Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the launch of its Energy Materials Network (EMN), a new National Laboratory-led initiative that will give American entrepreneurs and manufacturers a leg up in the global race for clean energy. Leveraging $40 million in federal funding in its first year, EMN will focus on tackling… Keep reading →
A large West Virginia underground coal mine owned by Murray Energy is halting production for nearly two weeks, and the rest of the company’s mines are running on part-time schedules due to reduced demand from electric utilities. [ABC] The CEO of the company behind the popular 5-hour Energy drink is spearheading an ambitious project to… Keep reading →
We first talked to Dr. Gschneider back in 2013 for one of our “10 Questions with a Scientist” blogs. Today he looks back at over 60 years of studying rare earth metals. Dwight Eisenhower was serving his first term in the White House when Karl A. Gschneidner Jr. began work on his Ph.D. at Iowa… Keep reading →
Our visible universe is almost entirely underpinned by the tiny particles and forces that reside in the nucleus of the atom, the very heart of matter. To gain a better understanding of our universe, nuclear physicists must plumb the depths of the atomic nucleus, which is 10,000 times smaller than the already minuscule atom. So… Keep reading →
A new design for gigantic blades longer than two football fields could help bring offshore 50-megawatt (MW) wind turbines to the United States and the world. Sandia’s research on the extreme-scale Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor is funded by the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program. The challenge: design a low-cost offshore 50-MW turbine requiring a rotor… Keep reading →
Could tiny chips no bigger than grains of rice do the job of a huge particle accelerator? At full potential, a series of these “accelerators on a chip” could boost electrons to the same high energies achieved in SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s 2-mile linear accelerator in a distance of just 100 feet. This could make accelerators a lot… Keep reading →
General Electric (GE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have created new kinds of fluorescent lighting phosphors that use far less rare-earth elements than current technology. Phosphors are the substances inside fluorescent tube bulbs that make them glow. Rare-earth elements are hard to come by. The United States… Keep reading →
Before you design a new home or remodel an existing one, consider investing in energy efficiency. You’ll save energy and money, and your home will be more comfortable and durable. The planning process is also a good time to look into a renewable energy system that can provide electricity, water heating, or space heating and… Keep reading →
America’s auto industry is back! Last year, vehicle production doubled while car and trucks sales in the U.S. hit an all-time high. The Energy Department helped support this resurgence — and create over 35,000 jobs — by providing critical funding for advanced vehicle manufacturing and by driving important research and development that revved up fuel… Keep reading →
“The Department of Energy welcomes Dr. Michael Witherell as the new director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Mike’s background includes key academic, research, and management roles as a leading particle physicist teaching at some of America’s finest universities, former director of DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and Presidential Chair in Physics at UC Santa… Keep reading →
