• Solar Thermal Tower Key Component of National Energy Goals

    Sandia hosted a Feb. 16 groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction of a new solar tower at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility. The project is part of DOE’s effort to develop concentrating solar power technology that may provide clean, utility-scale electricity.

  • Making Nuclear Energy More Competitive

    Through research on high burnup fuels and improving the design of nuclear power plants, NSE doctoral student Assil Halimi is adopting a dual approach to addressing some of the industry’s toughest challenges.

  • Artificial Intelligence Reframes Nuclear Material Studies

    The future of nuclear energy, which can produce electricity without harmful emissions, depends on discovery of new materials. A scientist at Argonne is using computer vision to separate the best candidates from a crowded field.

  • Tidal Stream Power Can Significantly Enhance Energy Security

    A new study reveals the potential of tidal resources to make a marked difference on a community’s clean energy ambitions. Using tidal technologies as part of a renewable energy mix can also reduce the space required for power-generating facilities, both on land and at sea, by around 33% and significantly reduce their visual impact since much of their operation is below the sea’s surface.

  • Illuminating the Barrier to Next-Generation Battery That Charges Very Quickly

    In the race for fast-charging, energy-dense lithium metal batteries, researchers discovered why the promising solid electrolyte version has not performed as hoped. This could help new designs – and eventually battery production – avoid the problem.

  • Interest in Geothermal Energy is Growing

    These days, some 400 power plants in 30 countries generate electricity using steam generated beneath the earth’s surface, producing a total capacity of 16 gigawatts (GW). Despite its advantages, geothermal energy has seen limited use compared to fossil fuels, but recent energy shocks have increased interest in this energy source.

  • Can Floating Solar Islands Meet the World’s Future Energy Needs?

    Covering less than ten per cent of the world’s hydropower reservoirs with floating solar panels would yield as much energy as all hydropower does today, one researcher says.

  • Space Solar Power Technology Demo Launched into Orbit in January

    Space solar power provides a way to tap into the practically unlimited supply of solar energy in outer space, where the energy is constantly available without being subjected to the cycles of day and night, seasons, and cloud cover.

  • Europe Faces a Chilling Couple of Years, but Russia Will Lose the Energy Showdown

    In the European Union this winter, fears of rolling blackouts triggered by Russian energy export cuts amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine have subsided thanks to good luck, good weather, and quick action. “In the long run, Russia simply can’t win this energy war,” says an expert.

  • Hydrogen Changing Power Dynamics in Energy Sector

    As the EU tries to finalize its hydrogen rules, Asian countries are moving fast to secure deliveries and the US is committing money to set up local supply chains. Can the Middle East collaborate with both continents?

  • To Quit Russian Gas, EU Invests Billions in LNG

    The European Union is investing billions in infrastructure in its effort to replace Russian fuels with liquefied natural gas. This could prove to be a dead end — both for taxpayers and for the climate.

  • Energy, War, and the Crisis in Ukraine

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having a global impact on many areas of the world today, affecting the balance of power among states and creating a contest between democratic and authoritarian alliances. It is also having a major impact on the global energy supply. An expert panel examined the implications of energy use and energy policy during Russia’s invasion.

  • Why Nuclear Fusion Is So Exciting

    The Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California last week achieved fusion with a net energy gain. Harvard scientist Adam Cohen breaks down breakthrough that might prove major turning point in clean energy efforts — but not any time soon.

  • Can Nuclear Fusion Help Fuel the World?

    The US Department of Energy is expected to make an important announcement Tuesday on the generation of energy using nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion reaction has a higher energy potential than all other energy sources we know. It can release nearly 4 million times more energy than chemical reactions like burning coal, oil or gas, and four times more than nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is the process currently used in all nuclear power plants around the world.

  • Renewable Power’s Growth Is Being Turbocharged as Countries Seek Energy Security

    The global energy crisis has triggered unprecedented momentum behind renewables, with the world set to add as much renewable power in the next 5 years as it did in the past 20