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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 91 records · Page 5

Chip Scale Package Integrity Assessment by Isothermal Aging

Many aspects of chip scale package (CSP) technology, with focus on assembly reliability characteristics, are being investigated by the JPL-led consortia. Three types of test vehicles were considered for evaluation and currently two configurations have been built to optimize attachment processes. These test vehicles use numerous package types. To understand potential failure mechanisms of the packages, particularly solder ball attachment, the grid CSPs were subjected to environmental exposure. Package I/Os ranged from 40 to nearly 300. This paper presents both as assembled, up to 1, 000 hours of isothermal aging shear test results and photo micrographs, and tensile test results before and after 1,500 cycles in the range of -30/100 C for CSPs. Results will be compared to BGAs with the same the same isothermal aging environmental exposures.

Ghaffarian, Reza↗

Chip Scale Package Integrity Assessment by Isothermal Aging

Many aspects of chip scale package (CSP) technology, with focus on assembly reliability characteristics, are being investigated by the JPL-led consortia. Three types of test vehicles were considered for evaluation and currently two configurations have been built to optimize attachment processes.

chipscale↗

The Long-Term Market Potential of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Systems

This chapter will examine the conditions under which thermal CSP systems might play a large role in the global energy system. CSP technologies, such as troughs or power towers, have a large advantage over other solar technologies in that they offer the potential for firm power delivery, mitigating intermittency issues. These systems require relatively cloud-free conditions to operate, which limits their geographic applicability.

Smith, Steven J.↗

Technical Potential of Solar in Peru Using the Renewable Energy Data Explorer

Fact sheet details the Renewable Energy Data Explorer (RE Data Explorer) tool created for the Peruvian Ministry Energy and Mines (MINEM). The Peruvian RE Data Explorer is used to perform an initial technical potential analysis to calculate the available land area and technical potential for PV and CSP technologies in Peru.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Dispatch optimization of concentrating solar power with utility-scale photovoltaics

Concentrating solar power (CSP) tower technologies capture thermal radiation from the sun utilizing a field of solar-tracking heliostats. When paired with inexpensive thermal energy storage (TES), CSP technologies can dispatch electricity during peak-market-priced hours, day or night. The cost of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems has dropped significantly in the last decade, resulting in inexpensive energy production during daylight hours. The hybridization of PV and CSP with TES systems has the potential to provide continuous and stable energy production at a lower cost than a PV or CSP system alone. Hybrid systems are gaining popularity in international markets as a means to increase renewable energy portfolios across the world. Typically, CSP-PV hybrid systems have been evaluated using either monthly averages of hourly PV production or scheduling algorithms that neglect the time-of-production value of electricity in the market. To more accurately evaluate a CSP-PV-battery hybrid design, we develop a profit-maximizing mixed-integer linear program ($\mathcal{H}$) that determines a dispatch schedule for the individual sub-systems with a sub-hourly time fidelity. We introduce the mathematical formulation of such a model and show that it is computationally expensive to solve. To improve model tractability and reduce solution times, we offer techniques that: (1) reduce the problem size, (2) tighten the linear programming relaxation of ($\mathcal{H}$) via reformulation and the introduction of cuts, and (3) implement an optimization-based heuristic (that can yield initial feasible solutions for (($\mathcal{H}$) and, at any rate, yields near-optimal solutions). Applying these solution techniques results in a 79% improvement in solve time, on average, for our 48-h instances of (($\mathcal{H}$); corresponding solution times for an annual model run decrease by as much as 93%, where such a run consists of solving 365 instances of (($\mathcal{H}$), retaining only the first 24 h' worth of the solution, and sliding the time window forward 24 h. We present annual system metrics for two locations and two markets that inform design practices for hybrid systems and lay the groundwork for a more exhaustive policy analysis. A comparison of alternative hybrid systems to the CSP-only system reflects that hybrid models can almost double capacity factors while resulting in a 30% improvement related to various economic metrics.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

CSP Systems Analysis 2022-2024 (Final Technical Report)

The CSP Systems Analysis project estimates the current market cost of CSP subsystems and technologies for use by the DOE Program and within NREL analysis tools. The project addresses upgrades to NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM) related to CSP, as well as development of new modules within SAM to expand the types of CSP systems that can be simulated and new tools for evaluating CSP subsystem performance or optimizing CSP system layouts, for example, SolarPILOT and SolTrace. The project evaluates the potential cost and performance of new CSP-relevant technologies and generally includes assessment of CSP technologies in support of the DOE subprogram. A primary goal of the CSP System Analysis project is to provide timely and accurate cost data to the DOE to assess the current state of CSP technologies as well as predict performance and cost for pre-commercial and emerging technologies that may impact the industry. Prior work in this task has produced technology cost reports and roadmaps for DOE and highlighted promising research paths that could reduce overall CSP cost, such as the supercritical CO2 power cycle and molten-salt trough systems. CSP Systems Analysis produces modeling tools to evaluate the performance of CSP systems, subsystems, or components, and journal articles, conference papers, technical reports and databases to disseminate information to the CSP industry. CSP technology costs are estimated and tracked using these tools as well as analysis of literature and industry sources. The CSP modeling tools and NREL analysis results are used by researchers; government, financial, and industry analysts; and other CSP stakeholders. The purpose of this final technical report is to summarize the key accomplishments of the past three years of this project. The project was divided into seven separate tasks, and in what follows, we describe the background, objectives, key accomplishments, and path forward for each task within the project, with one section of this report summarizing each task.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Dish systems for CSP

Parabolic dish technology, for concentrating solar power (CSP) applications, has been continuously modified and improved since the pioneering work in the 1970s. Best practice dishes now have features such as lightweight structure, balanced design, high-quality, low-cost mirror panels, and can be deployed rapidly with little in-field labour. This review focuses on the evolution of dish design, by examining features such as mode of tracking, structure and mirror design, for a wide selection of CSP dish examples. Finally, the review includes a brief summary of power generation options – both on-dish and central plant – as well as a discussion about options for storage and hybridisation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

On the Path to SunShot - Advancing Concentrating Solar Power Technology, Performance, and Dispatchability

Energy storage will help enable CSP compete by adding flexibility value to a high-variable-generation (solar plus wind) power system (see Mehos et al. 2016). Compared with PV, CSP systems are more complex to develop, design, construct, and operate, and they require a much larger minimum effective scale—typically at least 50 MW, compared with PV systems that can be as small as a few kilowatts. In recent years, PV’s greater modularity and lower LCOE have made it more attractive to many solar project developers, and some large projects that were originally planned for CSP have switched to PV. However, the ability of CSP to use thermal energy storage—and thus provide continuous power for long periods when the sun is not shining—could give CSP a vital role in evolving electricity systems. Because CSP with storage can store energy when net demand is low and release that energy when demand is high, it increases the electricity system’s ability to balance supply and demand over multiple time scales. Such flexibility becomes increasingly important as more variable-generation renewable energy is added to the system. For example, one analysis suggests that, under a 40% renewable portfolio standard in California, CSP with storage could provide more than twice as much value to the electricity system as variable-generation PV. For this reason, enhanced thermal energy storage is a critical component of the SunShot Initiative’s 2020 CSP technology-improvement roadmap.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Solar Energy Research Institute for India and the United States (SERIIUS): Lessons and Results from a Binational Consortium

This book describes the development, functioning, and results of a successful binational program to promote significant scientific advances in Earth-abundant photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP), advanced process/manufacturing technologies, multiscale modeling and reliability testing, and analysis of integrated solar energy systems. SERIIUS is a consortium between India and the United States dedicated to developing new solar technologies and assessing their potential impact in the two countries. The consortium consists of nearly 50 institutions including academia, national laboratories, and industry, with the goal of developing significant new technologies in all areas of solar deployment. In addition, the program focused on workforce development through graduate students, post-doctoral students, and an international exchange program. Particular emphasis was placed on the following efforts: creating disruptive technologies in PV and CSP through high-impact fundamental and applied research and development (R&D); identifying and quantifying the critical technical, economic, and policy issues for solar energy development and deployment in India; overcoming barriers to technology transfer by teaming research institutions and industry in an effective project structure; building a new platform for binational collaboration using a formalized R&D project structure, along with effective management, coordination, and decision processes; creating a sustainable network and workforce development program from which to build large collaborations and fostering a collaborative culture and outreach programs. This includes using existing and new methodologies for collaboration based on advanced electronic and web-based communication to facilitate functional international teams. The book summarizes the general lessons learned from these experiences.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Project 1: COLLECTS Project and Project 2: M&V for Saputo Cheese Project: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

Project 1: Combined Power's Hyperlight Energy and NLR will collaborate on the DOE Concentrating Optics for Lower Levelized Energy CosTS (COLLECTS) project, DE-FOA-0001268. COLLECTS funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks to further concentrated solar power (CSP) system technologies by soliciting disruptive, transformative projects for the concentrating solar collectors in the CSP plant. These innovative projects will seek to surpass the targets set out in the SunShot Vision Study, enabling CSP to be cost-competitive with conventional forms of electric power generation. Projects will target the design and manufacturing of novel solar collectors with the ability to significantly reduce the solar field contribution to the overall levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of the CSP plant, and which have not been previously specifically targeted by CSP FOAs. Project 2: Hyperlight will perform measurement and verification (M&V) of Green House Gases and NLR will evaluate energy consumption reduction.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Techno-Economics of Cogeneration Approaches for Combined Power and Desalination From Concentrated Solar Power

For many decades, integration of concentrated solar power (CSP) and desalination relied solely on the use of conventional steam Rankine cycles with thermally based desalination technologies. However, CSP research focus is shifting toward the use of supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycles due to the significant improvement in thermal efficiencies. Here, we present a techno-economic study that compares the generated power and freshwater produced from a CSP system operated with a Rankine and Brayton cycle. Such a study facilitates co-analysis of the costs of producing both electricity and water among the other trade-off assessments. To minimize the levelized cost of water (LCOW), a desalination facility utilizing multi-effect distillation with thermal vapor compression (MED/TVC) instead of multistage flash distillation (MSF) is most suitable. The techno-economic analysis reveals that in areas where water production is crucial to be optimized, although levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) values are lowest for wet-cooled recompression closed Brayton cycle (RCBR) with MSF (12.1 cents/kWh e ) and MED/TVC (12.4 cents/kWh e ), there is only a 0.35 cents/kWh e increase for dry-cooled RCBR with MED/TVC to a cost of 12.8 cents/kWh e . In conclusion, this suggests that the best candidate for optimizing water production while minimizing both LCOW and LCOE is dry-cooled RCBR with MED/TVC desalination.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

On-Sun Testing of a High-Temperature Solar Receiver's Flux Distribution

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a promising technology in transitioning to renewable energy because of its abundance in nature and thermal energy storage (TES) capability. Among the four types of available CSP technology, including parabolic trough, linear Fresnel, power tower, and parabolic dishes, a power tower using a central receiver has more potential to generate high-temperature heat in a scale supporting power cycles efficiency and achieve low levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Other than the conventional type of receiver design, the high-absorptive receiver concept developed and presented in this paper is novel in its design approach. The novel receiver design originated from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) consists of an array of solar flux absorb tubes. The solar absorb tubes require uniform flux distribution and in-depth flux penetration through the three different reflective sections of tubes in a hexagonal shape. To evaluate this unique receiver design and thermal performance, the flux distribution, flux uniformity, and intensity were numerically simulated using ansys fluent and SolTrace modeling program. On-sun testing has been done at NREL high flux solar testing facility, based on the computational analysis.

clean energy↗

On the Path to SunShot - Executive Summary

The halfway mark of the SunShot Initiative’s 2020 target date is a good time to take stock: How much progress has been made? What have we learned? What barriers and opportunities must still be addressed to ensure that solar technologies achieve cost parity in 2020 and realize their full potential in the decades beyond? To answer these questions, the Solar Energy Technology Office launched the On the Path to SunShot series in early 2015 in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and with contributions from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The reports focus on the areas of technology development, systems integration, and market enablers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

RFA for Solar/Geothermal Hybrid Thermal Energy Storage Modeling: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-16-646

Hyperlight Energy is an innovative concentrated solar power (CSP) company whose business charter is to commercialize a disruptively low-cost, CSP collector system that is ultimately for providing heat for solar thermal/geothermal hybrid power plants, process heat applications (e.g., enhanced oil recovery), and solar thermal power generation. Hyperlight's CSP collector system utilizes a linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) configuration. This LFR configuration consists of mirrors mounted in low-cost, precision plastic extrusions, which are integrated into raft assemblies and floated on low-cost, sealed waterbeds. Hyperlight's CSP collector technology has been developed under private equity investment, government grant and commercial funding. Hyperlight has been awarded a 1.5-million DOE COLLECTS contract with an additional 1.6 million in matched funds from private investment and the California Energy Commission. This DOE project will support the final steps of product development for bulk commercialization and deployment of the Hyperlight CSP collector system. The work will culminate in a final operational deployment at a commercially relevant site. Several such site options are currently under evaluation, including two geothermal sites. Hyperlight identified a very low-cost way to put renewable energy electrons on the grid at peak times, upgrading underutilized geothermal plants with Hyperlight's low cost CSP and thermal energy storage (TES). While Hyperlight's CSP collector work is maturing quickly for commercial pilot launch, an optimal TES system for solar thermal/geothermal hybridization needs to be evaluated and ultimately developed so Hyperlight can develop commercial retrofit projects at a scale of hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy power output at sites across the United States, followed by greenfield projects in a multi-GW sized market.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Simulation of thermal hydraulic performance of multiple parallel micropin arrays for concentrating solar thermal applications with supercritical carbon dioxide

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants have the potential to provide 24 h, renewable electricity. Current CSP systems have high capital and operational costs which makes the levelized cost of electricity uncompetitive with conventional techniques. Recent experimental research has shown the potential of small unit cells (up to 2 × 2 cm) containing micropin arrays (D H < 1 mm) to operate efficiently at high incident flux (>140 W cm -2 ) using supercritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid. Applying this technology to CSP systems would result in a smaller central receiver, which would reduce thermal losses, increase receiver efficiency and reduce the capital cost of the receiver component. This study investigates and addresses the practical thermal and hydraulic issues in numbering up these small unit cells into numerous parallel cells within an integrated module design. A thermal hydraulic network model is developed to quantify the distribution and the overall receiver efficiency of an integrated module. This model is used to specify maximum allowable unit cell size and header dimensions to maintain acceptable thermal performance and pressure loss. Once a module design was finalized, parametric studies were performed to study the effects of varying incident flux on flow distribution and thermal performance of the module. Finally, the results show that an integrated module design can be achieved with less than 5% flow maldistribution and a pressure drop acceptable to the remainder of the system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

3D Chip Scale Package (CSP)

Package/die stacking technology enhances most aspects of electronic systems such as size, weight, speed, yield, and power consumption.

Chip Scale Packaging (CSP) 3D CSP Stack TSOP D2CSP↗