solar energy

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Using the power of the sun to roast green chile

July 6, 2022 • ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Every August and September the unmistakable pungent aroma of roasting green chile permeates the air across New Mexico and neighboring states. This delectable staple of regional cuisine is green in color, but roasting the chile pepper to deepen the flavor and make the inedible skin easier to...
Roasting green chile on top of Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility. Roasting green chile with concentrated sunlight instead of propane produces flavorful chile and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Members of the media interested in b-roll of the experiment, may download the video here.

Sandia uncovers hidden factors that affect solar farms during severe weather

August 31, 2021 • ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories researchers combined large sets of real-world solar data and advanced machine learning to study the impacts of severe weather on U.S. solar farms, and sort out what factors affect energy generation. Their results were published earlier this month in the scientific journal Applied Energy....

Here comes the sun: Tethered-balloon tests ensure safety of new solar-power technology

April 22, 2021 • ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — What do tiny dust particles, 22-foot-wide red balloons and “concentrated” sunlight have in common? Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories recently used 22-foot-wide tethered balloons to collect samples of airborne dust particles to ensure the safety of an emerging solar-power technology. The study determined that the dust created...
Two small balloons against a blue sky to the left of a large tower with a

Rooftop solar panels get boost from Sandia tool that previews a year on grid in minutes

June 20, 2019 • ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Homeowners and businesses may now have an easier time getting solar panels on rooftops thanks to software developed at Sandia. The new software can run a detailed, second-by-second simulation, known as quasi-static time series analysis, that shows utility companies how rooftop solar panels at a specific house...
Matthew Reno, Sandia National Laboratories

Raising the heat to lower the cost of solar energy

May 21, 2018 • 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...
Falling particle receiver video

U.S. rooftops get a thumbs-up for solar after Sandia testing

April 14, 2016 • ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Most U.S. rooftops in good repair can take the weight of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. That’s the conclusion of a three-year study by a research team led by Sandia National Laboratories. “There is a misperception in the building industry that existing residential rooftops lack the strength to...