FuelCell Energy wins ARPA-E contract to develop SOFC energy storage solution

A framework for a hydrogen economy

Simultaneous Pursuit of Discovery and Invention in the US Department of Energy

Know when to fold ‘em: An empirical description of risk management in public research funding

This document provides information about the many reports and other materials made available by the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Global Change Research Program (GCRP). It is divided into nine sections plus author and title indexes: Section A -- US Department of Energy Global Change Research Program research plans and summaries; Section B -- US Department of Energy Global Change Research Program technical reports; Section C -- US Department of energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program reports; Section D -- Other US Department of Energy reports; Section E -- CDIAC reports; Section F -- CDIAC numeric data and computer model distribution; Section G -- other data sets distributed by CDIAC; Section H -- USDA reports on response of vegetation to carbon dioxide; Section I -- other publications.

The experimental verification of a Lithium-ion battery for automotive life requirements utilizes significant laboratory resources and calendar time. If the amount of life testing required to validate a cell design for automotive applications can be reduced, new cell designs could be confidently implemented at lower cost and in shorter time. High precision coulometry (HPC) has recently emerged as a promising candidate for shortening the time required for validating cell life. Literature examples have demonstrated improved identification of the mechanisms causing capacity fade1 and qualitative sorting of higher performing cells2. Academic groups have pioneered this approach but have been primarily limited to testing low currents that are used to probe the rates of side reactions in calendar life scenarios. Our research focus has been the design, development and validation of a 200 A, high precision (<50 ppm current and <25 ppm voltage) battery tester in partnership with Arbin Instruments and Sandia National Laboratory, with the support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPA-E)3. The capability to perform high precision measurements at currents up to 200 A means the additional degradation brought about by high-rate cycling can be evaluated in addition to calendar assessments. Additionally, we aim to quantitatively assess performance degradation trends by linking presently measured values to future performance. Validation testing is presented using 5 Ah prismatic cells to quantify the reduction in test time that is practically achievable using high precision measurements. Continuous cycle aging using multiple current profiles and ambient temperatures is conducted with periodic reference performance tests. The mathematical relations between capacity, resistance, coulombic efficiency, and electrode endpoint slippage are leveraged to define various life prediction methods. The reference performance test measurements from both the high precision tester and standard commercial reference tester are entered as inputs into the life prediction models. Improved measurement precision can result in reduced uncertainty bands when extrapolating life metric trends into the latter stages of cell life. Enhanced measurement precision can also enable the quantification of long term trends at earlier stages of testing.

A US programme designed to support “high risk, high payoff” research into energy has handed out its first $150m in cash. The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has funded 37 projects covering a range of topics in renewable energy. Run by the US Department of Energy (DOE), ARPA-E seeks to reduce greenhousegas emissions and lower US dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Scientists have complained that a new research body run by the US Department of Energy (DOE) is suffering from management problems and is rejecting funding proposals without stating why. The DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) – created in 2007 – is designed to fund high-risk, high-payoff research and development projects in energy. However, the agency, which received its first budget in April, has so far turned down almost 95% of proposals after the first round.

Direct liquid fuel cells (DLFC) are attractive alternatives of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells for applications where high energy density and easy to refill are critical. For example, in powering a 200W-1kWh drone, a DLFC system can weigh only 1/10 of a battery and refill is simpler than hydrogen and faster than battery recharging. Among liquid fuels, ethanol stands out for its high energy density and ammonia is carbon free. A drawback is the lack of anode catalysts for complete oxidation of ethanol and ammonia at low potentials with sufficient activity per mass of platinum group metals (PGM). Dr. Shimshon Gottesfeld is currently leading an ARPA-E project on “Direct ammonia hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells”, and I am in the team to develop high performance catalysts for ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) with low PGM contents. While I learned from reading his papers on a wide range of topics and talking with him at conferences in many years, working under his leadership made me further appreciate his contribution in advancing fuel cell technologies. Inspired by his sharp and open mind in choosing and solving technical issues and in pursuing deep fundamental understandings, I’d like to discuss the challenges in developing anode catalysts for ethanol and ammonia oxidation and to illustrate promising directions and opportunities based on new insights in reaction mechanisms and material/structure/performance correlations. The performances of ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and AOR in alkaline media on the best catalysts that we recently developed will be presented and compared. The results show that facile EOR is possible at ambient temperature when a direct 12-electron EOR pathway is activated. Analyses of in situ infrared reflection absorption spectra indicate that the C-C bond splits via ethanol dissociation and full oxidation completes without CO as poisoning intermediate. However, carbonate formation in alkaline media lowers pH and reduces EOR activity. Carbon-free ammonia circumvents this issue, but AOR activity needs enhancement from elevated temperature due to the high activation barrier for N-N bond formation. Most studies so far focused on Pt-based catalysts and the polarization curves were measured at ambient temperature. Our study of temperature-dependent AOR kinetics found that activity enhancement from 25 to 60 oC is in the order of Ir (5.5) > IrPt (4.2) > Pt (2.0).1 For both EOR and AOR, Ir is effective in promoting dehydrogenation, and thus, in lowering the onset potentials. Thus, Ir-based catalysts are more promising than Pt-based catalysts for AOR. I’ll also show that the C-C bond cleavage in EOR and the N-N bond formation in AOR prefer distinctly different atomic structures. The new insights point out opportunities and directions for future studies. Acknowledgements The author thanks Zhixiu Liang, Liang Song, Jingyi Chen, Shiqing Deng, and Eli Stavitski for their collaborations. The work was funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Energy, under Award Number DE-AR0000805 and by the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, US Department of Energy under contract DE-SC0012704. References Song, L. et al. Temperature-Dependent Kinetics and Reaction Mechanism of Ammonia Oxidation on Pt, Ir, and PtIr Alloy Catalysts. J. Electrochem. Soc. 165, J3095–J3100 (2018).

Historical and continuing US Department of Energy (USDOE) operations have not only contaminated the environment but have altered the landscape as well as habitat quality and quantity. The changes in the landscape that have occurred within USDOE facilities may be as important as assessing the effects resulting from the release of chemical contaminants into the environment. We examined several methods from habitat analysis and landscape ecology for their possible application to ecological risk assessment at selected USDOE facilities. In an earlier manuscript, we presented landscape ecological methods that could be used in ecological risk assessment. In this manuscript, we present results of adapting Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models, developed for habitat suitability analysis, for use in ecological risk assessment at USDOE facilities. The Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in eastern Tennessee and the Savannah River Site (SRS) in western South Carolina were selected as representative USDOE facilities. HSI models were developed in a probabilistic format for species common to both facilities [white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)] and species exclusive to each facility [red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) for the ORR and American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) for the SRS]. Results indicate that HSI models could effectively be used to assess ecological risks. Spatially-explicit HSI models and landscape-scale ecological models that provide the necessary spatial component for more realistic risk assessments that could be used in ecological risk assessments at a variety of federal facilities, such as USDOE facilities, are presented as a result of a literature review and an internet search. The combination and integration of methods from habitat suitability analysis and ecological models presented in this manuscript and methods from landscape ecology presented in an earlier manuscript represent an effective set of tools that could be used to assess ecological risks at USDOE facilities; these tools could also be used at other locations.

Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is an emerging technology for industrial waste treatment and is being developed for treatment of the US Department of Energy (DOE) mixed hazardous and radioactive wastes. In the SCWO process, wastes containing organic material are oxidized in the presence of water at conditions of temperature and pressure above the critical point of water, 374 C and 22.1 MPa. DOE mixed wastes consist of a broad spectrum of liquids, sludges, and solids containing a wide variety of organic components plus inorganic components including radionuclides. This report is a review and evaluation of tubular reactor designs for supercritical water oxidation of US Department of Energy mixed waste. Tubular reactors are evaluated against requirements for treatment of US Department of Energy mixed waste. Requirements that play major roles in the evaluation include achieving acceptable corrosion, deposition, and heat removal rates. A general evaluation is made of tubular reactors and specific reactors are discussed. Based on the evaluations, recommendations are made regarding continued development of supercritical water oxidation reactors for US Department of Energy mixed waste.

Technologies developed by the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Storage (STOR) Program must be converted into products, processes, or services that benefit the private sector. The process of technology transfer is the primary means of accomplishing this. The purpose of this report is to examine the technology transfer activities of the STOR Program and suggest mechanisms that might make the transfer of technologies from national laboratories and universities to the private sector more effective. A brief summary of recommendations that would improve the effectiveness of the transfer of energy storage technologies from the national laboratories to the private sector is discussed. 33 refs., 2 figs.

Defects induced metallized boron hydride monolayers as high-performance hydrogen storage architecture

In the field of semiconductor quantum dot spin qubits, there is growing interest in leveraging the unique properties of hole-carrier systems and their intrinsically strong spin-orbit coupling to engineer novel spin qubits. In contrast to the weak spin-orbit interaction found in Si, strong spin-orbit coupling in Ge may allow purely electrical spin control using the electric field component of a microwave drive signal applied to a confinement gate, without the need for additional components such as microwave stripline antennas or micromagnets. A crucial aspect in the search for alternative semiconductor qubit host materials is the need to maintain the advantages of existing platforms such as Si: low disorder, long coherence times, extensibility, and semiconductor foundry compatibility. Recent advances in semiconductor heterostructure growth have made available high quality, undoped Ge/SiGe quantum wells that can serve as hosts for hole spin qubits. These quantum wells consist of a pure strained Ge layer flanked by Ge-rich SiGe layers above and below, grown by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition. Isotopic enrichment is possible if required. The heavy hole charge carriers are characterized by a small effective mass m* ~ 0.08m 0 (about 2.4x lighter than for electrons in Si), high mobility μ ≥ 1E5 cm2/Vs, and highly anisotropic g-factors. The small effective mass should allow relatively large and easily-coupled quantum dots. The next-nearest light hole band is theoretically predicted to be on the order of ~ 100 meV below the heavy hole band. The p-orbital character of the hole wavefunction may provide an advantage in minimizing contact hyperfine interactions with nonzero-spin lattice nuclei. There is both theoretical and experimental evidence of a cubic Rashba-type spin-orbit interaction in this material, whose large strength is manifest as a spin-orbit length on the order of 1 micrometer. An additional advantage over Si is that the two-dimensional band structure of Ge quantum wells does not feature valley states, which can present difficulties for qubit operations. Here, we will describe our ongoing efforts to prepare spin qubits in this platform, including development of gated device architectures, device tuning protocols, and charge-sensing capabilities. Initial work focused on single-layer gate layouts, in which lithographically-defined single and double quantum dots were demonstrated at dilution refrigerator temperatures. Charging energies of ~ 1.7 meV were observed. These devices featured a broad and shallow potential landscape, and only a small number of holes could be confined to a quantum dot. Although adjacent quantum dots could be coupled to one another, this coupling was not easily tuned using this gate design. These limitations in the confinement and control of quantum dots motivated the subsequent adoption of multilayer gate-stack architectures, similar to what has been demonstrated in Si. Our three-layer devices feature gate electrodes designed for accumulation of holes, local depletion to form quantum dots, and selective isolation/screening of electric fields. Device structures feature Ti/Pt gates, ALD oxide dielectrics, and implanted ohmic contacts. Symmetrically constructed devices comprise two gated channels for quantum dot confinement, one to be used as the quantum dot under study and the other operated as a local charge sensor. By monitoring the conductance of the charge sensor as the quantum dot is tuned, we can remotely determine the dot’s occupation number, in principle down to the last hole. Iterative cycles of device fabrication and measurement, combined with numerical modeling, have allowed continuous improvements to the device design. Early three-layer device designs suffered from poor isolation between the upper and lower mirror-symmetric device channels. Numerical modeling showed (and measurements have confirmed) that an additional isolation gate could allow improved autonomy of the two channels while maintaining their electrostatic coupling needed for charge sensing. Ongoing, simulation-informed work to fine-tune the device geometry, as well as efforts toward a qubit demonstration, will be discussed. This work was funded, in part, by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program and performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the US Department of Energy or the United States Government. The work at NTU was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (107-2622-8-002-018-). Figure 1

The objective of the Missouri State Heating Oil and Propane Program was to develop a joint state-level company-specific data collective effort. The State of Missouri provided to the US Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration company specific price and volume information on residential No. 2 heating oil and propane on a semimonthly basis. The energy companies participating under the program were selected at random by the US Department of Energy and provided to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Energy prior to the implementation of the program. The specific data collection responsibilities for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Energy included: (1) Collection of semimonthly residential heating oil and propane prices, collected on the first and third Monday from August 1991 through August 1992; and, (2) Collection of annual sales volume data for residential propane for the period September 1, 1990 through August 31. 1991. This data was required for the first report only. These data were provided on a company identifiable level to the extent permitted by State law. Information was transmitted to the US Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration through the Petroleum Electronic Data Reporting Option (PEDRO).

At the close of each fiscal year, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Sustainability Performance Office (SPO) issues guidance documents and technical resource aids/tools necessary for DOE sites and national laboratories to complete sustainability reporting requirements. SPO is part of the DOE Office of Asset Management. As required by DOE Order 436.1A, Departmental Sustainability, each site develops and commits to an annual site sustainability plan (SSP) that identifies its respective contribution toward meeting DOE’s sustainability goals. SPO collects and compiles information reported by each site to develop an agency-wide sustainability report and implementation plan, which is used to report DOE sustainability progress to the federal government as required by all major federal agencies. DOE launched a formal Sustainability Office and annual SSP process in 2011. Each year, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in concert with the DOE Office of Science (SC), provides the resources essential to fulfill its commitment to deliver a complete and accurate SSP and quality performance data for entry into the DOE Sustainability Dashboard managed by SPO. The performance data entered by each DOE site are then combined to disclose the progress of each DOE program office and are further combined to show comprehensive progress for the agency. The Office of Asset Management assists program offices in sustaining their missions, freeing up resources by reducing waste, avoiding excess expenditure on utilities, maximizing productivity, and improving the efficiency of facilities and processes. By focusing on mission needs, programs and associated DOE sites can help the agency meet its sustainability goals as outlined in federal statutory and regulatory requirements. In FY 2022, the SSP Guidance/Instructions (US Department of Energy, Sustainability Performance Office) was updated to capture requirements from Executive Order (EO) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad; the Energy Act of 2020 (EAct 20); actions outlined in DOE’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan and Sustainability Plan; and EO 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability. Updates in SSP guidance help to minimize and streamline reporting while simultaneously addressing updated federal requirements. Per DOE, each SSP should provide an overview of the site’s planned actions and of efforts and accomplishments during the reporting period. SPO collects and compiles information reported by each site to develop DOE’s Annual Sustainability Report, Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, and Annual Energy Management Report to Congress. The agency goal has been to lower the reporting burden for sites and increase and improve the consistency of information available to decision-makers, allowing them to better identify projects and potential for increased efficiency and to reduce waste, lower emissions, and enhance operational resilience. Sites may elect to produce more polished publications for their leadership and stakeholders, but this step is no longer required. The ORNL SSP narrative report (this document) and the reporting of DOE SPO Sustainability Dashboard performance data is a collaborative effort of approximately 30 subject matter experts (SMEs) from ORNL facility management, mission support, and research divisions. Annually, these associates come together to provide a report that can be used by DOE to demonstrate continued agency progress in energy efficiency and sustainable federal operations.