Reed Wittman, along with a team from Oak Ridge National Labs and the University of Tennessee, published an article titled “In Situ Liquid Electron Microscope Cells Strongly Attenuate Electrochemical Behavior,” which models electrochemical reactions in an in situ electrochemical Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM). This work was published on November 22, 2024.

In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments have been developed over the last 15 years to study various reactions at the nanoscale. This research has applications across a wide range of fields, including battery development, metal deposition and corrosion, and catalyst development. The in situ TEM tool enables researchers to observe fundamental changes in material interfaces, structures, and compositions while reactions occur. However, the confined geometric space of a TEM affects how reactions proceed compared to standard large-scale setups.

In their study, the team modeled the electrochemical behavior of the in situ TEM cell and compared the results to those from “standard” electrochemical setups. They found significant deviations in reaction locations and limiting processes between the two environments. These insights will aid future researchers in correlating the results of in situ electrochemical TEM experiments with real-world applications.

This work was published in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, the leading electrochemical journal globally, widely read by academics studying fundamental processes and industry professionals addressing applied problems.

For further inquiries, please contact Reed Wittman at rwittm@sandia.gov.

For more information, please visit the publication here.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

Victoria O’Brien presented an invited talk entitled “Cybersecurity of Battery Energy Storage Systems” for the IEEE North Jersey Section, hosted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), on November 14, 2024. The presentation focused on methods to ensure a robust cybersecurity posture for battery energy storage systems and highlighted Victoria’s work in repurposing anomaly detection methods to identify false data injection attacks targeting the sensors of battery systems.

This event, jointly hosted by the IEEE North Jersey Section and NJIT, allowed the research to reach a diverse audience of students and professionals in the Northeast. Additionally, the talk fostered connections with faculty at NJIT, particularly with Professor Joshua Taylor from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

The North Jersey Section of the IEEE coordinates activities for several counties in New Jersey, including Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Union. NJIT is classified as an R1 research university, reflecting its commitment to excellent research and scholarship opportunities.

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

For further inquiries, please contact Victoria O’Brien.

For more information about the event, please visit here.

Victoria O’Brien, Rodrigo Trevizan, and Vittal Rao from Texas Tech University conducted a study focused on detecting, identifying, and classifying false data injection attacks that corrupt voltage sensors in battery stacks. The results of this study were published in a journal article entitled “Online and Offline Identification of False Data Injection Attacks in Battery Sensors Using a Single Particle Model” in the IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy on November 7, 2024.

Monitoring the sensors of grid-scale battery energy storage systems for malicious cyberattacks, such as false data injection attacks, is crucial for ensuring their safe operation. Previous studies have enabled the detection of such attacks, but they often only flagged an attack somewhere in the system. The novel approach discussed in this paper utilizes a single particle battery model, allowing for the detection of false data injection attacks, identification of the corrupted sensors, and classification of the bias of the false data injection attack as either positive or negative. This method is effective in both online and offline applications, enabling real-time detection of cyberattacks. The proposed approach demonstrated high accuracy, achieving a false alarm rate of 0%, detection rates of 99.83%, and identification and classification rates of 97% each.

The IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy is a high-quality technical journal that covers topics related to power systems and has an impact factor of 3.3, validating the significance of this research.

For further inquiries, please contact Victoria O’Brien.

To learn more, please visit the publication here.

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

Samantha Macchi, Travis Anderson, and their colleagues at Sandia National Laboratories published a front cover artwork for Volume 11, Issue 20 of the ChemElectroChem journal on October 16, 2024. This publication follows their previous full article titled “Influence of Linker Group on Bipolar Redox-Active Molecule Performance in Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries.” The graphic vividly illustrates the charged state of a bipolar redox molecule-based flow battery, emphasizing the performance impact of the “inactive” bridging group between two redox-active moieties in a non-aqueous flow battery.

The symmetric nature of the active redox molecules studied allows these batteries to operate similarly to classic all-Vanadium flow batteries. This design alleviates the effects of crossover (the unwanted migration of active materials across a separator), enabling capacity regeneration through simple rebalancing. This approach contrasts with other recent non-aqueous flow battery reports that utilize distinct posolyte and negolyte molecules in each tank, which experience irreversible capacity loss due to crossover.

Front cover publications significantly broaden the reach of the work conducted by the Office of Electricity (OE) Energy Storage group and highlight the merit and importance of these results within the field. The ChemElectroChem journal is a well-regarded electrochemistry publication with an exceptional impact factor of 3.5, validating the significance of the research.

For further inquiries, please contact Samantha Macchi.

For more information, please visit the publication here or access the citation here.

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

Atri Bera, along with a team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and Michigan State University, published a chapter on Pumped Hydroelectric Storage (PHS) systems as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Storage Handbook on October 31, 2024.

Pumped hydroelectric storage is the most widely used electrical energy storage technology globally, providing essential services to the modern power grid, particularly in facilitating the large-scale integration of variable energy resources. This chapter highlights the evolution of PHS in the United States and worldwide, discusses the current state of technology, and outlines its applications and benefits. Additionally, it addresses key challenges faced by PHS and potential solutions to these issues, reflecting the renewed interest from investors, utilities, and regulators due to its environmental advantages.

The U.S. DOE Energy Storage Handbook (ESHB) serves as a valuable resource for those interested in the fundamental concepts and applications of grid-level energy storage systems (ESSs). It features high-level technical discussions on current technologies, industry standards, best practices, and projections about energy storage as an emerging and enabling technology. The ESHB is a peer-reviewed document, comprising 25 chapters and approximately 60 contributing authors, validating the significance of the work presented.

The full chapter can be read here.

For further inquiries, please contact Atri Bera.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

Ujjwol Tamrakar, a member of the Sandia Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department, presented a talk titled “Accelerating Deployment of Energy Storage through HIL Simulation and Testing” during the panel session on “Coordinated Storage Networks as Grid Assets: Control Challenges and Opportunities” at the IEEE IECON conference held on November 4, 2024.

This presentation highlighted several innovative control techniques developed at Sandia National Laboratories and discussed the utilization of Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHIL) testing for the design and validation of these control strategies. The talk emphasized the critical importance of CHIL testing in ensuring that energy storage control algorithms for grid-connected systems are thoroughly validated, helping to prevent deployment issues and operational failures. Ujjwol’s presentation sparked engaging discussions on the need for holistic approaches to the design and testing of control algorithms that capture the practical aspects of real energy storage systems.

The IEEE IECON conference is renowned for its focus on industrial electronics and applications, providing an excellent platform for sharing insights with fellow researchers, industry experts, and practitioners working in the field of energy storage controls. This high-quality event underscores the significance of Ujjwol’s work in advancing energy storage technologies.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

For further inquiries, please contact Ujjwol Tamrakar.

The United States Air Force awarded the Sandia Energy Storage Demonstration Projects Team for their support of the Ellsworth Air Force Base battery energy storage system project with the 2024 Air Force Community Partnership Awards on October 28, 2024. This project was a collaborative effort involving the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (NRECA), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), West River Electric Cooperative Association (WREA), and personnel from Ellsworth Air Force Base. The purpose of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project was to enhance resilience for critical infrastructure at Ellsworth AFB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Sandia’s Demonstration Projects Team played a crucial role in this initiative, providing expertise and support from the analysis stage through to the commissioning of the battery energy storage system. This recognition highlights Sandia’s commitment to supporting the Department of Defense (DOD), NRECA, and rural electric cooperatives in achieving federal resilience objectives. The work aligns with the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity (OE) mission to strengthen and modernize the nation’s power grid, ensuring a reliable, resilient, and secure electricity delivery infrastructure.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Sandia National Laboratories is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

For more information, visit Air Force News.

For further inquiries, please contact Waylon Clark.

Rodrigo Trevizan, along with Matt Reno from Sandia National Laboratories and Zheyuan Cheng from Quanta Technology, submitted a journal paper titled “A Method for Location of Faults in Meshed Secondary Low-Voltage Power Distribution Systems” to the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery on November 8, 2024.

The detection of faults in low-voltage systems is a pressing issue for power utilities, particularly in meshed low-voltage power distribution systems that are deployed to enhance reliability in high-density urban areas. These systems face unique challenges when it comes to short-circuit location, as faults can be fed from multiple feeders, leading to severe damage and service interruptions. Traditional methods for locating faults often require time-consuming on-site inspections or costly investments in additional sensors and monitoring equipment.

The innovative approach presented in this paper addresses the critical need for real-time monitoring of low-voltage systems using time-synchronized sensor data. The primary goal of the fault locator is to minimize the time required for utility crews to identify the location of faults, thereby accelerating repairs and reducing the duration of power interruptions for customers. This advancement not only benefits utilities but also enhances service reliability for consumers.

The IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery is a highly esteemed journal in the field of electrical engineering, known for its rigorous peer-review process and commitment to publishing cutting-edge research. As a leading publication of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, it covers a wide range of topics related to electric power delivery, making it an ideal platform for disseminating significant findings in this area.

This technical advance is the result of two projects: Sandia’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development funding for “Fault Resilience for Downtown Areas and Critical Customers in Low-Voltage Meshed Networks,” and the Department of Energy Office of Electricity’s Microgrid Program Annual Operating Plan project “Advanced Protection for Microgrids and DER in Secondary Networks and Meshed Distribution Systems.”

For further inquiries, please contact Rodrigo Trevizan.

Samantha Macchi and her colleagues at Sandia National Laboratories have investigated the effect of chemical structure on the performance of bipolar redox molecules in non-aqueous flow batteries. Their findings are detailed in a report titled “Influence of Linker Group on Bipolar Redox-Active Molecule Performance in Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries,” published in the journal ChemElectroChem on October 3, 2024.

This research is important because non-aqueous redox flow batteries offer high working voltages exceeding 5 V, making them a viable alternative to traditional aqueous systems. However, the stability of active materials and cell components in organic solvents remains a challenge. Understanding the relationship between molecular structure and cycling stability is essential for advancing this technology.

In their study, Macchi and her team explored the effects of length, polarity, and rigidity of the “innocent” groups that covalently link the two redox-active species. They identified several strategies to improve molecular stability and cycling performance, which could inform future molecular design efforts in flow batteries.

The publication in ChemElectroChem, a Wiley journal with an impact factor of 3.5, highlights the relevance of this work. Journals with impact factors above 3 are considered to publish significant research.

Access the full article here.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Citation:

S. Macchi, C. L. Staiger, J. Cordova, C. Poirier, T. M. Anderson, ChemElectroChem 2024, e202400450. https://doi.org/10.1002/celc.202400450

Rodrigo D. Trevizan and Stanley Atcitty have co-authored the article “Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) as an Equity Asset: Lessons Learned from DER Deployments in Disadvantaged Communities,” published in the July/August edition of IEEE Power and Energy Magazine. This article summarizes Sandia’s contributions to Tribal Energy Storage projects, highlighting efforts from both the Tribal Energy Storage program and the Energy Storage Demonstrations team.

This research is significant as it addresses the energy challenges faced by Native American and Native Alaskan communities. According to the U.S. Census, over 6.79 million Native Americans make up about 2.09% of the U.S. population, with many tribal lands experiencing energy access issues. Recent surveys indicate that over 54,200 individuals live without electricity. In response, tribal governments are increasingly pursuing energy independence through the deployment of DERs, including renewable energy and energy storage systems.

Sandia’s work has been instrumental in providing technical assistance for these initiatives. Projects such as the microgrid in Levelock Village, Alaska, and solar PV and energy storage systems for the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Picuris Pueblo demonstrate the potential benefits of these technologies. Additionally, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority’s efforts to electrify remote homes with renewable energy and advanced battery storage underscore the importance of sustainable energy solutions for tribal communities. These initiatives not only enhance energy sovereignty but also contribute to broader goals of sustainability and economic development.

IEEE Power and Energy Magazine is a respected publication in the fields of electrical engineering and energy technology, featuring peer-reviewed articles by industry experts. It serves as a valuable resource for professionals, researchers, and students, providing insights into industry trends and innovations.

Click here to read the full article.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity (OE), Energy Storage Division.

Citation:

• L. Bird, C. Walker, J. Womble, S. Atcitty, R.D. Trevizan, L. Concessao, H. Meenawat, and B. Tarekegne, “Distributed energy resources (DERs) as an equity asset: Lessons learned from DER deployments in disadvantaged communities,” IEEE Power and Energy Magazine, July/August, 2024.