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Tag Archives: renewable energy

Sandia studies vulnerabilities of electric vehicle charging infrastructure

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With electric vehicles becoming more common, the risks and hazards of a cyberattack on electric vehicle charging equipment and systems also increases. Jay Johnson, an electrical engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, has been studying the varied vulnerabilities of electric vehicle charging infrastructure for the past four years. Johnson and his team recently […]

Propelling wind energy innovation

LIVERMORE, Calif. — Motivated by the need to eliminate expensive rare-earth magnets in utility-scale direct-drive wind turbines, Sandia National Laboratories researchers developed a fundamentally new type of rotary electrical contact. Sandia is now ready to partner with the renewable energy industry to develop the next generation of direct-drive wind turbines. Sandia’s Twistact technology takes a […]

Back to the drawing board: Reinventing offshore wind turbines

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Brandon Ennis, Sandia National Laboratories’ offshore wind technical lead, had a radically new idea for offshore wind turbines: instead of a tall, unwieldy tower with blades at the top, he imagined a towerless turbine with blades pulled taut like a bow. This design would allow the massive generator that creates electricity from […]

“We’ve Got the Power”: Sandia technology test delivers electricity to the grid

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For the first time, Sandia National Laboratories researchers delivered electricity produced by a new power-generating system to the Sandia-Kirtland Air Force Base electrical grid. The system uses heated supercritical carbon dioxide instead of steam to generate electricity and is based on a closed-loop Brayton cycle. The Brayton cycle is named after 19th […]

Program in fusion energy attracted interns’ eyes

 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— A bold plan paid off this past summer when Sandia National Laboratories staff members LaRico Treadwell and Khalid Hattar combined their passions for increasing inclusion of people of color with developing materials to eventually derive energy from nuclear fusion. Standing to benefit from the pilot project were three undergraduate interns from North Carolina […]

Sandia app assesses value of energy storage for businesses, utilities

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Utility companies and corporate project developers now have help assessing how much money adding an energy storage system will save them thanks to new Sandia National Laboratories software. The software, called Quest, can also be used by energy researchers to evaluate different energy storage scenarios and model the potential of new solutions. […]

New tool at Sandia brings some West Texas wind to the Duke City — virtually

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have a new tool that allows them to study wind power and see whether it can be efficiently used to provide power to people living in remote and rural places or even off the grid, through distributed energy. A new, custom-built wind turbine emulator has been installed […]

Carbon fiber optimized for wind turbine blades could bring cost, performance benefits

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A new carbon fiber material could bring cost and performance benefits to the wind industry if developed commercially, according to a study led by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories. Wind blades containing carbon fiber weigh 25% less than ones made from traditional fiberglass materials. That means carbon fiber blades could be longer […]

Small business recycling ventures propelled by Sandia engineering

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Along Route 66 in rural, eastern New Mexico is a defunct ethanol plant in Tucumcari. Still hanging inside the building, calendars from 2010 mark the year it closed, and six massive fermentation tanks — each one 35 feet tall and 55,000 gallons — sit empty. Drought has depleted local corn harvests that […]

Raising the heat to lower the cost of solar energy

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 […]

Exploring Arctic clues to secure future with new Sandia, university partnership

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Arctic is undergoing rapid change, with sea ice melting and temperatures rising at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. Its changing environment affects global security, politics, the economy and the climate. Understanding these changes is crucial for shaping and safeguarding U.S. security in the future, Sandia scientists say. […]

Wind energy team to compete nationally after winning Sandia Labs’ first pitch competition

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 […]

Sandia’s solar glitter closer to market with new licensing agreement

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,” […]

More small businesses get Sandia help in clean-energy voucher pilot

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of five more small, clean-energy businesses to work with Sandia National Laboratories to bring next-generation technologies to market faster. “These are innovative companies working to build the clean-energy economy,” said Mary Monson, Sandia’s senior manager of industrial partnerships. “Many of these companies have […]

Marine Corps teams with Sandia on microgrids and renewable energy planning

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Marine Corps are the first boots on the ground in a crisis. On the front lines, they must be able to power up securely without plugging into utilities. They require nothing less than completely reliable and cost-effective energy independence. Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories are collaborating with the Marine Corps […]