Feature Articles

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

.

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Jun-2026 07:15 ET (20-Jun-2026 11:15 GMT/UTC)

Green diesel for the road ahead

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A new report led by PNNL identifies the top 13 most promising waste- and biomass-derived diesel blendstocks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, other pollutants, and overall system costs.

Bringing discoveries to light: X-ray science at Argonne

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

The Advanced Photon Source allows an intricate view of everything from proteins to nuclear fuel. With a planned upgrade, it will become even more powerful.

Waste to energy: Biofuel from kelp harvesting and fish

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Using existing fish processing plants, kelp and fish waste can be converted to a diesel-like fuel to power generators or fishing boats in remote, coastal Alaska.

Machine learning provides a shortcut to simulate interactions in materials for solar energy harvesting

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Computer simulations can help us understand interactions in materials for solar energy harvesting, but they can be extremely complex. Researchers at Argonne have simplified these modeling tasks using machine learning to speed up materials development.

Journal: Chemical Science

Fungus that tastes just right

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers are forming a clearer picture of how plant matter is transformed in the microbial gardens created by leaf-cutter ants.

Funder: Department of Agriculture

AI learns physics to optimize particle accelerator performance

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have demonstrated that they can use machine learning to optimize the performance of particle accelerators by teaching the algorithms the basic physics principles behind accelerator operations – no prior data needed.

Journal: Physical Review Accelerators and Beams

SLAC partners with national labs and scientific publishing organizations on transgender-inclusive name-change process for published papers

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

The agreement, announced today, will make it easier for researchers to change their names and claim work from all stages of their careers. It specifically addresses the administrative and emotional difficulties some transgender researchers have experienced when requesting such name changes.

Bottling clean energy in chemical bonds

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Of the various methods to store renewable energy, one stands out for holding onto energy for months at a time: storing energy in the chemical bonds of molecules such as hydrogen.

Michael S. Arnold: Then and Now / 2011 Early Career Award Winner

DOE/US Department of Energy

Supported by his Early Career Research Program Award, University of Wisconsin – Madison professor Michael S. Arnold found new ways to make graphene nanostructures with smooth edges. This technology will enable next-generation energy and electronics applications.

How Argonne research is illuminating how energy costs vary nationwide

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Costs for energy are borne unequally across the U.S. population. Argonne research is providing key data that can help inform decisions about which technologies can reduce disparities.