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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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.
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
Why Reach Out to Industry?
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
Why Reach Out to Industry?
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
BES User Facilities
unique resources
structure spectroscopy
imaging
nanoscale synthesis and
characterization
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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
Basic Energy SciencesBasic Energy Sciences
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