Wise souls steel themselves before heading out at this time of year. There’s always a potential bite waiting: An icy road, a missed parking space, or the last-minute rush at a retail outlet. In contrast, a species of fish — which goes by the ungainly name of Arapaima gigas — faces potential bites from ferocious… Keep reading →
This time of year, you might think that replacing old, drafty windows is the only way to keep your home warm in the winter. Think again! Switching to new energy-efficient windows can be expensive — ranging from $8,000-$15,000 or more for a typical home. Despite windows accounting for more than 30 percent of a typical home’s… Keep reading →
From the pioneering work of Thomas Edison more than a century ago to today’s clean energy revolution, American innovation has always played an important role in making energy production smarter and more efficient. That’s why, as part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced today that it is providing up… Keep reading →
Manufacturing is the bedrock of the American economy, representing nearly 12 percent of our gross domestic product and providing good, high-paying jobs for middle class families. Yet, as we transition to a clean energy economy, we need to ensure that American workers are manufacturing the renewable energy technologies of tomorrow. That’s why this past March,… Keep reading →
Integrating renewables into the oil and gas industry has become more common especially as the industry turns to production from heavy crude. Outside of the United States, natural gas is not cheap and abundant and so the oil industry’s reliance on power generated from natural gas places limitation on growth. GlassPoint, a company with solar… Keep reading →
Starting in the late 1880s, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were embroiled in a battle now known as the War of the Currents. Edison developed direct current — current that runs continually in a single direction, like in a battery or a fuel cell. During the early years of electricity, direct current (shorthanded as DC) was the standard in… Keep reading →
This article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “Top Things You Didn’t Know About…” Be sure to check back for more entries soon. Located east of the San Francisco Bay Area, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory(LLNL) is one of three National Laboratories overseen by the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Founded as a branch of the… Keep reading →
Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy blog. Yesterday, President Obama issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to redouble efforts to use renewable energy and manage their energy usage more efficiently and effectively. In addition to setting an ambitious new target for federal agencies to increase their consumption of… Keep reading →
Two weeks ago, Energy.gov hosted a Tesla vs. Edison showdown. And while Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison have captured the public’s imagination — and come to represent the opposing sides in the battle between direct and alternating currents — they weren’t the only great minds and colorful characters working in electricity at the time. Learn more below about the inventors and… Keep reading →
For more than 60 years, the Energy Department’s National Labs have played a crucial role in the national security of the United States. Founded during the immense investment in scientific research and technical innovation in the period preceding World War II, the National Labs conduct cutting edge research in a diverse variety of fields, advancing the safety and… Keep reading →
