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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 OSTI2024

Inaugural Symposium of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment, Virginia Commonwealth University

The Inaugural Symposium of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment (ISEE) was held in Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia during April 26 – 28, 2023. The symposium addressed issues and challenges in energy and environment and highlighted the use of clean renewable energy to mitigate the adverse effects of fossil fuels and the greenhouse gases it produces. These issues are complex as the involve educating the public that the climate change is real, it is caused by the use of fossil fuels, it requires scientists and engineers to understand the fundamental science in the production and storage of renewable energy, it requires industries to manufacture and distribute the equipment necessary for commercial application of these technologies, it requires policy makers to put together policies and guidelines to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies efficient, and it requires social scientists and educators to address environmental justice issues and create a workforce to sustain the transition. The symposium considered all the above issues with a diverse list of speakers from the federal and state government, industrial partners, and experts from science and technology to social sciences and public policy. Speakers from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Department of Energy, universities, and non-governmental agencies discussed the challenges and solutions in Plenary as well as Panel sessions. The talks were recorded with permission from the speakers and the panelists and were put in the ISEE website. The participants included students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors from Virginia Commonwealth University and local area Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) such as Virginia State University and Norfolk State University. The $5000 fund awarded by the Department of Energy were used to support the participation of students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty from the HBCU institutions. The technical program the list of participants is provided later in the document.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) State-of-Industry Report: State of SAF Production Process

GHG emissions related to commercial air travel were already significant, at 10% of the domestic transportation emissions and 3% of the global greenhouse gas emissions prior to the pandemic, and are expected to double by 2050, even with modest projected growth in air travel. Since Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is the only way that medium to long haul commercial aviation can be decarbonized, a US government wide "SAF Grand Challenge" was issued to encourage industry to develop capabilities to produce SAF, to reduce cost, improve sustainability, build value chains, and to scale production capabilities (1). The targets are to expand current domestic SAF 2022 production by 200X to 3 billion gallons per year by 2030, and then further by 12X to 35 billion gallons by 2050, while achieving life cycle GHG reduction of 50% relative to fossil Jet A. Following the SAF Grand Challenge, the DOE, USDA, EPA and FAA collaboratively developed a comprehensive strategy, outlined in the "SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap" (2), to inform stakeholders of the actions necessary to achieve the above volumetric targets. The purpose of this study is to provide an assessment of the current state of the SAF production industry and identify challenges and hurdles that industry may face in delivering the 2030 goals. This assessment is for the potential feedstocks and conversion pathways expected to contribute to 2030 goals and will generally follow action areas in the SAF Grand Challenge: feedstocks, conversion technology, supply chain, and policy & valuation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Combustion, Soot, and Contrail Formation

The aviation industry stands at a crossroads, facing the dual challenge of meeting the growing global demand for air travel while mitigating its environmental impact. As concerns over climate change intensify, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) have emerged as a promising solution to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel. The aviation sector has long been recognized as a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) being a primary concern. SAFs, derived from renewable feedstocks such as biomass, waste oils, or synthetic processes, offer a promising avenue for reducing the net carbon emissions associated with aviation. While SAFs have shown potential in lowering CO 2 emissions, the combustion process introduces complexities related to soot particle formation and contrail generation that require comprehensive exploration. These aspects are pivotal not only for their environmental implications but also for their influence on atmospheric climate interactions. As the aviation industry increasingly embraces SAFs to meet sustainability goals, it is imperative to assess their combustion characteristics, unravel the mechanisms of soot formation, and scrutinize the factors influencing contrail development.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Z Facility Sustainment Status (November FY 2024) [Slides]

FY24 sustainment project list has been revised resulting in sixteen projects. Total budget for the finalized project list is $9,570,968 (includes FY23 Carryover and FY24). Key factors for project selection included: risk mitigation to address operations highest failure risk subsystems, purchase of long lead parts to address life limited parts, and completion of multi phase sustainment projects initiated in prior year. Given the backlog of projects and limited FY24 funding, there are identified projects that are not included in the final project list that could reduce future Z facility failure risk. Should additional budget become available, these identified projects can be kicked off.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Z Facility Sustainment Status (September FY2023) [Slides]

FY23 Sustainment, performed from 1 March through 30 September, completed with Cumulative Costs at 69% and combined Costs plus Commitments at 87%. Nineteen projects were completed in FY23. Eleven projects continue to close out purchasing activities or will roll over into FY24 projects. Two projects have been placed on hold and will be reevaluated for potential future consideration. Diagnostics projects issued all planned FY23 purchases and finished FY23 with 78% cumulative costs and combined costs and commitments at 102%. FY24 Sustainment Project identification, definition and prioritization was completed. Once the budget is finalized, project selection will quickly be set and projects kicked off.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sustainable Herbaceous Energy Crop Production in the Southeast United States

This project aims to develop a comprehensive assessment of the economic viability and environment sustainability of energycane and biomass sorghum for bioenergy development in the southeast United States. Data on biomass production, economics, and environmental sustainability of energycane and biomass sorghum were collected across four states (Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida) in multi-year field experiments. Comprehensive data analyses were conducted to address 13 subject areas

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Building partnerships for development of sustainable energy systems with atmospheric measurements

Atmospheric dynamics often play a critical role in the sustainability and reliability of diverse forms of energy production. This is especially true for the growing number of renewable energy deployments that harness aspects of the environment for power production. While the University of Memphis has a strong research background in energy systems, we have little experience working with the Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division (EESSD) and their associated User Facilities. Of particular interest to us is the Atmospheric Science Research and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility to address surface-boundary layer interactions and physical phenomena. One of the major challenges for understanding and developing energy systems and management platforms is accurate modeling/forecasting of atmospheric conditions across disparate spatial and temporal scales. These conditions are often required to understand the lowest levels of the atmospheric boundary layer, but are also important to understand higher atmospheric conditions where aerosols affect cloud development. The objective of this work was to develop partnerships with national laboratories for collaboration on environmental science and its intersection with sustainable energy systems, as well as to leverage the ARM user facility data repositories to enhance our research capabilities in energy systems and their inter-dependence on environmental systems for future engagement with EESSD. Specifically, we accomplished these objectives by (1) developing collaborations with Oakridge National Laboratory ARM Data Science and Integration Group which resulted in student internships, (2) employed ARM data to develope modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer optical turbulence, and (3) optimally-sized large-scale renewable energy systems and their associated energy storage systems with ARM repository data.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design and Development of the Handling Frame Assembly Table for the NIF Sustainment Project (Draft)

The Handling Frame Assembly Table is a custom designed piece of equipment developed to support the NIF Sustainment Project. The NIF Sustainment project's goal is to refurbish the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s largest and most energetic laser, so it can continue advancing research in fusion energy, national security, and high energy density physics. A key aspect of this effort involves replacing all 1,728 blast shields on the NIF, which requires specialized equipment such as the Handling Frame Assembly Table to support the production of new blast shields. This project follows a systems engineering approach that guides the design sequence. This report documents the design process from initial concept through final design, including stakeholder analysis, requirements development, conceptual design, design analysis and validation, and final design. Future work will focus on building and commissioning the system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Greater Toledo Community Foundation Sustainable Communities Educational Initiative (Final Technical Report)

The Greater Toledo Community Foundation’s (GTCF) Sustainable Communities Educational Initiative leveraged the two recently constructed Overland Solar Arrays to launch a diverse collection of educational activities designed to promote the intersection between workforce development, renewable energy and community activism to showcase emerging avenues for greater prosperity in communities that have experienced historic disinvestment. In addition to educational programming focused on employment in the clean energy and advanced manufacturing fields, the project also activated storytelling approaches to explain sustainable energy’s role in philanthropy, grantmaking and resident-led neighborhood enhancements.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

North America’s Potential for an Environmentally Sustainable Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt Battery Value Chain

The Detroit Big Three General Motors (GMs), Ford, and Stellantis predict that electric vehicle (EV) sales will comprise 40–50% of the annual vehicle sales by 2030. Among the key components of LIBs, the LiNixMnyCo1−x−yO2 cathode, which comprises nickel, manganese, and cobalt (NMC) in various stoichiometric ratios, is widely used in EV batteries. This review reveals NMC cathodes from laboratory research. Furthermore, this study examines the environmental effect of NMC cathode production for EV batteries (including coating technologies), encompassing aspects such as energy consumption, water usage, and air emissions. Although gaps persist in NMC cathode environmental assessments (NMC111, NMC532, NMC622, and NMC811), limited life cycle assessments “(LCA)” have been conducted. Most available data originate from Asia (primarily China), accounting for 85% of the production of EV LIB cathode materials. The concept of battery passports for data collection on LIB components has been proposed to facilitate material traceability as a system for ensuring a sustainable supply chain for critical minerals. The automotive industry’s shift to electrification necessitates a sustainable supply chain from mine to vehicle end-of-life. As the critical mineral supply moves from Asia to North America, environmentally friendly industrial methods must be studied to provide this supply chain direction.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Carbon Removal Accounting for a Sustainable Future: Distributing CO 2 Flows in Multiservice Systems

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) systems are an integral part of sustainable pathways limiting global warming to less than 2.0 °C. When the sole purpose of CDR is capturing and storing atmospheric CO 2 , carbon registries offer detailed procedures to calculate the carbon removal credits. However, the registries do not address how to distribute CO 2 flows when CDR provides additional services. Standardized, transparent rules for distributing CO 2 flows among CDR services are required for the formation of efficient private and public carbon markets. The lack of such rules could result in double counting if those reductions are allocated to more than one service, decreasing the trustworthiness of carbon removal credits or deterring the delivery of an additional low-carbon service, thus limiting the economic viability and deployment of CDR. We examine allocation rules in carbon registries and carbon accounting guidelines, including their life cycle assessment (LCA) principles. We evaluate physical (mass-based) and non-physical (economic) allocation methods using a generic CDR system and find both to be unworkable. We then develop a mass balance (MB) approach which can reliably allocate captured and stored carbon (CSC) between carbon removal credits and other services based on the value CO 2 removal in those markets. This practical approach to allocation can be used in a transparent way to provide flexibility that would allow CDR services to capture the value of the multiple services they provide and, through this, promote the deployment of these sustainable alternatives.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Beyond Leakage: Non-Revenue Water Loss and Economic Sustainability

Water loss in urban supply systems poses significant challenges for water utility companies worldwide, affecting both sustainable access to clean water and the financial viability of utility operations. This study analyzes the evolution of water losses in high-level supply systems from 2017 to 2021 in Portugal, focusing on its implications for the profitability of water utility companies across NUTs II regions. Drawing on data from various sources, including the National Information System for Water Resources, PORDATA, ERSAR, and ORBIS, this analysis identifies trends, patterns, and potential factors influencing water loss dynamics. Key components of the analysis include calculating average annual losses, examining unbilled water percentages, and conducting regression analysis to quantify the impact of water loss on profit margins. The findings contribute to the literature on water loss management and financial performance in the water utility sector, offering insights for policymakers, water utility managers, and stakeholders to enhance financial sustainability and reduce water losses.

Santos, Eleonora (ORCID:0000000346930804)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable aviation fuels from biomass and biowaste via bio- and chemo-catalytic conversion: Catalysis, process challenges, and opportunities

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production from biomass and biowaste streams is an attractive option for decarbonizing the aviation sector, one of the most-difficult-to-electrify transportation sectors. Despite ongoing commercialization efforts using ASTM-certified pathways (e.g., lipid conversion, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis), production capacities are still inadequate due to limited feedstock supply and high production costs. New conversion technologies that utilize lignocellulosic feedstocks are needed to meet these challenges and satisfy the rapidly growing market. Combining bio- and chemo-catalytic approaches can leverage advantages from both methods, i.e., high product selectivity via biological conversion, and the capability to build C-C chains more efficiently via chemical catalysis. Herein, conversion routes, catalysis, and processes for such pathways are discussed, while key challenges and meaningful R&D opportunities are identified to guide future research activities in the space. Bio and chemo-catalytic conversion primarily utilize the carbohydrate fraction of lignocellulose, leaving lignin as a waste product. This makes lignin conversion to SAF critical in order to utilize whole biomass, thereby lowering overall production costs while maximizing carbon efficiencies. Thus, lignin valorization strategies are also reviewed herein with vital research areas identified, such as facile lignin depolymerization approaches, highly integrated conversion systems, novel process configurations, and catalysts for the selective cleavage of aryl C–O bonds. The potential efficiency improvements available via integrated conversion steps, such as combined biological and chemo-catalytic routes, along with the use of different parallel pathways, are identified as key to producing all components of a cost-effective, 100% SAF.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Designing Cost‐Effective Carbon Payments to Induce Cellulosic Feedstock Production for Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Perennial bioenergy crops, such as miscanthus and switchgrass, and crop residues have the potential to scale up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production and mitigate carbon emissions. However, high establishment costs, delayed returns, and risk–return profiles that diverge from those of conventional crops can hinder incentives to adopt bioenergy crops. We develop an economic model that incorporates spatially varying joint yield and price distributions for the multiple crop choices a farmer faces and apply it to examine the incentives for risk-averse, present-biased, and credit-constrained farmers to produce cellulosic feedstocks under various biomass prices. We link this model to a biogeochemical model to quantify the spatially varying carbon mitigation benefits from these feedstocks in the rainfed region of the United States. We also analyze the cost-effectiveness of two carbon payment policies: annual and upfront. We find that risk-averse, present-biased, or credit-constrained farmers prefer to grow the lower-yielding but less risky switchgrass and harvest corn stover instead of the lower carbon, higher-yielding but riskier feedstock miscanthus, resulting in lower SAF production. Upfront carbon payments incentivize higher quantities of less carbon-intensive SAF production by risk-averse, credit-constrained, and present-biased farmers because they offset a part of the establishment costs of miscanthus. We also find that when farmers are credit-constrained, upfront payments are more cost-effective in terms of carbon mitigation per dollar spent. In contrast, annual payments are more cost-effective when farmers can access credit.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Updated sustainability status of cadmium telluride thin‐film photovoltaic systems and projections

This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the up-to-date life-cycle sustainability status of cadmium-telluride based photovoltaic (PV) systems. Current production modules (Series 6 and Series 7) are analyzed in terms of their energy performance and environmental footprint and compared with the older series 4 module production and current single-crystalline Silicon (sc-Si) module production. For fixed-tilt systems with Series 6 modules operating under average US irradiation of 1800 kWh/m 2 /year, the global warming potential (GWP) is reduced from 16 g CO 2eq /kWh in Series 4 systems to 10 CO 2 eq /kWh in Series 6 systems. For operation in US-SW irradiation of 2300 kWh/m 2 /year, the GWP is reduced from 11 to 8 CO 2eq /kWh and for 1-axis tracking systems operating in Phoenix, Arizona, with point-of array irradiation of 3051 kWh/m 2 /year the GWP is reduced to 6.5 CO 2eq /kWh. Similar reductions have happened in all environmental indicators. Energy payback times (EPBT) of currently installed systems range from 0.6 years for fixed–tilt ground–mounted installations at average US irradiation at latitude tilt installations to 0.3 years for one-axis trackers at high US-SW irradiation, considering average fossil-fuel dominated electricity grids with fuel to electricity conversion efficiency of 0.3. The resulting energy return on energy investment (EROI) also depends on the conversion efficiency of the electricity grid and on the operation life expectance. For a 30-year operational life and grid conversion efficiency of 0.3, EROI ranges from 50 (at US average irradiation) to 70 for US-SW irradiation. The EROI declines with increased grid conversion efficiency; for CdTe PV operating in south California with grid conversion efficiency of 49%, the EROI is about 50 and is projected to fall to 30 when the state's 2030 target of 80% renewable energy penetration materializes. Material alternatives that show a potential of further reductions in degradation rates and materials for enhanced encapsulation that would enable longer operation lives have also been investigated. A degradation rate of 0.3%/year, which has been verified by accelerated testing, is assumed in 30-year scenarios; this is projected to be reduced to 0.2%/year in the near-term and potentially to 0.1%/year in the longer term. With such low degradation rates and enhanced edge-sealing, modules can last 40- to 50-years. Consequently, all impact indicators will be proportionally reduced while EROI will increase. This detailed LCA was conducted according to ISO standards and IEA PVPS Task 12 guidelines. Furthermore, the study revealed that the choices of system models, methods and temporal system boundaries can significantly impact the results and points out to the need to include assumptions regarding these choices in the “transparency in reporting” requirements listed in the IEA PVPS Task 12 Guidelines.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quantifying health benefits of sustainable aviation fuels: Modeling decreased ultrafine particle emissions and associated impacts on communities near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP, ≤100 nm) is an emerging health concern linked to premature mortality, with jet fuel combustion identified as a significant source of UFPs near airports. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) adoption has the potential to reduce aviation-related UFPs and may particularly benefit populations who reside nearby. However, assessing aviation-specific impacts on health remains challenging due to the lack of tools capable of addressing: fine-scale exposure evaluation, novel ambient pollutants, and groups with increased exposure or susceptibility. We develop and apply a method to estimate reductions in mortality associated with aviation-related UFP reductions at the Seattle-Tacoma (SEA-TAC) International Airport under SAF adoption scenarios, with a focus on near-airport communities. Using UFP exposure surfaces generated from AERMOD modeling, flight count data, and UFP measurements, we evaluated UFP reductions under various control scenarios. We estimated mortality reductions by combining this with population data, baseline mortality, and a hazard ratio of 1.012 (95 % confidence interval: 1.010, 1.015) per interquartile range increment of 2723 particles/cm 3 . Our analysis included 412 census tracts representing almost 1.5 million adults. Baseline aviation-related UFP exposures averaged 1145 (SD: 277) particles/cm 3 . The highest baseline concentrations and subsequent reductions under SAF scenarios were near SEA-TAC. Mortality case reductions averaged between 3.1 (95 % range: 2.5–3.7) for a 5 % UFP reduction to 31.0 (24.6–37.4) for a 50 % reduction, with corresponding mortality rate reductions of 0.2 (0.2–0.3) to 2.1 (1.7–2.5) cases per 100,000 people per year. Mortality rate reductions were larger among populations residing closer to SEA-TAC, including those that were Hispanic or Latino, below-poverty, and did not identify as White. Reducing aviation-related UFPs through SAF adoption could lead to lower mortality, particularly in near-airport communities. This reproducible approach can be adapted to other settings to evaluate health benefits from aviation-related UFP reductions.

Aviation-related air pollution↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ten questions on building stock modeling to inform energy efficiency and sustainability

To enhance economic competitiveness and ensure energy efficiency, resilience, and security, cities and governments are adopting technologies and strategies to improve their existing building stocks. This approach aims to reduce energy use, improve energy affordability, and ensure a reliable power supply while safeguarding occupants during extreme weather events that may disrupt energy services. The effectiveness of these solutions will depend on building stock characteristics, use patterns, weather conditions, evolving technologies and their markets, and a city’s socio-economic conditions. This paper presents ten questions and answers that highlight the most important issues regarding the use of building stock modeling as a powerful tool to provide insights for informing stakeholders’ actions and decision-making on energy efficiency, costs reduction, and resilience of buildings in cities. Building stock modeling should build upon the fit-for-purpose framework, balancing the use case accuracy requirements, level of complexity, and needed resources (expertise, compute). The advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the increasingly available open dataset of building stock in cities, and the more affordable powerful computing will accelerate the adoption of building stock modeling across scales by researchers and practitioners to inform decision making on sustainability and efficiency.

AI↗