July in the Tri-Cities usually brings sunny skies, hot weather and high demand for electricity as many of us retreat to air-conditioned homes and offices.

There’s a big energy challenge on our hands and the need for a solution is imminent.

Here at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, much of our physics research focuses on fundamental scientific discovery and national security.

Led by Battelle in collaboration with the Bonneville Power Administration, the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project is the largest field test of smart grid systems to date.