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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Molten Chloride Technology Pathway to Meet the U.S. DOE SunShot Initiative with Gen3 CSP

Third-generation (Gen3) concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies require a thermally stable and inexpensive fluid to be used for heat transfer and thermal energy storage. For Gen3 CSP plants, a molten salt composed of MgCl2 - KCl - NaCl is a new candidate, but it is familiar enough to plants with existing molten-salt systems. To determine the best composition for the heat-transfer fluid, we mixed nine different ratios of the salts, dry/purified them following strict protocols, and tested them with a differential scanning calorimeter and a thermogravimetric analyzer. Our results showed that the lowest melting and solidification temperature of 385 degrees C +/- 1 degrees C was determined for the eutectic composition 44.7 MgCl2 - 25.8 KCl - 29.4 NaCl (mol.%). We determined that improper handling and preparation of the salt mixture highly affects its thermal properties because of moisture absorption. Preparation standards - particularly the dehydration of hydrous MgCl2 - merit further development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

NSTTF Gen 3 Topic 1 CSP Liquid-Pathway to SunShot Pipe Preheating System Comparison Report

The primary objective of this report is to determine a viable pipe preheating system for a chloride-salt blend that can preheat the pipe to 450°C and withstand a maximum exposure temperature of 750°C. Preheating involves heating the pipe to a specific desired temperature, called preheat temperature, of the pipe. The temperature is maintained by heated molten salt flowing through the piping system. This report reviews 5-types of pipe preheating systems, of which three pipe preheating systems- MI cable, heat tape, and ceramic fiber heaters, were found to be viable for the Gen 3 Liquid Pathway application. The report reviews the pipe preheating efficiency of conduction verses radiant heat transfer. For each of the 5 types of pipe preheating systems, the report describes the system and addresses installation requirements, temperature control, reliability survey, and pre-construction verification testing for the most applicable preheating system. Under Appendix A, images from design drawings demonstrate pipe routing with the preheating system and insulation attached to the pipe along with pipe guides and pipe supports, as designed using Caesar II finite element analysis within the SNL NSTTF Solar Power Tower.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

NSTTF Gen 3 Topic 1 CSP Liquid-Pathway to SunShot. Heat Trace Options Report

The primary objective of this report is to determine a viable pipe preheating system for a chloridesalt blend (40%MgCl2/20%NaCl/40%KCI) that can preheat the pipe to 450 °C and withstand a maximum exposure temperature of 740 °C. Preheating involves heating the pipe to a specific desired temperature, called preheat temperature, of the pipe. The temperature is maintained by heated molten salt flowing through the piping system. This report reviews 5-types of pipe preheating systems, of which three pipe preheating systems- MI cable, heat tape, and ceramic fiber heaters, were found to be viable for the Gen 3 Liquid Pathway application. The report reviews the pipe preheating efficiency of conduction verses radiant heat transfer. For each of the 5 types of pipe preheating systems, the report describes the system and addresses installation requirements, temperature control, reliability survey, and pre-construction verification testing for the most applicable preheating system. Under Appendix A, images from design drawings demonstrate pipe routing with the preheating system and insulation attached to the pipe along with pipe guides and pipe supports, as designed using Caesar II finite element analysis within the SNL NSTTF Solar Power Tower.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

CSP Gen3: Liquid-Phase Pathway to SunShot

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) established the Concentrating Solar Power Generation 3 (CSP Gen3) program to promote the development of advanced CSP systems capable of producing electricity at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) less than $60/MWh, based on criteria published in the CSP Gen3 Roadmap and a subsequent funding opportunity announcement (Gen3 FOA). This report documents the progress and potential of the “Liquid Pathway” to meet these objectives. The Liquid Pathway proposes the use of low-cost molten chloride salts for energy storage, mated with an operationally flexible solar receiver that employs liquid-metal sodium for heat capture and transfer to the storage salt. This approach leverages molten-salt technology from the current state-of-the-art CSP power towers embodied by plants such as Gemasolar, Crescent Dunes, Noor III, and the DEWA 700 CSP project. Furthermore, the design builds on the knowledge gained over decades of use of liquid-metal sodium as a high-temperature heat transfer fluid (HTF) in solar tests and nuclear-power applications. The commercial representation of the proposed Gen3 design incorporates a high-efficiency sodium receiver operating at ~740°C, with a liquid-liquid heat exchanger feeding a two-tank, molten-chloride salt storage system. Chloride salt is dispatched to a supercritical CO 2 (sCO 2 ) power cycle to provide electric power to the grid. The design integration is a conceptual match for the current sodium receiver → solar salt storage → steam-Rankine power cycle promoted by developer Vast Solar, which may facilitate commercial acceptance and development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Performance and Techno-Economic Evaluation of a Three-Phase, 50-kW SiC-Based PV Inverter

The technical capabilities and benefits of silicon carbide (SiC) compared to silicon (Si) based power electronics converters as well as the premium associated with using SiC instead of Si are well understood. This work proves that the benefits provided by SiC, such as increased efficiency, would result in a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE) compared to both commercially available, state-of-the-art inverters and the benchmark commercial system cost calculated for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office's SunShot program. The LCOE is calculated to be same as the commercial benchmark despite the installed system cost being 8% more than the benchmark. The LCOE calculation is based on both experiential values obtained from testing the SiC photovoltaic (PV) inverter and on the bottoms-up modeled volume cost for the same 50-kW SiC-based inverter. The PV system used for the LCOE model is also explained, and the system cost breakout is presented in this paper. Furthermore, multiple scenarios with variations in the PV system are presented to show their effect on the system LCOE.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Demonstration of High-Temperature Calcium-Based Thermochemical Energy Storage System for use with Concentrating Solar Power Facilities

Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems offer several advantages over sensible heat storage via molten salts for concentrating solar power (CSP) including: energy density, cost, indefinite storage time, and no risk of freezing. SR’s TCES system utilizes a CaO-based carbonation reaction at high temperature in a fixed bed heat exchanger reactor. The SunShot APOLLO project focuses on the validation of the calcium oxide sorbent for capacity, durability, system economics, and demonstration of the system at a small pilot scale, including system control and operation in simulated on-sun conditions, discharging at 720°C. Under phase I SR completed evaluation of the sorbent loaded in a single-channel heat exchanger reactor. The major accomplishments of phase II are: Design, fabrication and commissioning of a 4 kWhth pilot plant (50x capacity increase from previous bench scale) with a closed-loop CO 2 system, and a commercially relevant heat exchange reactor. The heat exchange reactor has been designed with state-of-the-art modeling tools to ensure 1) sufficient lifetime of the Incoloy body and 2) performance of the packed bed reactor will be adequate to meet the milestones. The rest of the pilot system has been designed with off-the shelf components to maximize reliability and cost effectiveness. The system is highly instrumented and capable of time resolved, independent measurements of the heat and mass balances respectively. Major developments in the technoeconomic analysis (TEA) include 1) reduction of the cost of membrane gas storage for the near-term and future systems and 2) integration with liquid metal receivers and particle receivers for higher decarbonation temperatures and pressures which reduced the cost of gas compression and increased system efficiency. The result are three scenarios with costs bases of 21.9 dollars, 14.3 dollars, and 10.9 dollars/kWh th corresponding to a real LCOE of 59, 57, 56 dollars/MW he , respectively. The basic operations of the energy storage system were demonstrated for carbonation (discharging) and decarbonation (charging) over short time periods. Excellent control of the CO 2 mass balance across the reactor was achieved with mass flow controllers and the basic operation of the level control of the CO 2 gas bladder was achieved. The system was apparently free from leaks and operated continuously for 18 days with no mechanical failures, thus meeting milestone 2.5.5. The major shortcomings of the system had to do with the controls which prevented us from deep cycling and or reaching high cycles. We were unable to decarbonate (charge) the system for more than a few minutes at a time, which was much shorter than the design target of 10 hrs. This issue could not be resolved due to facility availability and contract closure. One major finding is that CaO-based TCES is most cost efficient when charged with HTF (heat transfer fluid) temperatures >850°C to reach the round-trip exergy efficiency and system cost targets which are higher temperatures than those considered for Gen 3 CSP. Many of the balance of plant components do not exist today, however we are encouraged by our findings that in general with more work we are able to reduce the capital cost, for example with the membrane gas storage, which is an innovative component in itself. The CaO-based TCES system has potential to meet the latest SunShot 2030 goals of LCOE at 50 $/MW he with capital costs of <11/kWh th .

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Demonstration of High-Temperature Calcium-Based Thermochemical Energy Storage System for use with Concentrating Solar Power Facilities

Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems offer several advantages over sensible heat storage via molten salts for concentrating solar power (CSP) including: energy density, cost, indefinite storage time, and no risk of freezing. SR’s TCES system utilizes a CaO-based carbonation reaction at high temperature in a fixed bed heat exchanger reactor. The SunShot APOLLO project focuses on the validation of the calcium oxide sorbent for capacity, durability, system economics, and demonstration of the system at a small pilot scale, including system control and operation in simulated on-sun conditions, discharging at 720°C. Under phase I SR completed evaluation of the sorbent loaded in a single-channel heat exchanger reactor. The major accomplishments of phase II are: Design, fabrication and commissioning of a 4 kWhth pilot plant (50x capacity increase from previous bench scale) with a closed-loop CO 2 system, and a commercially relevant heat exchange reactor. The heat exchange reactor has been designed with state-of-the-art modeling tools to ensure 1) sufficient lifetime of the Incoloy body and 2) performance of the packed bed reactor will be adequate to meet the milestones. The rest of the pilot system has been designed with off-the shelf components to maximize reliability and cost effectiveness. The system is highly instrumented and capable of time resolved, independent measurements of the heat and mass balances respectively. Major developments in the technoeconomic analysis (TEA) include 1) reduction of the cost of membrane gas storage for the near-term and future systems and 2) integration with liquid metal receivers and particle receivers for higher decarbonation temperatures and pressures which reduced the cost of gas compression and increased system efficiency. The result are three scenarios with costs bases of 21.9 dollars, 14.3 dollars, and 10.9 dollars/kWhth corresponding to a real LCOE of 59, 57, 56 dollars/MWhe, respectively. The basic operations of the energy storage system were demonstrated for carbonation (discharging) and decarbonation (charging) over short time periods. Excellent control of the CO 2 mass balance across the reactor was achieved with mass flow controllers and the basic operation of the level control of the CO 2 gas bladder was achieved. The system was apparently free from leaks and operated continuously for 18 days with no mechanical failures, thus meeting milestone 2.5.5. The major shortcomings of the system had to do with the controls which prevented us from deep cycling and or reaching high cycles. We were unable to decarbonate (charge) the system for more than a few minutes at a time, which was much shorter than the design target of 10 hrs. This issue could not be resolved due to facility availability and contract closure. One major finding is that CaO-based TCES is most cost efficient when charged with HTF (heat transfer fluid) temperatures >850°C to reach the round-trip exergy efficiency and system cost targets which are higher temperatures than those considered for Gen 3 CSP. Many of the balance of plant components do not exist today, however we are encouraged by our findings that in general with more work we are able to reduce the capital cost, for example with the membrane gas storage, which is an innovative component in itself. The CaO-based TCES system has potential to meet the latest SunShot 2030 goals of LCOE at 50 dollars/MWhe with capital costs of <11/kWhth.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Improving reliability and reducing cost in CdTe photovoltaics via grain boundary engineering

A key pathway toward achieving the SunShot 2030 goals for thin films devices is to increase the overall module efficiency and reliability. Photovoltaic devices based on polycrystalline CdTe thin films are the leading candidate, followed closely by Si, that have achieved the 2020 SunShot target of $\$0.05$/kWh. However, to reach the goal for the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of less than $\$0.03$/kWh by 2030, several fundamental problems of CdTebased devices will need to be addressed: i) low Voc and conversion efficiencies of even the best research cell, ii) large variability of individual cell performances manufactured under identical conditions, and iii) degradation of cell performance within the first few years of operation in the field.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

OPTOM: Optimization of Parabolic Trough - Operations & Maintenance

The US Department of Energy’s SunShot goals look to reduce the cost of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technology to 5¢/kWh for baseload plants. This is about a 50% reduction from current costs. To achieve this cost target, a significant reduction in operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of 40 to 50% is likely needed. Advances are needed in the O&M practices of CSP plants if the technology is to achieve the SunShot cost goals. Digitization of plant performance and O&M data has become a new best practice in the world of renewable energy asset management. Owners and operators of large photovoltaic and wind power plants are working to digitize performance and O&M data at their existing assets, to improve their management of the facilities, to increase performance, reduce O&M costs, and lower the overall life cycle cost of ownership. CSP power plants are behind the curve of other technologies on the digitization of plant information to aid in the plant asset management. This project directly addresses the objective of digitizing the O&M data of the solar field, focusing on three areas: 1) creating a framework for sharing data and information, 2) creating a system for monitoring and managing the maintenance of the solar field collectors, and 3) developing analytic tools to identify issues in the solar field. According to the NREL CSP Best Practices Study, the current practice at many CSP plants is to rely on paper lists, spreadsheets, and email for monitoring and managing problems and maintenance in the solar field. The key element to digitize solar field O&M is the creation of a centralized data archive that all users and systems can interface with. This project developed a centralized relational database framework that allows users and applications to access and share data. Conventional power plants utilize Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMSs) to track the corrective, preventive (scheduled), and predictive maintenance of equipment and subsystems in the power plant. CSP plants use these systems in the power block, but while these systems specialize at tracking maintenance on up to thousands of pieces of equipment, they are not well suited for tracking the tens or hundreds of thousands of components in large commercial CSP or photovoltaic solar fields. In this project we developed a new software application referred to as FieldStatus (TM). This is a specialized database program that is used to track the status of each collector and its components. This application is designed to complement the existing CMMS to enable improved tracking and management of maintenance activities in the solar field. One of the major maintenance tasks for solar fields is maintaining the cleanliness of the mirrors. Although seemingly a relatively straight forward task, it has often proven challenging to maintain high levels of cleanliness in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This project developed new tools and metrics for monitoring and optimizing solar field cleaning resources and overall solar field cleanliness.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Hot‐Swappable, Fault‐Tolerant, Modular Power Converter System for Solar Photovoltaic Plants

The performance metrics of the state-of-the-art commercial solar inverters, such as system cost, operation and maintenance (O&M) cost, service life, reliability, maintainability, and power density are much lower than the target metrics needed to achieve SunShot’s 2030 levelized cost of energy (LCOE) goals. To overcome the shortcomings of the existing solar inverters, this project proposed a novel Hot-Swappable, Fault-Tolerant, Modular Power Converter (HSFT-MPC) concept for solar photovoltaic (PV) plants and proved the concept through the design, fabrication, and laboratory test validation of a single-phase HSFT-MPC prototype. The HSFT-MPC has the following distinct advantages over the state-of-the-art: 1) elimination of harmonic/ electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter in the inverter stage due to the novel topology, 2) lower system cost and higher power density due to the modular design, elimination of harmonic/EMI filter, and lower cooling requirement, 3) higher efficiency due to lower switching frequencies, 4) higher reliability and longer (50 years) service life due to simpler cooling and fault tolerance capability, 5) easier installation, lower O&M cost, and improved maintainability due to the modular design and hot-swappable power electronic building blocks (PEBBs), and 6) improved manufacturability due to the modular design. This project developed a single-phase HSFT-MPC prototype with 25kW nominal output power, 2.4kV, 60Hz nominal AC output, lower than 5% AC output voltage total harmonic distortion, over 5 kW/L inverter power density, and 99.4% inverter peak efficiency, being tolerant to failure of single and multiple PEBBs, and capable of hot swapping of the failed PEBB(s). The HSFT-MPC enables uninterruptable operation of the solar PV plant when failure of single or multiple PEBBs or PV modules occurs. Compared with the existing solar inverters in the market, the HSFT-MPC is expected to reduce the inverter failure-caused downtime and energy losses of solar PV plants by more than 60% and 50%, respectively. Project findings have been presented at major conferences in the field and published in peer-reviewed papers, which added new knowledge to the field of power electronics for solar PV systems. A minicourse on Solar PV Systems was developed for outreach activities. The minicourse will help attract young individuals to the renewable energy profession which has a significant talent shortage. The HSFT-MPC is expected to overcome all of the shortcomings of the state-of-the-art solar inverters in terms of cost, efficiency, service life, reliability, maintainability, and manufacturability targets needed to achieve SunShot’s 2030 LCOE goals. Therefore, the proposed HSFT-MPC concept has the great potential to disrupt the current solar inverter market. This project created a pathway towards industry adoption of the HSFT-MPC to help achieve 50-year service life solar PV systems. Since the solar PV plants using the HSFT-MPC will feature with higher reliability, longer service life, and easier maintenance, they are particularly useful for the rural areas with underserved populations that demand reliable and affordable clean electricity. The outcomes of the project have the strong potential to address national needs in the field of renewable energy to reduce CO 2 emissions from the electricity sector, reduce imports of energy from foreign sources, and improve energy security, efficiency, and sustainability. Since electricity is used in almost all of society’s sectors, the outcomes of the project will benefit various sectors of society and economy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Operational Modes of a 2.0 MWth Chloride Molten-Salt Pilot-Scale System

The limit of traditional solar-salt thermal stability is around 600 °C with ambient air as the cover gas. Nitrate molten salt concentrating solar power (CSP) systems are currently deployed globally and are considered to be state-of the art heat transfer fluids (HTFs) for present day high-temperature operation. However, decomposition challenges occur with these salts for operation beyond 600 C. Although slightly higher limits may be possible with solar salt, to fully realize SunShot efficiency goals of $15/kWhth HTFs and an LCOE of 6¢/kWh, molten-salt technologies working at higher temperatures (e.g., 650 °C to 750 °C) will require an alternative salt chemistry composition, such as chlorides. In this investigation a 2.0MWth Pilot-scale CSP plant design is developed to assess thermodynamic performance potential for operation up to 720 C. Here, an Engineering Equation Solver (EES) model is developed with respect to 14 state-points from the base of a solar tower at the Sandia National Laboratories, National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF), to solar receiver mounted 120 ft. above the ground. The system design considers a ternary chloride ternary chloride (20%NaCl/40%MgCl/40%KCl by mol%) salt as the HTF, with 6 hrs. of storage and a 1 MWth primary salt to sCO2 heat exchanger. Preliminary system modelling results indicate a minimum non-dimensional Cv of 60 required for both cold and hot-side throttle recirculation valves for the operational pump operating between speeds of 1800 and 2400 RPM. Further receiver comparison study results suggest that the ternary salt requires an average 15.2% higher receiver flux with a slightly lower calculated receiver efficiency when compared to a binary carnelite salt to achieve a 2.0 MWth desired input power design.

associated liquids↗
DOE OSTI2023

Manufacturing and Hydro Testing of a 10 MWe sCO2 Axial Turbine

Abstract Supercritical CO2 (sCO2) power cycles designed for thermodynamic efficiencies above 50% push component designs into pressure and temperature combinations that approach the limits of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and ASME Piping Design Codes with Turbine inlet conditions near 250 bar and 715 °C. These design conditions which limit available materials to high nickel alloys are compounded by the high fluid densities of sCO2 at these conditions which result in very compact machinery at the 10 MWe class which are currently being developed for the DOE supercritical transformational electric power (STEP) program. Design of the STEP Turbine is complete with integrated lessons learned from a previous 1 MWth subscale demonstration of a high temperature 10 MWe Turbine designed under the DOE SunShot Program. Fabrication of the STEP Turbine is nearing completion with all housings and pressure containing components in hand. This paper provides a detailed look at design intentions and limitations for the pressurized sections of the main pressure casing and the fabrication of key turbine components. Additional discussion is provided regarding postfabrication inspection and acceptance of the casing for use after issues with casing welds were identified late in the fabrication process.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2020

System Design of a 2.0 MWth Sodium/Molten Salt Pilot System

Nitrate molten salt concentrating solar power (CSP) systems are currently deployed globally and are considered state-of the art heat transfer fluids (HTFs) for present day high-temperature operation. Although slightly higher limits may be possible with molten salt, to fully realize SunShot efficiency goals of $15/kWhth HTFs and an LCOE of 6¢/kWh, HTF technologies working at higher temperatures (e.g., 650 °C to 750 °C) will require an alternative to molten salts, such as with alkali metal systems. This investigation explores the development of a 2.0 MWth sodium receiver system that employs a sodium receiver as the HTF, as well as with a ternary chloride (20%NaCl/40%MgCl/40%KCl by mol wt.%) salt as a thermal energy storage (TES) medium to facilitate a 6-hr. storage duration. A sodium-to-salt heat exchanger model as well as a salt-to-sCO2 primary heat exchanger model are employed and evaluated in this investigation. A thermodynamic system design model was developed using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) where state properties were calculated at inlets and outlets along both hot and cold legs of the pilot-scale plant. This investigation assesses receiver performance as well as system efficiency studies for the pump and system operational ranges. Results found that high efficiency sodium receivers were found to have higher heat transfer coefficients and required far less spreading of incident flux. The system performance model results suggest that for a pump speed of 2400 RPM, respective hot and cold pump TDH values were determined to be 260.1–307 ft. and 260.1–307 ft for pump flow rates of 90–120 GPM.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Numerical Study of Solar Receiver Tube With Modified Surface Roughness for Enhanced and Selective Absorptivity in Concentrated Solar Power Tower

Abstract Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a reliable renewable energy source that is progressively lowering its cost of energy. However, the heat loss due to reflected and emitted radiation hinders the maximum achievable thermal efficiency for solar receiver tubes on the solar tower. Current solar selective coatings cannot withstand the high temperatures that come with state-of-the-art CSP towers often needing to be recoated soon after initial operation. We intend to use Inconel 718 with different additive manufacturing (AM) practices to construct surfaces that allow for more light-trapping to occur. By adjusting printing parameters, we can tailor a surface to allow for more absorption while diminishing emitted radiation heat loss. By using COMSOL Multiphysics, we can generate these theoretical surfaces to emulate a printed surface, and using the coupled Multiphysics we can simulate how the surface dictates radiation properties. Our results show that by having a rougher surface we can enhance the absorptivity of Inconel 718 (IN718) by 38.8%. We expect this work to transform how solar absorber tubes are manufactured without using selective coatings and supplement the US Department of Energy (DOE) 2030 SunShot Initiative.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Solar Bankability Data to Advance Transactions and Access (SB-DATA) Final Technical Report

The DOE project “Solar Bankability Data to Advance Transactions and Access”, known in the solar industry and referred to in this report as “Orange Button”, had project objectives of convening key stakeholder participants in the solar project lifecycle to develop a data taxonomy that meets to the solar industry’s needs for standardized data types for use in solar projects. Additional Orange Button deliverables included the development of an online data exchange to act as a clearinghouse of data that conformed to the data standard and additional solar industry data, and a Solar Data Translation Platform that could transform legacy solar project data to conform to the Orange Button data standard. All of these objectives were achieved. The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) provided program management, industry participant recruiting and convening, worked with the solar industry to define the scope of the Orange Button data taxonomy, and documented and delivered the taxonomy data requirements to funded project partners to develop both the taxonomy and the data conversion tools. Further efforts included performing extensive industry outreach and awareness to encourage adoption of the Orange Button taxonomy by the solar industry by enumerating the cost saving benefits of using the taxonomy and the public benefit of the increased use of solar energy due to increased bankability and viability of solar development projects. Solar PV panel and component prices have fallen in the last decade, while soft costs have remained stubbornly high and can account for as much as 64% of the total cost of a new solar system. Part of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, Orange Button enabled the creation and adoption of industry-led open data standards for rapid and seamless information exchange across the solar value chain, from origination to decommissioning. Standardizing data will reduce soft costs by making it easier to share solar data and speeding up processes. The taxonomy is a product of solar industry participants convening to identify the pain points caused by incompatible data, and to agree on and standardize data types to be used by the actors in the solar project lifecycle. This report focuses on the SEPA led first phase of Orange Button project that included industry outreach and recruiting participants for five industry working groups, widespread industry outreach to increase awareness and encourage eventual adoption of the taxonomy, and the definition of the scope, use cases, and supporting data types of the Orange Button taxonomy. The solar industry has been receptive of the completed Orange Button taxonomy. In SEPA’s work, 401 solar industry participants facilitated by SEPA defined the scope, use cases, and requirements for the taxonomy leading to over 150 taxonomy early adopters incorporating the taxonomy into their software products serving the solar industry, and several large investors and banks have started projects to enable them to utilize the taxonomy to gain back-office efficiencies. Moving forward, as the solar industry more widely embraces the Orange Button taxonomy and begins realizing the tangible benefits of adoption at scale, we expect further pressure on solar soft costs and increases in the bankability of solar projects.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Software Development: A Tool for Smart Integration of Solar Power (Final Report)

As part of its SunShot funded Grid Assessor work Kevala assembled a team with deep electricity market, solar, software and product expertise to address a significant problem - reducing the risk of investing in solar by determining the inherent value of solar electricity based on the location where it is produced. Kevala’s Grid Assessor product is now in the market transforming the way solar assets are proposed, assessed, and financed, resulting in lower capital costs, the opening of new markets, and the streamlining of siting in the utility scale portion of the solar industry. Grid assessor accomplishes this by using detailed electricity infrastructure data, pricing information, GIS mapping, and proprietary algorithms to lower financial risk by providing transparency into the current and future value of projects based on their location.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Foundations for Engineering Education for Distributed Energy Resources (FEEDER)

Foundations for Engineering Education for Distributed Energy Resources (FEEDER), as one of the four Distributed Technology Training Consortia (DTTCs) of the Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED) National Network, provided programs to meet the project goals, and works closely with the GEARED National Network Administrator (NNA) to foster student competence and career interest in advanced engineering and professional skills that support a robust electrical utility sector. This educational effort also included annual gatherings to share best practices and specific advances in knowledge, instructional best practice and educational integration throughout disciplines supporting power systems analysis and integration of distributed generation, with a focus on renewable energy. This effort aligned with the goals and objectives of the Department of Energy SunShot initiative. The project goals included the creation of a larger skilled electric grid workforce that is able to manage widespread deployment of distributed energy resources by developing and sharing new courses and curricula across the participating FEEDER institutions. FEEDER was expanded to add four institutions under the Solar Training & Education for Professionals (STEP) program, with the title Strategic Expansion to Achieve GEARED Goals and award number DE- EE0007327. Program components were selected based on gap analysis and advices of FEEDER industry advisory board, with a focus on student participation in power programs, research and formative experiences that led them to successful careers in power-related industries.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗