Projects

This section provides summaries of current and past research projects. Use the links below to jump to your area of interest.

Fuel Assessments

Resources for Renewable Natural Gas Production in Hawai‘i (2020-2021) – Scott Turn
Assessed resources for RNG production and compared their potential to current levels of fossil derived gas consumption in the State.

Liquefied Natural Gas for Hawai‘i: Policy, Economic, and Technical Questions (2012-2013)
Evaluated the potential importation of LNG to Hawai‘i and concluded that LNG could dramatically cut energy costs for consumers if obtained from the right source and on gas-indexed prices.

Biomass and Biofuels

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production – Scott Turn
Conduct research that supports development of supply chains for alternative, renewable, sustainable jet fuel production in Hawaiʻi.

Investigation of Waste-Based Feedstocks for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production – Scott Turn
Investigate the behavior of urban solid waste under possible gasification environments to inform participants in the urban solid waste to sustainable aviation fuel value chain.

Fuel Characterization by Multidimensional Gas Chromatography – Scott Turn
Identify and characterize trace quantities of heteroatomic organic species in aviation, maritime, and diesel fuels.

Novel Biocarbons – Scott Turn
Understand the variables in the production of transient plastic phase biocarbon formation to conduct preliminary assessments of potential use across the spectrum of applications.

High Rate Anaerobic-Aerobic Digestion – Michael Cooney
Produce a master design, inclusive of PID diagrams, costing, manufacturing, and shipping to build and install a wastewater treatment system designed from past research and commercial demonstration projects.

Hawai‘i State Bioenergy Master Plan (2008-2009) – Scott Turn
Developed a plan to address land and water resources, distribution infrastructure, labor resources, bioenergy technology, permitting, financial incentives, business partnering, and economic and environmental impacts.

Hydrogen

NELHA and MTA Hydrogen Stations and Fuel Cell Electric Buses – Mitch Ewan
Evaluate the technical and financial performance and durability of the station’s equipment and support a fleet of three hydrogen FCEBs in Hawai‘i.

MCBH “Fast Fill” Hydrogen Station (2010-2020) – Mitch Ewan
Installed and operated a “Fast Fill” (less than 5 minutes) hydrogen production and dispensing station to evaluate the performance and durability of the equipment, and support a fleet of 16 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

Solar Fuels

Solar Fuels Generation – Nicolas Gaillard
Improve the durability and conversion efficiency of novel chalcopyrite thin-film photo-absorbers for photoelectrochemical production of solar fuels.

Grid System Analysis

Energy Generation and Resilience Opportunities Assessment for MCBH – Leon Roose
Identify and evaluate needs and opportunities for implementing microgrid technologies on MCBH, while concurrently meeting their 14-day resiliency requirement.

NELHA HOST Park Microgrid Analysis (2019-2021) – Leon Roose
Determined the feasibility and benefits of modifying the current energy system at NELHA’s HOST Park to enable it to operate as a microgrid connected to HELCO’s electric grid system or as a stand-alone facility.

O‘ahu Distributed PV Grid Stability Study (2015-2017)
Evaluated grid stability and dynamic performance of O‘ahu with increasing levels of distributed photovoltaic solar resources during contingency events, and assessments of grid strength and battery energy storage.

O‘ahu-Maui Grid Interconnection Study (2013-2014)
Examined the value of prospective interconnected operation between the O‘ahu and Maui County (Maui, Lana‘i, and Moloka‘i) power grids via submarine power cables, advanced control systems, and operational strategies.

Hawai‘i Solar Integration Study (2010-2012)
Examined the operational impact of high penetrations of solar and wind energy on the O‘ahu and Maui bulk power systems.

Grid Technology: Development and Demonstration

Coconut Island DC Microgrid – Leon Roose
Demonstrate and assess the reliability, resilience, and energy efficiency benefits of a DC microgrid serving two buildings on Coconut Island.

Hawai‘i Virtual Power Plant Demonstration – Leon Roose
Quantify the economic value and operational effectiveness of battery and solar resources to simultaneously provide services to customer and grid-side services when aggregated as part of a VPP.

Advanced Conservation Voltage Reduction Development and Demonstration – Leon Roose
Demonstrate conservation voltage reduction as an effective way to conserve energy.

Bidirectional EV Charging Demonstration Project – Leon Roose
Develop, evaluate, and demonstrate the performance of novel algorithms to optimize the charge/discharge of shared fleet vehicles for energy cost minimization.

Development and Verification of AI-Based Microgrid Platform and Business Model – Mark Glick
Demonstrate the capabilities of an advanced control system using artificial intelligence to optimize energy management of a microgrid to reduce costs and improve resilience.

Solar Power Forecasting (2018-2022)
Developed advanced forecasting systems, including new methods and technologies, to predict solar photovoltaic power generation from minutes to days ahead.

Advanced Real-Time Grid Energy Monitor System (ARGEMS) (2017-2022)
Developed a low-cost device and system that can provide enhanced situational awareness allowing tighter, localized coordination of distributed energy resources.

Grid-Scale Battery Testing (2011-2020) – Marc Matsuura
Evaluated three grid-tied Battery Energy Storage Systems addressing different issues arising increasing renewable energy penetration levels. Facilitated the discovery of benefits and unexpected adverse consequences arising from this technology on isolated grids.

Fast Frequency Response Battery on a Low-Inertia Grid (2017-2020) – Marc Matsuura
Evaluated fast frequency response of a BESS on the island of Molokaʻi, which could impact industrial standards for metering and frequency measurement during electrical transients on low-inertia grids.

Load and PV Data Synthesis (2017-2021) – Leon Roose
Synthesized solar photovoltaic and customer load data from field measurements to enable more realistic distribution feeder modeling and state analysis for circuits with high distributed PV penetration.

Ka Honua Momona: Maximizing Efficiency of Off-Grid Nano-Grid (2018-2021) – Jim Maskrey
Converted an existing off-grid solar PV system, battery storage, and a backup fossil fueled generator, into a more efficient “smart” nano-grid.

Dynamic Load Bank for Islanded Grid Solutions (2018-2020) – Leon Roose
Demonstrated a reliable and inexpensive means to prevent the baseload diesel generators from operating below their minimum dispatch level during periods of high solar generation.

Sustainable Grid Platform with Enhanced System Layer and Fully Scalable Integration (2017-2020) – Leon Roose
Supported the long-term goal of designing highly scalable technologies for distribution systems to operate reliably and securely with extremely high penetration of distributed energy resources.

Smart Grid Inverters for High-Penetration PV Applications (2011-2015) – Leon Roose
Integrated grid management functionality software and standards-based communications hardware and software to develop and demonstrate use of a “smart grid inverter.”

Maui Smart Grid Demonstration (2008-2014) – Leon Roose
Developed and validated the use of smart grid technology to reduce peak demand and facilitate the integration of intermittent renewable technologies.

Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Modeling and Validating Indoor Air Quality in Hawaiʻi Classrooms – Jim Maskrey
Evaluate room air quality using field measurements and computer simulation to assess CO₂ concentrations in several room and HVAC typologies.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Building Operation – Jim Maskrey
Provide support and content development to the City and County of Honolulu Climate Change Commission for development of a white paper intended to provided technical and policy guidance for climate change mitigation.

Using Computer Vision to Measure Human Movement (2020-2021) – Jim Maskrey
Developed a process to anonymously measure human flow patterns, dwell times, dwell location, occupant spacing, and other metrics for the purpose of optimizing space utilization and energy management.

Project FROG Net Zero, Mixed Mode Buildings (2012-2021) – Jim Maskrey
Understand energy performance and operation of net zero energy, mixed mode buildings in tropical climate and to use the buildings as real-world research facilities for the study of energy efficient building features and control strategies.

Adaptive Lighting and Energy Efficient Security Strategy (2018-2021) – Jim Maskrey
Developed and tested an adaptive lighting system, based on novel Light Detection and Ranging sensor, that has the potential to significantly enhance security and dramatically reduce energy use and maintenance costs.

Building Energy Reduction in Future Transit Oriented Development Areas (2018-2021) – Jim Maskrey
Developed and demonstrated a building energy analysis process that can be used during early design phases at multiple transit-oriented development sites located along Oʻahu’s light rail line.

Energy Efficient Home Design: Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (2018-2021) – Jim Maskrey
Provided technical support to the DHHL and two sets of their design/builders to improve comfort and energy efficiency of homes built in their neighborhoods.

Healthy and Resilient Buildings Initiative (2020) – Mark Glick
Provided an immediate pathway for relief to businesses from the coronavirus pandemic by using virtual energy audits to quickly identify operational energy savings from potential energy efficiency measures and indoor air quality improvements through potential increased air flow.

State of Hawai‘i Department of Education: Thermal Comfort Portal Web Hosting (2017-2020) – Jim Maskrey
Provided HIDOE with the technical resources and expertise to support the delivery of energy and weather data that enables researchers, the community, and design professionals to make data-driven decisions for designs and resource allocation.

Desiccant Dehumidification for Mechanical HVAC Systems in Tropical Environment (2016-2017) – Jim Maskrey
Investigated non-conventional liquid desiccant dehumidification systems, identified applications in Hawai‘i, proposed a pilot design, and identified a potential site for the implementation of a pilot.

State of Hawai‘i Department of Education Facilities Energy and Comfort Study (2015) – Jim Maskrey
Monitored, evaluated, and assessed specific school facilities using a range of DOE-defined criteria that includes environmental conditions, energy use, comfort, and other human factors related to healthy learning environments.

Fuel Cells

Contaminant Tolerant Fuel Cells for Harsh Environments – Keith Bethune
Support NRL’s efforts to develop lightweight, high efficiency fuel cell systems for UAVs and continue efforts to enhance contaminant tolerance.

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Contamination – Yunfeng Zhai
Develop an effective technique to mitigate or restore the performance loss caused by air contaminants in PEMFC systems.

Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell – Tatyana Reshetenko
Evaluate the performance of AEMFCs under various operating conditions, study the effects of membrane electrode assemblies components, and develop methods applicable for AEMFC evaluation.

PGM-Free Catalysts for PEM Fuel Cell Applications – Tatyana Reshetenko
Develop highly active platinum group metal free catalysts and optimize their incorporation into a fuel cell.

Transition Metal Carbide Catalysts for Electrochemical Applications – Jing Qi
Develop transition metal carbide catalysts to improve performance in electrochemical applications and devices.

Materials Enablers for Advanced Manufacturing of Attritable Fuel Cells – Keith Bethune
Perform material research and simulation to propose a conceptual design for a FC with laminate construction to allow for a great cost decrease while retaining performance.

Proton Conducting Electrolytes for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (HT-PEMFC) – Yunfeng Zhai
Develop a novel electrolyte under high temperature and low humidity to be used as the catalyst layer of the HT-PEMFC to overcome the issue of phosphoric acid leaching.

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Producing Hydrogen Peroxide – Alexandra Fernandez
Modify a PEMFC to develop an alternative, electrochemical method for synthesizing hydrogen peroxide that also produces energy.

Water Purification with Ion Exchange Membrane and Porous Media (2019-2021) – Yunfeng Zhai
Developed a novel, low-cost water purification technology with ion exchange membrane and porous media that may reduce the energy consumption to less than 1 kWh/m³ for seawater desalination.

MCBH “Fast Fill” Hydrogen Station (2009-2020) – Mitch Ewan
Installed and operated a “Fast Fill” (less than 5 minutes) hydrogen production and dispensing station to evaluate the performance and durability of the equipment, and support a fleet of 16 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

Mass Transfer Analysis for High Power Fuel Cells (2015-2019) – Tatyana Reshetenko
Developed a novel diagnostic method for the determination of mass transfer parameters, which will provide guidance for improvements in electrode structure design.

Airborne Contaminants Effects on PEMFCs (2010-2018)
Studied the impacts of critical airborne contaminants common to vehicle exhaust and other emissions on FC performance and durability. Determined the mechanisms and developed strategies to mitigate performance loss.

Fuel Cell Model Library (2007-2014)
Developed an open-source library of PEMFC models in the Modelica language to support understanding of PEMFC operation and analyze contaminant impacts at single cell and stack levels.

Determination of Mass Transfer Coefficients in PEM Fuel Cells (2012-2013) – Tatyana Reshetenko
Developed a method to separate reactant mass transfer coefficients in gas and solid ionomer phases of a PEM fuel cell.

Batteries

Battery Energy Storage Systems Durability and Reliability – Matthieu Dubarry
Better understand the degradation of batteries in grid deployed systems and how to monitor them better, which will inform best practices to improve durability and safety.

Path Dependence of Battery Degradation – Matthieu Dubarry
Characterize the impact of different stresses on the durability of Li-ion batteries using large experimental campaigns and design of experiments.

Battery Intelligence: Diagnosis and Prognosis – Matthieu Dubarry
Develop approaches, tools, and protocols to improve batteries diagnosis and prognosis via non-invasive in-operando techniques.

Battery Electrode Optimization – Matthieu Dubarry
Optimize battery electrodes to improve performance by understanding local degradation mechanisms and by tuning the electrode architecture.

Vanadium Flow with High Concentration Electrolytes – Yunfeng Zhai
Develop a high power and energy density, durable, and safe VFB with novel catalysts high concentration of vanadium electrolytes.

Photovoltaic Materials

Printable Photovoltaics – Nicolas Gaillard
Develop high-throughput ink-based fabrication techniques for light-weight thin-film PV, which has the potential to significantly reduce manufacturing costs and enable PV integration on non-conventional substrates.

Hydrogen Storage and Carrier Materials

Reversible Liquid Hydrogen Carriers Containing Magnesium Boranes – Godwin Severa
Develop a commercially viable, two-way liquid hydrogen carrier that has a greater energy efficiency and lower delivery costs than existing hydrogen technology.

Develop Advanced Magnesium Boride Hydrogen Storage Materials – Godwin Severa
Obtain key information for the development of a comprehensive, multi-scale computational model of reversible hydrogenation of magnesium boride to magnesium borohydride.

UH & UW Materials Research and Education Consortium (MRE-C) – Godwin Severa
Under partnership with the University of Washington, UH seeks to develop foundational knowledge about advanced materials and the properties controlling their unique behaviors and investigate their use for future energy technologies.

Magnesium Boride Etherates for Hydrogen Storage (2016-2021) – Godwin Severa
Synthesized and characterized novel modified magnesium boride materials with improved hydrogen cycling kinetics and hydrogen storage capacities and demonstrated their capability to meet DOE hydrogen storage targets.

Gas Purification

Forward Osmosis Draw Solutions for Seawater Desalination – Godwin Severa
Fabricate a FO system and develop novel inorganic salts and ionic liquid draw solutes for use in FO water purification.

Development of Novel Air Filtration Materials – Godwin Severa
Design, synthesize, and characterize novel, reversible high-performance acidic gas contaminant absorbent materials that will enable FC vehicles to be efficiently operated under harsh environments.

Wave Energy

Research Support to the U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) – Patrick Cross
Provide key research support in advancing wave energy globally in the form of environmental monitoring, independent WEC device performance analysis, and critical marine logistical support.

The Hawaiʻi Wave Surge Energy Converter (HAWSEC) – Patrick Cross
Mature a WEC concept developed by a HNEI-led team that could ultimately produce cost-effective renewably generated electricity for coastal communities.

Hawai‘i National Marine Renewable Energy Center (2008-2019) – Patrick Cross
Facilitated the development of commercial wave energy systems by assessing the power performance of prototype wave energy conversion devices and evaluated their potential environmental impact.

Decision Support Services to the Hawaiʻi Public Utility Commission – Richard Rocheleau
Support the Hawaiʻi PUC by providing regular independent third-party technical expertise and assistance on a variety of analyses including utility plans and grid challenges.

Support of Integrated Grid Planning – Richard Rocheleau
Support the Hawaiʻi PUC by providing technical and unbiased review and recommendations for HECO’s long-term planning and procurement process to ensure that the State can achieve its ambitious renewable energy policy.

Hawai‘i Energy Policy Forum (HEPF) – Mark Glick, Mitch Ewan
Support and manage the HEPF in its mission to advance Hawaiʻi’s energy transition through energy stakeholder engagement that enables informed decisions.

Oʻahu Grid Reliability – Richard Rocheleau
Evaluate the ability of proposed solar + storage resources to provide the required energy needed while also maintaining grid reliability amid generation shifts.

Clean Firm Needs – Richard Rocheleau
Inform ongoing procurement and proposed legislation for both variable and firm renewable energy by determining the minimum amount of firm power that the system would require at various levels of wind, solar, and storage additions.

Maui Reliability and Kahului Retirement Analysis – Richard Rocheleau
Evaluate the ability of proposed utility scale solar + storage resources and potential mitigations necessary to maintain grid system reliability when the Kahului Power Plant is retired.

DER Aggregation and Control with High Penetration Solar + Storage – Richard Rocheleau
Quantify the level of control needed for additional distributed energy resources based on system (not circuit) hosting capacity constraints.

Hawaiʻi Hydrogen Integration Study – Richard Rocheleau
Evaluate the potential for hydrogen production and grid integration in Hawaiʻi by seeking to categorize the potential use cases and quantifying the power sector requirements for producing hydrogen locally.

Disposal and Recycling of Clean Energy Products in Hawai‘i – Michael Cooney
Conduct a comprehensive study to determine best practices for disposal, recycling, or secondary use of clean energy products in the State.

Energy Transition Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP) – Mark Glick
Solve critical questions and issues of importance by communities engaged in energy transitions and support technical assistance and knowledge sharing to inform and support energy transitions throughout the U.S.

Grid Reliability with AES Retirement – Richard Rocheleau
Evaluate the ability of proposed solar + storage resources to provide the required energy needed while also maintaining grid reliability with the pending AES coal plant retirement.

AES Biomass Conversion – Richard Rocheleau
Characterize the potential and the impacts of the conversion of AES to biomass sourced from North America.

Stochastic Modeling for High Renewable Grids – Richard Rocheleau
Develop novel methodologies and tools to properly evaluate system risk and capacity shortfalls in high percentage renewable grids.

Integrated Stability and Cost Production Analysis – Richard Rocheleau
Develop a new tool to evaluate grid stability over the entire range of operations expected throughout the course of a year.

Oʻahu Grid Stability with High Solar + Storage Integration – Richard Rocheleau
Evaluate the dynamic stability of the Oʻahu grid after a sudden loss of the largest generating unit, the AES coal plant, and addition of the Stage 1 solar + storage projects.

Curtailment and Grid Services with High Penetration Solar + Storage – Richard Rocheleau
Assess the impact of HECO PPA structures and plant configurations on curtailment when large amounts of solar + storage are added to the grid. Identify how these resources could be leveraged to increase value and flexibility.

Capacity Value of Storage with High Penetration of PV and Storage – Richard Rocheleau
Evaluate the ability of battery energy storage to reliably replace the aging fossil-fired generation fleet in Hawaiʻi.

GHG Reduction from Electrified Transportation – Richard Rocheleau
Quantify the net greenhouse gas benefits of electric vehicles compared to the current fleet and other vehicle options for the island of Oʻahu.

Vietnam Low Emission Energy Program (V-LEEP) RPS Development (2018-2020) – Mark Glick
Advised and guided Vietnamese stakeholders on the design of a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), which resulted in a replicable structure and framework for evaluating best practices for renewable policy development in this rapidly growing economic region.

Hawai‘i Renewable Portfolio Standards Study (2013-2015)
Utilized modeling tools to identify and evaluate cost-effective pathways that support growth of renewables on O‘ahu and Maui with a goal of achieving RPS targets.

Geothermal Strategic Development Study (2012-2013)
Assessed state, industry, and utility interest in developing new geothermal energy resources and offered recommendations to prepare for potential development scenarios and suggested a roadmap for implementation in Hawai‘i.

Asia Pacific Regional Energy System Assessment – Richard Rocheleau
Develop comprehensive energy system assessments regarding energy transition strategy, policy, regulation, technology options, demonstrations, implementation plans, and training throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

EGAT Renewable Integration Study – Leon Roose
Conduct a renewable energy integration study, in collaboration with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, for Thailand and enhance the professional capacity of its engineers.

Mapping of Renewable Energy Sector Innovation System – Mark Glick
Provide financial support and guidance to NISTPASS to map the innovation system in the renewable energy sector in Vietnam.

Saigon Energy Hub (SEHub) Support – Jim Maskrey
Support the design and implementation of the SEHub, a virtual, publicly accessible education platform to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency to the community in Ho Chi Minh City.

Provincial Electricity Authority of Thailand (PEA) Collaboration – Leon Roose
Develop a capacity building program focused on a variety of energy and grid assessment and integration for engineers from PEA.

USAID Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership (PEP) Activity – Leon Roose
Provide technical assistance to support PNG’s enhanced electric connectivity and its goal of connecting 70% of its population to electricity by 2030.

USAID Scaling Up Renewable Energy II (SURE II) – Leon Roose
Serve as a technical resource to USAID’s SURE II project, which assists partner countries in increasing levels of renewable energy and technology into their electricity mixes.

Developing Renewable Energy Storage System for the Pacific Island Countries – Leon Roose
Provide technical assistance to the World Bank project by supporting 11 PICs in designing a regional BESS policy framework and guidelines to support private sector participation in BESS development.

Support to the USAID Energy Secure Philippines (ESP) Program – Leon Roose
Support activities to advance economic growth and resilient energy sector development through the enactment of net energy metering rules and a regulatory framework for BESS adoption in the Philippines.

USAID Sustainable Energy for Indonesia’s Advancing Resilience (SINAR) Project – Leon Roose
Provide technical support to the program, which seeks to advance Indonesia’s development goals in expanding reliable and equitable energy services for sustainable development and economic growth.

Chulalongkorn University Smart Campus Project – ARGEMS (2020-2022) – Leon Roose
Built joint research and development capacity in the area of grid modernization and smart grid initiatives, ultimately helping to enhance energy resilience and reliability while enabling a clean energy transition.

U.S. India Collaborative for Smart Distribution with Storage (UI-ASSIST) (2018-2022)
Fostered international collaboration around smart grids, particularly distribution systems and microgrids with solar photovoltaics and energy storage.

ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study (AIMS) III Support (2020-2021) – Leon Roose
Provided technical assistance as a core member of the Technical Review Group for the AIMS III effort.

Recommendations on Methodology for Vietnam Power Development Plan (PDP) (2019-2021) – Leon Roose
Delivered technical assistance to the Government of Vietnam to address their energy growth issues, in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting and USAID.

Technical Interconnection Requirements for Solar and Wind Projects in Laos (2020-2021) – Leon Roose
Developed technical interconnection and performance requirements and grid codes for solar and wind projects grid interconnection in Laos.

Development of BESS Technical Standards for Thailand (2020-2021) – Leon Roose
Leveraged critical stakeholder feedback provided by EGAT, in collaboration with Chulalongkorn University to develop a regional solar PV forecasting system for Thailand.

Thailand Regional Solar PV Forecasting (2018-2021) – Leon Roose
Provided technical assistance to support Thailand’s Office of Energy Regulatory Commission in its ultimate adoption of codes and regulations for BESS applications in Thailand.

Feasibility Study on the National Load Dispatch Center Energy Storage Project (2018-2020) – Mark Glick
Recommended grid scale BESS for consideration by Vietnamese regulators for the advancement of policy and tariff formulation at the national level to meet Vietnam’s the unique grid challenges.