networks. These factors include land cover/crop rotation, slope, soil properties (productivity, soil texture, and erodibility factor) and water availability. This scoring determines the spatial distribution of depots with priority to fields scoring the highest. Two methods for depot selection are presented using graph theory and a clustering algorithm to benefit from contextualized insights from both and potentially gain a more comprehensive understanding of biomass supply chain designs. Graph theory, via the clustering coefficient, helps determine dense areas in the network and indicate the most appropriate location for a depot. Clustering algorithm, via K-means, helps form clusters and determine the depot location at the center of these clusters. An application of this innovative concept is performed on a case study in the US South Atlantic, in the Piedmont region, determining distance traveled and depot locations, with implications on supply chain design. The findings from this study show that a more decentralized depot-based supply chain design with 3depots, obtained using the graph theory method, can be more economical and environmentally friendly compared to a design obtained from the clustering algorithm method with 2 depots. In the former, the distance from fields to depots totals 801,031,476 miles, while in the latter, it adds up to 1,037,606,072 miles, which represents about 30% more distance covered for feedstock transportation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Report on laser-induced fluorescence transitions relevant for the microelectronics industry and sustainability applications

A wide variety of feed gases are used to generate low-temperature plasmas for the microelectronics and sustainability applications. These plasmas often have a complex combination of reactive and nonreactive species which may have spatial and temporal variations in density, temperature, and energy. Accurate knowledge of these parameters and their variations is critically important for understanding and advancing these applications through validated and predictive modeling and the design of relevant devices. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) provides both spatial and temporally resolved information about the plasma-produced radicals, ions, and metastables. However, the use of this powerful diagnostic tool requires the knowledge of optical transitions including excitation and fluorescence wavelengths which may not be available or scattered through a huge literature domain. In this paper, we collected, analyzed, and compiled the available transitions for laser-induced fluorescence for more than 160 chemical species relevant to the microelectronics industry and the sustainability applications. A list of species with overlapping LIF excitations and fluorescence wavelengths have been identified. Finally, this summary is intended to serve as a data reference for LIF transitions and should be updated in the future.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Risk Assessment of Industrial Microbes Using a Terrestrial Mesocosm Platform

Abstract Industrial microbes and bio-derived products have emerged as an integral component of the bioeconomy, with an array of agricultural, bioenergy, and biomedical applications. However, the rapid development of microbial biotechnology raises concerns related to environmental escape of laboratory microbes, detection and tracking thereof, and resultant impact upon native ecosystems. Indeed, though wild-type and genetically modified microbes are actively deployed in industrial bioprocesses, an understanding of microbial interactivity and impact upon the environment is severely lacking. In particular, the persistence and sustained ecosystem impact of industrial microbes following laboratory release or unintentional laboratory escape remains largely unexplored. Herein, we investigate the applicability of soil-sorghum mesocosms for the ecological risk assessment of the industrial microbe, Saccharomyces cerevisiae . We developed and applied a suite of diagnostic and bioinformatic analyses, including digital droplet PCR, microscopy, and phylogenomic analyses to assess the impacts of a terrestrial ecosystem perturbation event over a 30-day time course. The platform enables reproducible, high-sensitivity tracking of S. cerevisiae in a complex soil microbiome and analysis of the impact upon abiotic soil characteristics and soil microbiome population dynamics and diversity. The resultant data indicate that even though S. cerevisiae is relatively short-lived in the soil, a single perturbation event can have sustained impact upon mesocosm soil composition and underlying microbial populations in our system, underscoring the necessity for more comprehensive risk assessment and development of mitigation and biocontainment strategies in industrial bioprocesses.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Energy Use in Quantum Data Centers: Scaling the Impact of Computer Architecture, Qubit Performance, Size, and Thermal Parameters

As quantum computers increase in size, the total energy used by a quantum data center, including the cooling, will become a greater concern. The cooling requirements of quantum computers, which operate at temperatures near absolute zero, are determined by computing system parameters, including the number and type of physical qubits, the packaging efficiency of the system, and the split between circuits operating at cryogenic temperatures and those operating at room temperature. When combined with thermal system parameters such as cooling efficiency and cryostat heat transfer, the total energy use can be determined using a first-principles energy model. These models show that cooling of quantum computers differs in two fundamental ways from conventional data centers: (1) the energy required for cooling is much greater than the energy required for computation, and (2) the cooling loads are sensitive to the computational architecture. The temperature requirements for different qubit types can change energy requirements by orders of magnitude. Power use and computational power, as quantified by quantum volume, are analytically correlated. Approaches are identified for minimizing energy use in integrated quantum systems relative to computational power. Furthermore, designing a sustainable quantum computer will require both efficient cooling and system design that minimizes cooling requirements.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Scalability analysis of heavy-duty gas turbines using data-driven machine learning

With the increasing integration of variable renewable energy sources into power systems, the role of flexible power generation technologies like gas turbines (GT) in rapid grid balancing remains crucial. This sustained importance underscores the need for scaled and precise modeling of GT to ensure effective integration within evolving energy frameworks. While physics-driven GT models integrate thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and combustion principles, they often rely on approximate mathematical representations to accommodate scaling that may not capture the actual complex dynamics for GTs and inertial effects associated to GTs with different ratings. In this study, a data-driven model is proposed using machine learning (ML) techniques to conduct GT scalability analysis and performance evaluation with high accuracy. The ML model, trained on data from various operating conditions and performance parameters, aims to uncover intricate relationships and patterns, resembling GT characteristics at different scales (ratings). The model is developed to capture complex system interaction and to adapt to changing operational scenarios at different capacities, providing valuable insights of power system dynamics. In this study, the real-time digital simulator platform was employed to generate training data for the ML model and assess its dynamic characteristics. The ultimate objective was to develop a detailed modeling framework based on governing equations and data-driven ML capable of predicting key performance indicators, in thermal systems such as GTs, including power output, speed, fuel consumption, and exhaust temperature under diverse operating conditions at different scales. The developed ML framework demonstrated high accuracy, with mean relative errors for GT power prediction, reference speed, exhaust temperature, and compressor pressure ratio (CPR) parameters consistently below 0.1% across typical load fluctuation scenarios. Maximum deviations were limited to approximately 0.5 K for exhaust temperature and 0.009 for CPR, underscoring the model’s ability to replicating dynamic GT behavior with high precision. The adaptability of the ML model enables its application across diverse operational conditions and its extension to other thermal systems. By leveraging advanced ML techniques, this study presents a robust and scalable modeling framework that enhances GT simulation precision, facilitating improved integration into evolving power systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Data Collection and Analysis Challenges and Mitigation Strategies for Quantitative Human Factors Research Studies in Nuclear Power Plant Modernization

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program Plant Modernization Pathway is conducting targeted research and development (R&D) to address aging and reliability concerns with the legacy instrumentation and control and related information systems of the U.S. LWR fleet. In this effort, the application of human factors engineering (HFE) provides an important role in ensuring new digital plant technologies enable broad innovation and business improvement with continued operational safety. Evaluation is a key activity in HFE, which often occurs iteratively through the system design lifecycle. While qualitative methods are important in collecting information of how users perform tasks through observations, quantitative methods are equally important in assessing system design based on performance. In collecting and analyzing this quantitative data, there are notable challenges in the nuclear HFE domain that may threaten the validity and reliability of the inferences made in these studies. Notable challenges include small sample size and limited resources, large error variance and small effect size, an “adding test features to losing degrees of freedom” dilemma, non-normal distribution, and heterogeneity of variance. The results in control room usability studies are often statistically non-significant, which makes it hard to interpret. This work discusses these challenges across different scientific viewpoints and provides real-world examples of these challenges in practice. Collectively, the objective of this work is to position these challenges to the larger data science community as a means of identifying future opportunities to address these issues.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Coordinative Entities: Forms of Organizing in Data Intensive Science

Scientific collaboration is a long-standing subject of CSCW scholarship that typically focuses on the development and use of computing systems to facilitate research. The research presented in this article investigates the sociality of science by identifying and describing particular, common forms of organizing that researchers in four different scientific realms employ to conduct work in both local contexts and as part of distributed, global projects. This paper introduces five prototypical forms of organizing we categorize as coordinative entities: the Principal Group, Intermittent Exchange, Sustained Aggregation, Federation, and Facility Organization. Coordinative entities as a categorization help specify, articulate, compare, and trace overlapping and evolving arrangements scientists use to facilitate data intensive research. We use this typology to unpack complexities of data intensive scientific collaboration in four cases, showing how scientists invoke different coordinative entities across three types of research activities: data collection, processing, and analysis. Finally, our contribution scrutinizes the sociality of scientific work to illustrate how these actors engage in relational work within and among diverse, dispersed forms of organizing across project, funding, and disciplinary boundaries.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

The UCAR Africa Initiative: Recent insights, challenges, and opportunities to foster collaborative research for environmental sustainability

Africa is increasingly being exposed to the negative impacts of climate and environmental change, while having less capacity to respond compared to other continents. The vulnerability partially results from unprecedented demographic growth, urbanization, and industrialization. However, the continent has still largely been underserved by the broader Earth System Science (ESS) community, as evidenced by the limited amount of ESS data and research that cover Africa compared to other areas of the world. Here we present the recent University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Africa Initiative that aims to enhance environmental sustainability in Africa by fostering international collaborative research partnerships co-led by African scientists. Specifically, we outline urgent challenges and opportunities identified through an international workshop in six areas of ESS namely (1) air quality and health, (2) weather, (3) climate, (4) land and water, (5) social science perspectives, and (6) developing equitable collaboration and sustainable infrastructure. We highlight examples of successful partnerships and conclude with recommendations to advance collaborative, actionable ESS research that addresses Africa’s critical environmental challenges.

African weather and land variability↗

High entropy powering green energy: hydrogen, batteries, electronics, and catalysis

A reformation in energy is underway to replace fossil fuels with renewable sources, driven by the development of new, robust, and multi-functional materials. High-entropy materials (HEMs) have emerged as promising candidates for various green energy applications, having unusual chemistries that give rise to remarkable functionalities. This review examines recent innovations in HEMs, focusing on hydrogen generation/storage, fuel cells, batteries, semiconductors/electronics, and catalysis—where HEMs have demonstrated the ability to outperform state-of-the-art materials. We present new master plots that illustrate the superior performance of HEMs compared to conventional systems for hydrogen generation/storage and heat-to-electricity conversion. We highlight the role of computational methods, such as density functional theory and machine learning, in accelerating the discovery and optimization of HEMs. The review also presents current challenges and proposes future directions for the field. We emphasize the need for continued integration of modeling, data, and experiments to investigate and leverage the underlying mechanisms of the HEMs that are powering progress in sustainable energy.

batteries↗

A Geodatabase Designed to Inform and Support Safe CO2 Transport-Route Planning

The National Energy Technology Laboratory developed the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Pipeline Route Planning Database to inform safe and sustainable CO2 transport planning in support of decarbonization efforts. This comprehensive Esri Geodatabase contains over 90 GBs of data and 60+ spatial layers representing key considerations including natural hazards, infrastructure, energy, and social justice. Leveraging ArcGIS Pro, nationwide raster, and vector datasets containing millions of features were processed to be easily digestible for users and complex modeling software.

Romeo, Lucy↗

FY22 Grid Modernization & Energy Storage Program: Accomplishments & Impacts

Sandia’s Grid Modernization and Energy Storage program works to advance a national vision of a secure, resilient, and sustainable electric system for all users. Our achievements reflect a strategic approach combining technology development; modeling, simulation, and data analytics; and partnered demonstrations and outreach to further the adoption of advanced grid and storage technologies. Our FY22 efforts leverage the strengths of our partnerships—spanning Sandia’s core science and technology competencies as well as external technology leaders—to develop the solutions today which enable the grid of tomorrow. Much of the material in this report comes from the separate 2022 Accomplishments Report compiled by our Energy Storage subprogram team, a cornerstone of our grid research and achievements. The Grid Energy Storage Program at Sandia is focused on making energy storage cost-effective through research and development (R&D) in new battery technologies, advanced power electronics and power conversion systems, improved safety and reliability for energy storage systems, analytical tools for the valuation of energy storage, and the validation of new energy storage technologies through demonstration projects. During the 2022 fiscal year, Sandia executed R&D work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity – Energy Storage Program under the leadership of Dr. Imre Gyuk. This report indicates key areas of research and engagement and summarizes the impact of Sandia’s contributions through notable accomplishments, journal publications, patents, and technical conferences and presentations. It is provided with the hope that readers discover ways we can further team to create our modern grid and apply the outcomes of our efforts. The bulk of work described herein is funded by the DOE Office of Electricity and key programs within the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. As we indicated in our report from last year, the contributors to our successes are too numerous to name here, though our team wishes to express our deep gratitude to the numerous program and project sponsors at the US Department of Energy, who often function equally as technical collaborators; our many partners in industry, academia, utilities, and other national labs; and fellow researchers and business partners at Sandia whose leadership and creativity have enabled the accomplishments described herein.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Annual Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2023

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), one of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s 10 national laboratories, provides innovative science and technology development in the areas of energy and the environment, fundamental and computational science, and national security. There are three DOE offices within the Richland area. Two are responsible for the Hanford Site, whereas the Pacific Northwest Site Office oversees PNNL. PNNL prepares an Annual Site Environmental Report to meet the requirements of DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety and Health Reporting, and DOE Order 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment, thus assuring that the public is informed of any PNNL-Richland campus or PNNL-Sequim campus event that could adversely affect the health and safety of the public, site staff, or the environment. The report provides a synopsis of ongoing environmental management performance and compliance activities for operations that occur at the PNNL-Richland campus in Richland, Washington, and at the PNNL-Sequim campus near Sequim, Washington. It describes the location of and background for each facility; addresses compliance with applicable DOE, federal, state, and local regulations, and site-specific permits; documents environmental monitoring efforts and their status; presents potential radiation doses to staff and the public in the surrounding areas; and describes DOE-required data quality assurance methods used for data verification. The ASER report describes Compliance with Federal, State, and Local Laws and Regulations in 2023, Environmental Sustainability, Environmental monitoring and dose assessment, Natural and Cultural Resource Management, and Quality Assurance activities that took place during Calendar Year 2023.

40 CFR 61 Subpart H↗

Quantum computing in power systems

Electric power systems provide the backbone of modern industrial societies. Enabling scalable grid analytics is the keystone to successfully operating large transmission and distribution systems. However, today's power systems are suffering from ever-increasing computational burdens in sustaining the expanding communities and deep integration of renewable energy resources, as well as managing huge volumes of data accordingly. These unprecedented challenges call for transformative analytics to support the resilient operations of power systems. Recently, the explosive growth of quantum computing techniques has ignited new hopes of revolutionizing power system computations. Quantum computing harnesses quantum mechanisms to solve traditionally intractable computational problems, which may lead to ultra-scalable and efficient power grid analytics. This paper reviews the newly emerging application of quantum computing techniques in power systems. We present a comprehensive overview of existing quantum-engineered power analytics from different operation perspectives, including static analysis, transient analysis, stochastic analysis, optimization, stability, and control. We thoroughly discuss the related quantum algorithms, their benefits and limitations, hardware implementations, and recommended practices. We also review the quantum networking techniques to ensure secure communication of power systems in the quantum era. Finally, we discuss challenges and future research directions. This paper will hopefully stimulate increasing attention to the development of quantum-engineered smart grids.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

A KBase Case Study on Genome-wide Transcriptomics and Plant Primary Metabolism in Sorghum

A better understanding of the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that confer stress resistance and tolerance in plants is key to engineering new crops through advanced breeding technologies. This requires a systems biology approach that builds on a genome-wide understanding of the regulation of gene expression, plant metabolism, physiology and growth. In this study, we examine the response to drought stress in Sorghum, as we leverage the tools for transcriptomics and plant metabolic modeling we have implemented at the U.S. Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase). KBase enables researchers worldwide to collaborate and advance research by allowing them to upload private or public data into the KBase Narrative Interface, empowering them to analyze this data using a rich, extensible array of computational and data-analytics tools, and allows them to securely share scientific workflows and conclusions. We demonstrate how to use the current RNA-seq tools in KBase, applicable to both plants and microbes, to assemble and quantify long transcripts and identify differentially expressed genes effectively. More specifically, we demonstrate the utility of the platform by identifying key genes that are differentially expressed during drought-stress in Sorghum bicolor, which is an important sustainable production crop plant. We then show how to use KBase tools to predict the membership of genes in metabolic pathways and examine expression data in the context of metabolic subsystems. We demonstrate the power of the platform by making the data analysis and interpretation available to the biologists in the reproducible, re-usable, point-and-click format of a KBase Narrative thus promoting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) guiding principles for scientific data management and stewardship.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Mechanical and durability properties of ultra-high-performance concrete of spent nuclear fuel dry storage systems: a review

Dry storage systems are used for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). However, with the growing need to extend the operational periods of these systems, there are concerns about the degradation of their concrete overpacks, which could compromise the system's structural integrity and safety during hazardous events. Traditional concrete mixtures used in SNF dry storage systems have remained largely unchanged since their inception and often use conventional ingredients. These materials are susceptible to degradation mechanisms such as chemical attacks, alkali-silica reactions (ASR), and freeze–thaw cycles, which can lead to a loss of strength and durability over time. To address these challenges, this paper reviews the application of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) as a promising alternative for spent nuclear fuel dry storage system overpacks. UHPC offers superior mechanical properties, exceptional durability, and reduced susceptibility to degradation mechanisms compared to conventional concrete. This paper focuses on the role of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as silica fume, fly ash, and metakaolin in enhancing UHPC performance for SNF storage applications. These SCMs have been shown to significantly improve the material’s microstructure, strength, and resistance to environmental stressors typically encountered in SNF storage environments. Moreover, incorporating SCMs supports sustainable construction by reducing cement consumption and associated carbon emissions. The review brings together existing research and experimental data, providing insights for engineers and researchers on developing UHPC mixtures that meet the rigorous demands of spent nuclear fuel dry storage systems, extending their service life and minimizing inspection intervals.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mesoscale Modeling to Characterize Eagle Soaring Habitat

Uncovering drivers of risk is crucial to understanding interactions between wildlife and wind turbines, and identifying options for impact minimization. These drivers tie to co-variates linked to behavior and movement patterns that allow us to estimate locations and periods of risk. For volant species, atmospheric flow can have significant influence on flight patterns. For obligate soaring birds, like golden eagles, updraft velocities can inform where eagles are likely to travel, at what altitude, and where conditions are not likely sufficient to sustain soaring flight. This has been an active area of study in recent years, using relatively coarse atmospheric data generally at the 20km x 20km scale or larger. Leveraging a 20-year dataset from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) (https://www.mmm.ucar.edu/weather-research-and-forecasting-model), we are quantifying vertical velocities across the continental United States at a 2km x 2km resolution. Wind resource data sets originally were static maps showing the mean annual wind speed over an area. However, for these data sets to be optimally used for various applications they must be high-resolution time series, seamlessly span large geographic contexts, and account for uncertainty in wind speed. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is producing public available datasets that meet these criteria and will be bias corrected to yield the most accurate wind resource data. This effort is an augment to the current WIND Toolkit which houses a high resolution data set. In the new iteration of the WIND Toolkit, a 20-year dataset will be used to improve the accuracy and estimate uncertainty using ensemble and machine-learning techniques. The resulting product will be the most accurate dataset of its size and at a 2km x 2km spatial and 5-minute temporal resolution. Through this work, a mesoscale vertical velocity layer will be produced by calculating the likelihood of orographic updraft and thermal updraft conditions across the continental United States. Specifically, we will use WRF model output combined with digital elevation maps to predict updrafts and then determine if vertical velocities are sufficient to support Golden Eagle soaring and gliding. Ultimately this data layer will be made available as a GIS layer in the Wind Prospector (maps.nrel.gov/wind-prospector/) tool or a similar framework. Data that will be incorporated include wind speed, direction temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, air density, precipitation rate, solar radiation, atmospheric stability, skin temperature, and upward heat flux. These products will advance research on interactions between volant species and wind energy by providing open access to highly resolved data with uncertainty quantification not previously available at this scale.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗