DOE offers big advantages to clean energy developers with proposed leases at Idaho site
As the United States moves toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the nation will need a broad mix of clean energy projects to carry the load. To build these projects, developers must overcome any number of challenges including financing, siting and environmental regulations. Now, the Department of Energy (DOE) is helping developers eliminate some of […]
Idaho National Laboratory to play a key role in Midwest hydrogen hub
As the United States works to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, different energy sectors will require different solutions. Renewables and nuclear energy will help decarbonize electricity production, and the light-duty transportation sector will reduce emissions primarily by switching to electric vehicles. Natural gas will continue to displace coal-fired power plants as carbon capture and […]
Non-powered dams offer opportunity for clean energy
Ninety-seven percent of U.S. dams don’t make electricity. A new tool could help tap that resource. The era of building big dams may be over in the United States, but hydroelectricity still has a significant and untapped role to play in the nation’s energy future. Only 3% of the nation’s approximately 80,000 dams are equipped […]
Novel framework improves resilience to extreme weather
America’s infrastructure is getting older and more complex. Electricity production and distribution in the U.S. currently depends on more than 10,000 power plants, 642,000 miles of high voltage lines, 56,000 substations and 6.3 million miles of local distribution lines. Much of that infrastructure is over 30 years old. Meanwhile, extreme weather events such as hurricanes, […]
Big brake for small business: Sintering tech could make rotors 90% cheaper and faster
The race car driver careens around the track, narrowly missing the walls along the side. They make the turn expertly and quickly and slide across the finish line, wheels squealing as they hit the brakes. Excited spectators in the audience probably don’t realize that those brakes are able to operate seamlessly around tight turns and […]
Idaho technologies clinch five R&D 100 Awards
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – Five Idaho National Laboratory technologies earned five 2023 R&D 100 Awards – marking another triumphant year for the laboratory. The competition, now in its 61st year, celebrates technology innovations from across the public and private sectors. Winning an award is a prestigious distinction for inventors. Laboratories and companies from 12 countries […]
A FORCE to be reckoned with: Computer modeling for optimal energy partnerships
Imagine modern computing as the conductor of an orchestra. Just as a conductor brings harmony to a complex musical arrangement, modern computing is crucial to harmonizing the intricate mix of energy producers and users, optimizing the use of precious resources for the greater good. One strategy for establishing that harmony would pair the nuclear energy […]
Florida company TAPs into answers
For Juan Carlos Villatoro, what began as a simple internet search for information that could help him extract high-value minerals from used cellphones and laptops might now seem like a big twist of fate. The clean energy entrepreneur from Jacksonville, Florida, most likely didn’t expect a connection to Idaho National Laboratory that would eventually result […]
The tool to build a better battery
Batteries play a pivotal role in the world’s mission to reach net-zero carbon emissions, from electric vehicles to grid-scale electricity storage to home use. This includes helping nuclear power work with renewables to develop sustainable, carbon-free energy systems. But current batteries are too expensive and inefficient because of material procurement, battery life, power limitations and […]
Finally, an industrial-scale facility for testing new, clean hydrogen technologies
Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, is vital for any number of industries, from fertilizer production to metal manufacturing and from petroleum refining to chemical synthesis. Hydrogen is also an excellent way to store energy for electricity generation or to power vehicles. But the most common way to produce hydrogen — […]
It’s your nickel: Small changes in materials could lead to big improvements in fast charging
The key to developing an electric vehicle battery that can charge as quickly as it takes to fill a car with gasoline lies within its materials. High-nickel, layered-oxide cathode materials have potential to make EV batteries charge faster, go farther and last longer. Now a team of researchers led by Idaho National Laboratory has learned […]
National laboratories team with Idaho Power to evaluate hydrogen generation integrated with hydropower
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Idaho National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have partnered with Idaho Power to evaluate the feasibility and advantages of making hydrogen at existing hydropower plants.
More than 150 Idaho technologies licensed in 2022
Thousands of innovations and technologies have been discovered at Idaho National Laboratory since its establishment more than 70 years ago. The discoveries include everything from cybersecurity software that reduces risk of cyberattacks to inventions that improve the safety and efficiency of nuclear reactors. But to truly make impact, the technologies must make the jump from […]
Taking charge of our future: New federal program enhances nationwide electric vehicle infrastructure
Before electric vehicles can lead the way into a cleaner energy future, drivers must have confidence that they can find a charger when they need one. The new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or NEVI, formula program is addressing that challenge head-on. A series of federal recommendations announced last week aims to make electric vehicle charging […]
An electrifying future: Idaho National Laboratory’s role in White House efforts to make vehicle charging more accessible
Idaho National Laboratory’s role in White House efforts to make vehicle charging more accessible.
High and dry: Idaho National Laboratory-developed software helps farmers manage water usage
Idaho National Laboratory-developed software helps farmers manage water usage. INL scientists explore key issues such as water supply and extreme weather events, like drought, through the laboratory’s energy and environmental research efforts.
Microgrid in a Box opening new possibilities in defense, utilities, disaster relief
Microgrid in a Box, it includes 320 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, and can tie seamlessly into a modern electrical grid and coordinate the distribution of electricity for a small village, military base, or, in the event of a disaster, a hospital, transportation depot, or other critical infrastructure building.
Starting small: Three microgrid projects bring clean energy to Army in Kuwait
To help reduce carbon emissions from troops abroad, Idaho National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Defense are developing three pilot demonstration projects that will establish clean energy and sustainability solutions for the U.S. Army Central Command in Kuwait.
Advanced research agency funds two Idaho National Laboratory net-zero research projects
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPAE) has awarded more than $5.8 million to Idaho National Laboratory to support research that boosts domestic supplies of the critical elements needed to meet the nation’s clean energy goals.
Idaho technology changing outlook of advanced materials development
Idaho National Laboratory is on a new path of exploration, as it has executed multiple agreements with Innovyz USA, a Chicago-based company that works with universities and laboratories to find new technologies ready for commercialization.