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Results for “solar benefits”

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 OSTI2021

Quantifying Rooftop Solar Benefits: A State-Level Value of Solar Analysis for India

Analyses that quantify the costs and benefits associated with rooftop solar (RTS) adoption and operation can inform decision-makers in the development and evaluation of RTS policies. One such analysis is a Value of Solar (VOS) study, which quantifies select costs and benefits surrounding RTS based on the electricity system context. These studies can drive changes to existing policies towards fairer, more cost-reflective RTS compensation or alternatively can provide confidence for the decision-maker to stay the course and largely maintain existing policies. This report provides a VOS analysis for two states in India: Gujarat and Jharkhand and provides details related to the methodology and key findings.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements: Employer-Sponsored Solar Benefits

Flexible Financial Credit Agreements is a broad term used to describe a suite of solar products with innovative features not currently offered in traditional solar financing programs. This brief focuses on businesses providing financial and structural support to allow their employees the opportunity to benefit from solar PV generation.

community solar↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

How Can NASA Science Benefit Solar Energy Development and Assessment?

This is a keynote presentation for a workshop highlighting the use of remote sensing and modeling products derived with NASA missions and Earth system modeling for solar energy system development. We broadly introduce NASA's fleet of satellite producing publicly available data products that would be useful for the information needed solar energy development. We also introduce the work in Earth system science modeling that provides additional global gridded data products that are also relevant. We identify that one issue is obtaining and using this data is the level of expertise needed to find it. NASA has developed a new Earth Action program to address this gap and bring the data closer to the user. Now under the Energy Resources element, the NASA LaRC's POWER (Prediction of Worldwide Renewable Energy) project has developed a web services platform that provides key information needed for solar energy development as analysis-ready. This means that the data for particular locations are immediately useful for help provide the information needed by engineers and architects to plan for solar systems. Thus, the presentation shows why NASA products would be relevant and then shows examples of finding the needed data through the POWER web portal.

remote sensing↗
DOE OSTI2021

Techno-economic analysis and environmental benefits of solar industrial process heating based on parabolic trough collectors

In this work, detailed techno-economic and environmental analyses are conducted for employing a 5 MWt parabolic trough-based solar industrial process heat (SIPH) plant in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to the results, an optimum solar multiple of 1.5 was determined, allowing the plant to generate annual thermal energy of 15389.24 MWth with a capacity factor of 35.1% and levelized cost of heat (LCOH) of $\$ 26.3$/MWth. Considering a 30% investment tax credit and a 30% reduction in the total installed cost could reduce the LCOH to $\$ 19.30$/MWth and $\$ 18.52$/MWth, respectively. Employing parabolic trough collectors could avoid emissions of 3,582,422.47 kg, 147.99 kg, 3,341.66 kg, and 14.32 kg for CO 2 , PM, NOx, and SO 2 , respectively per year compared to a natural gas-based plant. Further, it also caused an annual external cost savings of between $\$ 99,900$ and $\$ 357,004$. Including the external costs in the LCOH analysis shows that the SIPH plant is economically competitive with a natural gas-based plant, further demonstrating its value. A further comparison demonstrated the economic superiority of a parabolic trough-driven IPH plant over a photovoltaic-driven electric boiler plant. In summary, with reducing installed costs and providing incentives, parabolic trough-driven IPH plants will be an economically and environmentally viable option.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Technical Potential and Meaningful Benefits of Community Solar in the United States

The report describes the methodology and results from a study on the technical potential of community solar and associated meaningful benefits. A key finding of the study suggests that the opportunity space for community solar to meet unmet demand for solar energy is not primarily constrained by technical potential, but by technological, market, and policy factors. NREL used rooftop and ground-mount photovoltaic siting data to model annual energy production from community solar based on various constraints and system performance. Given modeled results and community solar deployment, we discuss potential benefits including household savings, low-to-moderate income household access to solar, resilience and grid benefits, community ownership, workforce development and entrepreneurship as well as insights into community solar siting opportunities.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advancing Small Business Solar Equity: Final Technical Insights Report

The Advancing Small Business Solar Equity: Final Technical Insights Report represents the culmination of two years of work in participation with Round 3 of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN). SEIN Round 3, titled "Equitable Solar in Underserved Communities," supported eight underserved communities across the United States in "exploring new approaches to the equitable adoption of solar energy in residential and commercial-scale settings" and in "confronting the solar barriers they face and unlocking the solar benefits most relevant to their own contexts" (National Renewable Energy Laboratory 2023). This project was one of four selected to support solar access for commercial entities in underserved communities. The research conducted for this report was done within the Minnesota Twin Cities geographic context, but certain findings and the proposed Solar Hub Network model may be found applicable nationally. Community-based organizations that serve small businesses, chambers of commerce, community development finance institutions and other community lenders, municipal governments, solar incentive providers, solar industry professionals, and others may find elements of this report useful.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1982

Solar thermal technologies benefits assessment: Objectives, methodologies and results for 1981

The economic and social benefits of developing cost competitive solar thermal technologies (STT) were assessed. The analysis was restricted to STT in electric applications for 16 high insolation/high energy price states. Three fuel price scenarios and three 1990 STT system costs were considered, reflecting uncertainty over fuel prices and STT cost projections. After considering the numerous benefits of introducing STT into the energy market, three primary benefits were identified and evaluated: (1) direct energy cost savings were estimated to range from zero to $50 billion; (2) oil imports may be reduced by up to 9 percent, improving national security; and (3) significant environmental benefits can be realized in air basins where electric power plant emissions create substantial air pollution problems. STT research and development was found to be unacceptably risky for private industry in the absence of federal support. The normal risks associated with investments in research and development are accentuated because the OPEC cartel can artificially manipulate oil prices and undercut the growth of alternative energy sources.

Gates, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The Pinhole/Occulter as a tool for X-ray astronomy

The two X-ray transform telescopes on the Pinhole/Occulter Facility (P/OF) will provide sub-arcsecond angular resolution, high sensitivity imaging in hard X-rays for the first time, as well as improved capabilities for timing studies and spectroscopy. Although the design was driven by solar observing requirements, the result is an instrument of major importance for astronomical as well as solar observations. Fundamental astrophysical measurements could be made on supernova remnants, clusters of galaxies, active galaxy cores, accreting binary systems, and active coronae of nearby stars. Ways in which astronomical observations will benefit solar research are discussed.

Wood, K. S.↗
DOE OSTI2023

LA100 Equity Strategies. Chapter 9: Equitable Community Solar Access and Benefits

The LA100 Equity Strategies project integrates community guidance with robust research, modeling, and analysis to identify strategy options that can increase equitable outcomes in Los Angeles' clean energy transition. This chapter focuses on community solar as a means to provide equitable access to local solar and storage benefits in Los Angeles. Specifically, NREL identified potential community solar sites that could host 30 kilowatts (kW)1 of solar or more and evaluated economic and equity metrics under various program design options. Analysis included a Baseline scenario (business-as-usual) and an Equity scenario, which modeled program enhancements to increase access and benefits to low-income customers. Both scenarios modeled the economics of solar and storage under the LADWP Feed-in Tariff (FiT) program (LADWP 2023b) and the LADWP Feed-in-Tariff Plus Pilot program (LADWP 2023d) compared to a community solar financial model. This research was guided by input from the community engagement process, and associated equity strategies are presented in alignment with that guidance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enabling Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FPV) Deployment: Exploring the Operational Benefits of Floating Solar-Hydropower Hybrids

The Southeast (SE) Asia region is undergoing rapid energy sector transitions and exploring the potential role of renewables - including solar photovoltaics (PV) - as it becomes increasingly competitive as a result of technological advances and falling capital costs. Low-cost solar PV provides countries in the region with an option to meet increasing energy demand and diversify generation portfolios, complementing hydropower and thermal-dominant systems and strengthening energy security throughout the region. Floating solar PV (FPV) has emerged as an attractive application of solar PV that allows for systems to be floated on water bodies. Pairing FPV in hybrid systems with hydropower may also provide significant value for power systems in the region, beyond oft-cited co-benefits of stand-alone FPV. Despite growing interest in FPV systems, few applications of hybrid FPV-hydropower systems exist in SE Asia, and limited information is available about the co-benefits these systems may provide for potential adopters. This work, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Advanced Energy Partnership for Asia, explores the value that hybrid FPV-hydropower systems may provide to the power systems of SE Asian countries. This work on the value of hybrid FPV-hydropower systems is accompanied by a recent report, Creating an Enabling Policy and Regulatory Environment for Floating Solar Photovoltaics: Review of Barriers to FPV Deployment in Southeast Asia, also focused on SE Asia.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

LA100 Equity Strategies. Chapter 8: Equitable Rooftop Solar Access and Benefits

The LA100 Equity Strategies project integrates community guidance with robust research, modeling, and analysis to identify strategy options that can increase equitable outcomes in Los Angeles' clean energy transition. This chapter focuses on analysis of customer-sited rooftop solar and storage as a means to reduce electricity bills for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households, multifamily building residents, and renters, who traditionally lack access to bill savings from rooftop solar. Specifically, NREL modeled customer-sited solar and storage adoption using the Distributed Generation Market Demand (dGen™)1 model through 2035 and developed scenarios to identify programs or policies that could support equitable access to bill savings from rooftop solar or solar-plus-storage. Scenarios tested include a direct-install program for LMI customers, net metering for LMI customers, and equitable distribution of benefits from installing solar between owners and renters of renter-occupied buildings. Research was guided by input from the community engagement process, and equity strategies are presented in alignment with that guidance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Environmental Benefits of Closing the Solar Manufacturing and Recycling Loop: Preparation of Solar Manufacturing Inventories

The cumulative global solar panel waste stream is projected to reach between 60 and 78 million tonnes by 2050. Steps towards developing, demonstrating, and implementing processes that recover glass, metals, and semiconductor materials from end-of-life solar panels have already been taken. However, these processes result in the downcycling of most secondary solar materials. Critically, the costs and benefits of capturing these secondary materials for use in new solar panels are unknown. To evaluate the environmental benefit associated with solar material recycling and reuse in next generation panels, prior inventories must be updated and prepared for integration with recycling processes to examine the benefit of closing the material loop between solar panel end-of-life and new panel manufacturing. This current work describes steps taken to upgrade existing inventories that detail the manufacturing of cadmium-telluride (CdTe) panels from the Ecoinvent -v2.2 life cycle inventory database to Ecoinvent -v3. During this update, material inventories were modified to capture different realistic material supply chains within the constraints of Ecoinvent -v3. Materials discussed in detail in this work include primary flat glass, aluminum, steel, copper, and CdTe. This work demonstrated that environmental indicators such as embodied carbon, acidification, and terrestrial eutrophication associated with solar panel production can be reduced by 25% to over 40% through improved primary material sourcing.

CdTe solar panels↗
NASA NTRS1983

Solar thermal technologies - Potential benefits to U.S. utilities and industry

Solar energy systems were investigated which complement nuclear and coal technologies as a means of reducing the U.S. dependence on imported petroleum. Solar Thermal Energy Systems (STES) represents an important category of solar energy technologies. STES can be utilized in a broad range of applications servicing a variety of economic sectors, and they can be deployed in both near-term and long-term markets. The net present value of the energy cost savings attributable to electric utility and IPH applications of STES were estimated for a variety of future energy cost scenarios and levels of R&D success. This analysis indicated that the expected net benefits of developing an STES option are significantly greater than the expected costs of completing the required R&D. In addition, transportable fuels and chemical feedstocks represent a substantial future potential market for STES. Due to the basic nature of this R&D activity, however, it is currently impossible to estimate the value of STES in these markets. Despite this fact, private investment in STES R&D is not anticipated due to the high level of uncertainty characterizing the expected payoffs. Previously announced in STAR as N83-10547

Terasawa, K. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cost Benefit Analysis of Solar PV for the City of Oldsmar, FL

The City of Oldsmar is in the early stages of exploring renewable energy opportunities as a part of their initiative to reduce energy costs, improve backup power capacity, and begin the transition to more sustainable operations. The city is particularly interested in deploying a floating or ground-mounted solar PV system at its wastewater treatment plant. Currently, there are no solar PV installations in Oldsmar and there has been hesitancy to implement such a project due to the possible capital costs and limited technical capacity. Despite this the initiative has gained internal buy-in among staff working for the city. To assist with gaining more buy-in and making future decisions the city sought technical assistance (TA) from the Energy to Communities (E2C) Expert Match Program. Through the Expert Match Program, the city received TA provided by the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) to evaluate the cost effectiveness of several solar options. This report details the analysis and results of the work performed for TA.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Austin Solar Guide (Flyer)

This flyer was developed to guide homeowners on their solar journey and expand the benefits of solar to local residents. The guide is an overview of various energy and solar programs and services through the Austin Energy utility with tips for spotting scams, a summary of common terms when designing a solar system, and considerations when searching for a solar contractor.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗