Natural and anthropogenic hazards are frequently responsible for disaster events, leading to damaged physical infrastructure, which can result in loss of electrical power for affected locations. Remotely-sensed, nighttime satellite imagery from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) can monitor power outages in disaster-affected areas through the identification of missing city lights. When combined with locally-relevant geospatial information, these observations can be used to estimate power outages, defined as geographic locations requiring manual intervention to restore power. In this study, we produced a power outage product based on Suomi-NPP VIIRS DNB observations to estimate power outages following Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This product, combined with known power outage data and ambient population estimates, was then used to predict power outages in a layered, feedforward neural network model. We believe this is the first attempt to synergistically combine such data sources to quantitatively estimate power outages. The VIIRS DNB power outage product was able to identify initial loss of light following Hurricane Sandy, as well as the gradual restoration of electrical power. The neural network model predicted power outages with reasonable spatial accuracy, achieving Pearson coefficients (r) between 0.48 and 0.58 across all folds. Our results show promise for producing a continental United States (CONUS)-or global-scale power outage monitoring network using satellite imagery and locally-relevant geospatial data.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Wind Partnerships for Advanced Component Technologies (WindPACT) project sought to advance wind turbine technology by exploring innovative concepts in drivetrain design. A team led by Northern Power Systems (Northern) of Waitsfield, Vermont, was chosen to perform this work under subcontract YCX-1-30209-02. The team set project objectives to identify, design, and test a megawatt (MW)-scale drivetrain with the lowest overall life-cycle cost. The project comprised three phases: Preliminary study of alternative drivetrain designs (Phase I) Detailed design development (Phase II) Proof of concept fabrication and test (Phase III). This report summarizes the results of all three phases of this project. Participants The WindPACT project was conducted under directive from NREL, with active participation from personnel at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) at Golden, Colorado. Northern Power Systems, the prime subcontractor, assembled a highly experienced team for the WindPACT project. The following table identifies team members (in bold) and contributing consultants, along with their major roles.
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