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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Using a Grid-Forming Inverter to Stabilize a Low-Inertia Power System - Maui Hawaiian Island

As power systems around the world integrate greater amounts of wind and solar photovoltaic power, periods of very high instantaneous power shares of inverters, the primary interfacing technology for these generation sources, are complicating system stability and control. The contemporary, primary mode of inverter operation, grid-following, which explicitly assumes the presence of a local, stable voltage waveform, yields operational inadequacy at high instantaneous power shares potentially leading to instability due to the low-inertia conditions, as well as the correlated reduced voltage forming capacity on the respective system. Parallel connected grid-forming inverters, which directly regulate the local voltage, are a solution that is expected to bolster system stability and mitigate the shortcomings of the grid-following technology. In this paper, grid-following and two types of grid-forming inverter control, the traditional linear droop and the recently introduced nonlinear exponential droop (Droop-e), are simulated on a low-inertia, H = 0.48s, high inverter-based resource scenario, 97%, with a validated electromagentic transient domain model of the Hawaiian island of Maui power system. The benefit of a single grid-forming device over its grid-following counterpart is significant, both in terms frequency deviation and voltage stability. Further, the superiority of the Droop-e and the associated secondary power sharing control over both grid-following and linear droop grid-forming technologies is displayed, with improved nadir and rate of change of frequency over the linear droop control.

droop control↗
DOE OSTI2023

High temporal resolution generation expansion planning for the clean energy transition

As power systems integrate increasing quantities of wind, solar and energy storage resources, it is important to revisit power system capacity expansion modeling methods and assumptions that have been utilized in thermal- dominated systems. We conduct a series of case study analyses using a simplified representation of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) system to demonstrate how least-cost capacity expansion outcomes are impacted by changes in model resolution across two temporal dimensions: 1) the number of considered representative periods, and 2) the system dispatch interval. First, we find that the least-cost generation portfolio can differ significantly for small changes in the number of representative days, but largely converges to the 365-day result once 104 representative days are considered. Furthermore, systems with wind, solar and storage resources were more sensitive to changes in the number of representative days than a thermal-dominated system. Second, we find that considering five-minute dispatch resolution consistently results in least-cost generation portfolios with less solar capacity and more energy storage capacity than corresponding scenarios with hourly dispatch intervals. This suggests that hourly dispatch representation fails to capture the intra-hour volatility of solar generation, and therefore also overlooks opportunities for storage resources to provide system value by balancing this volatility. Collectively these results indicate that capacity expansion modelers should revisit conventional approaches to temporal representation when conducting analyses of deeply decarbonized power systems to ensure that such analyses are robust and actionable. To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze capacity expansion outcomes with five-minute dispatch resolution in this manner.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhancing Power Resilience for Remote Communities: A Comprehensive Renewable Energy Solution for Itbayat Island

The island of Itbayat, Philippines, faces significant challenges in maintaining a reliable and resilient power supply due to its current reliance on a vulnerable power distribution system managed by a local electric cooperative. The existing infrastructure, which includes diesel generators and a radial network configuration with some above-ground lines, is highly susceptible to frequent typhoons and adverse weather conditions. These factors, combined with inadequate staffing and high operational costs, result in frequent power outages that disrupt daily life and hinder economic development. This white paper proposes a comprehensive solution to enhance the resilience and reliability of Itbayat's power system by integrating renewable energy sources, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery storage, and a microgrid controller. The proposed solution aims to reduce dependency on diesel fuel, optimize energy use, and provide a sustainable and robust power supply for the island. Key components of the solution include: 1. Solar PV Installation: Deploying solar PV panels to harness abundant solar energy, reducing reliance on diesel fuel. 2. Battery Storage Systems: Installing battery storage to store excess solar energy and ensure a continuous power supply during low solar generation periods. 3. Microgrid Controller: Implementing a microgrid controller to manage and optimize the integration of solar PV, battery storage, and existing diesel generators. The proposed solution addresses several critical issues, including system vulnerability, generator dependency, and operational inefficiencies. By adopting this innovative approach, Itbayat Island can achieve a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy infrastructure, ensuring a stable power supply for its residents and enhancing overall energy security.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Power System Recovery from Momentary Cessation with Transient Stability Improvement

Power system dynamics will be significantly changed by integrating wind farms and solar photovoltaic plants into power systems. This study investigates the effect of momentary cessation of inverter-based resources (IBRs) on transient stability and provides a recovery strategy for bulk IBRs in power systems. The theoretical analysis was initially carried out on a one-machine infinite-bus system, demonstrating the IBR impact in a critical group. The analysis was then expanded to a multimachine power system with IBRs using the single-machine equivalent method. The study found that IBRs in critical and noncritical groups exert contrasting effects on transient stability. Finally, a strategy for enhancing transient stability is proposed by controlling IBRs during power system recovery. The proposed strategy was verified by simulation on IEEE 9-bus and IEEE 39-bus power systems with the addition of IBRs. A 39-bus power system simulation demonstrates the scalability of the proposed method. Here, the proposed strategy provides effective and executable measures for improving system security in the presence of IBRs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

OEDI—Solar Grid Integration Data and Analytics Library

As a part of the Open Energy Data Initiative, this effort aims to develop and demonstrate novel distribution state estimation, control optimization, and transient analysis as well as provide access to data, data integration, and mapping information. More specifically, the focus of the effort will be on physics-based distribution system state estimation, hybrid (physics-based and machine learning) distribution optimal power flow, and event detection/analysis for solar integration and analytics. This work will enable reproducible, robust, replicable, and generalizable R&D in simulation and emulation of solar system integration. These test models and datasets will provide an integrated library for developing and testing power system operation technologies. To make the library user-friendly, this project will provide data curation tools such as data translators, mapping scripts and APIs, database schemas and metadata, interfaces and user dashboard, source code for the reference algorithms, description of the use-cases/scenarios, and comprehensive information on all the assumptions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Iquitos Solar Energy Integration Study

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory performed an evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of incorporating solar photovoltaic (PV) resources into the Iquitos, Peru power system at the request of Peru's Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MINEM). The Iquitos power system is electrically islanded due to its remote location; heavy fuel oil is used to generate electricity in the system leading to high electricity generation costs from high fuel prices. Solar PV has the potential to provide locally derived energy to ensure a reliable, affordable, and equitable power grid for the Iquitos region.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Perovskite Solar Cells Go Bifacial—Mutual Benefits for Efficiency and Durability

Bifacial solar cells hold the potential to achieve a higher power output per unit area than conventional monofacial devices without significantly increasing manufacturing costs. However, efficient bifacial designs are challenging to implement in inorganic thin-film solar cells because of their short carrier lifetimes and high rear surface recombination. The emergence of perovskite photovoltaic (PV) technology creates a golden opportunity to realize efficient bifacial thin-film solar cells, owing to their outstanding optoelectronic properties and unique features of device physics. More importantly, transparent conducting oxide electrodes can prevent electrode corrosion by halide ions, mitigating one major instability issue of the perovskite devices. Here, the theory of bifacial PV devices is summarized and the advantages of bifacial perovskite solar cells, such as high power output, enhanced device durability, and low economic and environmental costs, are reviewed. The limitations and challenges for bifacial perovskite solar cells are also discussed. Lastly, the awareness of bifacial solar cells as a feasible commercialization pathway of perovskite PV for mainstream solar power generation and building-integrated PV is advocated and future research directions are suggested.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mitigating Voltage Instability in the Saudi Grid for a Decarbonized, Fully Solar Power System

Lately, solar photovoltaic (PV) has received significant interest due to its economic and environmental benefits. As the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) increases into existing power grids, challenges such as the decrease in short circuit ratio (SCR) are introduced. Here, this paper investigates a case study of the Saudi power grid, examining the voltage stability as the grid transitions from traditional power generation to 100% penetration of solar PV gradually. Moreover, the paper explores the relationship between the increase in solar penetration and the potential effects on the short circuit MVA (SCMVA), which could significantly impact the overall SCR of the system. To meet the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recommendation of maintaining SCR at a particular level, synchronous condensers (SC)s were integrated into the grid. The effectiveness of utilizing SCs to maintain the system voltage at optimal levels in a fully solar grid is also considered. In addition, this paper covers the weak grid analysis via utilizing the Newton-Raphson load flow method, along with PV and QV curve analyses. The purpose behind that is to determine weak bus locations in need of voltage improvements, and to meet the amount of reactive power to be injected. Finally, the amount of power being delivered by SCs will be added progressively in three scenarios to show the enhancements on SCR more precisely.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Application Guide for the Cyber-Resilient Design Framework for Hybrid Systems

As the energy landscape evolves, hybrid power plants—integrating multiple renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, and battery storage) with the bulk power electric system—play a crucial role in meeting growing energy demands. However, with a hybrid power plant’s increased number of components, complex network connectivity and digitization of controls, these systems face growing cybersecurity risks. To help mitigate these risks, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) presents this application guide specifically designed for operators and systems engineers to evaluate the cybersecurity resilience of their hybrid power plant’s design.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Phase 1: Duke Energy Zero Emission Resource Integration Study (ZERIS); Phase 2: Carbon-Free Resource Integration Study for Duke Energy (Final Report)

Phase 1: This statement of work makes up Phase 1 of a larger effort. During this Phase 1 effort, NREL will work with Duke Energy to analyze the impacts of integrating significant amounts of new solar power into the Duke Energy power system under a variety of different penetrations scenarios, with a maximum of ten (10) full scenarios examined. The existing fleet, particularly the nuclear generation, will be considered in the quantitative assessments and discussions. Duke Energy is looking to quantify how much solar generation its system can handle. NREL will work with Duke Energy to quantify solar potential, identify likely integration challenges and possible opportunities for wind, storage, demand side resources and other technologies. Phase 2: This Statement of Work consists of a follow-up effort (Phase 2) to a recently completed Phase 1 modeling effort. During Phase 2, NREL will work closely with Duke Energy to analyze the impacts of integrating significant amounts of variable generation resources (wind and solar) and storage into Duke Energy's system in the Carolinas. The existing fleet, particularly nuclear generation, will be considered in the quantitative assessment and discussions. This Statement of Work also includes an extension to Phase II of the Carbon-Free Resource Integration Study for Duke Energy. In this extension, NREL will work closely with Duke Energy to extend the production cost analysis developed in Phase II to 2018 weather and load data for Duke Energy's territory. This extension leverages the modeling tools and datasets developed as part of Phase II. The analysis will compare results from Phase II (using 2012 weather and load) with 2018 results to assess system operations with increased penetration of renewables and storage. Simplifying assumptions will be made for modeling Duke Energy's neighbors in the production cost model.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scalable semitransparent prototype organic photovoltaic module with minimal resistance loss

Semi-transparent organic photovoltaic (ST-OPV) cells are regarded as an attractive solution to building-integrated solar energy harvesting. Both the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and average photopic transmission (APT) of ST-OPVs have shown substantial increases in recent years. However, less attention has been paid to the area scaling of ST-OPV cells. In this work, we investigate the scalability of ST-OPV cells from 4 mm 2 to 1 cm 2 , as well as 9 cm 2 active area prototype module. By integrating both top and bottom metal grids onto the transparent electrodes, the series resistance loss of 1 cm 2 ST-OPV cell is significantly reduced, and is comparable to that of the grid-free 4 mm 2 cell. Nine 1 cm 2 cells are then connected in a series-parallel circuit to realize a prototype ST-OPV module. A 100% fabrication yield with only 5% PCE deviation among discrete cells is achieved. The semitransparent module shows PCE = 7.2 ± 0.1% under simulated AM 1.5G illumination at 1 sun intensity, which exhibits no connection resistance loss compared to that of the individual cells. The ST-OPV module exhibits an APT = 38.1 ± 1.1%, which enables a light utilization efficiency, LUE = 2.74 ± 0.09%. Here, the method demonstrates a promising way for ST-OPV modules to scale without compromising performance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Plan for Scaling Up Hydrogen Production with Nuclear Power Plants

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program Flexible Plant Operations and Generation (FPOG) Pathway is developing options to help U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs) better integrate with intermittent wind and solar capacity and the recent surge of natural gas power generation. Research is focusing on improving NPP flexibility through hybrid production of electricity and other products, such as hydrogen (H 2 ) and energy storage for the purpose of shifting power production to a later time. In the case of H 2 production, the clean electrical and thermal power from an NPP can be used to split water using electrolysis. This report outlines the opportunity for NPPs to participate in a first-of-akind (FOAK) commercial nuclear H 2 project intended to bring industry partners together to create regional clean H 2 hubs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will fund at least one hub up to $1.25 billion as federal cost share totally no less than 50% to execute a nuclear H 2 project. The report discusses the set of activities that are now underway or that are planned for completion by the FPOG Pathway to reduce the economic, technical, regulatory, and safety risks of these projects. DOE cross-program activities are being coordinated to ensure success in the timeframe allowed by the BIL. Figure ES-1 shows the approximate schedule of coordinated research and development (R&D) and pilot demonstration projects leading up to the first commercial nuclear H 2 production project. Execution of this plan requires DOE and industry collaboration. DOE research accomplishments are being provided to the electric utilities or industries looking to participate in the H 2 hub proposal and project execution process.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design and Stability Analysis of Control System in Multiport Autonomous Reconfigurable Solar Power Plants (MARS)

The Multiport Autonomous Reconfigurable Solar Power Plant (MARS) is an integrated photovoltaic (PV) power generation and energy storage system (ESS), that is designed to connect to both alternating current (AC) transmission grids and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links. It is a three-phase plant consisting of numerous components with a complex hardware and hierarchical control architecture. This paper presents an approach to decouple the multivariable system of MARS using a recursive reduced-order and boundary layer system methodology. This approach enables efficient computation of the control parameters for the Ll, L2, and L3 controllers. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, cyclic tests in accordance with pre-defined performance criteria using controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (cHIL) experiments are conducted. The results demonstrate that the MARS system operates consistently under steady-state conditions. Furthermore, the dynamic response of the MARS system to various grid events is analyzed, underlining the resilience of MARS in presence of faults or loss of generation within the connected WECC system.

Xia, Qian↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fidelity Analysis of Complex Large-Scale Simulation Models of PEs (MARS) in Future Power Grids

With the proliferation of power electronic (PE)-based resources in the electric grid, there have been numerous different kinds of simulation models developed and studied to understand their dynamic behavior. Study of PE-based resources using each simulation model has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. Therefore it is very important to carefully select the appropriate model for the evaluation of the PE-based resources. In this paper, one such effort is made to analyze the different types of models in the case of a multi-port autonomous reconfigurable solar power plant (MARS). The MARS integrates a hybrid photovoltaic (PV)-energy storage system (ESS) plant to high-voltage direct current (HVdc) system and transmission alternating current (ac) grid. The dynamic models are evaluated under different test cases varying the short-circuit ratio (SCR) and control algorithms. Recommendations are provided on the equipment study needs based on the analysis completed.

Marthi, Phani Ratna Vanamali↗
DOE OSTI2020

An improved method for direct incident solar radiation calculation from hourly solar insolation data in building energy simulation

Solar radiation considerably influences the energy consumption of buildings and the power production of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. Hourly solar insolation (Wh/m 2 ), represented as the amount of solar irradiance collected on the ground during a 1-h period, is the most common solar radiation data available and widely used in weather files applied in building energy modeling programs (BEMPs). Because the solar beam and position vary over time, the use of hourly insolation data as the input might result in errors in the estimation of the direct incident solar radiation on a particular surface. In this study, methods used in BEMPs for direct incident solar radiation calculations are first analyzed, and an improved method adopting a new algorithm for estimating the solar irradiance is proposed. Furthermore, the algorithm assumes that the solar irradiance changes linearly within a 1-h period and can be estimated based on the solar irradiance at the half clock and slope. The collected direct normal solar irradiance data of 2016 from eight solar radiation stations in China were used to demonstrate the proposed method and evaluate its performance by comparing the results with those from three conventional methods used in BEMPs along with the ground truth measurements. In addition, in this study, factors affecting the accuracy of the calculation results are explored. The results of the estimated direct incident solar radiation show that the proposed method achieves the best accuracy, followed by the methods used in DOE-2, EnergyPlus, and DeST. The proposed method guarantees that the hourly direct solar insolation will remain the same and reflects the variation in the direct solar irradiance across a 1-h time frame. The proposed method can be adopted in BEMPs to improve the accuracy of the solar radiation calculation, thereby improving the accuracy of the simulated building performance and the BIPV production.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Delivery of a Solar-Powered Forward Osmosis Seawater Desalination Plant: Trevi’s 500 m3/day Zero-Carbon FO Seawater Desalination Plant at NELHA

This paper presents an account of Trevi’s delivery of a 500 m3/day solar powered forward osmosis (FO) seawater desalination plant at the Ocean Science and Technology Park of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA). The project aimed to demonstrate the viability of solar thermal-powered desalination for agricultural applications through the integration of a 2MW micro-dish solar thermal array with a state-of-the-art FO system. Highlighted in the paper are the three distinct project phases; Planning and Design, System Construction, Installation & Testing followed finally by System Operation and Optimization. Results and decisions which led to the final plant design will be shared, highlighting how Trevi Systems succeeded in producing a zero-carbon FO seawater desalination plant with a projected Levelized Cost of Water (LCOW) estimate competitive with existing carbon-intensive RO technologies (based on some assumptions and the cost of heat which is required for FO.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Forecasting Solar Photovoltaic Power Production: A Comprehensive Review and Innovative Data-Driven Modeling Framework

The intermittent and stochastic nature of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) necessitates accurate power production prediction for effective scheduling and grid management. This paper presents a comprehensive review conducted with reference to a pioneering, comprehensive, and data-driven framework proposed for solar Photovoltaic (PV) power generation prediction. The systematic and integrating framework comprises three main phases carried out by seven main comprehensive modules for addressing numerous practical difficulties of the prediction task: phase I handles the aspects related to data acquisition (module 1) and manipulation (module 2) in preparation for the development of the prediction scheme; phase II tackles the aspects associated with the development of the prediction model (module 3) and the assessment of its accuracy (module 4), including the quantification of the uncertainty (module 5); and phase III evolves towards enhancing the prediction accuracy by incorporating aspects of context change detection (module 6) and incremental learning when new data become available (module 7). This framework adeptly addresses all facets of solar PV power production prediction, bridging existing gaps and offering a comprehensive solution to inherent challenges. By seamlessly integrating these elements, our approach stands as a robust and versatile tool for enhancing the precision of solar PV power prediction in real-world applications.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗