Direction of research in energy technology defined
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released its Quadrennial Technology Review, a comprehensive report detailing the top priorities for energy research over the next four years. The report, produced after a long process, provides a snapshot of the current state of energy technology and research opportunities.
The report outlines three overriding goals for energy research: economic security, energy security, and environmental security. To achieve these goals, the DOE has identified several key areas of focus.
One such area is the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for nuclear power. These reactors, which can be assembled in factories and trucked to operating sites, are considered one of the most promising developments. SMRs offer enhanced safety through passive cooling systems, lower construction costs due to standardized factory production, faster deployment, scalable modular design, and the potential to provide flexible, efficient, and climate-friendly energy both for electricity and industrial process heat.
Another focus area is solar power. While solar energy has experienced significant cost reductions in recent years, the report highlights that there is still room for improvement, especially in the costs of supporting systems.
The electric grid, according to Lynn Orr, the undersecretary for science and energy at the DOE, is considered the connective tissue that ties the energy system together. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the DOE laid the groundwork for a more responsive and coordinated electrical grid.
The report also covers wind power, energy storage systems, carbon capture and sequestration, and turbines. Wind power, currently representing 5% of the nation's electricity production, has the opportunity to improve on the design of wind-farm systems at scale. Energy storage systems are important for smoothing out imbalances in electricity supply and demand, from grid-scale systems to automobile batteries, and at various time scales.
Capturing CO with solvents for carbon emissions reduction is possible, but currently relatively expensive without a clear price on carbon. Turbines, used in almost every kind of power plant, show great promise in drastically cutting their size and complexity, potentially leading to cost reductions. Developing cost-effective ways of reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants is a key research area.
The report emphasizes the need to effectively manage the complex of interacting systems that affect energy production and use in order to transform the energy systems for the country and the world. The report is intended to be useful for the DOE, universities, industry, and anyone interested in the energy landscape.
Robert Armstrong, MITEI's current director, stated that expanding long-term federal funding for basic energy research is one of the most essential steps the government can take to meet the country's energy demands by 2050. The steam engine, initially only 0.5% efficient, has improved over time to convert fuel to energy with an efficiency of over 70%. Lynn Orr expressed hope that new energy technologies will progress faster than the steam engine did.
Each topic is also covered in greater detail in a set of single-topic assessments accompanying the main report. The report is available for anyone interested in the energy landscape to review and use.
