Sample records for high efficiency renewable

  1. Chance-constrained economic dispatch with renewable energy and storage

    DOE PAGES

    Cheng, Jianqiang; Chen, Richard Li-Yang; Najm, Habib N.; ...

    2018-04-19

    Increased penetration of renewables, along with uncertainties associated with them, have transformed how power systems are operated. High levels of uncertainty means that it is not longer possible to guarantee operational feasibility with certainty, instead constraints are required to be satisfied with high probability. We present a chance-constrained economic dispatch model that efficiently integrates energy storage and high renewable penetration to satisfy renewable portfolio requirements. Specifically, it is required that wind energy contributes at least a prespecified ratio of the total demand and that the scheduled wind energy is dispatchable with high probability. We develop an approximated partial sample averagemore » approximation (PSAA) framework to enable efficient solution of large-scale chanceconstrained economic dispatch problems. Computational experiments on the IEEE-24 bus system show that the proposed PSAA approach is more accurate, closer to the prescribed tolerance, and about 100 times faster than sample average approximation. Improved efficiency of our PSAA approach enables solution of WECC-240 system in minutes.« less

  2. Chance-constrained economic dispatch with renewable energy and storage

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cheng, Jianqiang; Chen, Richard Li-Yang; Najm, Habib N.

    Increased penetration of renewables, along with uncertainties associated with them, have transformed how power systems are operated. High levels of uncertainty means that it is not longer possible to guarantee operational feasibility with certainty, instead constraints are required to be satisfied with high probability. We present a chance-constrained economic dispatch model that efficiently integrates energy storage and high renewable penetration to satisfy renewable portfolio requirements. Specifically, it is required that wind energy contributes at least a prespecified ratio of the total demand and that the scheduled wind energy is dispatchable with high probability. We develop an approximated partial sample averagemore » approximation (PSAA) framework to enable efficient solution of large-scale chanceconstrained economic dispatch problems. Computational experiments on the IEEE-24 bus system show that the proposed PSAA approach is more accurate, closer to the prescribed tolerance, and about 100 times faster than sample average approximation. Improved efficiency of our PSAA approach enables solution of WECC-240 system in minutes.« less

  3. Energy minimization strategies and renewable energy utilization for desalination: a review.

    PubMed

    Subramani, Arun; Badruzzaman, Mohammad; Oppenheimer, Joan; Jacangelo, Joseph G

    2011-02-01

    Energy is a significant cost in the economics of desalinating waters, but water scarcity is driving the rapid expansion in global installed capacity of desalination facilities. Conventional fossil fuels have been utilized as their main energy source, but recent concerns over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have promoted global development and implementation of energy minimization strategies and cleaner energy supplies. In this paper, a comprehensive review of energy minimization strategies for membrane-based desalination processes and utilization of lower GHG emission renewable energy resources is presented. The review covers the utilization of energy efficient design, high efficiency pumping, energy recovery devices, advanced membrane materials (nanocomposite, nanotube, and biomimetic), innovative technologies (forward osmosis, ion concentration polarization, and capacitive deionization), and renewable energy resources (solar, wind, and geothermal). Utilization of energy efficient design combined with high efficiency pumping and energy recovery devices have proven effective in full-scale applications. Integration of advanced membrane materials and innovative technologies for desalination show promise but lack long-term operational data. Implementation of renewable energy resources depends upon geography-specific abundance, a feasible means of handling renewable energy power intermittency, and solving technological and economic scale-up and permitting issues. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Efficient and equitable spatial allocation of renewable power plants at the country scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drechsler, Martin; Egerer, Jonas; Lange, Martin; Masurowski, Frank; Meyerhoff, Jürgen; Oehlmann, Malte

    2017-09-01

    Globally, the production of renewable energy is undergoing rapid growth. One of the most pressing issues is the appropriate allocation of renewable power plants, as the question of where to produce renewable electricity is highly controversial. Here we explore this issue through analysis of the efficient and equitable spatial allocation of wind turbines and photovoltaic power plants in Germany. We combine multiple methods, including legal analysis, economic and energy modelling, monetary valuation and numerical optimization. We find that minimum distances between renewable power plants and human settlements should be as small as is legally possible. Even small reductions in efficiency lead to large increases in equity. By considering electricity grid expansion costs, we find a more even allocation of power plants across the country than is the case when grid expansion costs are neglected.

  5. Photochemical Synthesis of Shape-Controlled Nanostructured Gold on Zinc Oxide Nanorods as Photocatalytically Renewable Sensors.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jia-Quan; Duo, Huan-Huan; Zhang, Yu-Ge; Zhang, Xin-Wei; Fang, Wei; Liu, Yan-Ling; Shen, Ai-Guo; Hu, Ji-Ming; Huang, Wei-Hua

    2016-04-05

    Biosensors always suffer from passivation that prevents their reutilization. To address this issue, photocatalytically renewable sensors composed of semiconductor photocatalysts and sensing materials have emerged recently. In this work, we developed a robust and versatile method to construct different kinds of renewable biosensors consisting of ZnO nanorods and nanostructured Au. Via a facile and efficient photochemical reduction, various nanostructured Au was obtained successfully on ZnO nanorods. As-prepared sensors concurrently possess excellent sensing capability and desirable photocatalytic cleaning performance. Experimental results demonstrate that dendritic Au/ZnO composite has the strongest surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement, and dense Au nanoparticles (NPs)/ZnO composite has the highest electrochemical activity, which was successfully used for electrochemical detection of NO release from cells. Furthermore, both of the SERS and electrochemical sensors can be regenerated efficiently for renewable applications via photodegrading adsorbed probe molecules and biomolecules. Our strategy provides an efficient and versatile method to construct various kinds of highly sensitive renewable sensors and might expand the application of the photocatalytically renewable sensor in the biosensing area.

  6. 76 FR 71312 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency...: Notice of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE... competitiveness of the U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, including specific challenges...

  7. 78 FR 78340 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... affecting U.S. competitiveness in exporting renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) products and...

  8. 76 FR 54431 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... competitiveness of the U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, including specific challenges...

  9. Renewable Wood Pulp Paper Reactor with Hierarchical Micro/Nanopores for Continuous-Flow Nanocatalysis.

    PubMed

    Koga, Hirotaka; Namba, Naoko; Takahashi, Tsukasa; Nogi, Masaya; Nishina, Yuta

    2017-06-22

    Continuous-flow nanocatalysis based on metal nanoparticle catalyst-anchored flow reactors has recently provided an excellent platform for effective chemical manufacturing. However, there has been limited progress in porous structure design and recycling systems for metal nanoparticle-anchored flow reactors to create more efficient and sustainable catalytic processes. In this study, traditional paper is used for a highly efficient, recyclable, and even renewable flow reactor by tailoring the ultrastructures of wood pulp. The "paper reactor" offers hierarchically interconnected micro- and nanoscale pores, which can act as convective-flow and rapid-diffusion channels, respectively, for efficient access of reactants to metal nanoparticle catalysts. In continuous-flow, aqueous, room-temperature catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-anchored paper reactor with hierarchical micro/nanopores provided higher reaction efficiency than state-of-the-art AuNP-anchored flow reactors. Inspired by traditional paper materials, successful recycling and renewal of AuNP-anchored paper reactors were also demonstrated while high reaction efficiency was maintained. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

  10. Renewable Wood Pulp Paper Reactor with Hierarchical Micro/Nanopores for Continuous‐Flow Nanocatalysis

    PubMed Central

    Namba, Naoko; Takahashi, Tsukasa; Nogi, Masaya; Nishina, Yuta

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Continuous‐flow nanocatalysis based on metal nanoparticle catalyst‐anchored flow reactors has recently provided an excellent platform for effective chemical manufacturing. However, there has been limited progress in porous structure design and recycling systems for metal nanoparticle‐anchored flow reactors to create more efficient and sustainable catalytic processes. In this study, traditional paper is used for a highly efficient, recyclable, and even renewable flow reactor by tailoring the ultrastructures of wood pulp. The “paper reactor” offers hierarchically interconnected micro‐ and nanoscale pores, which can act as convective‐flow and rapid‐diffusion channels, respectively, for efficient access of reactants to metal nanoparticle catalysts. In continuous‐flow, aqueous, room‐temperature catalytic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol to 4‐aminophenol, a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)‐anchored paper reactor with hierarchical micro/nanopores provided higher reaction efficiency than state‐of‐the‐art AuNP‐anchored flow reactors. Inspired by traditional paper materials, successful recycling and renewal of AuNP‐anchored paper reactors were also demonstrated while high reaction efficiency was maintained. PMID:28394501

  11. A Short Progress Report on High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells.

    PubMed

    Tang, He; He, Shengsheng; Peng, Chuangwei

    2017-12-01

    Faced with the increasingly serious energy and environmental crisis in the world nowadays, the development of renewable energy has attracted increasingly more attention of all countries. Solar energy as an abundant and cheap energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. While high-performance solar cells have been well developed in the last couple of decades, the high module cost largely hinders wide deployment of photovoltaic devices. In the last 10 years, this urgent demand for cost-effective solar cells greatly facilitates the research of solar cells. This paper reviews the recent development of cost-effective and high-efficient solar cell technologies. This report paper covers low-cost and high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. The development and the state-of-the-art results of perovskite solar cell technologies are also introduced.

  12. 77 FR 15362 - Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC) AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces an open meeting of the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC). The Federal Advisory...

  13. 77 FR 18798 - Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC); Correction

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC); Correction AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting... announcing an open meeting of the Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee (ERAC). The meeting date has...

  14. 77 FR 23224 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC.... competitiveness in exporting renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) products and services, such as access...

  15. 76 FR 80355 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference... efficiency and renewable energy. The Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92- 463, 86 Stat. 770...

  16. 76 FR 54224 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting... efficiency and renewable energy. The Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770...

  17. 75 FR 69655 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces the first meeting of the...

  18. 78 FR 2952 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency exports. The meeting is open to the public and the...

  19. 77 FR 6783 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... competitiveness of U.S. renewable [[Page 6784

  20. 76 FR 6605 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee (ERAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: The purpose of the ERAC is to provide advice and...

  1. 75 FR 35450 - Establishment of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee and Request for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Establishment of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advisory Committee and Request for Member Nominations AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of Intent to Establish...

  2. 78 FR 29749 - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Agency Information Collection Extension

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Agency Information Collection Extension AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE..., DC 20503 And to Mr. Dana O'Hara, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE- 2G), U.S...

  3. High-Efficiency Food Production in a Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid Power System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bubenheim, David; Meiners, Dennis

    2016-01-01

    Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems can be used to produce high-quality, desirable food year round, and the fresh produce can positively contribute to the health and well being of residents in communities with difficult supply logistics. While CEA has many positive outcomes for a remote community, the associated high electric demands have prohibited widespread implementation in what is typically already a fully subscribed power generation and distribution system. Recent advances in CEA technologies as well as renewable power generation, storage, and micro-grid management are increasing system efficiency and expanding the possibilities for enhancing community supporting infrastructure without increasing demands for outside supplied fuels. We will present examples of how new lighting, nutrient delivery, and energy management and control systems can enable significant increases in food production efficiency while maintaining high yields in CEA. Examples from Alaskan communities where initial incorporation of renewable power generation, energy storage and grid management techniques have already reduced diesel fuel consumption for electric generation by more than 40% and expanded grid capacity will be presented. We will discuss how renewable power generation, efficient grid management to extract maximum community service per kW, and novel energy storage approaches can expand the food production, water supply, waste treatment, sanitation and other community support services without traditional increases of consumable fuels supplied from outside the community. These capabilities offer communities with a range of choices to enhance their communities. The examples represent a synergy of technology advancement efforts to develop sustainable community support systems for future space-based human habitats and practical implementation of infrastructure components to increase efficiency and enhance health and well being in remote communities today and tomorrow.

  4. High-Efficiency Food Production in a Renewable Energy Based Micro-Grid

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bubenheim, David L.

    2017-01-01

    Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems can be used to produce high-quality, desirable food year round, and the fresh produce can positively contribute to the health and well being of residents in communities with difficult supply logistics. While CEA has many positive outcomes for a remote community, the associated high electric demands have prohibited widespread implementation in what is typically already a fully subscribed power generation and distribution system. Recent advances in CEA technologies as well as renewable power generation, storage, and micro-grid management are increasing system efficiency and expanding the possibilities for enhancing community supporting infrastructure without increasing demands for outside supplied fuels. We will present examples of how new lighting, nutrient delivery, and energy management and control systems can enable significant increases in food production efficiency while maintaining high yields in CEA.Examples from Alaskan communities where initial incorporation of renewable power generation, energy storage and grid management techniques have already reduced diesel fuel consumption for electric generation by more than 40 and expanded grid capacity will be presented. We will discuss how renewable power generation, efficient grid management to extract maximum community service per kW, and novel energy storage approaches can expand the food production, water supply, waste treatment, sanitation and other community support services without traditional increases of consumable fuels supplied from outside the community. These capabilities offer communities with a range of choices to enhance their communities. The examples represent a synergy of technology advancement efforts to develop sustainable community support systems for future space-based human habitats and practical implementation of infrastructure components to increase efficiency and enhance health and well-being in remote communities today and tomorrow.

  5. Falling Particles: Concept Definition and Capital Cost Estimate

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stoddard, Larry; Galluzzo, Geoff; Adams, Shannon

    2016-06-30

    The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Renewable Power (ORP) has been tasked to provide effective program management and strategic direction for all of the DOE’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) renewable power programs. The ORP’s efforts to accomplish this mission are aligned with national energy policies, DOE strategic planning, EERE’s strategic planning, Congressional appropriation, and stakeholder advice. ORP is supported by three renewable energy offices, of which one is the Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) whose SunShot Initiative has a mission to accelerate research, development and large scale deployment of solar technologies in the United States. SETO hasmore » a goal of reducing the cost of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) by 75 percent of 2010 costs by 2020 to reach parity with base-load energy rates, and to reduce costs 30 percent further by 2030. The SunShot Initiative is promoting the implementation of high temperature CSP with thermal energy storage allowing generation during high demand hours. The SunShot Initiative has funded significant research and development work on component testing, with attention to high temperature molten salts, heliostats, receiver designs, and high efficiency high temperature supercritical CO 2 (sCO2) cycles.« less

  6. High Performance Computing Meets Energy Efficiency - Continuum Magazine |

    Science.gov Websites

    NREL High Performance Computing Meets Energy Efficiency High Performance Computing Meets Energy turbines. Simulation by Patrick J. Moriarty and Matthew J. Churchfield, NREL The new High Performance Computing Data Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosts high-speed, high-volume data

  7. 76 FR 44576 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... administration of programs and policies to expand the competitiveness of the U.S. renewable energy and energy...

  8. 76 FR 57956 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Executive Business Development Mission; Clarification and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... the Notice of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Executive Business Development Mission, 76 FR... U.S. renewable energy firms and trade organizations which have not already submitted an application...

  9. 76 FR 26695 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC) will meet to hear briefings on the state of renewable energy finance and to discuss the development of...

  10. 75 FR 29993 - Department of Commerce: Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee Renewable Energy and Energy...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-28

    ... Coordinating Committee Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Strategy To Support the National Export... Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee's (TPCC) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Working Group is developing a U.S. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Strategy (the Strategy) to guide U.S...

  11. 77 FR 32531 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... energy and energy efficiency industries, including specific challenges associated with exporting. The...

  12. Optimizing the U.S. Electric System with a High Penetration of Renewables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corcoran, B. A.; Jacobson, M. Z.

    2013-12-01

    As renewable energy generators are increasingly being installed throughout the U.S., there is growing interest in interconnecting diverse renewable generators (primarily wind and solar) across large geographic areas through an enhanced transmission system. This reduces variability in the aggregate power output, increases system reliability, and allows for the development of the best overall group of renewable technologies and sites to meet the load. Studies are therefore needed to determine the most efficient and economical plan to achieve large area interconnections in a future electric system with a high penetration of renewables. This research quantifies the effects of aggregating electric load together with diverse renewable generation throughout the ten Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regions in the contiguous U.S. A deterministic linear program has been built in AMPL (A Mathematical Programming Language) to solve for the least-cost organizational structure and system (generators, transmission, and storage) for a highly renewable electric grid. The analysis will 1) examine a highly renewable 2006 electric system, including various sensitivity cases and additional system components such as additional load from electric vehicles, and 2) create a 'roadmap' from the existing 2006 system to a highly renewable system in 2030, accounting for projected price and demand changes and generator retirements based on age and environmental regulations. Ideally, results from this study will offer insight for a federal renewable energy policy (such as a renewable portfolio standard) and how to best organize U.S. regions for transmission planning.

  13. 77 FR 43807 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee; Extended Deadline for Solicitation of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... has extended the deadline by which it will accept nominations to serve on the Renewable Energy and... Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee can be found in Federal Register of June 26, 2012...

  14. 10 CFR 905.17 - What are the requirements for the energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? 905.17 Section 905.17 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY... energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? (a) Requests to submit an EE..., including any requirements for documenting customer energy efficiency and renewable energy activities. (b...

  15. 10 CFR 905.17 - What are the requirements for the energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? 905.17 Section 905.17 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY... energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? (a) Requests to submit an EE..., including any requirements for documenting customer energy efficiency and renewable energy activities. (b...

  16. 10 CFR 905.17 - What are the requirements for the energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? 905.17 Section 905.17 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY... energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? (a) Requests to submit an EE..., including any requirements for documenting customer energy efficiency and renewable energy activities. (b...

  17. 10 CFR 905.17 - What are the requirements for the energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? 905.17 Section 905.17 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY... energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report (EE/RE report) alternative? (a) Requests to submit an EE..., including any requirements for documenting customer energy efficiency and renewable energy activities. (b...

  18. 48 CFR 23.000 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE... reducing energy and water use in Government facilities; (c) Using renewable energy and renewable energy technologies; (d) Acquiring energy-efficient and water-efficient products and services, environmentally...

  19. 48 CFR 23.000 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE... reducing energy and water use in Government facilities; (c) Using renewable energy and renewable energy technologies; (d) Acquiring energy-efficient and water-efficient products and services, environmentally...

  20. 48 CFR 23.000 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE... reducing energy and water use in Government facilities; (c) Using renewable energy and renewable energy technologies; (d) Acquiring energy-efficient and water-efficient products and services, environmentally...

  1. 48 CFR 23.000 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE... reducing energy and water use in Government facilities; (c) Using renewable energy and renewable energy technologies; (d) Acquiring energy-efficient and water-efficient products and services, environmentally...

  2. 76 FR 30143 - Agency Information Collection Extension

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Agency Information..., Buy American Coordinator, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Department of... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW...

  3. 78 FR 20896 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC...: Ryan Mulholland, Office of Energy and Environmental Industries (OEEI), International Trade...

  4. 48 CFR 23.202 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.202 Policy. The Government's policy is to acquire supplies and services that promote energy and water efficiency, advance the use of renewable...

  5. 76 FR 47566 - Agency Information Collection Extension; Correction

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Agency Information Collection Extension; Correction AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of... INFORMATION CONTACT: Benjamin Goldstein, Buy American Coordinator, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable...

  6. 78 FR 69370 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Mulholland, Office of Energy and Environmental Industries (OEEI), International...

  7. 75 FR 70214 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC... INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian O'Hanlon, Office of Energy and Environmental Technologies Industries (OEEI...

  8. 77 FR 4999 - Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to LG From the Department of Energy Clothes Washer Test...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CW-022] Decision...: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Decision and Order.... Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy...

  9. 77 FR 75428 - Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to Samsung From the Department of Energy Residential...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. RF-021] Decision... Refrigerator-Freezer Test Procedures AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of... Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Decision and Order In the...

  10. 78 FR 53374 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Refrigerators...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-29

    ... Freezers AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Extension... INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Lucas Adin, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable... Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 2013-21115 Filed 8-28-13; 8:45 am...

  11. Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, and Renewable Energy Site Assessment: Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kiatreungwattana, Kosol; Salasovich, James; Kandt, Alicen

    As part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Forest Service to reduce energy use and incorporate renewable energy technologies into its facilities, the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory performed an energy efficiency and renewable energy site assessment of the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center in Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. This report documents the findings of this assessment, and provides site-specific information for the implementation of energy and water conservation measures, and renewable energy measures.

  12. 76 FR 25683 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB); Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB); Meeting AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of Open... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC 20585; or e-mail...

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakicenovic, Nebojsa; Kammen, Daniel; Jewell, Jessica

    The UN Secretary General established the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in order to guide and support efforts to achieve universal access to modern energy, rapidly increase energy efficiency, and expand the use of renewable energies. Task forces were formed involving prominent energy leaders and experts from business, government, academia and civil society worldwide. The goal of the Task Forces is to inform the implementation of the initiative by identifying challenges and opportunities for achieving its objectives. This report contains the findings of Task Force Two which is dedicated energy efficiency and renewable energy objectives. The report shows that doublingmore » the rate of energy efficiency improvements and doubling the share of energy from renewable sources by 2030 is challenging but feasible if sufficient actions are implemented. Strong and well-informed government policies as well as extensive private investment should focus on the high impact areas identified by the task force.« less

  14. Sustainable Transportation: Accelerating Widespread Adoption of Energy Efficient Vehicles & Fuels (Brochure)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    2014-12-01

    While energy efficient transportation strategies have the potential to simultaneously slash oil consumption and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a truly sustainable solution will require more than just putting drivers behind the wheels of new fuel-efficient cars. As the only national laboratory dedicated 100% to renewable energy and energy efficiency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) accelerates widespread adoption of high-performance, low-emission, energy-efficient passenger and freight vehicles, as well as alternative fuels and related infrastructure. Researchers collaborate closely with industry, government, and research partners, using a whole-systems approach to design better batteries, drivetrains, and engines, as well as thermal management,more » energy storage, power electronic, climate control, alternative fuel, combustion, and emission systems. NREL's sustainable transportation research, development, and deployment (RD&D) efforts are not limited to vehicles, roads, and fueling stations. The lab also explores ways to save energy and reduce GHGs by integrating transportation technology advancements with renewable energy generation, power grids and building systems, urban planning and policy, and fleet operations.« less

  15. A high-rate and long cycle life aqueous electrolyte battery for grid-scale energy storage.

    PubMed

    Pasta, Mauro; Wessells, Colin D; Huggins, Robert A; Cui, Yi

    2012-01-01

    New types of energy storage are needed in conjunction with the deployment of solar, wind and other volatile renewable energy sources and their integration with the electric grid. No existing energy storage technology can economically provide the power, cycle life and energy efficiency needed to respond to the costly short-term transients that arise from renewables and other aspects of grid operation. Here we demonstrate a new type of safe, fast, inexpensive, long-life aqueous electrolyte battery, which relies on the insertion of potassium ions into a copper hexacyanoferrate cathode and a novel activated carbon/polypyrrole hybrid anode. The cathode reacts rapidly with very little hysteresis. The hybrid anode uses an electrochemically active additive to tune its potential. This high-rate, high-efficiency cell has a 95% round-trip energy efficiency when cycled at a 5C rate, and a 79% energy efficiency at 50C. It also has zero-capacity loss after 1,000 deep-discharge cycles.

  16. 77 FR 5001 - Publication of the Petition for Waiver From Empire Comfort Systems From the Department of Energy...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. VHE-001... Heating Equipment Test Procedure AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of... Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 2012-2181 Filed 1-31-12; 8:45 am...

  17. 76 FR 45786 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Docket Number EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0039] Proposed Agency Information Collection AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable... sent to Mr. Alan Schroeder, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy...

  18. 76 FR 7815 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of an open meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC) will hold a meeting to hear presentations from the Departments of Energy and Commerce on how their...

  19. 48 CFR 952.223 - Clauses related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety, and drug-free workplace. 952.223 Section 952.223 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CLAUSES AND... related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety...

  20. 48 CFR 952.223 - Clauses related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety, and drug-free workplace. 952.223 Section 952.223 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CLAUSES AND... related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety...

  1. 48 CFR 952.223 - Clauses related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety, and drug-free workplace. 952.223 Section 952.223 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CLAUSES AND... related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety...

  2. 48 CFR 952.223 - Clauses related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety, and drug-free workplace. 952.223 Section 952.223 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CLAUSES AND... related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety...

  3. 48 CFR 952.223 - Clauses related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety, and drug-free workplace. 952.223 Section 952.223 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CLAUSES AND... related to environment, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy technologies, occupational safety...

  4. 78 FR 48855 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-12

    ... Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of an Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC) will hold a meeting on September 10, 2013. The meeting is...

  5. 77 FR 64112 - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Nationwide Categorical Waivers of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice of Amended Limited Waivers. SUMMARY: The U.S...

  6. 78 FR 33838 - DOE Participation in Development of the International Energy Conservation Code

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Docket No. EERE-2012-BT-BC... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice and request for comment... Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW...

  7. 78 FR 55245 - Activities and Methodology for Assessing Compliance With Building Energy Codes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Docket No. EERE-2013-BT-BC... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of reopening of public..., Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, 1000...

  8. 78 FR 48865 - Nationwide Categorical Waivers Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Nationwide Categorical... Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice of Amended Limited Waivers... CONTACT: Christine Platt-Patrick, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), (202) 586-7691...

  9. 75 FR 69653 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CW-015] Energy... November 4, 2010. Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Decision and...)(1)(iii). The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (the Assistant Secretary...

  10. 76 FR 43654 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Executive Business Development Mission

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-21

    ... geothermal energy capacity by 2023 (100th year anniversary of the Turkish Republic). Turkey plans to have 5... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Commercial Service (CS) is organizing a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Trade Mission to Turkey on...

  11. 77 FR 50489 - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Wind and Water Power Program AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) Wind and Water Power Program (WWPP) is planning a...

  12. 77 FR 38040 - Reestablishment of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee and Solicitation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Reestablishment of the Renewable Energy... of Reestablishment of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee and Solicitation... Act, 5 U.S.C. App., the Department of Commerce announces the reestablishment of the Renewable Energy...

  13. 78 FR 41387 - Petition for Waiver and Notice of Granting the Application for Interim Waiver of ASKO Appliances...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CD-008] Petition... DOE Residential Clothes Dryer Test Procedure AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (the Assistant Secretary) if it is determined...

  14. 76 FR 11233 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to LG...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CW-016] Energy... Energy Residential Clothes Washer Test Procedure AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... 23, 2011. Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Decision and Order...

  15. 77 FR 49443 - Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to Sanyo From the Department of Energy Residential...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. RF-022] Decision... Refrigerator-Freezer Test Procedures AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of... characteristics. The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (the Assistant Secretary) may...

  16. Indian Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy Database (Fact Sheet)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bushe, S.

    2013-09-01

    This fact sheet provides an overview of the Indian Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy Database (IREEED) developed in collaboration by the United States Department of Energy and India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. IREEED provides succinct summaries of India's central and state government policies and incentives related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. The online, public database was developed under the U.S.- India Energy Dialogue and the Clean Energy Solution Center.

  17. High-Performance Computing Unlocks Innovation at NREL

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    Need to fly around a wind farm? Or step inside a molecule? NREL scientists use a super powerful (and highly energy-efficient) computer to visualize and solve big problems in renewable energy research.

  18. Engineering Robust Yeasts for Biorefinery Applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, Taek Soon; Niles, Brad; Chow, Ruthie

    2016-06-22

    Isoprene is highly-valued terpene based-chemical feedstock and can be derived from either petroleum or from fermentation of plant biomass. This project enabled more efficient isoprene fermentation using renewable resources and at yields that can compete economically with non-renewable sources. This Phase I project applied a novel synthetic biology approach, the Artificial Positive Feedback Loop (APFL) technology, to improve production yields of isoprene.

  19. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum)pyrolysis and analysis by PY-GC/MS

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Economic and sustainable biofuel production requires high process efficiency. The choice of biomass and the conversion technology employed to produce renewable fuels determines the product yields, fuel quality and consequently the process efficiency. Guayule, a perennial shrub native to the southwes...

  20. Energy Management Challenges and Opportunities with Increased Intermittent Renewable Generation on the California Electrical Grid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eichman, Joshua David

    Renewable resources including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric, wave and tidal, represent an opportunity for environmentally preferred generation of electricity that also increases energy security and independence. California is very proactive in encouraging the implementation of renewable energy in part through legislation like Assembly Bill 32 and the development and execution of Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS); however renewable technologies are not without challenges. All renewable resources have some resource limitations, be that from location, capacity, cost or availability. Technologies like wind and solar are intermittent in nature but represent one of the most abundant resources for generating renewable electricity. If RPS goals are to be achieved high levels of intermittent renewables must be considered. This work explores the effects of high penetration of renewables on a grid system, with respect to resource availability and identifies the key challenges from the perspective of the grid to introducing these resources. The HiGRID tool was developed for this analysis because no other tool could explore grid operation, while maintaining system reliability, with a diverse set of renewable resources and a wide array of complementary technologies including: energy efficiency, demand response, energy storage technologies and electric transportation. This tool resolves the hourly operation of conventional generation resources (nuclear, coal, geothermal, natural gas and hydro). The resulting behavior from introducing additional renewable resources and the lifetime costs for each technology is analyzed.

  1. 77 FR 1474 - Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to Samsung From the Department of Energy Residential...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. RF-018; Case No... Refrigerator and Refrigerator-Freezer Test Procedures AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... characteristics. 10 CFR 430.27(b)(1)(iii). The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (the...

  2. 76 FR 17637 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Decision and Order Granting a Waiver to Miele...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CD-005] Energy... Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Decision and order. SUMMARY: The U.S... Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Decision and Order In the Matter of: Miele, Inc. (Case No. CD-005...

  3. Combining plasma gasification and solid oxide cell technologies in advanced power plants for waste to energy and electric energy storage applications.

    PubMed

    Perna, Alessandra; Minutillo, Mariagiovanna; Lubrano Lavadera, Antonio; Jannelli, Elio

    2018-03-01

    The waste to energy (WtE) facilities and the renewable energy storage systems have a strategic role in the promotion of the "eco-innovation", an emerging priority in the European Union. This paper aims to propose advanced plant configurations in which waste to energy plants and electric energy storage systems from intermittent renewable sources are combined for obtaining more efficient and clean energy solutions in accordance with the "eco-innovation" approach. The advanced plant configurations consist of an electric energy storage (EES) section based on a solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC), a waste gasification section based on the plasma technology and a power generation section based on a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The plant configurations differ for the utilization of electrolytic hydrogen and oxygen in the plasma gasification section and in the power generation section. In the first plant configuration IAPGFC (Integrated Air Plasma Gasification Fuel Cell), the renewable oxygen enriches the air stream, that is used as plasma gas in the gasification section, and the renewable hydrogen is used to enrich the anodic stream of the SOFC in the power generation section. In the second plant configuration IHPGFC (Integrated Hydrogen Plasma Gasification Fuel Cell) the renewable hydrogen is used as plasma gas in the plasma gasification section, and the renewable oxygen is used to enrich the cathodic stream of the SOFC in the power generation section. The analysis has been carried out by using numerical models for predicting and comparing the systems performances in terms of electric efficiency and capability in realizing the waste to energy and the electric energy storage of renewable sources. Results have highlighted that the electric efficiency is very high for all configurations (35-45%) and, thanks to the combination with the waste to energy technology, the storage efficiencies are very attractive (in the range 72-92%). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Long-term shifts in life-cycle energy efficiency and carbon intensity.

    PubMed

    Yeh, Sonia; Mishra, Gouri Shankar; Morrison, Geoff; Teter, Jacob; Quiceno, Raul; Gillingham, Kenneth; Riera-Palou, Xavier

    2013-03-19

    The quantity of primary energy needed to support global human activity is in large part determined by how efficiently that energy is converted to a useful form. We estimate the system-level life-cycle energy efficiency (EF) and carbon intensity (CI) across primary resources for 2005-2100. Our results underscore that although technological improvements at each energy conversion process will improve technology efficiency and lead to important reductions in primary energy use, market mediated effects and structural shifts toward less efficient pathways and pathways with multiple stages of conversion will dampen these efficiency gains. System-level life-cycle efficiency may decrease as mitigation efforts intensify, since low-efficiency renewable systems with high output have much lower GHG emissions than some high-efficiency fossil fuel systems. Climate policies accelerate both improvements in EF and the adoption of renewable technologies, resulting in considerably lower primary energy demand and GHG emissions. Life-cycle EF and CI of useful energy provide a useful metric for understanding dynamics of implementing climate policies. The approaches developed here reiterate the necessity of a combination of policies that target efficiency and decarbonized energy technologies. We also examine life-cycle exergy efficiency (ExF) and find that nearly all of the qualitative results hold regardless of whether we use ExF or EF.

  5. Techno-economic feasibility and life cycle assessment of dairy effluent to renewable diesel via hydrothermal liquefaction.

    PubMed

    Summers, Hailey M; Ledbetter, Rhesa N; McCurdy, Alex T; Morgan, Michael R; Seefeldt, Lance C; Jena, Umakanta; Hoekman, S Kent; Quinn, Jason C

    2015-11-01

    The economic feasibility and environmental impact is investigated for the conversion of agricultural waste, delactosed whey permeate, through yeast fermentation to a renewable diesel via hydrothermal liquefaction. Process feasibility was demonstrated at laboratory-scale with data leveraged to validate systems models used to perform industrial-scale economic and environmental impact analyses. Results show a minimum fuel selling price of $4.78 per gallon of renewable diesel, a net energy ratio of 0.81, and greenhouse gas emissions of 30.0g-CO2-eqMJ(-1). High production costs and greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to operational temperatures and durations of both fermentation and hydrothermal liquefaction. However, high lipid yields of the yeast counter these operational demands, resulting in a favorable net energy ratio. Results are presented on the optimization of the process based on economy of scale and a sensitivity analysis highlights improvements in conversion efficiency, yeast biomass productivity and hydrotreating efficiency can dramatically improve commercial feasibility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. 48 CFR 23.000 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE..., and encouraging the safe operation of vehicles by— (a) Controlling pollution; (b) Managing energy and water use in Government facilities efficiently; (c) Using renewable energy and renewable energy...

  7. 48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

  8. 48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

  9. 48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

  10. 48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

  11. 48 CFR 23.203 - Energy-efficient products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Energy-efficient products... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.203 Energy-efficient...

  12. Renewal of the Advanced Photon Source.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gibson, J. M.

    2008-12-31

    To ensure that state-of-the-art hard x-ray tools are available for US scientists and engineers who are solving key problems in energy, environment, technology development and human health, the nation's unique high-energy x-ray source needs a major renewal of its capabilities. The Advanced Photon Source renewal program responds to key scientific needs driven by our user community. The renewal encompasses many innovations in beamlines and accelerator capabilities, each of which will transform our tools and allow new problems to be solved. In particular the APS renewal dramatically expands two compelling avenues for research. Through x-ray imaging, we can illuminate complex hierarchical structures from the molecular level to the macroscopic level, and study how they change in time and in response to stimuli. Images will facilitate understanding how proteins fit together to make living organisms, contribute to development of lighter, higher-strength alloys for fuel-efficient transportation and advance the use of biomass for alternative fuels. Hard x-rays are also especially suited to the study of real materials, under realistic conditions and in real-time. The advances proposed in this area would help develop more efficient catalysts, enhance green manufacturing, point the way to artificial light-harvesting inspired by biology and help us develop more efficient lighting. The scope of the renewal of our {approx}more » $$1.5B facility is estimated to be {approx}$$350M over five years. It is vital that the investment begin as soon as possible. The renewed APS would complement other national investments such as the National Synchrotron Light Source-II and would keep the U.S. internationally competitive.« less

  13. 48 CFR 23.200 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.200 Scope. (a) This subpart prescribes... that use renewable energy technology; and (2) Using an energy-savings performance contract to obtain...

  14. 48 CFR 23.200 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.200 Scope. (a) This subpart prescribes... that use renewable energy technology; and (2) Using an energy-savings performance contract to obtain...

  15. 48 CFR 23.200 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.200 Scope. (a) This subpart prescribes... that use renewable energy technology; and (2) Using an energy-savings performance contract to obtain...

  16. 48 CFR 23.200 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.200 Scope. (a) This subpart prescribes... that use renewable energy technology; and (2) Using an energy-savings performance contract to obtain...

  17. 48 CFR 23.200 - Scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.200 Scope. (a) This subpart prescribes... that use renewable energy technology; and (2) Using an energy-savings performance contract to obtain...

  18. 7 CFR 4280.110 - Grant funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...-party equity contributions are acceptable for renewable energy system projects, including those that are... UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency... renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement. (1) Post-application purchase and installation of...

  19. 7 CFR 4280.110 - Grant funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...-party equity contributions are acceptable for renewable energy system projects, including those that are... UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency... renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement. (1) Post-application purchase and installation of...

  20. Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, and Renewable Energy Site Assessment: San Juan National Forest - Dolores Ranger District, Colorado

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kandt, Alicen J.; Kiatreungwattana, Kosol

    This report summarizes the results from an energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy site assessment of the Dolores Ranger District in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado. A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted the assessment with United States Forest Service (USFS) personnel on August 16-17, 2016, as part of ongoing efforts by USFS to reduce energy and water use and implement renewable energy technologies. The assessment is approximately an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Level 2 audit and meets Energy Independence and Security Act requirements.

  1. Increasing conversion efficiency of two-step photon up-conversion solar cell with a voltage booster hetero-interface.

    PubMed

    Asahi, Shigeo; Kusaki, Kazuki; Harada, Yukihiro; Kita, Takashi

    2018-01-17

    Development of high-efficiency solar cells is one of the attractive challenges in renewable energy technologies. Photon up-conversion can reduce the transmission loss and is one of the promising concepts which improve conversion efficiency. Here we present an analysis of the conversion efficiency, which can be increased by up-conversion in a single-junction solar cell with a hetero-interface that boosts the output voltage. We confirm that an increase in the quasi-Fermi gap and substantial photocurrent generation result in a high conversion efficiency.

  2. NREL's Sustainable Campus Overview

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rukavina, Frank; Pless, Shanti

    2015-04-06

    The high-performance buildings across the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) South Table Mountain campus incorporate a number of state-of-the art energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, making them models for sustainability. Each building, designed to meet the Gold or Platinum standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program, brings NREL closer to developing the campus of the future.

  3. 77 FR 31000 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Proposed Agency Information Collection AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION... Renewable Energy (EERE) has developed and launched a new consumer-focused Web site ( http://openei.org...

  4. Hybrid Hydro Renewable Energy Storage Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dey, Asit Kr

    2018-01-01

    This paper aims at presenting wind & tidal turbine pumped-storage solutions for improving the energy efficiency and economic sustainability of renewable energy systems. Indicated a viable option to solve problems of energy production, as well as in the integration of intermittent renewable energies, providing system flexibility due to energy load’s fluctuation, as long as the storage of energy from intermittent sources. Sea water storage energy is one of the best and most efficient options in terms of renewable resources as an integrated solution allowing the improvement of the energy system elasticity and the global system efficiency.

  5. Highly-efficient capillary photoelectrochemical water splitting using cellulose nanofiber-templated TiO 2 photoanodes

    Treesearch

    Zhaodong Li; Chunhua Yao; Yanhao Yu; Zhiyong Cai; Xudong Wang

    2014-01-01

    Among current endeavors to explore renewable energy technologies, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting holds great promise for conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. [ 1–4 ] Light absorption, charge separation, and appropriate interfacial redox reactions are three key aspects that lead to highly efficient solar energy conversion. [ 5–10 ] Therefore,...

  6. High-Performance Computing Systems and Operations | Computational Science |

    Science.gov Websites

    NREL Systems and Operations High-Performance Computing Systems and Operations NREL operates high-performance computing (HPC) systems dedicated to advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Capabilities NREL's HPC capabilities include: High-Performance Computing Systems We operate

  7. New Earth-abundant Materials for Large-scale Solar Fuels Generation.

    PubMed

    Prabhakar, Rajiv Ramanujam; Cui, Wei; Tilley, S David

    2018-05-30

    The solar resource is immense, but the power density of light striking the Earth's surface is relatively dilute, necessitating large area solar conversion devices in order to harvest substantial amounts of power for renewable energy applications. In addition, energy storage is a key challenge for intermittent renewable resources such as solar and wind, which adds significant cost to these energies. As the majority of humanity's present-day energy consumption is based on fuels, an ideal solution is to generate renewable fuels from abundant resources such as sunlight and water. In this account, we detail our recent work towards generating highly efficient and stable Earth-abundant semiconducting materials for solar water splitting to generate renewable hydrogen fuel.

  8. Database of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives and Policies Final Technical Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lips, Brian

    The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) is an online resource that provides summaries of all financial incentives and regulatory policies that support the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency across all 50 states. This project involved making enhancements to the database and website, and the ongoing research and maintenance of the policy and incentive summaries.

  9. Renewable and high efficient syngas production from carbon dioxide and water through solar energy assisted electrolysis in eutectic molten salts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Hongjun; Liu, Yue; Ji, Deqiang; Li, Zhida; Yi, Guanlin; Yuan, Dandan; Wang, Baohui; Zhang, Zhonghai; Wang, Peng

    2017-09-01

    Over-reliance on non-renewable fossil fuel leads to steadily increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2, which has been implicated as a critical factor contributing to global warming. The efficient conversion of CO2 into useful product is highly sought after both in academic and industry. Herein, a novel conversion strategy is proposed to one-step transform CO2/H2O into syngas (CO/H2) in molten salt with electrolysis method. All the energy consumption in this system are contributed from sustainable energy sources: concentrated solar light heats molten salt and solar cell supplies electricity for electrolysis. The eutectic Li0.85Na0.61K0.54CO3/nLiOH molten electrolyte is rationally designed with low melting point (<450 °C). The synthesized syngas contains very desirable content of H2 and CO, with tuneable molar ratios (H2/CO) from 0.6 to 7.8, and with an efficient faradaic efficiency of ∼94.5%. The synthesis of syngas from CO2 with renewable energy at a such low electrolytic temperature not only alleviates heat loss, mitigates system corrosion, and heightens operational safety, but also decreases the generation of methane, thus increases the yield of syngas, which is a remarkable technological breakthrough and this work thus represents a stride in sustainable conversion of CO2 to value-added product.

  10. 75 FR 34657 - Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Design Standards for New Federal Buildings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-18

    ... Efficiency and Sustainable Design Standards for New Federal Buildings AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and....S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Federal Energy Management... June 11, 2010. Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 2010...

  11. 77 FR 16022 - Agency Information Collection Extension

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Agency Information Collection Extension AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy... Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 2012-6546 Filed 3-16-12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ...

  12. 7 CFR 4280.108 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program § 4280.108 Project eligibility. For a renewable energy system or energy...) The project must be for the purchase of a renewable energy system or to make energy efficiency...

  13. A general method to analyze the thermal performance of multi-cavity concentrating solar power receivers

    DOE PAGES

    Fleming, Austin; Folsom, Charles; Ban, Heng; ...

    2015-11-13

    Concentrating solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage has potential to provide grid-scale, on-demand, dispatachable renewable energy. As higher solar receiver output temperatures are necessary for higher thermal cycle efficiency, current CSP research is focused on high outlet temperature and high efficiency receivers. Here, the objective of this study is to provide a simplified model to analyze the thermal efficiency of multi-cavity concentrating solar power receivers.

  14. NREL's Sustainable Campus Overview

    ScienceCinema

    Rukavina, Frank; Pless, Shanti

    2018-05-11

    The high-performance buildings across the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) South Table Mountain campus incorporate a number of state-of-the art energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, making them models for sustainability. Each building, designed to meet the Gold or Platinum standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program, brings NREL closer to developing the campus of the future.

  15. Driving R&D for the Next Generation Work Truck; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Melendez, M.

    2015-03-04

    Improvements in medium- and heavy-duty work truck energy efficiency can dramatically reduce the use of petroleum-based fuels and the emissions of greenhouse gases. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with industry partners to develop fuel-saving, high-performance vehicle technologies, while examining fleet operational practices that can simulateneously improve fuel economy, decrease emissions, and support bottom-line goals.

  16. 7 CFR 4280.113 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.113 Project eligibility. For a renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement project to be eligible to receive a RES... specified in paragraph (k) of this section. (a) The project must be for the purchase of a renewable energy...

  17. 7 CFR 4280.113 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.113 Project eligibility. For a renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement project to be eligible to receive a RES... specified in paragraph (k) of this section. (a) The project must be for the purchase of a renewable energy...

  18. 7 CFR 4280.113 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.113 Project eligibility. For a renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement project to be eligible to receive a RES... specified in paragraph (k) of this section. (a) The project must be for the purchase of a renewable energy...

  19. New Multijunction Design Leads to Ultra-Efficient Solar Cell; Highlights in Research & Development, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    2015-09-01

    NREL has demonstrated a 45.7% conversion efficiency for a four-junction solar cell at 234 suns concentration. This achievement represents one of the highest photovoltaic research cell efficiencies ever achieved across all types of solar cells. NREL's new solar cell, which is designed for operation in a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system where it can receive more than 1,000 suns of concentrated sunlight, greatly improves earlier designs by adding an additional high quality absorber layer to achieve an ultra-high efficiency.

  20. Hydrodeoxygenation of water-insoluble bio-oil to alkanes using a highly dispersed Pd-Mo catalyst.

    PubMed

    Duan, Haohong; Dong, Juncai; Gu, Xianrui; Peng, Yung-Kang; Chen, Wenxing; Issariyakul, Titipong; Myers, William K; Li, Meng-Jung; Yi, Ni; Kilpatrick, Alexander F R; Wang, Yu; Zheng, Xusheng; Ji, Shufang; Wang, Qian; Feng, Junting; Chen, Dongliang; Li, Yadong; Buffet, Jean-Charles; Liu, Haichao; Tsang, Shik Chi Edman; O'Hare, Dermot

    2017-09-19

    Bio-oil, produced by the destructive distillation of cheap and renewable lignocellulosic biomass, contains high energy density oligomers in the water-insoluble fraction that can be utilized for diesel and valuable fine chemicals productions. Here, we show an efficient hydrodeoxygenation catalyst that combines highly dispersed palladium and ultrafine molybdenum phosphate nanoparticles on silica. Using phenol as a model substrate this catalyst is 100% effective and 97.5% selective for hydrodeoxygenation to cyclohexane under mild conditions in a batch reaction; this catalyst also demonstrates regeneration ability in long-term continuous flow tests. Detailed investigations into the nature of the catalyst show that it combines hydrogenation activity of Pd and high density of both Brønsted and Lewis acid sites; we believe these are key features for efficient catalytic hydrodeoxygenation behavior. Using a wood and bark-derived feedstock, this catalyst performs hydrodeoxygenation of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose-derived oligomers into liquid alkanes with high efficiency and yield.Bio-oil is a potential major source of renewable fuels and chemicals. Here, the authors report a palladium-molybdenum mixed catalyst for the selective hydrodeoxygenation of water-insoluble bio-oil to mixtures of alkanes with high carbon yield.

  1. From Zero Energy Buildings to Zero Energy Districts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Polly, Ben; Kutscher, Chuck; Macumber, Dan

    Some U.S. cities are planning advanced districts that have goals for zero energy, water, waste, and/or greenhouse gas emissions. From an energy perspective, zero energy districts present unique opportunities to cost-effectively achieve high levels of energy efficiency and renewable energy penetration across a collection of buildings that may be infeasible at the individual building scale. These high levels of performance are accomplished through district energy systems that harness renewable and wasted energy at large scales and flexible building loads that coordinate with variable renewable energy supply. Unfortunately, stakeholders face a lack of documented processes, tools, and best practices to assistmore » them in achieving zero energy districts. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is partnering on two new district projects in Denver: the National Western Center and the Sun Valley Neighborhood. We are working closely with project stakeholders in their zero energy master planning efforts to develop the resources needed to resolve barriers and create replicable processes to support future zero energy district efforts across the United States. Initial results of these efforts include the identification and description of key zero energy district design principles (maximizing building efficiency, solar potential, renewable thermal energy, and load control), economic drivers, and master planning principles. The work has also resulted in NREL making initial enhancements to the U.S. Department of Energy's open source building energy modeling platform (OpenStudio and EnergyPlus) with the long-term goal of supporting the design and optimization of energy districts.« less

  2. Photocatalytically Renewable Micro-electrochemical Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring of Cells.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jia-Quan; Liu, Yan-Ling; Wang, Qian; Duo, Huan-Huan; Zhang, Xin-Wei; Li, Yu-Tao; Huang, Wei-Hua

    2015-11-23

    Electrode fouling and passivation is a substantial and inevitable limitation in electrochemical biosensing, and it is a great challenge to efficiently remove the contaminant without changing the surface structure and electrochemical performance. Herein, we propose a versatile and efficient strategy based on photocatalytic cleaning to construct renewable electrochemical sensors for cell analysis. This kind of sensor was fabricated by controllable assembly of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and TiO2 to form a sandwiching RGO@TiO2 structure, followed by deposition of Au nanoparticles (NPs) onto the RGO shell. The Au NPs-RGO composite shell provides high electrochemical performance. Meanwhile, the encapsulated TiO2 ensures an excellent photocatalytic cleaning property. Application of this renewable microsensor for detection of nitric oxide (NO) release from cells demonstrates the great potential of this strategy in electrode regeneration and biosensing. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Balancing Area Coordination: Efficiently Integrating Renewable Energy Into the Grid, Greening the Grid

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Katz, Jessica; Denholm, Paul; Cochran, Jaquelin

    2015-06-01

    Greening the Grid provides technical assistance to energy system planners, regulators, and grid operators to overcome challenges associated with integrating variable renewable energy into the grid. Coordinating balancing area operation can promote more cost and resource efficient integration of variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, into power systems. This efficiency is achieved by sharing or coordinating balancing resources and operating reserves across larger geographic boundaries.

  4. High renewable content sandwich structures based on flax-basalt hybrids and biobased epoxy polymers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colomina, S.; Boronat, T.; Fenollar, O.; Sánchez-Nacher, L.; Balart, R.

    2014-05-01

    In the last years, a growing interest in the development of high environmental efficiency materials has been detected and this situation is more accentuated in the field of polymers and polymer composites. In this work, green composite sandwich structures with high renewable content have been developed with core cork materials. The base resin for composites was a biobased epoxy resin derived from epoxidized vegetable oils. Hybrid basalt-flax fabrics have been used as reinforcements for composites and the influence of the stacking sequence has been evaluated in order to optimize the appropriate laminate structure for the sandwich bases. Core cork materials with different thickness have been used to evaluate performance of sandwich structures thus leading to high renewable content composite sandwich structures. Results show that position of basalt fabrics plays a key role in flexural fracture of sandwich structures due to differences in stiffness between flax and basalt fibers.

  5. Importance of hard coal in electricity generation in Poland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plewa, Franciszek; Strozik, Grzegorz

    2017-11-01

    Polish energy sector is facing a number of challenges, in particular as regards the reconstruction of production potential, diversification of energy sources, environmental issues, adequate fuels supplies and other. Mandatory implementation of Europe 2020 strategy in terms of “3x20” targets (20% reduction of greenhouse gases, 20% of energy from renewable sources, and 20% increase of efficiency in energy production) requires fast decision, which have to be coordinated with energetic safety issues, increasing demands for electric energy, and other factors. In Poland almost 80% of power is installed in coal fired power plants and energy from hard coals is relatively less expensive than from other sources, especially renewable. The most of renewable energy sources power plants are unable to generate power in amounts which can be competitive with coal fires power stations and are highly expensive, what leads o high prices of electric energy. Alternatively, new generation of coal fired coal power plants is able to significantly increase efficiency, reduce carbon dioxide emission, and generate less expensive electric power in amounts adequate to the demands of a country.

  6. Tribal Energy Program, Assisting Tribes to Realize Their Energy Visions (Brochure), Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    2013-06-01

    This 12-page brochure provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Tribal Energy Program and describes the financial, technical, and educational assistance it provides to help tribes develop their renewable energy resources and reduce their energy consumption.

  7. 7 CFR 4280.165 - Combined funding for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Combined funding for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. 4280.165 Section 4280.165 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of... AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Combined Funding for Renewable Energy...

  8. 7 CFR 4280.165 - Combined funding for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Combined funding for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. 4280.165 Section 4280.165 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of... AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Combined Funding for Renewable Energy...

  9. 7 CFR 4280.165 - Combined funding for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Combined funding for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. 4280.165 Section 4280.165 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of... AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Combined Funding for Renewable Energy...

  10. Roadmap of retail electricity market reform in China: assisting in mitigating wind energy curtailment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Dezhao; Qiu, Huadong; Yuan, Xiang; Li, Yuan; Shao, Changzheng; Lin, You; Ding, Yi

    2017-01-01

    Among the renewable energies, wind energy has gained the rapidest development in China. Moreover wind power generation has been penetrated into power system in a large scale. However, the high level wind curtailment also indicates a low efficiency of wind energy utilization over the last decade in China. One of the primary constraints on the utilization of wind energy is the lack of an electricity market, in which renewable energies can compete equally with traditional fossil fuel generation. Thus the new round electric power industry reform is essential in China. The reform involves implementing new pricing mechanism, introducing retail-side competition, promoting the consumption of renewable energy. The new round reform can be a promising solution for promoting the development and consumption of wind energy generation in China. Based on proposed reform policies of electric power industry, this paper suggests a roadmap for retail electricity market reform of China, which consists of three stages. Barriers to the efficient utilization of wind energy are also analysed. Finally, this paper introduces several efficient measures for mitigating wind curtailment in each stage of reform.

  11. Production of High Value Cellulose from Tobacco

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berson, R Eric; Dvaid, Keith; McGinley, W Mark

    The Kentucky Rural Energy Supply Program was established in 2005 by a federal direct appropriation to benefit the citizens of the Commonwealth by creating a unified statewide consortium to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in Kentucky. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Biomass Programs initially funded the consortium in 2005 with a $2 million operational grant. The Kentucky Rural Energy Consortium (KREC) was formed at the outset of the program to advance energy efficiency and comprehensive research on biomass and bioenergy of importance to Kentucky agriculture, rural communities, and related industries. In recognition of the successful effortsmore » of the program, KREC received an additional $1.96 million federal appropriation in 2008 for renewal of the DOE grant. From the beginning, KREC understood the value of providing a statewide forum for the discussion of Kentucky's long term energy needs and economic development potential. The new funding allowed KREC to continue to serve as a clearinghouse and support new research and development and outreach programs for energy efficiency and renewable energy.« less

  12. Mapping alternative energy paths for taiwan to reach a sustainable future: An application of the leap model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Wei-Ming

    Energy is the backbone of modern life which is highly related to national security, economic growth, and environmental protection. For Taiwan, a region having limited conventional energy resources but constructing economies and societies with high energy intensity, energy became the throat of national security and development. This dissertation explores energy solutions for Taiwan by constructing a sustainable and comprehensive energy planning framework (SCENE) and by simulating alternative energy pathways on the horizon to 2030. The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning system (LEAP) is used as a platform for the energy simulation. The study models three scenarios based on the E4 (energy -- environment -- economic -- equity) perspectives. Three scenarios refer to the business-as-usual scenario (BAU), the government target scenario (GOV), and the renewable and efficiency scenario (REEE). The simulation results indicate that the most promising scenario for Taiwan is the REEE scenario, which aims to save 48.7 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) of final energy consumption. It avoids USD 11.1 billion on electricity expenditure in final demand sectors. In addition, the cost of the REEE path is the lowest among all scenarios before 2020 in the electricity generation sector. In terms of global warming potential (GWP), the REEE scenario could reduce 35 percent of the GWP in the demand sectors, the lowest greenhouse gases emission in relation to all other scenarios. Based on lowest energy consumption, competitive cost, and least harm to the environment, the REEE scenario is the best option to achieve intergenerational equity. This dissertation proposes that promoting energy efficiency and utilizing renewable energy is the best strategy for Taiwan. For efficiency improvement, great energy saving potentials do exist in Taiwan so that Taiwan needs more ambitious targets, policies, and implementation mechanisms for energy efficiency enhancement to slow down and decrease total final energy demand in the long term. In terms of adopting renewable energy, this dissertation suggests increasing the proportion of renewable electricity to 30 percent by 2030, using proven and market competitive renewable technologies to harvest Taiwan's abundant renewable potential. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to construct stable funding sources and promote the transparency, longevity, and certainty of policies.

  13. 48 CFR 23.206 - Contract clause.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.206 Contract clause. Unless exempt pursuant to 23.204, insert the clause at 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products...

  14. 48 CFR 23.206 - Contract clause.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.206 Contract clause. Unless exempt pursuant to 23.204, insert the clause at 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products...

  15. 48 CFR 23.206 - Contract clause.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.206 Contract clause. Unless exempt pursuant to 23.204, insert the clause at 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products...

  16. 48 CFR 23.206 - Contract clause.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.206 Contract clause. Unless exempt pursuant to 23.204, insert the clause at 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products...

  17. 48 CFR 23.206 - Contract clause.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.206 Contract clause. Unless exempt pursuant to 23.204, insert the clause at 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products...

  18. 76 FR 35199 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Proposed Agency Information Collection AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice and.... Issued in Washington, DC, on June 9, 2011. Henry Kelly, Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and...

  19. 78 FR 8998 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products and Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-07

    ... and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of reopening of public comment period.... James Raba, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building... Efficiency and Renewable Energy. [FR Doc. 2013-02755 Filed 2-6-13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ...

  20. Integrating Variable Renewable Energy - Russia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    To foster sustainable, low-emission development, many countries are establishing ambitious renewable energy targets for their electricity supply. Because solar and wind tend to be more variable and uncertain than conventional sources, meeting these targets will involve changes to power system planning and operations. Grid integration is the practice of developing efficient ways to deliver variable renewable energy (VRE) to the grid. Good integration methods maximize the cost-effectiveness of incorporating VRE into the power system while maintaining or increasing system stability and reliability. When considering grid integration, policy makers, regulators, and system operators consider a variety of issues, which can bemore » organized into four broad topics: New Renewable Energy Generation, New Transmission, Increased System Flexibility, Planning for a High RE Future. This is a Russian-language translation of Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid: Key Issues, Greening the Grid, originally published in English in May 2015.« less

  1. Technical Analysis Feasibility Study on Smart Microgrid System in Sekolah Tinggi Teknik PLN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suyanto, Heri

    2018-02-01

    Nowadays application of new and renewable energy as main resource of power plant has greatly increased. High penetration of renewable energy into the grid will influence the quality and reliability of the electricity system, due to the intermittent characteristic of new and renewable energy resources. Smart grid or microgrid technology has the ability to deal with this intermittent characteristic especially if these renewable energy resources integrated to grid in large scale, so it can improve the reliability and efficiency of the grid. We plan to implement smart microgrid system at Sekolah Tinggi Teknik PLN as a pilot project. Before the pilot project start, the feasibility study must be conducted. In this feasibility study, the renewable energy resources and load characteristic at the site will be measured. Then the technical aspect of this feasibility study will be analyzed. This paper explains that analysis of ths feasibility study.

  2. Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid: Key Issues, Greening the Grid (Spanish Version)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    This is the Spanish version of 'Greening the Grid - Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid: Key Issues'. To foster sustainable, low-emission development, many countries are establishing ambitious renewable energy targets for their electricity supply. Because solar and wind tend to be more variable and uncertain than conventional sources, meeting these targets will involve changes to power system planning and operations. Grid integration is the practice of developing efficient ways to deliver variable renewable energy (VRE) to the grid. Good integration methods maximize the cost-effectiveness of incorporating VRE into the power system while maintaining or increasing system stability andmore » reliability. When considering grid integration, policy makers, regulators, and system operators consider a variety of issues, which can be organized into four broad topics: New Renewable Energy Generation, New Transmission, Increased System Flexibility, and Planning for a High RE Future.« less

  3. 76 FR 57007 - Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee, Appliance Standards Subcommittee, Negotiated...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-15

    ... Distribution Transformers AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... Rulemaking Working Group for Low-Voltage Dry-Type Distribution Transformers (hereafter ``LV Group''). The LV... proposed rule for regulating the energy efficiency of distribution transformers, as authorized by the...

  4. Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Programs in State Implementation Plans - Guidance Documents

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    final document that provides guidance to States and local areas on quantifying and including emission reductions from energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in State Implementation Plans (SIPS).

  5. Production efficiencies of U.S. electric generation plants: Effects of data aggregation and greenhouse gas and renewable energy policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lynes, Melissa Kate

    Over the last few decades there has been a shift in electricity production in the U.S. Renewable energy sources are becoming more widely used. In addition, electric generation plants that use coal inputs are more heavily regulated than a couple decades ago. This shift in electricity production was brought on by changes in federal policy -- a desire for electricity produced in the U.S. which led to policies being adopted that encourage the use of renewable energy. The change in production practices due to policies may have led to changes in the productivity of electric generation plants. Multiple studies have examined the most efficient electric generation plants using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. This study builds on past research to answer three questions: 1) Does the level of aggregation of fuel input variables affect the plant efficiency scores and how does the efficiency of renewable energy input compare to nonrenewable energy inputs; 2) Are policies geared toward directly or indirectly reducing greenhouse gas emissions affecting the production efficiencies of greenhouse gas emitting electric generation plants; and 3) Do renewable energy policies and the use of intermittent energy sources (i.e. wind and solar) affect the productivity growth of electric generation plants. All three analysis, presented in three essays, use U.S. plant level data obtained from the Energy Information Administration to answer these questions. The first two essays use DEA to determine the pure technical, overall technical, and scale efficiencies of electric generation plants. The third essay uses DEA within the Malmquist index to assess the change in productivity over time. Results indicate that the level of aggregation does matter particularly for scale efficiency. This implies that valuable information is likely lost when fuel inputs are aggregated together. Policies directly focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions may improve the production efficiencies of greenhouse gas emitting electric generation plants. However, renewable energy policies do not have an effect on productivity growth. Renewable energy inputs are found to be as efficient if not more efficient than traditional energy sources.

  6. New Mexico Clean Energy Initiatives

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This presentation addresses New Mexico oil and gas development, brownfields, mining development, renewable energy development, renewable resources, renewable standards, solar opportunities, climate change, and energy efficiency.

  7. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in SIPs and TIPs

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Tools and guides to encourage state, tribal and local agencies to consider incorporating Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE) policies and programs in their State and Tribal Implementation Plans (SIPs/TIPs).

  8. 10 CFR 431.21 - Procedures for recognition and withdrawal of recognition of accreditation bodies and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Electric... Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal... comments in a written statement submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable...

  9. Low-Cost High-Pressure Hydrogen Generator

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cropley, Cecelia C.; Norman, Timothy J.

    Electrolysis of water, particularly in conjunction with renewable energy sources, is potentially a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of producing hydrogen at dispersed forecourt sites, such as automotive fueling stations. The primary feedstock for an electrolyzer is electricity, which could be produced by renewable sources such as wind or solar that do not produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions. However, state-of-the-art electrolyzer systems are not economically competitive for forecourt hydrogen production due to their high capital and operating costs, particularly the cost of the electricity used by the electrolyzer stack. In this project, Giner Electrochemical Systems, LLC (GES)more » developed a low cost, high efficiency proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis system for hydrogen production at moderate pressure (300 to 400 psig). The electrolyzer stack operates at differential pressure, with hydrogen produced at moderate pressure while oxygen is evolved at near-atmospheric pressure, reducing the cost of the water feed and oxygen handling subsystems. The project included basic research on catalysts and membranes to improve the efficiency of the electrolysis reaction as well as development of advanced materials and component fabrication methods to reduce the capital cost of the electrolyzer stack and system. The project culminated in delivery of a prototype electrolyzer module to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for testing at the National Wind Technology Center. Electrolysis cell efficiency of 72% (based on the lower heating value of hydrogen) was demonstrated using an advanced high-strength membrane developed in this project. This membrane would enable the electrolyzer system to exceed the DOE 2012 efficiency target of 69%. GES significantly reduced the capital cost of a PEM electrolyzer stack through development of low cost components and fabrication methods, including a 60% reduction in stack parts count. Economic analysis indicates that hydrogen could be produced for $3.79 per gge at an electricity cost of $0.05/kWh by the lower-cost PEM electrolyzer developed in this project, assuming high-volume production of large-scale electrolyzer systems.« less

  10. Thermodynamic Modeling and Dispatch of Distributed Energy Technologies including Fuel Cell -- Gas Turbine Hybrids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLarty, Dustin Fogle

    Distributed energy systems are a promising means by which to reduce both emissions and costs. Continuous generators must be responsive and highly efficiency to support building dynamics and intermittent on-site renewable power. Fuel cell -- gas turbine hybrids (FC/GT) are fuel-flexible generators capable of ultra-high efficiency, ultra-low emissions, and rapid power response. This work undertakes a detailed study of the electrochemistry, chemistry and mechanical dynamics governing the complex interaction between the individual systems in such a highly coupled hybrid arrangement. The mechanisms leading to the compressor stall/surge phenomena are studied for the increased risk posed to particular hybrid configurations. A novel fuel cell modeling method introduced captures various spatial resolutions, flow geometries, stack configurations and novel heat transfer pathways. Several promising hybrid configurations are analyzed throughout the work and a sensitivity analysis of seven design parameters is conducted. A simple estimating method is introduced for the combined system efficiency of a fuel cell and a turbine using component performance specifications. Existing solid oxide fuel cell technology is capable of hybrid efficiencies greater than 75% (LHV) operating on natural gas, and existing molten carbonate systems greater than 70% (LHV). A dynamic model is calibrated to accurately capture the physical coupling of a FC/GT demonstrator tested at UC Irvine. The 2900 hour experiment highlighted the sensitivity to small perturbations and a need for additional control development. Further sensitivity studies outlined the responsiveness and limits of different control approaches. The capability for substantial turn-down and load following through speed control and flow bypass with minimal impact on internal fuel cell thermal distribution is particularly promising to meet local demands or provide dispatchable support for renewable power. Advanced control and dispatch heuristics are discussed using a case study of the UCI central plant. Thermal energy storage introduces a time horizon into the dispatch optimization which requires novel solution strategies. Highly efficient and responsive generators are required to meet the increasingly dynamic loads of today's efficient buildings and intermittent local renewable wind and solar power. Fuel cell gas turbine hybrids will play an integral role in the complex and ever-changing solution to local electricity production.

  11. Optimizing the U.S. Electric System with a High Penetration of Renewables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corcoran, B. A.; Jacobson, M. Z.

    2012-12-01

    As renewable energy generators are increasingly being installed throughout the U.S., there is growing interest in interconnecting diverse renewable generators (primarily wind and solar) across large geographic areas through an enhanced transmission system. This reduces variability in the aggregate power output, increases system reliability, and allows for the development of the best overall group of renewable technologies and sites to meet the load. Studies are therefore needed to determine the most efficient and economical plan to achieve large area interconnections in a future electric system with a high penetration of renewables. This research quantifies the effects of aggregating electric load and, separately, electric load together with diverse renewable generation throughout the ten Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regions in the contiguous U.S. The effects of aggregating electric load alone -- including generator capacity capital cost savings, load energy shift operating cost savings, reserve requirement cost savings, and transmission costs -- were calculated for various groupings of FERC regions using 2006 data. Transmission costs outweighed cost savings due to aggregation in nearly all cases. East-west transmission layouts had the highest overall cost, and interconnecting ERCOT to adjacent FERC regions resulted in increased costs, both due to limited existing transmission capacity. Scenarios consisting of smaller aggregation groupings had the lowest overall cost. This analysis found no economic case for further aggregation of load alone within the U.S., except possibly in the West and Northwest. If aggregation of electric load is desired, then small, regional consolidations yield the lowest overall system cost. Next, the effects of aggregating electric load together with renewable electricity generation are being quantified through the development and use of an optimization tool in AMPL (A Mathematical Programming Language). This deterministic linear program solves for the least-cost organizational structure and system (generator, transmission, storage, and reserve requirements) for a highly renewable U.S. electric grid. The analysis will 1) examine a highly renewable 2006 electric system, and 2) create a "roadmap" from the existing 2006 system to a highly renewable system in 2030, accounting for projected price and demand changes and generator retirements based on age and environmental regulations. Ideally, results from this study will offer insight for a federal renewable energy policy (such as a renewable portfolio standard) and how to best organize regions for transmission planning.

  12. 48 CFR 923.7003 - Contract clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Section 923.7003 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Environmental, Energy and Water Efficiency, Renewable Energy Technologies, and Occupational Safety...

  13. 48 CFR 923.7003 - Contract clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... Section 923.7003 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Environmental, Energy and Water Efficiency, Renewable Energy Technologies, and Occupational Safety...

  14. 48 CFR 923.7003 - Contract clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Section 923.7003 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Environmental, Energy and Water Efficiency, Renewable Energy Technologies, and Occupational Safety...

  15. 48 CFR 923.7003 - Contract clauses.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Section 923.7003 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Environmental, Energy and Water Efficiency, Renewable Energy Technologies, and Occupational Safety...

  16. Small modular reactor modeling using modelica for nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems applications

    DOE PAGES

    Mikkelson, Daniel; Chang, Chih -Wei; Cetiner, Sacit M.; ...

    2015-10-01

    Here, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports research and development (R&D) that could lead to more efficient utilization of clean energy generation sources, including renewable and nuclear options, to meet grid demand and industrial thermal energy needs [1]. One hybridization approach being investigated by the DOE Offices of Nuclear Energy (NE) and the DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is tighter coupling of nuclear and renewable energy sources to better manage overall energy use for the combined electricity, industrial manufacturing, and transportation sectors.

  17. The assessment of global thermo-energy performances of existing district heating systems optimized by harnessing renewable energy sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Şoimoşan, Teodora M.; Danku, Gelu; Felseghi, Raluca A.

    2017-12-01

    Within the thermo-energy optimization process of an existing heating system, the increase of the system's energy efficiency and speeding-up the transition to green energy use are pursued. The concept of multi-energy district heating system, with high harnessing levels of the renewable energy sources (RES) in order to produce heat, is expected to be the key-element in the future urban energy infrastructure, due to the important role it can have in the strategies of optimizing and decarbonizing the existing district heating systems. The issues that arise are related to the efficient integration of different technologies of harnessing renewable energy sources in the energy mix and to the increase of the participation levels of RES, respectively. For the holistic modeling of the district heating system, the concept of the energy hub was used, where the synergy of different primary forms of entered energy provides the system a high degree energy security and flexibility in operation. The optimization of energy flows within the energy hub allows the optimization of the thermo-energy district system in order to approach the dual concept of smart city & smart energy.

  18. 75 FR 27170 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Determination Concerning the Potential for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-14

    ... issue a final rule determining whether to issue efficiency standards for battery chargers (BCs) and EPSs... Standards for Non- Class A External Power Supplies AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings...

  19. Photovoltaic technology for sustainability: An investigation of the distributed utility concept as a policy framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Letendre, Steven Emery

    The U.S. electric utility sector in its current configuration is unsustainable. The majority of electricity in the United States is produced using finite fossil fuels. In addition, significant potential exists to improve the nation's efficient use of energy. A sustainable electric utility sector will be characterized by increased use of renewable energy sources and high levels of end-use efficiency. This dissertation analyzes two alternative policy approaches designed to move the U.S. electric utility sector toward sustainability. One approach is labeled incremental which involves maintaining the centralized structure of the electric utility sector but facilitating the introduction of renewable energy and efficiency into the electrical system through the pricing mechanism. A second policy approach was described in which structural changes are encouraged based on the emerging distributed utility (DU) concept. A structural policy orientation attempts to capture the unique localized benefits that distributed renewable resources and energy efficiency offer to electric utility companies and their customers. A market penetration analysis of PV in centralized energy supply and distributed peak-shaving applications is conducted for a case-study electric utility company. Sensitivity analysis was performed based on incremental and structural policy orientations. The analysis provides compelling evidence which suggests that policies designed to bring about structural change in the electric utility sector are needed to move the industry toward sustainability. Specifically, the analysis demonstrates that PV technology, a key renewable energy option likely to play an important role in a renewable energy future, will begin to penetrate the electrical system in distributed peak-shaving applications long before the technology is introduced as a centralized energy supply option. Most policies to date, which I term incremental, attempt to encourage energy efficiency and renewables through the pricing system. Based on past policy experience, it is unlikely that such an approach would allow PV to compete in Delaware as an energy supply option in the next ten to twenty years. Alternatively, a market-based, or green pricing, approach will not create significant market opportunities for PV as a centralized energy supply option. However, structural policies designed to encourage the explicit recognition of the localized benefits of distributed resources could result in PV being introduced into the electrical system early in the next century.

  20. Novel Polymers for High Efficiency Renewable and Portable Power Applications

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-07-30

    photoelectric, thermoelectric , energy conversions, charge transfer, energy transfer, photoluminescence (PL). REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR...of polymer/dye interface of photo generated excitons in the covalent system resulting in more efficient exciton dissociations. 4) For thermoelectric ...studies, it appears the thermoelectric charge carrier generations of the four conjugated polymers doped with iodine at room temperature are in the

  1. Microgrid Analysis Tools Summary

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jimenez, Antonio; Haase, Scott G; Mathur, Shivani

    2018-03-05

    The over-arching goal of the Alaska Microgrid Partnership is to reduce the use of total imported fuel into communities to secure all energy services by at least 50% in Alaska's remote microgrids without increasing system life cycle costs while also improving overall system reliability, security, and resilience. One goal of the Alaska Microgrid Partnership is to investigate whether a combination of energy efficiency and high-contribution (from renewable energy) power systems can reduce total imported energy usage by 50% while reducing life cycle costs and improving reliability and resiliency. This presentation provides an overview of the following four renewable energy optimizationmore » tools. Information is from respective tool websites, tool developers, and author experience. Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM) Microgrid Design Toolkit (MDT) Renewable Energy Optimization (REopt) Tool Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER).« less

  2. Achieving High Efficiency and Eliminating Degradation in Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells Using High Oxygen-Capacity Perovskite.

    PubMed

    Jun, Areum; Kim, Junyoung; Shin, Jeeyoung; Kim, Guntae

    2016-09-26

    Recently, there have been efforts to use clean and renewable energy because of finite fossil fuels and environmental problems. Owing to the site-specific and weather-dependent characteristics of the renewable energy supply, solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) have received considerable attention to store energy as hydrogen. Conventional SOECs use Ni-YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) and LSM (strontium-doped lanthanum manganites)-YSZ as electrodes. These electrodes, however, suffer from redox-instability and coarsening of the Ni electrode along with delamination of the LSM electrode during steam electrolysis. In this study, we successfully design and fabricate highly efficient SOECs using layered perovskites, PrBaMn2 O5+δ (PBM) and PrBa0.5 Sr0.5 Co1.5 Fe0.5 O5+δ (PBSCF50), as both electrodes for the first time. The SOEC with layered perovskites as both-side electrodes shows outstanding performance, reversible cycling, and remarkable stability over 600 hours. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Highly efficient chemical process to convert mucic acid into adipic acid and DFT studies of the mechanism of the rhenium-catalyzed deoxydehydration.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiukai; Wu, Di; Lu, Ting; Yi, Guangshun; Su, Haibin; Zhang, Yugen

    2014-04-14

    The production of bulk chemicals and fuels from renewable bio-based feedstocks is of significant importance for the sustainability of human society. Adipic acid, as one of the most-demanded drop-in chemicals from a bioresource, is used primarily for the large-volume production of nylon-6,6 polyamide. It is highly desirable to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly processes for the production of adipic acid from renewable feedstocks. However, currently there is no suitable bio-adipic acid synthesis process. Demonstrated herein is the highly efficient synthetic protocol for the conversion of mucic acid into adipic acid through the oxorhenium-complex-catalyzed deoxydehydration (DODH) reaction and subsequent Pt/C-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation. Quantitative yields (99 %) were achieved for the conversion of mucic acid into muconic acid and adipic acid either in separate sequences or in a one-step process. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Computational efficiency for the surface renewal method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelley, Jason; Higgins, Chad

    2018-04-01

    Measuring surface fluxes using the surface renewal (SR) method requires programmatic algorithms for tabulation, algebraic calculation, and data quality control. A number of different methods have been published describing automated calibration of SR parameters. Because the SR method utilizes high-frequency (10 Hz+) measurements, some steps in the flux calculation are computationally expensive, especially when automating SR to perform many iterations of these calculations. Several new algorithms were written that perform the required calculations more efficiently and rapidly, and that tested for sensitivity to length of flux averaging period, ability to measure over a large range of lag timescales, and overall computational efficiency. These algorithms utilize signal processing techniques and algebraic simplifications that demonstrate simple modifications that dramatically improve computational efficiency. The results here complement efforts by other authors to standardize a robust and accurate computational SR method. Increased speed of computation time grants flexibility to implementing the SR method, opening new avenues for SR to be used in research, for applied monitoring, and in novel field deployments.

  5. Recyclable organic solar cells on cellulose nanocrystal substrates

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Yinhua; Fuentes-Hernandez, Canek; Khan, Talha M.; Liu, Jen-Chieh; Hsu, James; Shim, Jae Won; Dindar, Amir; Youngblood, Jeffrey P.; Moon, Robert J.; Kippelen, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    Solar energy is potentially the largest source of renewable energy at our disposal, but significant advances are required to make photovoltaic technologies economically viable and, from a life-cycle perspective, environmentally friendly, and consequently scalable. Cellulose nanomaterials are emerging high-value nanoparticles extracted from plants that are abundant, renewable, and sustainable. Here, we report on the first demonstration of efficient polymer solar cells fabricated on optically transparent cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates. The solar cells fabricated on the CNC substrates display good rectification in the dark and reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7%. In addition, we demonstrate that these solar cells can be easily separated and recycled into their major components using low-energy processes at room temperature, opening the door for a truly recyclable solar cell technology. Efficient and easily recyclable organic solar cells on CNC substrates are expected to be an attractive technology for sustainable, scalable, and environmentally-friendly energy production. PMID:23524333

  6. Recyclable organic solar cells on cellulose nanocrystal substrates.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Yinhua; Fuentes-Hernandez, Canek; Khan, Talha M; Liu, Jen-Chieh; Hsu, James; Shim, Jae Won; Dindar, Amir; Youngblood, Jeffrey P; Moon, Robert J; Kippelen, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    Solar energy is potentially the largest source of renewable energy at our disposal, but significant advances are required to make photovoltaic technologies economically viable and, from a life-cycle perspective, environmentally friendly, and consequently scalable. Cellulose nanomaterials are emerging high-value nanoparticles extracted from plants that are abundant, renewable, and sustainable. Here, we report on the first demonstration of efficient polymer solar cells fabricated on optically transparent cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates. The solar cells fabricated on the CNC substrates display good rectification in the dark and reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7%. In addition, we demonstrate that these solar cells can be easily separated and recycled into their major components using low-energy processes at room temperature, opening the door for a truly recyclable solar cell technology. Efficient and easily recyclable organic solar cells on CNC substrates are expected to be an attractive technology for sustainable, scalable, and environmentally-friendly energy production.

  7. 48 CFR 1323.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 1323.204 Procurement exemptions. The designee authorized to exempt the procurement of an ENERGY STAR or Federal Energy Management...

  8. 48 CFR 1323.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 1323.204 Procurement exemptions. The designee authorized to exempt the procurement of an ENERGY STAR or Federal Energy Management...

  9. 48 CFR 1323.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 1323.204 Procurement exemptions. The designee authorized to exempt the procurement of an ENERGY STAR or Federal Energy Management...

  10. 48 CFR 1323.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 1323.204 Procurement exemptions. The designee authorized to exempt the procurement of an ENERGY STAR or Federal Energy Management...

  11. 48 CFR 1323.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 1323.204 Procurement exemptions. The designee authorized to exempt the procurement of an ENERGY STAR or Federal Energy Management...

  12. Energy Efficiency and Renewables: Market and Behavioral Failures

    ScienceCinema

    James Sweeney

    2017-12-09

    Thursday, January 28, 2010: Policies to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency have been gaining momentum throughout the world, often justified by environmental and energy security concerns. This presentation first talks about energy efficiency options, then delves into the economic motivation for energy efficiency and renewable energy policies by articulating the classes of relevant behavioral failures and market failures. Such behavioral and market failures may vary intertemporally or atemporally; the temporal structure and the extent of the failures are the critical considerations in the development of energy policies. The talk discusses key policy instruments and assess the extent to which they are well-suited to correct for failures with different structures. http://eetd.lbl.gov/dls/lecture-01-28...

  13. 7 CFR 4280.101 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency... agricultural producers and rural small businesses for the purpose of purchasing and installing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements in rural areas. Financial assistance to any single entity may...

  14. 7 CFR 4280.109 - Qualification for simplified applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program Section A. Grants § 4280.109 Qualification for... must use commercially available renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements. (5...

  15. 7 CFR 4280.109 - Qualification for simplified applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program Section A. Grants § 4280.109 Qualification for... must use commercially available renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements. (5...

  16. European energy and transport: scenarios on energy efficiency and renewables

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-07-01

    Energy efficiency and renewables are central to the EU and Member State's energy and climate policies. Reducing CO2 emissions, curbing the energy demand and/or provide alternative carbon-free supplies. The EU energy policies have three main objective...

  17. 76 FR 54748 - State Energy Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The...

  18. 76 FR 16763 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB...

  19. 76 FR 60012 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB...

  20. 76 FR 25317 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of Open Teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB...

  1. 76 FR 75876 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB...

  2. Energy Efficiency and Importance of Renewable Energy Sources in Latvia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skapare, I.; Kreslins, A.

    2007-10-01

    The main goal of Latvian energy policy is to ensure safe and environmentally friendly long-term energy supply at cost-effective prices, contributing to enhance competitiveness, and to ensure safe energy transit. The Latvian Parliament approved an Energy Efficiency Strategy in 2000. Its objective is to decrease energy consumption per unit of GDP by 25% by 2010. Awareness raising, implementation of standards and economic incentives for self financing are the main instruments to increase energy efficiency, mentioned in the strategy. Latvia, as many other European Union member states, is dependent on the import of primary energy resources. The Latvian Renewable Energy strategy is still under development. The only recent study on RES was developed in the framework of a PHARE program in year 2000: "Renewable energy resource program", where three main objectives for a future RES strategy were proposed: 1. To increase the use of wood waste and low value wood and forest residues. 2. To improve efficiency of combustion technologies and to replace outdated plants. 3. To increase the use of renewables in Combined Heat and Power plants (CHP). Through the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, partners will develop a set of new shared activities, and coordinate and strengthen existing efforts in this area.

  3. 75 FR 29706 - Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Energy Audits and Renewable Energy Development...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-27

    ...) for Energy Audits and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Under the Rural Energy for America... energy audits; grants for conducting renewable energy development assistance; and grants for conducting... efficiency improvement grants and guaranteed loans; Energy audit and renewable energy development assistance...

  4. 48 CFR 23.202 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.202 Policy. (a) Introduction. The Government's policy is to acquire supplies and services that promote a clean energy economy that increases our Nation...

  5. 48 CFR 23.202 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.202 Policy. (a) Introduction. The Government's policy is to acquire supplies and services that promote a clean energy economy that increases our Nation...

  6. 48 CFR 23.202 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.202 Policy. (a) Introduction. The Government's policy is to acquire supplies and services that promote a clean energy economy that increases our Nation...

  7. 48 CFR 23.202 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.202 Policy. (a) Introduction. The Government's policy is to acquire supplies and services that promote a clean energy economy that increases our Nation...

  8. 76 FR 36103 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board... Open Teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces an open teleconference call of the State Energy... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Ave, SW., Washington DC, 20585 or telephone...

  9. 7 CFR 4280.114 - Qualification for simplified applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... proposed project must use commercially available renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.114...

  10. 7 CFR 4280.114 - Qualification for simplified applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... proposed project must use commercially available renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.114...

  11. 7 CFR 4280.114 - Qualification for simplified applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... proposed project must use commercially available renewable energy systems or energy efficiency improvements...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.114...

  12. 78 FR 20097 - Energy Savings Performance Contracts

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Energy Savings Performance Contracts AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI). SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks comments and information...

  13. 76 FR 54747 - State Energy Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces an open meeting of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The Federal Advisory...

  14. 75 FR 20833 - Building Energy Codes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Docket No. EERE-2010-BT-BC-0012] Building Energy Codes AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Request for Information. SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is soliciting...

  15. 76 FR 75876 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a live Board meeting of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The...

  16. 77 FR 43067 - State Energy Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB...

  17. 48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

  18. 48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

  19. 48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

  20. 48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

  1. 48 CFR 23.205 - Energy-savings performance contracts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Energy-savings performance... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.205 Energy-savings...

  2. Including Alternative Resources in State Renewable Portfolio Standards: Current Design and Implementation Experience

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Heeter, J.; Bird, L.

    2012-11-01

    Currently, 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have instituted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). An RPS sets a minimum threshold for how much renewable energy must be generated in a given year. Each state policy is unique, varying in percentage targets, timetables, and eligible resources. This paper examines state experience with implementing renewable portfolio standards that include energy efficiency, thermal resources, and non-renewable energy and explores compliance experience, costs, and how states evaluate, measure, and verify energy efficiency and convert thermal energy. It aims to gain insights from the experience of states for possible federal clean energymore » policy as well as to share experience and lessons for state RPS implementation.« less

  3. Quantitative Effectiveness Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Policies, Introduction of Socio-Feed-in Tariff Mechanism (SocioFIT) and its Implementation in Turkey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mustafaoglu, Mustafa Sinan

    Some of the main energy issues in developing countries are high dependence on non-renewable energy sources, low energy efficiency levels and as a result of this high amount of CO2 emissions. Besides, a common problem of many countries including developing countries is economic inequality problem. In the study, solar photovoltaic policies of Germany, Japan and the USA is analyzed through a quantitative analysis and a new renewable energy support mechanism called Socio Feed-in Tariff Mechanism (SocioFIT) is formed based on the analysis results to address the mentioned issues of developing countries as well as economic inequality problem by using energy savings as a funding source for renewable energy systems. The applicability of the mechanism is solidified by the calculations in case of an implementation of the mechanism in Turkey.

  4. 2 CFR Appendix to Subpart B of 2... - U.S. States, Other Sub-Federal Entities, and Other Entities Subject to U.S. Obligations Under...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Agreement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency... recipient U.S.-Canada Agreement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, State Energy Program (exclusion of Canadian iron, steel and manufactured products from domestic...

  5. 2 CFR Appendix to Subpart B of 2... - U.S. States, Other Sub-Federal Entities, and Other Entities Subject to U.S. Obligations Under...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Agreement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency... recipient U.S.-Canada Agreement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, State Energy Program (exclusion of Canadian iron, steel and manufactured products from domestic...

  6. 2 CFR Appendix to Subpart B of 2... - U.S. States, Other Sub-Federal Entities, and Other Entities Subject to U.S. Obligations Under...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants.... Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, State Energy Program (exclusion of...) Any recipient U.S.-Canada Agreement. U.S. Environmental Protection Clean Water and Drinking Water...

  7. 2 CFR Appendix to Subpart B of 2... - U.S. States, Other Sub-Federal Entities, and Other Entities Subject to U.S. Obligations Under...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... Agreement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency... recipient U.S.-Canada Agreement. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, State Energy Program (exclusion of Canadian iron, steel and manufactured products from domestic...

  8. 48 CFR 23.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.204 Procurement exemptions. An agency is not required to procure an ENERGY STAR ® or FEMP-designated product if the head of the agency...

  9. 48 CFR 23.201 - Authorities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.201 Authorities. (a) Energy... U.S.C. 6901, et seq.). (b) National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253, 8259b, 8262g...

  10. 48 CFR 23.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.204 Procurement exemptions. An agency is not required to procure an ENERGY STAR® or FEMP-designated product if the head of the agency...

  11. 48 CFR 23.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.204 Procurement exemptions. An agency is not required to procure an ENERGY STAR ® or FEMP-designated product if the head of the agency...

  12. 48 CFR 23.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.204 Procurement exemptions. An agency is not required to procure an ENERGY STAR® or FEMP-designated product if the head of the agency...

  13. 48 CFR 23.201 - Authorities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.201 Authorities. (a) Energy... U.S.C. 6901, et seq.). (b) National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253, 8259b, 8262g...

  14. 48 CFR 23.201 - Authorities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.201 Authorities. (a) Energy... U.S.C. 6901, et seq.). (b) National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253, 8259b, 8262g...

  15. 48 CFR 23.204 - Procurement exemptions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.204 Procurement exemptions. An agency is not required to procure an ENERGY STAR ® or FEMP-designated product if the head of the agency...

  16. 48 CFR 23.201 - Authorities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.201 Authorities. (a) Energy... U.S.C. 6901, et seq.). (b) National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253, 8259b, 8262g...

  17. 48 CFR 23.201 - Authorities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Energy and Water Efficiency and Renewable Energy 23.201 Authorities. (a) Energy... U.S.C. 6901, et seq.). (b) National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8253, 8259b, 8262g...

  18. 77 FR 39690 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and Renewable... teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92... Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC...

  19. 7 CFR 4280.149 - Requirements after project construction.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, as applicable. (a) Renewable energy projects. For renewable energy... future similar projects. (7) Actual jobs created or saved. (b) Energy efficiency improvement projects. For energy efficiency improvement projects, commencing the first full calendar year following the year...

  20. 77 FR 64106 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Trade Policy Mission to Chile

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-18

    ... competitiveness of U.S. wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, waste-to-energy, smart grid, and energy... development. Opportunities are expected in the wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, and energy... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency...

  1. 7 CFR 4280.128 - Application and documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.128... capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system) or to make energy efficiency improvements. The response to § 4280.113(a) must include a brief description of the system or improvement. This...

  2. 7 CFR 4280.128 - Application and documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.128... capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system) or to make energy efficiency improvements. The response to § 4280.113(a) must include a brief description of the system or improvement. This...

  3. 7 CFR 4280.128 - Application and documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.128... capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system) or to make energy efficiency improvements. The response to § 4280.113(a) must include a brief description of the system or improvement. This...

  4. 7 CFR 4280.128 - Application and documentation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program Section B. Guaranteed Loans § 4280.128 Application and... the purchase of a renewable energy system (including making necessary capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system) or to make energy efficiency improvements. The response to § 4280.108(a...

  5. Decentralized energy studies: Compendium of international studies and research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wallace, C.

    1980-03-01

    With efficient use of energy, renewable energy sources can supply the majority, if not the totality, of energy supplies in developed nations at real energy prices that double or triple by 2025 (1975 prices). This appears true even in harsh climates with oil dependent industrial economies. Large increases in end-use energy efficiency are cost effective at present prices. Some reports show that cost effective end-use efficiency improvements can reduce energy consumption (per capita, per unit of amenity, or per unit of output) to as much as 90 percent. This was demonstrated by highly disaggregated analyses of end-uses. Such analyses consistently show larger potential for efficiency improvements than can be detected from conventional analyses of more aggregated data. As energy use demands decline due to end use efficiency improvements, energy supply problems subsequently decrease. Lifestyle changes, influenced by social factors, and rising energy prices can substantially reduce demands for energy. Such changes are already discernible in end-use energy studies. When energy efficient capital stock is in place, many end-users of energy will be able to provide a substantial portion of their own energy needs from renewable energy sources that are directly available to them.

  6. Global renewable energy-based electricity generation and smart grid system for energy security.

    PubMed

    Islam, M A; Hasanuzzaman, M; Rahim, N A; Nahar, A; Hosenuzzaman, M

    2014-01-01

    Energy is an indispensable factor for the economic growth and development of a country. Energy consumption is rapidly increasing worldwide. To fulfill this energy demand, alternative energy sources and efficient utilization are being explored. Various sources of renewable energy and their efficient utilization are comprehensively reviewed and presented in this paper. Also the trend in research and development for the technological advancement of energy utilization and smart grid system for future energy security is presented. Results show that renewable energy resources are becoming more prevalent as more electricity generation becomes necessary and could provide half of the total energy demands by 2050. To satisfy the future energy demand, the smart grid system can be used as an efficient system for energy security. The smart grid also delivers significant environmental benefits by conservation and renewable generation integration.

  7. Global Renewable Energy-Based Electricity Generation and Smart Grid System for Energy Security

    PubMed Central

    Islam, M. A.; Hasanuzzaman, M.; Rahim, N. A.; Nahar, A.; Hosenuzzaman, M.

    2014-01-01

    Energy is an indispensable factor for the economic growth and development of a country. Energy consumption is rapidly increasing worldwide. To fulfill this energy demand, alternative energy sources and efficient utilization are being explored. Various sources of renewable energy and their efficient utilization are comprehensively reviewed and presented in this paper. Also the trend in research and development for the technological advancement of energy utilization and smart grid system for future energy security is presented. Results show that renewable energy resources are becoming more prevalent as more electricity generation becomes necessary and could provide half of the total energy demands by 2050. To satisfy the future energy demand, the smart grid system can be used as an efficient system for energy security. The smart grid also delivers significant environmental benefits by conservation and renewable generation integration. PMID:25243201

  8. The Hour of Truth: The Conflict in Ukraine - Implications for Europe’s Energy Security and the Lessons for the U.S. Army

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-11-01

    energy efficiency.25 The rules are scheduled to go into effect in 2016. One of the toughest components for coal power plants to meet will be the NOx...coal power plants out of business by the early-2020s.30 High Cost and Other Challenges of Renewables. Renewable energy has been a focus of the envi...will be explained later in detail. Coal: An Environmentally Problematic Energy Source. Besides CO2 emissions, burning coal pollutes the environment

  9. Enhancing the NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource Web Data Delivery System with Geographic Information System (GIS) Capabilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chandler, William S.; Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.; Barnett, Audy J.; Hoell, James M.; Westberg, David J.; Ross, Amanda I.

    2015-01-01

    Renewable energy technologies are changing the face of the world's energy market. Currently, these technologies are being incorporated within existing structures to increase energy efficiency. Crucial to the success of the emerging renewable market is the availability of accurate, global solar radiation, and meteorology data. This poster traces the history of the development of an effort to distribute data parameters from NASA's research for use in the energy sector applications spanning from renewable energy to energy efficiency. These data may be useful to several renewable energy sectors: solar and wind power generation, agricultural crop modeling, and sustainable buildings.

  10. 75 FR 73039 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (RE&EEAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-29

    ... Commerce at (202) 482-3492; e-mail: [email protected] . This meeting is physically accessible to... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting; Correction. SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce...

  11. 76 FR 28759 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-18

    ... Advisory Committee (HTAC) was established under section 807 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of...

  12. 7 CFR 4280.124 - Guaranteed loan funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.124 Guaranteed... section, as long as the items are an integral and necessary part of the renewable energy system or energy... Agency will pro-rate the energy efficiency improvement's total eligible project costs based on the...

  13. 7 CFR 4280.124 - Guaranteed loan funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.124 Guaranteed... section, as long as the items are an integral and necessary part of the renewable energy system or energy... Agency will pro-rate the energy efficiency improvement's total eligible project costs based on the...

  14. 7 CFR 4280.124 - Guaranteed loan funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.124 Guaranteed... section, as long as the items are an integral and necessary part of the renewable energy system or energy... Agency will pro-rate the energy efficiency improvement's total eligible project costs based on the...

  15. 10 CFR 420.18 - Expenditure prohibitions and limitations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... demonstration of energy efficiency or renewable energy techniques and technologies not commercially available... available energy efficiency or renewable energy techniques and technologies are permitted, and are not... which are included in the State's approved SEP plan. (e) A State may use funds under this subpart for...

  16. 10 CFR 420.18 - Expenditure prohibitions and limitations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... demonstration of energy efficiency or renewable energy techniques and technologies not commercially available... available energy efficiency or renewable energy techniques and technologies are permitted, and are not... which are included in the State's approved SEP plan. (e) A State may use funds under this subpart for...

  17. 75 FR 11873 - Notice of Fuel Cell Pre-Solicitation Workshop

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Notice of Fuel Cell Pre... Cell Pre-Solicitation Workshop. SUMMARY: The Fuel Cell Technologies Program, under the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is inviting the fuel cell research community and other...

  18. 75 FR 2860 - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC) AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting. SUMMARY: The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee...

  19. 7 CFR 4280.119 - Construction planning and performing development.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants... planning, designing, bidding, contracting, and constructing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency... payment. Partial payments will be made in accordance with Form RD 4280-2 and Form RD 1924-6, “Construction...

  20. 7 CFR 4280.119 - Construction planning and performing development.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants... planning, designing, bidding, contracting, and constructing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency... payment. Partial payments will be made in accordance with Form RD 4280-2 and Form RD 1924-6, “Construction...

  1. 7 CFR 4280.119 - Construction planning and performing development.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants... planning, designing, bidding, contracting, and constructing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency... payment. Partial payments will be made in accordance with Form RD 4280-2 and Form RD 1924-6, “Construction...

  2. 78 FR 25064 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of... Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463; 86 Stat.770) requires...

  3. Highly Efficient Gas-Phase Oxidation of Renewable Furfural to Maleic Anhydride over Plate Vanadium Phosphorus Oxide Catalyst.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiukai; Ko, Jogie; Zhang, Yugen

    2018-02-09

    Maleic anhydride (MAnh) and its acids are critical intermediates in chemical industry. The synthesis of maleic anhydride from renewable furfural is one of the most sought after processes in the field of sustainable chemistry. In this study, a plate vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) catalyst synthesized by a hydrothermal method with glucose as a green reducing agent catalyzes furfural oxidation to MAnh in the gas phase. The plate catalyst-denoted as VPO HT -has a preferentially exposed (200) crystal plane and exhibited dramatically enhanced activity, selectivity and stability as compared to conventional VPO catalysts and other state-of-the-art catalytic systems. At 360 °C reaction temperature with air as an oxidant, about 90 % yield of MAnh was obtained at 10 vol % of furfural in the feed, a furfural concentration value that is much higher than those (<2 vol %) reported for other catalytic systems. The catalyst showed good long-term stability and there was no decrease in activity or selectivity for MAnh during the time-on-stream of 25 h. The high efficiency and catalyst stability indicate the great potential of this system for the synthesis of maleic anhydride from renewable furfural. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Strategic Energy Planning (Area 1) Consultants Reports to Citizen Potawatomi Nation Federally Recognized Indian Tribe

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, Marvin; Bose, James; Beier, Richard

    2004-12-01

    The assets that Citizen Potawatomi Nation holds were evaluated to help define the strengths and weaknesses to be used in pursuing economic prosperity. With this baseline assessment, a Planning Team will create a vision for the tribe to integrate into long-term energy and business strategies. Identification of energy efficiency devices, systems and technologies was made, and an estimation of cost benefits of the more promising ideas is submitted for possible inclusion into the final energy plan. Multiple energy resources and sources were identified and their attributes were assessed to determine the appropriateness of each. Methods of saving energy were evaluatedmore » and reported on and potential revenue-generating sources that specifically fit the tribe were identified and reported. A primary goal is to create long-term energy strategies to explore development of tribal utility options and analyze renewable energy and energy efficiency options. Associated goals are to consider exploring energy efficiency and renewable economic development projects involving the following topics: (1) Home-scale projects may include construction of a home with energy efficiency or renewable energy features and retrofitting an existing home to add energy efficiency or renewable energy features. (2) Community-scale projects may include medium to large scale energy efficiency building construction, retrofit project, or installation of community renewable energy systems. (3) Small business development may include the creation of a tribal enterprise that would manufacture and distribute solar and wind powered equipment for ranches and farms or create a contracting business to include energy efficiency and renewable retrofits such as geothermal heat pumps. (4) Commercial-scale energy projects may include at a larger scale, the formation of a tribal utility formed to sell power to the commercial grid, or to transmit and distribute power throughout the tribal community, or hydrogen production, and propane and natural-gas distribution systems.« less

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walters, T.; Savage, S.; Brown, J.

    At the request of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory reviewed projects awarded in the Section 9006 Program: Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. This report quantifies federal and private investment, outlines project status based on recent field updates, and calculates the effects on energy and emissions of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects awarded grants in FY 2003, FY 2004, and FY 2005. An overview of the program challenges and modifications in the first three years of operation is also included.

  6. Plasma-Assisted Synthesis and Surface Modification of Electrode Materials for Renewable Energy.

    PubMed

    Dou, Shuo; Tao, Li; Wang, Ruilun; El Hankari, Samir; Chen, Ru; Wang, Shuangyin

    2018-05-01

    Renewable energy technology has been considered as a "MUST" option to lower the use of fossil fuels for industry and daily life. Designing critical and sophisticated materials is of great importance in order to realize high-performance energy technology. Typically, efficient synthesis and soft surface modification of nanomaterials are important for energy technology. Therefore, there are increasing demands on the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts or electrode materials, which are the key for scalable and practical electrochemical energy devices. Nevertheless, the development of versatile and cheap strategies is one of the main challenges to achieve the aforementioned goals. Accordingly, plasma technology has recently appeared as an extremely promising alternative for the synthesis and surface modification of nanomaterials for electrochemical devices. Here, the recent progress on the development of nonthermal plasma technology is highlighted for the synthesis and surface modification of advanced electrode materials for renewable energy technology including electrocatalysts for fuel cells, water splitting, metal-air batteries, and electrode materials for batteries and supercapacitors, etc. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. 77 FR 47828 - Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare the Hawai'i Clean Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-10

    ... efficiency and renewable energy activities and technologies to be analyzed in the PEIS and, accordingly, has... Renewables, (4) Alternative Transportation Fuels and Modes, and (5) Electrical Transmission and Distribution... Kaua'i; electric vehicle public charging networks; efficient appliance rebates; solar water heating...

  8. 10 CFR 905.16 - What are the requirements for the minimum investment report alternative?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... report alternative? 905.16 Section 905.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT...; renewable energy; efficiency and alternative energy-related research and development; low-income energy... collected for and spent on DSM, renewable energy, efficiency or alternative energy-related research and...

  9. 10 CFR 905.16 - What are the requirements for the minimum investment report alternative?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... report alternative? 905.16 Section 905.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT...; renewable energy; efficiency and alternative energy-related research and development; low-income energy... collected for and spent on DSM, renewable energy, efficiency or alternative energy-related research and...

  10. 10 CFR 905.16 - What are the requirements for the minimum investment report alternative?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... report alternative? 905.16 Section 905.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT...; renewable energy; efficiency and alternative energy-related research and development; low-income energy... collected for and spent on DSM, renewable energy, efficiency or alternative energy-related research and...

  11. 10 CFR 905.16 - What are the requirements for the minimum investment report alternative?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... report alternative? 905.16 Section 905.16 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT...; renewable energy; efficiency and alternative energy-related research and development; low-income energy... collected for and spent on DSM, renewable energy, efficiency or alternative energy-related research and...

  12. 7 CFR 4280.115 - Construction planning and performing development.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program Section A. Grants § 4280.115..., designing, bidding, contracting, and constructing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement... accordance with Form RD 4280-2, “Grant Agreement,” and Form RD 1924-6, “Construction Contract,” or other...

  13. Energy 101: Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings

    ScienceCinema

    None

    2018-06-06

    Learn how commercial buildings can incorporate whole-building design to save energy and money while enhancing performance and comfort. This video highlights several energy-saving features of the Research Support Facility at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory-a model for high-performance office building design.

  14. Thermally insulating and fire-retardant lightweight anisotropic foams based on nanocellulose and graphene oxide.

    PubMed

    Wicklein, Bernd; Kocjan, Andraž; Salazar-Alvarez, German; Carosio, Federico; Camino, Giovanni; Antonietti, Markus; Bergström, Lennart

    2015-03-01

    High-performance thermally insulating materials from renewable resources are needed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Traditional fossil-fuel-derived insulation materials such as expanded polystyrene and polyurethane have thermal conductivities that are too high for retrofitting or for building new, surface-efficient passive houses. Tailored materials such as aerogels and vacuum insulating panels are fragile and susceptible to perforation. Here, we show that freeze-casting suspensions of cellulose nanofibres, graphene oxide and sepiolite nanorods produces super-insulating, fire-retardant and strong anisotropic foams that perform better than traditional polymer-based insulating materials. The foams are ultralight, show excellent combustion resistance and exhibit a thermal conductivity of 15 mW m(-1) K(-1), which is about half that of expanded polystyrene. At 30 °C and 85% relative humidity, the foams retained more than half of their initial strength. Our results show that nanoscale engineering is a promising strategy for producing foams with excellent properties using cellulose and other renewable nanosized fibrous materials.

  15. Rational design of novel cathode materials in solid oxide fuel cells using first-principles simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, YongMan; Lin, M. C.; Liu, Meilin

    The search for clean and renewable sources of energy represents one of the most vital challenges facing us today. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are among the most promising technologies for a clean and secure energy future due to their high energy efficiency and excellent fuel flexibility (e.g., direct utilization of hydrocarbons or renewable fuels). To make SOFCs economically competitive, however, development of new materials for low-temperature operation is essential. Here we report our results on a computational study to achieve rational design of SOFC cathodes with fast oxygen reduction kinetics and rapid ionic transport. Results suggest that surface catalytic properties are strongly correlated with the bulk transport properties in several material systems with the formula of La 0.5Sr 0.5BO 2.75 (where B = Cr, Mn, Fe, or Co). The predictions seem to agree qualitatively with available experimental results on these materials. This computational screening technique may guide us to search for high-efficiency cathode materials for a new generation of SOFCs.

  16. Design of State-of-the-art Flow Cells for Energy Applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Ping

    The worldwide energy demand is increasing every day and it necessitates rational and efficient usage of renewable energy. Undoubtedly, utilization of renewable energy can address various environmental challenges. However, all current renewable energy resources (wind, solar, and hydroelectric power) are intermittent and fluctuating in their nature that raises an important question of introducing effective energy storage solutions. Utilization of redox flow cells (RFCs) has recently been recognized as a viable technology for large-scale energy storage and, hence, is well suited for integrating renewable energy and balancing electricity grids. In brief, RFC is an electrochemical storage device (Fig. 1), where energymore » is stored in chemical bonds, similar to a battery, but with reactants external to the cell. The state-of-the-art in flow cell technology uses an aqueous acidic electrolyte and simple metal redox couples. Several of these systems have been commercialized although current technologies, such as vanadium (V) and zinc-bromine (Zn-Br 2) RFCs, for grid level energy storage, suffer from a number of drawbacks, i.e. expensive and resource-limited active materials (vanadium RFCc), and low current performance (Zn-Br 2 RFCs due to Zn dendrite formation). Thus, there is an urgent call to develop efficient (high-energy density) and low-cost RFCs to meet the efflorescent energy storage demands. Approach: To address the first challenge of achieving high-energy density, we plan to design and further modify complexes composed of bifunctional multidentate ligands and specific metal centers, capable of storing as many electrons as possible.« less

  17. Surface Modification of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alruqobah, Essam H.

    Nearly all of the world’s energy demand today is being met by the use of non-renewable energy sources. With the worldwide energy demand projected to increase in the coming years, it is vital to find alternative and renewable energy sources. Among the available renewable energy sources, solar energy is the most promising in meeting the worldwide energy demand. Recently, thin film solar cells have garnered attention due to their thinner architecture and relatively high optical absorption coefficients, as opposed to the conventional crytslline silicon solar cells. One of the most promising thin-film solar cell absorber materials is Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe), achieving power conversion efficiencies approaching those of crystalline Si. The highest efficiency CIGSe devices were made via costly vacuum-based co-evaporation process. CIGSe devices made from solution-processed methods have also garnered attention due to their lower costs, and their efficiencies have increased considerably in recent years. In this thesis, CIGSe absorber layers are fabricated via the solution-processed from nanoparticle-based sulfide CIGS. The most important step in fabrication of a CIGSe solar cell absorber layer is the selenization step, which is the thermal sintering of a CIGSe precursor layer in the presence of selenium vapor to achieve large, dense selenide grains that are required for adequate PV performance. It is determined that maintaining adequate selenium vapor pressure on the substrate during the selenization and subsequent cooldown is crucial in producing high efficiency solar cell devices. Furthermore, exposing the CIGSe grains to a Se-deficient atmosphere causes Se to evaporate from the grains, and subsequently modifying the CIGSe grain surface. The modified grain surface adversely impacts the PV performance of the final solar cell device by forming defects due to the decrease in selenium concentration. These defects are manifested in increased current shunting, and decrease the overall efficiency of the device.

  18. Hedgehog-GLI signaling drives self-renewal and tumorigenicity of human melanoma-initiating cells.

    PubMed

    Santini, Roberta; Vinci, Maria C; Pandolfi, Silvia; Penachioni, Junia Y; Montagnani, Valentina; Olivito, Biagio; Gattai, Riccardo; Pimpinelli, Nicola; Gerlini, Gianni; Borgognoni, Lorenzo; Stecca, Barbara

    2012-09-01

    The question of whether cancer stem/tumor-initiating cells (CSC/TIC) exist in human melanomas has arisen in the last few years. Here, we have used nonadherent spheres and the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymatic activity to enrich for CSC/TIC in a collection of human melanomas obtained from a broad spectrum of sites and stages. We find that melanomaspheres display extensive in vitro self-renewal ability and sustain tumor growth in vivo, generating human melanoma xenografts that recapitulate the phenotypic composition of the parental tumor. Melanomaspheres express high levels of Hedgehog (HH) pathway components and of embryonic pluripotent stem cell factors SOX2, NANOG, OCT4, and KLF4. We show that human melanomas contain a subset of cells expressing high ALDH activity (ALDH(high)), which is endowed with higher self-renewal and tumorigenic abilities than the ALDH(low) population. A good correlation between the number of ALDH(high) cells and sphere formation efficiency was observed. Notably, both pharmacological inhibition of HH signaling by the SMOOTHENED (SMO) antagonist cyclopamine and GLI antagonist GANT61 and stable expression of shRNA targeting either SMO or GLI1 result in a significant decrease in melanoma stem cell self-renewal in vitro and a reduction in the number of ALDH(high) melanoma stem cells. Finally, we show that interference with the HH-GLI pathway through lentiviral-mediated silencing of SMO and GLI1 drastically diminishes tumor initiation of ALDH(high) melanoma stem cells. In conclusion, our data indicate an essential role of the HH-GLI1 signaling in controlling self-renewal and tumor initiation of melanoma CSC/TIC. Targeting HH-GLI1 is thus predicted to reduce the melanoma stem cell compartment. Copyright © 2012 AlphaMed Press.

  19. 7 CFR 4280.123 - Guaranteed loan funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy... the renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement. (1) Post-application purchase and... Agency will take into consideration the following six criteria: (1) The type of renewable energy system...

  20. 7 CFR 4280.123 - Guaranteed loan funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy... the renewable energy system or energy efficiency improvement. (1) Post-application purchase and... Agency will take into consideration the following six criteria: (1) The type of renewable energy system...

  1. 76 FR 65710 - Decision and Order Amending Waivers Granted to Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. From...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CAC-037] Decision and Order Amending Waivers Granted to Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. From the Department... Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Decision and Order In the Matter of: Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA...

  2. 76 FR 20320 - Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Executive Business Development Mission

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-12

    ... 20,000 MW of wind energy and 600 MW of geothermal energy capacity by 2023 (100th year anniversary of... power farms, 300 MW geothermal power plants come into operation by 2015. As part of the energy... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency...

  3. Comparative Review of a Dozen National Energy Plans: Focus on Renewable and Efficient Energy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Logan, J.; James, T. L.

    2009-03-01

    Dozens of groups have submitted energy, environmental, and economic recovery plans for consideration by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This report provides a comparative analysis of 12 national proposals, focusing especially on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) market and policy issues.

  4. A Comparative Review of a Dozen National Energy Plans. Focus on Renewable and Efficient Energy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Logan, Jeffrey; James, Ted L.

    2009-03-01

    Dozens of groups have submitted energy, environmental, and economic recovery plans for consideration by the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This report provides a comparative analysis of 12 national proposals, focusing especially on energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) market and policy issues.

  5. A pilot-scale steam autoclave system for treating municipal solid waste for recovery of renewable organic content: Operational results and energy usage

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A pilot-scale (1800'kg per batch capacity) autoclave used in this study reduces municipal solid waste to a debris contaminated pulp product that is efficiently separated into its renewable organic content and non-renewable organic content fractions using a rotary trommel screen. The renewable organi...

  6. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry-based approach to precision management of bioavailable phosphorus in soil environments

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Declining nutrient use efficiency in crop production has been a global priority to preserve high agricultural productivity with finite non-renewable nutrient resources, in particular phosphorus (P). Rapid spectroscopic methods increase measurement density of soil nutrients, and the availability of ...

  7. Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Generation System Definition: Concept Definition and Capital Cost Estimate

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stoddard, Larry; Galluzzo, Geoff; Andrew, Daniel

    The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Renewable Power (ORP) has been tasked to provide effective program management and strategic direction for all of the DOE’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) renewable power programs. The ORP’s efforts to accomplish this mission are aligned with national energy policies, DOE strategic planning, EERE’s strategic planning, Congressional appropriation, and stakeholder advice. ORP is supported by three renewable energy offices, of which one is the Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) whose SunShot Initiative has a mission to accelerate research, development and large scale deployment of solar technologies in the United States. SETO hasmore » a goal of reducing the cost of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) by 75 percent of 2010 costs by 2020 to reach parity with base-load energy rates, and 30 percent further reductions by 2030. The SunShot Initiative is promoting the implementation of high temperature CSP with thermal energy storage allowing generation during high demand hours. The SunShot Initiative has funded significant research and development work on component testing, with attention to high temperature molten salts, heliostats, receiver designs, and high efficiency high temperature supercritical CO 2 (sCO2) cycles. DOE retained Black & Veatch to support SETO’s SunShot Initiative for CSP solar power tower technology in the following areas: 1. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of a flexible test facility to be used to test and prove components in part to support financing. 2. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of an integrated high temperature molten salt (MS) facility with thermal energy storage and with a supercritical CO 2 cycle generating approximately 10MWe. 3. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of an integrated high temperature falling particle facility with thermal energy storage and with a supercritical CO 2 cycle generating approximately 10MWe. This report addresses the concept definition of the sCO2 power generation system, a sub-set of items 2 and 3 above. Other reports address the balance of items 1 to 3 above as well as the MS/sCO2 integrated 10MWe facility, Item 2.« less

  8. Molten Salt: Concept Definition and Capital Cost Estimate

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stoddard, Larry; Andrew, Daniel; Adams, Shannon

    The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Renewable Power (ORP) has been tasked to provide effective program management and strategic direction for all of the DOE’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) renewable power programs. The ORP’s efforts to accomplish this mission are aligned with national energy policies, DOE strategic planning, EERE’s strategic planning, Congressional appropriation, and stakeholder advice. ORP is supported by three renewable energy offices, of which one is the Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) whose SunShot Initiative has a mission to accelerate research, development and large scale deployment of solar technologies in the United States. SETO hasmore » a goal of reducing the cost of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) by 75 percent of 2010 costs by 2020 to reach parity with base-load energy rates, and to reduce costs 30 percent further by 2030. The SunShot Initiative is promoting the implementation of high temperature CSP with thermal energy storage allowing generation during high demand hours. The SunShot Initiative has funded significant research and development work on component testing, with attention to high temperature molten salts, heliostats, receiver designs, and high efficiency high temperature supercritical CO 2 (sCO2) cycles. DOE retained Black & Veatch to support SETO’s SunShot Initiative for CSP solar power tower technology in the following areas: 1. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of a flexible test facility to be used to test and prove components in part to support financing. 2. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of an integrated high temperature molten salt (MS) facility with thermal energy storage and with a supercritical CO 2 cycle generating approximately 10MWe. 3. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of an integrated high temperature falling particle facility with thermal energy storage and with a supercritical CO 2 cycle generating approximately 10MWe. This report addresses the concept definition of the MS/sCO2 integrated 10MWe facility, Item No. 2 above. Other reports address Items No. 1 and No. 3 above.« less

  9. 2-Keto acids based biosynthesis pathways for renewable fuels and chemicals.

    PubMed

    Tashiro, Yohei; Rodriguez, Gabriel M; Atsumi, Shota

    2015-03-01

    Global energy and environmental concerns have driven the development of biological chemical production from renewable sources. Biological processes using microorganisms are efficient and have been traditionally utilized to convert biomass (i.e., glucose) to useful chemicals such as amino acids. To produce desired fuels and chemicals with high yield and rate, metabolic pathways have been enhanced and expanded with metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches. 2-Keto acids, which are key intermediates in amino acid biosynthesis, can be converted to a wide range of chemicals. 2-Keto acid pathways were engineered in previous research efforts and these studies demonstrated that 2-keto acid pathways have high potential for novel metabolic routes with high productivity. In this review, we discuss recently developed 2-keto acid-based pathways.

  10. Fuel Cell Power Plants Renewable and Waste Fuels

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-01-13

    of FuelCell Energy, Inc. Fuels Resources for DFC • Natural Gas and LNG • Propane • Biogas (by Anaerobicnaerobic Digestion) - Municipal Waste...FUEL RESOURCES z NATURAL GAS z PROPANE z DFC H2 (50-60%) z ETHANOL zWASTE METHANE z BIOGAS z COAL GAS Diversity of Fuels plus High Efficiency...trademarks (®) of FuelCell Energy, Inc. DFC Advantages for Biogas • More power for given amount of biogas : Higher efficiency than

  11. 10 CFR 451.9 - Procedures for processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ....9 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES § 451.9...-hours claimed to have been generated and sold by the qualified renewable energy facility and for which... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall determine the extent to which appropriated funds are...

  12. 10 CFR 451.9 - Procedures for processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ....9 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES § 451.9...-hours claimed to have been generated and sold by the qualified renewable energy facility and for which... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall determine the extent to which appropriated funds are...

  13. 10 CFR 451.9 - Procedures for processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ....9 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES § 451.9...-hours claimed to have been generated and sold by the qualified renewable energy facility and for which... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall determine the extent to which appropriated funds are...

  14. 10 CFR 451.9 - Procedures for processing applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ....9 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION INCENTIVES § 451.9...-hours claimed to have been generated and sold by the qualified renewable energy facility and for which... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall determine the extent to which appropriated funds are...

  15. 7 CFR 4280.102 - Organization of subpart.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ...) Sections 4280.112 through 4280.121 discuss the requirements specific to renewable energy system and energy... renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement guaranteed loans. Sections 4280.122 through 4280... the Agency will make combined loan guarantee and grant funding available for renewable energy system...

  16. 7 CFR 4280.102 - Organization of subpart.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ...) Sections 4280.112 through 4280.121 discuss the requirements specific to renewable energy system and energy... renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement guaranteed loans. Sections 4280.122 through 4280... the Agency will make combined loan guarantee and grant funding available for renewable energy system...

  17. ER stress inducer tunicamycin suppresses the self-renewal of glioma-initiating cell partly through inhibiting Sox2 translation.

    PubMed

    Xing, Yang; Ge, Yuqing; Liu, Chanjuan; Zhang, Xiaobiao; Jiang, Jianhai; Wei, Yuanyan

    2016-06-14

    Glioma-initiating cells possess tumor-initiating potential and are relatively resistant to conventional chemotherapy and irradiation. Therefore, their elimination is an essential factor for the development of efficient therapy. Here, we report that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inducer tunicamycin inhibits glioma-initiating cell self-renewal as determined by neurosphere formation assay. Moreover, tunicamycin decreases the efficiency of glioma-initiating cell to initiate tumor formation. Although tunicamycin induces glioma-initiating cell apoptosis, apoptosis inhibitor z-VAD-fmk only partly abrogates the reduction in glioma-initiating cell self-renewal induced by tunicamycin. Indeed, tunicamycin reduces the expression of self-renewal regulator Sox2 at translation level. Overexpression of Sox2 obviously abrogates the reduction in glioma-initiating cell self-renewal induced by tunicamycin. Taken together, tunicamycin suppresses the self-renewal and tumorigenic potential of glioma-initiating cell partly through reducing Sox2 translation. This finding provides a cue to potential effective treatment of glioblastoma through controlling stem cells.

  18. Design of a hybrid power system based on solar cell and vibration energy harvester

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Bin; Li, Mingxue; Zhong, Shaoxuan; He, Zhichao; Zhang, Yufeng

    2018-03-01

    Power source has become a serious restriction of wireless sensor network. High efficiency, self-energized and long-life renewable source is the optimum solution for unmanned sensor network applications. However, single renewable power source can be easily affected by ambient environment, which influences stability of the system. In this work, a hybrid power system consists of a solar panel, a vibration energy harvester and a lithium battery is demonstrated. The system is able to harvest multiple types of ambient energy, which extends its applicability and feasibility. Experiments have been conducted to verify performance of the system.

  19. Solar-Light-Driven Renewable Butanol Separation by Core-Shell Ag@ZIF-8 Nanowires.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xu; He, Liangcan; Zheng, Jianzhong; Guo, Jun; Bi, Feng; Ma, Xiang; Zhao, Kun; Liu, Yaling; Song, Rui; Tang, Zhiyong

    2015-06-03

    Core-shell Ag@ZIF-8 nanowires, where single Ag nanowires are coated with uniform zeolitic-imidazolate-framework-8 (ZIF-8) shells, successfully realize renewable adsorptive separation of low concentrations of butanol from an aqueous medium under solar light irradiation by taking advantage of the exceptional adsorption capability of the ZIF-8 shells toward butanol and the unique plasmonic photothermal effect of the Ag nanowire cores. Impressively, the high separation efficiency is maintained as almost unchanged, even after 10 adsorption/desorption cycles. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Cogeneration and beyond: The need and opportunity for high efficiency, renewable community energy systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gleason, T.C.J.

    1992-06-01

    The justification, strategies, and technology options for implementing advanced district heating and cooling systems in the United States are presented. The need for such systems is discussed in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, and the need for a sustainable energy policy. Strategies for implementation are presented in the context of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act and proposed new institutional arrangements. Technology opportunities are highlighted in the areas of advanced block-scale cogeneration, CFC-free chiller technologies, and renewable sources of heating and cooling that are particularly applicable to district systems.

  1. Sustainable polymers from renewable resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Yunqing; Romain, Charles; Williams, Charlotte K.

    2016-12-01

    Renewable resources are used increasingly in the production of polymers. In particular, monomers such as carbon dioxide, terpenes, vegetable oils and carbohydrates can be used as feedstocks for the manufacture of a variety of sustainable materials and products, including elastomers, plastics, hydrogels, flexible electronics, resins, engineering polymers and composites. Efficient catalysis is required to produce monomers, to facilitate selective polymerizations and to enable recycling or upcycling of waste materials. There are opportunities to use such sustainable polymers in both high-value areas and in basic applications such as packaging. Life-cycle assessment can be used to quantify the environmental benefits of sustainable polymers.

  2. Sustainable polymers from renewable resources.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Yunqing; Romain, Charles; Williams, Charlotte K

    2016-12-14

    Renewable resources are used increasingly in the production of polymers. In particular, monomers such as carbon dioxide, terpenes, vegetable oils and carbohydrates can be used as feedstocks for the manufacture of a variety of sustainable materials and products, including elastomers, plastics, hydrogels, flexible electronics, resins, engineering polymers and composites. Efficient catalysis is required to produce monomers, to facilitate selective polymerizations and to enable recycling or upcycling of waste materials. There are opportunities to use such sustainable polymers in both high-value areas and in basic applications such as packaging. Life-cycle assessment can be used to quantify the environmental benefits of sustainable polymers.

  3. 77 FR 20781 - Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Rural Energy for America Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-06

    ... grants and guaranteed loans for the development and construction of renewable energy systems and for energy efficiency improvement projects; grants for conducting energy audits; grants for conducting renewable energy development assistance; and grants for conducting renewable energy system feasibility...

  4. NREL: Renewable Resource Data Center - Webmaster

    Science.gov Websites

    Version RReDC Home Biomass Resource Information Geothermal Resource Information Solar Resource Information laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. NREL U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency

  5. 75 FR 35766 - Establishment of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee and Solicitation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-23

    .... No member may represent a company that is majority owned or controlled by a foreign government entity... member may represent a company that is majority owned or controlled by a foreign government entity or... committee of U.S. citizens who will represent U.S. companies in the renewable energy and energy efficiency...

  6. R&D 100, 2016: Falling Particle Receiver

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ho, Cliff; Christian, Joshua; Stein, Wesley

    After several years of design and development, the world's first continuously recirculating high-temperature Falling Particle Receiver for Concentrated Solar Energy was constructed and tested at Sandia National Laboratories. This technology enables clean, renewable energy and electricity on demand with cheap, efficient storage at costs comparable with fossil-fuel-based plants.

  7. Advanced Manufacturing Office Clean Water Processing Technologies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)’s Advanced Manufacturing Office partners with industry, small business, universities, and other stakeholders to identify and invest in emerging technologies with the potential to create high-quality domestic manufacturing jobs and enhance the global competitiveness of the United States.

  8. R&D 100, 2016: Falling Particle Receiver

    ScienceCinema

    Ho, Cliff; Christian, Joshua; Stein, Wesley

    2018-06-13

    After several years of design and development, the world's first continuously recirculating high-temperature Falling Particle Receiver for Concentrated Solar Energy was constructed and tested at Sandia National Laboratories. This technology enables clean, renewable energy and electricity on demand with cheap, efficient storage at costs comparable with fossil-fuel-based plants.

  9. Efficient utilization of renewable feedstocks: the role of catalysis and process design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palkovits, Regina; Delidovich, Irina

    2017-11-01

    Renewable carbon feedstocks such as biomass and CO2 present an important element of future circular economy. Especially biomass as highly functionalized feedstock provides manifold opportunities for the transformation into attractive platform chemicals. However, this change of the resources requires a paradigm shift in refinery design. Fossil feedstocks are processed in gas phase at elevated temperature. In contrast, biorefineries are based on processes in polar solvents at moderate conditions to selectively deoxygenate the polar, often thermally instable and high-boiling molecules. Here, challenges of catalytic deoxygenation, novel strategies for separation and opportunities provided at the interface to biotechnology are discussed in form of showcases. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Providing sustainable catalytic solutions for a rapidly changing world'.

  10. An Indian scenario on renewable and sustainable energy sources with emphasis on algae.

    PubMed

    Hemaiswarya, S; Raja, Rathinam; Carvalho, Isabel S; Ravikumar, R; Zambare, Vasudeo; Barh, Debmalya

    2012-12-01

    India is the fifth largest primary energy consumer and fourth largest petroleum consumer after USA, China, and Japan. Despite the global economic crisis, India's economy is expected to grow at 6 to 8 %/year. There is an extreme dependence on petroleum products with considerable risks and environmental issues. Petroleum-derived transport fuels are of limited availability and contribute to global warming, making renewable biofuel as the best alternative. The focus on biogas and biomass-based energy, such as bioethanol and biohydrogen, will enhance cost-effectiveness and provide an opportunity for the rural community. Among all energy sources, microalgae have received, so far, more attention due to their facile adaptability to grow in the photobioreactors or open ponds, high yields, and multiple applications. Microalgae can produce a substantial amount of triacylglycerols as a storage lipid under photooxidative stress or other adverse environmental conditions. In addition to renewable biofuels, they can provide different types of high-value bioproducts added to their advantages, such as higher photosynthetic efficiency, higher biomass production, and faster growth compared to any other energy crops. The viability of first-generation biofuels production is, however, questionable because of the conflict with food supply. In the future, biofuels should ideally create the environmental, economic, and social benefits to the communities and reflect energy efficiency so as to plan a road map for the industry to produce third-generation biofuels.

  11. The challenges and opportunities of climate change policy under different stages of economic development.

    PubMed

    Liobikienė, Genovaitė; Butkus, Mindaugas

    2018-06-18

    Climate change policy confronts with many challenges and opportunities. Thus the aim of this study was to analyse the impact of gross domestic product (hereinafter GDP), trade, foreign direct investment (hereinafter FDI), energy efficiency (hereinafter EF) and renewable energy (hereinafter RE) consumption on greenhouse gas (hereinafter GHG) emissions in 1990-2013 and reveal the main challenges and opportunities of climate policy for which policy makers should take the most attention under different stages of economic development. The results showed that the economic growth significantly contributed to the increase of GHG emissions and remains the main challenge in all groups of countries. Analysing the trade impact on pollution, the results revealed that the growth of export (hereinafter EX) significantly reduced GHG emissions only in high income countries. However, the export remains a challenge in low income countries. FDI insignificantly determined the changes in GHG emissions in all groups of countries. Meanwhile, energy efficiency and share of renewable energy consumption are the main opportunities of climate change policy because they reduce the GHG emissions in all groups of countries. Thus, technological processes, the increase of energy efficiency and the shift from carbon to renewable energy sources are the main tools implementing the climate change policy in all countries despite the different stage of economic development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Large Scale Integration of Renewable Power Sources into the Vietnamese Power System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kies, Alexander; Schyska, Bruno; Thanh Viet, Dinh; von Bremen, Lueder; Heinemann, Detlev; Schramm, Stefan

    2017-04-01

    The Vietnamese Power system is expected to expand considerably in upcoming decades. Power capacities installed are projected to grow from 39 GW in 2015 to 129.5 GW by 2030. Installed wind power capacities are expected to grow to 6 GW (0.8 GW 2015) and solar power capacities to 12 GW (0.85 GW 2015). This goes hand in hand with an increase of the renewable penetration in the power mix from 1.3% from wind and photovoltaics (PV) in 2015 to 5.4% by 2030. The overall potential for wind power in Vietnam is estimated to be around 24 GW. Moreover, the up-scaling of renewable energy sources was formulated as one of the priorized targets of the Vietnamese government in the National Power Development Plan VII. In this work, we investigate the transition of the Vietnamese power system towards high shares of renewables. For this purpose, we jointly optimise the expansion of renewable generation facilities for wind and PV, and the transmission grid within renewable build-up pathways until 2030 and beyond. To simulate the Vietnamese power system and its generation from renewable sources, we use highly spatially and temporally resolved historical weather and load data and the open source modelling toolbox Python for Power System Analysis (PyPSA). We show that the highest potential of renewable generation for wind and PV is observed in southern Vietnam and discuss the resulting need for transmission grid extensions in dependency of the optimal pathway. Furthermore, we show that the smoothing effect of wind power has several considerable beneficial effects and that the Vietnamese hydro power potential can be efficiently used to provide balancing opportunities. This work is part of the R&D Project "Analysis of the Large Scale Integration of Renewable Power into the Future Vietnamese Power System" (GIZ, 2016-2018).

  13. 48 CFR 23.404 - Agency affirmative procurement programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES... meet the requirement that renewable agricultural materials or forestry materials in such product must...

  14. 48 CFR 23.404 - Agency affirmative procurement programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES... biobased product, except that the products need not meet the requirement that renewable agricultural...

  15. 48 CFR 23.404 - Agency affirmative procurement programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES... meet the requirement that renewable agricultural materials or forestry materials in such product must...

  16. 7 CFR 4280.115 - RES and EEI grant funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... contributions are acceptable for renewable energy system projects, including those that are eligible for Federal... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.115 RES and EEI grant... this section, as long as the items are an integral and necessary part of the renewable energy system or...

  17. 7 CFR 4280.115 - RES and EEI grant funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... contributions are acceptable for renewable energy system projects, including those that are eligible for Federal... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.115 RES and EEI grant... this section, as long as the items are an integral and necessary part of the renewable energy system or...

  18. 7 CFR 4280.115 - RES and EEI grant funding.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... contributions are acceptable for renewable energy system projects, including those that are eligible for Federal... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.115 RES and EEI grant... this section, as long as the items are an integral and necessary part of the renewable energy system or...

  19. 75 FR 47525 - Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies Grants Under the...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-06

    ... systems and for energy efficiency improvement projects; grants for conducting energy audits; grants for... grants and guaranteed loans; Energy audit and renewable energy development assistance grants; and... subpart C to address energy audit and renewable energy development assistance grants. Together, these two...

  20. NREL: International Activities - Bilateral Partnerships

    Science.gov Websites

    development and use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies: Algeria Angola Argentina Australia sufficiently accurate information for national-level strategic energy planning. China NREL manages renewable energy cooperation with China under the U.S.-China Renewable Energy Partnership program. This program was

  1. Nanocellulose-Based Materials for Water Purification

    PubMed Central

    Voisin, Hugo; Bergström, Lennart; Liu, Peng; Mathew, Aji P.

    2017-01-01

    Nanocellulose is a renewable material that combines a high surface area with high strength, chemical inertness, and versatile surface chemistry. In this review, we will briefly describe how nanocellulose is produced, and present—in particular, how nanocellulose and its surface modified versions affects the adsorption behavior of important water pollutants, e.g., heavy metal species, dyes, microbes, and organic molecules. The processing of nanocellulose-based membranes and filters for water purification will be described in detail, and the uptake capacity, selectivity, and removal efficiency will also be discussed. The processing and performance of nanocellulose-based membranes, which combine a high removal efficiency with anti-fouling properties, will be highlighted. PMID:28336891

  2. Design of State-of-the-art Flow Cells for Energy Applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Ping

    The worldwide energy demand is increasing every day and it necessitates rational and efficient usage of renewable energy. Undoubtedly, utilization of renewable energy can address various environmental challenges. However, all current renewable energy resources (wind, solar, and hydroelectric power) are intermittent and fluctuating in their nature that raises an important question of introducing effective energy storage solutions. Utilization of redox flow cells (RFCs) has recently been recognized as a viable technology for large-scale energy storage and, hence, is well suited for integrating renewable energy and balancing electricity grids. In brief, RFC is an electrochemical storage device where energy is storedmore » in chemical bonds, similar to a battery, but with reactants external to the cell. The state-of-the-art in flow cell technology uses an aqueous acidic electrolyte and simple metal redox couples. Thus, there is an urgent call to develop efficient (high-energy density) and low-cost RFCs to meet the efflorescent energy storage demands. To address the first challenge of achieving high-energy density, we plan to design and further modify complexes composed of bifunctional multidentate ligands and specific metal centers, capable of storing as many electrons as possible. In order to address the second challenge of reducing cost of the RFCs, we plan to use iron (Fe) metal as it regularly occupies multiple oxidation states and is the second most abundant metal in the earth’s crust that makes it an ideal metal for improved energy densities, higher potentials, and numbers of electrons per molecule while maintaining potential cost competitiveness. Density functional theory calculations considering solvation effects will be performed to yield accurate predictions of redox potentials.« less

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Torcellini, P.; Pless, S.; Lobato, C.

    Until recently, large-scale, cost-effective net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) were thought to lie decades in the future. However, ongoing work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) indicates that NZEB status is both achievable and repeatable today. This paper presents a definition framework for classifying NZEBs and a real-life example that demonstrates how a large-scale office building can cost-effectively achieve net-zero energy. The vision of NZEBs is compelling. In theory, these highly energy-efficient buildings will produce, during a typical year, enough renewable energy to offset the energy they consume from the grid. The NREL NZEB definition framework classifies NZEBs according tomore » the criteria being used to judge net-zero status and the way renewable energy is supplied to achieve that status. We use the new U.S. Department of Energy/NREL 220,000-ft{sub 2} Research Support Facilities (RSF) building to illustrate why a clear picture of NZEB definitions is important and how the framework provides a methodology for creating a cost-effective NZEB. The RSF, scheduled to open in June 2010, includes contractual commitments to deliver a Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED) Platinum Rating, an energy use intensity of 25 kBtu/ft{sub 2} (half that of a typical LEED Platinum office building), and net-zero energy status. We will discuss the analysis method and cost tradeoffs that were performed throughout the design and build phases to meet these commitments and maintain construction costs at $259/ft{sub 2}. We will discuss ways to achieve large-scale, replicable NZEB performance. Many passive and renewable energy strategies are utilized, including full daylighting, high-performance lighting, natural ventilation through operable windows, thermal mass, transpired solar collectors, radiant heating and cooling, and workstation configurations allow for maximum daylighting.« less

  4. Photoelectrochemical hydrogen production from biomass derivatives and water.

    PubMed

    Lu, Xihong; Xie, Shilei; Yang, Hao; Tong, Yexiang; Ji, Hongbing

    2014-11-21

    Hydrogen, a clean energy carrier with high energy capacity, is a very promising candidate as a primary energy source for the future. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production from renewable biomass derivatives and water is one of the most promising approaches to producing green chemical fuel. Compared to water splitting, hydrogen production from renewable biomass derivatives and water through a PEC process is more efficient from the viewpoint of thermodynamics. Additionally, the carbon dioxide formed can be re-transformed into carbohydrates via photosynthesis in plants. In this review, we focus on the development of photoanodes and systems for PEC hydrogen production from water and renewable biomass derivatives, such as methanol, ethanol, glycerol and sugars. We also discuss the future challenges and opportunities for the design of the state-of-the-art photoanodes and PEC systems for hydrogen production from biomass derivatives and water.

  5. DNA-directed trypsin immobilization on a polyamidoamine dendrimer-modified capillary to form a renewable immobilized enzyme microreactor.

    PubMed

    Wu, Nan; Wang, Siming; Yang, Ye; Song, Jiayi; Su, Ping; Yang, Yi

    2018-07-01

    A novel type of trypsin capillary microreactor was developed based on a DNA-directed immobilization (DDI) technique applied to a fused-silica capillary modified with polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. Trypsin binding to the inner wall of the capillary was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The properties of the trypsin-DNA conjugated, PAMAM-modified capillary microreactor were investigated by monitoring hydrolysis of Nα-benzoyl- L -arginine ethyl ester. Through the hybridization and dehybridization of the DNA, the inner wall of the capillary functionalized with trypsin can be regenerated, thus indicating the renewability of this enzyme microreactor. In addition, these results demonstrated that introduction of PAMAM enabled higher amounts of trypsin to be immobilized, markedly improving the enzymolysis efficiency, compared with traditional modified capillaries. The digestion performance of the trypsin capillary microreactor was further evaluated by digesting cytochrome C, and a peptide numbers of 8, and a sequence coverage of 59% were obtained. This renewable and efficient immobilized trypsin capillary microreactor combines advantages of both DDI technology and PAMAM, and is potentially adaptable to high-throughput enzyme assays in biochemical and clinical research. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Comparison of typical mega cities in China using emergy synthesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, L. X.; Chen, B.; Yang, Z. F.; Chen, G. Q.; Jiang, M. M.; Liu, G. Y.

    2009-06-01

    An emergy-based comparison analysis is conducted for three typical mega cities in China, i.e., Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, from 1990 to 2005 in four perspectives including emergy intensity, resource structure, environmental pressure and resource use efficiency. A new index of non-renewable emergy/money ratio is established to indicate the utilization efficiency of the non-renewable resources. The results show that for the three mega urban systems, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the total emergy inputs were 3.76E+23, 3.54E+23, 2.52E+23 sej in 2005, of which 64.88%, 91.45% and 72.28% were imported from the outsides, respectively. As to the indicators of emergy intensity involving the total emergy use, emergy density and emergy use per cap, three cities exhibited similar overall increase trends with annual fluctuations from 1990 to 2005. Shanghai achieved the highest level of economic development and non-renewable resource use efficiency, and meanwhile, lower proportion of renewable resource use and higher environmental pressure compared to those of Beijing and Guangzhou. Guangzhou has long term sustainability considering an amount of local renewable resources used, per capita emergy used, energy consumption per unit GDP and the ratio of waste to renewable emergy. It can be concluded that different emergy-based evaluation results arise from different geographical locations, resources endowments, industrial structures and urban orientations of the concerned mega cities.

  7. Optically efficient InAsSb nanowires for silicon-based mid-wavelength infrared optoelectronics.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Q D; Alradhi, H; Jin, Z M; Chen, X R; Shao, J; Chen, X; Sanchez, Ana M; Cao, Y C; Liu, J Y; Yates, P; Durose, K; Jin, C J

    2017-03-10

    InAsSb nanowires (NWs) with a high Sb content have potential in the fabrication of advanced silicon-based optoelectronics such as infrared photondetectors/emitters and highly sensitive phototransistors, as well as in the generation of renewable electricity. However, producing optically efficient InAsSb NWs with a high Sb content remains a challenge, and optical emission is limited to 4.0 μm due to the quality of the nanowires. Here, we report, for the first time, the success of high-quality and optically efficient InAsSb NWs enabling silicon-based optoelectronics operating in entirely mid-wavelength infrared. Pure zinc-blende InAsSb NWs were realized with efficient photoluminescence emission. We obtained room-temperature photoluminescence emission in InAs NWs and successfully extended the emission wavelength in InAsSb NWs to 5.1 μm. The realization of this optically efficient InAsSb NW material paves the way to realizing next-generation devices, combining advances in III-V semiconductors and silicon.

  8. Data Center Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Site Assessment: Anderson Readiness Center; Salem, Oregon

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Metzger, I.; Van Geet, O.

    This report summarizes the results from the data center energy efficiency and renewable energy site assessment conducted for the Oregon Army National Guard in Salem, Oregon. A team led by NREL conducted the assessment of the Anderson Readiness Center data centers March 18-20, 2014 as part of ongoing efforts to reduce energy use and incorporate renewable energy technologies where feasible. Although the data centers in this facility account for less than 5% of the total square footage, they are estimated to be responsible for 70% of the annual electricity consumption.

  9. Engineering Methane and Carbon Dioxide Pathways to Turn Renewable Biogas into Higher-Value Chemicals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Greenfield, Derek; Helman, Noah; Clarke, Elizabeth

    The United States has a critical need for green manufacturing technologies that can produce a wide range of renewable products at low cost. Industrial Microbes develops biological processes that produce renewable chemicals from organic waste streams. The target chemical for this Phase I project is used to make paints, coatings, and polymers for a multi-billion-dollar market. In addition to the benefits from its green process, the company estimates that the new manufacturing process described here will result in 20-40% cost savings when used at commercial scale. This is possible because the company’s process utilizes waste biogas, an inexpensive feedstock, andmore » is highly efficient: the only byproduct is clean water. For this Phase I project, Industrial Microbes successfully built an enzyme pathway that solves the most difficult challenges of converting biogas into the target chemical. These challenges include the conversion of methane into soluble methanol; the identification of highly-active enzymes; and the production of the target chemical. The company has also completed proof-of-concept by demonstrating that its production strain can utilize raw biogas from a wastewater treatment plant. Achieving these goals required several breakthroughs in transferring enzymes from exotic microorganisms into a commercial one, used commonly for industrial-scale production. In Phase II, Industrial Microbes will work toward commercializing this process by improving carbon efficiency and speed of chemical production. Organic waste streams such as biogas are an underutilized source of renewable carbon and energy; efficient use of such waste streams will reduce the United States’ reliance on petroleum and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The process described here is one of few industrial processes that can convert biogas into commodity products, rather than burning it for energy. If renewable products can be made from biogas economically, companies and governments will find it attractive to collect organic waste streams for biogas production. This can prevent waste from ending up in landfills, where it breaks down into the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide: landfills emit the equivalent greenhouse gases of 35 million cars every year. New uses of biogas will also help lower costs for making carbon-neutral biofuels, since biofuel production also generates waste that can be turned into biogas.« less

  10. Investigation of Novel Electrolytes for Use in Lithium-Ion Batteries and Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pilar, Kartik

    Energy storage and conversion plays a critical role in the efficient use of available energy and is crucial for the utilization of renewable energy sources. To achieve maximum efficiency of renewable energy sources, improvements to energy storage materials must be developed. In this work, novel electrolytes for secondary batteries and fuel cells have been studied using nuclear magnetic resonance and high pressure x-ray scattering techniques to form a better understanding of dynamic and structural properties of these materials. Ionic liquids have been studied due to their potential as a safer alternative to organic solvent-based electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries and composite sulfonated polyetheretherketone (sPEEK) membranes have been investigated for their potential use as a proton exchange membrane electrolyte in direct methanol fuel cells. The characterization of these novel electrolytes is a step towards the development of the next generation of improved energy storage and energy conversion devices.

  11. 78 FR 68042 - Petition for Waiver and Notice of Granting the Application for Interim Waiver of Indesit Company...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-13

    ..., Part B of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), Public Law 94-163 (42 U.S.C. 6291-6309... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Case No. CD-009] Petition... Residential Clothes Dryer Test Procedure AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department...

  12. High-Penetration Photovoltaics Standards and Codes Workshop, Denver, Colorado, May 20, 2010: Workshop Proceedings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Coddington, M.; Kroposki, B.; Basso, T.

    Effectively interconnecting high-level penetration of photovoltaic (PV) systems requires careful technical attention to ensuring compatibility with electric power systems. Standards, codes, and implementation have been cited as major impediments to widespread use of PV within electric power systems. On May 20, 2010, in Denver, Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), held a workshop to examine the key technical issues and barriers associated with high PV penetration levels with an emphasis on codes and standards. This workshop included building upon results of the Highmore » Penetration of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems into the Distribution Grid workshop held in Ontario California on February 24-25, 2009, and upon the stimulating presentations of the diverse stakeholder presentations.« less

  13. Skeleton-Controlled pDNA Delivery of Renewable Steroid-Based Cationic Lipids, the Endocytosis Pathway Analysis and Intracellular Localization

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhao; Luo, Ting; Cao, Amin; Sun, Jingjing

    2018-01-01

    Using renewable and biocompatible natural-based resources to construct functional biomaterials has attracted great attention in recent years. In this work, we successfully prepared a series of steroid-based cationic lipids by integrating various steroid skeletons/hydrophobes with (l-)-arginine headgroups via facile and efficient synthetic approach. The plasmid DNA (pDNA) binding affinity of the steroid-based cationic lipids, average particle sizes, surface potentials, morphologies and stability of the steroid-based cationic lipids/pDNA lipoplexes were disclosed to depend largely on the steroid skeletons. Cellular evaluation results revealed that cytotoxicity and gene transfection efficiency of the steroid-based cationic lipids in H1299 and HeLa cells strongly relied on the steroid hydrophobes. Interestingly, the steroid lipids/pDNA lipoplexes inclined to enter H1299 cells mainly through caveolae and lipid-raft mediated endocytosis pathways, and an intracellular trafficking route of “lipid-raft-mediated endocytosis→lysosome→cell nucleic localization” was accordingly proposed. The study provided possible approach for developing high-performance steroid-based lipid gene carriers, in which the cytotoxicity, gene transfection capability, endocytosis pathways, and intracellular trafficking/localization manners could be tuned/controlled by introducing proper steroid skeletons/hydrophobes. Noteworthy, among the lipids, Cho-Arg showed remarkably high gene transfection efficacy, even under high serum concentration (50% fetal bovine serum), making it an efficient gene transfection agent for practical application. PMID:29373505

  14. Liquid-Phase Deposition of Single-Phase Alpha-Copper-Indium-Diselenide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cowen, J.; Lucas, L.; Ernst, F.; Pirouz, P.; Hepp, A.; Bailey, S.

    2005-01-01

    The success of exploratory missions in outer space often depends on a highly efficient renewable energy supply, as provided by solar cells. Figure 1 shows a well-known example: The robotic vehicle "Rover," constructed for NASA s "Mars Pathfinder" mission. The solar cells for such applications not only need to have high conversion efficiency, but must possess a high specific power, thus a high power output per unit mass. Since future missions will demand for large aggregates of solar cells and space flights are expensive, the solar cells must furthermore be available at low costs (per unit power output) and - very important in outer space - have a long lifetime and a high resistance against structural damage introduced by irradiation with high-energy electrons and protons.

  15. Thermodynamic Performance and Cost Optimization of a Novel Hybrid Thermal-Compressed Air Energy Storage System Design

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Houssainy, Sammy; Janbozorgi, Mohammad; Kavehpour, Pirouz

    Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) can potentially allow renewable energy sources to meet electricity demands as reliably as coal-fired power plants. However, conventional CAES systems rely on the combustion of natural gas, require large storage volumes, and operate at high pressures, which possess inherent problems such as high costs, strict geological locations, and the production of greenhouse gas emissions. A novel and patented hybrid thermal-compressed air energy storage (HT-CAES) design is presented which allows a portion of the available energy, from the grid or renewable sources, to operate a compressor and the remainder to be converted and stored in themore » form of heat, through joule heating in a sensible thermal storage medium. The HT-CAES design incudes a turbocharger unit that provides supplementary mass flow rate alongside the air storage. The hybrid design and the addition of a turbocharger have the beneficial effect of mitigating the shortcomings of conventional CAES systems and its derivatives by eliminating combustion emissions and reducing storage volumes, operating pressures, and costs. Storage efficiency and cost are the two key factors, which upon integration with renewable energies would allow the sources to operate as independent forms of sustainable energy. The potential of the HT-CAES design is illustrated through a thermodynamic optimization study, which outlines key variables that have a major impact on the performance and economics of the storage system. The optimization analysis quantifies the required distribution of energy between thermal and compressed air energy storage, for maximum efficiency, and for minimum cost. This study provides a roundtrip energy and exergy efficiency map of the storage system and illustrates a trade off that exists between its capital cost and performance.« less

  16. FY 2009 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Annual Report: A Year of Energy Transformation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    2010-01-01

    This FY2009 Annual Report surveys the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) accomplishments in renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, commercialization and deployment of technologies, and strategic energy analysis. It offers NREL's vision and progress in building a clean, sustainable research campus and reports on community involvement.

  17. Renewable Energy: Today's Contribution, Tomorrow's Promise. Worldwatch Paper 81.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shea, Cynthia Pollock

    This document presents the position that renewable energy sources offer a timely alternative to dwindling oil supplies and to environmentally damaging coal combustion, although public support and financial backing need to be strengthened. An expanded use of renewables and a greater commitment to energy efficiency are the most cost-effective and…

  18. Ethanol production from renewable resources.

    PubMed

    Gong, C S; Cao, N J; Du, J; Tsao, G T

    1999-01-01

    Vast amounts of renewable biomass are available for conversion to liquid fuel, ethanol. In order to convert biomass to ethanol, the efficient utilization of both cellulose-derived and hemicellulose-derived carbohydrates is essential. Six-carbon sugars are readily utilized for this purpose. Pentoses, on the other hand, are more difficult to convert. Several metabolic factors limit the efficient utilization of pentoses (xylose and arabinose). Recent developments in the improvement of microbial cultures provide the versatility of conversion of both hexoses and pentoses to ethanol more efficiently. In addition, novel bioprocess technologies offer a promising prospective for the efficient conversion of biomass and recovery of ethanol.

  19. Three essays of economics and policy on renewable energy and energy efficiency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meng, Yuxi

    In face of the crisis in energy security, environmental contamination, and climate change, energy saving and carbon emission reduction have become the top concerns of the whole human world. To address those concerns, renewable energy and energy efficiency are the two fields that many countries are paying attention to, which are also my research focus. The dissertation consists of three papers, including the innovation behavior of renewable energy producers, the impact of renewable energy policy on renewable innovation, and the market feedback to energy efficient building benchmarking ordinance. Here are the main conclusions I have reached in this dissertation. First, through the study on foreign patenting intention with the case study of Chinese solar PV industry, I looked at the patenting behaviors of 15 non-Chinese solar PV producers in solar PV technologies in China, and pointed out that foreign firms may file patents in the home country or production base of their competitors in order to earn the competitive edge in the global market. The second study is about the "Innovation by Generating" process. I specifically focused on Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in the United States and the innovation performance within each state, and found out that wind power generation in RPS states has developed rapidly after the adoption of RPS, while the "Innovating by Generating" effect is more significant in solar PV technologies. In general, the innovations of the two technology groups are not prominently encouraged by RPS. My last study is about the benchmarking law and market response in the scenario of Philadelphia Benchmarking Law. By comparing the rental rate of LEED/EnergyStar buildings and ordinary buildings in the city of Philadelphia before and after the adoption of the building energy efficiency benchmarking law, I believe that the passage of Philadelphia Benchmarking Law may be helpful in improving the public awareness and understanding of energy efficiency information of buildings.

  20. Master Limited Partnerships and Real Estate Investment Trusts: Opportunities and Potential Complications for Renewable Energy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Feldman, D.; Settle, E.

    2013-11-01

    Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are two proposed investment vehicles which have the potential to lower renewable energy assets' high cost of capital; a critical factor in the Department of Energy's goal for renewable energy to achieve grid-parity with traditional sources of electric generation. Due to current U.S. federal income tax laws, regulations, and administrative interpretations, REITs and MLPs cannot finance a significant portion of the cost of renewable energy assets. Efforts are underway to alter these rules by changing the definition of 'real property' (REIT) and 'qualified income' (MLP). However, even with rule changes,more » both investment vehicles have structural challenges to efficiently finance renewable energy assets. Among them are 1) effectively utilizing the U.S. federal income tax incentives; 2) administratively structuring the investments to not be overly onerous or complicated, given the potential for pooling a relatively large amount of small assets; and 3) attracting and retaining a large enough investment community to participate in the funding opportunities. This report summarizes these challenges so that if proposed federal changes are made, stakeholders have an understanding of the possible outcomes.« less

  1. 77 FR 40329 - U.S. Renewable Energy Trade Mission Philippines and Thailand, Manila, Philippines and Bangkok...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-09

    ... a few types of equipment where quality and efficiency are important: Inverters for solar PV power.... Geothermal. Hydropower. Wind power. Solar power. Both Thailand and the Philippines rank high on ITA's... through resources such as solar, wind energy, hydro and biomass resources. Total installed capacity of the...

  2. 75 FR 39678 - Meeting of Energy Services Companies and the Federal Energy Management Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Meeting of Energy Services Companies and the Federal Energy Management... Management Program (FEMP) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on the use of high-end... conducted in an informal, conference style. Each participant will be allowed to make a prepared general...

  3. Contribution of Nanostructures in High Performance Solar Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aly, Abouelmaaty M.; Ebrahim, Essamudin A.; Sweelem, Emad

    2017-11-01

    Nanotechnology has great contributions in various fields, especially in solar energy conversion through solar cells (SCs). Nanostructured SCs can provide high performance with lower fabrication costs. The transition from fossil fuel energy to renewable sustainable energy represents a major technological challenge for the world. In the last years, the industry of SCs has grown rapidly due to strong attention in renewable energy in order to handle the problem of global climate change that is now believed to occur due to use of the fossil fuels. Cost is an influential factor in the eventual success of any solar technology, since inexpensive SCs are needed to produce electricity, especially for rural areas and for third world countries. Therefore, new developments in nanotechnology may open the door for the production of inexpensive and more efficient SCs by reducing the manufacturing costs of SCs. Utilizing nanotechnology in cheaper SCs will help maintain the environment. This article covers a review of the progress that has been made to-date to enhance efficiencies of various nanostructures used in SCs, including utilizations of all the wavelengths present in of the solar spectrum.

  4. Atmospheric Renewable Energy Research, Volume 4: Atmospheric Renewable Energy Field Study Number 2 (ARE2)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-10-30

    these renewable energy commodities. For this report, we focus on solar power, gleaned from photovoltaic ( PV ) technology, as the renewable energy...optimized efficiency and effectiveness for the hybrid microgrid. Presuming solar energy is being extracted using photovoltaic ( PV ) panels (versus solar ...inhibitors of solar radiation traversing from space to the PV panels on or near the earth’s surface were categorized as hard and soft shadows. The

  5. Technical Feasible Study for Future Solar Thermal Steam Power Station in Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bohari, Z. H.; Atira, N. N.; Jali, M. H.; Sulaima, M. F.; Izzuddin, T. A.; Baharom, M. F.

    2017-10-01

    This paper proposed renewable energy which is potential to be used in Malaysia in generating electricity to innovate and improve current operating systems. Thermal and water act as the resources to replace limited fossil fuels such as coal which is still widely used in energy production nowadays. Thermal is also known as the heat energy while the water absorbs energy from the thermal to produce steam energy. By combining both of the sources, it is known as thermal steam renewable energy. The targeted area to build this power station has constant high temperature and low humidity which can maximize the efficiency of generating power.

  6. Integrating the Technology Acceptance Model and Diffusion of Innovation: Factors Promoting Interest in Energy Efficient and Renewable Energy Technologies at Military Installations, Federal Facilities and Land-Grant Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dudik, C. E. Jane

    2017-01-01

    Energy managers are tasked with identifying energy savings opportunities and promoting energy independence. Energy-efficient (EE) and renewable-energy (RE) technology demonstrations enable energy managers to evaluate new energy technologies and adopt those that appear most effective. This study examined whether energy technology demonstrations…

  7. Liquid Phase Deposition of Single-Phase Alpha-Copper-Indium-Diselenide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hepp, Aloysius F.; Bailey, S.; Cowen, Jonathan; Lucas, L.; Ernst, Frank; Pirouz, P.

    2004-01-01

    The success of exploratory missions in outer space often depends on a highly efficient renewable energy supply, as provided by solar cells. Since future missions will demand large aggregates of solar cells, and space flight is expensive, the solar cells must furthermore be available at low costs and have a long lifetime and high resistance against structural damage introduced by irradiation with high energy electrons and protons. The photovoltaic materials that are presently available only partly fulfill all these requirements. Therefore, we propose to explore a new method for fabricating thin-films for cost-efficient solar cells with very high specific power,high irradiation resistance and long lifetime based on the alpha-phase of the Cu-In-Se system "alpha-CIS."

  8. Design of electrolyzer for carbon dioxide conversion to fuels and chemicals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosen, Jonathan S.

    The stabilization of global atmospheric CO2 levels requires a transition towards a renewable energy based economy as well as methods for handling current CO2 output from fossil fuels. Challenges with renewable energy intermittency have thus far limited the use of these alternative energy sources to only a fraction of the current energy portfolio. To enable more widespread use of renewable energy systems, methods of large scale energy storage must be developed to store excess renewable energy when demand is low and allow for combined use of energy storage and renewable systems when demand is high. To date, no one technique has demonstrated energy storage methods on the gigawatt scale needed for integration with renewable sources; therefore the development of suitable energy storage technologies, such as CO2 electrolysis to fuels is needed. In this work, research efforts have focused on two major thrusts related to electrochemical methods of CO 2 conversion to fuels. The first thrust focuses on the synthesis and design of highly efficient anode and cathode catalysts with emphasis on understanding structure-property relationships. A second thrust focuses on the design of novel electrochemical devices for CO2 conversion and integration of synthesized materials into flow cell systems. On the anode side, the synthesis of highly active catalysts using abundant transition metals is crucial to reducing capital costs and enabling widespread use of electrochemical CO2 conversion devices. Highly active mesoporous Co3O4 and metal-substituted Co3O4 water oxidation catalysts were designed to investigate the role of the spinel structure on water oxidation activity. Further analysis of metal substituted samples reveal the importance of the octahedral sites in the spinel structure, which was later used to design an Mg-Co3O4 sample with improved water oxidation activity. The design of efficient cathode materials which can selectivity reduce CO2 to fuels and chemicals is critical to the widespread use of CO2 electrolysis. A nanoporous Ag material was synthesized through a dealloying technique able to operate with less than 0.5 V overpotential and high selectivity towards CO. CO is a valuable intermediate chemical which can used in Fischer-Tropsch or Gas-to-liquids technologies to produce liquids fuels. A detailed investigation of nanostructured Ag catalysts found stepped sites to be responsible for enhanced CO2 reduction activity due to improved stabilization of the COOH intermediate on the catalyst surface. In addition, an low-cost Zn dendrite electrocatalyst was developed using an electroplating technique. Low coordinated sites formed through electrodeposition demonstrated the suppression of hydrogen evolution while maintaining CO activity. The Zn dendrite electrocatalyst was further examined using a newly developed in situ X-ray absorption technique able to probe catalyst stability and crystalline structure under CO2 reduction operating conditions. A final hurdle in the realization of CO2 electrolysis technologies is the integration of catalysts into working flow cell devices. To address this issue and enable testing in a practical system, a highly efficient and robust CO2 electrolysis flow cell was designed including the scale up of the previous nanoporous Ag synthesis procedure. Using the modified porous Ag catalyst, currents in the Amp regime were demonstrated approaching rates needed for energy storage applications. Stability on the order of days was successfully demonstrated due to use of robust system components and conditions suitable for process scale up.

  9. Renewable energy sources, the internet of things and the third industrial revolution: Smart grid and contemporary information and communication technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitsios, Aristidis; Bousakas, Konstantinos; Salame, Takla; Bogno, Bachirou; Papageorgas, Panagiotis; Vokas, Georgios A.; Mauffay, Fabrice; Petit, Pierre; Aillerie, Michel; Charles, Jean-Pierre

    2017-02-01

    In this paper, the energy efficiency of a contemporary Smart Grid that is based on Distributed Renewable Energy Sources (DRES) is examined under the scope of the communication systems utilized between the energy loads and the energy sources. What is evident is that the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that are based on the existing Web infrastructure can be heavily introduced in this direction especially when combined with long range low bandwidth networking technologies, power line communication technologies and optimization methodologies for renewable energy generation. The renewable energy generation optimization will be based on devices embedded in the PV panels and the wind power generators, which will rely on bidirectional communications with local gateways and remote control stations for achieving energy efficiency. Smart meters and DRES combined with IoT communications will be the enabling technologies for the ultimate fusion of Internet technology and renewable energy generation realizing the Energy Internet.

  10. NREL: Renewable Resource Data Center - Geothermal Resource Information

    Science.gov Websites

    Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Geothermal Technologies Program. Its collection , and thermal springs. View NREL's Geothermal resource maps as well as maps for other renewable energy Geothermal Resource Information Geothermal Prospector Start exploring U.S. geothermal resources

  11. 76 FR 11823 - Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc.; Kewaunee Power Station; Notice of Issuance of Renewed Facility...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-03

    ... Additional 20-Year Period; Record of Decision Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory... technical specifications. The notice also serves as the record of decision for the renewal of facility..., efficiency, wood-fired generation, and wind power; and non-renewal of the operating license. The factors...

  12. Financial Incentives to Enable Clean Energy Deployment: Policy Overview and Good Practices

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cox, Sadie

    Financial incentives have been widely implemented by governments around the world to support scaled up deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices. As of 2015, at least 48 countries have adopted financial incentives to support renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment. Broader clean energy strategies and plans provide a crucial foundation for financial incentives that often complement regulatory policies such as renewable energy targets, standards, and other mandates. This policy brief provides a primer on key financial incentive design elements, lessons from different country experiences, and curated support resources for more detailed and country-specific financial incentive designmore » information.« less

  13. Clean Energy Technologies Ready for Climate Change Challenge

    Science.gov Websites

    environmental problems is well founded, the director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said today renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in solving environmental problems is clear, Truly said

  14. Energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable development

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ervin, C.A.

    1994-12-31

    The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE) is part of the U.S. Department of Energy that is specifically charged with encouraging the more efficient use of energy resources, and the use of renewable energy resources - such as solar power, wind power, biomass energy and geothermal energy. In the past several years, EE has increased its emphasis on technology deployment through partnerships with states, local governments and private companies. Partnerships move new discoveries more quickly into the marketplace, where they can create jobs, prevent pollution, save resources, and produce many other benefits. The author then emphasizes the importancemore » of this effort in a number of different sections of the paper: energy consumption pervades everything we do; U.S. energy imports are rising to record levels; transportation energy demand is increasing; U.S. energy use is increasing; population growth increases world energy demand; total costs of energy consumption aren`t always counted; world energy markets offer incredible potential; cost of renewables is decreasing; clean energy is essential to sustainable development; sustainable energy policy; sustainable energy initiatives: utilities, buildings, and transportation.« less

  15. Batteries for efficient energy extraction from a water salinity difference.

    PubMed

    La Mantia, Fabio; Pasta, Mauro; Deshazer, Heather D; Logan, Bruce E; Cui, Yi

    2011-04-13

    The salinity difference between seawater and river water is a renewable source of enormous entropic energy, but extracting it efficiently as a form of useful energy remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate a device called "mixing entropy battery", which can extract and store it as useful electrochemical energy. The battery, containing a Na(2-x)Mn(5)O(10) nanorod electrode, was shown to extract energy from real seawater and river water and can be applied to a variety of salt waters. We demonstrated energy extraction efficiencies of up to 74%. Considering the flow rate of river water into oceans as the limiting factor, the renewable energy production could potentially reach 2 TW, or ∼13% of the current world energy consumption. The mixing entropy battery is simple to fabricate and could contribute significantly to renewable energy in the future.

  16. Vertically Aligned Graphene Sheets Membrane for Highly Efficient Solar Thermal Generation of Clean Water.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Panpan; Li, Jing; Lv, Lingxiao; Zhao, Yang; Qu, Liangti

    2017-05-23

    Efficient utilization of solar energy for clean water is an attractive, renewable, and environment friendly way to solve the long-standing water crisis. For this task, we prepared the long-range vertically aligned graphene sheets membrane (VA-GSM) as the highly efficient solar thermal converter for generation of clean water. The VA-GSM was prepared by the antifreeze-assisted freezing technique we developed, which possessed the run-through channels facilitating the water transport, high light absorption capacity for excellent photothermal transduction, and the extraordinary stability in rigorous conditions. As a result, VA-GSM has achieved average water evaporation rates of 1.62 and 6.25 kg m -2 h -1 under 1 and 4 sun illumination with a superb solar thermal conversion efficiency of up to 86.5% and 94.2%, respectively, better than that of most carbon materials reported previously, which can efficiently produce the clean water from seawater, common wastewater, and even concentrated acid and/or alkali solutions.

  17. Commercial Building Energy Asset Rating Program -- Market Research

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McCabe, Molly J.; Wang, Na

    2012-04-19

    Under contract to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, HaydenTanner, LLC conducted an in-depth analysis of the potential market value of a commercial building energy asset rating program for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The market research objectives were to: (1) Evaluate market interest and need for a program and tool to offer asset rating and rapidly identify potential energy efficiency measures for the commercial building sector. (2) Identify key input variables and asset rating outputs that would facilitate increased investment in energy efficiency. (3) Assess best practices and lessons learned from existing nationalmore » and international energy rating programs. (4) Identify core messaging to motivate owners, investors, financiers, and others in the real estate sector to adopt a voluntary asset rating program and, as a consequence, deploy high-performance strategies and technologies across new and existing buildings. (5) Identify leverage factors and incentives that facilitate increased investment in these buildings. To meet these objectives, work consisted of a review of the relevant literature, examination of existing and emergent asset and operational rating systems, interviews with industry stakeholders, and an evaluation of the value implication of an asset label on asset valuation. This report documents the analysis methodology and findings, conclusion, and recommendations. Its intent is to support and inform the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on the market need and potential value impacts of an asset labeling and diagnostic tool to encourage high-performance new buildings and building efficiency retrofit projects.« less

  18. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is involved in a variety of international initiatives, partnerships, and events that promote greater understanding and use of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) worldwide. In support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), EERE is working with several Latin American countries to advance EE and RE deployment for economic growth, energy security, poverty relief, and disaster recovery goals. This fact sheet highlights those activities.

  19. Steam electrolysis by solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) with proton-conducting oxides.

    PubMed

    Bi, Lei; Boulfrad, Samir; Traversa, Enrico

    2014-12-21

    Energy crisis and environmental problems caused by the conventional combustion of fossil fuels boost the development of renewable and sustainable energies. H2 is regarded as a clean fuel for many applications and it also serves as an energy carrier for many renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. Among all the technologies for H2 production, steam electrolysis by solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) has attracted much attention due to its high efficiency and low environmental impact, provided that the needed electrical power is generated from renewable sources. However, the deployment of SOECs based on conventional oxygen-ion conductors is limited by several issues, such as high operating temperature, hydrogen purification from water, and electrode stability. To avoid these problems, proton-conducting oxides are proposed as electrolyte materials for SOECs. This review paper provides a broad overview of the research progresses made for proton-conducting SOECs, summarizing the past work and finding the problems for the development of proton-conducting SOECs, as well as pointing out potential development directions.

  20. Electricity Capacity Expansion Modeling, Analysis, and Visualization. A Summary of High-Renewable Modeling Experience for China

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Blair, Nate; Zhou, Ella; Getman, Dan

    2015-10-01

    Mathematical and computational models are widely used for the analysis and design of both physical and financial systems. Modeling the electric grid is of particular importance to China for three reasons. First, power-sector assets are expensive and long-lived, and they are critical to any country's development. China's electric load, transmission, and other energy-related infrastructure are expected to continue to grow rapidly; therefore it is crucial to understand and help plan for the future in which those assets will operate (NDRC ERI 2015). Second, China has dramatically increased its deployment of renewable energy (RE), and is likely to continue further acceleratingmore » such deployment over the coming decades. Careful planning and assessment of the various aspects (technical, economic, social, and political) of integrating a large amount of renewables on the grid is required. Third, companies need the tools to develop a strategy for their own involvement in the power market China is now developing, and to enable a possible transition to an efficient and high RE future.« less

  1. Phase-controlled synthesis of polymorphic tungsten diphosphide with hybridization of monoclinic and orthorhombic phases as a novel electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pi, Mingyu; Wu, Tianli; Guo, Weimeng; Wang, Xiaodeng; Zhang, Dingke; Wang, Shuxia; Chen, Shijian

    2017-05-01

    The design and development of high-efficiency and non-noble-metal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts for future clean and renewable energy system has excited significant research interests over the recent years. In this communication, the polymorphic tungsten diphosphide (p-WP2) nanoparticles with mixed monoclinic (α-) and orthorhombic (β-) phases are synthesized by phase-controlled phosphidation route via vacuum capsulation and explored as a novel efficient electrocatalyst towards HER. The p-WP2 catalyst delivers superior performance with excellent stability under both acidic and alkaline conditions over its single phases of α-WP2 and β-WP2. This finding demonstrates that a highly efficient hybrid electrocatalyst can be achieved via precise composition controlling and may open up exciting opportunities for their practical applications toward energy conversion.

  2. Grid Data and Tools | Grid Modernization | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    technologies and strategies, including renewable resource data sets and models of the electric power system . Renewable Resource Data A library of resource information to inform the design of efficient, integrated

  3. Modularized multilevel and z-source power converter as renewable energy interface for vehicle and grid-connected applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Dong

    Due the energy crisis and increased oil price, renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic panel, wind turbine, or thermoelectric generation module, are used more and more widely for vehicle and grid-connected applications. However, the output of these renewable energy sources varies according to different solar radiation, wind speed, or temperature difference, a power converter interface is required for the vehicle or grid-connected applications. Thermoelectric generation (TEG) module as a renewable energy source for automotive industry is becoming very popular recently. Because of the inherent characteristics of TEG modules, a low input voltage, high input current and high voltage gain dc-dc converters are needed for the automotive load. Traditional high voltage gain dc-dc converters are not suitable for automotive application in terms of size and high temperature operation. Switched-capacitor dc-dc converters have to be used for this application. However, high voltage spike and EMI problems exist in traditional switched-capacitor dc-dc converters. Huge capacitor banks have to be utilized to reduce the voltage ripple and achieve high efficiency. A series of zero current switching (ZCS) or zero voltage switching switched-capacitor dc-dc converters have been proposed to overcome the aforementioned problems of the traditional switched-capacitor dc-dc converters. By using the proposed soft-switching strategy, high voltage spike is reduced, high EMI noise is restricted, and the huge capacitor bank is eliminated. High efficiency, high power density and high temperature switched-capacitor dc-dc converters could be made for the TEG interface in vehicle applications. Several prototypes have been made to validate the proposed circuit and confirm the circuit operation. In order to apply PV panel for grid-connected application, a low cost dc-ac inverter interface is required. From the use of transformer and safety concern, two different solutions can be implemented, non-isolated or isolated PV inverter. For the non-isolated transformer-less solution, a semi-Z-source inverter for single phase photovoltaic systems has been proposed. The proposed semi-Z-source inverter utilizes only two switching devices with doubly grounded feature. The total cost have been reduced, the safety and EMI issues caused by the high frequency ground current are solved. For the transformer isolated solution, a boost half-bridge dc-ac micro-inverter has been proposed. The proposed boost half-bridge dc-dc converter utilizes only two switching devices with zero voltage switching features which is able to reduce the total system cost and power loss.

  4. Polymer solar cells with enhanced open-circuit voltage and efficiency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Hsiang-Yu; Hou, Jianhui; Zhang, Shaoqing; Liang, Yongye; Yang, Guanwen; Yang, Yang; Yu, Luping; Wu, Yue; Li, Gang

    2009-11-01

    Following the development of the bulk heterojunction structure, recent years have seen a dramatic improvement in the efficiency of polymer solar cells. Maximizing the open-circuit voltage in a low-bandgap polymer is one of the critical factors towards enabling high-efficiency solar cells. Study of the relation between open-circuit voltage and the energy levels of the donor/acceptor in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells has stimulated interest in modifying the open-circuit voltage by tuning the energy levels of polymers. Here, we show that the open-circuit voltage of polymer solar cells constructed based on the structure of a low-bandgap polymer, PBDTTT, can be tuned, step by step, using different functional groups, to achieve values as high as 0.76 V. This increased open-circuit voltage combined with a high short-circuit current density results in a polymer solar cell with a power conversion efficiency as high as 6.77%, as certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

  5. Carbon-doped SnS2 nanostructure as a high-efficiency solar fuel catalyst under visible light.

    PubMed

    Shown, Indrajit; Samireddi, Satyanarayana; Chang, Yu-Chung; Putikam, Raghunath; Chang, Po-Han; Sabbah, Amr; Fu, Fang-Yu; Chen, Wei-Fu; Wu, Chih-I; Yu, Tsyr-Yan; Chung, Po-Wen; Lin, M C; Chen, Li-Chyong; Chen, Kuei-Hsien

    2018-01-12

    Photocatalytic formation of hydrocarbons using solar energy via artificial photosynthesis is a highly desirable renewable-energy source for replacing conventional fossil fuels. Using an L-cysteine-based hydrothermal process, here we synthesize a carbon-doped SnS 2 (SnS 2 -C) metal dichalcogenide nanostructure, which exhibits a highly active and selective photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 to hydrocarbons under visible-light. The interstitial carbon doping induced microstrain in the SnS 2 lattice, resulting in different photophysical properties as compared with undoped SnS 2 . This SnS 2 -C photocatalyst significantly enhances the CO 2 reduction activity under visible light, attaining a photochemical quantum efficiency of above 0.7%. The SnS 2 -C photocatalyst represents an important contribution towards high quantum efficiency artificial photosynthesis based on gas phase photocatalytic CO 2 reduction under visible light, where the in situ carbon-doped SnS 2 nanostructure improves the stability and the light harvesting and charge separation efficiency, and significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity.

  6. Interfacial engineering of metal-insulator-semiconductor junctions for efficient and stable photoelectrochemical water oxidation

    PubMed Central

    Digdaya, Ibadillah A.; Adhyaksa, Gede W. P.; Trześniewski, Bartek J.; Garnett, Erik C.; Smith, Wilson A.

    2017-01-01

    Solar-assisted water splitting can potentially provide an efficient route for large-scale renewable energy conversion and storage. It is essential for such a system to provide a sufficiently high photocurrent and photovoltage to drive the water oxidation reaction. Here we demonstrate a photoanode that is capable of achieving a high photovoltage by engineering the interfacial energetics of metal–insulator–semiconductor junctions. We evaluate the importance of using two metals to decouple the functionalities for a Schottky contact and a highly efficient catalyst. We also illustrate the improvement of the photovoltage upon incidental oxidation of the metallic surface layer in KOH solution. Additionally, we analyse the role of the thin insulating layer to the pinning and depinning of Fermi level that is responsible to the resulting photovoltage. Finally, we report the advantage of using dual metal overlayers as a simple protection route for highly efficient metal–insulator–semiconductor photoanodes by showing over 200 h of operational stability. PMID:28660883

  7. Estimating Renewable Energy Economic Potential in the United States. Methodology and Initial Results

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brown, Austin; Beiter, Philipp; Heimiller, Donna

    This report describes a geospatial analysis method to estimate the economic potential of several renewable resources available for electricity generation in the United States. Economic potential, one measure of renewable generation potential, may be defined in several ways. For example, one definition might be expected revenues (based on local market prices) minus generation costs, considered over the expected lifetime of the generation asset. Another definition might be generation costs relative to a benchmark (e.g., a natural gas combined cycle plant) using assumptions of fuel prices, capital cost, and plant efficiency. Economic potential in this report is defined as the subsetmore » of the available resource technical potential where the cost required to generate the electricity (which determines the minimum revenue requirements for development of the resource) is below the revenue available in terms of displaced energy and displaced capacity. The assessment is conducted at a high geospatial resolution (more than 150,000 technology-specific sites in the continental United States) to capture the significant variation in local resource, costs, and revenue potential. This metric can be a useful screening factor for understanding the economic viability of renewable generation technologies at a specific location. In contrast to many common estimates of renewable energy potential, economic potential does not consider market dynamics, customer demand, or most policy drivers that may incent renewable energy generation.« less

  8. A metal-free electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction to multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Jingjie; Ma, Sichao; Sun, Jing; Gold, Jake I.; Tiwary, Chandrasekhar; Kim, Byoungsu; Zhu, Lingyang; Chopra, Nitin; Odeh, Ihab N.; Vajtai, Robert; Yu, Aaron Z.; Luo, Raymond; Lou, Jun; Ding, Guqiao; Kenis, Paul J. A.; Ajayan, Pulickel M.

    2016-12-01

    Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into higher-energy liquid fuels and chemicals is a promising but challenging renewable energy conversion technology. Among the electrocatalysts screened so far for carbon dioxide reduction, which includes metals, alloys, organometallics, layered materials and carbon nanostructures, only copper exhibits selectivity towards formation of hydrocarbons and multi-carbon oxygenates at fairly high efficiencies, whereas most others favour production of carbon monoxide or formate. Here we report that nanometre-size N-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) catalyse the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates at high Faradaic efficiencies, high current densities and low overpotentials. The NGQDs show a high total Faradaic efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction of up to 90%, with selectivity for ethylene and ethanol conversions reaching 45%. The C2 and C3 product distribution and production rate for NGQD-catalysed carbon dioxide reduction is comparable to those obtained with copper nanoparticle-based electrocatalysts.

  9. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bragg-Sitton, Shannon; Boardman, Richard; Ruth, Mark

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognizes the need to transform the energy infrastructure of the U.S. and elsewhere to systems that can drastically reduce environmental impacts in an efficient and economically viable manner while utilizing both hydrocarbon resources and clean energy generation sources. Thus, DOE is supporting research and development that could lead to more efficient utilization of clean energy generation sources, including renewable and nuclear options. A concept being advanced by the DOE Offices of Nuclear Energy (NE) and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is tighter coupling of nuclear and renewable energy sources in a manner thatmore » produces new energy currency for the combined electricity grid, industrial manufacturing, and the transportation energy sectors. This integration concept has been referred to as a “hybrid system” that is capable of providing the right type of energy, at the right time, in the right place. At the direction of DOE-NE and DOE-EERE leadership, project leads at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have identified and engaged stakeholders in discussing integrated energy systems that would optimize renewable and nuclear energy integration on a region-by-region basis. Subsequent work will entail conduct of technical, economic, environmental and socio-political evaluations of the leading integrated system options based on a set of criteria established with stakeholder input. The Foundational Workshop for Integrated Nuclear – Renewable Energy Systems was organized around the following objectives: 1. Identify and refine priority region-specific opportunities for integrated nuclear-renewable energy systems in the U.S.; 2. Select Figures of Merit (FOM) to rank and prioritize candidate systems; 3. Discuss enabling technology development needs; 4. Identify analysis requirements, capabilities and gaps to estimate FOM for integrated system options; 5. Identify experimental needs to develop and demonstrate nuclear-renewable energy systems.« less

  10. Waste-to-Energy: Hawaii and Guam Energy Improvement Technology Demonstration Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Davis, J.; Gelman, R.; Tomberlin, G.

    2014-03-01

    The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the U.S. Navy have worked together to demonstrate new or leading-edge commercial energy technologies whose deployment will support the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in meeting its energy efficiency and renewable energy goals while enhancing installation energy security. This is consistent with the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review report1 that encourages the use of 'military installations as a test bed to demonstrate and create a market for innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies coming out of the private sector and DOD and Department of Energy laboratories,' as well as the July 2010 memorandummore » of understanding between DOD and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that documents the intent to 'maximize DOD access to DOE technical expertise and assistance through cooperation in the deployment and pilot testing of emerging energy technologies.' As part of this joint initiative, a promising waste-to-energy (WTE) technology was selected for demonstration at the Hickam Commissary aboard the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Hawaii. The WTE technology chosen is called high-energy densification waste-to-energy conversion (HEDWEC). HEDWEC technology is the result of significant U.S. Army investment in the development of WTE technology for forward operating bases.« less

  11. Typical and Individual Doctoral Processes and Lifecourses: The Types of Narratives of The Project Manager, The Survivor and The Seeker

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maunula, Minna

    2015-01-01

    One task of the doctoral education is, globally as well as nationally, to produce and renew the highest expertise and knowledge in a high quality and efficient way. Even though in this global time the high-quality knowledge and skills are a competition factor which the success of the societies is expected to be able to lean on, also the doctoral…

  12. The sustainability and efficient use of renewable energy sources in rural areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adetunji, Kayode E.; Akinlabi, Akindeji O.; Joseph, Meera K.

    2018-04-01

    The energy system in African countries is mostly dependent on coal, gas, and oil, which in turns leads to environmental challenges and an imbalance of energy usage in some area of the countries. Given that, a mostly rural area in Africa suffers from the unsustainable energy system, thus it necessary to integrate renewable energy into the rural area for social and economic development. A sustainable energy system built on a clean energy such as renewable energy based on the availability of the natural resource is the main focus of this paper. Renewable energy is a solution for service delivery and when deployed everyone would be able to access electricity power, particularly in the remote area (which can be a suburb or rural environment) where the absence of national power grids. Renewable energy opens new opportunities for an economic development and sustainable solution to employ for energy efficiency, energy delivery, and energy management by the people and upon that a platform to promote environmental friendliness. In this paper, we explored the reasons for switching to renewable energy, saving energy and the awareness of potential and use of renewable energy in the rural area. IBM's SPSS is used for the quantitative data analysis. The results showed that sustainability of the National utility grid to the rural area is low, with over 80 percent of participants agreeing to disruption of power supply. The Positivity of the rural peoples' awareness of renewable also brought about the conclusion and recommendations from this paper.

  13. The effectiveness of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and renewable power in support of holistic environmental goals: Part 2 - Design and operation implications for load-balancing resources on the electric grid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tarroja, Brian; Eichman, Joshua D.; Zhang, Li; Brown, Tim M.; Samuelsen, Scott

    2015-03-01

    A study has been performed that analyzes the effectiveness of utilizing plug-in vehicles to meet holistic environmental goals across the combined electricity and transportation sectors. In this study, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) penetration levels are varied from 0 to 60% and base renewable penetration levels are varied from 10 to 63%. The first part focused on the effect of installing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the environmental performance of the combined electricity and transportation sectors. The second part addresses impacts on the design and operation of load-balancing resources on the electric grid associated with fleet capacity factor, peaking and load-following generator capacity, efficiency, ramp rates, start-up events and the levelized cost of electricity. PHEVs using smart charging are found to counteract many of the disruptive impacts of intermittent renewable power on balancing generators for a wide range of renewable penetration levels, only becoming limited at high renewable penetration levels due to lack of flexibility and finite load size. This study highlights synergy between sustainability measures in the electric and transportation sectors and the importance of communicative dispatch of these vehicles.

  14. Stockbridge Munsee Community Health and Wellness Center and the Mohican Family Center Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    DeRocher, Andy; Barrnett, Michael

    2014-03-14

    The results of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study of Stockbridge Munsee Community’s Health and Wellness Center (HWC) indicate that a variety of renewable energy options and energy conservation measures (ECMs) exist for the facility. A requirement of the Request for Proposal for this study was to assess renewable energy options that could offset 30 to 100 percent of the HWC’s energy use. This study identifies that a geothermal system is the most cost effective renewable energy option available to decrease the HWC’s energy consumption by 30 to 100 percent. Currently the HWC performs in the lowest 8more » percent of buildings in its building category, as scored in the EPA portfolio manager benchmarking tool. Multiple ECM opportunities have been identified with paybacks of less than five years to yield an estimated 25-percent decrease in annual energyconsumption. The ECMs within this payback period are estimated to save $26,800 per year with an implementation cost of just $4,650 (0.2 year payback). For the Mohican Family Center document: The results of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study of Stockbridge Munsee Community’s Mohican Family Center (MFC) indicate that a variety of renewable energy options and energy conservation measures (ECMs) exist for the facility. A requirement of the Request for Proposal for this study was to assess renewable energy options that could offset 30 to 100 percent of the MFC’s energy use. This study identifies that a geothermal system is the most cost effective renewable energy option available to decrease the MFC’s energy consumption by 30 to 100 percent. Currently the MFC performs better than 80 percent of buildings in its building category, as scored in the EPA portfolio manager benchmarking tool. Multiple ECM opportunities have been identified with short term paybacks to yield an estimated 13-percent decrease in energy consumption. The ECMs within this payback period are estimated to save $3,100 per year with an implementation cost of under $20,000.« less

  15. Re-Building Greensburg

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hewitt, Steven; Wallach, Daniel; Peterson, Stephanie

    2010-01-01

    Greensburg, KS - A town that was devastated by a tornado in 2007, yet came back to be one of the Nation's most energy-efficient, sustainable communities. Civic leaders and entrepreneurs helped rally residents behind the idea of "greening" Greensburg, inspiring the construction of numerous energy-efficient buildings, some of which generate their own renewable power with solar panels and wind turbines. Many of the town's government buildings use cutting edge energy-saving technologies, saving the local taxpayers' money. Greensburg has demonstrated to the world that any city can reach its energy efficiency and renewable energy goals today using widely available technologies.

  16. Re-Building Greensburg

    ScienceCinema

    Hewitt, Steven; Wallach, Daniel; Peterson, Stephanie

    2017-12-09

    Greensburg, KS - A town that was devastated by a tornado in 2007, yet came back to be one of the Nation's most energy-efficient, sustainable communities. Civic leaders and entrepreneurs helped rally residents behind the idea of "greening" Greensburg, inspiring the construction of numerous energy-efficient buildings, some of which generate their own renewable power with solar panels and wind turbines. Many of the town's government buildings use cutting edge energy-saving technologies, saving the local taxpayers' money. Greensburg has demonstrated to the world that any city can reach its energy efficiency and renewable energy goals today using widely available technologies.

  17. A Speculative Approach to Design A Hybrid System for Green Energy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Dinesh; Sharma, Purnima K.; Naidu, Praveen V.

    2017-08-01

    Now a day’s demand of energy is increasing all over the world. Because of this demand the fossils fuels are reducing day by day to meet the requirements of energy in daily life of human beings. It is necessary to balance the situation for the increasing energy demand by taking an optimistic overview about the natural renewable energy sources like sun, gust, hydro etc.,. These energy sources only can balance the situation of unbalancing between fossil fuels and increasing energy demand. Renewable energy systems are suitable for off grid services in power generation, to provide services to remote areas to build complex grid infrastructures. India has the abundant source of solar and wind energy. Individually these energy sources have some own advantages and disadvantages; to overcome the disadvantages of individual energy sources we can combine all these sources to make an efficient renewable source nothing but hybrid renewable energy source. In this paper we proposed a hybrid model which is a combination of four renewable energy sources solar, wind, RF signal and living plants to increase the energy efficiency.

  18. GLIDES – Efficient Energy Storage from ORNL

    ScienceCinema

    Momen, Ayyoub M.; Abu-Heiba, Ahmad; Odukomaiya, Wale; Akinina, Alla

    2018-06-25

    The research shown in this video features the GLIDES (Ground-Level Integrated Diverse Energy Storage) project, which has been under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 2013. GLIDES can store energy via combined inputs of electricity and heat, and deliver dispatchable electricity. Supported by ORNL’s Laboratory Director’s Research and Development (LDRD) fund, this energy storage system is low-cost, and hybridizes compressed air and pumped-hydro approaches to allow for storage of intermittent renewable energy at high efficiency. A U.S. patent application for this novel energy storage concept has been submitted, and research findings suggest it has the potential to be a flexible, low-cost, scalable, high-efficiency option for energy storage, especially useful in residential and commercial buildings.

  19. GLIDES – Efficient Energy Storage from ORNL

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Momen, Ayyoub M.; Abu-Heiba, Ahmad; Odukomaiya, Wale

    2016-03-01

    The research shown in this video features the GLIDES (Ground-Level Integrated Diverse Energy Storage) project, which has been under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 2013. GLIDES can store energy via combined inputs of electricity and heat, and deliver dispatchable electricity. Supported by ORNL’s Laboratory Director’s Research and Development (LDRD) fund, this energy storage system is low-cost, and hybridizes compressed air and pumped-hydro approaches to allow for storage of intermittent renewable energy at high efficiency. A U.S. patent application for this novel energy storage concept has been submitted, and research findings suggest it has the potential to bemore » a flexible, low-cost, scalable, high-efficiency option for energy storage, especially useful in residential and commercial buildings.« less

  20. sCO2 Power Cycles Summit Summary November 2017.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mendez Cruz, Carmen Margarita; Rochau, Gary E.; Lance, Blake

    Over the past ten years, the Department of Energy (DOE) has helped to develop components and technologies for the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) power cycle capable of efficient operation at high temperatures and high efficiency. The DOE Offices of Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy collaborated in the planning and execution of the sCO2 Power Cycle Summit conducted in Albuquerque, NM in November 2017. The summit brought together participants from government, national laboratories, research, and industry to engage in discussions regarding the future of sCO 2 Power Cycles Technology. This report summarizes the work involved inmore » summit planning and execution, before, during, and after the event, including the coordination between three DOE offices and technical content presented at the event.« less

  1. High-Performance Schools: Affordable Green Design for K-12 Schools; Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Plympton, P.; Brown, J.; Stevens, K.

    2004-08-01

    Schools in the United States spend $7.8 billion on energy each year-more than the cost of computers and textbooks combined, according to a 2003 report from the National Center for Education Statistics. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that these high utility bills could be reduced as much as 25% if schools adopt readily available high performance design principles and technologies. Accordingly, hundreds of K-12 schools across the country have made a commitment to improve the learning and teaching environment of schools while saving money and energy and protecting the environment. DOE and its public- and private-sector partners havemore » developed Energy Design Guidelines for High Performance Schools, customized for nine climate zones in U.S. states and territories. These design guidelines provide information for school decision makers and design professionals on the advantages of energy efficiency and renewable energy designs and technologies. With such features as natural day lighting, efficient electric lights, water conservation, and renewable energy, schools in all types of climates are proving that school buildings, and the students and teachers who occupy them, are indeed high performers. This paper describes high performance schools from each of the nine climate zones associated with the Energy Design Guidelines. The nine case studies focus on the high performance design strategies implemented in each school, as well as the cost savings and benefits realized by students, faculty, the community, and the environment.« less

  2. Formulation strategies for optimizing the morphology of polymeric bulk heterojunction organic solar cells: a brief review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vongsaysy, Uyxing; Bassani, Dario M.; Servant, Laurent; Pavageau, Bertrand; Wantz, Guillaume; Aziz, Hany

    2014-01-01

    Polymeric bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells represent one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy with a low fabrication cost. Control over BHJ morphology is one of the key factors in obtaining high-efficiency devices. This review focuses on formulation strategies for optimizing the BHJ morphology. We address how solvent choice and the introduction of processing additives affect the morphology. We also review a number of recent studies concerning prediction methods that utilize the Hansen solubility parameters to develop efficient solvent systems.

  3. Data centers as dispatchable loads to harness stranded power

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kim, Kibaek; Yang, Fan; Zavala, Victor M.

    Here, we analyze how traditional data center placement and optimal placement of dispatchable data centers affect power grid efficiency. We use detailed network models, stochastic optimization formulations, and diverse renewable generation scenarios to perform our analysis. Our results reveal that significant spillage and stranded power will persist in power grids as wind power levels are increased. A counter-intuitive finding is that collocating data centers with inflexible loads next to wind farms has limited impacts on renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goals because it provides limited system-level flexibility. Such an approach can, in fact, increase stranded power and fossil-fueled generation. In contrast,more » optimally placing data centers that are dispatchable provides system-wide flexibility, reduces stranded power, and improves efficiency. In short, optimally placed dispatchable computing loads can enable better scaling to high RPS. In our case study, we find that these dispatchable computing loads are powered to 60-80% of their requested capacity, indicating that there are significant economic incentives provided by stranded power.« less

  4. Data centers as dispatchable loads to harness stranded power

    DOE PAGES

    Kim, Kibaek; Yang, Fan; Zavala, Victor M.; ...

    2016-07-20

    Here, we analyze how traditional data center placement and optimal placement of dispatchable data centers affect power grid efficiency. We use detailed network models, stochastic optimization formulations, and diverse renewable generation scenarios to perform our analysis. Our results reveal that significant spillage and stranded power will persist in power grids as wind power levels are increased. A counter-intuitive finding is that collocating data centers with inflexible loads next to wind farms has limited impacts on renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goals because it provides limited system-level flexibility. Such an approach can, in fact, increase stranded power and fossil-fueled generation. In contrast,more » optimally placing data centers that are dispatchable provides system-wide flexibility, reduces stranded power, and improves efficiency. In short, optimally placed dispatchable computing loads can enable better scaling to high RPS. In our case study, we find that these dispatchable computing loads are powered to 60-80% of their requested capacity, indicating that there are significant economic incentives provided by stranded power.« less

  5. Push-pull with recovery stage high-voltage DC converter for PV solar generator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, The Vinh; Aillerie, Michel; Petit, Pierre; Pham, Hong Thang; Vo, Thành Vinh

    2017-02-01

    A lot of systems are basically developed on DC-DC or DC-AC converters including electronic switches such as MOS or bipolar transistors. The limits of efficiency are quickly reached when high output voltages and high input currents are needed. This work presents a new high-efficiency-high-step-up based on push-pull DC-DC converter integrating recovery stages dedicated to smart HVDC distributed architecture in PV solar energy production systems. Appropriate duty cycle ratio assumes that the recovery stage work with parallel charge and discharge to achieve high step-up voltage gain. Besides, the voltage stress on the main switch is reduced with a passive clamp circuit and thus, low on-state resistance Rdson of the main switch can be adopted to reduce conduction losses. Thus, the efficiency of a basic DC-HVDC converter dedicated to renewable energy production can be further improved with such topology. A prototype converter is developed, and experimentally tested for validation.

  6. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    Achieving aggressive energy efficiency targets requires tight coordination and clear communication among owners, designers, builders, and subcontractors. For this townhome project, MassDevelopment, the quasi-governmental agency owner, selected Metric Development of Boston, teaming with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) and Cambridge Seven Architects, to build very high performing market-rate homes. Fort Devens is part of a decommissioned army base in working-class Harvard, Massachusetts, approximately one hour northwest of Boston. The team proposed 12 net zero energy-ready townhomes, meaning that the application of renewable energy systems would result in annual net zero energy use inmore » the homes. The homes were also designed to achieve a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index Score of 41 before adding renewables. For this project, CARB drew on its experience working with Rural Development Inc. on a series of affordable townhomes in northern Massachusetts. The team carefully planned the site to maximize solar access, daylighting, and efficient building forms. The basic strategy was to design a very efficient thermal enclosure while minimizing incremental cost increases compared with standard construction. Using BEopt modeling software, the team established the requirements of the enclosure and investigated multiple assembly options. They settled on double-wall construction with dense-pack cellulose fill. High performance vinyl windows (U-0.24, solar heat gain coefficient [SHGC]-0.22), a vented R-59 attic, and exceptional air sealing completed the package.« less

  7. Power-to-Syngas: An Enabling Technology for the Transition of the Energy System?

    PubMed

    Foit, Severin R; Vinke, Izaak C; de Haart, Lambertus G J; Eichel, Rüdiger-A

    2017-05-08

    Power-to-X concepts promise a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions simultaneously guaranteeing a safe energy supply even at high share of renewable power generation, thus becoming a cornerstone of a sustainable energy system. Power-to-syngas, that is, the electrochemical conversion of steam and carbon dioxide with the use of renewably generated electricity to syngas for the production of synfuels and high-value chemicals, offers an efficient technology to couple different energy-intense sectors, such as "traffic and transportation" and "chemical industry". Syngas produced by co-electrolysis can thus be regarded as a key-enabling step for a transition of the energy system, which offers additionally features of CO 2 -valorization and closed carbon cycles. Here, we discuss advantages and current limitations of low- and high-temperature co-electrolysis. Advances in both fundamental understanding of the basic reaction schemes and stable high-performance materials are essential to further promote co-electrolysis. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. The importance of geospatial data to calculate the optimal distribution of renewable energies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Díaz, Paula; Masó, Joan

    2013-04-01

    Specially during last three years, the renewable energies are revolutionizing the international trade while they are geographically diversifying markets. Renewables are experiencing a rapid growth in power generation. According to REN21 (2012), during last six years, the total renewables capacity installed grew at record rates. In 2011, the EU raised its share of global new renewables capacity till 44%. The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) accounted for about 26% of the total global. Moreover, almost twenty countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa have currently active markets in renewables. The energy return ratios are commonly used to calculate the efficiency of the traditional energy sources. The Energy Return On Investment (EROI) compares the energy returned for a certain source and the energy used to get it (explore, find, develop, produce, extract, transform, harvest, grow, process, etc.). These energy return ratios have demonstrated a general decrease of efficiency of the fossil fuels and gas. When considering the limitations of the quantity of energy produced by some sources, the energy invested to obtain them and the difficulties of finding optimal locations for the establishment of renewables farms (e.g. due to an ever increasing scarce of appropriate land) the EROI becomes relevant in renewables. A spatialized EROI, which uses variables with spatial distribution, enables the optimal position in terms of both energy production and associated costs. It is important to note that the spatialized EROI can be mathematically formalized and calculated the same way for different locations in a reproducible way. This means that having established a concrete EROI methodology it is possible to generate a continuous map that will highlight the best productive zones for renewable energies in terms of maximum energy return at minimum cost. Relevant variables to calculate the real energy invested are the grid connections between production and consumption, transportation loses and efficiency of the grid. If appropriate, the spatialized EROI analysis could include any indirect costs that the source of energy might produce, such as visual impacts, food market impacts and land price. Such a spatialized study requires GIS tools to compute operations using both spatial relations like distances and frictions, and topological relations like connectivity, not easy to consider in the way that EROI is currently calculated. In a broader perspective, by applying the EROI to various energy sources, a comparative analysis of the efficiency to obtain different source can be done in a quantitative way. The increase in energy investment is also accompanied by the increase of manufactures and policies. Further efforts will be necessary in the coming years to provide energy access through smart grids and to determine the efficient areas in terms of cost of production and energy returned on investment. The authors present the EROI as a reliable solution to address the input and output energy relationship and increase the efficiency in energy investment considering the appropriate geospatial variables. The spatialized EROI can be a useful tool to consider by decision makers when designing energy policies and programming energy funds, because it is an objective demonstration of which energy sources are more convenient in terms of costs and efficiency.

  9. Small gas-turbine units for the power industry: Ways for improving the efficiency and the scale of implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kosoi, A. S.; Popel', O. S.; Beschastnykh, V. N.; Zeigarnik, Yu. A.; Sinkevich, M. V.

    2017-10-01

    Small power units (<1 MW) see increasing application due to enhanced growth of the distributed power generation and smart power supply systems. They are usually used for feeding facilities whose connection to centralized networks involves certain problems of engineering or economical nature. Small power generation is based on a wide range of processes and primary sources, including renewable and local ones, such as nonconventional hydrocarbon fuel comprising associated gas, biogas, coalmine methane, etc. Characteristics of small gas-turbine units (GTU) that are most widely available on the world market are reviewed. The most promising lines for the development of the new generation of small GTUs are examined. Special emphasis is placed on the three lines selected for improving the efficiency of small GTUs: increasing the fuel efficiency, cutting down the maintenance cost, and integration with local or renewable power sources. It is demonstrated that, as to the specific fuel consumption, small GTUs of the new generation can have an efficiency 20-25% higher than those of the previous generation, require no maintenance between overhauls, and can be capable of efficient integration into intelligent electrical networks with power facilities operating on renewable or local power sources.

  10. Plasmonic Paper as a Highly Efficient SERS Substrate

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    trinitrotoluene (TNT), which inherently have low vapor pressure (~10 ppbv at room temperature), intentional packaging further lowers the actual vapor...responders and military personal but also to several areas of medical, food analysis, and environmental research. We and others have introduced a...products because its source (cellulose) is abundant in nature, renewable, inexpensively produced and recycled.31 Paper is also biodegradable

  11. Accelerating the deployment of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in South Africa

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shickman, Kurt

    Purpose of the project was to accelerate the deployment of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies in South Africa. Activities were undertaken to reduce barriers to deployment by improving product awareness for the South African market; market and policy intelligence for U.S. manufacturers; product/service availability; local technical capacity at the workforce, policymaker and expert levels; and ease of conducting business for these technologies/services in the South African market.

  12. Marginal abatement cost curve for nitrogen oxides incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching.

    PubMed

    Loughlin, Daniel H; Macpherson, Alexander J; Kaufman, Katherine R; Keaveny, Brian N

    2017-10-01

    A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs are typically developed by sorting control technologies by their relative cost-effectiveness. Other potentially important abatement measures such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) are often not incorporated into MACCs, as it is difficult to quantify their costs and abatement potential. In this paper, a U.S. energy system model is used to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NO x ) that incorporates both traditional controls and these additional measures. The MACC is decomposed by sector, and the relative cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS and traditional controls are compared. RE/EE/FS are shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone. Furthermore, a portion of RE/EE/FS appear to be cost-competitive with traditional controls. Renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching can be cost-competitive with traditional air pollutant controls for abating air pollutant emissions. The application of renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching is also shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone.

  13. Introducing natural thermoplastic shellac to microfluidics: A green fabrication method for point-of-care devices

    PubMed Central

    Lausecker, R.; Badilita, V.; Wallrabe, U.

    2016-01-01

    We present a sustainable fabrication method for cheap point-of-care microfluidic systems, employing hot embossing of natural shellac as a key feature of an energy-efficient fabrication method that exclusively uses renewable materials as consumables. Shellac is a low-cost renewable biomaterial that features medium hydrophilicity (e.g., a water contact angle of ca. 73°) and a high chemical stability with respect to common solvents such as cyclohexane or toluene, rendering it an interesting candidate for low-cost microfluidics and a competitor to well-known systems such as paper-based or polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidics. Moreover, its high replication accuracy for small features down to 30 μm lateral feature size and its ability to form smooth surfaces (surface roughness Ra = 29 nm) at low embossing temperatures (glass transition temperature Tg = 42.2 °C) enable energy-efficient hot embossing of microfluidic structures. Proof-of-concept for the implementation of shellac hot embossing as a green fabrication method for microfluidic systems is demonstrated through the successful fabrication of a microfluidic test setup and the assessment of its resource consumption. PMID:27478525

  14. An effective and recyclable adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous system: Magnetic chitosan/cellulose microspheres.

    PubMed

    Luo, Xiaogang; Zeng, Jian; Liu, Shilin; Zhang, Lina

    2015-10-01

    Development of highly cost-effective, highly operation-convenient and highly efficient natural polymer-based adsorbents for their biodegradability and biocompatibility, and supply of safe drinking water are the most threatening problems in water treatment field. To tackle the challenges, a new kind of efficient recyclable magnetic chitosan/cellulose hybrid microspheres was prepared by sol-gel method. By embedding magnetic γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in chitosan/cellulose matrix drops in NaOH/urea aqueous solution, it combined renewability and biocompatibility of chitosan and cellulose as well as magnetic properties of γ-Fe2O3 to create a hybrid system in heavy metal ions removal. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Surface Immobilization of Transition Metal Ions on Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Realizing High-Efficient and Selective CO2 Reduction.

    PubMed

    Bi, Wentuan; Li, Xiaogang; You, Rui; Chen, Minglong; Yuan, Ruilin; Huang, Weixin; Wu, Xiaojun; Chu, Wangsheng; Wu, Changzheng; Xie, Yi

    2018-05-01

    Electrochemical conversion of CO 2 to value-added chemicals using renewable electricity provides a promising way to mitigate both global warming and the energy crisis. Here, a facile ion-adsorption strategy is reported to construct highly active graphene-based catalysts for CO 2 reduction to CO. The isolated transition metal cyclam-like moieties formed upon ion adsorption are found to contribute to the observed improvements. Free from the conventional harsh pyrolysis and acid-leaching procedures, this solution-chemistry strategy is easy to scale up and of general applicability, thus paving a rational avenue for the design of high-efficiency catalysts for CO 2 reduction and beyond. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. A Co3O4-CDots-C3N4 three component electrocatalyst design concept for efficient and tunable CO2 reduction to syngas.

    PubMed

    Guo, Sijie; Zhao, Siqi; Wu, Xiuqin; Li, Hao; Zhou, Yunjie; Zhu, Cheng; Yang, Nianjun; Jiang, Xin; Gao, Jin; Bai, Liang; Liu, Yang; Lifshitz, Yeshayahu; Lee, Shuit-Tong; Kang, Zhenhui

    2017-11-28

    Syngas, a CO and H 2 mixture mostly generated from non-renewable fossil fuels, is an essential feedstock for production of liquid fuels. Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 and H + /H 2 O is an alternative renewable route to produce syngas. Here we introduce the concept of coupling a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst with a CDots/C 3 N 4 composite (a CO 2 reduction catalyst) to achieve a cheap, stable, selective and efficient route for tunable syngas production. Co 3 O 4 , MoS 2 , Au and Pt serve as the HER component. The Co 3 O 4 -CDots-C 3 N 4 electrocatalyst is found to be the most efficient among the combinations studied. The H 2 /CO ratio of the produced syngas is tunable from 0.07:1 to 4:1 by controlling the potential. This catalyst is highly stable for syngas generation (over 100 h) with no other products besides CO and H 2 . Insight into the mechanisms balancing between CO 2 reduction and H 2 evolution when applying the HER-CDots-C 3 N 4 catalyst concept is provided.

  17. A new case for promoting wastewater reuse in Saudi Arabia: bringing energy into the water equation.

    PubMed

    Kajenthira, Arani; Siddiqi, Afreen; Anadon, Laura Diaz

    2012-07-15

    Saudi Arabia is the third-largest per capita water user worldwide and has addressed the disparity between its renewable water resources and domestic demand primarily through desalination and the abstraction of non-renewable groundwater. This study evaluates the potential costs of this approach in the industrial and municipal sectors, exploring economic, energy, and environmental costs (including CO2 emissions and possible coastal impacts). Although the energy intensity of desalination is a global concern, it is particularly urgent to rethink water supply options in Saudi Arabia because the entirety of its natural gas production is consumed domestically, primarily in petrochemical and desalination plants. This burgeoning demand is necessitating the development of more expensive high-sulfur gas resources that could make desalination even pricier. The evolving necessity to conserve non-renewable water and energy resources and mitigate GHG emissions in the region also requires policy makers to weigh in much more considerably the energy and environmental costs of desalination. This paper suggests that in Saudi Arabia, the implementation of increased water conservation and reuse across the oil and natural gas sectors could conserve up to 29% of total industrial water withdrawals at costs recovered over 0-30 years, depending on the specific improvement. This work also indicates that increasing wastewater treatment and reuse in six high-altitude inland cities could save a further $225 million (2009 dollars) and conserve 2% of Saudi Arabia's annual electricity consumption. By these estimates, some anticipated investments in desalination projects could be deferred by improving water efficiency in industry and prioritizing investment in sewage and water distribution networks that would ensure more effective water reclamation and reuse. Simultaneously, such initiatives would conserve non-renewable natural gas resources and could help prevent the lock-in of potentially unnecessary desalination infrastructure that is likely to become more energy and cost efficient in future. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. High Selectivity Toward C2H4 Production over Cu Particles Supported by Butterfly-Wing-Derived Carbon Frameworks.

    PubMed

    Huo, Yajiao; Peng, Xianyun; Liu, Xijun; Li, Huaiyu; Luo, Jun

    2018-04-18

    Converting carbon dioxide to useful C2 chemicals in a selective and efficient manner remains a major challenge in renewable and sustainable energy research. Herein, we adopt butterfly wings to assist the preparation of an electrocatalyst containing monodispersed Cu particles supported by nitrogen-doped carbon frameworks for an efficient reduction of CO 2 . Benefiting from structure advantages and the synergistic effect between nitrogen dopants and stepped surface-rich Cu particles, the resulting catalyst exhibited a high faradic efficiency of 63.7 ± 1.4% for ethylene production (corresponding to an ethylene/methane products' ratio of 57.9 ± 5.4) and an excellent durability (∼100% retention after 24 h). This work presents some guidelines for the rational design and accurate modulation of metal heterocatalysts for high selectivity toward ethylene from CO 2 electroreduction.

  19. Highly efficient conversion of terpenoid biomass to jet-fuel range cycloalkanes in a biphasic tandem catalytic process

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yang, Xiaokun; Li, Teng; Tang, Kan

    2017-06-12

    The demand for bio-jet fuels to reduce carbon emissions is increasing substantially in the aviation sector, while the scarcity of high-density jet fuel components limits the use of bio-jet fuels in high-performance aircrafts compared with conventional jet fuels. In this paper, we report a novel biphasic tandem catalytic process (biTCP) for synthesizing cycloalkanes from renewable terpenoid biomass, such as 1,8-cineole. Multistep tandem reactions, including C–O ring opening by hydrolysis, dehydration, and hydrogenation, were carried out in the “one-pot” biTCP. 1,8-Cineole was efficiently converted to p-menthane at high yields (>99%) in the biTCP under mild reaction conditions. Finally, the catalytic reactionmore » mechanism is discussed.« less

  20. High-Performance Energy-Efficient Cool Metal Roof Assemblies Utilizing Building Integrated Renewable Solar Energy Technologies for New and Retrofit Building Construction

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-01

    technology described in this proposal was first commercialized in 2004. It has been installed in 35 states and 5 countries primarily on residential ...temperatures. o Rainwater harvesting systems help reduce demands on potable water systems and help crowded cities manage stormwater drainage problems...of high density polyisocyanurate rigid insulation board installed over the existing roof and between the sub-purlins with the top layer taped to

  1. Weather Driven Renewable Energy Analysis, Modeling New Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paine, J.; Clack, C.; Picciano, P.; Terry, L.

    2015-12-01

    Carbon emission reduction is essential to hampering anthropogenic climate change. While there are several methods to broach carbon reductions, the National Energy with Weather System (NEWS) model focuses on limiting electrical generation emissions by way of a national high-voltage direct-current transmission that takes advantage of the strengths of different regions in terms of variable sources of energy. Specifically, we focus upon modeling concentrating solar power (CSP) as another source to contribute to the electric grid. Power tower solar fields are optimized taking into account high spatial and temporal resolution, 13km and hourly, numerical weather prediction model data gathered by NOAA from the years of 2006-2008. Importantly, the optimization of these CSP power plants takes into consideration factors that decrease the optical efficiency of the heliostats reflecting solar irradiance. For example, cosine efficiency, atmospheric attenuation, and shadowing are shown here; however, it should be noted that they are not the only limiting factors. While solar photovoltaic plants can be combined for similar efficiency to the power tower and currently at a lower cost, they do not have a cost-effective capability to provide electricity when there are interruptions in solar irradiance. Power towers rely on a heat transfer fluid, which can be used for thermal storage changing the cost efficiency of this energy source. Thermal storage increases the electric stability that many other renewable energy sources lack, and thus, the ability to choose between direct electric conversion and thermal storage is discussed. The figure shown is a test model of a CSP plant made up of heliostats. The colors show the optical efficiency of each heliostat at a single time of the day.

  2. Posidonia oceanica as a Renewable Lignocellulosic Biomass for the Synthesis of Cellulose Acetate and Glycidyl Methacrylate Grafted Cellulose

    PubMed Central

    Coletti, Alessia; Valerio, Antonio; Vismara, Elena

    2013-01-01

    High-grade cellulose (97% α-cellulose content) of 48% crystallinity index was extracted from the renewable marine biomass waste Posidonia oceanica using H2O2 and organic peracids following an environmentally friendly and chlorine-free process. This cellulose appeared as a new high-grade cellulose of waste origin quite similar to the high-grade cellulose extracted from more noble starting materials like wood and cotton linters. The benefits of α-cellulose recovery from P. oceanica were enhanced by its transformation into cellulose acetate CA and cellulose derivative GMA-C. Fully acetylated CA was prepared by conventional acetylation method and easily transformed into a transparent film. GMA-C with a molar substitution (MS) of 0.72 was produced by quenching Fenton’s reagent (H2O2/FeSO4) generated cellulose radicals with GMA. GMA grafting endowed high-grade cellulose from Posidonia with adsorption capability. GMA-C removes β-naphthol from water with an efficiency of 47%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. After hydrolysis of the glycidyl group to glycerol group, the modified GMA-C was able to remove p-nitrophenol from water with an efficiency of 92%, as measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. α-cellulose and GMA-Cs from Posidonia waste can be considered as new materials of potential industrial and environmental interest. PMID:28809259

  3. Improving Catalyst Efficiency in Bio-Based Hydrocarbon Fuels; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    This article investigates upgrading biomass pyrolysis vapors to form hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals using catalysts with different concentrations of acid sites. It shows that greater separation of acid sites makes catalysts more efficient at producing hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. The conversion of biomass into liquid transportation fuels has attracted significant attention because of depleting fossil fuel reserves and environmental concerns resulting from the use of fossil fuels. Biomass is a renewable resource, which is abundant worldwide and can potentially be exploited to produce transportation fuels that are less damaging to the environment. This renewable resource consists of cellulose (40–50%), hemicellulosemore » (25–35%), and lignin (16–33%) biopolymers in addition to smaller quantities of inorganic materials such as silica and alkali and alkaline earth metals (calcium and potassium). Fast pyrolysis is an attractive thermochemical technology for converting biomass into precursors for hydrocarbon fuels because it produces up to 75 wt% bio-oil,1 which can be upgraded to feedstocks and/or blendstocks for further refining to finished fuels. Bio-oil that has not been upgraded has limited applications because of the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups, derived from cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which gives rise to high acidity, high viscosity, low heating value, immiscibility with hydrocarbons and aging during storage. Ex situ catalytic vapor phase upgrading is a promising approach for improving the properties of bio-oil. The goal of this process is to reject oxygen and produce a bio-oil with improved properties for subsequent downstream conversion to hydrocarbons.« less

  4. Renewable energy from biomass: a sustainable option? - Hydrogen production from alcohols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balla, Zoltán; Kith, Károly; Tamás, András; Nagy, Orsolya

    2015-04-01

    Sustainable development requires us to find new energy sources instead of fossil fuels. One possibility is the hydrogen fuel cell, which uses significantly more efficient than the current combustion engines. The task of the hydrogen is clean, carbon-free renewable energy sources to choose in the future by growing degree. Hungary can play a role in the renewable energy sources of biomass as a renewable biomass annually mass of about 350 to 360 million tons. The biomass is only a very small proportion of fossil turn carbonaceous materials substitution, while we may utilize alternative energy sources as well. To the hydrogen production from biomass, the first step of the chemical transformations of chemical bonds are broken, which is always activation energy investment needs. The methanol and ethanol by fermentation from different agricultural products is relatively easy to produce, so these can be regarded as renewable energy carriers of. The ethanol can be used directly, and used in several places in the world are mixed with the petrol additive. This method is the disadvantage that the anhydrous alcohol is to be used in the combustion process in the engine more undesired by-products may be formed, and the fuel efficiency of the engine is significantly lower than the efficiency of the fuel cells. More useful to produce hydrogen from the alcohol and is used in a fuel cell electric power generation. Particularly attractive option for the so-called on-board reforming of alcohols, that happens immediately when the vehicle hydrogen production. It does not need a large tank of hydrogen, because the hydrogen produced would be directly to the fuel cell. The H2 tank limit use of its high cost, the significant loss evaporation, the rare-station network, production capacity and service background and lack of opportunity to refuel problems. These can be overcome, if the hydrogen in the vehicle is prepared. As volume even 700 bar only about half the H2 pressure gas can be stored in the case, than the same volume of ethanol-water mixture can be prepared. The renewal of alcohol, the alcohol-water mixture is then passed through the catalytic reformer into a preheater. The exhaust gas contains a relatively large number of carbon monoxide, which would spoil the fuel cell, so the carbon monoxide concentration to a high and a low temperature water-gas reaction is reduced. This increases the hydrogen production. The last step of the carbon monoxide content to eliminate preferential oxidation. The alcohol reforming catalyst for the precious metals spread most of what arose from high activity and stability. However, the precious metals are very expensive, so a non-precious metal catalysts is the design and development of objective activity and stability which reaches the precious metal catalysts of. Using the new reaction catalysts opportunities are created, which are smaller than the activation energy than the non-catalytic process. The basic objective of the technological developments more active at lower temperatures, the selective target product, long-life, low cost design catalysts.

  5. 77 FR 25155 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB... teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB... Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585. Phone number is (202) 287-1644...

  6. 77 FR 54573 - State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy State Energy Advisory Board... open teleconference. SUMMARY: This notice announces a teleconference call of the State Energy Advisory... Renewable Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585. Phone number: (202) 287-1644...

  7. 7 CFR 4280.139 - Credit quality.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency... commercially available renewable energy systems with significant support infrastructure may be considered for... loans over $600,000, borrowers shall demonstrate evidence of cash equity injection in the project of not...

  8. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Salasovich, James; LoVullo, David; Kandt, Alicen

    This report summarizes results from the energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy site assessment of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center and site in Juneau, Alaska. The assessment is an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Level 2 audit and meets Energy Independence and Security Act requirements. A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory conducted the assessment with U.S. Forest Service personnel August 19-20, 2015, as part of ongoing efforts by USFS to reduce energy and water use.

  9. A Methodology for the Estimation of the Wind Generator Economic Efficiency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaleskis, G.

    2017-12-01

    Integration of renewable energy sources and the improvement of the technological base may not only reduce the consumption of fossil fuel and environmental load, but also ensure the power supply in regions with difficult fuel delivery or power failures. The main goal of the research is to develop the methodology of evaluation of the wind turbine economic efficiency. The research has demonstrated that the electricity produced from renewable sources may be much more expensive than the electricity purchased from the conventional grid.

  10. Federal Campuses Handbook for Net Zero Energy, Water, and Waste

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) defined a zero energy campus as "an energy-efficient campus where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy." This handbook is focused on applying the EERE definition of zero energy campuses to federal sector campuses. However, it is not intended to replace, substitute, or modify any statutory or regulatory requirements and mandates.

  11. Federal New Buildings Handbook for Net Zero Energy, Water, and Waste

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) defined zero energy buildings as "an energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy." This document is focused on applying EERE’s definition of zero energy buildings to federal sector new buildings. However, it is not intended to replace, substitute, or modify any statutory or regulatory requirements and mandates.

  12. 48 CFR 23.103 - Sustainable acquisitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL... the products are— (1) Energy-efficient (ENERGY STAR ® or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP...

  13. 48 CFR 23.103 - Sustainable acquisitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL... the products are— (1) Energy-efficient (ENERGY STAR ® or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP...

  14. The Super Efficient Refrigerator Program: Case study of a Golden Carrot program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Eckert, J B

    1995-07-01

    The work in this report was conducted by the Analytic Studies Division (ASD) of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Building Technologies. This case study describes the development and implementation of the Super Efficient Refrigerator Program (SERP), which awarded $30 million to the refrigerator manufacturer that developed and commercialized a refrigerator that exceeded 1993 federal efficiency standards by at least 25%. The program was funded by 24 public and private utilities. As the first Golden Carrot program to be implemented in the United States, SERPmore » was studied as an example for future `market-pull` efforts.« less

  15. Methods and analysis of factors impact on the efficiency of the photovoltaic generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tianze, Li; Xia, Zhang; Chuan, Jiang; Luan, Hou

    2011-02-01

    First of all, the thesis elaborates two important breakthroughs which happened In the field of the application of solar energy in the 1950s.The 21st century the development of solar photovoltaic power generation will have the following characteristics: the continued high growth of industrial development, the significantly reducing cost of the solar cell, the large-scale high-tech development of photovoltaic industries, the breakthroughs of the film battery technology, the rapid development of solar PV buildings integration and combined to the grids. The paper makes principles of solar cells the theoretical analysis. On the basis, we study the conversion efficiency of solar cells, find the factors impact on the efficiency of the photovoltaic generation, solve solar cell conversion efficiency of technical problems through the development of new technology, and open up new ways to improve the solar cell conversion efficiency. Finally, the paper connecting with the practice establishes policies and legislation to the use of encourage renewable energy, development strategy, basic applied research etc.

  16. Solar photovoltaic charging of lithium-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gibson, Thomas L.; Kelly, Nelson A.

    Solar photovoltaic (PV) charging of batteries was tested by using high efficiency crystalline and amorphous silicon PV modules to recharge lithium-ion battery modules. This testing was performed as a proof of concept for solar PV charging of batteries for electrically powered vehicles. The iron phosphate type lithium-ion batteries were safely charged to their maximum capacity and the thermal hazards associated with overcharging were avoided by the self-regulating design of the solar charging system. The solar energy to battery charge conversion efficiency reached 14.5%, including a PV system efficiency of nearly 15%, and a battery charging efficiency of approximately 100%. This high system efficiency was achieved by directly charging the battery from the PV system with no intervening electronics, and matching the PV maximum power point voltage to the battery charging voltage at the desired maximum state of charge for the battery. It is envisioned that individual homeowners could charge electric and extended-range electric vehicles from residential, roof-mounted solar arrays, and thus power their daily commuting with clean, renewable solar energy.

  17. Energy storage arbitrage under day-ahead and real-time price uncertainty

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Krishnamurthy, Dheepak; Uckun, Canan; Zhou, Zhi

    Electricity markets must match real-time supply and demand of electricity. With increasing penetration of renewable resources, it is important that this balancing is done effectively, considering the high uncertainty of wind and solar energy. Storing electrical energy can make the grid more reliable and efficient and energy storage is proposed as a complement to highly variable renewable energy sources. However, for investments in energy storage to increase, participating in the market must become economically viable for owners. This paper proposes a stochastic formulation of a storage owner’s arbitrage profit maximization problem under uncertainty in day-ahead (DA) and real-time (RT) marketmore » prices. The proposed model helps storage owners in market bidding and operational decisions and in estimation of the economic viability of energy storage. Finally, case study results on realistic market price data show that the novel stochastic bidding approach does significantly better than the deterministic benchmark.« less

  18. Energy storage arbitrage under day-ahead and real-time price uncertainty

    DOE PAGES

    Krishnamurthy, Dheepak; Uckun, Canan; Zhou, Zhi; ...

    2017-04-04

    Electricity markets must match real-time supply and demand of electricity. With increasing penetration of renewable resources, it is important that this balancing is done effectively, considering the high uncertainty of wind and solar energy. Storing electrical energy can make the grid more reliable and efficient and energy storage is proposed as a complement to highly variable renewable energy sources. However, for investments in energy storage to increase, participating in the market must become economically viable for owners. This paper proposes a stochastic formulation of a storage owner’s arbitrage profit maximization problem under uncertainty in day-ahead (DA) and real-time (RT) marketmore » prices. The proposed model helps storage owners in market bidding and operational decisions and in estimation of the economic viability of energy storage. Finally, case study results on realistic market price data show that the novel stochastic bidding approach does significantly better than the deterministic benchmark.« less

  19. Renewable energy for the aeration of wastewater ponds.

    PubMed

    Hobus, I; Hegemann, W

    2003-01-01

    The application of a decentralised renewable energy supply for the aeration of wastewater ponds, and the influence of an unsteady oxygen supply on the specific conversion rate and biocoenose was investigated. With the discontinuous aeration the specific conversion rate is increased as compared to facultative ponds. The estimation of the microorganisms consortia was done with in situ hybridisation techniques. A significant shift in the bacteria population with the chosen specific probes for anaerobic, sulphate reducing and nitrifying bacteria could not be detected. Wastewater ponds have sufficient buffer volume to compensate for the fluctuating energy supply. But the efficiency of the energy supply of a photovoltaic plant decreases in shallow lakes (d < 1.5 m) corresponding to a high oxygen production of algae. For the layout of the individual components: photovoltaic and wind power plant, energy management, aeration system and wastewater pond, a simulation model was developed and tested. The application of renewable energy for the aeration of wastewater ponds is a useful alternative for the redevelopment of overloaded ponds as well as the construction of new wastewater ponds, especially in areas with an inadequate central electricity grid and a high availability of wind and solar energy.

  20. Electricity Capacity Expansion Modeling, Analysis, and Visualization: A Summary of High-Renewable Modeling Experiences (Chinese Translation) (in Chinese)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Blair, Nate; Zhou, Ella; Getman, Dan

    2015-10-01

    This is the Chinese translation of NREL/TP-6A20-64831. Mathematical and computational models are widely used for the analysis and design of both physical and financial systems. Modeling the electric grid is of particular importance to China for three reasons. First, power-sector assets are expensive and long-lived, and they are critical to any country's development. China's electric load, transmission, and other energy-related infrastructure are expected to continue to grow rapidly; therefore it is crucial to understand and help plan for the future in which those assets will operate. Second, China has dramatically increased its deployment of renewable energy (RE), and is likelymore » to continue further accelerating such deployment over the coming decades. Careful planning and assessment of the various aspects (technical, economic, social, and political) of integrating a large amount of renewables on the grid is required. Third, companies need the tools to develop a strategy for their own involvement in the power market China is now developing, and to enable a possible transition to an efficient and high RE future.« less

  1. Biogas and Fuel Cells Workshop Summary Report: Proceedings from the Biogas and Fuel Cells Workshop, Golden, Colorado, June 11-13, 2012

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    2013-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) held a Biogas and Fuel Cells Workshop June 11-13, 2012, in Golden, Colorado, to discuss biogas and waste-to-energy technologies for fuel cell applications. The overall objective was to identify opportunities for coupling renewable biomethane with highly efficient fuel cells to produce electricity; heat; combined heat and power (CHP); or combined heat, hydrogen and power (CHHP) for stationary or motive applications. The workshop focused on biogas sourced from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), landfills, and industrial facilities that generate or process large amounts of organic waste, including large biofuel production facilitiesmore » (biorefineries).« less

  2. Alkaline quinone flow battery.

    PubMed

    Lin, Kaixiang; Chen, Qing; Gerhardt, Michael R; Tong, Liuchuan; Kim, Sang Bok; Eisenach, Louise; Valle, Alvaro W; Hardee, David; Gordon, Roy G; Aziz, Michael J; Marshak, Michael P

    2015-09-25

    Storage of photovoltaic and wind electricity in batteries could solve the mismatch problem between the intermittent supply of these renewable resources and variable demand. Flow batteries permit more economical long-duration discharge than solid-electrode batteries by using liquid electrolytes stored outside of the battery. We report an alkaline flow battery based on redox-active organic molecules that are composed entirely of Earth-abundant elements and are nontoxic, nonflammable, and safe for use in residential and commercial environments. The battery operates efficiently with high power density near room temperature. These results demonstrate the stability and performance of redox-active organic molecules in alkaline flow batteries, potentially enabling cost-effective stationary storage of renewable energy. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  3. Automated Analysis of Renewable Energy Datasets ('EE/RE Data Mining')

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bush, Brian; Elmore, Ryan; Getman, Dan

    This poster illustrates methods to substantially improve the understanding of renewable energy data sets and the depth and efficiency of their analysis through the application of statistical learning methods ('data mining') in the intelligent processing of these often large and messy information sources. The six examples apply methods for anomaly detection, data cleansing, and pattern mining to time-series data (measurements from metering points in buildings) and spatiotemporal data (renewable energy resource datasets).

  4. The use of geoinformation technologies for renewable energy and regional aspects of developing renewable energy in Russia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rafikova, Y. Y.; Kiseleva, S. V.; Nefedova, L. V.; Frid, S. E.

    2014-12-01

    The work presents the results of development of the geoinformation system "Renewable Energy Sources of Russia". Regional maps of installations and resources are presented. The problem of determination of small hydropower potential connected with the shortage of hydrological data is stated. Assessment of efficiency of techno-economic analysis of simulation-based autonomous solar lighting systems is described. Overview of regional experience, policies and targets is included.

  5. 7 CFR 4280.123 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.123 Project..., guaranteed loan funds may be used for necessary capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system. ... 7 Agriculture 15 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Project eligibility. 4280.123 Section 4280.123...

  6. 7 CFR 4280.123 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.123 Project..., guaranteed loan funds may be used for necessary capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system. ... 7 Agriculture 15 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Project eligibility. 4280.123 Section 4280.123...

  7. 7 CFR 4280.123 - Project eligibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans § 4280.123 Project..., guaranteed loan funds may be used for necessary capital improvements to an existing renewable energy system. ... 7 Agriculture 15 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Project eligibility. 4280.123 Section 4280.123...

  8. 48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

  9. 48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

  10. 48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

  11. 48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

  12. A unified REC market and composite RPO scheme for promotion of renewable energy in India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shereef, R. M.; Khaparde, S. A.

    2017-07-01

    In India, uniform price was assigned to renewable energy certificate (REC) irrespective of renewable energy (RE) type, technology, and location. Moreover REC price bands are higher than existing preferential tariff. There are distinct renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) specified for various RE types, whereas there is lack of efficient tools to check RPO compliance. Because of these reasons, REC market stabilisation is getting delayed. This paper proposes a method using plant performance multiplier to convert non-solar and solar REC to single equivalent REC with competitive REC pricing, which can be traded on unified REC market. The method combines solar and non-solar RPOs into a single composite RPO, to make RPO compliance and its checking simple and efficient. A sample illustration of the proposed method is given. The benefits offered by the proposed method in REC pricing, REC trading and RPO compliance are discussed. A comparative economic analysis of present and proposed method is reported.

  13. Gauge invariance, quantization and integration of heavy modes in a gauge Kaluza-Klein theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Novales-Sánchez, H.

    This dissertation examines topics at the intersection of environmental and energy economics. The first two chapters explore how policies can induce more efficient use of the energy sources available for generating electricity. The electricity sector is a major source of a wide variety of harmful pollutants. To mitigate the environmental impacts of electricity production, a variety of policies are being implemented to increase the quantity of generation from clean, renewable energy sources. The first chapter identifies the short-run reductions in emissions caused by generation from a particular renewable technology; wind turbines. Using the estimates of the pollution offset by the renewable production, I explore the efficiency of the incentives created by the current set of renewable energy policies. The second chapter examines the impact adding bulk electricity storage capacity will have on the full social costs of generating electricity. The third chapter explores the impact of various gasoline tax structures on both retail price volatility and state revenue volatility.

  14. 48 CFR 1323.705 - Electronic products environmental assessment tool.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... COMMERCE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Contracting for Environmentally Preferable and Energy-Efficient...

  15. 48 CFR 1323.705 - Electronic products environmental assessment tool.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... COMMERCE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Contracting for Environmentally Preferable and Energy-Efficient...

  16. 48 CFR 1323.705 - Electronic products environmental assessment tool.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... COMMERCE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Contracting for Environmentally Preferable and Energy-Efficient...

  17. 48 CFR 1323.705 - Electronic products environmental assessment tool.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... COMMERCE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Contracting for Environmentally Preferable and Energy-Efficient...

  18. 48 CFR 1323.705 - Electronic products environmental assessment tool.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... COMMERCE SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE Contracting for Environmentally Preferable and Energy-Efficient...

  19. Biogas - the calculable energy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kith, Károly; Nagy, Orsolya; Balla, Zoltán; Tamás, András

    2015-04-01

    EU actions against climate change are rising energy prices, both have emphasized the use of renewable energy,increase investments and energy efficiency. A number of objectives formulated in the EC decree no. 29/2009 by 2020. This document is based on the share of renewable energies in energy consumption should be increased to 20% (EC, 2009). The EU average is 20% but the share of renewables vary from one member state to another. In Hungary in 2020, 14.65% renewable energy share is planned to be achieved. According to the latest Eurostat data, the share of renewable energy in energy consumption of the EU average was 14.1%, while in Hungary, this share was 9.6% in 2012. (EUROSTAT, 2014). The use of renewable energy plant level is influenced by several factors. The most important of these is the cost savings and efficiency gains. Hungarian investments in renewable energy production usually have high associated costs and the payback period is substantially more than five years, depending on the support rate. For example, the payback period is also influenced by the green electricity generated feed prices, which is one of the lowest in Hungary compared the Member States of the European Union. Consequently, it is important to increase the production of green energy. Nowadays, predictable biogas energy is an outstanding type of decentralized energy production. It follows directly that agricultural by-products can be used to produce energy and they also create jobs by the construction of a biogas plant. It is important to dispose of and destroy hazardous and noxious substances in energy production. It follows from this that the construction of biogas plants have a positive impact, in addition to green energy which is prepared to reduce the load on the environment. The production of biogas and green electricity is one of the most environment friendly forms of energy production. Biogas production also has other important ecological effects, such as the substitution of fertilizers, reducing its use in agriculture, which protects groundwater and surface water conditions and reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In the future more emphasis should be given to increase the effectiveness of existing technologies and other types of innovation could be expanded in energy production. It can be concluded that green energy investments can be rewarding if accurate planning is carried out before the investment.

  20. Assessing the Impacts of Wind Integration in the Western Provinces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sopinka, Amy

    Increasing carbon dioxide levels and the fear of irreversible climate change has prompted policy makers to implement renewable portfolio standards. These renewable portfolio standards are meant to encourage the adoption of renewable energy technologies thereby reducing carbon emissions associated with fossil fuel-fired electricity generation. The ability to efficiently adopt and utilize high levels of renewable energy technology, such as wind power, depends upon the composition of the extant generation within the grid. Western Canadian electric grids are poised to integrate high levels of wind and although Alberta has sufficient and, at times, an excess supply of electricity, it does not have the inherent generator flexibility required to mirror the variability of its wind generation. British Columbia, with its large reservoir storage capacities and rapid ramping hydroelectric generation could easily provide the firming services required by Alberta; however, the two grids are connected only by a small, constrained intertie. We use a simulation model to assess the economic impacts of high wind penetrations in the Alberta grid under various balancing protocols. We find that adding wind capacity to the system impacts grid reliability, increasing the frequency of system imbalances and unscheduled intertie flow. In order for British Columbia to be viable firming resource, it must have sufficient generation capability to meet and exceed the province's electricity self-sufficiency requirements. We use a linear programming model to evaluate the province's ability to meet domestic load under various water and trade conditions. We then examine the effects of drought and wind penetration on the interconnected Alberta -- British Columbia system given differing interconnection sizes.

  1. Efficiency improved turboprop. Technical memo

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gearhart, W.S.

    1982-06-10

    Renewed attention has been focused on the efficiency of aircraft propulsion as the cost of fuel has risen. Studies conducted by NASA (1) to obtain fuel efficient aircraft have considered relatively highly-loaded turbo-prop systems. The disc loadings of these propellers are as much as four times higher than those on present turboprop aircraft. The higher disc loadings result in greater slipstream swirl and higher energy losses. Of primary importance is the radial distribution of the energy losses across the slipstream due to the tangential and axial velocities. This study presents the results of analysis defining the various sources of energymore » loss resulting from a swirling slipstream downstream of a propeller. Experimental data are presented demonstrating the presence of such losses and a propeller configuration discussed which offers improved propulsive performance when relatively highly-loaded propellers are employed.« less

  2. 77 FR 31756 - Energy Conservation Program: Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternative Rating...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-30

    ...-AC46 Energy Conservation Program: Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternative Rating Methods: Public Meeting AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy... regulations authorizing the use of alternative methods of determining energy efficiency or energy consumption...

  3. 75 FR 32177 - Energy Efficiency Program for Consumer Products: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Petition for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [Docket Number EERE-BT-PET-0024] Energy Efficiency Program for Consumer Products: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Petition for Exemption From Federal Preemption of Massachusetts' Energy Efficiency Standard for Residential Non...

  4. Today's Leaders for a Sustainable Tomorrow

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wood, Bryan

    2013-02-27

    Today's Leaders for a Sustainable Tomorrow is a collaboration of five residential environmental learning centers (Audubon Center of the North Woods, Deep Portage Learning Center, Laurentian Environmental Center, Long Lake Conservation Center and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center) that together increased energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy technologies through a number of different means appropriate for each unique center. For energy efficiency upgrades the centers installed envelope improvements to seal air barriers through better insulation in walls, ceilings, windows, doors as well as the installation of more energy efficient windows, doors, lighting and air ventilation systems. Through energy sub-metermore » monitoring the centers are able to accurately chart the usage of energy at each of their campuses and eliminate unnecessary energy usage. Facilities reduced their dependence on fossil fuel energy sources through the installation of renewable energy technologies including wood gasification, solar domestic hot water, solar photovoltaic, solar air heat, geothermal heating and wind power. Centers also installed energy education displays on the specific renewable energy technologies used at the center.« less

  5. Hardware-in-the-Loop emulator for a hydrokinetic turbine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rat, C. L.; Prostean, O.; Filip, I.

    2018-01-01

    Hydroelectric power has proven to be an efficient and reliable form of renewable energy, but its impact on the environment has long been a source of concern. Hydrokinetic turbines are an emerging class of renewable energy technology designed for deployment in small rivers and streams with minimal environmental impact on the local ecosystem. Hydrokinetic technology represents a truly clean source of energy, having the potential to become a highly efficient method of harvesting renewable energy. However, in order to achieve this goal, extensive research is necessary. This paper presents a Hardware-in-the-Loop emulator for a run-of-the-river type hydrokinetic turbine. The HIL system uses an ABB ACS800 drive to control an induction machine as a significant means of replicating the behavior of the real turbine. The induction machine is coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous generator and the corresponding load. The ACS800 drive is controlled through the software system, which comprises of the hydrokinetic turbine real-time simulation through mathematical modeling in the LabVIEW programming environment running on a NI CompactRIO (cRIO) platform. The advantages of this method are that it can provide a means for testing many control configurations without requiring the presence of the real turbine. This paper contains the basic principles of a hydrokinetic turbine, particularly the run-of-the-river configurations along with the experimental results obtained from the HIL system.

  6. Solution-Processed Two-Dimensional Metal Dichalcogenide-Based Nanomaterials for Energy Storage and Conversion.

    PubMed

    Cao, Xiehong; Tan, Chaoliang; Zhang, Xiao; Zhao, Wei; Zhang, Hua

    2016-08-01

    The development of renewable energy storage and conversion devices is one of the most promising ways to address the current energy crisis, along with the global environmental concern. The exploration of suitable active materials is the key factor for the construction of highly efficient, highly stable, low-cost and environmentally friendly energy storage and conversion devices. The ability to prepare two-dimensional (2D) metal dichalcogenide (MDC) nanosheets and their functional composites in high yield and large scale via various solution-based methods in recent years has inspired great research interests in their utilization for renewable energy storage and conversion applications. Here, we will summarize the recent advances of solution-processed 2D MDCs and their hybrid nanomaterials for energy storage and conversion applications, including rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, electrocatalytic hydrogen generation and solar cells. Moreover, based on the current progress, we will also give some personal insights on the existing challenges and future research directions in this promising field. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Highly Selective Upgrading of Biomass-Derived Alcohol Mixtures for Jet/Diesel-Fuel Components.

    PubMed

    Liu, Qiang; Xu, Guoqiang; Wang, Xicheng; Liu, Xiaoran; Mu, Xindong

    2016-12-20

    In light of the increasing concern about the energy and environmental problems caused by the combustion of petroleum-based fuels (e.g., jet and diesel fuels), the development of new procedures for their sustainable production from renewable biomass-derived platform compounds has attracted tremendous attention recently. Long-chain ketones/alcohols are promising fuel components owing to the fuel properties that closely resemble those of traditional fuels. The focus of this report is the production of long-chain ketones/alcohols by direct upgrading of biomass-derived short-chain alcohol mixtures (e.g., isopropanol-butanol-ethanol mixtures) in pure water. An efficient Pd catalyst system was developed for these highly selective transformations. Long-chain ketones/alcohols (C 8 -C 19 ), which can be used as precursors for renewable jet/diesel fuel, were obtained in good-to-high selectivity (>90 %) by using the developed Pd catalyst. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. A metal-free electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction to multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Jingjie; Ma, Sichao; Sun, Jing; Gold, Jake I.; Tiwary, ChandraSekhar; Kim, Byoungsu; Zhu, Lingyang; Chopra, Nitin; Odeh, Ihab N.; Vajtai, Robert; Yu, Aaron Z.; Luo, Raymond; Lou, Jun; Ding, Guqiao; Kenis, Paul J. A.; Ajayan, Pulickel M.

    2016-01-01

    Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into higher-energy liquid fuels and chemicals is a promising but challenging renewable energy conversion technology. Among the electrocatalysts screened so far for carbon dioxide reduction, which includes metals, alloys, organometallics, layered materials and carbon nanostructures, only copper exhibits selectivity towards formation of hydrocarbons and multi-carbon oxygenates at fairly high efficiencies, whereas most others favour production of carbon monoxide or formate. Here we report that nanometre-size N-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) catalyse the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates at high Faradaic efficiencies, high current densities and low overpotentials. The NGQDs show a high total Faradaic efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction of up to 90%, with selectivity for ethylene and ethanol conversions reaching 45%. The C2 and C3 product distribution and production rate for NGQD-catalysed carbon dioxide reduction is comparable to those obtained with copper nanoparticle-based electrocatalysts. PMID:27958290

  9. Army Net Zero: Energy Roadmap and Program Summary, Fiscal Year 2013 (Brochure)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    The U.S. Army (Army) partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess opportunities for increasing energy security through improved energy efficiency and optimized renewable energy strategies at nine installations across the Army's portfolio. Referred to as Net Zero Energy Installations (NZEIs), these projects demonstrate and validate energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies with approaches that can be replicated across DOD and other Federal agencies, setting the stage for broad market adoption. This report summarizes the results of the energy project roadmaps developed by NREL, shows the progress each installation could makemore » in achieving Net Zero Energy by 2020, and presents lessons learned and unique challenges from each installation.« less

  10. Wind-To-Hydrogen Project: Electrolyzer Capital Cost Study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Saur, G.

    This study is being performed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy and Xcel Energy's Wind-to-Hydrogen Project (Wind2H2) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The general aim of the project is to identify areas for improving the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. These areas include both technical development and cost analysis of systems that convert renewable energy to hydrogen via water electrolysis. Increased efficiency and reduced cost will bring about greater market penetration for hydrogen production and application. There are different issues for isolated versus grid-connected systems, however, and these issues must be considered. The manner inmore » which hydrogen production is integrated in the larger energy system will determine its cost feasibility and energy efficiency.« less

  11. Dust Affects Solar-Cell Efficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molki, A.

    2010-01-01

    Over the past two decades governmental agencies have played an integral role in the advancement of renewable energy education by providing useful information for educators and students. The effect of such efforts has encouraged primary and secondary educational institutions to introduce the subject of renewable energy within their science…

  12. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None, None

    As part of a two-year project to demonstrate energy efficiency measures, renewable energy generation, and energy systems integration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has identified advanced plug load controls as a promising technology for reducing energy use and related costs in the U.S. Navy's Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) office spaces.

  13. Andy Walker | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    efficiency and renewable energy projects. His patent on the Renewable Energy Optimization (REO) method of distribution function for time-series simulation Analytical and numerical optimization Project delivery with System Operations and Maintenance: 2nd Edition, 2016, NREL/Sandia/Sunspec Alliance SuNLaMP PV O&M

  14. Analysis of environmental impacts of renewable energy on the Moroccan electricity sector: A System Dynamics approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chentouf, M.; Allouch, M.

    2018-05-01

    Producing electricity at an affordable price while taking into account environmental concerns has become a major challenge in Morocco. Moreover, the technical and financial issues related to renewable electricity plants are still hindering their efficient integration in the country. In fact, the energy sector (both electricity and heat) accounted for more than half of all Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions in the kingdom due to the major reliance on fossil fuels for answering the growing local demand. The key strategies to alleviate this critical situation include the integration of more renewable energies in the total energy mix and the enhancement of energy efficiency measures in different sectors. This paper strives to (1) evaluate the potential of carbon dioxide mitigation in Moroccan electricity sector following the actual and projected strategies and (2) highlight the policy schemes to be taken in order to achieve the ambitious carbon dioxide mitigation targets in the mid-term. A system dynamics model was built in order to simulate different scenarios of carbon dioxide mitigation policies up to 2030. The results shows that the achievement of renewable energies projects by 2030 could save 228.143 MtCO2 between 2020 and 2030 and an additional 18.127 MtCO2 could be avoided in the same period by enhancing energy efficiency measures.

  15. On- and off-grid operation of hybrid renewable power plants: When are the economics favorable?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrakopoulou, F.; Santana, D.

    2016-12-01

    Hybrid renewable energy conversion systems offer a good alternative to conventional systems in locations where the extension of the electrical grid is difficult or not economical or where the cost of electricity is high. However, stand-alone operation implies net energy output restrictions (limited to exclusively serve the energy demand of a region), capacity oversizing and large storage facilities. In interconnected areas, on the other hand, the operational restrictions of the power stations change significantly and the efficiencies and costs of renewable technologies become more favorable. In this paper, the operation of three main renewable technologies (CSP, PV and wind) is studied assuming both hybrid and individual operation for both autonomous and inter-connected operation. The case study used is a Mediterranean island of ca. 3,000 inhabitants. Each system is optimized to fully cover the energy demand of the community. In addition, in the on-grid operation cases, it is required that the annual energy generated from the renewable sources is net positive (i.e., the island generates at least as much energy as it uses). It is found that when connected to the grid, hybridization of more than one technology is not required to satisfy the energy demand, as expected. Each of the renewable technologies investigated can satisfy the annual energy demand individually, without significant complications. In addition, the cost of electricity generated with the three studied technologies drops significantly for on-grid applications, when compared to off-grid operation. However, when compared to business-as-usual scenarios in both the on- and off-grid cases, both investigated hybrid and single-technology renewable scenarios are found to be economically viable. A sensitivity analysis reveals the limits of the acceptable costs that make the technologies favorable when compared to conventional alternatives.

  16. Energy and Water Efficiency on Campus | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    Energy and Water Efficiency on Campus Energy and Water Efficiency on Campus NREL ensures the resiliency of our future energy and water systems through energy efficiency strategies and technologies , renewable energy, and water efficiency on the NREL campus. FY17 Energy Intensity. The South Table Mountain

  17. Efficient direct solar-to-hydrogen conversion by in situ interface transformation of a tandem structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    May, Matthias M.; Lewerenz, Hans-Joachim; Lackner, David; Dimroth, Frank; Hannappel, Thomas

    2015-09-01

    Photosynthesis is nature's route to convert intermittent solar irradiation into storable energy, while its use for an industrial energy supply is impaired by low efficiency. Artificial photosynthesis provides a promising alternative for efficient robust carbon-neutral renewable energy generation. The approach of direct hydrogen generation by photoelectrochemical water splitting utilizes customized tandem absorber structures to mimic the Z-scheme of natural photosynthesis. Here a combined chemical surface transformation of a tandem structure and catalyst deposition at ambient temperature yields photocurrents approaching the theoretical limit of the absorber and results in a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 14%. The potentiostatically assisted photoelectrode efficiency is 17%. Present benchmarks for integrated systems are clearly exceeded. Details of the in situ interface transformation, the electronic improvement and chemical passivation are presented. The surface functionalization procedure is widely applicable and can be precisely controlled, allowing further developments of high-efficiency robust hydrogen generators.

  18. Efficient direct solar-to-hydrogen conversion by in situ interface transformation of a tandem structure

    PubMed Central

    May, Matthias M.; Lewerenz, Hans-Joachim; Lackner, David; Dimroth, Frank; Hannappel, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Photosynthesis is nature's route to convert intermittent solar irradiation into storable energy, while its use for an industrial energy supply is impaired by low efficiency. Artificial photosynthesis provides a promising alternative for efficient robust carbon-neutral renewable energy generation. The approach of direct hydrogen generation by photoelectrochemical water splitting utilizes customized tandem absorber structures to mimic the Z-scheme of natural photosynthesis. Here a combined chemical surface transformation of a tandem structure and catalyst deposition at ambient temperature yields photocurrents approaching the theoretical limit of the absorber and results in a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 14%. The potentiostatically assisted photoelectrode efficiency is 17%. Present benchmarks for integrated systems are clearly exceeded. Details of the in situ interface transformation, the electronic improvement and chemical passivation are presented. The surface functionalization procedure is widely applicable and can be precisely controlled, allowing further developments of high-efficiency robust hydrogen generators. PMID:26369620

  19. Market Mechanism Design for Renewable Energy based on Risk Theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Wu; Bo, Wang; Jichun, Liu; Wenjiao, Zai; Pingliang, Zeng; Haobo, Shi

    2018-02-01

    Generation trading between renewable energy and thermal power is an efficient market means for transforming supply structure of electric power into sustainable development pattern. But the trading is hampered by the output fluctuations of renewable energy and the cost differences between renewable energy and thermal power at present. In this paper, the external environmental cost (EEC) is defined and the EEC is introduced into the generation cost. At same time, the incentive functions of renewable energy and low-emission thermal power are designed, which are decreasing functions of EEC. On these bases, for the market risks caused by the random variability of EEC, the decision-making model of generation trading between renewable energy and thermal power is constructed according to the risk theory. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model are verified by simulation results.

  20. Alternative Energy: A Guide to Free Information for Educators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Janet A.

    This guide was compiled to help teachers and students locate free educational materials (both lessons and nontechnical background references) on renewable energy resources and energy conservation. The 214 entries are arranged by these topic areas: (1) energy efficiency and renewables; (2) biomass; (3) hydropower; (4) solar thermal energy; (5)…

  1. High-Efficiency Polycrystalline CdS/CdTe Solar Cells on Buffered Commercial TCO-Coated Glass

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colegrove, E.; Banai, R.; Blissett, C.; Buurma, C.; Ellsworth, J.; Morley, M.; Barnes, S.; Gilmore, C.; Bergeson, J. D.; Dhere, R.; Scott, M.; Gessert, T.; Sivananthan, Siva

    2012-10-01

    Multiple polycrystalline CdS/CdTe solar cells with efficiencies greater than 15% were produced on buffered, commercially available Pilkington TEC Glass at EPIR Technologies, Inc. (EPIR, Bolingbrook, IL) and verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). n-CdS and p-CdTe were grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and close space sublimation, respectively. Samples with sputter-deposited CdS were also investigated. Initial results indicate that this is a viable dry-process alternative to CBD for production-scale processing. Published results for polycrystalline CdS/CdTe solar cells with high efficiencies are typically based on cells using research-grade transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) requiring high-temperature processing inconducive to low-cost manufacturing. EPIR's results for cells on commercial glass were obtained by implementing a high-resistivity SnO2 buffer layer and by optimizing the CdS window layer thickness. The high-resistivity buffer layer prevents the formation of CdTe-TCO junctions, thereby maintaining a high open-circuit voltage and fill factor, whereas using a thin CdS layer reduces absorption losses and improves the short-circuit current density. EPIR's best device demonstrated an NREL-verified efficiency of 15.3%. The mean efficiency of hundreds of cells produced with a buffer layer between December 2010 and June 2011 is 14.4%. Quantum efficiency results are presented to demonstrate EPIR's progress toward NREL's best-published results.

  2. Renewable Electricity Futures Study. Volume 1: Exploration of High-Penetration Renewable Electricity Futures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mai, T.; Wiser, R.; Sandor, D.

    2012-06-01

    The Renewable Electricity Futures (RE Futures) Study investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. The analysis focused on the sufficiency of the geographically diverse U.S. renewable resources to meet electricity demand over future decades, the hourly operational characteristics of the U.S. grid with high levels of variable wind and solar generation, and the potential implications of deploying high levels of renewables in the future. RE Futures focused on technical aspects of high penetration of renewable electricity; it did not focus on how to achieve such a futuremore » through policy or other measures. Given the inherent uncertainties involved with analyzing alternative long-term energy futures as well as the multiple pathways that might be taken to achieve higher levels of renewable electricity supply, RE Futures explored a range of scenarios to investigate and compare the impacts of renewable electricity penetration levels (30%-90%), future technology performance improvements, potential constraints to renewable electricity development, and future electricity demand growth assumptions. RE Futures was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).« less

  3. Federal Existing Buildings Handbook for Net Zero Energy, Water, and Waste

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) defined zero energy buildings as "an energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy." This handbook is focused on applying the EERE definition of zero energy buildings to existing buildings in the federal sector. However, it is not intended to replace, substitute, or modify any statutory or regulatory requirements and mandates.

  4. Hydrogen-based power generation from bioethanol steam reforming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tasnadi-Asztalos, Zs.; Cormos, C. C.; Agachi, P. S.

    2015-12-01

    This paper is evaluating two power generation concepts based on hydrogen produced from bioethanol steam reforming at industrial scale without and with carbon capture. The power generation from bioethanol conversion is based on two important steps: hydrogen production from bioethanol catalytic steam reforming and electricity generation using a hydrogen-fuelled gas turbine. As carbon capture method to be assessed in hydrogen-based power generation from bioethanol steam reforming, the gas-liquid absorption using methyl-di-ethanol-amine (MDEA) was used. Bioethanol is a renewable energy carrier mainly produced from biomass fermentation. Steam reforming of bioethanol (SRE) provides a promising method for hydrogen and power production from renewable resources. SRE is performed at high temperatures (e.g. 800-900°C) to reduce the reforming by-products (e.g. ethane, ethene). The power generation from hydrogen was done with M701G2 gas turbine (334 MW net power output). Hydrogen was obtained through catalytic steam reforming of bioethanol without and with carbon capture. For the evaluated plant concepts the following key performance indicators were assessed: fuel consumption, gross and net power outputs, net electrical efficiency, ancillary consumptions, carbon capture rate, specific CO2 emission etc. As the results show, the power generation based on bioethanol conversion has high energy efficiency and low carbon footprint.

  5. Life cycle assessment of molten carbonate fuel cells: State of the art and strategies for the future

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehmeti, Andi; Santoni, Francesca; Della Pietra, Massimiliano; McPhail, Stephen J.

    2016-03-01

    This study aims to review and provide an up to date international life cycle thinking literature with particular emphasis on life cycle assessment (LCA), applied to Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFCs), a technology forcefully entering the field of decentralized heat and power generation. Critical environmental issues, comparison of results between studies and improvement strategies are analyzed and highlighted. The findings stress that MCFC environmental performance is heavily influenced by the current use of non-renewable energy and high material demand of rare minerals which generate high environmental burdens in the manufacturing stage, thereby confirming the prominent role of these processes in a comprehensive LCA study. The comparison of operational phases highlights that MCFCs are robust and able to compete with other mature technologies contributing substantially to airborne emissions reduction and promoting a switch to renewable fuels, however, further progress and market competitiveness urges adoption of an eco-efficiency philosophy to forge the link between environmental and economic concerns. Adopting a well-organized systematic research driven by life cycle models and eco-efficiency principles stakeholders will glean valuable information to make well balanced decisions for improving performance towards the concept 'producing more quality with less resources' and accelerate market penetration of the technology.

  6. Hydrogen-based power generation from bioethanol steam reforming

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tasnadi-Asztalos, Zs., E-mail: tazsolt@chem.ubbcluj.ro; Cormos, C. C., E-mail: cormos@chem.ubbcluj.ro; Agachi, P. S.

    This paper is evaluating two power generation concepts based on hydrogen produced from bioethanol steam reforming at industrial scale without and with carbon capture. The power generation from bioethanol conversion is based on two important steps: hydrogen production from bioethanol catalytic steam reforming and electricity generation using a hydrogen-fuelled gas turbine. As carbon capture method to be assessed in hydrogen-based power generation from bioethanol steam reforming, the gas-liquid absorption using methyl-di-ethanol-amine (MDEA) was used. Bioethanol is a renewable energy carrier mainly produced from biomass fermentation. Steam reforming of bioethanol (SRE) provides a promising method for hydrogen and power production frommore » renewable resources. SRE is performed at high temperatures (e.g. 800-900°C) to reduce the reforming by-products (e.g. ethane, ethene). The power generation from hydrogen was done with M701G2 gas turbine (334 MW net power output). Hydrogen was obtained through catalytic steam reforming of bioethanol without and with carbon capture. For the evaluated plant concepts the following key performance indicators were assessed: fuel consumption, gross and net power outputs, net electrical efficiency, ancillary consumptions, carbon capture rate, specific CO{sub 2} emission etc. As the results show, the power generation based on bioethanol conversion has high energy efficiency and low carbon footprint.« less

  7. Modular, Reconfigurable, High-Energy Systems Stepping Stones

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howell, Joe T.; Carrington, Connie K.; Mankins, John C.

    2005-01-01

    Modular, Reconfigurable, High-Energy Systems are Stepping Stones to provide capabilities for energy-rich infrastructure strategically located in space to support a variety of exploration scenarios. Abundant renewable energy at lunar or L1 locations could support propellant production and storage in refueling scenarios that enable affordable exploration. Renewable energy platforms in geosynchronous Earth orbits can collect and transmit power to satellites, or to Earth-surface locations. Energy-rich space technologies also enable the use of electric-powered propulsion systems that could efficiently deliver cargo and exploration facilities to remote locations. A first step to an energy-rich space infrastructure is a 100-kWe class solar-powered platform in Earth orbit. The platform would utilize advanced technologies in solar power collection and generation, power management and distribution, thermal management, and electric propulsion. It would also provide a power-rich free-flying platform to demonstrate in space a portfolio of technology flight experiments. This paper presents a preliminary design concept for a 100-kWe solar-powered satellite with the capability to flight-demonstrate a variety of payload experiments and to utilize electric propulsion. State-of-the-art solar concentrators, highly efficient multi-junction solar cells, integrated thermal management on the arrays, and innovative deployable structure design and packaging make the 100-kW satellite feasible for launch on one existing launch vehicle. Higher voltage arrays and power management and distribution (PMAD) systems reduce or eliminate the need for massive power converters, and could enable direct- drive of high-voltage solar electric thrusters.

  8. 76 FR 21109 - Rural Energy for America Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-14

    ...The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Agency) is establishing an interim rule for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which is authorized under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. This interim rule modifies the existing grant and guaranteed loan program for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. In addition, it adds a grant program for feasibility studies for renewable energy systems and a grant program for energy audits and renewable energy development assistance, as provided in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.

  9. Catalytic amino acid production from biomass-derived intermediates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deng, Weiping; Wang, Yunzhu; Zhang, Sui

    Amino acids are the building blocks for protein biosynthesis and find use in myriad industrial applications including in food for humans, in animal feed, and as precursors for bio-based plastics, among others. However, the development of efficient chemical methods to convert abundant and renewable feedstocks into amino acids has been largely unsuccessful to date. To that end, here we report a heterogeneous catalyst that directly transforms lignocellulosic biomass-derived a-hydroxyl acids into a-amino acids, including alanine, leucine, valine, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine in high yields. The reaction follows a dehydrogenation-reductive amination pathway, with dehydrogenation as the rate-determining step. Ruthenium nanoparticles supportedmore » on carbon nanotubes (Ru/CNT) exhibit exceptional efficiency compared with catalysts based on other metals, due to the unique, reversible enhancement effect of NH 3 on Ru in dehydrogenation. Based on the catalytic system, a two-step chemical process was designed to convert glucose into alanine in 43% yield, comparable with the well-established microbial cultivation process, and therefore, the present strategy enables a route for the production of amino acids from renewable feedstocks. Moreover, a conceptual process design employing membrane distillation to facilitate product purification is proposed and validated. Overall, this study offers a rapid and potentially more efficient chemical method to produce amino acids from woody biomass components.« less

  10. Numerical Simulations of Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) Turbines Using the Blade Element Momentum Theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Javaherchi, Teymour; Thulin, Oskar; Aliseda, Alberto

    2011-11-01

    Energy extraction from the available kinetic energy in tidal currents via Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) turbines has recently attracted scientists' attention as a highly predictable source of renewable energy. The strongest tidal resources have a concentrated nature that require close turbine spacing in a farm of MHK turbines. This tight spacing, however, will lead to interaction of the downstream turbines with the turbulent wake generated by upstream turbines. This interaction can significantly reduce the power generated and possibly result in structural failure before the expected service life is completed. Development of a numerical methodology to study the turbine-wake interaction can provide a tool for optimization of turbine spacing to maximize the power generated in turbine arrays. In this work, we will present numerical simulations of the flow field in a farm of horizontal axis MHK turbines using the Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT). We compare the value of integral variables (i.e. efficiency, power, torque and etc.) calculated for each turbine in the farm for different arrangements with varying streamwise and lateral offsets between turbines. We find that BEMT provides accurate estimates of turbine efficiency under uniform flow conditions, but overpredicts the efficiency of downstream turbines when they are strongly affected by the wakes. Supported by DOE through the National Northwest Marine Renewable Energy Center.

  11. Catalytic amino acid production from biomass-derived intermediates

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Weiping; Zhang, Sui; Gupta, Krishna M.; Hülsey, Max J.; Asakura, Hiroyuki; Liu, Lingmei; Han, Yu; Karp, Eric M.; Jiang, Jianwen; Tanaka, Tsunehiro; Wang, Ye

    2018-01-01

    Amino acids are the building blocks for protein biosynthesis and find use in myriad industrial applications including in food for humans, in animal feed, and as precursors for bio-based plastics, among others. However, the development of efficient chemical methods to convert abundant and renewable feedstocks into amino acids has been largely unsuccessful to date. To that end, here we report a heterogeneous catalyst that directly transforms lignocellulosic biomass-derived α-hydroxyl acids into α-amino acids, including alanine, leucine, valine, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine in high yields. The reaction follows a dehydrogenation-reductive amination pathway, with dehydrogenation as the rate-determining step. Ruthenium nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes (Ru/CNT) exhibit exceptional efficiency compared with catalysts based on other metals, due to the unique, reversible enhancement effect of NH3 on Ru in dehydrogenation. Based on the catalytic system, a two-step chemical process was designed to convert glucose into alanine in 43% yield, comparable with the well-established microbial cultivation process, and therefore, the present strategy enables a route for the production of amino acids from renewable feedstocks. Moreover, a conceptual process design employing membrane distillation to facilitate product purification is proposed and validated. Overall, this study offers a rapid and potentially more efficient chemical method to produce amino acids from woody biomass components. PMID:29712826

  12. Biohydrogen Production: Strategies to Improve Process Efficiency through Microbial Routes

    PubMed Central

    Chandrasekhar, Kuppam; Lee, Yong-Jik; Lee, Dong-Woo

    2015-01-01

    The current fossil fuel-based generation of energy has led to large-scale industrial development. However, the reliance on fossil fuels leads to the significant depletion of natural resources of buried combustible geologic deposits and to negative effects on the global climate with emissions of greenhouse gases. Accordingly, enormous efforts are directed to transition from fossil fuels to nonpolluting and renewable energy sources. One potential alternative is biohydrogen (H2), a clean energy carrier with high-energy yields; upon the combustion of H2, H2O is the only major by-product. In recent decades, the attractive and renewable characteristics of H2 led us to develop a variety of biological routes for the production of H2. Based on the mode of H2 generation, the biological routes for H2 production are categorized into four groups: photobiological fermentation, anaerobic fermentation, enzymatic and microbial electrolysis, and a combination of these processes. Thus, this review primarily focuses on the evaluation of the biological routes for the production of H2. In particular, we assess the efficiency and feasibility of these bioprocesses with respect to the factors that affect operations, and we delineate the limitations. Additionally, alternative options such as bioaugmentation, multiple process integration, and microbial electrolysis to improve process efficiency are discussed to address industrial-level applications. PMID:25874756

  13. Biohydrogen production: strategies to improve process efficiency through microbial routes.

    PubMed

    Chandrasekhar, Kuppam; Lee, Yong-Jik; Lee, Dong-Woo

    2015-04-14

    The current fossil fuel-based generation of energy has led to large-scale industrial development. However, the reliance on fossil fuels leads to the significant depletion of natural resources of buried combustible geologic deposits and to negative effects on the global climate with emissions of greenhouse gases. Accordingly, enormous efforts are directed to transition from fossil fuels to nonpolluting and renewable energy sources. One potential alternative is biohydrogen (H2), a clean energy carrier with high-energy yields; upon the combustion of H2, H2O is the only major by-product. In recent decades, the attractive and renewable characteristics of H2 led us to develop a variety of biological routes for the production of H2. Based on the mode of H2 generation, the biological routes for H2 production are categorized into four groups: photobiological fermentation, anaerobic fermentation, enzymatic and microbial electrolysis, and a combination of these processes. Thus, this review primarily focuses on the evaluation of the biological routes for the production of H2. In particular, we assess the efficiency and feasibility of these bioprocesses with respect to the factors that affect operations, and we delineate the limitations. Additionally, alternative options such as bioaugmentation, multiple process integration, and microbial electrolysis to improve process efficiency are discussed to address industrial-level applications.

  14. Catalytic amino acid production from biomass-derived intermediates

    DOE PAGES

    Deng, Weiping; Wang, Yunzhu; Zhang, Sui; ...

    2018-04-30

    Amino acids are the building blocks for protein biosynthesis and find use in myriad industrial applications including in food for humans, in animal feed, and as precursors for bio-based plastics, among others. However, the development of efficient chemical methods to convert abundant and renewable feedstocks into amino acids has been largely unsuccessful to date. To that end, here we report a heterogeneous catalyst that directly transforms lignocellulosic biomass-derived a-hydroxyl acids into a-amino acids, including alanine, leucine, valine, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine in high yields. The reaction follows a dehydrogenation-reductive amination pathway, with dehydrogenation as the rate-determining step. Ruthenium nanoparticles supportedmore » on carbon nanotubes (Ru/CNT) exhibit exceptional efficiency compared with catalysts based on other metals, due to the unique, reversible enhancement effect of NH 3 on Ru in dehydrogenation. Based on the catalytic system, a two-step chemical process was designed to convert glucose into alanine in 43% yield, comparable with the well-established microbial cultivation process, and therefore, the present strategy enables a route for the production of amino acids from renewable feedstocks. Moreover, a conceptual process design employing membrane distillation to facilitate product purification is proposed and validated. Overall, this study offers a rapid and potentially more efficient chemical method to produce amino acids from woody biomass components.« less

  15. Applications of nano and smart materials in renewable energy production and storage devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghasemi-Nejhad, Mehrdad N.

    2015-03-01

    This paper presents development of renewable energy production and storage devices employing nanomaterials and smart materials. The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanosheets (GNS) to improve the performance and durability of wind turbine and wave rotor blades will be explained. While GNS are primary used for the performance enhancement of the resin system called Nanoresin, CNT Nanoforests and Nanofilms are used to improve the performance of fiber systems in high-performance Nanocomposites. In addition, the use of CNTs and piezo-nanofibers will be explained as the health monitoring and smart systems within the composites. A self-healing mechanism will also be explained within the composites using these materials. Next the use of CNTs as gas diffusion layers and CNTs combined with in-situ generated platinum nanoparticles as catalyst layers will be explained to improve the performance, efficiency, and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells while reducing their costs, weight, and size. In addition, the use of CNTs and GNSs to improve the efficiency and performance of polymer solar cells will be explained. Finally, the use of CNTs and GNSs to enhance the performance, efficiency, and durability of batteries and supercapacitors while reducing their costs, weight, and size will be discussed.

  16. Research Support Facility (RSF): Leadership in Building Performance (Brochure)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    This brochure/poster provides information on the features of the Research Support Facility including a detailed illustration of the facility with call outs of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Imagine an office building so energy efficient that its occupants consume only the amount of energy generated by renewable power on the building site. The building, the Research Support Facility (RSF) occupied by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) employees, uses 50% less energy than if it were built to current commercial code and achieves the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED{reg_sign})more » Platinum rating. With 19% of the primary energy in the U.S. consumed by commercial buildings, the RSF is changing the way commercial office buildings are designed and built.« less

  17. Efficient Use of Cogeneration and Fuel Diversification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kunickis, M.; Balodis, M.; Sarma, U.; Cers, A.; Linkevics, O.

    2015-12-01

    Energy policy of the European Community is implemented by setting various goals in directives and developing support mechanisms to achieve them. However, very often these policies and legislation come into contradiction with each other, for example Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, repealing Directive 2004/8/EC on the promotion of cogeneration based on a useful heat demand. In this paper, the authors attempt to assess the potential conflicts between policy political objectives to increase the share of high-efficiency co-generation and renewable energy sources (RES), based on the example of Riga district heating system (DHS). If a new heat source using biomass is built on the right bank of Riga DHS to increase the share of RES, the society could overpay for additional heat production capacities, such as a decrease in the loading of existing generating units, thereby contributing to an inefficient use of existing capacity. As a result, the following negative consequences may arise: 1) a decrease in primary energy savings (PES) from high-efficiency cogeneration in Riga DHS, 2) an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Baltic region, 3) the worsening security situation of electricity supply in the Latvian power system, 4) an increase in the electricity market price in the Lithuanian and Latvian price areas of Nord Pool power exchange. Within the framework of the research, calculations of PES and GHG emission volumes have been performed for the existing situation and for the situation with heat source, using biomass. The effect of construction of biomass heat source on power capacity balances and Nord Pool electricity prices has been evaluated.

  18. Full open-framework batteries for stationary energy storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pasta, Mauro; Wessells, Colin D.; Liu, Nian; Nelson, Johanna; McDowell, Matthew T.; Huggins, Robert A.; Toney, Michael F.; Cui, Yi

    2014-01-01

    New types of energy storage are needed in conjunction with the deployment of renewable energy sources and their integration with the electrical grid. We have recently introduced a family of cathodes involving the reversible insertion of cations into materials with the Prussian Blue open-framework crystal structure. Here we report a newly developed manganese hexacyanomanganate open-framework anode that has the same crystal structure. By combining it with the previously reported copper hexacyanoferrate cathode we demonstrate a safe, fast, inexpensive, long-cycle life aqueous electrolyte battery, which involves the insertion of sodium ions. This high rate, high efficiency cell shows a 96.7% round trip energy efficiency when cycled at a 5C rate and an 84.2% energy efficiency at a 50C rate. There is no measurable capacity loss after 1,000 deep-discharge cycles. Bulk quantities of the electrode materials can be produced by a room temperature chemical synthesis from earth-abundant precursors.

  19. [Induction and regulation of cellulase expression in filamentous fungi: a review].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fei; Bai, Fengwu; Zhao, Xinqing

    2016-11-25

    Production of bioenergy and bio-based chemicals by using fermentable sugars released from low-cost renewable lignocellulosic biomass has received great attention. Efficient cellulolytic enzymes are crucial for lignocellulose bioconversion, but high cellulase production cost is limiting the bioconversion efficiency of cellulosic biomass and industrial applications of lignocellulose biorefinery. Studies on induction and regulation of cellulase in filamentous fungi will help to further develop superior fungal strains for efficient cellulase production and reduce cellulase production cost. With the advances in high-throughput sequencing and gene manipulation technology using fungal strains, an in-depth understanding of cellulase induction and regulation mechanisms of enzyme expression has been achieved. We reviewed recent progresses in the induction and regulation of cellulase expression in several model filamentous fungi, emphasizing sugar transporters, transcription factors and chromatin remodeling. Future prospects in application of artificial zinc finger proteins for cellulase induction and regulation in filamentous fungi were discussed.

  20. Full open-framework batteries for stationary energy storage.

    PubMed

    Pasta, Mauro; Wessells, Colin D; Liu, Nian; Nelson, Johanna; McDowell, Matthew T; Huggins, Robert A; Toney, Michael F; Cui, Yi

    2014-01-01

    New types of energy storage are needed in conjunction with the deployment of renewable energy sources and their integration with the electrical grid. We have recently introduced a family of cathodes involving the reversible insertion of cations into materials with the Prussian Blue open-framework crystal structure. Here we report a newly developed manganese hexacyanomanganate open-framework anode that has the same crystal structure. By combining it with the previously reported copper hexacyanoferrate cathode we demonstrate a safe, fast, inexpensive, long-cycle life aqueous electrolyte battery, which involves the insertion of sodium ions. This high rate, high efficiency cell shows a 96.7% round trip energy efficiency when cycled at a 5C rate and an 84.2% energy efficiency at a 50C rate. There is no measurable capacity loss after 1,000 deep-discharge cycles. Bulk quantities of the electrode materials can be produced by a room temperature chemical synthesis from earth-abundant precursors.

  1. Fabrication & characterization of thin film Perovskite solar cells under ambient conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shah, Vivek T.

    High efficiency solar cells based on inorganic materials such as silicon have been commercialized and used to harness energy from the sun and convert it into electrical energy. However, they are energy-intensive and rigid. Thin film solar cells based on inorganic-organic hybrid lead halide perovskite compounds have the potential to be a disruptive technology in the field of renewable energy sector of the economy. Perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology is a viable candidate for low-cost large scale production as it is solution processable at low temperature on a flexible substrate. However, for commercialization, PSCs need to compete with the cost and efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. High efficiency PSCs have been fabricated under highly controlled conditions in what is known as a glove-box, which adds to the cost of fabrication of PSCs. This additional cost can be significantly reduced by eliminating the use of glove-box for fabrication. Therefore, in this work, thin film PSCs were fabricated at ambient conditions on glass substrates. A power conversion efficiency of 5.6% was achieved with optimum fabrication control and minimal exposure to moisture.

  2. Strategies for Efficient Charge Separation and Transfer in Artificial Photosynthesis of Solar Fuels.

    PubMed

    Xu, Yuxing; Li, Ailong; Yao, Tingting; Ma, Changtong; Zhang, Xianwen; Shah, Jafar Hussain; Han, Hongxian

    2017-11-23

    Converting sunlight to solar fuels by artificial photosynthesis is an innovative science and technology for renewable energy. Light harvesting, photogenerated charge separation and transfer (CST), and catalytic reactions are the three primary steps in the processes involved in the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy (SE-CE). Among the processes, CST is the key "energy pump and delivery" step in determining the overall solar-energy conversion efficiency. Efficient CST is always high priority in designing and assembling artificial photosynthesis systems for solar-fuel production. This Review not only introduces the fundamental strategies for CST but also the combinatory application of these strategies to five types of the most-investigated semiconductor-based artificial photosynthesis systems: particulate, Z-scheme, hybrid, photoelectrochemical, and photovoltaics-assisted systems. We show that artificial photosynthesis systems with high SE-CE efficiency can be rationally designed and constructed through combinatory application of these strategies, setting a promising blueprint for the future of solar fuels. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. From Förster resonance energy transfer to coherent resonance energy transfer and back

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clegg, Robert M.; Sener, Melih; Govindjee, .

    2010-02-01

    Photosynthesis converts solar energy into chemical energy. It provides food and oxygen; and, in the future, it could directly provide bioenergy or renewable energy sources, such as bio-alcohol or hydrogen. To exploit such a highly efficient capture of energy requires an understanding of the fundamental physics. The process is initiated by photon absorption, followed by highly efficient and extremely rapid transfer and trapping of the excitation energy. We first review early fluorescence experiments on in vivo energy transfer, which were undertaken to understand the mechanism of such efficient energy capture. A historical synopsis is given of experiments and interpretations by others that dealt with the question of how energy is transferred from the original location of photon absorption in the photosynthetic antenna system into the reaction centers, where it is converted into useful chemical energy. We conclude by examining the physical basis of some current models concerning the roles of coherent excitons and incoherent hopping in the exceptionally efficient transfer of energy into the reaction center.

  4. Highly efficient solar-pumped Nd:YAG laser.

    PubMed

    Liang, Dawei; Almeida, Joana

    2011-12-19

    The recent progress in solar-pumped laser with Fresnel lens and Cr:Nd:YAG ceramic medium has revitalized solar laser researches, revealing a promising future for renewable reduction of magnesium from magnesium oxide. Here we show a big advance in solar laser collection efficiency by utilizing an economical Fresnel lens and a most widely used Nd:YAG single-crystal rod. The incoming solar radiation from the sun is focused by a 0.9 m diameter Fresnel lens. A dielectric totally internally reflecting secondary concentrator is employed to couple the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone to a 4 mm diameter Nd:YAG rod within a conical pumping cavity. 12.3 W cw laser power is produced, corresponding to 19.3 W/m(2) collection efficiency, which is 2.9 times larger than the previous results with Nd:YAG single-crystal medium. Record-high slope efficiency of 3.9% is also registered. Laser beam quality is considerably improved by pumping a 3 mm diameter Nd:YAG rod.

  5. A logistic regression approach to model the willingness of consumers to adopt renewable energy sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ulkhaq, M. M.; Widodo, A. K.; Yulianto, M. F. A.; Widhiyaningrum; Mustikasari, A.; Akshinta, P. Y.

    2018-03-01

    The implementation of renewable energy in this globalization era is inevitable since the non-renewable energy leads to climate change and global warming; hence, it does harm the environment and human life. However, in the developing countries, such as Indonesia, the implementation of the renewable energy sources does face technical and social problems. For the latter, renewable energy sources implementation is only effective if the public is aware of its benefits. This research tried to identify the determinants that influence consumers’ intention in adopting renewable energy sources. In addition, this research also tried to predict the consumers who are willing to apply the renewable energy sources in their houses using a logistic regression approach. A case study was conducted in Semarang, Indonesia. The result showed that only eight variables (from fifteen) that are significant statistically, i.e., educational background, employment status, income per month, average electricity cost per month, certainty about the efficiency of renewable energy project, relatives’ influence to adopt the renewable energy sources, energy tax deduction, and the condition of the price of the non-renewable energy sources. The finding of this study could be used as a basis for the government to set up a policy towards an implementation of the renewable energy sources.

  6. Renewable Electricity Futures Study. Volume 1. Exploration of High-Penetration Renewable Electricity Futures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hand, M. M.; Baldwin, S.; DeMeo, E.

    2012-06-15

    The Renewable Electricity Futures (RE Futures) Study investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. The analysis focused on the sufficiency of the geographically diverse U.S. renewable resources to meet electricity demand over future decades, the hourly operational characteristics of the U.S. grid with high levels of variable wind and solar generation, and the potential implications of deploying high levels of renewables in the future. RE Futures focused on technical aspects of high penetration of renewable electricity; it did not focus on how to achieve such a futuremore » through policy or other measures. Given the inherent uncertainties involved with analyzing alternative long-term energy futures as well as the multiple pathways that might be taken to achieve higher levels of renewable electricity supply, RE Futures explored a range of scenarios to investigate and compare the impacts of renewable electricity penetration levels (30%–90%), future technology performance improvements, potential constraints to renewable electricity development, and future electricity demand growth assumptions. RE Futures was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Learn more at the RE Futures website. http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/re_futures/« less

  7. The use of renewable energy in the form of methane via electrolytic hydrogen generation using carbon dioxide as the feedstock

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hashimoto, Koji; Kumagai, Naokazu; Izumiya, Koichi; Takano, Hiroyuki; Shinomiya, Hiroyuki; Sasaki, Yusuke; Yoshida, Tetsuya; Kato, Zenta

    2016-12-01

    The history reveals the continuous increase in world energy consumption and carbon emissions. For prevention of intolerable global warming and complete exhaustion of fossil fuels we need complete conversion from fossil fuel consumption to renewable energy. We have been performing the research and development of global carbon dioxide recycling for more than 25 years to supply renewable energy to the world in the form of methane produced by the reaction of carbon dioxide captured from chimney with hydrogen generated electrolytically using electricity generated by renewable energy. We created the cathode and anode for electrolytic hydrogen generation and the catalyst for carbon dioxide methanation by the reaction with hydrogen. The methane formation from renewable energy will be the most convenient and efficient key technology for the use of renewable energy by storage of intermittent and fluctuating electricity generated from renewable energy and by regeneration of stable electricity. Domestic and international cooperation of companies for industrialization is in progress.

  8. Sustainable IT and IT for Sustainability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Zhenhua

    Energy and sustainability have become one of the most critical issues of our generation. While the abundant potential of renewable energy such as solar and wind provides a real opportunity for sustainability, their intermittency and uncertainty present a daunting operating challenge. This thesis aims to develop analytical models, deployable algorithms, and real systems to enable efficient integration of renewable energy into complex distributed systems with limited information. The first thrust of the thesis is to make IT systems more sustainable by facilitating the integration of renewable energy into these systems. IT represents the fastest growing sectors in energy usage and greenhouse gas pollution. Over the last decade there are dramatic improvements in the energy efficiency of IT systems, but the efficiency improvements do not necessarily lead to reduction in energy consumption because more servers are demanded. Further, little effort has been put in making IT more sustainable, and most of the improvements are from improved "engineering" rather than improved "algorithms". In contrast, my work focuses on developing algorithms with rigorous theoretical analysis that improve the sustainability of IT. In particular, this thesis seeks to exploit the flexibilities of cloud workloads both (i) in time by scheduling delay-tolerant workloads and (ii) in space by routing requests to geographically diverse data centers. These opportunities allow data centers to adaptively respond to renewable availability, varying cooling efficiency, and fluctuating energy prices, while still meeting performance requirements. The design of the enabling algorithms is however very challenging because of limited information, non-smooth objective functions and the need for distributed control. Novel distributed algorithms are developed with theoretically provable guarantees to enable the "follow the renewables" routing. Moving from theory to practice, I helped HP design and implement industry's first Net-zero Energy Data Center. The second thrust of this thesis is to use IT systems to improve the sustainability and efficiency of our energy infrastructure through data center demand response. The main challenges as we integrate more renewable sources to the existing power grid come from the fluctuation and unpredictability of renewable generation. Although energy storage and reserves can potentially solve the issues, they are very costly. One promising alternative is to make the cloud data centers demand responsive. The potential of such an approach is huge. To realize this potential, we need adaptive and distributed control of cloud data centers and new electricity market designs for distributed electricity resources. My work is progressing in both directions. In particular, I have designed online algorithms with theoretically guaranteed performance for data center operators to deal with uncertainties under popular demand response programs. Based on local control rules of customers, I have further designed new pricing schemes for demand response to align the interests of customers, utility companies, and the society to improve social welfare.

  9. NREL 2009 Video

    ScienceCinema

    McGrath, Robert; Arvizu, Dan; Garrett, Bobi; Porto, Casey; Glover, William

    2017-12-11

    The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located in Golden, Colorado, is charting the course with an aggressive plan to position the lab as the pivotal contributor to a new energy economy. NRELs work focuses on advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies from concept to commercialization. The laboratory partners with industry to move technologies to the marketplace.

  10. 10 CFR 440.21 - Weatherization materials standards and energy audit procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 75 percent; or, in the case of a solar system, it has a thermal efficiency rating of at least 15...) of this section describes the performance and quality standards for renewable energy systems... petition from a manufacturer requesting the Secretary to certify an item as a renewable energy system...

  11. 76 FR 76174 - Request for Information on the State of the Offshore Renewable Energy Industry-Auction Format...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [Docket BOEM-2011-0095] Request for...) AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Request for information. SUMMARY..., each designed to efficiently issue renewable energy leases to those who value them most and are best...

  12. Guide to Employing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Technologies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    12 Figure 3 Azimuth vs. True South ...................................... 13 Figure 4 Tilt Angle Determination...tactical or remote environments. They also provide work space cooling/heating applications. These technologies accomplish the following:  Harvest ...Marines must first understand the power they require to accomplish the mission and the capabilities and limitations of renewable energy harvesting

  13. MRI, Battelle and Bechtel to Manage National Renewable Energy Lab

    Science.gov Websites

    Research Institute (MRI), Battelle Memorial Institute and Bechtel Corp. "We believe this new team had won the competition to manage and operate NREL for the next five years. The contract signing next five years, depending on congressional appropriations for renewable energy and energy efficiency

  14. Terrestrial Micro Renewable Energy Applications of Space Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Komerath, N. M.; Komerath, P. P.

    This paper explores the synergy between technologies intended for extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization and those for terrestrial mass-market micro renewable power generation systems. The case for a micro renewable energy architecture is presented. The obstacles hindering market success are summarized, along with opportunities from recent demonstrations suggesting that the public appetite for sophisticated technology worldwide may be underappreciated by technical researchers. Technical innovations from space research are summarized along with estimates of possible conversion efficiencies. It is argued that the cost-effectiveness of micro power generation must be viewed through the value of the first few watts of available power, rather than the marginal cost per kilowatt-hour of electric power from utility power grids. This leads to the finding that the actual target cost per unit power, and efficiency, are well within reach of space technology products. Hybrid systems integrating power extraction from multiple resources, and adaptable for multiple applications, can break through mass market price barriers. Recent work to develop learning resources and test beds as part of a Micro Renewable Energy Laboratory is summarized.

  15. A Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Highly Porous Carbon Nanoplatelets: Efficient Catalysts for Oxygen Electroreduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yaqing; Zhang, Xianlei; Ma, Xiuxiu; Guo, Wenhui; Wang, Chunchi; Asefa, Tewodros; He, Xingquan

    2017-02-01

    The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of great importance for various renewable energy conversion technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Heteroatom-doped carbon nanomaterials have proven to be robust metal-free electrocatalysts for ORR in the above-mentioned energy devices. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of novel highly porous N-doped carbon nanoplatelets (N-HPCNPs) derived from oatmeal (or a biological material) and we show the materials’ high-efficiency as electrocatalyst for ORR. The obtained N-HPCNPs hybrid materials exhibit superior electrocatalytic activities towards ORR, besides excellent stability and good methanol tolerance in both basic and acidic electrolytes. The unique nanoarchitectures with rich micropores and mesopores, as well as the high surface area-to-volume ratios, present in the materials significantly increase the density of accessible catalytically active sites in them and facilitate the transport of electrons and electrolyte within the materials. Consequently, the N-HPCNPs catalysts hold a great potential to serve as low-cost and highly efficient cathode materials in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).

  16. Conceptual design of a high-speed electromagnetic switch for a modified flux-coupling-type SFCL and its application in renewable energy system.

    PubMed

    Chen, Lei; Chen, Hongkun; Yang, Jun; Shu, Zhengyu; He, Huiwen; Shu, Xin

    2016-01-01

    The modified flux-coupling-type superconducting fault current (SFCL) is a high-efficient electrical auxiliary device, whose basic function is to suppress the short-circuit current by controlling the magnetic path through a high-speed switch. In this paper, the high-speed switch is based on electromagnetic repulsion mechanism, and its conceptual design is carried out to promote the application of the modified SFCL. Regarding that the switch which is consisting of a mobile copper disc, two fixed opening and closing coils, the computational method for the electromagnetic force is discussed, and also the dynamic mathematical model including circuit equation, magnetic field equation as well as mechanical motion equation is theoretically deduced. According to the mathematical modeling and calculation of characteristic parameters, a feasible design scheme is presented, and the high-speed switch's response time can be less than 0.5 ms. For that the modified SFCL is equipped with this high-speed switch, the SFCL's application in a 10 kV micro-grid system with multiple renewable energy sources are assessed in the MATLAB software. The simulations are well able to affirm the SFCL's performance behaviors.

  17. Robotics Intern Retrofits Home Appliance to Operate in New, More-Efficient

    Science.gov Websites

    Ways | News | NREL Robotics Intern Retrofits Home Appliance to Operate in New, More-Efficient Ways Robotics Intern Retrofits Home Appliance to Operate in New, More-Efficient Ways November 2, 2017 Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Robotics Internship Program. Photo courtesy of Jamie Santos

  18. 75 FR 31323 - Energy Efficiency Program: Energy Conservation Standards Furnace Fans: Public Meeting and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-03

    .... EERE-2010-BT-STD-0011] RIN 1904-AC22 Energy Efficiency Program: Energy Conservation Standards Furnace Fans: Public Meeting and Availability of the Framework Document AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and... Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies, EE-2J, 1000 Independence...

  19. [Efficiency of industrial energy conservation and carbon emission reduction in Liaoning Pro-vince based on data envelopment analysis (DEA)method.

    PubMed

    Wang, Li; Xi, Feng Ming; Li, Jin Xin; Liu, Li Li

    2016-09-01

    Taking 39 industries as independent decision-making units in Liaoning Province from 2003 to 2012 and considering the benefits of energy, economy and environment, we combined direction distance function and radial DEA method to estimate and decompose the energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction efficiency of the industries. Carbon emission of each industry was calculated and defined as an undesirable output into the model of energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency. The results showed that energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency of industries had obvious heterogeneity in Liaoning Province. The whole energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction efficiency in each industry of Liaoning Province was not high, but it presented a rising trend. Improvements of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency were the main measures to enhance energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency, especially scale efficiency improvement. In order to improve the energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency of each industry in Liaoning Province, we put forward that Liaoning Province should adjust industry structure, encourage the development of low carbon high benefit industries, improve scientific and technological level and adjust the industry scale reasonably, meanwhile, optimize energy structure, and develop renewable and clean energy.

  20. 76 FR 47178 - Energy Efficiency Program: Test Procedure for Lighting Systems (Luminaires)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-04

    ...: Test Procedure for Lighting Systems (Luminaires) AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable... (``DOE'' or the ``Department'') is currently evaluating energy efficiency test procedures for luminaires... products. DOE recognizes that well-designed test procedures are important to produce reliable, repeatable...

  1. 77 FR 7942 - Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-13

    ... Sequence No. Title Identifier No. 315 Energy Efficiency 1904-AB57 Standards for Battery Chargers and... Renewable Energy (EE) Proposed Rule Stage 315. Energy Efficiency Standards for Battery Chargers and External... regulatory flexibility agenda is made up of six rulemakings setting energy efficiency standards for the...

  2. Catching Fire: An Analysis of Maine's Combined Heat and Power Energy Incentive Policies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laufer, Joshua A.

    This study qualitatively reviews and analyzes Maine's state-level incentive policies and regulations to catalyze the development of renewably fueled Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facilities by utilizing a framework developed by Janet Sawin. The results of the analysis indicate that additional opportunities exist to promote additional renewable CHP plant development through both strengthening existing state policies and passing new legislation. Maine's Renewable Portfolio Standard and Production-Based Incentive pilot program could be expanded in scope and in their level of support for renewable CHP. New policies could be enacted to further accelerate renewable CHP development in the state, such as a Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the creation of a grant program for level 2 feasibility studies within the existing Public Benefits Fund (PBF), Efficiency Maine Trust.

  3. Disaster Resiliency and Recovery Example Project: Galena, Alaska |

    Science.gov Websites

    Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to identify energy-efficient rebuilding solutions, including measures to potential for water and energy efficiency measures, as well as appropriate on site renewable energy

  4. Renewable Electricity Futures: Exploration of a U.S. Grid with 80% Renewable Electricity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mai, Trieu

    2013-04-01

    Renewable Electricity Futures is an initial investigation of the extent to which renewable energy supply can meet the electricity demands of the contiguous United States over the next several decades. This study explores the implications and challenges of very high renewable electricity generation levels: from 30% up to 90% (focusing on 80%) of all U.S. electricity generation from renewable technologies in 2050. At such high levels of renewable electricity penetration, the unique characteristics of some renewable resources, specifically geographical distribution and variability and un-certainty in output, pose challenges to the operability of the nation's electric system. The study focuses on key technical implications of this environment from a national perspective, exploring whether the U.S. power system can supply electricity to meet customer demand on an hourly basis with high levels of renewable electricity, including variable wind and solar generation. The study also identifies some of the potential economic, environmental, and social implications of deploying and integrating high levels of renewable electricity in the U.S. The full report and associated supporting information is available at: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/refutures/.

  5. Frito-Lay North America/NREL CRADA: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-06-176

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walker, A.

    2013-06-01

    Frito Lay North America (FLNA) requires technical assistance for the evaluation and implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in production facilities and distribution centers across North America. Services provided by NREL do not compete with those available in the private sector, but rather provide FLNA with expertise to create opportunities for the private sector renewable/efficiency industries and to inform FLNA decision making regarding cost-effective projects. Services include: identifying the most cost-effective project locations based on renewable energy resource data, utility data, incentives and other parameters affecting projects; assistance with feasibility studies; procurement specifications; design reviews; and other servicesmore » to support FNLA in improving resource efficiency at facilities. This Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) establishes the terms and conditions under which FLNA may access capabilities unique to the laboratory and required by FLNA. Each subsequent task issued under this umbrella agreement would include a scope-of-work, budget, schedule, and provisions for intellectual property specific to that task.« less

  6. Renewable Electricity Futures Study. Volume 2: Renewable Electricity Generation and Storage Technologies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Augustine, C.; Bain, R.; Chapman, J.

    2012-06-01

    The Renewable Electricity Futures (RE Futures) Study investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. The analysis focused on the sufficiency of the geographically diverse U.S. renewable resources to meet electricity demand over future decades, the hourly operational characteristics of the U.S. grid with high levels of variable wind and solar generation, and the potential implications of deploying high levels of renewables in the future. RE Futures focused on technical aspects of high penetration of renewable electricity; it did not focus on how to achieve such a futuremore » through policy or other measures. Given the inherent uncertainties involved with analyzing alternative long-term energy futures as well as the multiple pathways that might be taken to achieve higher levels of renewable electricity supply, RE Futures explored a range of scenarios to investigate and compare the impacts of renewable electricity penetration levels (30%-90%), future technology performance improvements, potential constraints to renewable electricity development, and future electricity demand growth assumptions. RE Futures was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).« less

  7. The Failure of Eco-Efficiency to Guarantee Sustainability: Future Challenges for Industrial Ecology

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Huesemann, Michael H.

    Western industrialized societies are inherently unsustainable in their present form because they depend almost exclusively on a finite supply of non-renewable minerals and fossil fuels. In addition, the resulting wastes cause various environmental problems ranging from widespread ecosystem disruptions to global warming. The most common response to these problems has been to promote technological improvements in eco-efficiency, which may be defined as ''adding maximum value with minimum resource use and minimum pollution'' (Welford 1997). While constructive, improvements in eco-efficiency alone will not guarantee sustainability of industrialized societies because the limited supplies of non-renewable minerals cannot be extended indefinitely via recyclingmore » and substitution, and a transition to renewable and nuclear energy sources would result in significant negative environmental impacts, particularly if deployed on a large scale. In addition, according to the second law of thermodynamics, industrial production technologies have inherently unavoidable environmental impacts. Finally, any hard won improvements in eco-efficiency will soon be negated if growth in population and consumption is allowed to continue. Consequently, long-term industrial sustainability can only be achieved through a transition to a steady-state economy where the total throughput of matter-energy is kept at a constant and sustainable level. This requires not only improvements in eco-efficiency but also a reassessment of fundamental societal values that erroneously equate material consumption and economic growth with well-being and happiness.« less

  8. Storing Renewable Energy in the Hydrogen Cycle.

    PubMed

    Züttel, Andreas; Callini, Elsa; Kato, Shunsuke; Atakli, Züleyha Özlem Kocabas

    2015-01-01

    An energy economy based on renewable energy requires massive energy storage, approx. half of the annual energy consumption. Therefore, the production of a synthetic energy carrier, e.g. hydrogen, is necessary. The hydrogen cycle, i.e. production of hydrogen from water by renewable energy, storage and use of hydrogen in fuel cells, combustion engines or turbines is a closed cycle. Electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen and represents a mature technology in the power range up to 100 kW. However, the major technological challenge is to build electrolyzers in the power range of several MW producing high purity hydrogen with a high efficiency. After the production of hydrogen, large scale and safe hydrogen storage is required. Hydrogen is stored either as a molecule or as an atom in the case of hydrides. The maximum volumetric hydrogen density of a molecular hydrogen storage is limited to the density of liquid hydrogen. In a complex hydride the hydrogen density is limited to 20 mass% and 150 kg/m(3) which corresponds to twice the density of liquid hydrogen. Current research focuses on the investigation of new storage materials based on combinations of complex hydrides with amides and the understanding of the hydrogen sorption mechanism in order to better control the reaction for the hydrogen storage applications.

  9. A System of Systems (SoS) Approach to Sustainable Energy Planning in MENA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahlooji, Maral; Ristic, Bora; Price, Katherine; Madani, Kaveh

    2016-04-01

    The global issue of climate change has put pressure on governments to de-carbonise their energy portfolios by transitioning from the dominant use of fossil fuels energy to extensive use of renewable energies. The lack of renewable energy laws and credible targets and valid roadmaps for energy policies within the MENA region has let to ambitious and unrealistic renewable targets, where countries such as Djibouti and Morocco are aiming for 100% and 42% renewables respectively, by 2020, while Kuwait and Qatar are only aiming for 5% and 6% respectively. Nevertheless, this demonstrates the commitment and desirability of the members of the MENA region on increasing their share of renewables in their energy mix to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the region and minimise the unintended impacts of energy technologies on major natural resources through use of cost efficient technologies. The Relative Aggregate Footprint (RAF) of energy sources among the member states of the MENA region is assessed by applying the "System of Systems (SoS) Approach to Energy Sustainability Assessment" (Hadian and Madani, 2015). RAF demonstrates the efficiency of the overall resource-use of energy resources through creating a trade-off between carbon footprint, land footprint, water footprint, and economic cost. Using the resource availability of each member states, weights are assigned to the four criteria. This allows the evaluation of the desirability of energy sources with respect to regional resource availability and therefore, the efficiency of the overall resource-use of the energy portfolio of the MENA region is determined. This study has recognised the need for reform and radical changes within the MENA region's energy profile to make a significant contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions in order to use the resources in a sustainable way and increase the regional energy security of the member states across MENA. Reference: Hadian S, Madani K (2015) A System of Systems Approach to Energy Sustainability Assessment: Are All Renewables Really Green? Ecological Indicators, 52, 194-206.

  10. Exploring the Effect of Climate Perturbations on Water Availability for Renewable Energy Development in the Indian Wells Valley, California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rey, David M.

    Energy and water are connected through the water-use cycle (e.g. obtaining, transporting, and treating water) and thermoelectric energy generation, which converts heat to electricity via steam-driven turbines. As the United States implements more renewable energy technologies, quantifying the relationships between energy, water, and land-surface impacts of these implementations will provide policy makers the strengths and weaknesses of different renewable energy options. In this study, a MODFLOW model of the Indian Wells Valley (IWV), in California, was developed to capture the water, energy, and land-surface impacts of potential proposed 1) solar, 2) wind, and 3) biofuel implementations. The model was calibrated to pre-existing groundwater head data from 1985 to present to develop a baseline model before running two-year predictive scenarios for photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), wind, and biofuel implementations. Additionally, the baseline model was perturbed by decreasing mountain front recharge values by 5%, 10%, and 15%, simulating potential future system perturbations under a changing climate. These potential future conditions were used to re-run each implementation scenario. Implementation scenarios were developed based on population, typical energy use per person, existing land-use and land-cover type within the IWV, and previously published values for water use, surface-area use, and energy-generation potential for each renewable fuel type. The results indicate that the quantity of water needed, localized drawdown from pumping water to meet implementation demands, and generation efficiency are strongly controlled by the fuel type, as well as the energy generating technology and thermoelectric technologies implemented. Specifically, PV and wind-turbine (WT) implementations required less than 1% of the estimated annual aquifer recharge, while technologies such as biofuels and CSP, which rely on thermoelectric generation, ranged from 3% to 20%. As modeled groundwater elevations declined in the IWV, the net generation (i.e. energy produced - energy used) of each renewable energy implementation decreased due a higher energy cost for pumping groundwater. The loss in efficiency was minimal for PV and wind solutions, with maximum changes in the drawdown being less than 10 m; however, for CSP and biofuel implementations drawdowns over 50 m were observed at the pumping well, resulting in electrical generation efficiency losses between 4% and 50% over a two-year period. It was concluded that PV would be the best balance between water and land-use for the IWV, or other groundwater dependent Basin and Range settings. In areas with limited water resources but abundant available land for implementation, WT solutions would have the smallest hydrologic impact. The impact of renewable scenarios was highly variable across and within differing fuel types, with the potential for larger negative impacts under a changing climate in areas with no perennial surface water.

  11. Light manipulation for organic optoelectronics using bio-inspired moth's eye nanostructures.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Lei; Ou, Qing-Dong; Chen, Jing-De; Shen, Su; Tang, Jian-Xin; Li, Yan-Qing; Lee, Shuit-Tong

    2014-02-10

    Organic-based optoelectronic devices, including light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and solar cells (OSCs) hold great promise as low-cost and large-area electro-optical devices and renewable energy sources. However, further improvement in efficiency remains a daunting challenge due to limited light extraction or absorption in conventional device architectures. Here we report a universal method of optical manipulation of light by integrating a dual-side bio-inspired moth's eye nanostructure with broadband anti-reflective and quasi-omnidirectional properties. Light out-coupling efficiency of OLEDs with stacked triple emission units is over 2 times that of a conventional device, resulting in drastic increase in external quantum efficiency and current efficiency to 119.7% and 366 cd A(-1) without introducing spectral distortion and directionality. Similarly, the light in-coupling efficiency of OSCs is increased 20%, yielding an enhanced power conversion efficiency of 9.33%. We anticipate this method would offer a convenient and scalable way for inexpensive and high-efficiency organic optoelectronic designs.

  12. Highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production of CdS-cluster-decorated graphene nanosheets.

    PubMed

    Li, Qin; Guo, Beidou; Yu, Jiaguo; Ran, Jingrun; Zhang, Baohong; Yan, Huijuan; Gong, Jian Ru

    2011-07-20

    The production of clean and renewable hydrogen through water splitting using photocatalysts has received much attention due to the increasing global energy crises. In this study, a high efficiency of the photocatalytic H(2) production was achieved using graphene nanosheets decorated with CdS clusters as visible-light-driven photocatalysts. The materials were prepared by a solvothermal method in which graphene oxide (GO) served as the support and cadmium acetate (Cd(Ac)(2)) as the CdS precursor. These nanosized composites reach a high H(2)-production rate of 1.12 mmol h(-1) (about 4.87 times higher than that of pure CdS nanoparticles) at graphene content of 1.0 wt % and Pt 0.5 wt % under visible-light irradiation and an apparent quantum efficiency (QE) of 22.5% at wavelength of 420 nm. This high photocatalytic H(2)-production activity is attributed predominantly to the presence of graphene, which serves as an electron collector and transporter to efficiently lengthen the lifetime of the photogenerated charge carriers from CdS nanoparticles. This work highlights the potential application of graphene-based materials in the field of energy conversion.

  13. Green technology for conversion of renewable hydrocarbon based on plasma-catalytic approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fedirchyk, Igor; Nedybaliuk, Oleg; Chernyak, Valeriy; Demchina, Valentina

    2016-09-01

    The ability to convert renewable biomass into fuels and chemicals is one of the most important steps on our path to green technology and sustainable development. However, the complex composition of biomass poses a major problem for established conversion technologies. The high temperature of thermochemical biomass conversion often leads to the appearance of undesirable byproducts and waste. The catalytic conversion has reduced yield and feedstock range. Plasma-catalytic reforming technology opens a new path for biomass conversion by replacing feedstock-specific catalysts with free radicals generated in the plasma. We studied the plasma-catalytic conversion of several renewable hydrocarbons using the air plasma created by rotating gliding discharge. We found that plasma-catalytic hydrocarbon conversion can be conducted at significantly lower temperatures (500 K) than during the thermochemical ( 1000 K) and catalytic (800 K) conversion. By using gas chromatography, we determined conversion products and found that conversion efficiency of plasma-catalytic conversion reaches over 85%. We used obtained data to determine the energy yield of hydrogen in case of plasma-catalytic reforming of ethanol and compared it with other plasma-based hydrogen-generating systems.

  14. Production of dimethylfuran for liquid fuels from biomass-derived carbohydrates.

    PubMed

    Román-Leshkov, Yuriy; Barrett, Christopher J; Liu, Zhen Y; Dumesic, James A

    2007-06-21

    Diminishing fossil fuel reserves and growing concerns about global warming indicate that sustainable sources of energy are needed in the near future. For fuels to be useful in the transportation sector, they must have specific physical properties that allow for efficient distribution, storage and combustion; these properties are currently fulfilled by non-renewable petroleum-derived liquid fuels. Ethanol, the only renewable liquid fuel currently produced in large quantities, suffers from several limitations, including low energy density, high volatility, and contamination by the absorption of water from the atmosphere. Here we present a catalytic strategy for the production of 2,5-dimethylfuran from fructose (a carbohydrate obtained directly from biomass or by the isomerization of glucose) for use as a liquid transportation fuel. Compared to ethanol, 2,5-dimethylfuran has a higher energy density (by 40 per cent), a higher boiling point (by 20 K), and is not soluble in water. This catalytic strategy creates a route for transforming abundant renewable biomass resources into a liquid fuel suitable for the transportation sector, and may diminish our reliance on petroleum.

  15. Supersonic transport grid generation, validation, and optimization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aaronson, Philip G.

    1995-01-01

    The ever present demand for reduced flight times has renewed interest in High Speed Civil Transports (HSCT). The need for an HSCT becomes especially apparent when the long distance, over-sea, high growth Pacific rim routes are considered. Crucial to any successful HSCT design are minimal environmental impact and economic viability. Vital is the transport's aerodynamic efficiency, ultimately effecting both the environmental impact and the operating cost. Optimization, including numerical optimization, coupled with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology, has and will offer a significant improvement beyond traditional methods.

  16. High Performance Flat Plate Solar Thermal Collector Evaluation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rockenbaugh, Caleb; Dean, Jesse; Lovullo, David

    2016-09-01

    This report was prepared for the General Services Administration by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Honeycomb Solar Thermal Collector (HSTC) is a flat plate solar thermal collector that shows promising high efficiencies over a wide range of climate zones. The technical objectives of this study are to: 1) verify collector performance, 2) compare that performance to other market-available collectors, 3) verify overheat protection, and 4) analyze the economic performance of the HSTC both at the demonstration sites and across a matrix of climate zones and utility markets.

  17. Hydrogen Fueling Station in Honolulu, Hawaii Feasibility Analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Porter Hill; Michael Penev

    2014-08-01

    The Department of Energy Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Program Plan (September 2011) identifies the use of hydrogen for government and fleet electric vehicles as a key step for achieving “reduced greenhouse gas emissions; reduced oil consumption; expanded use of renewable power …; highly efficient energy conversion; fuel flexibility …; reduced air pollution; and highly reliable grid-support.” This report synthesizes several pieces of existing information that can inform a decision regarding the viability of deploying a hydrogen (H2) fueling station at the Fort Armstrong site in Honolulu, Hawaii.

  18. 10 CFR 431.21 - Procedures for recognition and withdrawal of recognition of accreditation bodies and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Electric Motors Test Procedures, Materials Incorporated and Methods of Determining Efficiency § 431.21 Procedures... Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal...

  19. 10 CFR 431.95 - Materials incorporated by reference.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hearings and Dockets, “Test Procedures and Efficiency Standards... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Materials incorporated by reference. 431.95 Section 431.95 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND...

  20. 10 CFR 430.3 - Materials incorporated by reference.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, 6th Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza, SW... B. (8) ASHRAE 103-1993, Methods of Testing for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of Residential...) ASHRAE 116-1995 (RA 2005), Methods of Testing for Rating Seasonal Efficiency of Unitary Air Conditioners...

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