LIVERMORE, Calif. — Marine research could soon be possible without the risk of polluting either the air or the ocean. It’s thanks to a new ship design and feasibility study led by Sandia National Laboratories. Hydrogen fuel cells have existed for decades, and there are multiple advantages to using them instead of diesel engines to […]
Category Archives: Renewable energy
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Raising the heat to lower the cost of solar energy
May 21, 2018 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories will receive $10.5 million from the Department of Energy to research and design a cheaper and more efficient solar energy system. The work focuses on refining a specific type of utility-scale solar energy technology that uses mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a receiver on a tower. The […]
Riding bacterium to the bank
May 17, 2018 – 9:00 am
LIVERMORE, Calif. — What does jet fuel have in common with pantyhose and plastic soda bottles? They’re all products currently derived from petroleum. Sandia National Laboratories scientists have demonstrated a new technology based on bioengineered bacteria that could make it economically feasible to produce all three from renewable plant sources. Economically and efficiently converting tough […]
First 3-D printed wind-blade mold, energy-saving nanoparticles earn Sandia national awards
April 25, 2018 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories has won the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer’s national 2018 Technology Focus Award for designing the first wind turbine blades fabricated from a 3-D printed mold, which could dramatically shorten the time and expense of developing new wind energy technology. The labs also won FLC’s Excellence in Technology […]
Wind energy team to compete nationally after winning Sandia Labs’ first pitch competition
November 27, 2017 – 7:05 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In an effort to help researchers think about their ideas from a business perspective, Sandia National Laboratories collaborated with startup accelerator ABQid in the labs’ first Pitch Competition this fall. A team working to commercialize wind energy for retailers and data centers took first place among six Sandia teams at the competition […]
New routes to renewables: Sandia speeds transformation of biofuel waste into wealth
November 9, 2017 – 5:00 am
LIVERMORE, Calif. — A Sandia National Laboratories-led team has demonstrated faster, more efficient ways to turn discarded plant matter into chemicals worth billions. The team’s findings could help transform the economics of making fuels and other products from domestically grown renewable sources. Lignin, the tough material left over from biofuel production, contains compounds that can […]
Biofuels from bacteria
August 21, 2017 – 8:55 am
Sandia helps HelioBioSys understand new clean energy source LIVERMORE, Calif.—You might not cook with this sugar, but from a biofuels standpoint, it’s pretty sweet. A Bay Area company has patented a group of three single-celled, algae-like organisms that, when grown together, can produce high quantities of sugar just right for making biofuels. Sandia National Laboratories […]
Optimizing hydrogen-powered passenger ferries focus of Sandia Labs study
July 13, 2017 – 5:15 am
LIVERMORE, California — Maritime transportation has emerged as one solution to the traffic gridlock that plagues coastal cities. But with urban passenger ferries operating in sensitive environments and tourist areas, hydrogen fuel cell-powered passenger ferries offer a quiet, zero-emission alternative to conventional diesel vessels. In its San Francisco Bay Renewable Energy Electric Vessel with Zero […]
New Mexico firm uses motion of the ocean to bring fresh water to coastal communities
July 5, 2017 – 5:20 am
Sandia Labs provides a fourth year of technical help ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hurricane Katrina whipped up huge, powerful waves that caused severe destruction in 2005 along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Their size and strength convinced Phil Kithil of Santa Fe, New Mexico, there had to be a way to harness that energy. His first thought […]
More small, clean-energy businesses will tap into Sandia technical expertise
April 25, 2017 – 8:35 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Department of Energy has chosen five more small, clean-energy businesses to work with Sandia National Laboratories to speed the commercialization of next-generation technologies and gain a global competitive advantage for the U.S. “Sandia is excited to bring these small businesses together with our scientists and engineers to tackle challenges and bring […]
Big changes from a small package for hydrogen storage
February 24, 2017 – 11:21 am
Sandia researchers use confined nanoparticles to improve hydrogen storage materials performance LIVERMORE, Calif. — Sometimes, you have to go small to win big. That is the approach a multilab, interdisciplinary team took in using nanoparticles and a novel nanoconfinement system to develop a method to change hydrogen storage properties. This discovery could enable the creation […]
Two Sandia researchers receive Presidential Early Career awards
February 3, 2017 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia researchers Stephanie Hansen and Alan Kruizenga are among 102 scientists and engineers to receive the 2017 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE, established in 1996, is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. […]
Battling corrosion to keep solar panels humming
February 2, 2017 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — People think of corrosion as rust on cars or oxidation that blackens silver, but it also harms critical electronics and connections in solar panels, lowering the amount of electricity produced. “It’s challenging to predict and even more challenging to design ways to reduce it because it’s highly dependent on material and environmental […]
Sandia receives ENERGISE award to study how to help utilities better manage power systems
January 31, 2017 – 1:00 pm
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sandia National Laboratories has been awarded a three-year, $2.5 million award to help utility companies better visualize, manage and protect power systems as they include increasing numbers of distributed energy resources (DER) such as wind and solar. The project creates open-source advanced distribution management system (ADMS) algorithms that help grid operators better […]
Sandia’s solar glitter closer to market with new licensing agreement
January 31, 2017 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque company founded by a Sandia National Laboratories scientist-turned-entrepreneur has received a license for a “home-grown” technology that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. The licensing agreement was signed Jan. 23 between mPower Technology Inc. and Sandia for microsystems enabled photovoltaics (MEPV). “This is an important milestone,” […]