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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 1,117 records · Page 62
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Task 12 PV Sustainability - Status of PV Module Recycling in Selected IEA PVPS Task 12 Countries

Photovoltaic (PV) deployment has accelerated in recent years compared to projections in the early 2010s. This means that PV end of life (EOL) waste streams will also increase at a higher pace than anticipated. To meet and optimise PV EOL management, appropriate regulatory and technological approaches must be implemented in the near term, ensuring that available options are adapted to the conditions of each country or region. This report aims to review the current regulatory and industrial landscape for selected countries belonging to the International Energy Agency's PV Power Systems technology collaboration programme, to assess status of PV EOL management, allow for comparison and cross-fertilization, and establish a foundation for future tracking of progress. Although volumes of EOL PV modules are still small, EOL PV is treated and recycled in a proper manner in the countries and regions that have EOL regulations in place. However, the current low volumes, limited available recycling technologies, logistics challenges, and undeveloped markets for recovered materials result in a high-cost, low-revenue scenario for PV module recycling globally. Nevertheless, the implementation of PV EOL regulations in more countries and R&D investment in PV recycling is expected to accelerate further improvements to meet future demand and to achieve high-value, low-cost recycling. We hope this report contributes to understanding the global status of PV recycling and to accelerating its development as a promising option for the proper EOL management of PV modules in the coming decades.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems

Although most of the current photovoltaic (PV) system installations use monofacial modules with fixed-tilt mounting structures, bifacial modules, trackers, and the combination of them are also getting more attention as potential candidates to further reduce the PV levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). This work is then the first to present a worldwide analysis on the yield potential and cost-effectiveness of PV farms composed of monofacial fixed-tilt and single/dual (1T/2T) tracker installations, as well as their bifacial counterparts. Our approach starts by estimating the irradiance reaching the front and rear surface of the modules for the different system designs (validated based on data from real PV systems and results from the literature) to estimate their energy production (row-row shading is neglected). Subsequently, the overall system cost during their 25-year lifetime is factored in, and LCOE is obtained. The results reveal that bifacial-1T installations increase energy yield by 35% and reach the lowest LCOE for the majority of the world (93.1% of the land area). Although dual axis trackers achieve the highest energy generation — especially for bifacial modules — their cost is still too high, and are therefore not as cost-effective. Sensitivity analyses based on the Monte Carlo and region sensitivity approach are performed to analyze the impact of input assumptions on the calculated LCOE. These reveal that our conclusions are robust in general but exact configuration to choose depends on specific site conditions. This investigation is not only of interest to the scientific community, but also can be used as a guide for PV installation companies and investors to determine the most suitable technology for a particular location.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Efficient Interlayer Relaxation and Transition of Excitons in Epitaxial and Non-epitaxial MoS2/WS2 Heterostructures

Semiconductor heterostructurs provide a powerful platform for the engineering of excitons. Here we report on the excitonic properties of two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures that consist of monolayer MoS2 and WS2 stacked epitaxially or non-epitaxially in the vertical direction. We find similarly efficient interlayer relaxation and transition of excitons in both the epitaxial and non-epitaxial heterostructures. This is manifested by a two orders of magnitude decrease in the photoluminescence and an extra absorption peak at low energy region of both heterostructures. The MoS2/WS2 heterostructures show weak interlayer coupling and essentially act as an atomic-scale heterojunction with the intrinsic band structures of the two monolayers largely preserved. They are particularly promising for the applications that request efficient dissociation of excitons and strong light absorption, including photovoltaics, solar fuels, photodetectors, and optical modulators. Our results also indicate that 2D heterostructures promise to provide capabilities to engineer excitons from the atomic level without concerns of interfacial imperfection.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bio-inspired multiscale design for perovskite solar cells

Metal halide perovskite semiconductors have attractive light-harvesting and charge-carrier transport properties for photovoltaics. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and modules have demonstrated their commercial promise with high power conversion efficiencies, but still face stability challenges. In this Review, we explore how biomaterials offer design inspiration for the development of durable and efficient PSCs at three different scales. At the molecular level, bio-inspired molecular interactions are harnessed towards crystallization control and degradation prevention, which offers an enhancement in long-term maximum-power-point tracking stability. At the microstructural level, self-healing and strength-enhancing strategies, utilizing dynamic bonds and interfacial reinforcement, can help PSCs to recover from physical damage and maintain high performance. At the device level, macroscopic functionalities, such as moth-eye-inspired structures tailored to different layers, can collectively enable antireflection, radiative cooling and self-cleaning to optimize light management, heat dissipation and encapsulation in PSCs. Bio-inspired PSC research can combine improved efficiency and lifetime, with abundant, biocompatible alternatives to conventional stabilizers. Future efforts should focus on screening bioinspired molecules to optimize film crystallization and stability, developing self-healing mechanisms triggered by operational stress, designing cost-efficient biomicrostructures, and integrating multifunctional encapsulation to enhance the efficiency and lifespan of PSCs.

Duan, Tianwei↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photovoltaic Cable Connectors: A Comparative Assessment of the Present State of the Industry

The consequences of failure for balance-of-systems components (such as photovoltaic (PV) cable connectors) include offline module string(s); low system voltage; arc, ground, insulation, and overtemperature faults; triggered fuse(s); system shutdown; and fire. The degradation modes for connectors are studied here through an industry survey and its subsequent examination, which are compared with field-degraded specimens. A total of 117 specimens were obtained from a variety of locations and climates or accelerated tests. A failure analysis for connectors from PV installations was developed (and applied to 54 specimens), including nondestructive examinations (photography, a custom resistance-current scan, and X-ray computed tomography) and destructive examinations (featuring milling of the external plastic, extraction of the internal convolute spring, and potting and polishing in cross section). Surface and through-thickness composition of the metal pins and springs was quantified using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to verify the base polymer materials and compare the chemical structure of the connector body, bushing, end nut, and o-ring. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were used to further verify the degradation of the same polymeric components.

cable connectors↗
DOE OSTI2018

Analysis of the Impact of Installation Parameters and System Size on Bifacial Gain and Energy Yield of PV Systems

In this work, we present the combined effect of installation parameters (tilt angle, height above ground, and albedo) on the bifacial gain and energy yield of three photovoltaic (PV) system configurations: a single module, a row of five modules, and five rows of five modules utilizing RADIANCE based ray tracing model. We show that optimum tilt angle is dependent on parameters such as height, albedo, size of the system, and time of the year. For a single bifacial module installed in Albuquerque, NM, the optimum tilt angle is lowest (~5 degree) for summer solstice and highest (~65 degree) for winter solstice. For larger systems, optimum tilt angle can be up to 200 more than that for a single module system. We also show that modules in large scale systems, generate lower energy due to large shadowing areas cast by the modules on the ground. For albedo of 21 %, middle module in a large array generates up to 7% less energy than a single bifacial module. To validate our model, we utilize measured data from Sandia's fixed tilt bifacial PV testbed and compare it with our simulations. We find that due to higher non-uniformity, lower tilt angles demonstrate high normalized root mean square deviation (NRMSD) between measured and simulated values than high tilt angles.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Q3/Q4 2017 Solar Industry Update

This technical presentation provides an update on the major trends that occurred in the solar industry in the Q3 and Q4 of 2017. Major topics of focus include global and U.S. supply and demand, module and system price, investment trends and business models, and updates on U.S. government programs supporting the solar industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Q4 2017/Q1 2018 Solar Industry Update

This technical presentation provides an update on the major trends that occurred in the solar industry in Q4 2017 and Q1 2018. Major topics of focus include global and U.S. supply and demand, module and system price, investment trends and business models, and updates on U.S. government programs supporting the solar industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Q1/Q2 2018 Solar Industry Update

Each quarter, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducts a presentation of technical trends within the solar industry, which became publicly available in October 2016. Each presentation focuses on global and U.S. supply and demand, module and system price, investment trends and business models, and updates on U.S. government programs supporting the solar industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Q2/Q3 2018 Solar Industry Update

Each quarter, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducts a presentation of technical trends within the solar industry, which became publicly available in October 2016. Each presentation focuses on global and U.S. supply and demand, module and system price, investment trends and business models, and updates on U.S. government programs supporting the solar industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1984

Flat-plate solar array progress and plans

The results of research into the technology of flat-plate solar arrays undertaken in the Flat-Plate Solar Array Project under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy are surveyed. Topics examined include Si refinement, ribbon-sheet substrate formation, module process sequences, environmental isolation, module engineering and testing, and photovoltaic-array economics.

Callaghan, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Retrieval of Mir Solar Array

A Russian solar array panel removed in November 1997 from the non-articulating photovoltaic array on the Mir core module was returned to Earth on STS-89 in January 1998. The panel had been exposed to low Earth orbit (LEO) for 10 years prior to retrieval. The retrieval provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of the LEO environment on a functional solar array. To take advantage of this opportunity, a team composed of members from RSC-Energia (Russia), the Boeing Company, and the following NASA Centers--Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Lewis Research Center--was put together to analyze the array. After post-retrieval inspections at the Spacehab Facility at Kennedy in Florida, the array was shipped to Lewis in Cleveland for electrical performance tests, closeup photodocumentation, and removal of selected solar cells and blanket material. With approval from RSC-Energia, five cell pairs and their accompanying blanket and mesh material, and samples of painted handrail materials were selected for removal on the basis of their ability to provide degradation information. Sites were selected that provided different sizes and shapes of micrometeoroid impacts and different levels of surface contamination. These materials were then distributed among the team for round robin testing.

Rutledge, Sharon K.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Challenging conventional assumptions in PV: a high-throughput open-air approach to low-cost perovskite module production

Perovskite solar modules (PSMs) offer a promising pathway to low-cost photovoltaics, yet their commercialization is challenged by manufacturing scalability, device uniformity, additive costs, interlayer complexity, and module stability. This study introduces a comprehensive technoeconomic analysis of single junction PSM's and projections for tandem perovskite-Si modules that integrate all materials and manufacturing steps, module performances, projected lifetimes, and manufacturing costs across scales. Here, we highlight an open-air manufacturing approach to fabricate all active layers of serially interconnected PSMs, including electrodes and charge transport layers, enabling high-throughput production without inert or vacuum environments. The analysis reveals two orders of magnitude throughput enhancement and cost reductions of 24% in all-open-air production, escalating to over 60% at 1 GW factory capacity compared to conventional methods. Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) projections for utility-scale installations over 30 years, accounting for module replacement and recycling, demonstrate the potential to achieve the 2030 US target of $0.03 per kWh with realistic 7–11-year PSM lifetimes, outperforming incumbent silicon-based modules. Neither four terminal (4T) nor two terminal (2T) tandem-Si PSMs improve over single junction perovskite or silicon LCOE regardless of higher efficiencies at any modeled lifetime. Addressing PSM technical challenges with a cost-modeling framework guides commercialization efforts and provides a convincing pathway for challenging incumbent Si-based PV.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Polyhedral Specular Reflector: A Spectrum-Splitting Multijunction Design to Achieve Ultrahigh ( >50%) Solar Module Efficiencies

The most feasible pathway to record 50% efficiency photovoltaic devices is by utilizing many (>4) junctions to minimize thermalization and nonabsorption losses. Here we propose a spectrum-splitting design, the polyhedral specular reflector (PSR), that employs an optical architecture to divide and concentrate incident sunlight, allowing the incorporation of more junctions compared with traditional monolithic architectures. This paper describes the PSR design and indicates the requirements to achieve a 50% efficiency module by coupling robust cell, optical, and electrical simulations. We predict that a module comprised of the seven subcells with an average external radiative efficiency of at least 3%, an optical architecture capable of a splitting efficiency of at least 88% and 300× concentration, small (≤1 μm) metallic fingers for subcell contact, and a state-of-the-art power conditioning system (>98% efficiency) can achieve a module efficiency of 50%, a record for both multijunction cells and modules. We also discuss the flexibility of the design and explore how adjusting the size and type of concentrators can still yield record module efficiencies (>40%).

solar (photovoltaic), solid state lighting, phonon↗
NASA NTRS1982

Cost estimates for flat plate and concentrator collector arrays

The current module and installation costs for the U.S. National Photovoltaic Program's grid-connected systems are significantly higher than required for economic viability of this alternative. Attention is accordingly given to the prospects for installed module cost reductions in flat plate, linear focus Fresnel concentrator, and point focus Fresnel concentrator candidate systems. Cost projections indicate that all three systems would meet near-term and midterm goals, provided that module costs of $2.80/W(p) and $0.70/W(p), respectively, are met. The point focus Fresnel system emerges as the most viable for the near term.

Shimada, K.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Conventional and Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) Artificial Gravity Mars Transfer Vehicle Concepts

A variety of countermeasures have been developed to address the debilitating physiological effects of "zero-gravity" (0-g) experienced by cosmonauts and astronauts during their approximately 0.5-1.2 year long stays in LEO (Low Earth Orbit). Longer interplanetary flights, combined with possible prolonged stays in Mars orbit, could subject crewmembers to up to approximately 2.5 years of weightlessness. In view of known and recently diagnosed problems associated with 0-g, an artificial gravity spacecraft offers many advantages and may indeed be an enabling technology for human flights to Mars. A number of important human factors must be taken into account in selecting the rotation radius, rotation rate, and orientation of the habitation module or modules. These factors include the gravity gradient effect, radial and tangential Coriolis forces, along with cross-coupled acceleration effects. Artificial gravity (AG) Mars transfer vehicle (MTV) concepts are presented that utilize both conventional NTR, as well as, enhanced "bimodal" nuclear thermal rocket (BNTR) propulsion. The NTR is a proven technology that generates high thrust and has a specific impulse (I (sub sp)) capability of approximately 900 s - twice that of today's best chemical rockets. The AG/MTV concepts using conventional NTP carry twin cylindrical "ISS-type" habitation modules with their long axes oriented either perpendicular or parallel to the longitudinal spin axis of the MTV and utilize photovoltaic arrays (PVAs) for spacecraft power. The twin habitat modules are connected to a central operations hub located at the front of the MTV via two pressurized tunnels that provide the rotation radius for the habitat modules. For the BNTR AG/MTV option, each engine has its own "closed" secondary helium-xenon gas loop and Brayton rotating unit that can generate tens of kilowatts (kW (sub e)) of spacecraft electrical power during the mission coast phase eliminating the need for large PVAs. A single inflatable "TransHab-type" habitation module is also used with multiple vertical floors oriented radial to the MTV spin axis. The BNTR MTV's geometry - long and linear - is naturally compatible with AG operation. By rotating the vehicle about its center-of-mass and perpendicular to its flight vector at approximately 3.0 - 5.2 rpm, a centrifugal force and AG environment corresponding to approximately 0.38 - 1.0 g can be established to help maintain crew fitness out to Mars and back. Vehicles using NTP/BNTP can more readily accommodate the heavier payload mass and increased RCS propellant loading associated with AG operation, and can travel faster to and from Mars thereby reducing the crew's exposure to galactic cosmic radiation and solar flares. Mission scenario descriptions, key vehicle features and operational characteristics for each propulsion options are presented using the lift capability and payload volumes estimated for the SLS-1A and HLV.

Nuclear Propulsion↗