PNNL will lead three new grid modernization projects funded by the Department of Energy. The projects focus on scalability and usability, networked microgrids, and machine learning for a more resilient, flexible and secure power grid.
PNNL and Argonne researchers developed and tested a chemical process that successfully captures radioactive byproducts from used nuclear fuel so they could be sent to advanced reactors for destruction while also producing electrical power.
Seventeen teams from regional colleges and universities gathered at PNNL Nov. 16 to put their cyber skills to the test by protecting critical energy infrastructure against simulated cyberattacks as part of DOE's CyberForce Competition.
Advancements such as LEDs have changed consumers’ experience with lighting. Whereas there was once a simple choice of how much light a consumer desired, there’s now a variety of choices to be made about the appearance of light.
Pumped-storage hydropower offers the most cost-effective storage option for shifting large volumes of energy. A PNNL-led team wrote a report comparing cost and performance factors for 10 storage technologies.
Scientists have uncovered a root cause of the growth of needle-like structures—known as dendrites and whiskers—that plague lithium batteries, sometimes causing a short circuit, failure, or even a fire.
With support from DOE’s Office of Electricity and National Grid, PNNL led a groundbreaking study to accurately assess the full value of grid energy storage investments across a wide variety of use cases.
PNNL researchers have created a chemical cocktail that could help electric cars power their way through extreme temperatures where current lithium-ion batteries don’t operate as efficiently as needed.
A gathering of international experts in Portland, Oregon, explored the future of electron microscopy and surfaced potential solutions in areas including new instrument designs, high-speed detectors, and data analytics capabilities.
Energy storage is slowly shifting utility planning practices from the current paradigm, which ensures grid reliability by building reserve generation resources, to ensuring grid reliability by optimizing grid services.
Trouble on the electric grid might start with something relatively small: a downed power line, or a lightning strike at a substation. What happens next?
A multi-institute team develops an imaging method that reveals how uranium dioxide (UO2) reacts with air. This could improve nuclear fuel development and opens a new domain for imaging the group of radioactive elements known as actinides.
A staple in horror movies, flickering lights can also summon potential human health and productivity concerns. PNNL studied hand-held meters that measure flicker, and the results could improve future measurement and lighting strategies.