Energy resources

Study Projects Geothermal Heat Pumps’ Impact on Electrical Grid, Carbon Emissions
New study gives the first detailed look at how geothermal energy can relieve the electric power system and reduce carbon emissions if widely implemented across the United States within the next few decades.
- Read more
The Unlikely Coalition Behind Biden’s Liquefied Natural Gas Pivot
Climate activists led the charge against LNG exports, but they’re not the only ones celebrating Biden’s pause. A broader, less-climate-concerned coalition, representing thousands of manufacturers, chemical companies, and consumer advocates, has also been quietly pushing for the pause — and stands to benefit if Biden curbs LNG exports.
- Read more

Congress Should Demote the DOE and Unleash LNG Exports
Late January’s Department of Energy (DOE) move to temporarily pause pending requests to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) outside the United States has elicited not only a firestorm of criticism, but also proposals in Congress to reverse the DOE action. At stake is a burgeoning industry with domestic and international significance, both economically and geopolitically.
- Read more
Commercial Advanced Nuclear Fuel Arrives in Idaho Lab for Testing
For the first time in two decades, Idaho National Laboratory, the nation’s nuclear energy laboratory, has received a shipment of used next-generation light water reactor fuel from a commercial nuclear power plant to support research and testing.
- Read more

Cobalt-Free Batteries Could Power Cars of the Future
Many electric vehicles are powered by batteries that contain cobalt — a metal that carries high financial, environmental, and social costs. MIT chemists developed a battery cathode based on organic materials, which could reduce the EV industry’s reliance on scarce metals.
- Read more
Argonne National Laboratory to Work Closely with Companies on Nuclear Innovation Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) awarded seven new vouchers to companies and national laboratories working to develop and commercialize clean nuclear energy projects. Nuclear energy is considered central to efforts to minimize carbon emissions and still reliably meet rising demand for electricity. Argonne received four vouchers to work closely with companies on nuclear innovation projects.
- Read more

Previously Unknown Pathway to Batteries with High Energy, Low cost and Long Life
The road from breakthrough in the lab to practical technology can be a long and bumpy one. The lithium-sulfur battery is an example. It has notable advantages over current lithium-ion batteries powering vehicles. But it has yet to dent the market despite intense development over many years. That situation could change in the future, as scientists discover surprising pathway to better lithium-sulfur batteries by visualizing reactions at the atomic scale.
- Read more
Shipping Oil Through Troubled Waters
Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have had almost no impact on the oil price, despite the volume of oil shipped through the waterway surging 80% over the last two years because of the war in the Ukraine. Markets are more worried about a soft global economy and rising US and Brazilian oil production than by the prospect of interrupted oil flows, having already seen the global oil market adjust to the massive disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
- Read more

A Huge Battery Has Replaced Hawaii’s Last Coal Plant
Plus Power’s Kapolei battery is officially online. The pioneering project is a leading example of how to shift crucial grid functions from fossil-fueled plants to clean energy.
- Read more
Texas Regulators Limit Oil and Gas Disposal Wells in Bid to Reduce Earthquakes in West Texas
Injecting saltwater back into the ground “is likely contributing to recent seismic activity,” the Railroad Commission of Texas has said.
- Read more

Texas Regulators Limit Oil and Gas Disposal Wells in Bid to Reduce Earthquakes in West Texas
Injecting saltwater back into the ground “is likely contributing to recent seismic activity,” the Railroad Commission of Texas has said.
- Read more
Is Nuclear Energy the Way to Achieve Climate Goals?
After decades out of fashion, a declaration to triple nuclear capacity at UN climate talks suggests a revival. Some say it’s necessary to help curb emissions, others call it a needless distraction.
- Read more

“Energy Droughts” in Wind and Solar Can Last Nearly a Week, Research Shows
Understanding the risk of compound energy droughts—times when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow—will help grid planners understand where energy storage is needed most.
- Read more
Innovative Long-Duration Energy Storage Project
Argonne and Idaho National Laboratories have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for a project to validate CMBlu Energy’s battery technology for microgrid resilience and electric vehicle charging. U.S. Department of Energy selects national labs to validate the company’s battery technology for microgrid resilience and electric vehicle charging.
- Read more
Seaworthy Solution Yields Green Energy, Fresh Water
Engineers have refined a model that not only cultivates green energy, but also desalinates ocean water for large, drought-stricken coastal populations.By pumping seawater to a mountaintop reservoir and then employing gravity to send the salty water down to a co-located hydropower plant and a reverse osmosis desalination facility, science can satisfy the energy and hydration needs of coastal cities with one system.
- Read more

More headlines