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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 469 records · Page 26
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DOE OSTI2024

Integration of Concentrating Solar Power with High Temperature Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production: Preprint

Hydrogen (H2) has been identified as a leading sustainable contender to replace fossil fuels in transportation and electricity generation. H2 production can be achieved by concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) systems collecting thermal energy from the sun to various chemical processes for fuel production. Fuel production via solar thermal chemical processes integrated with CSP uses the full spectrum of sunlight compared with photovoltaic power conversion and stores solar energy directly and efficiently [1]. The solar fuel production can be realized by thermochemical processes (e.g., water splitting for H2 production, carbon dioxide reduction, or methane reforming) or thermal electrochemical methods (e.g., integration with solid oxide electrolysis cell). Technology development for CSP-integrated solar fuel production requires broad technological bases from solar energy collection to chemical energy conversion. H2 generated from renewable sources can be an energy carrier for a carbon-free economy. Integrating CSP with high temperature electrolysis (HTE) using solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) provides a renewable path for H2 generation. The CSP-HTE integration approach provides the benefit of thermal energy storage (TES) for continuous operation, improved capacity, and SOEC life. H2 gas has low energy density for transportation, pipeline networks are expensive, and H2 liquefaction is energy intensive. However, an alternative method for H2 distribution is to use carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and liquid hydrocarbon synthesis to convert solar energy into liquid fuels that are compatible with the existing fossil fuel infrastructure.

concentrating solar thermal power↗
DOE OSTI2020

Consensus International Solar Resource Standards and Best Practices Development: Preprint

Standardization and best practices of data sets and models enable the industry to develop widely accepted protocols for various stages of solar project development and operations. In collaboration with the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme Task 16, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed and regularly updates the Best Practices Handbook for the Collection and Use of Solar Resource Data for Solar Energy Applications. In collaboration with ASTM members on the radiometry subcommittee, NREL assists in and leads the development of radiometric standards that contribute to increased accuracy in the measurement of solar resources available to conversion systems and to the development and improvement of models. These models can then provide long-term geographic distribution of solar resources for areas where measured solar data are not available. Further, these standards play a preeminent role in all aspects of solar energy projects, including standard conditions, methods and instrumentation, accelerated testing, and service lifetime of materials.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation of Models and Measurements to Estimate Solar Radiation for 1-Axis Tracking Modules at NREL's SRRL: Preprint

Solar radiation reaching photovoltaic (PV) modules on a 1-axis tracking system can be measured by reference cells or thermopiles. The former is often biased due to the reflection of solar radiation by the glass cover of the PV. The uncertainty can be moderated by applying a correction factor, as a function of solar incident angle and the refractive index of the glass, to the measurement. On the other hand, solar radiation on the inclined PV panels can be computed by transposition models using global horizontal irradiance (GHI) observations from thermopiles. This study examines the models and measurements to estimate solar radiation for 1-axis tracking modules at National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL). The 1-minute plane-of-array (POA) irradiances in 2019 are computed using the observed GHIs and a transposition model developed by Perez et al. The POA irradiances are compared with the observation by an IMT reference cell and a Kipp & Zonen CM Pyranometer 22 (CMP22) thermopile. For SRRL’s 1-axis tracking system with the annual solar energy of 2323.9 kWh/m2, the POA irradiance is overestimated by ~70 kWh/m2 using the transposition model. This bias is reduced by more than 50% using the IMT measurements calibrated by a correction factor for a PV surface of antireflection coated glass.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Assessment of Cloud Mask Forecasts from the WRF-Solar Ensemble Prediction System: Preprint

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are important tools used by government agencies and the renewable energy enterprise to forecast solar radiation. Cloud prediction, a key process of NWP models, has the highest impact on the accuracy of solar forecasting. This study uses satellite observations from the National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB) to evaluate the cloud mask forecast by the WRF-Solar Ensemble Prediction System (WRF-Solar EPS). Preliminary analysis of the data in 2018 demonstrates the need of further improvement in predicting thin and low-level clouds. The information obtained from this work will be used to enhance the WRF-Solar EPS in reproducing the cloud field over the contiguous U.S. and reducing solar forecasting errors.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design of a Geothermal Power Plant With Solar Thermal Topping Cycle: Preprint

Geothermal power plants are a reliable source of low-carbon power generation. However, modern electricity markets comprise relatively large proportions of variable renewable energy generation that may require power plants to dispatch energy flexibly. The power output, efficiency, and dispatch flexibility of a geothermal plant can be enhanced by integrating solar thermal energy into the system, as well as possibly compensating against ambient temperature variations. Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) can generate temperatures much higher than conventional geothermal systems. Using a solar topping cycle is one way to efficiently convert high-temperature solar heat to electricity while also adding lower-temperature heat to the geothermal power cycle, thereby increasing its power output and possibly its efficiency. A hybrid power cycle design is proposed and is simulated using SimTech IPSEpro process modelling software. The design configuration depends upon the expected temperature of the geothermal resource and the quantity of solar heat added at the design point. These design considerations are described and expected performance is calculated. The solar heat addition varies throughout the day and year, therefore off-design models are necessary to assess the impact of solar availability (and ambient temperature) on the power plant performance. Off-design models are developed and combined with hourly weather data to facilitate an evaluation of annual system performance.

concentrating solar power↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design of a Geothermal Power Plant With Solar Thermal Topping Cycle

Geothermal power plants are a reliable source of low-carbon power generation. However, modern electricity markets comprise relatively large proportions of variable renewable energy generation that may require power plants to flexibly dispatch energy. The power output, efficiency, and dispatch flexibility of a geothermal plant can be enhanced by integrating solar thermal energy into the system, as well as possibly compensating against ambient temperature variations. Concentrating solar thermal (CST) can generate temperatures much higher than conventional geothermal systems. Using a solar topping cycle is one way to efficiently convert high-temperature solar heat to electricity while also cascading lower-temperature heat to the geothermal power cycle, thereby increasing its power output and possibly its efficiency. A hybrid power cycle design is proposed and simulated using SimTech IPSEpro process modeling software. The design configuration depends on the expected temperature of the geothermal resource and the quantity of solar heat added at the design point. These design considerations are described and expected performance is calculated. The solar heat addition varies throughout the day and year; therefore, off-design models are necessary to assess the impact of solar availability (and ambient temperature) on the power plant performance. Off-design models are developed and combined with hourly weather data to facilitate an evaluation of annual system performance.

concentrating solar power↗
DOE OSTI2026

Modeling and Experimental Demonstration of Flux Spreading in Light Trapping Planar-Cavity Solar Enclosed Particle Receivers

This study experimentally validates and numerically models the flux-spreading effect in a light-trapping planar-cavity solar receiver) for particle-based concentrating solar power systems. The receiver's shallow cavity with vertical planar walls redistributes concentrated solar flux, reducing peak intensity and achieving uniform heat flux. On-sun tests at National Renewable Energy Laboratory's High-Flux Solar Furnace under flux up to 1500 kW/m2 measured cavity wall temperatures, which were compared with Monte Carlo ray-tracing (SolTrace) and computational numerical simulations. Three angular absorptance models were evaluated: constant absorptance, a Pyromark-based directional model, and a Fresnel-based Cr2O3 model. The Fresnel-derived model showed the best agreement with experiments, achieving high correlation (PC > 0.85), structural similarity (SSIM > 0.98), and signal-to-noise ratios (PSNR > 40 dB), with temperature prediction errors of 1-11%. Results confirm that flux spreading mitigates local overheating and validate the integrated modeling approach, supporting the solar receiver scalability for high-efficiency, high-temperature concentrating solar power applications.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Role of Concentrating Solar-Thermal Technologies in a Decarbonized U.S. Grid

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Solar Futures Study explores the roles solar energy technologies could play in the future U.S. energy markets under different scenarios. This report discusses the role of concentrating solar-thermal (CST) technologies in those future scenarios with an emphasis on concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), which refers to converting thermal energy to electricity. The report begins with an overview of the CSP resource and market status. Next we discuss the results from the grid-scale capacity planning modeling under future scenarios considered in the Solar Futures Study, focusing on the results for CSP and presenting several sensitivity model results not discussed in the main report. We then discuss likely CST research and industry directions over the next decade. Finally we discuss three potential future markets for CST beyond electricity generation -- industrial process heat, solar fuels production, and electric thermal energy storage.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solar Energy Technologies Office Workforce Request for Information and Convenings (Summary)

On May 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) published a Request for Information (RFI) on programs that support the development of a diverse and skilled clean energy workforce. The purpose of the RFI was to solicit feedback from industry, academia, government agencies, worker organizations (including unions), and other stakeholders on issues related to the employment needs of the solar industry, and the perceived value of different workforce development programs, training strategies, and tools. To supplement the RFI, SETO hosted four virtual convenings that brought together the utility-scale solar industry, the distributed generation solar industry, and labor and other workforce training organizations to hear direct feedback on the questions in the RFI. In addition, SETO held listening sessions with about a dozen other organizations and staff who could not participate in the virtual convenings. Altogether, SETO received 45 responses from the RFI and heard directly from 80-100 other stakeholders via the convenings and listening sessions. This document summarizes the stakeholder feedback that SETO received as a result of this process. While both the RFI and convening series were focused on solar deployment and solar industry members, much of this information is relevant across clean energy technologies and programs. It is important to recognize that DOE is intentionally reviewing our workforce development programming and support to focus on clean energy careers more holistically.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pueblo of Laguna Village Community Solar

The project was to install approximately 11.44 kilowatts (kW) rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the Mesita Village Community Center, an approximately 9.24 kW rooftop solar PV system on the Paguate Village Community Center, an approximately 21.56 kW rooftop solar PV system on the Paraje Village Community Center, and an approximately 11.00 kW rooftop solar PV system on the Seama Community Center, for a total of about 53.24 kW on four village community centers. The systems were expected to generate approximately 93,329 kWh annually. Installing solar PV systems on the four village community centers would have helped achieve the Pueblo of Laguna’s six energy objectives: community development (decreased utility bills, funds for other needs), economic development (training and participation in the renewable energy economy), energy reliability (future storage), community resilience (alternative sources), relationship to people and the natural world (reducing fossil fuel use), and energy sovereignty (Pueblo decision-making). Installing solar PV systems would have also met specific project goals to offset not less than 85% of each selected building’s annual electricity use, ranging from 87% to 103% of demand; save a minimum of 70% of the cost of utility bills per year for each building, ranging from 75% to 77% percent (including service charges); and would have had payback periods shorter than the estimated useful life of the project

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Equitable Resilience: Opportunities to Advance Solar Paired with Battery Storage in Historically Marginalized Communities

This report was produced as part of the Equitable Solar Communities of Practice program through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). Clean Energy Group (CEG) managed the Resilience, Storage, and Grid Benefits Community of Practice, which aimed to research, evaluate, and identify opportunities to scale the meaningful benefits of solar paired with battery storage in historically marginalized communities. The report is designed to 1) educate a broad audience on the benefits of solar paired with battery storage, 2) identify barriers to deploying solar paired with battery storage in historically marginalized communities, 3) amplify early-adopters and innovative programs that support battery storage access across the nation, and 4) recommend best practices for programs and policies to adopt in advancing equitable access to solar and battery storage technologies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Solar Radiation Measurements (CRADA Final Report)

Long-term solar radiation measurements are important for understanding solar resource availability and variability for systems design and deployment of cost-effective solar resource technologies. Additionally high-quality traceable solar measurements are required to validate satellite-based solar resource datasets that provide high-resolution long-term data covering the US. The purpose and intent of this agreement is to collect long-term solar radiation and meteorological measurements from the state-of-the-art facility at the University of Arizona to meet the above needs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Evidence of 5 minute Oscillations from Parker Solar Probe

The Sun’s surface vibrates in characteristic 5 minute oscillations, known as p-modes, generated by sound waves trapped within the convection zone. Although these oscillations have long been hypothesized to reach into the solar wind, direct in situ evidence has remained elusive, even during previous close encounters by Parker Solar Probe (PSP). Here, we present strong in situ evidence of 5 minute oscillations in the upper solar corona, based on observations from PSP’s three closest perihelia. In two events at 9.9 solar radii (R ⊙ ), we identify statistically significant (∼6σ) 3.1–3.2 mHz peaks in the magnetic field power spectrum, each appearing as a large-amplitude, spherically polarized Alfvénic wave train lasting approximately 35 minutes. These results demonstrate that global solar oscillations can reach the solar wind.

Fast solar wind↗
DOE OSTI2026

Guideline for Characterizing and Evaluating a Candidate Project Site for Solar Thermal Applications

This document presents a structured procedure for characterizing and evaluating candidate project sites for concentrating solar power (CSP) and solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) applications. The objective is to provide project developers, researchers, and other stakeholders with a consistent, technology-agnostic framework for early-stage site assessment, enabling informed decision-making prior to significant investment in project development. Site selection is a critical factor in project success or failure for both CSP and SHIP projects. Key factors such as solar resource availability, land characteristics, environmental and regulatory constraints, infrastructure availability, and community context are determined by the choice of project site and can materially impact project performance, cost, schedule, and overall viability. This procedure is designed to systematically evaluate these factors, identify potential fatal flaws, and prioritize the most favorable candidate sites for further development. The process begins with rapid screening-level evaluation, using publicly available data to assess solar resource, land availability and suitability, zoning and land-use compatibility, and exclusion zones such as protected lands or sensitive habitats. Sites that meet the minimum screening criteria advance to a more detailed characterization. Subsequent sections of this report provide guidance for a next-level assessment of the most important technical and environmental parameters, including: 1) Solar resource quality, variability, and uncertainty using multiyear datasets and, where appropriate, on-site measurement campaigns; 2) Meteorological conditions such as wind, temperature, extreme weather events, and soiling impacts; 3) Land characteristics including slope, shading, and geotechnical conditions; and 4) Environmental and regulatory considerations, including permitting processes, endangered species, cultural resources, and visual impacts. The procedure also addresses infrastructure and integration considerations, including: 1) Grid interconnection requirements for CSP power generation projects; 2) Electrical and operational integration for SHIP facilities; 3) Water availability, quality, and permitting constraints, which are particularly critical for CSP in arid regions; and 4) Site access, construction logistics, and availability of workforce and supporting services. Recognizing the importance of social and economic context, the procedure includes evaluation of community engagement factors, such as stakeholder sentiment, proximity to sensitive visual receptors, workforce development opportunities, and local economic incentives. The outputs of these assessments are synthesized in a cost and risk evaluation, translating site characteristics into expected impacts on capital cost, operating cost, schedule, and technical risk. This is complemented by screening-level performance modeling, including 8760 simulations and long-term projections, to quantify expected energy or thermal output, assess variability thereof, and support comparison between candidate sites. Finally, the procedure provides high-level guidance on a structured go/no-go decision framework, categorizing sites based on identified risks and constraints, and outlining a clear path forward to feasibility studies and front-end engineering design for viable projects. By standardizing the site characterization process across both CSP and SHIP applications, this guideline aims to: 1) Improve consistency and transparency in early-stage project evaluation; 2) Reduce development risk and avoid investment in nonviable project sites; 3) Support collaboration between developers, researchers, and public agencies; and 4) Accelerate successful deployment of concentrating solar technologies for both power generation and industrial process heat.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unsupervised Azimuth Estimation of Solar Arrays in Low-Resolution Satellite Imagery through Semantic Segmentation and Hough Transform

This paper explains the use of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to segment solar panels in a satellite image containing solar arrays, and extract associated metadata from the arrays. A novel unsupervised technique is introduced to estimate the azimuth of each individual solar panel from the predicted mask of the convolutional neural network. This pipeline was developed with the aim of extracting necessary metadata for a solar installation, using only a set of latitude–longitude coordinates. Azimuth prediction results for 669 individual solar installations associated with 387 sites located across the United States are provided. A mean average error and median average error of 21.65 degrees and 1.0 degrees were obtained, respectively, when predicting the azimuth of the solar fleet data set, with about 80% of the results within an error of zero degrees of the ground truth azimuth value and about 85% within an error of 25 degrees. The predicted azimuth was then used to estimate the energy conversion of the solar arrays. Results show a 90.9 and 90.6 R-squared value for estimating alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) energy, respectively, and a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 1.70% in estimating the alternating current (AC) energy using the fully automated algorithm.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating the impact of wildfire smoke on solar photovoltaic production

There are growing needs to understand how extreme weather events impact the electrical grid. Renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaics are expanding in use to help sustainably meet electricity demands. Wildfires and, notably, the widespread smoke resulting from them, are one such extreme event that can impair the performance of solar photovoltaics. However, isolating the impact that smoke has on photovoltaic energy production, separate from ambient conditions, can be difficult. In this work, we seek to understand and quantify the impacts of wildfire smoke on solar photovoltaic production within the Western United States. Our analysis focuses on the construction of a random forest regression model to predict overall solar photovoltaic production. The model is used to separate and quantify the impacts of wildfire smoke in particular. To do so, we fuse historical weather, solar photovoltaic energy production, and PM2.5 particulate matter (primary smoke pollutant) data to train and test our model. The additional weather data allows us to capture interactions between wildfire smoke and other ambient conditions, as well as to create a more powerful predictive model capable of better quantifying the impacts of wildfire smoke on its own. We find that solar PV energy production decreases 8.3% on average during high smoke days at PV sites as compared to similar conditions without smoke present. Finally, this work allows us to improve our understanding of the potential impact on photovoltaic-based energy production estimates due to wildfire events and can help inform grid and operational planning as solar photovoltaic penetration levels continue to grow.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spurious solar-wind effects on acceleration noise in LISA Pathfinder

Spurious solar-wind effects are a potential noise source in future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) measurements. One noise coupling mechanism is constrained by estimating solar-wind effects on acceleration noise in LISA Pathfinder (LPF). While LISA is designed for drag-free differential measurement, predicting the realistic impact both bounds the operational environment and assesses whether LISA could provide serendipitous space-weather observations. Data from NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), situated at the L1 Lagrange point, serves as a reliable source of solar-wind data. The data sets are compared over the 114 d time period from 1 March 2016 to 23 June 2016. This period gives the longest readily-available open data set, without interference from other commissioning activities. To evaluate space weather effects, the data from both satellites are formatted, gap-filled/interpolated, and fast-Fourier transformed for amplitude spectral density and coherence comparisons. Solar wind effects are not seen in a coherence plot between LPF and ACE; modest coherence in the planned LISA observational frequency band can be attributed to chance. This result indicates that measurable correlation due to solar-wind acceleration noise over 3 month timescales will be a negligible noise source. LISA is unlikely to inform solar wind measurements routinely. Another source of noise from the Sun, solar radiation pressure, is estimated to impart greater acceleration noise, but has yet to be analyzed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Valuation of pollination services from habitat management: a case study of utility scale solar energy facilities in the United States

Creating and maintaining pollinator habitats following the ecological infrastructure concept in degraded or unutilized land, such as solar energy facilities, is a practical way to synergistically advance the food, energy, and ecology nexus. Given the large land-use requirements for solar farming—the fastest growing renewable energy technology–considerable attention has been focused on strategies to maximize multiple ecosystem services. In this study, we coupled the principles of agronomy and ecology with economics and integrated national-scale data on crops, pollinators, and solar facilities to identify locations for creating pollinator habitats and estimating the economic value of pollination from the habitats. We examined opportunities for pollination services from pollinator-friendly utility-scale solar facilities adjacent to 42 million hectares of pollination-dependent crops in the conterminous United States at high resolution of 1 ha. We used the net income method to estimate the potential economic value of creating habitat in the land adjacent to solar facilities in the eight states with the greatest number of solar installations. Creating pollinator habitats at the 217 utility-scale solar facilities in these states could support adjacent 80,000 hectares of high pollinator dependent crops, which could potentially generate a pollination value of $\$$120 to $\$$264 million USD. The location-specific information and high-resolution maps generated for the United States demonstrate integration of grey and green infrastructure to support the food, energy, and environment nexus.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗