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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 OSTI2022

Optimizing design and dispatch of a renewable energy system with combined heat and power

We embellish a mixed-integer program that prescribes a set of renewable energy, conventional generation, and storage technologies to procure, along with a corresponding dispatch strategy. Specifically, we add combined heat and power to this set. The model minimizes fixed and operational costs less incentives for the use of various technologies, subject to a series of component interoperability and system-wide constraints. The resulting mixed-integer linear program contains hundreds of thousands of variables and constraints. We demonstrate how to efficiently formulate and solve the corresponding instances such that we produce near-optimal solutions in minutes. A previous rendition of the model required hours of solution time for the same instances.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Renewable hydrogen and ammonia for combined heat and power systems in remote locations: Optimal design and scheduling

Abstract Using hydrogen (H ) and ammonia (NH ) for renewable energy storage has the potential to enable economical power and heat supply with high renewable penetrations, especially in remote locations which are characterized by high energy costs. In this work we assess the economic competitiveness of renewable combined heat and power (CHP) systems in Mahaka HI, Nantucket MA, and Northwest Arctic Borough (NWAB) AK by optimally designing these systems for scenarios in which power and heat can be purchased over a range of historical energy prices as well as when 100% renewable supply is required. We use a combined optimal design and scheduling model which minimizes annualized net present cost by determining optimal technology selection and size simultaneously with optimal schedules for each period of a system operating horizon aggregated from full year hourly resolution data via a consecutive temporal clustering algorithm. We find that renewable generation meets at least 85% of power demands and 75% of heat demands under the lowest energy prices investigated. Higher conventional energy prices lead to increased renewable penetration which is facilitated by renewable NH as a seasonal energy storage medium, as are 100% renewable CHP systems. NH is used for power generation with heat cogeneration in all three locations, as well as directly for heating in NWAB. On an annual cost basis, NH ‐enabled 100% renewable CHP is only 3% more expensive in Mahaka and NWAB than systems which can purchase energy at the lowest prices, while it is 15% more expensive in Nantucket.

Palys, Matthew J.↗
DOE OSTI2020

U.S. Geothermal District Heating Systems and Funding Data

This dataset contains detailed information on geothermal district heating (GDH) systems across the United States, including technical specifications, costs, energy usage, and funding sources. Data includes system details such as state, site, location, operational years, temperature, flow rate, capacity, energy use, load factor, costs (original, updated, and operational), funding sources, employment impact, and project status. Additionally included are contributions to GDH systems, including federal, state, and local grants, as well as loans from agencies such as USDA and USDOE. This dataset serves as a resource for analyzing the economic and technical landscape of geothermal district heating in the United States.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design, modeling and simulation of nuclear-powered integrated energy systems with cascaded heating applications

Nuclear-renewable integrated energy systems (IES) consist of a variety of energy generation and conversion technologies and can be used to meet heterogeneous end uses (e.g., electricity, heat, and cooling demands). In addition to supply-demand balance, end-use heat demands usually require heat supply of certain temperature ranges. The effective and efficient utilization of heat produced within an IES is, therefore, a critical challenge. Here, this paper examines design options of an IES that includes heating processes of multiple temperature grades. We investigate a cascaded design configuration, where the remaining residual heat after high-grade heating processes [e.g., hydrogen production through high-temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE)] is recovered to meet the low-grade heating needs [e.g., district heating (DH)]. Additionally, a thermal energy storage system is integrated into the DH system to address the imbalance between heat supply and demand. This paper primarily focuses on the design and modeling of the proposed system and evaluates its operation with a 24-h transient process simulation using a DH demand profile with hourly resolution. The results indicate that the residual heat from the HTSE exhaust is insufficient for the DH demand, and additional topping heat directly from the reactor process steam is needed. Furthermore, the inclusion of thermal energy storage within the DH system provides the necessary balance between thermal generation and demand, thereby ensuring a consistent rated temperature of the DH supply water. This approach helps minimize the control actions needed on the reactor side.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Renewable Thermal Hybridization Framework for Industrial Process Heat Applications

Renewable thermal energy systems (RTES) could be hybridized with different renewable options (e.g., flat plate collectors (FPCs) with parabolic collectors), or combined with existing heat supplies (e.g., fossil fuels), to give options for targeted solar IPH applications, industrial decarbonization and the reduction of fuel consumption. Buildings and industrial thermal energy applications require different temperature ranges, quantities, and rates of thermal energy, and as such require flexible, cost competitive solutions, able to provide heat over various temperature ranges. Hybrid solutions and thermal energy storage (TES) will be important for the dispatch of heat at optimal times needed by the demand side of the buildings and industrial applications. A variety of tools and platforms, such as the System Advisor Model (SAM), can provide hourly thermal yield simulations from single renewable energy (RE) technology options, including FPCs or CSP for solar IPH. We have investigated a variety of approaches to hybrid system modeling for RTES at different temperatures or combinations of technologies and developed an initial framework. The hybridization framework starts by creating a heat stream and raising the temperature of that heat stream by various combinations of RE technologies and other sources such as fossil fuels, new fuels or electric heating in multiple stages, with options for TES and/or waste heat recovery (WHR).

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Igiugig Comprehensive Energy Plan Implementation Assistance

In 2023, the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) partnered with the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) to provide technical assistance to Igiugig through the US Department of Energy's Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). The overall objective of this ETIPP project was to provide technical support to help the community achieve their energy goal of reducing diesel fuel for electricity by 50% by 2030 through the implementation of high priority strategies defined in their 2022 Community Energy Plan. Technical support focused on evaluating additional renewables and renewable heating scenarios, identifying heat recovery system design options for high penetration renewables, investigation power quality and line loss issues, and supporting integration of battery energy storage.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Hybrid Solar Heat Generation Modelling and Cases: Preprint

Renewable thermal energy systems (RTES) harness renewable energy sources to provide services for space heating and cooling, district heating, domestic hot water, and industrial process heat (IPH). The use of low-pressure steam generated by the combustion of fossil fuels is common today to provide process heat for industrial facilities. Solar IPH (SIPH) technologies could economically replace the steam or heat needs at many industrial sites by providing high-temperature pressurized hot water, a heat transfer fluid (HTF) such as synthetic-oil, or direct steam (Kurup and Turchi, 2015). RTES could be hybridized with technology options or combined with the existing heat supply (e.g. fuels), to give options for targeted IPH application and the reduction of fuel consumption. This work has tested hybrid system modelling approaches. Initial results show when a natural gas (NG) burner that feeds an IPH application of 300°C, has both air and NG streams pre-heated with a solar field/RTES exit temperature of 180°C (via an HTF), a 13% NG offset is possible. NG offsets reach up to 26%, when the RTES exit temperatures are at 300°C for a given annual capacity factor of 24%. This can be even higher with addition of thermal energy storage (TES).

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling Tool Development and Validation for Solar Industry Process Heat Using Particle Thermal Energy Storage

U.S. industry sectors used 26.2 quadrillion Btu and accounted for 33% of total energy consumption in 2021 according to the Energy Information Agency. Industrial process heat accounts for 70% of industrial energy use with application temperatures ranging from 60 degrees -1100 degrees C. Industry processes, heavily relying on fossil fuels of cheap coal or natural gas, differ widely in operating conditions and load requirements which makes them difficult to standardize and imposes great challenges in decarbonization. Industry processes require reliable energy supply and vary widely in temperature ranges. Storing energy from renewable sources is necessary to improve reliability and to mitigate renewable intermittency when replacing carbon fuel-based heat supplies to achieve energy savings and reduce emissions. To this end, we have developed a particle-based thermal energy storage (TES) technology using low-cost and highly stable silica sand as a storage medium. The economic and performance-based analysis is key for renewable energy sources to reliably supply industry process heat and ultimately displace fossil fuels for decarbonization. The diversified industrial processes need case-by-case analysis and design. Therefore, an adaptive modeling tool is key for renewable power with energy storage to meet industry demands. Thus, a modeling tool to simulate a solar industry process heat system using the particle TES has been developed using the object-oriented equation-based language Modelica and the commercial platform of Modelon Impact. The Modelica-based software tool provides a general simulation environment for the design of reliable solar energy sources integrated with TES for various industrial process applications at different temperatures for economic competence with fossil fuels such as coal and natural gases. It uses both customized and standard component modeling modules in Modelon libraries for the flexibility to be adapted to a specific energy demand application. The particle TES system establishes a uniform energy supply platform with an efficient heat exchanger and particle thermal energy reservoir integrated with renewable powers. The particle TES system can provide a wide temperature range and can have a large storage temperature difference that increases storage energy density; therefore, it can be an adaptable energy storage system integrated with renewable power to supply 24/7 heat for industry decarbonization.

concentrated solar thermal↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhancing building resilience in cold climates: Integrating heat pump technologies with renewable energy

As electrification advances and Cold Climate Heat Pump technology progresses, ensuring grid stability becomes increasingly critical for effective heating in cold climates. However, natural disasters, especially during winter, pose significant threats to grid stability, impacting the reliability of air-source heat pumps. Despite these challenges, the integration of renewable energy sources and storage solutions in heating systems has not been extensively studied within the context of resilience. Here, this paper delves into the literature on renewable-powered heat pumps to assess their potential in enhancing building resilience in U.S. cold climate zones, which are particularly susceptible to extreme weather and grid disruptions. By leveraging renewable sources—solar, geothermal, and water—in conjunction with heat pump technology and supported by thermal or battery storage, this approach aims to provide a dependable solution for maintaining indoor heating during grid failures. Our analysis begins with a review of various renewable energy sources suitable for heat pumps, followed by an exploration of their application in cold climate regions across the U.S., and discussions on potential integration strategies with heat pump systems. This study highlights the advantages and suitability of solar irradiance and geothermal resources, emphasizing the importance of tailored, site-specific assessments to maximize energy efficiency and resilience. Additionally, it outlines the economic and environmental considerations necessary for implementing such systems and identifies potential challenges and areas for future research to facilitate the broader integration of renewable energy in heating solutions for enhanced resilience.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Consumer Guide to Residential Renewable Energy

Learn how installing residential renewable energy systems, such as geothermal heat pumps and wind or solar energy systems, can save energy, lower utility bills, and earn homeowners money. This fact sheet from Energy Saver includes information on how to start planning to install renewable energy systems at home.

residential renewable energy, geothermal heat pump↗
DOE OSTI2022

Role of On-Site Generation in Carbon Emissions and Utility Bill Savings under Different Electric Grid Scenarios

Energy-efficient and sustainable technologies are necessary to lower energy and carbon footprints. Many technologies are being pursued to meet the increasing energy demand in buildings. An attractive option is efficient utilization of available energy resources, including renewables, to support current and future building energy needs while targeting grid resiliency, energy, and environmental security at an affordable cost via on-site cogeneration-based approaches. This must include energy-efficient technologies with lower greenhouse gas emissions and optimized cost, performance, and reliability. This paper presents the economic and environmental benefits associated with power technologies such as thermionics and solid oxide fuel cells. Hybrid configurations consisting of heat pumps, power systems, and renewable photovoltaics in cogeneration and trigeneration modes of operation are presented. The role of such technologies in lowering CO2 emissions while improving energy resiliency and serving the needs of underprivileged communities is discussed. The key barriers of affordability and potential solutions for large-scale implementation of these promising technologies are reviewed. Case studies demonstrating the influence of power rating, electrical efficiency, design configuration, carbon dioxide intensity of the grid, and fuel on annual greenhouse gas emissions are presented for residential and commercial buildings.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Performance Assurance Planning Guide for Utility Energy Service Contracts: 2025 Edition

Administered by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), the Utility Program has fostered collaboration among federal agencies and their serving utilities for more than 25 years. The Utility Program supports agencies using Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs), a well-developed, effective contracting vehicle that enable the latest approaches to cost-effective energy management at federal sites. Federal agencies have successfully used UESCs to award over 2,000 energy and water efficiency and renewable energy projects, investing approximately $\$$2.8 billion in furthering the Federal Government's efforts to reduce energy intensity. Authorized by 42 U.S. Code section 8256 (10 U.S. Code section 2913 for the Department of Defense), a UESC is a limited-source acquisition between a federal agency and an eligible serving utility for energy management services that generate savings from the implementation of energy- and water -conservation measures (collectively referred to as ECMs), with 42 U.S. Code section 8287 (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, Part 241), providing the term of a UESC, which may extend up to 25 years. Through a UESC, the utility partner assesses designs, and implements the desired ECMs - which can range from lighting retrofits and renewable energy systems, to combined heat and power plants or other technologies and strategies, and may provide financing for the project. The agency may use any combination of appropriations and third-party financing to pay for the project, providing useful flexibility. There is no limit to the project size, big or small, that can be implemented using a UESC. To assist agencies implementing a UESC, FEMP has developed a Utility Energy Service Contract Guide and this companion guidance document to help agencies and their utility partners better understand the best practices for to ensure UESCs continue to perform and generate savings throughout their performance period. These best practices utilize a combination of effective project management, communication, documentation, and a detailed Performance Assurance Plan. This plan is a project specific set of actionable protocols that define important tasks and responsibilities throughout the contract term and reflects the site conditions, complexities, agency capabilities, and operating and maintaining planned ECMs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Role of Heat-to-Power Technologies in Building Decarbonization

This paper presents the energy, economic, and environmental benefits associated with different heat-to-power technologies such as Thermoelectrics, Thermophotovoltaics, and Thermionics. Hybrid configurations consisting of heat pumps, heat-to-power systems, and renewable PV in cogeneration and trigeneration modes of operation will be presented. The role of such technologies in lowering the primary energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions while improving the energy resiliency and serving the needs of underprivileged communities will be discussed. The key barriers of affordability and potential solutions for large scale implementation of these promising technologies are presented.

Cheekatamarla, Praveen↗
DOE OSTI2023

Renewable Thermal Energy Systems: Characterization of the Most Important Thermal Energy Applications in Buildings and Industry (Report 1)

This report is the first in a three-report series that evaluates the provision of renewable heat for industry and buildings via current and prospective renewable thermal energy system (RTES) technologies. The RTES project has undertaken initial research focused on technologies that could be suited for industrial process heat applications at different temperature levels, and, where possible, gathered performance and cost data for these technologies. This project does not directly evaluate RTES for distributed residential or commercial applications, nor does it yet include documented cases or modeling of RTES using geothermal, biomass, waste heat, renewable fuels like renewable natural gas, or hydrogen production. The three technical reports are summarized as follows: Renewable Thermal Energy Systems: Characterization of the Most Important Thermal Energy Applications in Buildings and Industry (Report 1), this report: summary of thermal demands of U.S. industry and buildings, and relevant hybrid RTES configurations; Renewable Thermal Energy Systems: Systemic Challenges and Transformational Policies (Report 2): discussion of socio-technical characteristics of RTES, innovation challenges, and supporting policies. Available at: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/83020.pdf; Renewable Thermal Energy Systems: Modeling Developments and Future Directions (Report 3): Energy yield and performance modeling of RTES, techno-economic analysis via case studies, and proposed development of a user decision support tool. Available at: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/83021.pdf.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Energy Efficient, Cost-Effective Power and Co-Generation Technologies: Techno-Environmental Analysis

Development of energy solutions for addressing grid resiliency and energy efficiency while lowering greenhouse gas emissions is critical in today’s energy scenario. Chemical energy provides on demand power. Cogeneration technologies offer numerous benefits in meeting the growing energy demand while lowering the impact on environment. Utilization of waste heat from prime movers in conjunction with energy efficient heat pumps and renewable photovoltaics is an attractive approach. Efficient utilization of available resources to support current and future building energy needs targeting grid resiliency, energy and environmental security via co-generation approaches is the focus of this study. A detailed techno-environmental analysis of hybrid system configurations consisting of conventional and emerging technologies utilizing natural gas, electric grid, and renewable power resources along with heat recovery systems and heat pump technologies are analyzed and presented. The key objective is to present integrated system configurations and thermodynamic analysis of various co-generation systems suitable for providing building energy. Design solutions targeting low carbon footprint and high energy efficiency are presented.

Cheekatamarla, Praveen↗
DOE OSTI2023

Renewable Thermal Energy Systems: Modeling Developments and Future Directions (Report 3)

Increasing global energy consumption, increasing population, expansion of all types of produced goods and food, and the climate crisis have necessitated increasing the share of renewable heat in industry, which is vital for both decarbonization. The aim of this work is to evaluate current and prospective renewable heat technologies in stand-alone and hybrid configurations, together with their technical capabilities, performance, and cost. Renewable thermal energy systems (RTES) for buildings and industrial applications have been investigated using techno-economic analysis to determine their potential economic and environmental impacts.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Renewable Thermal Hybridization Framework for Industrial Process Heat Applications

Solar industrial process heat (SIPH) technologies, such as concentrating solar power collectors, could economically replace the steam or heat needs at many industrial sites by providing high-temperature heat transfer fluids (HTFs) such as pressurized water, synthetic-oil, or direct steam. Renewable thermal energy systems (RTES) could be hybridized with different renewable options e.g., flat plate collectors with parabolic trough collectors, or combined with existing heat supplies (e.g., fossil fuels), to give options for targeted SIPH applications, industrial decarbonization and the reduction of fuel consumption. Hybrid solutions and thermal energy storage will be important for the dispatch of heat at optimal times needed by the demand side of the buildings and industrial applications. At present, there is no integrated modeling tool for hybrid RTES, and this paper highlights the development of a renewable thermal hybridization framework for IPH use that is built from existing tools like System Advisor Model. The long-term vision for the framework (through significant further research) is to develop a coupled hybrid energy generation and cost analysis tool, where the tool could help the user in determining the most suitable and cost-effective technologies for their applications. Ongoing work will look to add costs for RTES options and further refinement on the selection of suitable technologies. This future tool could calculate the levelized cost of heat of various RTES hybrid options, by taking the user's solar resource, fuel costs, industrial heat demand profile, available land, and other factors into account to determine the applicability into their process.

concentrating solar power↗
DOE OSTI2023

Urban Combined Heat and Power with Integrated Renewables and Energy Storage

District energy systems efficiently provide thermal energy to multiple buildings and facilities through a network of shared infrastructure. Frequently, district energy systems are centered around combined heat and power (CHP) plants that generate electricity as well as heating and cooling to the local buildings. By providing both electricity and thermal energy from a single fuel source and central location, these systems use less fuel, decrease energy and operational costs, and reduce the need for heating and cooling equipment in individual buildings.

EMS, CHP, GWU↗