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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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DOE OSTI2020

Editorial: Achieving Water-Energy-Food Nexus Sustainability: A Science and Data Need or a Need for Integrated Public Policy?

The benefits of addressing the water, energy, and food sectors in an integrated manner is gaining significant recognition. An integrated approach can provide improved resource use efficiencies, more coherent environmental policies, and an overall strategy for achieving sustainability in the three sectors, as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 (Food), 6 (Water), and 7 (Energy). Societies are concerned with ensuring food security, avoiding wars over water, and creating opportunity by ensuring access to energy. To be effective, however, this approach needs to be adopted at all levels of societies including government, private and civil society and reinforced by management and planning methods. This special issue identifies different approaches that are either being conceptualized or tested to support the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach. The articles contribute to answering the question, “Is achieving Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus Sustainability a science and data need or an integrated public policy need?” In either case, both natural and social sciences will need to combine to support science issues or integrated policy issues. The papers explore the ways in which science, data, and policy development could help to define integrative principles and policies for the three sectors. This approach could expand beyond the water, energy, and food sectors to include health, environment, trade, commerce, and international assistance thereby providing broad support to the SDGs. Moreover, this issue demonstrates that data combined with new technologies (tools and models) can support better decision-making when adopted by governments and the sectors.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

River systems under peaked stress

The change in the global energy production mix towards variable renewable energy sources requires efficient utilization of regulated rivers to optimise hydropower operations meet the needs of a changing energy market. However, the flexible operation of hydropower plants causes non-natural, sub-daily fluctuating flows in the receiving water bodies, often referred to as ‘hydropeaking’. Drastic changes in sub-daily flow regimes undermine attempts to improve river system health. Environmental decision makers, including permitting authorities and river basin managers facing the intense and increasing pressure on river environments, should consider ecosystem services and biodiversity issues more thoroughly. The need for research innovations in hydropeaking operation design to fulfil both the water and energy security responsibilities of hydropower is highlighted. Our paper outlines optimized hydropeaking design as a future research direction to help researchers, managers, and decision-makers prioritize actions that could enable better integration of river science and energy system planning. The goal of this is to find a balanced hydropower operation strategy.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Upwind Moisture Controls on Interannual Variations of Precipitation and Vegetation in China's Drylands

Dryland precipitation depends on upwind and local moisture sources via moisture recycling. How upwind moisture variations affect interannual variations of downwind precipitation and vegetation in China's drylands remains unclear. We used high-resolution moisture tracking data sets and found terrestrial moisture (93%) was the dominant moisture source for China's drylands, especially from drylands themselves (46%). In most dryland grids, we observed strong correlations between precipitation and upwind moisture sources from 2003 to 2022 (median r = 0.55), with a more significant effect in drier areas. These demonstrated the upwind moisture control on interannual variations of dryland precipitation, in which internal moisture from drylands exceeds the influence of external terrestrial sources. The upwind moisture variations, especially the recycled moisture of drylands, propagate to influence downwind vegetation greenness in precipitation-sensitive dryland areas. Our findings revealed that upwind moisture variations induced by climate or land-cover changes have important implications for water and food security in China's drylands.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interdisciplinary Workshop on the Impacts of Land Use and Land Management on Earth System Evolution, Biogeochemical Cycles, Extremes, and Inter-Sectoral Dynamics (Final Report)

The Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) convened a week-long interdisciplinary science workshop from September 15-20, 2019 entitled, “Impacts of Land Use and Land Management on Earth System Evolution, Biogeochemical Cycles, Extremes, and Inter-Sectoral Dynamics.” The purpose of the workshop was to advance research on the impacts of land use and land management on climate, carbon emissions, and extremes, as well as the impact of land-use change on important societal issues such as food, water, and energy security. The workshop was co-chaired by Kate Calvin (PNNL), George Hurtt (University of Maryland), and Dave Lawrence (National Center for Atmospheric Research). Co-funders of the workshop included NASA, NOAA, and travel support for European colleagues through CRESCENDO. This workshop brought together 31 professionals with expertise across biogeochemistry, climate impacts, mitigation, land use datasets, and societal impacts to coordinate on upcoming research and publications on the role of biogeochemical and biophysical properties of the Earth surface and their implications for climate, as conducted through the Land Use model Intercomparison Project (LUMIP), which is part of Phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). A primary outcome of the meeting was the definition and planning of a series of LUMIP papers that will rely on the LUMIP and CMIP6 simulations. By the end of the meeting more than twenty papers and paper lead authors had been identified and scoped out. Around ten of these papers were submitted by the December 31, 2019 IPCC deadline.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Water Resource Opportunities at Lake Gazivode/Ujmani

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been tasked by DOE’s Office of International Affairs to assess the use of water resources for power generation needs on Lake Gazivode/Ujmani in Kosovo, and provide recommendations for improved coordination and efficiency. Lake Gazivode/Ujmani is a 15-mile long man-made reservoir that straddles the Serbian-Kosovo border. Lake Gazivode/Ujmani is currently managed without a transboundary cooperation agreement. Kosovo is profoundly dependent on the lake’s waters, which provide one-third of Kosovo’s drinking water and cool two coal plants that provide 95 percent of Kosovo’s energy production. After conducting a scoping visit to Pristina, Kosovo, Lake Gazivode/Ujmani, and Belgrade, Serbia, in October 2020, PNNL staff compiled hydrometeorological, water management operations, and power grid operations data. They analyzed the data and existing literature to provide third-party observations about and recommendations for the use of the lake. Their recommendations aim to promote regional water and energy security.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

An Assessment of Technical Hydropower Potential at Non-Powered Dams in the United States

Historically, dams have been constructed for a variety of purposes, such as providing a more secure and reliable water supply, mitigating impacts from variations in river flow, allowing continuous navigability, and harnessing mechanical power. A relatively small portion of dams have been designed to store or regulate flows for the purpose of generating electricity (roughly 3% of nationally inventoried dams in the US and 17% of the dams included in the World Register of Dams). The remaining population of existing non-powered dams (NPDs) presents both an opportunity to generate renewable energy and a need to modernize aging infrastructure. This report describes an assessment of more than 2,600 NPDs in the US that have a collective potential of nearly 4 GW in new power capacity. Previous national-scale assessments were aimed at evaluating the theoretical maximum power potential at existing dams in the United States. These estimates were based on the best available information at the time for water availability, hydraulic head, and representative regional capacity factors. This study revisits a subset of 3,299 dams identified in the most recent theoretical resource assessment and uses more detailed and updated hydrologic data to produce estimates of technical potential. These improvements in data enable estimates that more realistically reflect what is physically possible given simple assumptions about the existing structure and constraints on flow and head (Figure 1).

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Critical Asset Management at the Start of the Pandemic

COVID-19 has changed the daily lives of so many people and forced many companies to examine their way of doing business, including their Asset Management programs. This virus has given way to an unprecedented set of challenges to continue conducting business as usual when everything is unusual. On June 16, 2020, members of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Asset Management Professionals came together for a panel discussion on Critical Asset Management during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Participants were representatives from health care, water, and national security, which are all considered essential industries.

Administration and management↗
DOE OSTI2022

Working With the Hydropower Program in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office

The Hydropower Program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) supports research, development, demonstration, and commercial activities to: • Advance transformative, cost-effective, reliable, and environmentally sustainable hydropower and pumped storage hydropower technologies. • Better understand and capitalize on opportunities for these technologies to support the nation’s rapidly evolving grid. • Improve energy-water infrastructure and security.

hydropower, hydropower facts, hydropower statistic↗
DOE OSTI2024

Editorial: Water supply sustainability and challenges in Asian megadeltas under global change

Globally, riverine deltas comprise barely 1% of land area, but they support the livelihoods of more than 500 million people (Moorhouse et al., 2021). The Asian megadeltas (e.g., Indus, Bengal, Mekong, Red River, and Yangtze) and their riverine floodplains are the most dynamic economic and environmental systems in the world. These low-lying coastal landforms support surface water bodies and highly productive aquifer systems. However, water resources of the Asian megadeltas are extremely vulnerable to geogenic (e.g., arsenic) and anthropogenic (e.g., bacteria) contamination, increased water salinisation from rising sea levels (Figure 1), and chemicals (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides) from land-use practices (Mukherjee et al., 2024) – all of which are threatening the sustainability of water supply and food security in the region. This Research Topic collection features five original articles that explore water chemistry including arsenic and bacteriological contamination, water salinisation, water-energy-food nexus in irrigated agriculture, and groundwater depletion resulting from irrigation, rapid urbanization, and climate change. Although the Research Topic collection does not include case studies from all the Asian Megadeltas shown in Figure 1, the relevance of multi-hazard driven water risks to all deltaic and river floodplain environments around the world is well-illustrated.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Designing Secure and Resilient Cyber-Physical Systems Using Formal Models

This work-in-progress paper proposes a design methodology that addresses the complexity and heterogeneity of cyber-physical systems (CPS) while simultaneously proving resilient control logic and security properties. The design methodology involves a formal methods-based approach by translating the complex control logic and security properties of a water flow CPS into timed automata. Timed automata are a formal model that describes system behaviors and properties using mathematics-based logic languages with precision. Due to the semantics that are used in developing the formal models, verification techniques, such as theorem proving and model checking, are used to mathematically prove the specifications and security properties of the CPS. This work-in-progress paper aims to highlight the need for formalizing plant models by creating a timed automata of the physical portions of the water flow CPS. Extending the time automata with control logic, network security, and privacy control processes is investigated. The final model will be formally verified to prove the design specifications of the water flow CPS to ensure efficacy and security.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Assessing the Level of Inter-Sectoral Policy Integration for Governance in the Water–Energy Nexus: A Comparative Study of Los Angeles and Beijing

As concerns around water scarcity and energy security increase, so too has interest in the connections between these resources, through a concept called the water–energy nexus. Efforts to improve the integration of water and energy management and to understand their cross-sector relevance are growing. In particular, this paper develops a better empirical understanding on the extent to which governance settings hinder and/or enable policy coherence between the water and energy sectors through a comparative analysis of two case studies, namely, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, and the city of Beijing, China. This paper examines the extent to which the institutional context enables policy coordination within (vertically) and between (horizontally) the water and energy sectors in Beijing and Los Angeles. To do so, we propose a framework for analyzing policy integration for the water energy nexus based on environmental policy integration (EPI). The results highlight the multiple and flexible approaches of EPI in nexus governance, not least with regards to horizontal and vertical policy integration, but also in terms of explicit (i.e., intended) and implicit (i.e., unintended) coordination. The level of nexus-focused policy integration is highly dependent on the motivation at the local context and the criteria to evaluate policy success in each sector.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Benefits and Critical Knowledge Gaps in Determining the Role of Floating Photovoltaics in the Energy-Water-Food Nexus

Floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) systems have become an increasingly attractive application of photovoltaics (PV) because of land-use constraints, the cost of land and site preparation, and the perceived energy and environmental co-benefits. Despite the increasing interest in FPV systems, a robust validation of their suggested co-benefits and impacts on the nexus of energy, water, and food (EWF) systems is lacking. This information gap makes it challenging for decision makers to justify its adoption—potentially suppressing FPV deployment. To address this gap and to help de-risk this PV deployment opportunity, we (1) review the suggested co-benefits of FPV systems with a focus on the impacts that could alleviate pressures on EWF systems and (2) identify areas where further research is needed to reduce uncertainty around FPV system performance. Our review reveals that EWF nexus-relevant co-benefits, such as improved panel efficiency and reduced land usage, are corroborated in the literature, whereas others, such as water quality impacts, lack empirical evidence. Our findings indicate that further research is needed to quantify the water-related and broader economic, environmental, social, sustainability, justice, and resilience co-benefits and impacts of FPV systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Physical Security Timeline Analysis in Support of Advanced Reactor Demonstration and Deployment

This report presents the regulatory requirements and directions on the physical security of advanced nuclear reactors in USA. Presently, a rule is being proposed that allows for a performance-based analysis. In determining the physical security requirements for an advanced reactor, new tools may be desired to conduct a performance-based analysis. These tools should incorporate dynamic analysis methods to provide as much realism as possible. In comparison, the security requirements for existing light water reactors (LWRs) are much more prescriptive and the analysis conducted to establish the required physical security strategies were more easily performed with static analysis. In order to achieve the cost goals that advanced reactors require for adoption; the nuclear security force required should not be excessive. Dynamic physical security analysis methods and tools have been developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. This report details how the dynamic risk analysis tools developed in the LWRS program using the dynamic risk modelling tool, EMRALD, may be adapted for use in analyzing the physical security designs for advanced reactors accounting for variable performance-based requirements. This report provides an example analysis of a hypothetical SFR using publicly available information and generic assumptions to demonstrate the methods and potential presentation and analysis of the results. No actual plant information is used in this example analysis. Future work in this area will create additional models that can be adapted for any advanced reactor concept and use various security features to create a physical security system that provides adequate protection from radiological theft and sabotage.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mining Nontraditional Water Sources for a Distributed Hydrogen Economy

Securing decarbonized economies for energy and commodities will require abundant and widely available green H 2 . Ubiquitous wastewaters and nontraditional water sources could potentially feed water electrolyzers to produce this green hydrogen without competing with drinking water sources. Herein, we show that the energy and costs of treating nontraditional water sources such as municipal wastewater, industrial and resource extraction wastewater, and seawater are negligible with respect to those for water electrolysis. We also illustrate that the potential hydrogen energy that could be mined from these sources is vast. Based on these findings, we evaluate the implications of small-scale, distributed water electrolysis using disperse nontraditional water sources. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis reveal that the significant contribution of H 2 transportation to costs and CO 2 emissions results in an optimal levelized cost of hydrogen at small- to moderate-scale water electrolyzer size. The implications of utilizing nontraditional water sources and decentralized or stranded renewable energy for distributed water electrolysis are highlighted for several hydrogen energy storage and chemical feedstock applications. Finally, we discuss challenges and opportunities for mining H 2 from nontraditional water sources to achieve resilient and sustainable economies for water and energy.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek (FY2020 Update)

Mercury (Hg) remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. Mercury contamination in the environment can be found at all three DOE facilities in Oak Ridge, but probably the greatest environmental risk concern relative to Hg on the Oak Ridge Reservation is associated with historical Hg losses at and near the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). Water and fish from East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) downstream of Y-12 exceed regulatory thresholds. Because of the complexities of Hg transport and fate in the aquatic environment, conventional remedial options for EFPC are highly uncertain. DOE is using a phased adaptive management approach to Hg remediation at Y-12 with a focus in the next few years on construction of the Mercury Treatment Facility (MTF) to treat the most contaminated Y-12 outfall entering EFPC (DOE 2017a; DOE 2017b). Once operational, the MTF will provide additional protection against inadvertent releases of Hg into the stream from decontamination and decommissioning of Y-12 Hg-use buildings. Although the MTF is anticipated to substantially decrease Hg water concentrations and flux in the upper part of EFPC, research and technology development are needed to develop appropriate and long-term remedial solutions for the downstream environment. Since late 2014, the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC/Restoration Services, Inc. have supported DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Environmental Sciences Division staff in conducting field and laboratory studies to develop Hg remedial technology solutions for lower EFPC (LEFPC). A technology development strategy for LEFPC was developed in 2014 that was consistent with the adaptive management paradigm and DOE’s technology readiness level (TRL) guidelines (Peterson et al. 2015). Initially, a thorough review of the literature was conducted and site-specific information was collected to develop a broad number of potential technologies that might be applied in LEFPC. An adaptive management approach was then used to focus on technologies that might have the most promise and potential remediation benefit. Field and laboratory studies conducted from 2014 to 2020 have identified the major drivers of Hg flux and bioaccumulation in EFPC and narrowed the list of high-merit technologies that might be of use in remediating the downstream environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗