Energy Analysis Newsletter — August 2008
Energy analysis at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) encompasses a broad range of energy analysis in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), NREL programs and initiatives, and the energy analysis community. Here is the latest news on energy analysis activities at NREL:
Upcoming Events
Drury Crawley
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August Seminar: Integrating Building Energy Performance into Design
On August 14, NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and DOE/EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) will present a seminar (in Washington, D.C.) discussing building energy performance and design. EnergyPlus—DOE's building energy simulation program—includes many building energy-simulation features that previously have not been available together in a mainstream program. Features include variable time steps, configurable modular systems integrated with a heat balance-based zone simulation, on-site power, hybrid natural/mechanical ventilation, and under-floor air distribution (UFAD). In 2007, DOE began working on a plug-in for Google's SketchUp software, which Google describes as "3-D for everyone." The Energy Design Plug-In integrates EnergyPlus with SketchUp, allowing easy evaluation of building energy performance. This presentation, by Drury Crawley of EERE, introduces EnergyPlus and its simulation methodologies, capabilities, utilities, and interfaces that facilitate using it.
For more information on the seminar series — including log-in and call-in information for remote access — visit the Web site.
Upcoming seminars
September 11, 2008
"Presidential Climate Action Project (PCAP)" — Bill Becker (University of Colorado, Denver)
October 9, 2008
"Meta Analysis of Renewable Energy Scenarios" — Gail Mosey (NREL)
January 9, 2009
"DSIRE Project: Current Trends and Challenges in Analyzing Renewable Energy Incentives" — Rusty Haynes (North Carolina State University)
TAP Webcast: Solar Photovoltaic Financing
The Technical Assistance Project (TAP) for state and local officials will sponsor a Webcast on August 13 that outlines financing options for state and local governments to install PV systems. The presentation, which will be 3-4:15 p.m. (EDT), is titled "Solar Photovoltaic Financing: Deployment on Public Property by State and Local Governments." The speakers will be Karlynn Cory and Jason Coughlin of NREL.
Information about the presenters, as well as links to background materials and reports, can be found on the TAP Section of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program Web site.
Contact Misty Conrad via e-mail or by phone at 303-384-7467 by August 8 to register or for additional information.
Publications and Web Sites
Some of the documents in this section are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs.
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AWEA Conference Papers
NREL staff recently participated in WINDPOWER 2008, sponsored by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Analysts Maureen Hand, Nate Blair, Walter Short, and Patrick Sullivan contributed papers related to the DOE report "20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply" (PDF 4.0 MB). All four analysts also were contributors to the main report, which examines the technical feasibility of harnessing wind power to provide up to 20% of the nation's total electricity needs by 2030.
Two AWEA conference papers — which describe the use of NREL's Wind Deployment System (WinDS) and Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) models in the analysis for the report — are featured below.
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Modeling Sensitivities to the 20% Wind Scenario Report with the WinDS Model (PDF 1.2 MB)
The "20% Wind Energy by 2030" report (cited above) describes the costs and benefits of producing 20% of the nation's projected electricity demand in 2030 from wind technology. The total electricity system cost resulting from this scenario was modestly higher than a scenario in which no additional wind was installed after 2006. NREL's Wind Deployment System (WinDS) model was used to support this analysis. For this paper, the analysis examined the sensitivity of the results to variations in those input values and model structure choices. These included wind cost and performance improvements over time, seasonal/diurnal wind resource variations, transmission access and costs, siting costs, conventional fuel cost trajectories, and conventional capital costs.
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Modeling the Benefits of Storage Technologies to Wind Power (PDF 1.6 MB)
Rapid expansion of wind power in the electricity sector is raising questions about how wind resource variability might affect the capacity value of wind farms at high levels of penetration. Electricity storage, with the capability to shift wind energy from periods of low demand to peak times and to smooth fluctuations in output, may have a role in bolstering the value of wind power at levels of penetration envisioned by the "20% Wind Energy by 2030" report (cited above). This paper, which quantifies the value storage can add to wind, talks about the analysis done using the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model (formerly known as the Wind Deployment System, or WinDS, model).
Job and Economic Development Impact Model
NREL has added two new technologies to its Job and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models — coal and natural gas. Available for download from the Energy Analysis Web site, the JEDI models are easy-to-use, spreadsheet-based tools that estimate the economic impacts of constructing and operating power generation plants at the state level. First developed to model wind energy development impacts, JEDI recently expanded to offer more technologies, including dry mill corn ethanol and concentrating solar power plants — and now coal and natural gas. The site provides more information about JEDI, as well as free downloads.
Analysts Meet With Stakeholders
SEAC analyst William Wallace represented DOE for a U.S. Department of Agriculture mission to China on July 6-12, led by Undersecretary Gale Buchanan. He and other U.S. representatives met with several Chinese counterparts working with the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission for joint cooperation for biofuels development in China.
NREL's Dave Renné participated in a recent meeting in Wels, Austria, of technical experts working on the International Energy Agency (IEA)/Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) Program's Task 36 Solar Resource Knowledge Management project. He facilitated the meeting and took part in the technical discussions. Following the experts meeting, he also presented to the Executive Committee of the IEA/SHC.
SEAC staff members Roger Taylor and Scott Haase conducted a two-day renewable energy strategic planning presentation and discussion with 40 members of the Yakama Nation in the State of Washington in July. The group recently created a tribal utility, and is exploring a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy options. The Tribal Energy Program also conducted its final workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 21-24 for more than 100 registered participants from throughout the Southwest. The complete EERE portfolio was covered, as well as business development, project deal structures, and financing options.
NREL staff hosted Shlomo Wald, chief scientist for the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructures, on July 21. His visit was part of the formal follow-up to the Israel visit by Assistant Secretary Andy Karsner in May 2008, during which an implementation agreement to advance the new U.S.-Israeli joint Energy Research Cooperation program was signed. Wald's visit helped identify potential opportunities for NREL collaboration with Israeli researchers and industry. Areas of focus during the discussions and tours included solar power, biofuels, and energy storage technologies.
For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis Web site.
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