From dust to sustainability
Some people may look at piles of hemp dust and fiber waste lying on the floor after a day of manufacturing thermal insulation and simply see trash. However, Matthew Mead from Hempitecture wondered if he could turn that trash into treasure. “It really presents a great opportunity for us,” Mead said. “Whether it’s another way […]
Increasing the efficiency of hydropower plants with utility-scale batteries
Utility-scale batteries can revolutionize how we harness renewable power. Coupled with wind and solar, these batteries could increase the reliability of green energy by storing excess energy during times of high generation and low demand. Then, utilities can tap the stored energy when demand increases. Hydropower accounts for 29% of renewable energy generated in the […]
Electric motor coach wins Department of Energy sustainability award
Most weekdays at exactly 6:02 a.m. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) communications specialist Amy Stafford boards a motor coach at an Idaho Falls park-n-ride for the roughly 50-minute journey to INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex. “On my way to work, I’m not one of those cool people studying to be an interior designer on the side,” […]
Fire and ice: To make the grid more resilient, INL researchers delve into advanced conductor testing
As businesses and organizations across America increasingly adopt digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, the energy demands on the power grid from data centers have surged. These centers, vital for storing and processing the data that artificial intelligence requires, consume vast amounts of electricity to power servers, maintain connectivity and manage cooling. Data centers are just […]
The ingenious legacy of Deslonde de Boisblanc: Spotlight on INL’s distinguished postdoctoral researchers
Deslonde de Boisblanc (1923-2009) was an inventive engineer from New Orleans who played a key role in nuclear reactor design, notably the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. Despite not having a Ph.D. or prior experience with nuclear reactors, his innovative clover-leaf design allows multiple experiments on various fuels and materials simultaneously at different […]
Programming for cost efficiency: An intern’s innovation in nuclear automation
The potential for remote operation and autonomous control, which could improve operational efficiency and reduce risk, is a major selling point for some advanced nuclear technologies. Take microreactors, for example. These small nuclear reactors are designed to be able to operate independently from the electric grid with limited local operating assistance — an exciting notion […]
A cloverleaf of innovation: INL releases custom smart watch faces to commemorate 75 years of innovation
Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) stands as a lasting monument to an innovative idea born on a twilight ride home across the Snake River Plain. The word “cloverleaf” best describes ATR’s innovative core design. Early nuclear engineers built ATR to improve fuel performance in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet. Fifty-seven years later, […]
2024 Bright Future in Energy Scholarship winners announced
Jisong Ryu, Jhanavi Hegde and Chance Krueger are winners of the 2024 Bright Future in Energy Scholarship Competition. Ryu, Hegde and Krueger impressed the judges with standout research and presentations, which focused on how nuclear energy and carbon capture technologies could move the nation closer to net-zero emissions. Ryu, a junior at Timberline High School […]
Clean Energy Camp: High school students get a close-up look at INL’s green research
As 17 students from three states headed back to school this fall, they took with them a broad array of knowledge they picked up this summer at Idaho National Laboratory’s Clean Energy Camp. The camp, which ran from June 24 to June 27, offered high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) […]
Idaho company finds innovative solution for builders
Builders typically rely on a set of printed, complicated blueprints at the job site to communicate complex architectural building designs. But blueprints don’t always work, especially when there are multiple iterations of the same plan with different pieces of information across multiple sheets. Builders are often left interpreting the designer’s intent rather than building per […]
