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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Coeur d'Alene Tribe Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study (EEFS) is the culminating document that compiles the energy efficiency and building performance assessment and project prioritization process completed on 36 Tribally owned and operated facilities within Tribal lands. The EEFS contains sections on initial findings, utility billing analyses, energy conservation measures and prioritization and funding sources and strategies for energy project implementation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Inventory of Clean Energy Education and Workforce Programs in Connecticut's I-91 Corridor

This document reports on the findings of an inventory of the educational and workforce development resources in a four-county area on the I-91 corridor in Connecticut. The overarching goal of this exercise is to help the local workforce leaders in Bridgeport, Connecticut to optimize their training programs to support the county's clean energy transition. The inventory generally finds that Fairfield County, where Bridgeport is located, lacks adequate education and training programs compared to other surrounding counties with similar populations. More than half of Fairfield County's programs occur through high school or career technical education programs, suggesting that there are minimal opportunities for workers who are not currently high school students. Much of the existing focus within Fairfield County is on general construction or plumbing and electrical skills. There is room to expand by offering more programs focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy skills. The document outlines some potential next steps and questions for consideration for the local workforce leaders in Bridgeport. Bridgeport is a city located within Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut. It is the largest city in Connecticut with an estimated population of 150,000. Through the Department of Energy-funded Communities LEAP program, NREL conducted an analysis of existing education and workforce development (EWD) programs located in Fairfield County that align with (or could support) the worker pipeline for occupations related to building energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE), and clean energy manufacturing. The analysis also looked at EWD offerings in other counties in Connecticut as a point of comparison.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Building America Case Study: Predicting Envelope Leakage in Attached Dwellings (Fact Sheet)

'The cost for blower testing is high, because it is labor intensive, and it may disrupt occupants in multiple units. This high cost and disruption deters program participants, and dissuades them from pursuing energy improvements that would trigger air leakage testing, such as improvements to the building envelope.' This statement found in a 2012 report by Heschong Mahone Group emphasizes the importance of reducing the cost and complexity of blower testing in multifamily buildings. Energy efficiency opportunities are being bypassed. The cost of single blower testing is on the order of $300. The cost for guarded blower door testing, the more appropriate test for assessing energy savings opportunities, could easily be six times that and that's only if you have the equipment and simultaneous access to multiple apartments. Thus, the proper test is simply not performed. The objective of the 2013 research project was to develop the model for predicting fully guarded test results (FGT), using unguarded test data and specific building features of apartment units. The model developed has a coefficient of determination R2 value of 0.53 with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.13. Both statistical metrics indicate that the model is relatively strong. When tested against data that was not included in the development of the model, prediction accuracy was within 19%, which is reasonable given that seasonal differences in blower door measurements can vary by as much as 25%.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

How Building America Research is Removing Major Roadblocks to High-Performance Homes: Preprint

Today the U.S. housing industry is critically challenged to deliver homes that safely and effectively meet demanding new performance requirements of homeowners and modern building codes. But the housing industry must learn to better manage real and perceived risks that can impact occupant health, comfort, and building durability. It is clear from decades of applied research through the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program that many building energy efficiency and performance improvements will not be adopted by the market or industry standards if the costs and perceived risks of change outweigh the known benefits, especially when the benefits do not accrue directly to businesses who must take those risks.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

How Building America Research is Removing Major Roadblocks to High-Performance Homes

Today the U.S. housing industry is critically challenged to deliver homes that safely and effectively meet demanding new performance requirements of homeowners and modern building codes. But the housing industry must learn to better manage real and perceived risks that can impact occupant health, comfort, and building durability. It is clear from decades of applied research through the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building America program that many building energy efficiency and performance improvements will not be adopted by the market or industry standards if the costs and perceived risks of change outweigh the known benefits, especially when the benefits do not accrue directly to businesses who must take those risks.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Critical Material Supply Chain Analysis: Magnetocalorics

Understanding manufacturing cost and supply chain implications of technologies is critical to aid adoption of next-generation energy solutions, such as advanced heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment for building energy efficiency. This report provides insights into the market, regulatory, technology, and cost drivers most impacting the adoption of magnetocaloric refrigeration (MCR) systems in the U.S., with a focus on the rare earth materials requirements, manufacturing costs of key components, and detail on the supply chain of critical materials.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Online Airtightness Calculator for the US, Canada and China

The contribution of air leakage to heating and cooling loads has been increasing as the thermal resistance of building envelopes continues to improve. Easy-to-access data are needed to convince building owners and contractors that enhancing the airtightness of buildings is the next logical step to achieve a high-performance building envelope. To this end, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Air Barrier Association of America, and the US-China Clean Energy Research Center for Building Energy Efficiency Consortium partnered to develop an online calculator that estimates the potential energy savings in major US, Canadian, and Chinese cities due to improvements in airtightness. This tool will have user-friendly graphical interface that uses a database of CONTAM-EnergyPlus pre-run simulation results, and will be available to the public at no cost. Baseline leakage rates are either user-specified or the user selects them from the supplied typical leakage rates. Users will enter the expected airtightness after the proper installation of an air barrier system. Energy costs are estimated based on the building location and inputs from users. This paper provides an overview of the methodology that is followed in this calculator, as well as results from an example. The successful deployment of this calculator could influence construction practices so that greenhouse gas emissions from the US, Canada, and China are significantly curtailed.

air leakage↗
DOE OSTI2017

Energy Savings Analysis: ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2016

To meet statutory requirements, DOE conducted an analysis to quantify the expected energy savings associated with Standard 90.1-2016. This report documents the methodology used to conduct the analysis. Based on the analysis, DOE has determined that the 2016 edition of the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 would improve overall energy efficiency in buildings subject to the code compared to the 2013 edition of Standard 90.1.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

United States cool surfaces deployment plan

Solar-reflective building envelope surfaces, such as cool roofs and walls, can be especially helpful in disadvantaged communities that often have poorly insulated older homes, aging or absent air conditioning units, steep utility bills, polluted air, and high vulnerability and exposure to extreme heat. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy, our project seeks to dramatically increase the climate-appropriate deployment of cool surfaces across the United States with an emphasis on their application to disadvantaged communities. First, we sought to identify cool-surface deployment barriers, opportunities, and models by (a) reviewing the history of cool-surface deployment activities, (b) interviewing cool-surface stakeholders, (c) researching successful energy-efficiency/green building deployment models; and (d) interviewing the actors who have implemented these models. Second, we conducted a workshop to engage stakeholders in development of a deployment plan. Third, we asked several U.S. federal agencies (a) how cool surfaces and cool surface stakeholders could support their missions and (b) how agency activities could support cool-surface deployment. Fourth, we identified a set of transformative ideas that form the core of the deployment plan. Transformative ideas include but are not limited to initiatives to (a) launch an educational campaign to make the general public and building professionals aware of how cool roofs and walls exclude unwanted solar heat; (b) create a “Cool Roof Prize” stimulating the development of affordable, high-performance cool asphalt roofing shingles; (c) conduct high-profile, large-scale demonstration programs that bring cool surfaces to disadvantaged heat-vulnerable communities; and (d) support local, regional, and state climate action (heat mitigation) plans with cool surfaces.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2011

Derivation of Building Energy Use Intensity Targets for ASHRAE Standard 100

The steps to develop the building energy use intensity targets for American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 100, Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings are outlined in this report. The analyses were conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in collaboration with the ASHRAE Standard 100 committee and Dr. Alexander Zhivov, the subcommittee chair responsible for targets development.

ASHRAE Standard 100↗
DOE OSTI2024

Unlocking the Path to Decarbonized Building Thermal Systems: Strategies for Designers and Contractors: Preprint

The design and construction community plays a pivotal role in facilitating the transition to decarbonized thermal systems that maintain human comfort while reducing building emissions. Through the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings initiative's Design and Construction Allies, a cohort of leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms have identified top ranked barriers that designers and contractors face when implementing solutions for building owners. These barriers to decarbonizing thermal - especially heating - systems include equipment availability; electrical capacity constraints; space allocations; complex system configurations; and lack of experience in designing, installing, and maintaining heat pumps. These impediments significantly amplify the risk and financial burden associated with the adoption of decarbonized solutions. The barriers also decrease the likelihood that designers, contractors, and owners will adopt decarbonization strategies without clear plans and guidance on how to implement these solutions, mitigate risk, and overcome the identified barriers. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Design and Construction Allies, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers have developed "how to" thermal decarbonization guidance based on best practices. The subjects covered range from the role of energy efficiency in facilitating decarbonized heating solutions to strategies for decarbonizing new and existing heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems. The focus is on overcoming barriers so that energy-efficient, electrified buildings - both new and retrofit - become the industry standard. This paper outlines 1) the method used to collect and organize this guidance, 2) industry barriers to decarbonization, and 3) decarbonization techniques that have broad market applicability.

building heating↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hierarchical Biogenic-Based Thermal Insulation Foam

Biogenic-based foam, renowned for its sustainable and eco-friendly properties, is emerging as a promising thermal insulating material with the potential to significantly enhance energy efficiency and sustainability in building applications. However, its relatively high thermal conductivity, large-pore configurations, and energy-intensive manufacturing processes hinder its widespread use. Here, we report on the scalable, one-pot synthesis of biogenic foams achieved by integrating recycled paper pulp and in situ nanoporous silica formation, resulting in a hierarchical structure comprising both micropores and nanopores. Ambient solvent-exchange drying can preserve the pore structure by reducing the capillary forces during the drying process. The resulting flame-retardant and hydrophobic foam exhibits low density (0.110 g/cm 3 ), ideal porosity (70.69%), excellent thermal conductivity (0.033 W/(m·K)), and impressive compressive strength (1.48 MPa at 80% strain). Furthermore, this recyclable biogenic foam, with its hierarchical pore structure and environmental durability, shows great potential for energy-efficient building applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Multifamily Envelope Leakage Model

“The cost for blower testing is high, because it is labor intensive, and it may disrupt occupants in multiple units. This high cost and disruption deter program participants, and dissuade them from pursuing energy improvements that would trigger air leakage testing, such as improvements to the building envelope.” This statement found in a 2012 report by Heschong Mahone Group for several California interests emphasizes the importance of reducing the cost and complexity of blower testing in multifamily buildings. Energy efficiency opportunities are being bypassed. The cost of single blower testing is on the order of $300. The cost for guarded blower door testing—the more appropriate test for assessing energy savings opportunities—could easily be six times that, and that’s only if you have the equipment and simultaneous access to multiple apartments. Thus, the proper test is simply not performed. This research seeks to provide an algorithm for predicting the guarded blower door test result based upon a single, total blower door test.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2010

Office of the Chief Financial Officer Annual Report 2010

In March, a review team consisting of CFOs from other national laboratories, industry, and members of the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) convened for three days to conduct a comprehensive peer review of the OCFO. This was the first time in almost a decade that the financial operations of the Laboratory had been reviewed. The Committee relayed their observations on our strengths, and their very thoughtful recommendations for improvement, which we are actively pursuing. These improvements, when implemented, will benefit the entire Laboratory for many years to come. The complete report is available on the OCFO website (www.lbl.gov/Workplace/CFO). In August, the senior management team of the OCFO participated in a strategic planning retreat. The purpose of the two and a half day exercise was, of course, to update our strategic plan, but instead of spending days developing a written document, we enlisted the expertise of a seasoned journalist who also happens to be a very talented graphic artist. He listened carefully to our ideas and committed them to a visual roadmap. All members of the OCFO, Business Managers, and the Laboratory Leadership Team reviewed this draft roadmap. By having a completely visual strategic plan that is posted widely throughout the OCFO, all employees can easily see and identify with the goals that we are all working towards. FY2010 was an extraordinary year. The Laboratory welcomed its seventh Director, Dr. Paul Alivisatos, who wasted no time communicating his vision and priorities for Berkeley Lab. They include five very ambitious initiatives: Carbon Cycle 2.0, The Next Generation Light Source, a Safe and Efficient Lab, Building Community, and Space. In response, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) developed twelve specific initiatives that align completely with these five priorities. We will be very focused on these in the coming fiscal year, but for now, let's review what happened in FY2010. FY2010 was a pivotal year for the Procurement and Property Department. A provision of the management contract that was signed fives years ago required us to achieve cost savings of $30M. I am proud to announce that this last fiscal year we reached that goal, in large part due to the implementation of eBuy, and the negotiation of strategic sourcing contracts. Our last wall-to-wall inventory exceeded all the Department of Energy's (DOE) national targets and DOE approved the LBNL property system unconditionally. Of the total inventory, 92.3% or 25,601 assets were accounted for using barcode scanning that made the inventory process much more efficient. The effective management of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds was strengthened by the continued successful partnership that LBNL shares with our DOE Site Office. They provided authority, support and clarity to this very complex task. The Laboratory's ARRA Stimulus Committee played a critical role in assuring internal controls, compliance with DOE regulations and quality financial management. The LBNL Budget Officer led a DOE complex-wide effort to identify and share how various DOE facilities track and report ARRA-funded projects, share best practices, evaluate issues and discuss solutions. LBNL has been recognized as a leader in this process and will continue to share knowledge and best practices with other DOE laboratories. Continuous education of our staff as well as the greater Laboratory population was still a major focus of the OCFO. With the help of many OCFO senior managers and staff that acted as subject-matter experts, the Core Financial Management Program was completely re-engineered and resulted in a revised classroom and web-based curriculum that will be formally rolled out Lab-wide in early FY2011. The Office of Sponsored Projects and Industry Partnerships (OSPIP) led the effort to select and purchase four Click Commerce software modules for the LBNL electronic Scientific Research Administration (eSRA) project. In early FY2010, the implementation of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) module, responsible for the human subjects review process, began and should be completed in early FY2011. OSPIP also began implementation of the grants and contracts module and we expect an early go-live of 'Grants Express' in mid-FY2011 with a full completion date in FY2012. The peer review's most substantial recommendation for improvement involved the Laboratory's central financial systems. To quote: 'financial reporting system is outdated and inadequate. There is an inability to easily extract data; the field has little confidence in data; people spend more time mining data than analyzing data; requires field users to create & rely upon shadow systems; causes proliferation of program administrators and resource analysts. These issues impact the quality & execution of research; and the data warehouse lacks understanding & ownership.'

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Ammothermal Growth of Gan Substrates For Leds: High-Pressure Ammonothermal Process for Bulk Gallium Nitride Crystal Growth for Energy Efficient Commercially Competitive Lighting

Broad Funding Opportunity Announcement Project: The new GaN crystal growth method is adapted from that used to grow quartz crystals, which are very inexpensive and represent the second-largest market for single crystals for electronic applications (after silicon). More extreme conditions are required to grow GaN crystals and therefore a new type of chemical growth chamber was invented that is suitable for large-scale manufacturing. A new process was developed that grows GaN crystals at a rate that is more than double that of current processes. The new technology will enable GaN substrates with best-in-world quality at lowest-in-world prices, which in turn will enable new generations of white LEDs, lasers for full-color displays, and high-performance power electronics.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Smart Building Start (SBS) (CRADA 480)

The idea of Smart Building Start (SBS) is to manage the on/off scheduling of HVAC equipment in buildings in an optimal way in order to achieve comfort conditions at the designated times with the minimal use of energy. This concept is also known as Optimal Start and it has typically been used in buildings to start up equipment based on predictions made for a representative (or average) zone in a building. This means that zones that could have waited longer to receive conditioned air are activated too early leading to unnecessary energy loss. The approach proposed in this project is to develop and implement a distributed version of optimal start that will consider the individual requirements of all treated zones. The developed control strategy will enable smart start of the central plant as well as further localized control over each individual zone by means of setpoint adjustment so that zones are not conditioned too early thereby reducing energy use compared to the current state of the art. This project is a collaboration between PNNL and Verdicity with the goal being to bring the research concept of SBS to commercialization. The SBS algorithm(s) will be implemented and hosted on the PNNL-developed open-platform VOLTTRON which will accelerate bringing the research to practice. It is anticipated that this project will lead to new IP surrounding the algorithm and its decentralized deployment. The project will also further demonstrate the success of VOLTRON as a flexible platform for implementation of innovative algorithms for improving energy efficiency in buildings. Previous studies on smart building start carried out by PNNL have indicated potential energy savings on the order of 10-15% for multi-zone buildings compared to conventional strategies. Verdicity currently has a number of customers who can benefit from the use of this technology. PNNL will work with Verdicity to identify any key gaps in the integrated software and jointly work to enhance and customize it for Verdicity and to integrate it with their existing products for use at their customers’ sites. The proposed work will help previously funded Federal research and development technology investments find their way into a viable commercial market.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

State-Level Employment Projections for Four Clean Energy Technologies in 2025 and 2030

As states and local governments weigh how to spur economic growth, stimulate job creation, and simultaneously adapt to meet climate goals, modern energy codes, and energy demand, this report provides a simple and transparent method to estimate the size of the workforce needed to support modeled deployments for energy efficiency in buildings, stationary battery energy storage (BES), solar photovoltaics (PV), and land-based wind in 2025 and 2030. In addition to a straightforward estimation method, this report includes state-level job estimates for two different deployment scenarios: a business-as-usual scenario and a more accelerated deployment scenario. The scope of the technologies included in this report is limited to four key energy technologies within the power sector that have strong job growth prospects and widespread geographic deployment potential. Although the included technologies are not all-encompassing, they have generated specific interest from state energy offices across the nation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Building America Case Study: Energy Efficient Management of Mechanical Ventilation and Relative Humidity in Hot-Humid Climates, Cocoa, Florida

In hot and humid climates, it is challenging to energy-efficiently maintain indoor RH at acceptable levels while simultaneously providing required ventilation, particularly in high performance low cooling load homes. The fundamental problem with solely relying on fixed capacity central cooling systems to manage moisture during low sensible load periods is that they are oversized for cooler periods of the year despite being 'properly sized' for a very hot design cooling day. The primary goals of this project were to determine the impact of supplementing a central space conditioning system with 1) a supplemental dehumidifier and 2) a ductless mini-split on seasonal energy use and summer peak power use as well as the impact on thermal distribution and humidity control inside a completely furnished lab home that was continuously ventilated in accordance with ASHRAE 62.2-2013.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗