Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Solar Technology Innovation Meeting Summary, Solar Innovation And Technology Center

Meetings (SI)

On December 11, 2009, Senator Harry Reid and President Neal Smatresk (UNLV) conveyed a group of approximately 60 people (see attached lists) from the public and private sector to provide input on the structure, focus, and need for a Solar Innovation Technology Center. At this meeting, there were small group discussions followed by a larger group discussion on the needs in the areas of Workforce / Training, Marketing and Finance, Economic and Policy Making, Infrastructure and Manufacturing, Technology Transfer and Commercialization, and Research. The notes below summarize the major comments from the group. This represents individual comments and in other …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2009, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Each student in his or her senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. The senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real-world solution to an engineering challenge.

A highlight of the year-long senior design project is the senior design competition. This competition, which usually takes place the week before finals each semester, helps focus the senior students on increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects.

Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on innovation, commercial …

Solar Ready Buildings Planning Guide, L. Lisell, T. Tetreault, A. Watson

Publications (E)

This document identifies the important aspects of building design and construction to enable installation of solar photovoltaic and heating systems at some time after the building is constructed. This document addresses photovoltaic (PV), solar hot water (ST), and solar ventilation preheat (SVP) systems.

Reflective Optics Cpv Panels Enabling Large Scale, Reliable Generation Of Solar Energy Cost Competitive With Fossil Fuels, S. Horne, M. Mcdonald, N. Hartsoch, K. Desy

Publications (E)

The objective of this 18 month subcontract was the improvement of reflective optics CPV panels to enable the large-scale, reliable production of solar electricity to meet SAI-established LCOE targets, and ultimately provide a path to solar power at parity with or better than the cost of energy generated utilizing fossil fuels. To this end, SolFocus has completed this subcontract with great success as evidenced by the end results of a CPV panel with conversion efficiencies greater than the targeted 22% and manufacturing capabilities with a run rate capacity far exceeding the milestone benchmark >3MW.

Wind Energy And Power System Operations: A Review Of Wind Integration Studies To Date, Jennifer Decesaro, Kevin Porter

Publications (E)

This paper provides an overview of the challenges associated with wind integration and summarizes the findings of the wind integration studies conducted over the course of the past five years. We begin with an overview of the approximate time frames used in grid operations. We then describe how wind integration studies are conducted, discuss the results on wind integration costs and grid impacts from these grid integration studies, and assess some of the grid planning and operation changes that may be necessary to incorporate higher levels of wind generation. We close with several conclusions.

Economic Investigation Of Community-Scale Versus Building Scale Net-Zero Energy, N. Fernandez, S. Katipamula, M. R. Brambley, T. A. Reddy

Publications (E)

The study presented in this report examines issues concerning whether achieving net-zero energy performance at the community scale provides economic and potentially overall efficiency advantages over strategies focused on individual buildings.

Wind Energy Assessment Study For Nevada -- Tall Tower Deployment (Stone Cabin), Darko Koracin, R. Reinhardt, Gregory D. Mccurdy, Marshall Liddle, Travis E. Mccord, Ramesh Vellore, Timothy B. Minor, Bradley F. Lyles, D. Miller, Lycia M. Ronchetti

Publications (E)

The objective of this work effort was to characterize wind shear and turbulence for representative wind-developable areas in Nevada.

Biodiesel Handling And Use Guide: Fourth Edition (Revised), National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publications (T)

This document is a guide for those who blend, store, distribute, and use biodiesel and biodiesel blends. It provides basic information on the proper and safe use of biodiesel and biodiesel blends in compression-ignition engines and boilers, and it is intended to help fleets, individual users, blenders, distributors, and those involved in related activities understand procedures for handling and using biodiesel fuels.

A Fateful Year For Climate Change, William J. Antholis

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Since 1979, 20% of the polar ice cap has melted away. While the public is aware of climate change, the urgency to action is not there. Climate change is also an issue of national security, but enforcement of the the Kyoto and Copenhagen treaties is hampered.

Insights And Opportunities: Technologies, Policies, And Markets For Clean Energy Solutions, Douglas J. Arent

Publications (E)

A presentation highlighting how strategic energy analysis can affect technologies, policies, and markets for clean energy solutions. This includes an overview of some of NREL's models and tools as well as results from laboratory analysis.

2009 Annual Progress Report: Doe Hydrogen Program, U.S. Department Of Energy

Publications (E)

This report summarizes the hydrogen and fuel cell R&D activities and accomplishments of the DOE Hydrogen Program for FY2009. It covers the program areas of hydrogen production and delivery; fuel cells; manufacturing; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

Phev Parcel Delivery Truck Model - Development And Preliminary Results, R. Barnitt

Publications (T)

Describes results of a study to determine the impact of drive cycles on the energy- and cost-effectiveness of plug-in hybrid electric delivery vans.

Geopolitics Of Global Change: The Melting Of The Arctic, Charles K. Ebinger

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Arctic Melt:
- Climate change, feedback loops
- More than one million square miles of ice melted in 2007
- We could have ice-free Arctic summers as early as 2013 or 2015
- New environmental and strategic challenges

State Of The States 2009: Renewable Energy Development And The Role Of Policy, Elizabeth Doris, Joyce Mclaren, Victoria Healey, Stephen Hockett

Publications (E)

As U.S. states increasingly focus on developing renewable energy resources, there is a need to track the progress of development, as well as the policies and support mechanisms being implemented to encourage this development. Beyond tracking, the evaluation of policy measures is necessary to determine their effectiveness, guide future efforts, and efficiently allocate resources. This report addresses each of these needs. It provides a detailed picture of the status of renewable energy development in each of the U.S. states using a variety of metrics and discusses the policies being used to encourage this development. The report then explores the context …

Unlv Magazine, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Holly Ivy De Vore, Lisa Arth, Cate Weeks, Greg Lacour, Tony Allen, Afsha Bawany, Barbara Cloud, Gian Galassi, Phil Hagen, Karyn S. Hollingsworth, Michelle Mouton, Erin O'Donnell

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Policy Overview And Options For Maximizing The Role Of Policy In Geothermal Electricity Development, Elizabeth Doris, Claire Kreycik, Katherine Young

Publications (E)

Geothermal electricity production1 capacity has grown over time because of multiple factors, including its renewable, baseload, and domestic attributes; volatile and high prices for competing technologies; and policy intervention. Overarching federal policies, namely the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA),2 provided certainty to project investors in the 1980s, leading to a boom in geothermal development. In addition to market expansion through PURPA, research and development policies provided an investment of public dollars toward developing technologies and reducing costs over time to increase the market competitiveness of geothermal electricity. Together, these efforts are cited as the primary policy drivers for the …

An Examination Of Rural Residents’ Perceptions Of Environmental Activities At The Nevada Test Site: Results Of A Mail Questionnaire 2008 – 2009, Helen R. Neill

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Given the U.S. DOE's Environmental Management activities at the Nevada Test Site, what matters to rural residents living nearby?

DOE provided a grant to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to conduct a questionnaire and analyses.

Unlv Magazine, Michelle Mouton, Tony Allen, Afsha Bawany, Shane Bevell, Phil Hagen, Greg Lacour, Erin O'Donnell, Karyn S. Hollingsworth

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Examination Of The Regional Supply And Demand Balance For Renewable Electricity In The United States Through 2015, Lori Bird, David Hurlbut, Pearl Donohoo, Karlynn Cory, Claire Kreycik

Publications (E)

This report examines the balance between the demand and supply of new renewable electricity in the United States on a regional basis through 2015. It expands on a 2007 NREL study (Swezey et al. 2007) that assessed the supplynational basis. As with the earlier study, this analysis relies on estimates of renewable energy supplies compared to demand for renewable energy generation needed to meet existing state renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies in 28 states, as well as demand by consumers who voluntarily purchase renewable energy. However, it does not address demand by utilities that may procure cost-effective renewables through an …