Feature Channels: Energy

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ORNL scientist Valentino Cooper has been appointed to the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee.

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Can ecologically sustainable circuit boards for the electronics industry be produced from cellulose fibers? Empa researcher Thomas Geiger looked into this question. He is now part of a multinational EU project called "Hypelignum". Its goal: biodegradable electronics.

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Idaho National Laboratory is poised to lend its deep bench of experts to a new resource for states wanting to learn more about advanced nuclear energy deployment.

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In APL Energy, researchers developed a proof of concept for a superconducting highway that could transport vehicles and electricity, cooling the necessary superconductors with a pipeline of liquid hydrogen. Most magnetic levitation designs feature the superconductor inside the vehicle, which is suspended above a magnetic track. The authors decided to flip that arrangement upside down, putting the superconductor on the ground and giving each vehicle a magnet. The result is a system with multiple uses, placing it within the realm of affordability.

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A new study provides insight into consumers’ interest in home cooling by analyzing social media data.

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Employing Li metal as high-capacity anode, solid-state lithium-metal batteries (SSLMBs) are becoming one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage devices, due to their high safety and potential high energy density. SSLMBs are expected to be the future for conventional lithium-ion batteries.

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SAE International has awarded Oak Ridge National Laboratory Buildings and Transportation Science Division Director Robert Wagner with the SAE Medal of Honor for his dedication and support of the organization’s mission of advancing mobility solutions.

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Neutrinos are involved in a process named beta decay that involves a neutron converting into a proton emitting an electron and an antineutrino. There may also be an ultra-rare kind of beta decay that emits two electrons but no neutrinos, called neutrinoless-double beta decay (NLDBD). Researchers are using the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) to search for these rare NLDBD processes using different nuclei. Scientists have reported new tests using Tellurim-128 to look for NLDBD.

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Argonne National Laboratory helps secure the nation’s energy future through innovative methods of deeply understanding the complexities of the electric power system.

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Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Hundreds of UNC students have shared the same passion as Caltrider over the years, prompting the development of a Sustainability minor in 1970, a bachelor’s degree in 2011 and the creation of LEAF in 2012, which was originally proposed by students as part of a senior seminar class.

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A vice president of Chevron with a petroleum engineering degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology is highly involved with her alma mater, as well as the nonprofit organization she founded, to help instill sustainable practices into daily life.

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The U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has been recognized with a gold-level GreenBuy Award for its purchase of environmentally friendly products in fiscal year 2022. This is the sixth year the lab has received the award. The GreenBuy Award Program honors DOE sites that go beyond the minimum requirements for purchasing products that are energy efficient, water efficient and recycled. Participating sites can qualify for three levels of the award: gold, silver and bronze.

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Andrew Lupini, a scientist and inventor at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected Fellow of the Microscopy Society of America.

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The Argonne Quantum Foundry, a new scientific facility at Argonne, is meeting a critical need for quantum science by providing a robust supply chain of materials for quantum devices and systems.

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Due to the recent improvements in the efficiency with which solar cells made from organic (carbon-based) semiconductors can convert sunlight into electricity, improving the long-term stability of these photovoltaic devices is becoming an increasingly important topic.

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In a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed poly(styrenesulfonic acid)-based PEMs with a high density of sulfonic acid groups.

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Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a promising solution to the contemporary problem of the impending global energy crisis. SOFCs show high efficiency, lower emissions, and have low operating costs, making them an ideal power source for a fossil fuel-free society.

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A novel system uses the discovery that the actinide berkelium, when oxidized, does not form negatively charged ions in solutions of high nitric acid, as other actinides do. This means an anion exchange column can separate berkelium by absorbing other actinides with negatively charged ions. The new method is much faster than the previously used approach, and is easier, cleaner, and yields purer product.

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Argonne scientists are studying the environmental and economic impact of plastic bottles using mechanical, chemical and upcycling recycling approaches.

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Weight regains is a common problem for weight loss individuals. A number of studies have shown that weight loss in overweight people results in a reduction in whole-body energy expenditure. This reduction in energy expenditure is disproportionate across tissues, known as energetic mismatch which primarily originates from lean tissue, thus increasing weight regain risk.

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Argonne and DOE pose a fun new series of challenges to students interested in developing critical cybersecurity skills.

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Can the nuclear industry use extended reality tools to improve digital operations and maintenance? Engineers at Argonne’s Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) facility investigate.

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Marm Dixit, a Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has received the 2023 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award.

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A tiny biobattery that could still work after 100 years has been developed by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

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Scrap aluminum can now be collected and transformed directly into new vehicle parts using an innovative process being developed by the automotive industry, in particular for electric vehicles.

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DOE Office of Science officials, Gov. Pritzker and other local legislators joined international partners and collaborators and at Fermilab for the opening of two new buildings and the groundbreaking of another to usher in a new era of science.

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Determined to combat climate change and promote sustainability, the CSU progresses toward the goal of being carbon neutral by 2045.

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Zhonghou Cai is the 2023 recipient of the Gopal K. Shenoy Excellence in Beamline Science Award. The annual award recognizes active beamline scientists at the Advanced Photon Source for significant contributions to research or instrumentation and support of the beamline user community.

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Marm Dixit, of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was named the 2023 recipient of the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award given by the Advanced Photon Source user organization which recognizes important scientific or technical accomplishments at the facility by a young investigator.

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To transform the way we commute and live, the University of Miami College of Engineering launched the Miami Engineering Autonomous Mobility Initiative (MEAMI), a consortium of world-class academic, industry, and government partners.

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A parabolic dish on the EPFL campus is easily overlooked, resembling a satellite dish or other telecommunications infrastructure.

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The Advanced Photon Source is about to undergo a comprehensive upgrade, one that will require a one-year pause in operations. When the APS returns to operation in 2024, its brighter X-ray beams will lead to new breakthroughs in many different areas for decades to come.

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To accelerate development of useful new materials, researchers at Berkeley Lab are building a new kind of automated lab that uses robots guided by artificial intelligence. A-Lab will rapidly test whether materials that have been computationally predicted can be made in reality. The lab’s vision is to use AI to discover materials of the future, starting with a focus on materials for batteries and energy storage.

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Today’s electric vehicles can drive about 300 miles per charge. Lithium-sulfur batteries have the potential for a driving range of more than 400 miles with practical capacities of up to 500 watt-hours per kilogram at the pack level, twice that of lithium-ion batteries. That has made it a prime target for researchers.

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The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews surrounding the environment, energy, and sustainability. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. Rising seas threatens U.S. coastlines and cities A recently released report from the U.N. on climate change found that rising sea levels are "unavoidable for centuries to millennia due to continuing deep ocean warming and ice sheet melt, and sea levels will remain elevated for thousands of years.

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Artificial intelligence’s rapid growth has led to advancements like autonomous vehicles, virtual reality, and ChatGPT. But AI technologies and the training of AI models require a lot of energy, increasing concerns about the environmental impact of AI and its sustainability. To put AI’s energy usage into perspective: it took nine days to train one of OpenAI’s early model chatbots known as MegatronLM.

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PPPL hosted a workshop on fusion energy and nuclear nonproliferation at Princeton University on Jan. 25 and 26. Participants included representatives from government, national laboratories, Princeton University, other academic institutions, and private fusion developers.

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The Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University today announced the launch of a new joint battery center at SLAC. It will bring together the resources and expertise of the national lab, the university and Silicon Valley to accelerate the deployment of batteries and other energy storage solutions as part of the energy transition that’s essential for addressing climate change.

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Newcastle University researchers have created environmentally-friendly, high-efficiency photovoltaic cells that harness ambient light to power internet of Things (IoT) devices.

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In ideal manufacturing, 3D printing reduces waste, uses less energy and produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. An entrepreneur and scientist at Argonne National Laboratory are working together to make this future ideal a reality.

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The SLAC-Stanford team pulled hydrogen directly from ocean waters. Their work could help efforts to generate low-carbon fuel for electric grids, cars, boats and other infrastructure.

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The demand for battery-grade lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and platinum will climb steeply as vehicle electrification speeds up and nations work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through mid-century. This surge in demand will also create a variety of economic and supply-chain problems, according to new Cornell University research published in Nature Communications.