Award Data

CdTe photovoltaic (PV) module performance has room to improve and can help the DOE in achieving its SunShot initiative. Improving the p-type doping and carrier lifetime in polycrystalline CdTe absorber material is critical to achieving PV cell efficiency to 25%. The current industrial supply chain consists of CdTe feedstock that undergoes treatments to help improve the material properties in effor ...

The conventional nitric acid manufacturing method uses natural gas as a feedstock for hydrogen and an energy intensive thermal process that emits a large amount of carbon dioxide. A new low-temperature plasma system, which can be driven electrically by a renewable or nuclear energy source, could reduce the energy consumed by the synthesis of nitric acid while eliminating the emission of greenhouse ...

A need persists for innovative sensor solutions to monitor the integrity and internal conditions of dry storage cask systems for spent nuclear fuel. Spent fuel is loaded in these dry storage cannisters (DSC) which are typically welded, 5/8-inch-thick stainless steel that are then inserted for long term storage in metal or concrete overpacks. The objective of this project is to design, fabricate, a ...

A quad-active-bridge (QAB) multiport converter will be developed based on an innovative circuit topology, a high-frequency planar magnetic transformer, and the latest generation of wide bandgap (WBG) transistors. The WBG-based QAB converter will provide a high-efficiency and ultra-compact interface capable of connecting with an array of photovoltaic (PV) panels, battery packs, electric vehicles (E ...

Successful deployment of water-splitting technologies to produce green hydrogen holds the potential to enable large-scale renewable energy storage on the grid and help decarbonize the chemical industry. Currently, every commercial green hydrogen technology uses pure water as the feedstock, which adds to the costs and energy requirements of these systems. If innovative technologies can be developed ...

Widespread utilization of smart inverters in the power grid with information exchange capability through cyber-physical networks poses the threat of cyberattack. The stability and reliability of the power grid can be jeopardized, resulting in economic loss to utility and consumers if inverters are hacked to perform malicious actions. Communication protocols have been developed focusing on the safe ...

Annular extruded plastics are in everything from fuel lines, hoses, pipes, and wires to catheters, medical tubing, and stents and makes up about ? of the $200B extruded plastics market. Extrusion manufacturing is a major processor of the $600B raw plastics industry, which produces 380 million metric tons of material each year. The production of these materials accounts for 4% of oil consumption an ...

Every year, the global wind industry loses an estimated $100M or more to damage caused by lightning. A new proprietary blade coating will reduce the damage to wind turbine blades caused by lightning by promoting the formation of ionization channels over the surface of the turbine blades. These channels promote surface flashovers, providing a safe external path for lightning energy to connect to th ...

Problem: A need persists for innovative sensors and measurement technologies to characterize parameters that directly support existing power reactors, materials test reactors, and transient test reactors. Science performed at DOE test reactors inspires future nuclear energy technology and requires more precise and localized instrumentation. Next generation nuclear reactors also benefit from higher ...

Problem: A need persists for innovative sensor solutions to monitor the integrity and internal conditions of dry storage cask systems for spent nuclear fuel. Spent fuel is loaded in these dry storage cannisters (DSC) which are typically welded, 5/8-inch-thick stainless steel that are then inserted for long term storage in metal or concrete overpacks. The DOE needs sensor solutions to periodically ...