Cost-minimized combinations of wind power, solar power and electrochemical storage, powering the grid up to 99.9% of the time

AbstractWe model many combinations of renewable electricity sources (inland wind, offshore wind, and photovoltaics) with electrochemical storage (batteries and fuel cells), incorporated into a large grid system (72 GW). The purpose is twofold: 1) although a single renewable generator at one site produces intermittent power, we seek combinations of diverse renewables at diverse sites, with storage, that are not intermittent and satisfy need a given fraction of hours. And 2) we seek minimal cost, calculating true cost of electricity without subsidies and with inclusion of external costs. Our model evaluated over 28 billion combinations of renewables and storage, each tested over 35,040 h (four years) of load and weather data. We find that the least cost solutions yield seemingly-excessive generation capacity—at times, almost three times the electricity needed to meet electrical load. This is because diverse renewable generation and the excess capacity together meet electric load with less storage, lowering total system cost. At 2030 technology costs and with excess electricity displacing natural gas, we find that the electric system can be powered 90%–99.9% of hours entirely on renewable electricity, at costs comparable to today's—but only if we optimize the mix of generation and storage technologies

ADVISOR Users Conference Proceedings 2000 - Final Electronic version

This is a compilation of papers presented at the ADVISOR (ADvanced Vehicle SimulatOR) Users Conference held in Costa Mesa, California, August 24-25, 2000. Major topics of the conference included modeling and simulation; partnering with the auto industry; co-simulation: partnering with the software industry in optimization and thermal modeling and geometric and mechanical modeling; forward-looking simulations coupled with ADVISOR; new concepts from universities; validation, vehicle development and applications

An overview of safety assessment, regulation, and control of hazardous material use at NREL

This paper summarizes the methodology we use to ensure the safe use of hazardous materials at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). First, we analyze the processes and the materials used in those processes to identify the hazards presented. Then we study federal, state, and local regulations and apply the relevant requirements to our operations. When necessary, we generate internal safety documents to consolidate this information. We design research operations and support systems to conform to these requirements. Before we construct the systems, we perform a semiquantitative risk analysis on likely accident scenarios. All scenarios presenting in unacceptable risk require system or procedural modifications to reduce the risk. Following these modifications, we repeat the risk analysis to ensure that the respective accident scenarios present acceptable risk. Once all risks are acceptable, we conduct an operational readiness review (ORR). A management appointed panel performs the ORR ensuring compliance with all relevant requirements. After successful completion of the ORR, operations can begin

Aquatic species project report: FY 1991

This report summarizes the progress and research accomplishments of the Aquatic Species Project, which is managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the US Department of Energy. The project is focused on applying genetic engineering techniques to enhance the lipid, or oil, production of microalgae. Those lipids can be extracted and processed into high-energy liquid fuels such as diesel. Because microalgae require carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse'' gas, as a nutrient, project researchers also study the role that microalgae could play in a possible global climate change mitigation strategy

Primary charge separation in isolated photosystem II reaction centers

Primary charge-separation in isolated bacterial reaction center (RC) complex occurs in 2.8 ps at room temperature and 0.7--1.2 ps at 10 K. Because of similarities between the bacterial and photosystem II (PSII) RCs, it has been of considerable interest to obtain analogous charge-separation rates in the higher plant system. Our previous femtosecond transient absorption studies used PSII RC material stabilized with PEG or by exchanging dodecyl maltoside (DM) for Triton in the isolation procedure. These materials gave charge-separation 1/e times of 3.0 [plus minus] 0.6 ps at 4[degree]C and 1.4[plus minus] 0.2 ps at 15 K based on the risetime of transient absorption kinetics at 820 nm. These values were thought to represent the time required for formation of the P680[sup +]-Pheo[sup [minus]] state. Recent results of Hastings et al. obtained at high data acquisition rates and low flash intensities, suggest that the Pheo[sup [minus]] state may form more slowly. In light of this work, we have carried out additional time domain studies of both electron transport and energy transfer phenomena in stabilized DM PSII RCs at room temperature. We used a 1-kHz repetition rate femtosecond transient absorption spectrometer with a 200 fs instrumental time resolution and compared the results with those obtained by others using frequency domain hole-burning techniques

On the Use of Coupled Wind, Wave, and Current Fields in the Simulation of Loads on Bottom-Supported Offshore Wind Turbines during Hurricanes: March 2012 - September 2015

In the United States, potential offshore wind plant sites have been identified along the Atlantic seaboard and in the Gulf of Mexico. It is imperative that we define external conditions associated with hurricanes and severe winter storms and consider load cases for which wind turbines may need to be designed. We selected two hurricanes, Ike (2008) and Sandy (2012), and investigated the effect these tropical storms would have on bottom-supported offshore wind turbines that were hypothetically in or close to their path as they made landfall. For realistic turbine loads assessment, it is important that the coupled influences of the changing wind, wave, and current fields are simulated throughout the evolution of the hurricanes. We employed a coupled model--specifically, the University of Miami Coupled Model (UMCM)--that integrates atmospheric, wave, and ocean components to produce needed wind, wave, and current data. The wind data are used to generate appropriate vertical wind profiles and full wind velocity fields including turbulence; the current field over the water column is obtained by interpolated discrete output current data; and short-crested irregular second-order waves are simulated using output directional wave spectra from the coupled model. We studied two monopile-supported offshore wind turbines sited in 20 meters of water in the Gulf of Mexico to estimate loads during Hurricane Ike, and a jacket space-frame platform-supported offshore wind turbine sited in 50 meters of water in the mid-Atlantic region to estimate loads during Hurricane Sandy. In this report we discuss in detail how the simulated hurricane wind, wave, and current output data are used in turbine loads studies. In addition, important characteristics of the external conditions are studied, including the relative importance of swell versus wind seas, aerodynamic versus hydrodynamic forces, current velocity effects, yaw control options for the turbine, hydrodynamic drag versus inertia forces, and soil-structure interaction effects. A detailed framework is presented that explains how coupled inputs can be included in turbine loads studies during a hurricane. This framework can aid in future efforts aimed at developing offshore wind turbine design criteria and load cases related to hurricanes