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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:
Nate Blair (NREL)
Chris Cameron
(Sandia NL)
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On March 13, NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) and DOE/EERE's Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis (PBA) will present a seminar discussing the Solar Advisor Model (SAM). The tool is a comprehensive solar technology systems analysis model that supports the federal R&D community and the solar industry. SAM allows users to investigate the impact of variations in performance, cost, and financial parameters. This capability increases understanding of the impact on key figures of merit — system output, system efficiencies, levelized cost of energy, return on investment, and system capital and O&M costs — especially through parametric and sensitivity analysis. SAM is also the official model for the Solar America Initiative (SAI), and some applicants for SAI funding opportunities use SAM to calculate benchmark and projected performance and cost metrics. This seminar will include an overview of SAM as well as background on its uses for the SAI.
For more information on the seminar series — including log-in and call-in information for remote access — visit the Web site.
Upcoming seminars
May 8, 2008
"Current and Emerging Solar Technologies" — Robert Margolis, NREL
The documents in this section are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader
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NREL analysts Karlynn Cory, Jason Coughlin, and Thomas Jenkin recently published the report "Innovations in Wind and Solar PV Financing" (PDF 731 KB). There is growing national interest in renewable energy development based on the economic, environmental, and security benefits that these resources provide. This study surveys some of the current issues related to wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy project financing in the electric power industry, and identifies both barriers to and opportunities for increased investment. Historically, greater development of our domestic renewable energy resources has faced a number of hurdles, primarily related to cost, regulation, and financing. With the recent sustained increase in the costs and associated volatility of fossil fuels, the economics of renewable energy technologies have become increasingly attractive to investors, both large and small. As a result, new entrants are investing in renewable energy and new business models are emerging.
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NREL staff members Doug Dahle, Dennis Elliott, Donna Heimiller, Mark Mehos, Robi Robichaud, Marc Schwartz, and Andy Walker recently published the report "Assessing the Potential for Renewable Energy Development on DOE Legacy Management Lands" (PDF 5.6 MB) This report represents an initial activity for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) to identify and evaluate renewable energy resources on LM-managed federal lands. The final assessment provides DOE LM with information to consider when assessing alternatives of land-reuse options for current and future LM lands. DOE LM and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) established a partnership to conduct an assessment of renewable energy resources on LM lands in the United States. The LM/NREL team used geographic information system (GIS) data to analyze and assess the potential for concentrating solar power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), and wind power generation on LM lands. The analysis helped gauge the renewable industry's interest in pursuing renewable power development on LM Lands.
SEAC group manager Maggie Mann recently participated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Scoping Meeting on Renewable Energy Sources. Participants determined whether an IPCC special report on renewables is needed, and also started drafting the outline of such a report. The case for the report will be made by the conference chair (Olav Hohmeyer, Germany) at the 28th Session of the IPCC in Budapest in April. The meeting consisted of two days of presentations followed by two days of break-out discussions. The presentations were meant to introduce the concepts, state-of-the-art research, and issues associated with each topic chapter of the proposed report. If approved, the report and its subsequent reviews are expected to take about two years.
Doug Arent, SEAC director, participated in a meeting of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) on February 3-5 in Vienna, Austria. The GEA is a major initiative established by The International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in late 2005. It helps decision makers address the challenges of providing energy services for sustainable development, while alleviating existing and emerging threats associated with: security of supply; access to modern forms of energy for development and poverty alleviation; local, regional and global environmental impacts; and securing sufficient investment.
For the latest updates on information regarding energy analysis, visit the Energy Analysis Web site.
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