Argonne’s recent research points to hydropower’s great potential to complement the variability of wind and solar power — and ultimately serve as the backbone for a clean grid.
Tag: Renewable Energy
Powering Up to Solve Challenges in Energy Storage
In 2006, battery research was practically non-existent at PNNL. Today, the lab is lauded for its battery research. How did PNNL go from a new player to a leader in state-of-the-art storage for EVs and the grid?
How Much Dam Water is Needed for Fish and Energy?
New research identifies the most important factors in successful fish passage, pointing toward new options for flexible dam operations.
Wind Power Surge: China’s Bold Leap Towards a Green Future
A recent study introduces a novel methodology for evaluating the economic viability and competitive edge of onshore wind energy against traditional power sources. This approach underscores the potential of wind power to reach grid parity, where its cost becomes comparable or lower than conventional electricity sources. The research marks a significant step in understanding the dynamics of renewable energy markets and highlights the role of wind power in China’s ambitious environmental goals.
What Will It Take for China to Reach Carbon Neutrality by 2060?
To become carbon neutral by 2060, as mandated by President Xi Jinping, China will have to build eight to 10 times more wind and solar power installations than currently exist in the country. Reaching carbon neutrality will also require major construction of transmission lines.
Haran and Saif elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Kiruba Haran, who is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the Grainger Endowed Director’s Chair in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics, and Taher Saif, the Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor in mechanical science and engineering, were elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Argonne, Achates Power break new ground developing hydrogen-powered engine for decarbonizing long-haul commercial vehicles
Argonne scientists demonstrate potential of opposed-piston engine powered by zero-carbon hydrogen
Media Tip: Argonne tool helps map out where to develop clean energy infrastructure
The Geospatial Energy Mapper (GEM) from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is an interactive online mapping tool with an extensive catalog of mapping data for energy planning.
Modeling a net-zero future: Energy experts harness simulation for global decarbonization
The Department of Energy’s Net Zero World Initiative promotes knowledge exchange and fosters global decarbonization community.
ORNL to lead new center to create sustainable chemical industry processes
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been selected to lead an Energy Earthshot Research Center, or EERC, focused on developing chemical processes that use sustainable methods instead of burning fossil fuels to radically reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions to stem climate change and limit the crisis of a rapidly warming planet.
California Group Exploring Viability of a Community-Centered Direct Air Capture Hub
Researchers from Berkeley Lab are co-leading a project to explore the creation of a direct air capture facility that uses cutting-edge technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley.
A FORCE to be reckoned with: Computer modeling for optimal energy partnerships
Integrating nuclear power into broader energy systems, including renewable energy sources and heat-intensive industries, could improve flexibility and unlock revenue streams for nuclear power producers.
Wind Forecast Improvement Project Saves Millions for Utilities
Regional wind data from around the U.S. helps improve a national weather forecasting model, which allows utility companies better plan for windy days
Tulane expert available to speak on historic offshore wind sale in the Gulf of Mexico
Tulane University’s Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute at the A.B. Freeman School of Business and expert on energy markets, including the oil and gas industry and renewable segments, is available to comment on the benefits to Louisiana…
Call for Papers and Participants: The 16th Eurasia Conference on Chemical Science 2023 (EuAsC2S–16) – Frontiers in Chemical Sciences for Sustainability
The Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, together with the Chemical Society of Thailand will co-organize “the 16th Eurasia Conference on Chemical Science 2023 (EuAsC2S–16)” under the theme “Frontiers in Chemical Sciences for Sustainability”, from December 13-15, 2023 at the Berkeley Hotel Pratunam, Bangkok.
Renewable solar energy can help purify water, the environment
Using electrochemistry to separate different particles within a solution (also known as electrochemical separation) is an energy-efficient strategy for environmental and water remediation: the process of purifying contaminated water.
Harnessing the power of water: Argonne and NREL study shows the potential of pumped storage hydropower in Alaska
Scientists study the role of pumped storage hydropower in Alaska’s clean energy future.
Next-generation Flow Battery Design Sets Records
A new flow battery design achieves long life and capacity for grid energy storage from renewable fuels.
DOE Announces $72 Million For Small Business Research and Development Grants
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $72 million in funding for small businesses to pursue scientific, clean energy, and climate research, development, and demonstration projects. The funding will support 296 projects across 44 states and addresses multiple topic areas, such as renewable energy, nuclear energy, cybersecurity, advanced materials and manufacturing, microelectronics, and artificial intelligence. Today’s announcement underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s deep commitment to advancing innovative climate solutions and strengthening America’s global scientific leadership, which are critical to achieving the President’s goal of a carbon-free grid by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Unused renewable energy an option for powering NFT trade
Unused solar, wind, and hydroelectric power in the U.S. could support the exponential growth of transactions involving non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Cornell Engineering researchers have found.
Higher efficiency catalyst key to green hydrogen
The race to make the widespread use of intermittent renewable energy a reality has taken a step forward with new research by experts from the University of Adelaide who are improving the efficiency of iridium-based catalysts.
ESF Researchers Receive NSF Funding for Eco-manufacturing of Renewable Lignin-derived Products using Sustainable Energy
Researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to further its research on carbon-neutral alternative sources for value-added chemicals currently sourced from petroleum and other fossil fuels.
Integrating offshore wind into China’s power grid can further carbon neutrality goals
New research published in Nature Communications develops a bottom-up model to test the capabilities of the grid to accommode renewable power variability and to design the optimal investment plans for offshore wind power.
ASU to lead new DOE Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Arizona State University to receive up to $70 million to establish a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute devoted to the challenge of fighting greenhouse gas emissions from industrial process heating.
Scientists reveal breakthrough that could lead to cleaner hydrogen energy
Chemists at the University of Kansas and U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have taken a big step toward splitting hydrogen and oxygen molecules to make pure hydrogen — without using fossil fuels.
Chemists Unravel Reaction Mechanism for Clean Energy Catalyst
Chemists at the University of Kansas and Brookhaven National Laboratory have unraveled the entire reaction mechanism for a key class of water-splitting catalysts. Their work could help pure hydrogen be produced from renewable energy sources such as solar power.
GW Expert Available: Lawmakers vote to repeal President Biden’s suspension of solar tariffs
On Wednesday, Senate lawmakers voted to overturn President Joe Biden’s two-year suspension of tariffs on solar imports from countries in Southeast Asia, according to The Hill. The measure has already been approved by the House. The White House has said President Biden…
How Argonne makes the power grid more reliable and resilient
Argonne National Laboratory helps secure the nation’s energy future through innovative methods of deeply understanding the complexities of the electric power system.
Argonne points the way to a sustainable circular economy for plastics
Argonne scientists are studying the environmental and economic impact of plastic bottles using mechanical, chemical and upcycling recycling approaches.
A solar hydrogen system that co-generates heat and oxygen
A parabolic dish on the EPFL campus is easily overlooked, resembling a satellite dish or other telecommunications infrastructure.
GW Experts Available: EPA Proposes Historic Auto Pollution Limits That Would Boost EV Sales
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday plans that would ensure two-thirds of new passenger cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are all-electric by 2032. According to The New York Times, “if the two rules…
Underground Water Could be the Solution to Green Heating and Cooling
About 12% of the total global energy demand comes from heating and cooling homes and businesses. A new study suggests that using underground water to maintain comfortable temperatures could reduce consumption of natural gas and electricity in this sector by 40% in the U.S. The approach, called aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES), could also help prevent blackouts caused by high power demand during extreme weather events.
Multilab Separations Consortium puts biofuel on the path to decarbonization
BETO Bioprocessing Separations Consortium spotlights projects from three-year work period.
More predictable renewable energy could lower costs
Lower electricity costs for consumers and more reliable clean energy could be some of the benefits of a new study by the University of Adelaide researchers who have examined how predictable solar or wind energy generation is and the impact of it on profits in the electricity market.
Tax credits for green energy not always a net plus for climate
The Biden administration is deciding how much American-made equipment to require in renewable energy projects in order to qualify for tax credits — prompting disputes between energy developers and product manufacturers. Fengqi You is a professor of energy systems engineering…
Solar industry feeling the heat over disposal of 80 million panels
Renewable energy experts have come up with an environmentally-friendly plan to dispose of solar panels at the end of their life.
Nanoparticles Self-Assemble to Harvest Solar Energy
In APL Photonics, researchers design a solar harvester with enhanced energy conversion capabilities. The device employs a quasiperiodic nanoscale pattern, meaning most of it is an alternating and consistent pattern, while the remaining portion contains random defects that do not affect its performance. The fabrication process makes use of self-assembling nanoparticles, which form an organized material structure based on their interactions with nearby particles without any external instructions. Thermal energy harvested by the device can be transformed to electricity using thermoelectric materials.
5 Ways Argonne is driving auto innovation
Spotlighting Argonne innovations in electric vehicles during the Chicago Auto Show.
Jamey Young: Then and Now / 2012 Early Career Award Winner
Engineering professor Jamey Young at Vanderbilt University is developing new strategies for engineering the metabolism of cyanobacteria. He is working to create “green cell factories” for producing renewable fuel compounds.
‘Green’ energy patents more focused on ‘clean’ conventional energy instead of renewables
A new study by world leaders in patent data has revealed some unusual trends in energy tech R&D, questioning whether companies are more committed to extracting fossil fuels or in pursuing genuinely ‘green’, renewable energy technologies.
Harnessing solar energy: new method improves readings of double-sided panels
A leading laboratory in photonics and renewable energy at the University of Ottawa has developed a new method for measuring the solar energy produced by bifacial solar panels, the double-sided solar technology which is expected to meet increased global energy demands moving forward.
Researchers Create Smaller, Cheaper Flow Batteries for Clean Energy
Flow batteries offer a solution. Electrolytes flow through electrochemical cells from storage tanks in this rechargeable battery. The existing flow battery technologies cost more than $200/kilowatt hour and are too expensive for practical application, but Liu’s lab in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) developed a more compact flow battery cell configuration that reduces the size of the cell by 75%, and correspondingly reduces the size and cost of the entire flow battery. The work could revolutionize how everything from major commercial buildings to residential homes are powered.
New Generator Rolls into Ocean Energy
New PNNL-developed nanogenerator harnesses the renewable energy in ocean waves to power sensors that provide critical weather and wave information.
WashU Expert: 2023 will be the year of the battery
Major advances in battery technologies will bring us a big step closer this year to large-scale renewable energy goals, international energy independence and a big reduction in greenhouse gases, according to an expert from Washington University in St. Louis. “One of the major challenges to a fully renewable-energy future of wind and solar power is energy storage,” said Michael Wysession, a professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St.
Chemical researchers discover catalyst to make renewable paints, coatings, and diapers
A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers has invented a groundbreaking new catalyst technology that converts renewable materials like trees and corn to the key chemicals, acrylic acid, and acrylates used in paints, coatings, and superabsorbent polymers.
Israel Ministry of Energy selects Bar-Ilan University and the Technion to establish $36.8 million national research institute in energy storage
Bar-Ilan University and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have won a call published by the Israel Ministry of Energy for the establishment of a national research institute in the field of energy storage.
Risk of population disruption as a result of decarbonisation
Research led by University of Queensland (UQ) and including the University of Göttingen analysed the effects of decarbonisation strategies by linking global resource inventories with demographic systems to generate a matrix showing the risks and benefits.
Scientists enhance stability of new material for solar cells
Scientists at the University of Missouri used Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source to identify the structure of a perovskite material grown using chemical vapor deposition, potentially representing a breakthrough for solar cells.
Argonne researchers awarded $3.8 million to study clean energy
Argonne chemist Karen Mulfort and her research team were awarded $3.8 million across three years to study clean energy.
Promise of zinc-ion batteries for electric grid storage is currently overestimated, scientists say
Because they can work well in water-containing environments and are lower cost, zinc-ion batteries are attractive, but they have drawbacks.