Battery technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will be installed in two new energy storage projects funded by Washington state that will improve the power grid and help the region use more renewable energy.
A sponge-like silicon material could help lithium-ion batteries run longer on a single charge by giving the batteries' electrodes the space they need to expand without breaking.
The Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis is poised to take on new scientific challenges exploring chemical reactions at the core of technologies such as solar energy and fuel cells.
Commercial buildings could cut their heating and cooling electricity use by an average of 57 percent with advanced energy-efficiency controls, according to a year-long trial of the controls at malls, grocery stores and other buildings across the country.
Wondering what the impact on killer whales might be from a turbine installed under the sea? Check out Tethys, a robust online resource available for free to anyone interested in ocean energy and offshore wind resources. Tethys focuses on the environmental effects of energy projects that are proposed, underway or completed in the ocean and above it.
Four southeast Washington leaders in advancing science education have formed the Mid-Columbia STEM Education Collaboratory.
Killer whales and other marine mammals likely hear sonar signals more than we’ve known. That’s because commercially available sonar systems, which are designed to create signals beyond the range of hearing of such animals, also emit signals known to be within their hearing range, scientists have discovered.
A common plant puts out a welcome mat to bacteria seeking to invade, and scientists have discovered the mat’s molecular mix. The team showed that the humble and oft-studied plant Arabidopsis puts out a molecular signal that invites an attack from a pathogen. The study reveals new targets during the battle between microbe and host.
A fuel cell catalyst that converts hydrogen into electricity must tear open a hydrogen molecule. Now researchers have captured a view of such a catalyst holding onto the two halves of its hydrogen feast, provides insight into how to make the catalyst work better.
Geologic and soil processes are to blame for significant baseline levels of arsenic in soil throughout Ohio, according to a new study. Every sample had concentrations higher than the screening level of concern recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A new nanomaterial called a metal organic framework could extend the lifespan of lithium-sulfur batteries, which could be used to increase the driving range of electric vehicles.
The pressure changes that many fish experience when they travel through the turbulent waters near a dam can seriously injure or kill the fish. Scientists from around the world, including areas like Southeast Asia and Brazil where huge dams are planned or under construction, are working together to protect fish from the phenomenon, known as barotrauma.
A new study in Nature Geoscience shows that dust in the air in North Africa and West Asia absorbs sunlight west of India, warming the air and strengthening the winds carrying moisture eastward, raining down in India about a week later. The results explain one way that dust can affect the climate, filling in previously unknown details about the Earth system.
By adjusting water discharges in ways designed to boost salmon productivity, officials at a dam in central Washington were able to more than triple the numbers of juvenile salmon downstream of the dam over a 30-year period.
Scientists have created a microbattery that packs twice the energy compared to current microbatteries used to monitor the movements of salmon. The battery is just slightly larger than a long grain of rice and can be injected into an organism.
In biology, a protein's shape is key to understanding how it causes disease or toxicity. Researchers who use X-rays to takes snapshots of proteins need a billion copies of the same protein stacked and packed into a neat crystal. Now, scientists using exceptionally bright and fast X-rays can take a picture that rivals conventional methods with a sheet of proteins just one protein molecule thick.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been recognized for creating 3-D headset display technology that could improve the sight of soldiers in dark battlefields and gamers immersed in virtual reality.
Two global experts in advanced energy systems – Jeffrey Taft and Jakob Stoustrup – have joined PNNL to lead research related to the smart grid, smart buildings and more.
Construction on a new energy research facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will begin April 2014.
PNNL scientists at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a partnership with the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., have created a unique model that projects how much energy can be saved with changes to China's building energy codes.
Researchers simulating how certain bacteria run electrical current through tiny molecular wires have discovered a secret Nature uses for electron travel. This is the first time scientists have seen this evolutionary design principle for electron transport,
Electric cars could travel farther on a single charge and more renewable energy could be saved for a rainy day if lithium-sulfur batteries can last longer. PNNL has developed a novel anode that could quadruple the lifespan of these promising batteries.
Researchers have developed a way to microscopically view battery electrodes while they are bathed in wet electrolytes, mimicking realistic conditions inside actual batteries.
Engineers have created a chemical system that continually produces useful crude oil minutes after they pour in raw algae material – a green paste with the consistency of pea soup. The technology eliminates the need to dry the algae and recycles ingredients such as phosphorus, cutting costs.
PNNL scientists will present research on carbon sequestration at shale gas sites, water needs for energy production and climate-induced changes in microbes at the 2013 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, Dec. 9-13.
Highly insulating triple-pane windows keep a house snug and cozy, but it takes two decades or more for the windows to pay off financially based on utility-bill savings.
A new study reveals how pollution causes thunderstorms to leave behind larger, deeper, longer lasting clouds. Appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 26, the results solve a long-standing debate and reveal how pollution plays into climate warming. The work can also provide a gauge for the accuracy of weather and climate models.
Scientists have glimpsed key chemical events, known as redox reactions, inside living cells of fast-growing Synechococcus. The work marks the first time that redox activity has been observed in specific proteins within living cells.
Tiny electrical wires protrude from some bacteria and contribute to rock and dirt formation. Researchers studying the protein that makes up one such wire have determined the protein's structure. The finding is important to such diverse fields as producing energy, recycling Earth's carbon and miniaturizing computers.
Ocean conditions like current directions and water temperature play a huge role in determining the behavior of young migrating salmon as they move from rivers and hit ocean waters for the first time. How the fish fare during their first few weeks in the ocean has a profound impact on their ability to survive.
Ghassem Asrar has been named the new director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute.
Scientists looking to create a potent blend of enzymes to transform materials like corn stalks and wood chips into fuels have developed a test that should turbocharge their efforts. Efforts revolve around the fungus Trichoderma reesei, which churns out enzymes that chew through molecules like complex sugars.
Putting new super-efficient rooftop HVAC units in broad use would be about equal to taking 700,000 cars off the road each year in terms of saved energy and reduced pollution, according to a new study.
The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory hosted a competition this summer where graduate students designed two mobile apps to fight the threats of food-related illnesses and the flu.
Much more is expected of cars and trucks than in the past. Pollution has been cut dramatically and fuel efficiency has risen. That’s a difficult feat for manufacturers to pull off, since equipment to reduce pollution typically adds weight, potentially reducing fuel economy.
Examining a long-lived forest, researchers have measured mortality of Black Spruce trees in the northern forests of North America, and have found the dead trees aren’t being replaced by new ones. The result suggests trees might be storing more carbon than currently estimated.
Engineers and scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed an app that focuses on hydrogen safety. The Hydrogen Tools app comes at a time when the use of fuel cells is growing – as back-up energy sources in buildings, in vehicles, and in warehouses, where they are often used to power forklifts.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is leading a $2.7-million project to develop a novel process to extract the lightweight metal magnesium from seawater. The process could ultimately make fuel-efficient transportation more affordable and expand the American magnesium market.
New research shows that the catalyst used in the latest catalytic converters attacks its target pollutant in an unusual way, providing insight into how to make the best catalytic converters.
Grocery merchants in Texas, California and New York will soon have ice cream, frozen foods and fresh produce delivered by tractor trailers whose refrigeration units are powered by fuel cells, which will do the work normally done by a small diesel engine to keep the cargo at the proper temperature while the trucks are making deliveries.
A new report details how more Americans are installing wind turbines near their homes, businesses and farms to generate their own energy as part of a growing field of wind power called distributed wind.
PNNL chemists have unexpectedly made two differently colored crystals - one orange, one blue - from one chemical in the same flask while studying a special kind of molecular connection called an agostic bond. The discovery provides new insights into important industrial chemical reactions such as those that occur while making plastics and fuels.
A new study in PLOS ONE that examined food poisoning infection as-it-happens in mice revealed harmful bacteria, such as a common type of Salmonella, takes over beneficial bacteria within the gut amid previously unseen changes to the gut environment. The results provide new insights into the course of infection and could lead to better prevention or new treatments.
A single advanced building control now in development could slash 18 percent – tens of thousands of dollars – off the overall annual energy bill of the average large office building, with no loss of comfort.
If you think keeping up with what’s happening via Twitter, Facebook and other social media is like drinking from a fire hose, multiply that by 7 billion – and you’ll have a sense of what Court Corley wakes up to every morning. Corley has created a powerful digital system capable of analyzing billions of tweets and other social media messages in just seconds.
Research conducted with a large new battery unveiled today in Oregon will help the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project make the electric system smarter and more efficient.
Possibly energy-conserving, switch suggests metabolic changes that researchers might exploit to fight systemic illness.
The nation’s land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the country’s yearly needs. For the best places to produce algae for fuel, think hot, humid and wet. Especially promising are the Gulf Coast and the Southeastern seaboard.
A comprehensive study into the potential for compressed air energy storage in the Pacific Northwest has identified two locations in Washington state that could store enough Northwest wind energy combined to power about 85,000 homes each month.
A new system reduces carbon emissions and fuel usage at natural gas power plants by 20 percent by injecting solar energy into natural gas.
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