Award Data

Advances are needed in efficient solar photovoltaic systems among many other alternative energy sources to reduce security and reliability risks and to reduce environmental impacts. Current technology yields efficiencies above 10% but lack the low cost factor and the flexibility or conformability needed in many markets. The latter two factors can be addressed by the use of organic photovoltaics bu ...

The size of the latest generation of wind turbines is outstripping the capabilities of the materials and techniques used to manufacture them. As wind turbines are made larger to improve efficiency, composites with improved mechanical properties and long tern performance are required to avoid premature field failures. Further as wind turbines are produced in ever greater numbers, faster more consis ...

Hydrogen produced today from coal, natural gas, or biomass must be separated and purified outside the reactors using pressure swing absorption (PSA), a process that requires significant additional space and energy. Placing hydrogen-permeable membranes inside the reactors themselves would allow hydrogen to diffuse out, thereby reducing the cost of hydrogen production. In this Phase I effort, Mainst ...

Currently, refrigeration and air conditioning in buildings account for approximately 8.5 quads of U.S. primary energy conception of which the primary consumption occurs with the refrigeration compressor. To alleviate this demand, thermal energy storage (TES) systems can be utilized to shift thermal loads to off-peak times. Cost savings can result if the pumping cost associated with the TES system ...

In a typical residential home (or small commercial building), one of the largest sources of energy consumption is the Air Conditioning or heat pump system (AC). If the AC is operating with degraded efficiency, a homeowner may be unaware of the equipment problem because the house is still cool (AC running continuously to keep up). Such an equipment problem might result in a costly complete system f ...

Over the last decade a new breed of power generation equipment, targeted at smaller commercial-size energy users, has emerged. These systems which include microturbines, PEM fuel cells, and phosphoric acid fuel cells along with traditional internal combustion engine-driven generators produce waste heat at temperatures too low to be utilized by conventional combined cycle, thermally activated gene ...

Cement manufacturing processes run at an average 34% efficiency. With rising fuel costs and stricter laws on plant emissions, cement manufacturers need to operate more efficiently. Due to the sheer size of the cement industry, small improvements in efficiency have drastic results on the global scale. Mainstream proposes an innovative solution for recovering significant energy losses by developing ...

The U.S. Department of Energy is currently seeking technologies that can decrease the weight and thermal insulation associated with personal protective clothing/equipment (PPC/PPE). The call for this technology has stemmed from the poor working conditions associated with workers in contaminated areas of nuclear facilities and the need to mitigate the effects of heat stress. Because the primary obj ...

In a typical residential home (or small commercial building), one of the largest sources of energy consumption is the air conditioning or heat pump system (AC). If the AC is operating with degraded efficiency, a homeowner may be unaware of the equipment problem because the house is still cool (AC running continuously to keep up). Degraded efficiency will result in wasted energy, shortened system l ...

As stated by DOE,