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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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Coordinating Distributed Energy Resources for Grid Services: A Case Study of Pacific Gas and Electric

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) hosts more distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems than any other utility in the United States. Further, PG&E expects hundreds of thousands of new PV systems and electric vehicles and more than 400 MW of behind-the-meter distributed energy storage by 2030. To prepare for the grid of the future, PG&E is exploring ways to coordinate distributed energy resources.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

2018 U.S. Utility-Scale Photovoltaics-Plus-Energy Storage System Costs Benchmark

Market growth for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems has been rapid for several years. Today, with the cost reductions of energy storage technologies, the combining PV and energy storage has become feasible and beneficial, especially for the areas that have only PV standalone systems and need to shift the peak load to meet electricity demand in the evening. Overall, utility-scale PV plus energy storage systems can provide dispatchable energy and reliable capacity. This study details cost factors, including labor costs, material costs, overhead, and permitting costs using a system-level bottom-up cost modeling approach. We use this model to benchmark PV-plus-storage installation system cost and identify the cost difference for AC- and DC-coupled systems and duration variation. Finally, we assess the cost reduction opportunities of colocating PV systems with energy storage systems in order to indicate the possible economic impacts of the PV-plus-storage configuration and help future research and development (R&D) effects in the context of U.S. energy storage policymaking.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

2018 U.S. Utility-Scale Photovoltaics-Plus-Energy Storage System Costs Benchmark

Market growth for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems has been rapid for several years. Today, with the cost reductions of energy storage technologies, the combining PV and energy storage has become feasible and beneficial, especially for the areas that have only PV standalone systems and need to shift the peak load to meet electricity demand in the evening. Overall, utility-scale PV plus energy storage systems can provide dispatchable energy and reliable capacity. This study details cost factors, including labor costs, material costs, overhead, and permitting costs using a system-level bottom-up cost modeling approach. We use this model to benchmark PV-plus-storage installation system cost and identify the cost difference for AC- and DC-coupled systems and duration variation. Finally, we assess the cost reduction opportunities of colocating PV systems with energy storage systems in order to indicate the possible economic impacts of the PV-plus-storage configuration and help future research and development (R&D) effects in the context of U.S. energy storage policymaking.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Check the Stack: An Enabling Framework for Resilient Microgrids

Highly destructive natural disasters have illustrated the fragility of critical infrastructure including emergency services, healthcare, and water treatment during long-term electricity outages. One pathway to increase the resilience of critical infrastructure amidst disruptions to grid systems is developing microgrids, particularly those that incorporate solar photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage. This document defines a resilient microgrid as a set of interconnected load that includes critical infrastructure and distributed energy resources with the ability to island from the grid during an outage. Research is limited with respect to how much critical infrastructure could benefit from microgrids, how many states have pursued this prioritization approach, and what policies need to be in place to support more widespread deployment. This report explores each of these questions to offer the industry and policymakers a clearer understanding of the opportunity for resilient microgrids and how policy can be designed to support this market.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Expanding PV Value: Lessons Learned from Utility-led Distributed Energy Resource Aggregation in the United States

Distributed PV capacity in the United States has increased from about 0.4 Gigawatts (GW) in 2010 to 10.5 GW in 2017 (GTM Research and SEIA 2018). When distributed PV is coupled with other emerging distributed energy resources (DERs) like battery storage and electric vehicles (EVs) they can provide demand response, voltage regulation, and other grid services. When many DERs are aggregated and called upon to provide these services simultaneously they may offer the same or more value than large, centralized power producers. In the United States, utility efforts to aggregate DERs are in the nascent stage. If initial DER aggregation programs prove successful, it could open new value streams for PV and other emerging DERs, thereby expanding deployment and transforming the energy market. The literature on the scope, performance, and lessons learned from utility-led DER aggregation programs is limited. This report fills this research gap, first by surveying utility-led DER aggregation programs nationwide, and then providing a deeper analysis of five utility pilots. We compare lessons learned across the five cases to develop a list of common challenges and related solutions that other utilities might consider when developing next generation programs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Best Practices for Operation and Maintenance of Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems; 3rd Edition

The goal of this guide is to reduce the cost and improve the effectiveness of operations and maintenance (O&M) for photovoltaic (PV) systems and combined PV and energy storage systems. Reported O&M costs vary widely based on the requirements of the system and the nature of the O&M contract, but a more standardized approach to planning and delivering O&M has the potential to both decrease costs and make those costs more predictable over time. This guide encourages adoption of best practices to reduce the cost of O&M and improve the performance of fielded systems, but it also enhances financing of new projects by making cost more predictable and mitigating performance risk. This guide also includes technical improvement opportunities in the design of systems and in specification of equipment because high-quality system deployment improves lifetime project performance and energy production while reducing, or at least optimizing, costs to deliver an O&M program. This guide provides recommendations that increase the effectiveness of O&M services; reduce O&M costs, improve solar asset transparency for investors and rating agencies; provide an industry framework for quality management; and reduce transaction costs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

State and Local Policy Impacts on the Residential Solar PV Installation Industry

This study explores the effects of state and local policies on local residential solar PV installation industries. The results show that state and local policies affect the number of installers that compete in local PV markets, the relative sizes of those installers, and the market shares of high-volume national-scale installers. Understanding these effects could improve PV policy analysis and yield insights into how to achieve multiple PV policy objectives.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Existing and Potential Corporate Off-Site Renewable Procurement in the Southeast

This project assesses the market for off-site PV in the Southeast, based on projected corporate load, corporate renewable goals for load in the Southeast, solar economics relative to utility rates, presence of a viable PV purchasing method, and other factors. This project gathered data directly and indirectly from corporations, high education institutions, and cities and counties with renewable energy targets. The result is a guide for utilities, state policymakers, and corporates trying to meet their corporate RE targets in the Southeast.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Value Accrual to Customers, Installers, and Financiers in Third-Party Owned Solar PV Markets

Beyond the Federal Investment Tax Credit, the two primary financial incentives provided by residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are electricity bill savings and state and local government incentives. Using transaction-level data on third-party owned systems from 2012-2015, we estimate how value associated with these incentives are passed along the installer-financier-consumer supply chain in the third-party owned market. Our analysis finds evidence of financial incentive pass-through to system prices and customer payments with respect to both types of incentives. Moreover, we document differences in the levels of pass-through for different contract types: total pass-through to customer payments for both types of incentives is greater for PPAs than for UFOs. We find some evidence that pass-through rates to customer payments for PPAs change with market concentration. Finally, we illustrate that the magnitude of estimated pass-through changes for PPAs if we account for simultaneity between system prices and customer payments.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NREL Solar Data, Analysis, & Tools: FY19 Research Dissemination Statistics

This report summarizes the key Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) outreach metrics for the NREL Solar Data, Analysis, and Tools (DAT) portfolio. All metrics herein reflect the reporting period of Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30, 2019. These projects are all supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office Soft Costs program.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Vegetation Warming Experiment: Environmental conditions, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2021

Environmental conditions measured in five warming chambers and paired ambient control plots located on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), Utqiagvik, Alaska from 19 June - 17 September, 2021. These data were recorded in support of the Zero Power Warming (ZPW) vegetation warming experiment, a series of single season vegetation warming treatments conducted over four years from 2017-2021 (no experiment in 2020). Air temperature and humidity, infrared surface (canopy) temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), PRI (photochemical reflectance index), solar radiation and chamber venting were recorded in each chamber at 1 minute intervals. Ambient air temperature, humidity, solar radiation and uplooking PRI and NDVI were measured at a centrally located meteorology station. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was calculated and included in the final processed data products. Data has undergone full QA/QC and is presented as 1 minute data, and hourly and daily aggregate data products. This data package includes unprocessed raw data (*.dat files), processed data (*.csv) and metadata including a full description of sensors, calculations and processing (*.csv, *.pdf). See related NGEE-Arctic "Vegetation Warming Experiment" data packages for leaf-level gas exchange and other leaf trait data; chamber, plot and landscape phenocamera images; thaw depth, and GPS locations of chambers and ambient plots. The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska. Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Vegetation Warming Experiment: Environmental conditions, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2019

Environmental conditions measured in five warming chambers and paired ambient control plots located on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), Utqiagvik, Alaska from 19 June – 25 September, 2019. These data were recorded in support of the Zero Power Warming (ZPW) vegetation warming experiment, a series of single season vegetation warming treatments conducted over four years from 2017–2021 (no experiment in 2020). Air temperature and humidity, infrared surface (canopy) temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), PRI (photochemical reflectance index), solar radiation and chamber venting were recorded in each chamber at 1 minute intervals. Ambient air temperature, humidity, solar radiation and uplooking PRI and NDVI were measured at a centrally located meteorology station. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was calculated and included in the final processed data products. Data has undergone full QA/QC and is presented as 1 minute data, and hourly and daily aggregate data products. This data package includes unprocessed raw data (*.dat files), processed data (*.csv) and metadata including a full description of sensors, calculations and processing (*.csv, *.pdf). See related NGEE-Arctic "Vegetation Warming Experiment" data packages for leaf-level gas exchange and other leaf trait data; chamber, plot and landscape phenocamera images; thaw depth, and GPS locations of chambers and ambient plots.The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a 15-year research effort (2012-2027) to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska. Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Vegetation Warming Experiment: Environmental Conditions, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2017

Environmental conditions measured in five warming chambers and paired ambient control plots located on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), Utqiagvik, Alaska from 22 June - 17 September, 2017. These data were recorded in support of the Zero Power Warming (ZPW) vegetation warming experiment, a series of single season vegetation warming treatments conducted over four years from 2017-2021 (no experiment in 2020). Air temperature and humidity, infrared surface (canopy) temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), PRI (photochemical reflectance index), solar radiation and chamber venting were recorded in each chamber at 1 minute intervals. Ambient air temperature, humidity, solar radiation and uplooking PRI and NDVI were measured at a centrally located meteorology station. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was calculated and included in the final processed data products. Data has undergone full QA/QC and is presented as 1 minute data, and hourly and daily aggregate data products. This data package includes unprocessed raw data (*.dat files), processed data (*.csv) and metadata including a full description of sensors, calculations and processing (*.csv, *.pdf). See related NGEE-Arctic Vegetation Warming Experiment data packages for leaf-level gas exchange and other leaf trait data; chamber, plot and landscape phenocamera images; thaw depth, and GPS locations of chambers and ambient plots. The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research.The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Vegetation Warming Experiment: Environmental Conditions, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, 2018

Environmental conditions measured in five warming chambers and paired ambient control plots located on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO), Utqiagvik, Alaska from 16 June - 24 September, 2018. These data were recorded in support of the Zero Power Warming (ZPW) vegetation warming experiment, a series of single season vegetation warming treatments conducted over four years from 2017-2021 (no experiment in 2020). Air temperature and humidity, infrared surface (canopy) temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), PRI (photochemical reflectance index), solar radiation and chamber venting were recorded in each chamber at 1 minute intervals. Ambient air temperature, humidity, solar radiation and uplooking PRI and NDVI were measured at a centrally located meteorology station. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was calculated and included in the final processed data products. Data has undergone full QA/QC and is presented as 1 minute data, and hourly and daily aggregate data products. This data package includes unprocessed raw data (*.dat files), processed data (*.csv) and metadata including a full description of sensors, calculations and processing (*.csv, *.pdf). See related NGEE-Arctic "Vegetation Warming Experiment" data packages for leaf-level gas exchange and other leaf trait data; chamber, plot and landscape phenocamera images; thaw depth, and GPS locations of chambers and ambient plots.The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a 15-year research effort (2012-2027) to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska. Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗