Final Results from U.S. FCEV Learning Demonstration

This presentation discusses the objectives of the U.S. DOE Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Learning Demonstration Project, describes NREL's technology validation approach, and summarizes key technical results from the project.
Date: May 1, 2012
Creator: Wipke, K.; Sprik, S.; Kurtz, J.; Ramsden, T.; Ainscough, C. & Saur, G.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Targeting Net Zero Energy for Military Installations

Targeting Net Zero Energy for Military Installations in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. A net zero energy installation (NZEI) is one that produces as much energy from on-site renewable sources as it consumes. NZEI assessment provides a systematic approach to energy projects.
Date: May 1, 2012
Creator: Burman, K.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Infrastructure Analysis Tools: A Focus on Cash Flow Analysis

NREL has developed and maintains a variety of infrastructure analysis models for the U.S. Department of Energy. Business case analysis has recently been added to this tool set. This presentation focuses on cash flow analysis. Cash flows depend upon infrastructure costs, optimized spatially and temporally, and assumptions about financing and revenue. NREL has incorporated detailed metrics on financing and incentives into the models. Next steps in modeling include continuing to collect feedback on regional/local infrastructure development activities and 'roadmap' dynamics, and incorporating consumer preference assumptions on infrastructure to provide direct feedback between vehicles and station rollout.
Date: September 1, 2012
Creator: Melaina, M. & Penev, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Jobs and Economic Development Impacts from Small Wind: JEDI Model in the Works

This presentation covers the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's role in economic impact analysis for wind power Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models, JEDI results, small wind JEDI specifics, and a request for information to complete the model.
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Tegen, S.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Gearbox Reliability Collaborative Update: A Brief

This presentation is an update on the Gearbox Reliability Collaborative (GRC) for the AWEA Wind Project Operations, Maintenance & Reliability Seminar. GRC accomplishments are: (1) Failure database software deployed - partners see business value for themselves and customers; (2) Designed, built, instrumented, and tested two gearboxes - (a) Generated unprecedented public domain test data from both field testing and dynamometer testing, (b) Different responses from 'identical' gearboxes, (c) Demonstrated importance of non-torque loading and modeling approach; and (3) Active collaborative, with wide industry support, leveraging DOE funding - Modeling round robin and Condition Monitoring round robin.
Date: January 1, 2012
Creator: Sheng, S.; Keller, J. & McDade, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library

MD PHEV/EV ARRA Project Data Collection and Reporting

This presentation describes a National Renewable Energy Laboratory project to collect and analyze commercial fleet deployment data from medium-duty plug-in hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles that were deployed using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This work supports the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program and its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity.
Date: January 1, 2012
Creator: Walkowicz, K.; Ramroth, L.; Duran, A. & Rosen, B.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Humidity, Temperature, and Voltage

An update is given on the work of the PV Quality Assurance Task Force; Group 3: studying the effects of humidity, temperature, and voltage bias.
Date: March 1, 2012
Creator: Wohlgemuth, J.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Real-Time Imaging of Plant Cell Wall Structure at Nanometer Scale, with Respect to Cellulase Accessibility and Degradation Kinetics

Presentation on real-time imaging of plant cell wall structure at nanometer scale. Objectives are to develop tools to measure biomass at the nanometer scale; elucidate the molecular bases of biomass deconstruction; and identify factors that affect the conversion efficiency of biomass-to-biofuels.
Date: May 1, 2012
Creator: Ding, S. Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Modeling Metal Fatigue As a Key Step in PV Module Life Time Prediction

This presentation covers modeling metal fatigue as a key step in photovoltaic (PV) module lifetime predictions. Described are time-dependent and time-independent case studies.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Bosco, N.
System: The UNT Digital Library

NREL Test-to-Failure Protocol [Presentation]

The presentation describes the test-to-failure protocol that was developed and piloted at NREL, stressing PV modules with multiple applications of damp heat (with bias) and thermal cycling until they fail.
Date: March 1, 2012
Creator: Hacke, P.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Fuel Cell Backup Power Technology Validation

Presentation about fuel cell backup power technology validation activities at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Date: October 1, 2012
Creator: Kurtz, J.; Sprik, S.; Ramsden, T. & Saur, G.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Role of Smarter Grids in Variable Renewable Resource Integration

This presentation discusses the role of smarter grids in variable renewable resource integration and references material from a forthcoming ISGAN issue paper: Smart Grid Contributions to Variable Renewable Resource Integration, co-written by the presenter and currently in review.
Date: July 1, 2012
Creator: Miller, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Renewable Energy 101 (Presentation)

Presentation given at the 2012 Department of Homeland Security Renewable Energy Roundtable as an introduction to renewable technologies and applications.
Date: March 1, 2012
Creator: Walker, A.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Renewable Electricity Futures

This presentation library summarizes findings of NREL's Renewable Electricity Futures study, published in June 2012. RE Futures investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. It was presented at the 2012 RE AMP Annual Meeting. RE-AMP is an active network of 144 nonprofits and foundations across eight Midwestern states working on climate change and energy policy with the goal of reducing global warming pollution economy-wide 80% by 2050.
Date: August 1, 2012
Creator: Mai, Trieu
System: The UNT Digital Library

Early Fuel Cell Market Deployments: ARRA and Combined (IAA, DLA, ARRA); November 2011 Composite Data Products - Deployment

This presentation is about the Early Fuel Cell Market Deployments: ARRA and Combined (IAA, DLA, ARRA). November 2011 Composite Data Products - Deployment November 30, 2011.
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Kurtz, J.; Wipke, K.; Sprik, S.; Ramsden, T. & Ainscough, C.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Renewable Electricity Futures

This presentation library summarizes findings of NREL's Renewable Electricity Futures study, published in June 2012. RE Futures investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. It is being presented at the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group Fall Technical Workshop on October 24, 2012.
Date: October 1, 2012
Creator: Hand, M. Maureen
System: The UNT Digital Library

Introducing an Absolute Cavity Pyrgeometer for Improving the Atmospheric Longwave Irradiance Measurement

Advancing climate change research requires accurate and traceable measurement of the atmospheric longwave irradiance. Current measurement capabilities are limited to an estimated uncertainty of larger than +/- 4 W/m2 using the interim World Infrared Standard Group (WISG). WISG is traceable to the Systeme international d'unites (SI) through blackbody calibrations. An Absolute Cavity Pyrgeometer (ACP) is being developed to measure absolute outdoor longwave irradiance with traceability to SI using the temperature scale (ITS-90) and the sky as the reference source, instead of a blackbody. The ACP was designed by NREL and optically characterized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Under clear-sky and stable conditions, the responsivity of the ACP is determined by lowering the temperature of the cavity and calculating the rate of change of the thermopile output voltage versus the changing net irradiance. The absolute atmospheric longwave irradiance is then calculated with an uncertainty of +/- 3.96 W/m2 with traceability to SI. The measured irradiance by the ACP was compared with the irradiance measured by two pyrgeometers calibrated by the World Radiation Center with traceability to the WISG. A total of 408 readings was collected over three different clear nights. The calculated irradiance measured by the ACP …
Date: August 1, 2012
Creator: Reda, I.; Hansen, L. & Zeng, J.
System: The UNT Digital Library

In-Use Performance Results of Medium Duty Electric Vehicles

This presentation describes a DOE program to monitor and report on vehicle performance and energy utilization of medium-duty and heavy-duty electric vehicles.
Date: July 1, 2012
Creator: Walkowicz, K.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Proposed Junction-Box Stress Test (Using an Added Weight) for Use During the Module Qualification

Engineering robust adhesion of the junction-box (j-box) is a hurdle typically encountered by photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturers during product development. Furthermore, there are historical incidences of adverse effects (e.g., fires) caused when the j-box/adhesive/module system has failed in the field. The addition of a weight to the j-box during the 'damp heat' IEC qualification test is proposed to verify the basic robustness of the j-box adhesion system. The details of the proposed test are described, in addition to the preliminary results conducted using representative materials and components.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Miller, D. C.; Wohlgemuth, J. H. & Kurtz, S. R.
System: The UNT Digital Library

IEC 61215: What It Is and Isn't

Description and history of the IEC 61215 qualification test, what it accomplishes, and what it does not accomplish that would be useful to the community. The commercial success of PV is based on long term reliability of the PV modules. Today's modules are typically qualified/certified to: (1) IEC 61215 for Crystalline Silicon Modules; (2) IEC 61646 for Thin Film Modules; and (3) IEC 62108 for CPV Modules. These qualification tests do an excellent job of identifying design, materials and process flaws that could lead to premature field failures. This talk will provide a summary of how IEC 61215 was developed, how well it works and what its limitations are.
Date: February 1, 2012
Creator: Wohlgemuth, J.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Durability of Polymeric Encapsulation Materials for Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems

Many concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems use a polymeric encapsulant to couple and optical component and/or coverglass to the cell. In that location, the encapsulation improves the transmission of concentrated optical flux through interface(s), while protecting the cell from the environment. The durability of encapsulation materials, however, is not well established relative to the desired service life of 30 years. Therefore, we have initiated a screen test to identify the field-induced failure modes for a variety of popular PV encapsulation materials. An existing CPV module (with no PV cells present) was modified to accommodate encapsulation specimens. The module (where nominal concentration of solar flux is 500x for the domed-Fresnel design) has been mounted on a tracker in Golden, CO (elevation 1.79 km). Initial results are reported here for 18 months cumulative exposure, including the hottest and coldest months of the past year. Characteristics observed at intervals during that time include: visual appearance, direct and hemispherical transmittance, and mass. Degradation may be assessed from subsequent analysis (including yellowness index and cut-on frequency) relative to the ambient conditions present during field exposure. The fluorescence signature observed of all the silicone specimens is examined here, including possible factors of causation -- the platinum catalyst …
Date: March 1, 2012
Creator: Miller, D. C.; Muller, M.; Kempe, M. D.; Araki, K.; Kennedy, C. E. & Kurtz, S. R.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Life Cycle GHG Emissions from Conventional Natural Gas Power Generation: Systematic Review and Harmonization

This research provides a systematic review and harmonization of the life cycle assessment (LCA) literature of electricity generated from conventionally produced natural gas. We focus on estimates of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted in the life cycle of electricity generation from conventionally produced natural gas in combustion turbines (NGCT) and combined-cycle (NGCC) systems. A process we term "harmonization" was employed to align several common system performance parameters and assumptions to better allow for cross-study comparisons, with the goal of clarifying central tendency and reducing variability in estimates of life cycle GHG emissions. This presentation summarizes preliminary results.
Date: December 1, 2012
Creator: Heath, G.; O'Donoughue, P. & Whitaker, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library

PV Installation Labor Market Analysis and PV JEDI Tool Developments

The potential economic benefits of the growing renewable energy sector have led to increased federal, state, and local investments in solar industries, including federal grants for expanded workforce training for U.S. solar installers. However, there remain gaps in the data required to understand the size and composition of the workforce needed to meet the demand for solar power. Through primary research on the U.S. solar installation employer base, this report seeks to address that gap, improving policymakers and other solar stakeholders understanding of both the evolving needs of these employers and the economic opportunity associated with solar market development. Included are labor market data covering current U.S. employment, expected industry growth, and employer skill preferences for solar installation-related occupations. This study offers an in-depth look at the solar installation sectors. A study published by the Solar Foundation in October 2011 provides a census of labor data across the entire solar value chain.
Date: June 1, 2012
Creator: Friedman, B.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Overview of Progress on the IEC Tracker Design Qualification Standard

An update is given on the IEC WG7's progress to write and publish a tracker design qualification standard.
Date: March 1, 2012
Creator: Muller, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library