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DOE OSTI2023

Unrealized Critical Lanthanide Extraction from Sea Algae Mining (UNCLE SAM): Domestic production of critical minerals from seawater

The UNCLE-SAM project, under the Biotechnologies to Ensure a Robust Supply of Critical Materials for Clean Energy program, examined the biomining applications of seaweeds for sustainable, domestic production of critical mineral feedstocks. The ocean is a vast reserve of mineralogical wealth including rare earth elements (REEs) and platinum group metal (PGMs). These elements, categorized as “critical minerals”, are used in telecommunication devices, lasers, LED lighting, turbine generators, electric car motors, jet engine alloys, and many other applications. These critical elements are increasingly vital to a thriving, efficient and sustainable society. However, only a few countries in the global market currently produce and export REEs, leading to potential geopolitical supply disruptions. Marine macroalgae, often referred to as seaweeds, bioconcentrate critical minerals from seawater, including REEs and PGMs. Marine algae cultivation can generate a significant amount of biomass with minimal freshwater, fertilizer, and land requirements. In summary, the UNCLE-SAM project successfully evaluated the technological feasibility for marine macroalgal cultivation as a feedstock for critical minerals, explored the biological capacity of different seaweeds to provide economically relevant domestic mineral production, assessed processing techniques for thermal co-conversion of seaweeds into renewable fuel and mineral feedstocks, and executed techno-economic and lifecycle assessments for identifying the most critical gaps in our current understanding to move the technology into commercially relevant deployment. Further development of this technology could transform the bioproduct and REE mining industries and catalyze the development of a more sustainable future.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Low‐cost, Long Duration Electrical Energy Storage Using a CO 2 ‐based Pumped Thermal Energy Storage

The increasing deployment of non‐dispatchable, intermittent renewable energy generation sources to address climate change is placing pressure upon electrical grids’ ability to match supply with demand. The need to deploy large quantities of long duration energy storage assets is rapidly approaching, and innovative methods of energy storage that are low cost, efficient, safe and environmentally benign are needed urgently. CO 2 ‐based Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) is a low cost, efficient and environmentally safe energy storage technology. PTES uses an electrically‐driven CO 2 heat pump to charge thermal reservoirs that are later used as resources to generate electricity using a CO 2 heat engine. In this program, Echogen and collaborators refined the design of a utility‐scale CO 2 PTES system and demonstrated key technologies that will be required for successful commercial development in a laboratory‐scale system. Component and system‐level performance was evaluated over multiple charge/discharge cycles, with favorable results. Echogen is continuing to develop and commercialize this technology at utility scale.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2023

UNrealized Critical Lanthanide Extraction from Sea Algae Mining (UNCLE SAM)

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Marine Energy Technology Development Risk Management Framework

Over the past decades, the global marine energy industry has suffered a number of serious technological and commercial setbacks. To help reduce the risks of industry failures and advance the development of new technologies, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a Marine Energy Risk Management Framework in 2015, with this revision published in 2024. This risk management framework shall be utilized on all DOE Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) projects that require system testing in the open water. By addressing uncertainties, the Marine Energy Risk Management Framework increases the likelihood of successful development of marine energy converter technology. It covers projects of any technology readiness level technology performance level (TPL) and all risk types (e.g. technological risk, regulatory risk, commercial risk) over the development cycle. This risk framework is not a substitute for other risk management procedures that may be required for marine operations, such as installations at sea, hoisting and rigging, safe diver operations, and other safety requirements. This risk framework is intended to meet DOE's risk management expectations for marine energy technology research and development efforts from WPTO. It also provides an overview of other relevant risk management tools and documentation.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2023

Ampaire ARPA-e Electric Flight Testbed

A hybrid-electric aircraft flying testbed was developed in this program with the intent to serve as a dedicated, enduring testbed to test and evaluate ARPA-e CIRCUITS Program and other electrified aviation technologies in relevant flight environments. This testbed enabled rapid development cycles of novel and innovative technologies in the electrified aviation space, maturing them from a research lab environment to flying in an aircraft. By providing research groups with the means to test their transformative technologies in a real-world, aircraft environment, the path to validating the safety and reliability of their technologies for future commercial opportunities was greatly accelerated. Three core technologies were integrated and tested: an inverter/motor drive built by the University of Arkansas, a solid-state circuit breaker (iBreaker) built by the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Flying Capacitor Multi-level (FCML) DC/DC converter built by the University of California, Berkeley. In each of these cases, the requirements established for safety of flight resulted in a holistic approach to the designs, evoking a deeper understanding of the potential failure modes and mitigations necessary to build a robust and flightworthy system. Further, the integration into a hybrid-electric aircraft de-risked the potential electrical and mechanical issues that cannot easily be experienced or replicated in a lab environment. The experiments were also required to undergo representative temperature, shock, and vibration testing as the FAA prescribes for this category of aircraft, facilitating familiarity with the relevant design and test guidelines necessary to commercialize the technologies. This testbed unlocks the massive potential of core power electronics technologies necessary for a safe, robust, and efficient electric aviation future. With quick iterative design, test, and flight cycles, these core technologies are on a quicker path to technology readiness level maturity and commercialization, enabling a more sustainable future for the aviation industry.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Technology for Dry Retrieval of Tank Waste

The Hanford Roadmap report (NNLEMS-2022-00005) identified Dry Retrieval as an opportunity to make a significant impact on accelerating the Department of Energy-Environmental Management tank waste mission. Several commercially available technologies have been identified that hold the potential to enable Single Shell Tank retrieval without large infrastructure investments. The opportunity exists to leverage the technologies of the commercial mining, food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries with advances in robotics for the tank waste retrieval mission.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2021

Clearing a Path to Commercialization of Marine Renewable Energy Technologies Through Public–Private Collaboration

Governments are increasingly turning toward public–private partnerships to bring industry support to improving public assets or services. Here, we describe a unique public–private collaboration where a government entity has developed mechanisms to support public and private sector advancement and commercialization of monitoring technologies for marine renewable energy. These support mechanisms include access to a range of skilled personnel and test facilities that promote rapid innovation, prove reliability, and inspire creativity in technology development as innovations move from concept to practice. The ability to iteratively test hardware and software components, sensors, and systems can accelerate adoption of new methods and instrumentation designs. As a case study, we present the development of passive acoustic monitoring technologies customized for operation in energetic waves and currents. We discuss the value of testing different systems together, under the same conditions, as well as the progression through different test locations. The outcome is multiple, complementary monitoring technologies that are well suited to addressing an area of high environmental uncertainty and reducing barriers to responsible deployment of low-carbon energy conversion systems, creating solutions for the future.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

DOE OSTI2024

Towards Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) Centers of Excellence

A diverse portfolio of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies will be essential to meeting climate goals while supporting sustainable development. In particular, marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) methods can help diversify the existing portfolio, which currently relies heavily on engineered direct air capture systems for large-scale atmospheric removals. To fulfill their potential in the CDR ecosystem, these early-stage mCDR technologies require additional research and development. Here, we propose regional mCDR Technology Centers of Excellence that will provide inventors and developers with access to right-scale facilities and engineering expertise that will meet their needs wherever they are on the journey from bench- to pilot-scale development. To support innovation across the technological readiness level spectrum, these Centers will provide collaborative access to ocean-based mCDR testing sites; other opportunities for partnering with multidisciplinary experts in technology development and commercialization; provide meaningful pathways for integrated engagement with local industrial and regulatory systems; and help in developing tailored, impactful community benefit models. Ideal sites are co-located in areas with a favorable natural environment for testing mCDR, well studied baselines, accessible infrastructure for multidisciplinary marine research, and technology commercialization support. As a case study, we offer the Pacific Northwest as particularly suitable for a regional mCDR Technology Center of Excellence given existing and potential growth of all the characteristics of ideal sites listed above, and which could especially benefit from the region’s growing marine climate technology sector. Last, we offer a brief whole-of-government perspective for supporting and regulating these Centers of Excellence, including identification of mCDR Science Centers of Excellence to ensure that the development of mCDR technologies dovetails with much-needed advancements in oceanographic observation and simulation infrastructure.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Voucher Opportunity 5-15: Independent Assessment of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Technologies and Practices for Enhanced Rock Weathering (CRADA 718) Abstract

Development of robust, transparent, and precise monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) technologies and practices is critical for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) project developers to comply with regulatory and permitting requirements, voluntary carbon market (VCM) protocols, and to ensure safety while reducing environmental impacts. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW)-based CDR technologies focus on removing atmospheric carbon through conversion into thermodynamically stable solid or aqueous carbonate forms for permanent storage (i.e., mineralization). This highly durable form of CDR enhances naturally occurring silicate rock weathering cycles by optimizing application of finely-ground silicate rock particles (i.e., from basalt) on terrestrial agricultural lands to accelerate natural silicate rock weathering and mineralization. Enhanced rock weathering may also provide improved crop yields and enhance soil health. A critical aspect for commercialization of these technologies is the development of MRV to quantify the net removal and durable storage of atmospheric CO 2 . For ERW systems, it is essential to accurately characterize the mineral feedstock selected for application to establish the baseline geochemical composition, mineral dissolution rates, and carbon removal potential of the feedstocks to estimate overall net removal. Given the difficulty with conducting MRV for ERW in diverse soil/environment types, over large application areas, and due to complex chemical reaction networks, this project will accelerate understanding towards consensus on best practices for MRV. The overall objectives of the proposed voucher project are to: 1) Characterize and analyze feedstock(s) intended for ERW field application by Lithos Carbon (“Voucher Recipient”/ “CRADA Participant”) to determine overall mineralization potential; 2) Facilitate knowledge transfer and documentation of experimental protocols, instrumentation, and other relevant best practices; and 3) Support the Voucher Recipient’s broader technology commercialization and ERW Research Facility development plans. This work will align with the Voucher Recipient’s MRV plans for field sites and build upon complementary efforts conducted by PNNL on mineralization MRV.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Integrated and Advanced Lighting Controls: The Next Frontier in Energy Savings?

Lighting energy use has significantly declined as a portion of overall building energy usage due largely to the uptake of more efficient light-emitting diode technology. Although the per unit cost of lighting controls has declined, the installation and use of lighting controls are low and the installation and use of advanced controls are abysmally low. Increased use of advanced and connected lighting controls, and the ability to integrate lighting with other building systems (e.g., heat and air, plug loads, miscellaneous loads) that make the building “smarter,” offer the potential for additional energy savings. Studies into the performance of new, advanced lighting control technologies in commercial buildings have generated new findings. Although each field evaluation has interesting results individually, an analysis of their collective findings across a spectrum of commercial building types will help establish the current state of the technology and implications related to market readiness. This paper will analyze results from available field evaluation studies (recently completed as well as ongoing) of retrofit sites and share findings and insights including: • The amount of energy savings that may be expected from these systems. • Cost effectiveness, monetization, and cost points of these systems. • Ideal characteristics of these systems the most viable. • Lessons learned from the installation, commissioning, and occupant response of these systems. The results will support Department of Energy research investments and help inform efficiency programs of the potential of these emerging technologies and how they may fit within the clean energy future.

Myer, Michael↗

DOE OSTI2022

Manufacturing Supply Chain Development for Modular Solar-Thermochemical Conversion Platform - CRADA 387 (Final Report)

Modular chemical process intensification (MCPI) is an emerging field where chemical processing is performed using small-scale modular equipment instead of conventional large centralized chemical plants. Conventional chemical plants benefit from economies of scale that encourage scale-up to ever larger plants. A goal of MCPI is to develop technology that intensifies processing so that equipment can be dramatically smaller and integrated into modular systems. Scale-up occurs by adding more modules in parallel rather than making the equipment larger. A key concept is that equipment and modules can ultimately be cheaper by leveraging economies of mass production, analogous to the automotive industry, in manufacturing the equipment. This project made significant progress toward this outcome by meeting the RAPID institute metric to reduce equipment cost by 20% for each doubling in manufacturing volume. The MCPI application was thermochemical technology that is being commercialized by STARS Technology Corporation, one of the CRADA partners. The technology converts solar and renewable power to chemical energy to produce renewable hydrogen, fuels, and chemicals. The benefit to the public is reduction in greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change. The project transitioned the steam methane reforming (SMR) reactor from conventional fabrication methods to additive manufacturing (AM) direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process. This is projected to reduce the cost of making a reactor by 58% when producing 100 reactors per year. Innovations in the DMLS process produced a patented design that reduces reactor weight by 60%. Reductions in material costs and processing time extend the DMLS advantage to higher production volumes. The new design promises to be 38% cheaper than the conventional processes at 1000 units per year. The resulting 87% reduction in the steam methane reforming (SMR) module cost in scaling from current costs meets the RAPID metric. The project was successful in producing and testing the first ever additively manufactured SMR reactors. A reactor achieved over 82% efficiency in converting electric power to chemical energy, which is a world record for an inductively heated SMR. The project has contributed to the design and assembly of a first demonstration plant that is headed to a hydrogen bus filling station in Thousand Palms, CA.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2025

Commercialization of a Non-Intrusive Optical (NIO) Technology to Measure Heliostat Optical Errors in Utility-Scale Concentrating Solar Power Plants: Final TCF Report

The drone-based Non-Intrusive Optical (NIO) Technology has been developed at NREL to allow for efficient and automated optical characterization of heliostats in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. For this project, the technology will be developed into a commercial tool package, including software and user-interface (UI), operations manual, and training and support services. The project team will partner with Tietronix to perform market assessment and stakeholder engagement, develop the tool package and business model, and perform data collection and analysis to demonstrate and refine the capabilities for use at a commercial plant. The team will collaborate with a commercial plant to conduct the data collection operations and provide optical error deliverables. The goal of the project is to advance the commercialization of the technology to a stage where a beta version can be demonstrated at additional commercial plants and developed into a licensable product.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Unlocking Metamaterials At The Macro Scale (CRADA Final Report)

This project was part of the Cyclotron Road program, which supports scientific entrepreneurs in their efforts to commercialize novel technologies with potential to address energy, manufacturing and climate related issues. The participants' technology is a lightweight cellular material system which could be applied to a range of products and markets and offer benefits of reduced weight, cost, waste, and carbon footprint. The objective of the project was to investigate potential opportunities and de-risk technical and market barriers in pursuit of successful commercialization. This project’s purpose was to find market pathways and technical roadmaps for commercializing the lightweight cellular material technology. The main problems to overcome are the risks in both tech and market. On the technical side, performance, weight, cost and speed of manufacturing, and other scaleup problems needed to be addressed. On the market side, the challenges included finding product/market fit, developing business models and go to market strategies, and developing commercial relationships within various industries. Our approach typically started with market analysis, in order to identify potential applications where our technology could solve problems and address pain points. To do this, we performed customer discovery, interviewing hundreds of industry stakeholders along all parts of the value chain for a given product or industry. From here, we would develop technoeconomic models which combined aspects of numerical modeling for structural and mechanical performance based on criteria from customers or industry guidelines such as stiffness, strength, weight, and other physical properties. Then, this would be combined with detailed cost models to translate the engineering solution into a manufacturable, scalable product. The challenge here was to have equal or better performance at lower cost and higher speed than existing solutions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Intensification and Integration of Hydrogen and Ammonia Production

In this project the Colorado School of Mines developed a more efficient method for on-site and on-demand generation of high purity hydrogen from ammonia for hydrogen fueling stations. Used primarily as a fertilizer, ammonia is the world’s highest volume commodity chemical. Having 17.6% hydrogen by mass, it also shows potential as a hydrogen carrier and carbon-free fuel. The team developed new technology to generate fuel cell quality hydrogen from ammonia using a catalytic membrane reactor (CMR). In addition, during the project we pivoted to use this CMR technology for the production of NH3/H2 mixtures for use in clean combustion applications. We demonstrated that these mixtures may serve as a drop-in replacement for conventional hydrocarbons such as natural gas. This project entails development of new catalysts, new membranes, and their innovative integration. This project helped generate >$4M in follow on funding at Mines, and resulted in the formation of a clean tech startup, Blaze Energy Technologies, which has licensed IP developed in this project and is working to commercialize this technology.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2025

Ion-Pair Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells for Heavy-duty Transportation

The purpose of this project is to build a fuel cell prototype that demonstrates high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell technology (HT PEMFC) commercial readiness. It advances from a technology baseline established in a prior CRADA in which these same Parties collaborated during the years 2020-2024. These efforts are aligned with the intentions of the DOE Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology Office (HFTO) L’Innovator Pilot Program. Participant observes that its US-based competitive advantage may be improved by further optimizing Laboratory inventions. This CRADA is intended to further improve National Laboratory compositions and to develop commercial HT PEMFC membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) that perform over a range of operating temperatures and relative humidity, that generate power from both low grade and pure hydrogen, and that are resistant to air impurities. Participant’s goal is to advance the commercial competitiveness of National Laboratory technologies in fuel cell products for heavy-duty truck integrators, for stationary power generation, marine applications, and for emerging interest from commercial aviation. The Parties will collaborate on producing a HT PEMFC MEA that integrates LANL ion pair technology and Brookhaven catalyst technology. The Laboratories plan to research and develop compositions for testing and evaluation. The participant will manufacture multiple MEAs based on the Laboratory compositions and will enable selected customers to validate performance characteristics. The Laboratories will convey to Participant the methods of making the National Laboratory compositions such that Participant may reproduce and then scale Laboratory methods into commercial production. Throughout the project, the Laboratories and Participant will iteratively test and optimize the compositions of materials of the MEAs, intending to optimize characteristics such as power density and lifecycle durability. Participant’s intended customers include fuel cells for large trucks, aviation, power back up, marine, and portable power.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2022

CTAP REPORT. Commercialization of Power Spectrum Analysis (PSA) Technology

Power Spectrum Analysis (PSA) is a Sandia-developed, non-intrusive, electrical technique that captures distinct frequency-domain signatures of microelectronics devices using an innovative, unconventional biasing scheme (off-normal biasing). PSA can identify subtle differences in devices and is applicable in various areas such as device screening, counterfeit identification, reliability assurance, and trust authentication. From October 2020 to April 2021, Sandia worked with entrepreneurs from a new start-up company, Chiplytics, to commercialize PSA technology through NNSA-sponsored FedTech Program. In September 2021, Sandia received funding through Covid-19 Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) to provide technical assistance to Chiplytics for commercialization. Under the CTAP Statement of Work, Sandia was tasked with providing technical assistance to Chiplytics in PSA pilot testing for Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Crane and other pilot participants. Sandia was also tasked with assisting Chiplytics in hardware development and evaluation of Chiplytics prototype system.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2024

A Highly Efficient and Affordable Hybrid System for Hydrogen and Electricity Production (Final Project)

The pursuit of clean, secure, and sustainable energy has sparked significant interest in fuel cells for power generation and electrolyzer cells for hydrogen production. Among all types of fuel and electrolyzer cells, solid oxide cells (SOCs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their high efficiency and versatility. However, conventional oxygen-ion conductive SOCs face several challenges related to their performance and durability associated with their high-temperature operation (≥ 800 ºC). This has led to a growing interest in intermediate-temperature (≤ 650 ºC) proton-conducting solid oxide cells (p-SOCs) as potential alternatives. In collaboration between Phillips 66 and Georgia Tech, this project aims to achieve a 1 kW p-SOCs system to demonstrate the commercial viability of efficient SOC systems. This report addresses four primary areas and key challenges we overcame: (1) development of efficient and durable proton-conducting electrolyte (e.g., BaHf 0.1 Ce 0.7 Yb 0.2 O 3-δ ) and electrode/catalyst materials, (2) large area cell fabrication (10 x 10 cm 2 ), (3) scalable stack design and building (250 W and 1 kW), and (4) demonstration of a 1 kW prototype system. Notably, significant challenges faced during the large area cell fabrication process were addressed by achieving cell flatness, improving fabrication yield, and ensuring electrode/electrolyte interfacial adhesion. Stack designs were also developed, focusing on reducing contact resistance and optimizing stack components (e.g., sealants). These efforts resulted in the achievement of high performance and durability with promising outputs of 250 W and 1 kW. Furthermore, the integration of these stacks into a fuel-powered system was explored, with refinements made to heat management, as well as to pressure and heating conditions. The results demonstrated the potential applicability of our p-SOC technology in commercial energy storage and power generation systems. Additionally, the report discusses techno-economic analysis and a market transformation plan, aiming to evaluate and advance the commercial feasibility of this technology.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear Qualms Intern Poster

A 2022 Reuters poll found that 45% of Americans support nuclear power, 33% oppose it, and 20% are unsure, with opposers primarily concerned about meltdowns and nuclear waste. Establishing trust with the public has historically been a challenge for the nuclear energy development community. Technical jargon, specialized concepts and popular fictional portrayals are among the barriers to reassuring the public of modern reactor designs’ safety. Using ten letters sent in 1993 to Congress by interest groups and other archival sources, we demonstrate how the public’s misguided nuclear qualms contributed to Congress cancelling the promising Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) project at Argonne National Laboratory West’s (later INL) EBR II reactor in 1994. The decision halted the completion of a groundbreaking technology that cost the world 28 years and counting in lost time to validate and commercialize IFR technology.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗