Title: NREL Overview
1NREL Overview
Dr. Robert McGrath, Deputy Laboratory Director -
Science Technology Presentation for the Clean
Energy Supercluster Expo 2009 Colorado State
University May 5, 2009
2Energy Solutions Are Enormously Challenging
Economic Productivity
Energy Security
Secure supply Reliability
Global financial crisis
Vulnerability Or Opportunity
Environmental Impact
Carbon mitigation Land and water use
Must address all three imperatives
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Future
3Key Challenges to Deploying Renewable Energy at
Speed and Scale
Implementing Renewable Gigawatts at Scale
- Cost
- Reliability
- Infrastructure
- Dispatchability
BARRIERS
Displacement of Petroleum-Based Fuels
- Cost
- Life cycle sustainability
- Fuels infrastructure
- Demand and utilization
BARRIERS
Reducing Energy Demand of Buildings, Vehicles,
and Industry
- Coordinated implementation
- Valuing efficiency
- Cost
- Performance and reliability
BARRIERS
4US Primary Energy Flow Diagram
5Todays Electricity GenerationSmall Impact of
Non-hydro Renewables
approximate
Source EIA March 2009
6President Obama on Renewable Energy
- Invest 150B in alternative energy over 10 years
- Double production of alternative energy in three
years (10 of U.S. electricity from renewable
sources by 2012 and 25 by 2025!) - Upgrade the efficiency of more than 75 of
federal buildings and two million private homes - Create Jobs with Clean, Efficient, American
Energy 63B - Transforming Our Economy with Science and
Technology 16B
7Renewable Energy Technology Innovation Challenges
- Wind Turbines
- Improve energy capture and decrease costs
increase reliability - Goal 20 of U.S. electricity by 2030
- Biofuels
- New feedstocks
- Integrated biorefineries
- Goal 36B gal/year by 2022
- Solar Systems
- Improved performance and reduced manufacturing
costs - Nanostructures/new materials
- Goal 10 of U.S. electricity by 2025
- New Supply Options
- More Efficient Buildings
- PHEV High Efficiency Autos
- Smart Grid
8NRELs Mission is Translational Science From lab
bench to market at full speed and at massive
scale
Systems Biology
Photoconversion
Computational Science
Connecting new discoveries, via applied
research, to the marketplace
9Wind
- NREL Research Thrusts
- Improved performance and reliability
- Advanced rotor development
- Utility grid integration
- Present Status
- 22,820 MW Installed
- Cost at roughly 6-9/kWh
- Goals
- 20 of U.S. electricity by 2020
- 3.6/kWh onshore by 2012
- 7/kWh offshore by 2014
Source Megavind Report Denmarks future as
leading centre of competence within the field of
wind power
10Nanotechnology Can Improve the Reliability and
Lifetime of Wind and Ocean Power Systems
- Advanced Material Coatings
- Offshore high corrosion environment applications
- High stress drivetrain components including
- Gearing pinions planet bearings
- Lubrication systems surface wear
- Anti-fouling ocean energy systems
- Ice reduction on turbine blades
- Longevity
11Solar Research Thrusts
- Photovoltaics
- Higher performance cells /modules
- New nanomaterials applications
- Advanced manufacturing techniques
- Concentrating Solar Power
- Low cost high performance storage for baseload
markets - Advanced absorbers, reflectors, and heat transfer
fluids - Next generation solar concentrators
8.22-megawatt Alamosa, Colo., PV solar plant
12Solar Photovoltaics and CSP
- Status in U.S.
- Photovoltaics (PV)
- 1,000 MW installed capacity
- Cost 18-23/kWh
- Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
- 419 MW installed capacity
- Cost 12/kWh
- Potential
- PV
- 11-18/kWh by 2010
- 5-10 /kWh by 2015
- CSP
- 8.5 /kWh by 2010
- 6 /kWh by 2015
Source U.S. Department of Energy, IEA Updated
January 5, 2009
13Emerging PV Technologies
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Future
14Current Research Moves from Nanoparticles to
Nanotubes to Improve Electron Transport
Credits Art Frank
15Connecting the Dots 3rd Generation PV Cells
Credits Art Nozik, Matt Beard NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Future
16Biofuels
- Current Biofuels Status in U.S.
- Biodiesel 171 companies 2.2 billion gallons/yr
capacity1 - Corn ethanol
- 174 commercial plants2
- 10.8 billion gal/yr. capacity2
- Additional 2.4 billion gal/yr planned or under
construction - Cellulosic ethanol (current technology)
- Projected commercial cost 3.50/gge
- Key DOE Goals
- 2012 goal cellulosic ethanol 1.33/ETOH gallon
or 1.99/gge - 2022 goal 36B gal Renewable Fuel 21B gal
Advanced Renewable Fuel 2007 Energy
Independence and Security Act - 2030 goal 60 billion gal ethanol (30 of 2004
gasoline) - NREL Research Thrusts
- The biorefinery and cellulosic ethanol
- Solutions to under-utilized waste residues
- Energy crops
- New biofuels
Updated February 2009 Sources 1- National
Biodiesel Board 2 - Renewable Fuels Association,
all other information based on DOE and USDA
sources
17The Cellulosic Biochemical Challenge
Sugars
Ethanol
Ferment
Glucose
Glucose
Glucose
Starches
Lignin
Lignocellulosic Biomass Polysaccharides and
Lignin
Xylose
Glucose
18Next-Generation BiofuelsFungal Cellulases are
Nano-machines
Approx. scale 10 nanometers
cellobiose
NR
R
cellulose
?-glucosidase
glucose
Credit Dr. Michael Himmel, NREL
19(No Transcript)
20Nanoparticles Can Also Be Used to Make Fuels (and
energy carriers)
Photobiohybrid H2-Production Processes
Fungal Cellulases
Credits Paul King, Maria Ghirardi, Mike Himmel
NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Innovation for Our Energy
Future
21Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
- Key Challenges
- Energy storage life and cost
- Utility impacts
- Vehicle cost
- Recharging locations
- Tailpipe emissions/cold starts
- Cabin heating/cooling
- 33 put cars in garage
- Status
- PHEV-only conversion vehicles available
- OEMS building prototypes
- NREL PHEV Test Bed
- NREL Research Thrusts
- Energy storage
- Advanced power electronics
- Vehicle ancillary loads reduction
- Vehicle thermal management
- Utility interconnection
- Vehicle-to-grid
22Designer Nanostructured Materials are Critical to
Enabling Energy Storage Systems for Renewables
- State-of-the-art processing to create novel
nanomaterials for energy storage - Hydrogen storage porous carbons, boro-carbons,
metcars, macromolecules - Batteries novel electrolytes and metal oxides
for cathodes and anodes - Ultracapacitors nanotubes and high dielectric
materials
Organometallic Buckyballs for Hydrogen Storage
23Buildings
- Status U.S. Buildings
- 39 of primary energy
- 71 of electricity
- 38 of carbon emissions
- DOE Goal
- Cost effective, marketable zero energy buildings
by 2025 - Value of energy savings exceeds cost of energy
features on a cash flow basis - NREL Research Thrusts
- Whole building systems integration of efficiency
and renewable features - Computerized building energy optimization tools
- Advanced HVAC and envelope technologies
- Building integrated PV
April 10, 2008
24Renewable Electricity Will Require Smart Grid
Technologies
Microturbines
Utility Grid
Grid Simulator
3 AC Buses
Synchronous Generators
Inverters
Wind Turbines
3 DC Buses
Battery Banks
Load Simulators
PV Array
Fuel Cells
Electrolyzer
25Biopower
- Biopower status in U.S.
- 2007 capacity 10.5 GWe
- 5 GW Pulp and Paper
- 2 GW Dedicated Biomass
- 3 GW MSW and Landfill Gas
- 0.5 GW Cofiring
- 2004 Generation 68.5 TWh
- Cost 8-10/kWh
- Potential
- Cost 4-6/kWh (integrated gasification combined
cycle) - 2030 160 TWh (net electricity exported to grid
from integrated 60 billion gal/yr biorefinery
industry)
April 10, 2008
26Geothermal
- Todays Status in U.S.
- 2,800 MWe installed, 500 MWe new contracts, 3000
MWe under development - Cost 5-8/kWh with no PTC
- Capacity factor typically gt 90, base load power
- DOE Cost Goals
- lt5/kWh, for typical hydrothermal sites
- 5/kWh, for enhanced geothermal systems with
mature technology
- NREL Research Thrusts
- Analysis to define the technology path to
commercialization of Enhanced Geothermal Systems - Low temperature conversion cycles
- Better performing, lower cost components
- Innovative materials
- Long Term Potential
- Recent MIT Analysis shows
- potential for 100,000 MW installed
- Enhanced Geothermal Power systems
- by 2050, cost-competitive with coal-
- powered generation
April 10, 2008
27Marine Energy Technical Challenges
- Resource is dispersed regionally among a few
states and has not yet been fully quantified - Regulatory barriers are impeding technology
development projects face old hydro permitting
schemes - Technology is not proven there is no basis for
evaluating different concepts. - Environmental sensitivities competing use
impacts need to be quantified
Finavera Buoy
Pelamis Wave Power
28NRELs FY2008 Program Portfolio
(328.3 Million)
Weatherization 3.4M
Facilities and Infrastructure 76.2M
Solar 72.4M
Transmission and Distribution 1.9M
WFO 18.7M
Bioenergy 35.4M
Other DOE 7.6M
Geothermal 1.9M
Wind 33.9M
Basic Sciences 13.5M
FEMP 4.6M
Buildings 11.1M
Vehicle Technologies 19.3M
Hydrogen 28.4M
Updated October 2008
29Energy Solutions Will Require New Approaches
- Multi-disciplinary/multi-institutional
collaboration - Chemistry, materials science
- Computational modeling
- Biology
- Translational sciencebridge basic to applied
- Revolutionary opportunities at the nano-scale
30Visit us online at www.nrel.gov
Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by the
Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC