Department of Energy Announces $6 Million for Research Toward a More Robust and Reliable Electric Grid

Two Department of Energy (DOE) offices have funded $6 million in research projects for an inaugural partnership to better prepare the nation for multiple disruptive power events and enable rapid response in a crisis for U.S. grid operators.

Multi-step photovoltaic power forecasting using transformer and recurrent neural networks

Abstract Affordable and clean energy is an important UN sustainable development goal. Solar energy is more difficult to control than fossil fuels, highlighting the need for accurate solar power forecasts. This study develops three variants of the transformer networks, called…

Market attractiveness analysis of battery energy storage systems in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam

Abstract Battery energy storage systems (BESS) have emerged as a solution for mitigating the intermittent nature of solar and wind power with the rise of renewable energy. The application of BESS is essential in integrating large-scale renewable energy. Despite the…

90% of Floridians Believe Climate Change is Happening

FAU’s latest “Florida Climate Resilience Survey” found that 90% of Floridians believe that climate change is happening. Belief in human-caused climate change has surged among Florida Independents while slipping among Republicans. Despite these changes, the survey found enduring support among Floridians for increased government action to address the consequences of a warming planet.

UC Irvine-led research team discovers new property of light

Irvine, Calif., May 6, 2024 – A research team headed by chemists at the University of California, Irvine has discovered a previously unknown way in which light interacts with matter, a finding that could lead to improved solar power systems, light-emitting diodes, semiconductor lasers and other technological advancements.

Photo battery achieves competitive voltage

Networked intelligent devices and sensors can improve the energy efficiency of consumer products and buildings by monitoring their consumption in real time. Miniature devices like these being developed under the concept of the Internet of Things require energy sources that are as compact as possible in order to function autonomously.

Microdroplets, macro results: Beckman researchers pursue Energy Earthshots

Researchers at the Beckman Institute will conduct electrochemical reactions in microdroplets to produce clean hydrogen, sequester carbon dioxide, and store renewable energies like wind and solar inexpensively and sustainably. Their project, called DROPLETS, received $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science through its Energy Earthshots Initiative.

Using photosynthesis for Martian occupation – while making space travel more sustainable

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists assess a new technique which could convert renewable, green energy from outside the Earth’s atmosphere. They are taking advantage of photosynthesis – the chemical process plants undergo every day to create energy – to help the space industry become more sustainable.

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.

CUR Engineering Division Announces 2021 Mentoring Awardees, Student Video Competition Winners

The Engineering Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research announces the 2021 recipients of its Mentoring Awards and winners of its Student Video Competition.

Argonne leads creation of definitive valuation guide for pumped storage hydropower

Argonne scientists led four other laboratories in developing definitive guidance on how to value pumped storage hydropower projects. Their efforts resulted in DOE publication of the Pumped Storage Hydropower Valuation Guidebook: A Cost-Benefit and Decision Analysis Valuation Framework. The guide provides an objective, transparent valuation methodology and helps measure both monetary and non-monetary value streams.

BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES NEW CONSULTING DIVISION: BRI ENVIRONMENTAL

Biodiversity Research Institute announces the formation of its new environmental consulting services division—BRI Environmental offering a full suite of services for evaluating and permitting renewable energy development projects, infrastructure projects, marine installations, as well as residential and commercial development.

Materials developed at Sandia help extinguish solar panel fires before they ignite

Sandia National Laboratories has spent 10 years working alongside local company Guardian Sensors Inc. to understand and characterize hazardous arc-faults. Their work led to development of electrical in-line connectors that automatically predict and prevent photovoltaic arc-faults before they can ignite fires.

$39 Million to better integrate renewables into power grid

The National Science Foundation has awarded $39 million to a team of engineers and computer scientists at the University of California San Diego to build a first-of-its-kind testbed to better understand how to integrate distributed energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, smart buildings and electric vehicle batteries into the power grid. The goal is to make the testbed available to outside research teams and industry by 2025.

Newer Solar Power Equipment Ages Better Than Older Units

Utility-scale photovoltaics are the largest sector of the overall solar market within the U.S. and the fastest-growing form of renewable power generation, and this fleet of utility-scale photovoltaic projects is relatively young and hasn’t been operating long enough to establish a lengthy history of operational field service. In the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, researchers assess the performance of 411 utility-scale photovoltaic projects built within the U.S. from 2007 through 2016.

Solar Power Plants Get Help from Satellites to Predict Cloud Cover

Cloud cover is often characterized in simple terms, such as cloudy, partly cloudy or clear. This does not provide accurate information for estimating the amount of sunlight available for solar power plants. In this week’s Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, a new method is reported for estimating cloud optical properties using data from recently launched satellites. This new technique is known as Spectral Cloud Optical Property Estimation, or SCOPE.

Argonne researchers focus on grid cybersecurity to pave the way for a clean energy future

Distributed energy resources use electronics to communicate with each other or with a control center. Yet this presents opportunities for cyber attacks that could become real threats to the electric power system. Argonne experts are developing ways to protect power systems from these threats before they can occur.

Lin Chen receives Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry

The Physical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society announces that Lin X. Chen has received the 2020 Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry. The award recognizes Chen for “fundamental contributions to the elucidation of excited state structures, dynamics and energetics of light harvesting systems.