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DOE OSTI2014

North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Final Report

The U.S. DOE’s Office of EERE National Solar Energy Technology Program (SETP) calls for a “National Accreditation and Certification Program for Installation and Acceptance of Photovoltaic Systems.” A near-term goal listed in the U.S. Photovoltaic Industry’s Roadmap, 2000 - 2020 is to work to establish standards, codes, and certifications which are essential for consumer protection and acceptance as part of the goal of building toward a viable future PV industry. This program paves the way for a voluntary national certification program for PV system practitioners and installers, initiation of the first steps toward certification of hardware, and reinforcement of all five of the technical objectives in the Systems category of SETPs Multi-Year technical Plan. Through this project, NABCEP will direct the continued initiation of and sustained implementation and administration of the NABCEP Solar PV Installer Certification Program (hereafter the “Program”). The NABCEP Program is a national, voluntary program designed to provide certification for those PV installers who demonstrate the requisite skills, abilities and knowledge typically required to install and maintain PV systems. The core document upon which the Program was developed and upon which the national exam is based, is referred to as the (Program) Task Analysis. It is a thorough descriptive document containing specific psychomotor and cognitive tasks for the purposes of identifying the types of training/assessment methods that apply. Psychomotor skills require measuring, assembling, fastening and related activities. Cognitive skills require knowledge processing, decision-making and computations. NABCEP effectively evaluates an applicant’s psychomotor skills through review of a candidate’s PV installations and hands-on training received. NABCEP evaluates the candidate’s cognitive skills through administration of its national Program exam. By first qualifying for and then obtaining the required passing score, NABCEP certificants receive an accreditation that upholds NABCEP’s standards of quality, compliance to applicable codes and safety in PV installation. The objectives of DOE’s National Solar Energy Technology Program (SETP) are intrinsic to NABCEP. As detailed in the PV Roadmap, the lifespan of a PV system is a function of reliability and value. PV system reliability is directly dependent upon the quality of components and, design, installation and maintenance of a system. The latter three are all core components of the NABCEP Task Analysis - accordingly NABCEP certified installers will be instrumental in improving reliability of systems through safe, code and manufacturer-compliant installation and necessary post-installation maintenance of PV systems. This will have the effect of ensuring and increasing the performance of installed systems and, as consumers realize the benefits of well-installed and maintained systems, increased demand will follow and manufacturers will respond - supporting further growth in the PV industry. Furthermore, as more NABCEP certified installers perform these installations and maintenance competently, additional installations (whole system re-installations) and unnecessary repairs can be avoided. This will drive down system costs. This combined with creation/enhancement of the DE-FG36-04GO14348/005 NABCEP Central Data Base of Installers – providing consumers with installation/maintenance service options will further reduce system costs and help meet the overall goal of reducing life cycle costs. As consumers receive more value from PV systems which are providing longer, trouble free, renewable energy, they will join the ranks of professionals and enthusiasts calling for reduced technological barriers to installation (particularly for grid-tied systems). States and utilities will react to pressure and begin easing onerous net-metering and other technological restrictions. The benefits of NABCEP’s Program will be evident to consumers, manufacturers, distributors, state energy officials and solar academic institutions. Consumers benefit through increased system performance and reduced costs. Manufacturers of PV and balance of system components as well as distributors support and benefit from NABCEP because of assurances that systems are installed in accordance to code (i.e., NEC) and their specifications, resulting in longer life. Collaborators including state energy officials (i.e., New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) benefit by knowing that rebate funds are spent on systems whose benefits will far exceed system costs. Program Objectives The improvements and advantages offered by a national voluntary certification program can only expand the horizons for photovoltaic applications.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Valuation Diagramming and Accounting of Transactive Energy Systems

Transactive energy (TE) systems support both economic and technical objectives of a power system including efficiency and reliability. TE systems utilize value-driven mechanisms to coordinate and balance responsive supply and demand in the power system. Economic performance of TE systems cannot be assessed without estimating their value. Estimating the potential value of transactive energy systems requires a systematic valuation methodology that can capture value exchanges among different stakeholders (i.e., actors) and ultimately estimate impact of one TE design and compare it against another one. Such a methodology can help decision makers choose the alternative that results in preferred outcomes. This paper presents a valuation methodology developed to assess value of TE systems. A TE use-case example is discussed, and metrics identified in the valuation process are quantified using a TE simulation program.

Makhmalbaf, Atefe↗

DOE OSTI2019

Features that Further Performance Limits of Nuclear Fuel Fabrication: Opportunities for Additive Manufacturing of Nuclear Fuels

One goal of the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) program is to fully assess the opportunity space for additive manufacturing (AM) to overcome the material limitations restricting development and deployment of nuclear power. This report presents an initial analysis of the opportunities for using AM to significantly impact the nuclear fuel fabrication paradigm. The conventional limitations of the three basic solid fuel types are examined herein, and. possibilities for fabrication technologies to overcome these limitations are outlined. Areas that can be most significantly improved by AM are those in which conventional nuclear fuel fabrication routes are known to limit performance. For monolithic systems, one high priority area is fabrication of heterogeneous duplex and compositionally graded structures— fuel designs that bring significant benefits to fuel utilization. A critical first step in meeting this challenge is to successfully demonstrate AM’s ability to achieve representative density and microstructures for fuel materials such as UO 2 . The area with the highest potential for pairing AM methodology with the challenges of nuclear fuel deployment is advanced matrices for particle and dispersion fuels that are free from conventional processing constraints. AM has the potential to achieve packing fractions and matrix quality that are superior to those available through conventional methods. Finally, the use of digital twin data collection, which is possible through in situ build diagnostics, may greatly reduce uncertainty regarding distribution of uranium in these systems. A subsequent FY19 TCR milestone will examine the suitability of existing commercial systems to address these challenges.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2024

"Source Term Modeling for Advanced Gas Micro-Reactors"

Maintaining the safety of the public, environment, and operating personnel is the most important factor in designing, operating, maintaining, and decommissioning nuclear reactors. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of micro-reactors employing TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO)-coated particle fuel. In gas reactors, TRISO fuel plays an important role in the safety case for high temperature reactors because of the fission product retention properties of the fuel. This ability enables the use of a functional containment strategy for the reactor where multiple barriers are used to prevent fission product release to the environment. Part of the safety analysis of these advanced reactors is the assessment of radionuclide releases under normal and accident conditions through the multiple credited safety barriers. Using conservative assumptions, a mechanistic analysis can be performed to quantify these releases that combines the probabilistic assessment of failure with analytic solutions to radionuclide transport equations. Source term modeling for TRISO fuel has been performed for previous reactor designs; however, these models are outdated, in many cases proprietary, and need updates to be applied to the current state of TRISO fuel technology and alternative gas reactor core configurations [1]. Currently, the only publicly available source term assessment for gas reactors is an expert-based Monte Carlo simulation based on the effectiveness of the fuel kernel, coating layers, and graphite block in a modular high temperature gas reactor [2]. Thus, there is a need to develop a simple, versatile, and mechanistic model of fission product release and transport in gas reactor cores that could be applied to a variety of reactors through user inputs and reactor-specific radionuclide inventories. The release is calculated by the diffusion of the key safety important fission products through the kernel, silicon carbide (SiC), graphite for both intact and defective TRISO particles based on fuel and graphite temperatures in the reactor under normal operation. These releases from the fuel enter the coolant where they can plate-out on cooler surfaces. A clean-up model is included for designs with a coolant purification system to remove fission gases. This initial distribution of fission products in the reactor serves as an initial condition for potential releases under postulated accident conditions. The model then can calculate the fission product release for any transient temperature profile and fission product releases can then be used to assess radiological dose to the workers and the public using conventional dose tools. Data on the diffusion of fission products is based on historic German TRISO experiments and the more current Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) TRISO fuel development program. The model is coded in python with inputs and outputs in excel spreadsheets, as well as python plotting utilities to aid in the interpretation of the results. References: [1] INL, NGNP Mechanistic Source Term White Paper, INL-10-17997, July 2010. [2] David A. Petti, Richard R. Hobbins, Peter Lowry, Hans Gougar, “Representative Source Terms and The Influence of Reactor Attributes on Functional Containment in Modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors,” Nuclear Technology, Vol. 184, p. 181-197, Nov. 2013.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

Barriers and Opportunities for Energy Technology Adoption in Juneau, Alaska

This report presents findings from a qualitative study examining barriers and opportunities for air source heat pump (ASHP) and electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Juneau, Alaska, with a particular focus on manufactured and multifamily housing. The analysis draws on community insights from end users and middle actors to better understand how technology adoption unfolds in contexts with distinct logistical, infrastructural, and housing constraints. The report is organized according to key barriers and opportunities identified through stakeholder input, providing a structured understanding of adoption dynamics across technologies and housing types. These insights are intended to inform program design and support more effective electrification strategies tailored to local conditions. The study team employed qualitative methods to capture both in-depth and high-level perspectives on technology adoption. Data collection included: 1) two 2-hour focus groups with a total of five end users and seven middle actors, enabling detailed and structured discussion and 2) ten semistructured interviews with manufactured home owners, multifamily landlords, and one tenant, providing complementary insights across housing contexts. Focus groups captured accounts of shared challenges and opportunities while interviews offered more concise reflections on individual experiences. Together, these methods enabled a more comprehensive understanding of both systemic barriers and lived experiences with ASHPs and EVs. The findings reveal that adoption of electrification technologies is shaped by a combination of economic, logistical, and informational factors that vary across housing types, technology characteristics, user groups, and other demographic factors. Addressing these factors requires tailored strategies that reflect local conditions and user experiences. The insights in this report can provide a foundation for organizations such as AEL&P to refine program design, support more effective outreach, and anticipate shifts in energy demand associated with increased electrification. More broadly, the study highlights the importance of incorporating community perspectives when developing electrification initiatives to ensure they are both practical and responsive to real-world constraints.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2022

SAS4A/SASSYS-1 Validation with the FFTF LOFWOS Tests #10-12

The FFTF liquid sodium cooled test reactor was built to assist the development and testing of advanced fuels and material for fast reactors. The goals of the FFTF Passive Safety Testing program included confirming the safety margins of FFTF as a liquid metal reactor, providing data for computer code validation, and demonstrating the inherent and passive safety benefits of its specific design features. The program included thirteen unprotected loss of flow without scram tests. The results of modeling and simulation of LOFWOS Tests #10, #11, and #12 are presented in this report to support validation of Argonne’s SAS4A/SASSYS-1 fast reactor safety analysis code. These three tests did not use the primary loop pony motors and thus transitioned to natural circulation flow rates from varying initial power levels. This validation activity leverages modeling and simulation efforts that originated under an International Atomic Energy Agency Coordinated Research Project (CRP) for benchmark analysis of the FFTF LOFWOS Test #13. The SAS4A/SASSYS-1 model originally developed for the CRP has been extended to include LOFWOS Tests #10-12 and modernized to utilize new code features and modeling practices. Predicted results from SAS4A/SASSYS-1 were compared to measured test data and differences were investigated. Overall, it was concluded that, for LOFWOS Tests #10-12, there was good agreement between the flow, power, and temperature predictions and the measured data.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2023

National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program Annual Report: Plan Year 2022-2023

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program provides nearly $5 billion over 5 years to help states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (hereafter referred to as “states”) create a network of fast EV charging stations along designated Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs), with emphasis along the Interstate Highway System. The first-year deployment plans were submitted to and reviewed by the Joint Office and FHWA and certified by FHWA in September 2022. To support the rollout of the NEVI Formula Program, the Joint Office has been providing technical assistance to the states since February 2022 and has developed DriveElectric.gov to serve as the front door for federal efforts to build out a national charging network. This report summarizes the key activities of the Joint Office in relation to the NEVI program and provides an individual and collective overview of the first-year deployment plans. The Joint Office will utilize the summary of these plans to inform program improvement and future technical assistance activities to support the states as they begin to implement their EV charging infrastructure.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Research and Test Reactor Fuels

PRO-RR is the research reactor focused program element of the broader Proliferation Resistance Optimization program (PRO-X) under the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). PRO-X provides a framework for integrating proliferation resistance in nuclear system designs to minimize weapons usable nuclear materials (WUNM) production and diversion pathways while optimizing systems performance for peaceful use missions. PRO-RR applies the PRO-X mission objectives to research reactor system design. This document serves as one of the foundational documents for the PRO-RR-Fuel System Design technical team by documenting current research reactor fuels usage. The PRO-RR-Fuel System Design technical team consists of subject matter experts from Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). In order to determine the preferred fuel of use in upcoming research and test reactors to optimize proliferation resistance, performance, and safety, it is useful to assess the fuels that have been used in the past, or are currently in use. This report reviews the historical and current fuels used in research and test reactors to inform future fuel selection. Chapter 2 discusses the low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuels currently in use in terms of thermal power level and utilization of the reactor. Chapter 3 summarizes the fabrication processes for common fuel types. Chapter 4 discusses in detail the fuel types in use in research and test reactors. A review of the cladding types in use is presented in Chapter 5, and a historical review of research and test reactor fuel fabricators is presented in Chapter 6. The data collection strategy used the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) research reactor database [1] as a starting point. Information on the fuel used was gathered on research reactors (other than critical assemblies) that were listed as operational, planned, or in temporary shutdown in the IAEA database. Data on the fuel type, geometry, enrichment, uranium loading, cladding type, and fabricator were collected for each of the reactors available in the public domain. Sources of data included conference papers, journal articles, and facility and fabricator websites. Data on research reactors operating on LEU fuels are presented in Appendix A, while Appendix B presents data collected on all reactors at the time of publication of this report. Appendix C presents data collected on reactors that were part of the M3 research and test reactor conversion program.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2017

High Fidelity, “Faster than Real-Time” Simulator for Predicting Power System Dynamic Behavior - Final Technical Report

The “High Fidelity, Faster than RealTime Simulator for Predicting Power System Dynamic Behavior” was designed and developed by Illinois Institute of Technology with critical contributions from Electrocon International, Argonne National Laboratory, Alstom Grid and McCoy Energy. Also essential to the project were our two utility partners: Commonwealth Edison and AltaLink. The project was a success due to several major breakthroughs in the area of largescale power system dynamics simulation, including (1) a validated faster than real time simulation of both stable and unstable transient dynamics in a largescale positive sequence transmission grid model, (2) a threephase unbalanced simulation platform for modeling new grid devices, such as independently controlled singlephase static var compensators (SVCs), (3) the world’s first high fidelity threephase unbalanced dynamics and protection simulator based on Electrocon’s CAPE program, and (4) a firstofits kind implementation of a singlephase induction motor model with stall capability. The simulator results will aid power grid operators in their true time of need, when there is a significant risk of cascading outages. The simulator will accelerate performance and enhance accuracy of dynamics simulations, enabling operators to maintain reliability and steer clear of blackouts. In the longterm, the simulator will form the backbone of the newly conceived hybrid realtime protection and control architecture that will coordinate local controls, widearea measurements, widearea controls and advanced realtime prediction capabilities. The nation’s citizens will benefit in several ways, including (1) less down time from power outages due to the fasterthanrealtime simulator’s predictive capability, (2) higher levels of reliability due to the detailed dynamics plus protection simulation capability, and (3) more resiliency due to the three phase unbalanced simulator’s ability to model threephase and single phase networks and devices.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2021

CO 2 Mineralization Using Porous Carbon and Industrial Wastes to Make Multifunctional Concrete

Along with substantial benefits and promises of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, significant challenges exist in developing scalable materials and methods for capture and of CO 2 . The overarching objective of this project is to provide a system approach for developing a new CO 2 capture and utilization technology using porous carbon and industrial wastes to make a low-cost, scalable and multifunctional concrete product. The objective of Phase I of this project is to develop and fine-tune activated carbons from different wastes such as plastic wastes to offer a cheap, abundant and scalable feedstock for CO 2 uptake. The objective of Phase 2 is creating a facile protocol to develop a concrete prototype comprising CO 2 adsorbed activated carbon (e.g. from plastic wastes), followed by product validation, life-cycle analysis, and bench-scale testing. The project objectives are designed to specifically obtain a final product and technology that directly addresses the main goals of the DOE’s CCS programs.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2022

Development of a New Fixed-source Sensitivity Tally Capability in the MCNP® code [Abstract]

The development of a new fixed-source sensitivity tally capability is currently underway in the MCNP code. In recent research and development efforts that utilize machine learning to both seek problematic nuclear data as well as design experiments optimized to improve the nuclear data, the adjoint-weighted k-eigenvalue sensitivity tally capabilities have been heavily essential. In this paper, the motivation to expand the sensitivity tally capabilities beyond k-eigenvalues toward diverse fixed-source problems along with preliminary results and verification will be discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Residential Central Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Installation – Workshop Outcomes

DOE's Building Technologies Office works with researchers and industry partners to develop and deploy technologies that can substantially reduce energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings. This report aims to advance BTO’s energy savings, emissions reduction, and other program goals by identifying research and development (R&D), demonstration and deployment, and other non-regulatory initiatives for improving the design and installation of residential central air conditioners (CAC) and central heat pumps (CHP). Improving the adoption of CAC/CHP design and installation best practices has significant potential to reduce equipment costs, improve indoor air quality and comfort, improve system performance, and most importantly, reduce household energy consumption and costs for heating and cooling by addressing a variety of common installation issues.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Process and Instrumentation Design of Advanced Reactor Integration with Refineries and Hydrogen Production Facilities

With the ongoing push to decarbonize energy use and especially greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, there are incentives to investigate how nuclear reactors may be used to generate clean energy and be used in various energy economies beyond just the electrical grid. Two initial integrations, high temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE) and oil refineries, are investigated in this first DOE Integrated Energy Systems (IES) program detailed industrial integration design report. Increasingly detailed reports are anticipated both for the industries discussed in this report and for additional industries in the future of the program. This report is a robust starting point showing how integration thermodynamic analysis establishes the requirements on the reactor and methods by which those requirements can be evaluated for specific reactor designs. Two Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program awardees are selected as representative designs for their respective technologies: NuScale for light-water reactors (LWRs) and X-Energy for high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). Other reactor technologies or specific reactor configurations would require specific analysis similar to what is done in this report, thus this report can be a reference point by which to extend this work to other nuclear plant designs.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Preliminary Chlorine Worth Study Benchmark Evaluation

The Chlorine Worth Studies (CWS) experiments with polyvinyl chloride (PVC with chemical formula (C 2 H 3 Cl) n ), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC with chemical formula (C 9 H 11 Cl 7 ) n ), and high density polyethylene (HDPE with chemical formula (CH 2 ) n ) were a series of measurements performed at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC). The purpose of the CWS experiments was to perform integral experiments that were highly sensitive to the thermal 35 Cl(n,γ) reaction and matched the sensitivities of aqueous chloride operations at the plutonium facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The CWS experiments were performed on the Planet critical assembly machine at NCERC and utilized weapons grade plutonium (WGPu) plates as fuel. The design process and design of the CWS experiment were discussed previously. This paper discusses the benchmark evaluation of the experiment, intended for the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP). Criticality calculations were performed with MCNP version 6.3. Results presented here are preliminary, as the benchmark has not yet been submitted to the ICSBEP.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Using Cost-Effectiveness Tests to Design CHP Incentive Programs

This paper examines the structure of cost-effectiveness tests to illustrate how they can accurately reflect the costs and benefits of CHP systems. This paper begins with a general background discussion on cost-effectiveness analysis of DER and then describes how cost-effectiveness tests can be applied to CHP. Cost-effectiveness results are then calculated and analyzed for CHP projects in five states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, and North Carolina. Based on the results obtained for these five states, this paper offers four considerations to inform regulators in the application of cost-effectiveness tests in developing CHP programs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Identifying intragenic functional modules of genomic variations associated with cancer phenotypes by learning representation of association networks

Background Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) aims to uncover the link between genomic variation and phenotype. They have been actively applied in cancer biology to investigate associations between variations and cancer phenotypes, such as susceptibility to certain types of cancer and predisposed responsiveness to specific treatments. Since GWAS primarily focuses on finding associations between individual genomic variations and cancer phenotypes, there are limitations in understanding the mechanisms by which cancer phenotypes are cooperatively affected by more than one genomic variation. Results This paper proposes a network representation learning approach to learn associations among genomic variations using a prostate cancer cohort. The learned associations are encoded into representations that can be used to identify functional modules of genomic variations within genes associated with early- and late-onset prostate cancer. The proposed method was applied to a prostate cancer cohort provided by the Veterans Administration’s Million Veteran Program to identify candidates for functional modules associated with early-onset prostate cancer. The cohort included 33,159 prostate cancer patients, 3181 early-onset patients, and 29,978 late-onset patients. The reproducibility of the proposed approach clearly showed that the proposed approach can improve the model performance in terms of robustness. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to use a network representation learning approach to learn associations among genomic variations within genes. Associations learned in this way can lead to an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of how genomic variations cooperatively affect each cancer phenotype. This method can reveal unknown knowledge in the field of cancer biology and can be utilized to design more advanced cancer-targeted therapies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Seamless Digital Environment – Data Analytics Use Case Study

Multiple research efforts in the U.S Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program studies the need and design of an underlying architecture to support the increased amount and use of data in the nuclear power plant. More specifically the three LWRS research efforts; Digital Architecture for an Automated Plant, Automated Work Packages, Computer-Based Procedures for Field Workers, and the Online Monitoring efforts all have identified the need for a digital architecture and more importantly the need for a Seamless Digital Environment (SDE). A SDE provides a mean to access multiple applications, gather the data points needed, conduct the analysis requested, and present the result to the user with minimal or no effort by the user. During the 2016 annual Nuclear Information Technology Strategic Leadership (NITSL) group meeting the nuclear utilities identified the need for research focused on data analytics. The effort was to develop and evaluate use cases for data mining and analytics for employing information from plant sensors and database for use in developing improved business analytics. The goal of the study is to research potential approaches to building an analytics solution for equipment reliability, on a small scale, focusing on either a single piece of equipment or a single system. The analytics solution will likely consist of a data integration layer, predictive and machine learning layer and the user interface layer that will display the output of the analysis in a straight forward, easy to consume manner. This report describes the use case study initiated by NITSL and conducted in a collaboration between Idaho National Laboratory, Arizona Public Service – Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, and NextAxiom Inc.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2019

The Value of Resilience for Distributed Energy Resources: An Overview of Current Analytical Practices

Recent extreme weather events, natural disasters, and cyber incursions have brought the vulnerability of the electric system into sharp focus. These events have demonstrated that planning for long-duration power interruptions caused by high-impact, low-probability events will require new approaches to power system resilience above and beyond previous hardening efforts. At the same time, the rapid growth and declining costs of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as microgrids, solar photovoltaics, and batteries have introduced new technology options for energy resilience. Consequently, state policymakers across the country have established electricity resilience policies and programs, with several states focusing specifically on resilient DERs as part of clean energy programs and grid modernization efforts. Although it is clear that DERs offer resilience benefits, it is unclear how to determine the value of those benefits. Identifying appropriate methodologies to calculate the value of resilience will be an important step toward ensuring that resilient DERs are considered alongside alternatives and integrated into future energy infrastructure and investment planning efforts. This paper reviews current practices for calculating the value of resilience with a focus on valuing resilient DERs installed within the distribution system. It examines both regulatory decision-making and non-regulatory cost-benefit analyses in order to determine if, and how, a value of resilience was calculated and applied. The paper is designed to address questions that utility regulators have identified as being of interest: (1) Have regulators identified and utilized a value of resilience in regulatory decisions related to resilient DERs? (2) Is the value of resilience being used to analyze resilient DERs in venues other than regulatory proceedings? (3) What are the different methods to value energy resilience? (4) What are the pros and cons of different methods used to value resilience? (5) Can regulators adopt or improve value of resilience methods to support their decisions?

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗