NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

Renewable Electricity: Future

Technology Challenges

Robert J. Noun

Executive Director

Communications & External Affairs

March 5, 2009

1

Getting to “Speed and Scale” –Key Challenges

Implementing Renewable Gigawatts at Scale

Reducing Energy Demand of Buildings, Vehicles, and Industry

• Cost• Reliability• Infrastructure• Dispatchability

• Coordinated implementation• Valuing efficiency• Cost• Performance and reliability

Displacement of Petroleum-Based Fuels

• Cost• Life cycle sustainability• Fuels infrastructure• Demand and utilization

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

BARRIERS

BARRIERS

BARRIERS

2

President Obama on Renewable Energy

• Invest $150B in alternative energy over

10 years

• Double production of alternative energy

in three years

• Upgrade the efficiency of more than

75% of federal buildings and two million

private homes

• Create Jobs with Clean, Efficient,

American Energy

• Transforming Our Economy with

Science and Technology

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC3

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Harvesting Past InvestmentsFirst Generation Technology

U.S. Renewable Electricity Installed Nameplate Capacity

Source: EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2009 Early Release

4

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Technology Innovation Challenges RemainThe Next Generation

• Wind Turbines– Improve energy capture by 30%

– Decrease costs by 25%

• Biofuels– New feedstocks

– Integrated biorefineries

• Solar Systems– Improved performance through,

new materials, lower cost manufacturing processes, concentration

– Nanostructures

• Zero Energy Buildings– Building systems integration

– Computerized building energy optimization tools

5

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Achieving the Potential Requires

A Balanced Portfolio

6

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Managing the Lab-to-Market Interface

• Partner with industry, universities, other federal

agencies, international community and state/local

governments to deploy clean energy solutions

– NREL “storefronts”, DuPont CRADA, Xcel/SolarTAC

• Contribute timely and definitive analyses on

technology, policy, and market issues that impact

commercialization

• Provide investment community with credible

information (industry growth forums)

7

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Technology Development

Programs

Efficient Energy Use

• Vehicle Technologies

• Building Technologies

• Industrial Technologies

Energy Delivery and Storage

• Electricity Transmission and Distribution

• Alternative Fuels

• Hydrogen Delivery and Storage

Renewable Resources

• Wind and water

• Solar

• Biomass

• Geothermal

NR

EL R

&D

Port

folio

Foundational Science and Advanced Analytics8

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

NREL FY2008 Program PortfolioActual $328.3 Million

Updated October 2008

Solar $72.4M

Wind $33.9M

Bioenergy $35.4M

Hydrogen $28.4M

Vehicle Technologies $19.3MBuildings $11.1M

FEMP $4.6M

WFO $18.7M

Other DOE $7.6M

Basic Sciences $13.5M

Facilities and Infrastructure $76.2M

Weatherization $3.4M

Transmission and Distribution $1.9M

Geothermal $1.9M

9

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Wind

Long Term Potential• 20% of the nation’s electricity supply

Today’s Status in U.S.• 22,820 MW installed capacity• Cost 6-9¢/kWh at good wind sites*

DOE Cost Goals• 3.6¢/kWh, onshore at low wind sites

by 2012• 7¢/kWh, offshore in shallow water by

2014

* With no Production Tax Credit

Updated December 8, 2008

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, American Wind Energy Association

10

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Wind

Source: Megavind Report Denmark’s future as leading centre of competence within the field of wind power

NREL Research Thrusts• Improved performance and reliability• Advanced rotor development• Utility grid integration

11

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC12

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Solar – Photovoltaics and CSP

Status in U.S.

PV

• 1,000 MW installed capacity

• Cost 18-23¢/kWh

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

13

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

8.22-megawatt Alamosa, Colo., PV solar plant

NREL Research Thrusts

• PV– Higher performance cells/modules

– New nanomaterials applications

– Advanced manufacturing techniques

• CSP– Low cost high performance storage for

baseload markets

– Advanced absorbers, reflectors, and heat transfer fluids

– Next generation solar concentrators

14

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Geothermal

Today’s 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 > 90%,

base load power

DOE Cost Goals:• <5¢/kWh, for typical

hydrothermal sites

• 5¢/kWh, for enhanced

geothermal systems with mature

technology

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

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 materialsApril 10, 2008

15

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC16

Buildings

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

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

• Building integrated PV

April 10, 2008

17

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

An Integrated Approach is Required

18

19NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC19

Distributed Energy Systems

Integration

• Systems Integration– PV Grid Integration

– Smart Grids

– DE System Modeling and Simulation

• Distributed Power – Codes and Standards Development

– Interconnection Equipment Testing

– Regulatory and Policy

– Microgrids testing and standards

• Advanced Power Electronics– Advanced Functionality

– Modular/Scaleable PE

• Renewable Electrolysis– Wind/PV to Hydrogen

– Testing and Characterization of Electrolyzers

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC20

Grid Integration Program Addressing

High-Penetration PV Challenges

• Issues Associated with High Penetration

– Affected by utilities' existing generation mix regulating capabilities, load characteristics, resource availability, and market structure

– Additional systems costs may go up with increasing penetration due to variability and uncertainty

• Solution Pathways

– Spatial diversity of the resource

– Flexible conventional generation

– Grid operations and control

– Load management

– Energy storage

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC21

PV Grid Integration

Working with SMUD and Xcel Energy to evaluate PV grid impacts

Currently installing data acquisition and monitoring on distribution

feeder at the Anatolia Sub-development in Rancho Cordova, CA

Over 600 homes will have 2kW of PV

Monitoring on

Distribution

Transformer Alamosa

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC22

Wind2H2 Project

Proton Energy

(PEM) 5kW

Electrolyzer

Teledyne

(Alkaline) 50kW

Electrolyzer

Proton Energy

(PEM) 5kW

Electrolyzer

Hydrogen IC Engine/

Genset 60kW

Utility

Grid

(Future) H2 Filling Station

AC Power

DC BUS

DC-DC

ConverterDC-DC

Converters

100kW Wind Turbine

Excess AC Power

10kW Wind

Turbine

AC-DC

Converter

Hydrogen Output

Hydrogen Compression

150psi - 3,500psiHydrogen Storage

85kg

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

5kW

AC Power

ASCO

Transfer

Switch

10kW

PV

DC-DC

Converters

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC23

NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy operated by the Alliance for Sustainable

Energy, LLC

Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

Visit us online at www.nrel.gov

24