News Releases

Energy Sciences

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Apr-2025 13:08 ET (25-Apr-2025 17:08 GMT/UTC)

6-Sep-2024

Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A team led by scientists at ORNL identified and demonstrated a method to process a plant-based material called nanocellulose that reduced energy needs by a whopping 21%, using simulations on the lab’s supercomputers and follow-on analysis.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

29-Aug-2024

Researchers discover a surprising way to jump-start battery performance

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a study published today in Joule, researchers at the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center report that giving batteries their first charge at unusually high currents increased their average lifespan by 50% while decreasing the initial charging time from 10 hours to just 20 minutes.

Journal

Joule

28-Aug-2024

Swifter simulations for modern science. All of it

DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a machine learning paper recently published in the journal npj Computational Materials, a team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and Brown University have introduced a universal way to accelerate virtually any kind of simulation.

Journal

npj Computational Materials

27-Aug-2024

NREL advances method for recyclable wind turbine blades

DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) see a realistic path forward to the manufacture of bio-derivable wind blades that can be chemically recycled and the components reused, ending the practice of old blades winding up in landfills at the end of their useful life.

Journal

Science

21-Aug-2024

Hydropower generation projected to rise, but climate change brings uncertain future

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Although climate change may bring increased precipitation to many parts of the United States, some areas may face drier conditions and lower streamflow, resulting in decreased hydropower generation.

Journal

Environmental Research Letters

16-Aug-2024

A visionary approach: How an Argonne team developed accessible maps for colorblind scientists

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory worked with the Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) community to create CVD-friendly colormaps that are more inclusive and accessible. 

Journal

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

12-Aug-2024

Ships now spew less sulfur, but warming has sped up

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New findings document fewer ship tracks, reduced cloud cover, and boosted warming after ship emissions regulations took effect in 2020.

Journal

Geophysical Research Letters

8-Aug-2024

Ability to track nanoscale flow in soft matter could prove pivotal discovery

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists developed a novel technique using X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to study soft matter at the nanoscale. This method enables precise determination of the flow behavior of nanoparticles in soft matter exposed to an external stimulus.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

7-Aug-2024

X-ray imagery of vibrating diamond opens avenues for quantum sensing

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Supported by the Q-NEXT quantum center, scientists at three research institutions capture the pulsing motion of atoms in diamond, uncovering the relationship between the diamond’s strain and the behavior of the quantum information hosted within.

Journal

Physical Review Applied

1-Aug-2024

Born to modulate: Researchers reveal origins of climate-controlling particles

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Aerosol particles imbue climate models with uncertainty. New work by PNNL researchers reveals where in the world and under what conditions new particles are born.

Journal

Nature

Funder

DOE/US Department of Energy