Basic Energy Sciences Science for Energy Technology Strengthening the Link between Basic Science and...

Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences

Science for Energy Technology

Strengthening the Link between Basic Science and Industry

George CrabtreeArgonne National Laboratory

Alexis MalozemoffAmerican Superconductor Corporation

Co-chairs

BESAC MeetingMarch 2, 2010Bethesda, MD

OutlineWhy reach out to industry?

Relationship of BES to industryThe Workshop

Highlights of the Concept ReportDiscussion


Brinkman’s Charge

1. Summarize the science themes that emerged from the BESAC

reports Basic Research Needs for a Secure Energy Future and the

follow-on BES Basic Research Needs topical reports with an

emphasis on the needs of the more applied energy technologies.

Identify grand challenge science drivers that are likely to have an

impact in the energy arena in the near term.

2. Identify how the suite of BES-supported and -managed scientific

user facilities can impact basic and applied research on energy.

3. Identify other major impediments to successful achievement and

implementation of transformative energy technologies, including

potential deficits in human capital and workforce development, and

possible solutions to these problems.


Co-chairs:George Crabtree (Argonne National Laboratory)

Alexis Malozemoff (American Superconductor Corporation)

Simon Bare* (UOP LLC), Kurt Edsinger (EPRI), Richard Esposito

(Southern Company), Charles Gay (Applied Materials, Inc.), Lori Greene

(U. California, Irvine), John Hemminger# (U. California, Irvine), Marc

Kastner (MIT), Bernd Keller (Cree), Patrick Looney (Brookhaven National

Laboratory), Celia Merzbacher (Semiconductor Research Corp.),

Omkaram Nalamasu (Applied Materials, Inc.), Gregory Powers

(Verenium), Bart Riley (A123 Systems), John Sarrao (Los Alamos

National Laboratory), Thomas Schneider (NREL)

* Member of BESAC

# Ex Officio, Chair of BESAC

Subcommittee on Science for Energy Technology


Workshop on Science for Energy Technology Jan 18-21, 2010

Panel 1. Solar energy – Coordinator Charles Gay, Advanced Materials

Panel 2. Advanced Nuclear Technologies - Coordinator Kurt Edsinger,

EPRI Panel 3. Carbon Sequestration – Coordinator Richard Esposito,

Southern Co.

Panel 4. Electricity Storage – Coordinator Bart Riley, A123 Systems

Panel 5. Electricity Delivery – Coordinator Thomas Schneider, NREL

Panel 6. Advanced Lighting - Coordinator: Bernd Keller, Cree

Panel 7. Biofuels – Coordinator Gregory Powers, Verenium

Panel 8. Efficient Energy Generation and Use - Coordinator: Om Nalamasu, Advanced Materials

Panel 9. DOE User Facilities – Coordinator Simon Bare, UOP

Generalists: John Sarrao, Pat Looney, Marc Kastner, Celia Merzbacher, Lori Greene


Two Reports

Concept report ~ 15 pages

For wide distribution to decision makers

in Congress, Administration, agencies,

energy community

Inspiring, exciting, high level

Limited number of high level actionable

items

Full report ~ 150 pages

For Office of Science, technically savvy industrial and scientific communities

More detailed recommendations and actionable items


Why Reach Out to Industry?

Technical motivation

Clean energy technologies operate far below their theoretical potential

e. g. Commercial PV at ~20% vs. combined cycle gas turbines ~60%

Roadblock is basic science understanding of materials, chemistry and energy conversion at nanoscale

Basic science understanding leads directly to industrial performance

innovations



Societal motivation

The traditional economic driver – consumer spending leading to GDP and jobs growth – has paused or structurally declined

Addressing national energy needs and exporting clean energy technologies to the developing and developed world builds a reliable and enduring new economic foundation

Basic science supporting industry will enable

and accelerate the new economic foundation



Urgency

Other countries striving to take the lead in establishing clean energy technology – Europe and Asia

Other parts of the US R&D enterprise starting to move into the science-to-industry space

- but BES is best positioned to address the need

- an opportunity to augment the role of BES The window of opportunity is short


Relationship of BES to Industry


Panel 1: Solar ElectricityCoordinator: Charles Gay, Applied Solar

• Fundamentals of Materials and Interfaces in Photovoltaics

• Advanced Photovoltaic Analysis and Computational Modeling for Up-scaling

• Photovoltaic Lifetime and Degradation SciencePanel 2: Advanced Nuclear EnergyCoordinator: Kurt Edsinger, EPRI

• Materials Degradation Mechanisms • Advanced Irradiation Effects Scaling • Back End of the Fuel Cycle

Panel 3: Carbon SequestrationCoordinator: Richard Esposito, Southern Co.

• Extraction of High Resolution Information from Subsurface Imaging and Modeling

• Understanding Multi-scale Dynamics of Flow and Plume Migration

• Understanding Millennium Timescale Processes from Short Timescale Experimentation

Panel 4: Electricity StorageCoordinator :Bart Riley, A123 Systems

• Identification and Development of New Materials • Invention of New Architectures for Energy Storage • Understanding and Controlling Heterogeneous

Interfaces • Identification and Development of New Tools

SciTech Workshop Priority Research Directions

Panel 5: Electric Power Grid TechnologiesCoordinator: Thomas Schneider, NREL

• Power Electronic Materials • High Power Superconductors • Electric Insulating and Dielectric Materials • Electrical Conductors

Panel 6: Advanced Solid State LightingCoordinator: Bernd Keller, Cree

• White Light Emission Through Wavelength Conversion

• High Efficiency Emission at High Current Density and Temperature

• Organic Light Emitting Diode Materials and Structures

Panel 7: BiofuelsCoordinator: Gregory Powers, Verenium

• Diversity of Biomass and Its Intermediates in the Manufacture of Biofuels

• Mass Transport Phenomena in Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels

• Biomass Catalyst Discovery, Characterization and Performance

Panel 8: Efficient Energy Generation and UseCoordinator: Om Nalamasu, Applied Materials

• Enabling Materials Technologies for Renewable Power

• Fuel Cell Materials Understanding and Discovery • Dynamic Optical and Thermal Properties of Building

Envelopes


Report Highlights

Transformational near term research is not an oxymoron

Industry sees the value of basic science

BRN’s already identified two kinds of science contributions to energy

1. “Supernovas” – breakthroughs that change technical landscape

-high temperature superconductivity in 1986

2. Understanding and ultimately controlling existing phenomena

- complex materials and chemistry at the nanoscale- mechanisms of “droop” in high current solid state lighting- development of carbon sequestration plumes- conversion among photons, electrons and chemical bonds

SciTech PRDs focused on near-term industry impact- Echo many BRN PRDs- Emphasize sustained building of scientific knowledge base

underlying technology (category 2 above)- Like Moore’s Law: series of incremental breakthroughs changes the game


Develop foundational scientific understanding of at-scale production challenges in existing materials and processes

- Identify mechanisms for factor of two efficiency loss in full-scale solar cells over laboratory versions

Beyond empiricism: fundamental understanding of lifetime prediction of materials in extreme environments, especially ageing, degradation and failure

- Degradation mechanisms under the extreme irradiation, thermal, and corrosive conditions of nuclear reactors

Discovery of new materials or chemical processes with targeted functionality

- Modeling frameworks to predict performance of new biomass conversion catalysts

Three Overarching Themes


Three Crosscutting Needs

New materials by design with specific properties or functionalities

Numerical modelingScience of synthesisCharacterization of outcomes

Interfaces: understand, predict and control optical, electrical, mechanical and chemical behaviorsolar cells, radiation hard materials, carbon dioxide

reactivity and migration, battery and fuel cell electrodes

Dynamic behavior away from equilibriumChemical reaction kinetics, degradation and failure

modes of materials, current flow in electric grid


BES User Facilities

unique resources

structure spectroscopy

imaging

nanoscale synthesis and

characterization


User Facilities

Facilities could more fully support clean energy science and specifically industrial energy science

Example: structural biology receives special accommodation

Proposal review solving basic science roadblocks to clean energy technologyuniqueness of facility for proposed experimentindustrial scientists on review teams

Quick response projects, for academic, national lab and industry users

Reach out to industrySeek industrial advice – members of advisory boardsFacility directors and senior managers seek industry

interactionPortal for industry that attracts users, provides special

supportIncentivize support staff to engage industry users


Barriers and Solutions

Communication• Barrier: differing objectives and styles• Workshop: a promising opening• Need to reach out: advisory boards, personal relationships

Collaboration• Find challenges that exploit basic science to advance industrial performance

• Expand work on SciTech PRDs• Funding incentive / mechanism needed to promote collaboration

• Consortia for common problems• Academia-national laboratory-industry exchange programs• Intellectual property needs case by case solution – and recognition of the legitimate needs of both sides

Workforce• Collaborative research projects• Student and postdoctoral internships in industry• Exchange visits across university-national labs-industry


Questions for Discussion

Are these the right messages?

Are the messages coming through?

How do we follow up?

Workshops to update or develop the PRDs

Communication initiatives

Collaborative incentives and mechanisms

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