Alternative energy

News and Updates

NIST Study Finds Ideal Doping Concentration and 3D/2D Structure to Prevent Degradation of Potential Solar Power Material

April 19, 2021

The crystal known as perovskite is a promising photovoltaic material for harnessing energy from sunlight. Perovskites have several advantages over silicon, the

New NIST Framework Strives for Cleaner, More Secure Power Grid

February 18, 2021

Whether it’s a new set of solar panels glistening on a neighbor’s roof or a freshly installed smart thermostat at home, burgeoning renewable and smart

Woman wearing protective face covering works in a lab.

Spotlight: Stephanie Moffitt's Search for the Causes of Solar Panel Failures

September 24, 2020

Solar panels face attack on all sides, so NIST researchers are coming to their defense and studying the causes of failures. Large fields of solar panels

Projects and Programs

Sub-nanoscale electron microscopy of complex nanostructures

The aim of this project is to develop robust, quantitative measurement methods utilizing transmission electron microscopy methods for complex, nanostructured

Electron-Beam Irradiation of Solar Cells

The Dosimetry Group operates a system capable of performing electron beam processing, which consists of a Van de Graaff electron accelerator and a sample

Power Conditioning Systems for Renewables, Storage, and Microgrids

This project develops the measurement science necessary to support the widespread use of advanced power electronics to provide new functionality in the smart

SEM of nano-contacts used to interrogate grains and grain boundaries

Nanoscale Functional and Structural Characterization of Thin-Film Inorganic Solar Cells

Large-scale implementation of solar power generation requires photovoltaic (PV) devices with efficiency-to-cost ratios better than existing silicon-based solar

Publications

Residential net-zero energy buildings: Review and perspective

May 1, 2021

Author(s)

Wei Wu, Harrison Skye

Advancements in residential net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) could significantly reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. NZEB design considerations

Probing Transport Limitations in Thick Sintered Battery Electrodes with Neutron Imaging

April 21, 2021

Author(s)

Daniel S. Hussey, Gary Koenig, Jacob LaManna, David L. Jacobson

Lithium-ion batteries receive significant research effort due to their advantages in energy and power density that is important to enabling many devices. One

Understanding water management in platinum group metal-free electrodes using neutron imaging

April 21, 2021

Author(s)

Daniel S. Hussey, David L. Jacobson

Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) catalysts are a low-cost alternative to expensive PGM catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. However, due to the low

Accurate measurement of the through-plane water content of proton-exchange membranes using neutron radiography

April 21, 2021

Author(s)

Daniel S. Hussey, David L. Jacobson, Dusan Spernjak, Adam Weber, Rangachary Mukundan, Joseph Fairweather, Eric Brosha, John Davey, Jacob Spendelow, Rodney Borup

The water sorption of proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) was measured in situ using high-resolution neutron imaging in small-scale fuel-cell test sections. A

Software

AFUEBF Program

October 15, 2015

CALCULATION OF ANNUAL FUEL UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY OF RESIDENTIAL CENTRAL FURNACES AND BOILERSThe AFUEBF program available at this website can be used to

LoopDA

March 13, 2012

LoopDA is a natural ventilation design tool developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Version 3.0 is an update to the original version 1

Tools and Instruments

Apparatus for the Measurement of High Temperature Thermoelectric Transport Properties

The Seebeck coefficient is a physical parameter routinely measured to identify the potential thermoelectric performance of a material. However, researchers

Material Analysis Using Neutron Depth Profiling

Light elements such as helium, lithium, boron, and nitrogen are essential constituents in materials that enable energy technologies; lithium ion batteries