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DOE OSTI2024

Methane Pyrolysis for CO2-free H2 and Carbon Nanomaterials - CRADA 576 (Final Report)

In this CRADA project we continued to develop the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) patent-pending Regenerable Catalytic Pyrolysis (ReCaP) process technology for producing CO 2 -free hydrogen (H 2 ) from inexpensive and domestically-abundant natural gas (NG), while simultaneously reducing H 2 ’s net production cost to $\$$1.0/kg through the sale of valuable crystalline solid carbon co-product. Producing clean hydrogen at this price is a DOE Hydrogen Energy Earthshot goal. This effort builds on our prior catalyst and processing advances made thermocatalytic decomposition of methane (TCD). The additional scope performed here accelerated the commercial deployment of TCD for CO 2 -free H 2 and valuable solid carbon nanotubes (CNT) co-product, by i) scaling up the production of CNT co-product using a fluidized bed reactor (25 g catalyst scale versus the 1 g catalyst scale demonstrated prior), ii) producing approximately 1 kg of CNT byproduct, produced via multiple cycles of TCD, carbon-catalyst separation, and catalyst re-synthesis, to enable the production of sufficient quantities of solid carbon so as to explore its market potential, iii) understanding the quality of the co-product CNTs, produced at larger scale, using advanced characterization, and iv) beginning to explore multiple promising high volume carbon product applications (e.g., aluminum and polymer composites, steel additive, and cement reinforcement applications). We are in discussions with Department of Energy and potential commercial partners to continue funding of this effort with the goal to facilitate eventual commercial deployment.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions from Plug-In Electric Vehicles: Report for CRC Project, "Carbon Return on Investment for Electrified Vehicles"

Investment in battery and electrification technologies has the potential to greatly reduce vehicular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) will have zero tailpipe emissions. However, there will be GHG emissions associated with production of the vehicle including its battery, and with any carbon-emitting electricity sources used to charge the vehicle. This study explores the GHG reduction benefits of different plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) designs in the context of factors such as electricity production mix, per-vehicle battery requirements, and varying battery market growth scenarios. The analyses focus on the U.S. light-duty vehicle (LDV) market, which accounts for nearly 60% of U.S. transportation sector GHG emissions - over twice as much as the next largest contributing transportation sub-sector.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

The health and indoor environmental quality impacts of residential building envelope retrofits: A literature review

Retrofitting existing buildings to improve energy efficiency is an important strategy to meet increasingly stringent energy efficiency targets. While the primary objective of energy efficiency retrofits is to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, retrofits can also result in non-energy impacts (NEIs), which contribute to decision-making processes and overall value of the retrofit. NEIs have been studied extensively in retrofitted residential buildings; however, these studies have historically grouped passive (i.e., building envelope) and active (i.e., heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and energy system) upgrades, making it difficult to identify the underlying mechanism(s) of action for each NEI and developing effective retrofit strategies, based on occupant need. The purpose of this study was to better account for NEIs, based on a literature review, summarizing the current state of knowledge on NEIs associated with residential building envelope retrofits. We limited our search to health- and indoor environmental quality-related NEIs. The review identified strong evidence that building envelope retrofits improve acoustic comfort, wintertime thermal comfort, and respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. IAQ outcomes were mixed, with studies reporting both increases and decreases to indoor contaminant concentrations following retrofits. The strength of the effect was generally governed by pre-retrofit contaminant concentrations and whether indoor concentrations were dominated by indoor or outdoor sources. Most studies evaluating summertime thermal comfort identified increased incidence of summertime overheating; however, none of these studies linked the change in thermal conditions to health outcomes. Recommendations for future work include expanding studies to include more market rate housing and the health impacts of summertime overheating in retrofitted buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy Savings Potential of SSL in Agricultural Applications

A report on the energy-savings potential of solid-state lighting in agricultural applications, which updates a prior edition that focused on horticultural lighting only, with an expanded focus that includes animal lighting. The analysis considered three indoor horticultural lighting categories: lighting supplemented greenhouses, high intensity sole-source farms, and sole-source indoor vertical farms typically growing leafy greens. To characterize animal lighting, the analysis investigated the three largest markets of livestock in the U.S. that use lighting – poultry, swine, and dairy farming. To estimate energy consumption of agricultural lighting, the analysis utilized interviews with lighting manufacturers, growers, utility companies, academic professionals, and industry consultants, as well as various data sources. Each of these resources enabled the determination of total market size and illuminated area, typical lighting configuration, lighting power density for LED and incumbent technologies, operating hours, and the installed lighting technology mix. Among the major findings: 1. If all indoor horticultural lighting today was converted to LED technology, annual horticultural lighting consumption would be reduced to 6.3 TWh of site electricity, or 60 tBtu of source energy, which represents lighting energy savings of 34% or $350 million. 2. If all animal lighting today was converted to LED technology, annual lighting energy consumption for animal production would be reduced to 2.8 TWh site electricity, or 26 tBtu of source energy, which represents lighting energy savings of 25% or $96 million.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment: Key Findings

Tribal land in the United States represents approximately 2% of the country's total landmass and holds more than 5% of solar photovoltaic potential (Doris, Lopez, and Beckley 2013). This resource is largely untapped. Many Tribes note that regulatory challenges often are roadblocks to taking advantage of solar potential. This report serves as a summary of a larger project, Addressing Regulatory Challenges to Tribal Solar Deployment. The project seeks to unlock some of this potential by bringing Tribal, regulatory, utility, and other stakeholders together to articulate key barriers to Tribal solar adoption and develop replicable solutions. By increasing institutional capacity and developing frameworks, trainings, and a technical document repository for regulatory bodies, utilities, and Tribes, this project can help expand an emerging market.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Driving Economics and Reducing Risks: The Business Case for Security-by-Design in Nuclear Power

This report provides an analysis of the financial, operational, and strategic advantages of incorporating Security-by-Design (SeBD) early in the lifecycle of nuclear power plant projects. By framing security as a foundational design element rather than a late-stage add-on, owners, vendors, and operators can reduce budget overruns, strengthen regulatory compliance, and increase revenue opportunities. The report details key lifecycle phases, highlighting the strategic imperative for organizations (including project developers, investors, vendors, and regulators) to adopt SeBD. Drawing on industry estimates, real-world case studies, and comparative cost analyses, the findings underscore that even a modest upfront investment in SeBD can yield substantial long-term returns by preventing costly retrofit activities, minimizing regulatory delays, and positioning nuclear vendors for the ability to adapt in the evolving security market. By avoiding excessive retrofit expenses and positioning security as a built-in feature rather than an afterthought, nuclear projects can protect their financial performance, enhance public trust, and secure a competitive edge in an increasingly complex global energy market. The authors advocate for SeBD’s strategic implementation, supported by established quality management methodologies, thereby promoting continuous improvement and defect avoidance. Ultimately, early SeBD integration represents a strategic investment, yielding significant returns by preventing costly retrofits and positioning nuclear projects for enhanced competitiveness and public trust.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

FY21 NREL Wind Energy Accomplishments and Mid Year Performance Report

This report takes stock of the research NREL conducted on behalf of DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), other funding and research partners, and the people of the United States during the first half of FY21 (between Oct. 1, 2020 and March 30, 2021). While diverse, all of these efforts shared a common goal to accelerate the deployment of wind energy technologies by helping to improve wind power performance, lower costs, and reduce market barriers to create a more sustainable, secure, and resilient power grid and a cleaner energy future.

49 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Wind (EE-4W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Multifamily Building Stock Modeling: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-17-00701

U.S. multifamily buildings house 35 million households, consuming 4 quads of source energy and spending $48 billion on utility bills every year. Almost all of these households live in urban areas, where cities are taking the lead on setting aggressive energy goals. Cities currently do not have the data and tools necessary to identify and target opportunities to save energy in their building stock. Building on the open-source, OpenStudio-based ResStock platform, this project will extend the publicly-available ResStock modeling capabilities to the multifamily sector, enabling Radiant Labs, and others, to partner with cities to market and strategically deploy cost-effective, energy efficiency (EE) upgrades directly to high-priority households. Radiant Labs has been successful in using ResStock's single-family capabilities to provide value to the City of Boulder, Colorado. However, lack of multifamily capabilities in ResStock is a roadblock for Radiant Labs working with New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and other cities that have expressed significant interest in working with them. In addition, other cities, companies, and utilities can use these open-source capabilities to grow their EE portfolios, thereby multiplying the impact of this project. This work also enables national-scale analysis of EE potential in multifamily buildings, which is of strong interest to a variety of stakeholders, including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis (EPSA), DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Advanced Engine and Fuel Technologies Annual Progress Report (FY2019)

On behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, we are pleased to introduce the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Annual Progress Report for the Advanced Engine and Fuel Technologies Program. In support of the Vehicle Technology Office’s goal for future U.S. economic growth, the Program focuses on early-stage research and development to improve understanding of combustion processes, fuel properties, and emissions control technologies, generating knowledge and insight necessary for industry to cost-effectively develop the next generation of engines and fuels. One of the most promising and cost-effective approaches to improving the fuel economy of the U.S. vehicle fleet is to introduce the next generation of higher-efficiency, very-low-emission combustion engines that meet future federal emissions regulations into the passenger and commercial vehicle markets. Advanced fuel formulations that can incorporate non-petroleum-based blending agents could further enhance engine efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide fuel diversification. Also, innovations in combustion, fuels, emissions control, air control, turbomachinery, and energy recovery could potentially increase fuel economy considerably compared to today’s vehicles. The expected national economic, environmental, and energy security benefits from these next-generation engines and fuels would be significant inasmuch as the majority of vehicles sold over the next several decades will still include an engine. The Program has set the following goals for passenger and commercial vehicle fuel economy improvements. By 2030, increase light-duty engine efficiency to demonstrate 35% improvement in passenger vehicle fuel economy (25% improvement from engine efficiency and 10% from fuel co-optimization) relative to a 2015 baseline vehicle, while meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 Emission and Fuel Standards. By 2030, improve heavy-duty engine efficiency by 35% relative to a 2009 baseline vehicle and identify cost-effective high-performance fuels that can further increase efficiency up to an additional 4%, while meeting prevailing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards. The Program utilized advanced combustion processes to increase engine efficiency, resulting in a modeled passenger vehicle fuel economy improvement of 19.4% (over a Model Year 2015 baseline) in FY 2019. This report highlights progress achieved by the Advanced Engine and Fuel Technologies Program during FY 2019. The nature, current focus, and recent progress of the Program are described together with summaries of National Laboratory, industry, and university projects that provide an overview of the exciting work being conducted to address critical technical barriers and challenges to commercializing the next generation of higher-efficiency engine, emissions control, and fuel technologies for passenger and commercial vehicles.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Data-Driven Understanding of Low-to-Moderate Income Customers’ Adoption and Financial Qualification in Community Solar (Final Technical Report)

When Solstice began working in the community solar industry, it quickly became clear that there was a wide disparity along race and class lines in terms of what kind of household traditional solar offerings benefited. Solstice is an organization that aligns itself to the principles of a Just Transition, or the concept that a transition to a green economy should benefit and prioritize historically marginalized groups of people. Given that low-income communities are disproportionately burdened by our current polluting fossil fuel economy, Solstice set out to investigate the root causes of the exclusion of low to moderate income (LMI) households in the community solar market. As we worked more and more with financiers, developers, and LMI households, we recognized that significant barriers to entry in a developer-owned project were credit threshold requirements. A FICO score of 750 and higher discriminates against LMI households that are not financially stable enough to take on multiple lines of credit (or who may not have been deemed credit worthy enough to access a line of credit) yet who may have been reliable utility customers. As Solstice began looking further into preliminary data and speaking to community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve LMI households, we found our hypothesis to be worth investigating; there was indeed a subset of LMI households with poor FICO scores (or no FICO score at all) that had perfect bill payment history. Though initially Solstice was intent on gathering a body of data to prove or disprove this hypothesis, we were also concerned that all this proof of a financially stable and reliable customer was not being incorporated into FICO, and wondered if such a score would be possible. After preliminary research into the existence of alternative scores, Solstice realized that many mission-driven lending institutions rely on alternative metrics that are formulated for their specific industry. However, we also realized that community solar did not have an alternative credit underwriting mechanism, though there was great need from solar financiers for one. We anticipated that the creation of an EnergyScore would contribute to financiers’ need to qualify more people, as these entities are desperately looking for ways to lower the cost of customer acquisition. FICO turns away nearly 50% of potential customers (according to our own acquisition experience), and much of the community solar industry is realizing that FICO is not the perfect qualifying mechanism. Additionally, with a grounding in energy justice, just transitions, and climate justice, Solstice recognizes the need for a solution that addresses a more urgent need for LMI households to access renewable energy savings and relieve energy burdens. With funding from the Department of Energy, we gathered the data necessary to build the EnergyScore, reached out to mission-driven developers willing to test the metric, and secured several demonstration projects to pilot the EnergyScore. After acquiring customers for these demo projects using the EnergyScore, we will be continuously collecting customer payment behavior data. Though it goes beyond the scope of this project, we plan to disseminate this de-identified data with the wider community solar industry, which includes not only financiers and developers, but other mission-driven nonprofits, solar cooperatives, community-based organizations, environmental justice activists, and academics. While we intend to disprove the notion that LMI households cannot be included in projects without acutely increasing the risk to project finances, we also hope the data can be used to negotiate better pricing of systems and terms of ownership for community groups seeking to build inclusive projects.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Vehicle Technologies Office Research and Development Program, Prospective Benefits Assessment Report for FY 2020

Under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) invests in research on technologies and innovations, including advanced batteries and electrification; engines and fuels, materials, and energy-efficient mobility systems; hydrogen production, delivery, and storage; and fuel cells. This report documents the estimated benefits of successfully developing and implementing these technologies (the “Program Success” case) relative to a base case (the “No Program” case). The Program Success case represents a future with successful implementation of VTO technologies. The No Program case represents a future in which there is no contribution after Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 by VTO to these technologies. Results presented here are not intended to be predictions. Instead, they represent possible future market outcomes, predicated on assumed technological progress and other future conditions.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Financial Exposure After a Sealed-Source Release: Insurance Limits, Federal Cost Pathways, and Implications for Gamma Irradiator Substitution

This report assesses whether private insurance and existing federal authorities would likely provide meaningful financial protection to private operators of self-shielded gamma irradiators after a major sealed-source release. It does not answer this question quantitatively because publicly observable data on premiums, limits, uptake, and claims outcomes for this risk class appear sparse. Instead, it uses a qualitative structural analysis based on prior literature, review of relevant federal authorities, limited observable insurance-market evidence, expert outreach, and historical analogs. The analysis finds that available public and private mechanisms do not combine into a clear, dependable, or readily verifiable compensation structure for ordinary private sealed-source operators. Institutions therefore should not assume that either insurance or government response will make them financially whole after a severe incident. Source reduction and replacement remain more dependable than post-event financial mechanisms for reducing institutional exposure and broader radiological risk.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Process-based cost estimation framework for assessing economic viability of environmentally and socially sustainable rare earth element feedstocks

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are critical raw material inputs that are required to enable the energy transition. Constraints on the U.S. supply of conventional REE feedstocks and the desire to diversify U.S. reliance on foreign supply chains have motivated the pursuit of REE recovery from unconventional feedstocks including waste products. Recovery of REEs from unconventional sources is also motivated by environmental and social considerations, including the potential to offset new mining activity and subsidize the remediation of REE-containing wastes from coal, natural gas, and other mineral extraction activities. Sourcing REEs from unconventional feedstocks would reduce supply chain constraints and minimize the environmental impacts of REE extraction, but current processes to exploit these feedstocks have uncertain technical and economic performance and the processes have not been demonstrated at scale. This work aims to reduce uncertainty in evaluating the performance of new REE production pathways. A database of operating and capital expenses for REE recovery and establish consistent process unit costs for common stages in the conventional supply chain are developed. Market prices are used to develop well-defined methods for determining product values for a diverse set of products that can be generated (e.g. oxalates, alloys, end-use products such as magnets) but are not typically considered in technoeconomic analyses. Finally, to provide insight on the effects of economies of scale and feedstock purity on capital and operating costs, process unit level cost functions relating total costs per kilogram of REE produced are reported. These tools can be applied to assess and facilitate scale-up of REE production from diverse sources of REEs.

Fritz, Alison↗
DOE OSTI2026

Unsupervised Detection of SOC Spoofing in OCPP 2.0.1 EV Charging Communication Protocol Using One-Class SVM

The electric vehicles (EVs) market keeps growing globally; thus, it is critical to secure the EV charging communication protocols in order to guarantee reliable and fair charging operations among the customers. The Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 2.0.1 supports the communication between the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and Charging Station Management Systems (CSMSs); therefore, it becomes vulnerable to several types of attacks, which aim to jeopardize smart charging, billing, and energy management. Specifically, OCPP 2.0.1 allows the self-reporting of the State of Charge (SOC) values, which makes it vulnerable to spoofing-based cyberattacks, which target manipulating the scheduling priorities, distorting the load forecasts, and extending the charging sessions in an unfair manner. In this paper, we try to address this type of attack by providing a comprehensive analysis of the SOC spoofing attacks and introducing a novel unsupervised detection framework based on the One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM) algorithm. Specifically, two types of attack scenarios are analyzed (i.e., priority manipulation and session extension) by deriving engineered features that capture the nonlinear relationships under normal charging behavior. Detailed simulation-based results are derived by utilizing the DESL-EPFL Level 3 EV charging dataset. Our results demonstrate high F1-score and recall in identifying spoofed SOC values and that the proposed OCSVM model demonstrates superior performance compared to alternative clustering and deep-learning based detectors.

EV charging↗
NASA NTRS2000

ACTS Ka-Band Earth Stations: Technology, Performance, and Lessons Learned

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Project invested heavily in prototype Ka-band satellite ground terminals to conduct an experiments program with the ACTS satellite. The ACTS experiment's program proposed to validate Ka-band satellite and ground station technology. demonstrate future telecommunication services. demonstrate commercial viability and market acceptability of these new services, evaluate system networking and processing technology, and characterize Ka-band propagation effects, including development of techniques to mitigate signal fading. This paper will present a summary of the fixed ground terminals developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center and its industry partners, emphasizing the technology and performance of the terminals (Part 1) and the lessons learned throughout their six year operation including the inclined orbit phase of operations (Full Report). An overview of the Ka-band technology and components developed for the ACTS ground stations is presented. Next. the performance of the ground station technology and its evolution during the ACTS campaign are discussed to illustrate the technical tradeoffs made during the program and highlight technical advances by industry to support the ACTS experiments program and terminal operations. Finally. lessons learned during development and operation of the user terminals are discussed for consideration of commercial adoption into future Ka-band systems. The fixed ground stations used for experiments by government, academic, and commercial entities used reflector based offset-fed antenna systems ranging in size from 0.35m to 3.4m antenna diameter. Gateway earth stations included two systems, referred to as the NASA Ground Station (NGS) and the Link Evaluation Terminal (LET). The NGS provides tracking, telemetry, and control (TT&C) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network control functions. The LET supports technology verification and high data rate experiments. The ground stations successfully demonstrated many services and applications at Ka-band in three different modes of operation: circuit switched TDMA using the satellite on-board processor, satellite switched SS-TDMA applications using the on-board Microwave Switch Matrix (MSM), and conventional transponder (bent-pipe) operation. Data rates ranged from 4.8 kbps up to 622 Mbps. Experiments included: 1) low rate (4.8- 1 00's kbps) remote data acquisition and control using small earth stations, 2) moderate rate (1-45 Mbps) experiments included full duplex voice and video conferencing and both full duplex and asymmetric data rate protocol and network evaluation using mid-size ground stations, and 3) link characterization experiments and high data rate (155-622 Mbps) terrestrial and satellite interoperability application experiments conducted by a consortium of experimenters using the large transportable ground stations.

Reinhart, Richard C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Salton Sea Geothermal Development: Nontechnical Barriers to Entry – Analysis and Perspectives

Geothermal energy offers an opportunity to generate baseload, renewable energy that can help support the transition to an energy economy with reduced impacts on climate change and replace older, more expensive, nonrenewable, and more resource-impacting energy-generation facilities. The United States has the largest known geothermal resource in the world, with over 31 GW of conventional geothermal potential. However, due to market conditions, an inability to properly quantify both electrical grid benefits and resource stability, and the difficulty of exploring and developing the geothermal resource, few new geothermal projects have come online over the past three decades. The Salton Sea, in Imperial County, California, provides a prime location and opportunity to develop new geothermal resources. The Salton Sea contains a robust, well-mapped, geothermal resource, with opportunities for concurrent development of lithium and other mineral resources. This report describes the history of geothermal development at the Salton Sea and compares geothermal to other renewable energy sources in the area. The report then uses a techno-economic analysis (TEA) model to analyze the relative benefits and costs of various challenges and opportunities and provides recommendations for streamlining geothermal development at the Salton Sea and elsewhere. The challenges and opportunities analyzed in the TEA model were informed by stakeholder interviews and literature reviews. Based upon the identified challenges and opportunities and the results of the TEA model, primary findings are that certain nontechnical barriers such as permitting costs play only a minor role in determining the viability of development of the geothermal resource at the Salton Sea. Other barriers such as permitting timelines, government/agency coordination, and the potential co-location of lithium extraction with a geothermal plant may result in much larger impacts on project viability.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Study of Storage Requirements and Costs for Shaping Renewables and Nuclear Energy (FY23 Summary Report)

To decarbonize electricity generation primarily by using wind and solar resources, it is likely that additional low (or zero) carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) alternatives will be required for ensuring a reliable electricity supply. This study extends the work and modeling framework that we consolidated in FY 2022, by assessing the zero-CO 2 pathways of a Texas power system in which the availability of variable renewable energy (VRE), nuclear energy, and energy storage types (i.e., battery and thermal energy storage [TES]) are considered the sole resources available for expansion. Using the Risk Analysis Virtual Environment (RAVEN) and Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) frameworks, this study investigates the market of two nuclear energy technologies (i.e., large light-water reactors [LWRs] and LWR-type small modular reactors [SMRs]) under two plausible storage coupling scenarios (i.e., electric coupling and direct thermal coupling). We also explore optimal environments for nuclear energy deployment, and identify key performance characteristics that make nuclear energy economically viable in areas with significant intermittent energy sources. Our analysis encompasses 24 cases. We model the least-cost grid systems, highlight the potential for a coupled LWR-TES approach, and utilize SMRs to achieve deep decarbonization in an affordable, technically feasible manner. We also examine seasonal variations in balancing electricity supply and demand, and account for varying performance, costs, and grid constraints. Overall, the findings of our modeling afford valuable insights for supporting future technology investment decisions in the energy sector.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Project. DRAFT Joint Test Report

The use of conventional tin-lead (SnPb) in circuit board manufacturing is under ever-increasing political scrutiny due to increasing regulations concerning lead. The "Restriction of Hazardous Substances" (RoHS) directive enacted by the European Union (EU) and a pact between the United States National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI), Europe's Soldertec at Tin Technology Ltd. and the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) are just two examples where worldwide legislative actions and partnerships/agreements are affecting the electronics industry. As a result, many global commercial-grade electronic component suppliers are initiating efforts to transition to lead-free (Pb-free) in order to retain their worldwide market. Pb-free components are likely to find their way into the inventory of aerospace or military assembly processes under current government acquisition reform initiatives. Inventories "contaminated" by Pb-free will result in increased risks associated with the manufacturing, product reliability, and subsequent repair of aerospace and military electronic systems. Although electronics for military and aerospace applications are not included in the RoHS legislation, engineers are beginning to find that the commercial industry's move towards RoHS compliance has affected their supply chain and changed their parts. Most parts suppliers plan to phase out their non-compliant, leaded production and many have already done so. As a result, the ability to find leaded components is getting harder and harder. Some buyers are now attempting to acquire the remaining SnPb inventory, if it's not already obsolete. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), depots, and support contractors have to be prepared to deal with an electronics supply chain that increasingly provides more and more parts with Pb-free finishes-some labeled no differently than their Pb counterparts-while at the same time providing the traditional Pb parts. The longer the transition period, the greater the likelihood of Pb-free parts inadvertently being mixed with Pb parts and ending up on what are supposed to be Pb systems. As a result, OEMs, depots, and support contractors need to take action now to either abate the influx of Pb-free parts, or accept it and deal with the likely interim consequences of reduced reliability due to a wide variety of matters, such as Pb contamination, high temperature incompatibility, and tin whiskering. Allowance of Pb-free components produces one of the greatest risks to the reliability of a weapon system. This is due to new and poorly understood failure mechanisms, as well as unknown long-term reliability. If the decision is made to consciously allow Pb-free solder and component finishes into SnPb electronics, additional effort (and cost) will be required to make the significant number of changes to drawings and task order procedures. This project is a follow-on effort to the Joint Council on Aging Aircraft/Joint Group on Pollution Prevention (JCAA/JG-PP) Pb-free Solder Project which was the first group to test the reliability of Pb-free solder joints against the requirements of the aerospace and military community.

Kessel, Kurt↗