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January 1, 2015

Forbes contributor Jeff McMahon writes about a survey presented by Harvard Government Professor Stephen Ansolabehere at the University of Chicago in which he said that “people who worry about human-caused climate change are willing to pay higher energy bills to help stop it, but only up to 5 percent higher.” Meanwhile, he also found that “Americans support EPA regulation even if it results in higher costs,” because, he said, “they associate EPA regulation with local benefits.” He said that the same survey was conducted in other countries and it was found that the five percent number was the “same in Sweden, same in France, same in Germany, same in Japan, same in Canada, et cetera.”

January 2, 2015

Politico reports on a “threat to our privacy” from smart meters, noting that the “Department of Energy is publishing in January the final draft of a voluntary code of conduct governing data privacy for smart meters.” Yet even with such a code “critics fear consumers will still be cajoled or conned into giving up their data,” and some believe that could be “worth a lot more” than the power being purchased. The meters and the data they generate are intended to improve “reliability and efficiency,” for electrical power.

January 5, 2015

The Detroit News in an editorial says that the Administration should note that the US auto industry is “thriving” and it is being led by pickups and large trucks, “not the vehicles Obama designed the bailout to favor.” The Administration and “many in Washington” have believed that the public wants “small, energy-efficient automobiles.” It notes that the DOE loaned the companies money “to make more fuel-efficient cars.” Meanwhile, there is a surge in demand for larger, less efficient vehicles,” and electric vehicles are still not taking hold. The paper says that unless government standards are adjusted to meet with “marketplace reality,” it “could well be responsible for sinking the industry it once bailed out.”

January 6, 2015

The Hill reports that the Department of Energy is publishing a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment on “standards for zero-energy buildings.” Comment is being sought on definitions, designations, and guidelines. Rather than setting standards itself, the department “wants the industry and regulators to agree on standards that could be useful both for the industry and for DOE.”

January 6, 2015

Working at temperatures matching the interior of the sun, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories’ Z machine announce they have been able to determine experimentally, for the first time in history, iron’s role in inhibiting energy transmission from the center of the sun to near the edge of its radiative band—the section of the solar interior between the sun’s core and outer convection zone.

January 7, 2015

A multi-institutional research team led by Chris Dealwis from Case Western Reserve University has used the new IMAGINE instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to map an enzyme that could play an important role in anti-cancer drug development.

January 7, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz delivers speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, for the “2015 U.S. Energy Policy Outlook: Opportunities and Challenges” meeting, which focuses on energy security and President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. On the subject of mitigation, Secretary Moniz announces that the Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) is issuing its third open funding opportunity announcement, OPEN 2015, for up to $125 million. OPEN 2015 supports energy research and development projects from America’s top innovators for disruptive new technologies in transportation and stationary applications.

January 7, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz says in his speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve needs “modernization” due to the changed situation regarding oil production in the US. Moniz says that “specific recommendations” would be released “later this month” with the “first phase of its quadrennial energy review.” Moniz says, “Our petroleum reserve really needs modernization, certainly in a variety of physical elements and partly because of the changed production profile in the United States,” adding, “The different geography of producing oil and gas has led to a number of distribution issues that we partially uncovered by doing a test sale from the petroleum reserve.” The reserve currently is “well above” the minimum of “90 days’ worth of net imports” required by membership in the International Energy Agency.

January 7, 2015

The Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration announces the removal of 36 kilograms (approximately 80 pounds) of highly enriched uranium (HEU) spent fuel from the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The HEU was transported via two air shipments to a secure facility in Russia for permanent disposition. This complex operation was the culmination of a multi-year effort between the United States, Kazakhstan, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

January 8, 2015

As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Department of Energy announces that its Illinois Basin-Decatur Project successfully captured and stored one million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and injected it into a deep saline formation. The project is part of the development phase of the Department’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships initiative, which is intended to develop and deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies across the country, in pursuit of a low carbon future.

January 8, 2015

The Energy Department announces $2.5 million for a new project to research the atmospheric processes that generate wind in mountain-valley regions. This in-depth research, conducted by Vaisala of Louisville, Colorado, will be used to improve the wind industry's weather models for short-term wind forecasts, especially for those issued less than 15 hours in advance. With access to better forecasts, wind energy plant operators and industry professionals can ensure wind turbines operate closer to maximum capacity, leading to lower energy costs for consumers. Data collected during the project will be shared in near real-time with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Energy Department's national laboratories, and will be used to develop improved atmospheric simulations for the Weather Research and Forecasting model, a widely used weather prediction system. These new wind measurements and simulations will also be incorporated into NOAA's Numerical Weather Prediction models to improve short-term wind forecasts in complex terrain.

January 8, 2015

A key Senate committee clears Keystone legislation, and action is expected shortly in both the full Senate and the House, while the President’s veto threat hangs over the legislation’s prospects. McClatchy reports that the Senate Energy Committee approved the legislation with a 13-to-9 vote. The vote broke along party lines, with the exception of Sen. Joe Manchin (D), who backed the bill. The House is expected to pass similar legislation on January 9, while the full Senate is expected to act on it next week. However, the President has threatened a veto, and “it doesn’t appear there is enough Keystone support in Congress to override” it. The New York Times reports that “despite the clear veto threat,” both parties are readying for a “multiweek debate” over the project. Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski said, “It’s fair to say that the world is watching to see whether the United States is ready to lead as a global energy superpower, which I think we recognize we have become. I believe Congress is ready to send that signal in a bipartisan manner. I believe the American people are ready. It is unfortunate that the administration continues to stand in the way.”

January 9, 2015

Plans for the construction of the world’s largest digital camera at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reach a major milestone. The 3,200-megapixel centerpiece of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will provide unprecedented details of the universe and help address some of its biggest mysteries, has received key “Critical Decision 2” approval from the DOE. The LSST team can now move forward with the development of the camera and prepare for the “Critical Decision 3” review process next summer, the last requirement before actual fabrication of the camera can begin. Components of the camera, which will be the size of a small car and weigh more than 3 tons, will be built by an international collaboration of labs and universities, including DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and SLAC, where the camera will be assembled and tested.

January 9, 2015

The Obama Administration announces that the University of Tennessee will lead the Energy Department’s new Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Advanced Composites. Headquartered in Knoxville, the institute will focus on making advanced composites less expensive and less energy-intensive to manufacture, while also making the composites easier to recycle. With these improvements, it is believed manufacturers will be able to reinvent products that are at the foundation of a clean energy economy – many of which directly impact our daily lives.

January 10, 2015

The Columbus (OH) Dispatch reports that a Miami University study “links 77 earthquakes that occurred near Youngstown in March 2014 to fracking operations.”

January 10, 2015

The AP reports that, although President Obama visited Knoxville on January 10 to unveil a national free college tuition plan, his announcement of the $259 million Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Advanced Composites innovation hub “prompted celebration among” officials in Tennessee. The hub “will be made up of 122 companies, nonprofits and research institutions anchored by the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.” The Energy Department “will invest about $70 million, while the remaining $189 million will be supplied by partners in the consortium.” The article notes that “other members of the new consortium include Boeing, Volkswagen, Ford, Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”

January 11, 2015

The New York Times reports North Korea on January 10 said it has offered the US to impose “a temporary moratorium on nuclear tests” if it cancels its joint annual military exercises with the South. Pyongyang proposed its “crucial step” in a message it delivered to the US on January 9 “through an unspecified channel,” the Korean Central News Agency said.

January 12, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz writes in a blog post revealing that since 2009, the Energy Department has issued more than $8 billion in loans to companies through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) program, including $5.9 billion to the Ford Motor Company. The financing provided to Ford was used to upgrade 13 factories in six states to improve the fuel efficiency of popular models -- including the factory that President Obama visited in Detroit last week. The Department of Energy’s investments have resulted in the production of more than 4 million advanced, fuel-efficient vehicles, supporting the creation of approximately 35,000 direct jobs and saving more than 900 million gallons of gasoline. And since the President took office, the U.S. auto industry as a whole has created more than half a million new jobs.

January 12, 2015

A team from the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University has found a way to improve the efficiency of solar cells by looking to design materials that can convert more lost heat energy into useful electricity. The team has paired up polymers that recover lost energy by producing two electrical charge carriers per unit of light instead of the usual one. "Critically, we show how this multiplication process can be made efficient on a single molecular polymer chain," said physicist Matthew Sfeir, who led the research at Brookhaven Lab's Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), a DOE Office of Science User Facility. Having the two charges on the same molecule means the light-absorbing, energy-producing materials don't have to be arrayed as perfect crystals to produce extra electrical charges. Instead, the self-contained materials work efficiently when dissolved in liquids, which opens the way for a wide range of industrial scale manufacturing processes, including "printing" solar-energy-producing material like ink. The research is published as an Advance Online Publication in Nature Materials,

January 12, 2015

The Department announces $8 million in available funding to spur innovation in next-generation marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) control and component technologies. The Department notes that in the United States, waves, tides, and ocean currents represent a largely untapped renewable energy resource that could provide clean, affordable energy to homes and businesses across the country's coastal regions.

January 12, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) and the Federal Smart Grid Task Force have facilitated a multi-stakeholder process to develop a Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for utilities and third parties that addresses privacy related to data enabled by smart grid technologies. The final Data Privacy and the Smart Grid: A Voluntary Code of Conduct is now available for downloading. The release of the Data Privacy and the Smart Grid: A Voluntary Code of Conduct is announced as one of President Obama's next steps in his comprehensive approach to enhancing consumers’ security, tackling identity theft, and improving privacy online and in the classroom. During the development of the VCC, industry stakeholders attended open meetings and participated in work group activities to draft the VCC's principles. In September 2014, the Energy Department issued a Federal Register Notice announcing the availability of the draft VCC for public comment. The public comment period closed in October 2014. In December 2014, OE in coordination with the Federal Smart Grid Task Force conducted a webinar to conclude the development phase of the VCC.

January 13, 2015

The Department announces that pilot-scale testing of an advanced technology for economically capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas has begun at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Ala. Under a cooperative agreement with the Energy Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Linde LLC is operating a nominal 1-megawatt-electric (MWe) pilot plant expected to capture 30 tons of CO2 per day.

January 13, 2015

The Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN), David Huizenga, participates in a ceremony commemorating the transition of a radiation detection system at the Port of Yangshan to the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). This system, provided by the NNSA’s Second Line of Defense (SLD) program, enhances China’s capabilities to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials that may be moving through the global maritime shipping system. The ceremony marks the transition of this system and GACC’s commitment to operate and maintain it over the long-term.

January 13, 2015

The Los Angeles Times reports that “the White House tried yesterday to jump-start the effort to pass cybersecurity legislation.” President Obama spoke at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, and offered an “updated” edition of “a 2011 administration plan.” In addition, the White House “announced $25 million in grants to historically black colleges and universities to support cybersecurity education” as “part of an Energy Department effort to fund science and technology training.”

January 13, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration announces it has finalized the license agreement with Whitethorn Solar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Juwi Solar Inc. (Juwi), for a solar electrical generation system onsite at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. When completed, the power generated by this system will represent the DOE/NNSA’s largest purchase of solar power from an onsite facility and the first in its western region.

January 14, 2015

The AP reports Secretary of State Kerry is in Geneva for talks today with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif “on how to speed up nuclear negotiations as a March target date approaches to conclude a deal.” The AP notes that the talks come ahead of a new round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and P5+1 set to begin on January 15. “We are at a juncture where most of the issues are now getting fleshed out and understood,” Kerry told reporters on January 12, adding that he hoped to be able to “accelerate the process to make greater progress.”

January 14, 2015

Matty Greene (Videographer) and Alison Lantero (Digital Content Specialist, Office of Public Affairs) share how the Energy Department is addressing the fact that  women hold only about a quarter of jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics—otherwise known as the STEM fields—and note there is a crucial need to bring women’s voices to the table as we tackle these top issues. On this day, the Department’s #WomenInSTEM video series is celebrating its first birthday. The series shares the personal stories of women with STEM careers.

January 14, 2015

The Detroit Free Press reports that President Obama made an announcement in Tennessee last week that the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation will establish a presence in Detroit “to develop advanced lightweight, high-strength materials for application in automotive, defense and other industries.” IACMI will be “backed by more than $70 million in grants” from the Energy Department and will also set up a Transportation Applications Center to “test new carbon fiber materials, primarily for transportation application.”

January 15, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz describes the re-establishment of the Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board, in a speech on Project Management Reform at the National Academy of Public Administration. This ESAAB will meet regularly, at a minimum quarterly, to look at projects in place.  The focus will be on projects from $100 million and greater. As part of the ESAAB, a Project Management Risk Committee will be part of a broader effort across the Department in terms of risk evaluation and risk management. 

January 15, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz issues the following statement on the 2014 National Solar Jobs Census: “Solar power is a key component of our all-of-the-above approach to American energy, creating good-paying American jobs that support our growing clean energy economy. According to a new report released by the Solar Foundation today, the solar industry is continuing its rapid growth, with more than 170,000 Americans employed throughout the U.S. solar supply chain. In the last year alone, the industry added more than 31,000 jobs – accounting for one out of every 78 new jobs created in the U.S. This diverse and vibrant workforce is vital to achieving the President’s goal of doubling electricity generation from renewable sources yet again by 2020."

January 15, 2015

The AP reports that Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said “Idaho will grant a one-time waiver to the U.S. Department of Energy to bring nuclear waste into the state for research purposes if certain conditions are met.” Otter, in a letter to Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, “said spent fuel rods can enter the state if the federal agency commits to resolving noncompliance issues from a 1995 agreement.” The state “has banned shipments since January 2013 after the Department of Energy missed a cleanup deadline at the Idaho National Laboratory in southeastern Idaho.”

January 15, 2015

Politico reports that the Administration’s “new strategy to cut methane emissions from oil and gas operations is too weak to meet even the White House’s goals, let alone slow the changes in the climate,” according to critics of the planned rolled out on January 14. The new rules “could open the door to future regulations of the powerful greenhouse gas, but Wednesday’s proposals mostly rely on voluntary efforts from oil and gas companies to reduce leaks of methane.” The energy industry said that producers are “already working to eliminate leakage,” because any lost methane “represents lost revenue.” The Washington Times reports that the new goals set “an ambitious goal of reducing those emissions by 45 percent over the next decade and again drawing the ire of many in the energy industry.” The move suggests that the President, in his final two years, is “looking to cement his legacy on climate-change and environmental issues.”

January 16, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration hosts a roundtable with 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to discuss new funding that will strengthen American cybersecurity expertise. A five-year, $25M grant will support a partnership between the HBCUs, Charleston County School District, and two NNSA laboratories; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory in California and New Mexico. Vice President Biden and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz highlighted DOE/NNSA’s Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Consortium at a Norfolk State University ceremony on Thursday of this week.

January 16, 2015

The CBS Evening News   reports that US government scientists released a report today concluding that “2014 was the warmest year on record...melting glaciers, threatening wildlife, and producing extreme weather, including stronger typhoons in Asia, and the record drought in California.” Vicente Arenas reported for CBS that “14 out of the 15 warmest years on record have happened since 1997,” adding that “scientists say that should be enough evidence for skeptics to prove that global warming is real and needs to be addressed.”

January 16, 2015

In an article titled “U.S. Nuclear Cleanup Specialist Goes From Hanford To Fukushima,” McClatchy reports that Matthew McCormick, a former Hanford nuclear site worker, is “helping to lead the cleanup at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which melted down in March 2011.” In a recent interview McCormick said, “It’s a personal commitment. ... When the accident happened, it was just a terrible thing. I had a personal connection with the people of Japan. And my heart just went out to them.” McCormick “spends most of his time at the Fukushima plant, ‘getting my fingernails dirty and actually handling equipment.’”

January 16, 2015

The Department announces that last week, the Office of the Chief Information Officer sponsored a Technology Summit on High Performance Computing (HPC), hosted by the Chief Technology Officer. This was the eleventh in a series showcasing federal innovation and transformation. The summit explored how Energy is using high performance computing to address a number of society’s most daunting challenges including: climate change, nuclear stockpile stewardship, and earthquake hazard assessments. The topic of HPC is relevant on many fronts and has a connection with a number of other DOE activities, such as the Department’s first-ever Technology Roadmap, which will elaborate on how technologies like HPC will better enable DOE’s mission. In case you missed the event, it is posted in its entirety on the Department of Energy's You Tube channel: http://youtu.be/h0ffy-ktspo.

January 19, 2015

The Boston Globe reports that Russian diplomats informed their American counterparts in December that “they were refusing any more US help protecting their largest stockpiles of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium from being stolen or sold on the black market,” thereby effectively ending “one of the most successful areas of cooperation between the former Cold War adversaries.” The article says “Russia’s change of heart was not unexpected,” as “increased diplomatic hostilities” between the two countries caused US officials to fear for the future of the programs. The article says the Americans were also told that joint security work at civilian facilities, a project “to convert highly enriched uranium into a less dangerous form,” and other projects would be halted, though limited cooperation is to continue in other areas.

January 19, 2015

In an interview with Federal News Radio, Secretary Ernest Moniz said that “he is ‘institutionalizing’ risk management in a way the department has never seen before.” He stated, “Clearly we have important missions in energy, science, climate change. We have a very important mission in nuclear security but, frankly, the feeling was, without raising our game in management and performance, our mission accomplishments get compromised.” He announced the “new risk-management initiatives at a National Academy of Public Administration gathering in Washington.” The article noted that “Moniz is raising the profile of the Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board, which will keep closer watch on projects as they progress” and will meet quarterly from now on.

January 21, 2015

In his State of the Union address, President Obama shares a variety of metrics designed to show our union is strong—including "a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry and booming energy production." Offering evidence of booming energy production in particular, President Obama notes: “Today, America is number one in oil and gas. America is number one in wind power. Every three weeks, we bring online as much solar power as we did in all of 2008." 

January 20, 2015

A team of nuclear physicists announce a key discovery in the quest to shed light on the structure and behavior of subatomic particles. Using supercomputing resources at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), located at Berkeley Lab, the Nuclear Physics with Lattice QCD (NPLQCD) collaboration demonstrated for the first time the ability of quantum chromodynamics (QCD)—a fundamental theory in particle physics—to calculate the magnetic structure of some of the lightest nuclei. Their findings, published December 16, 2014, in Physical Review Letters, are part of an ongoing effort to address fundamental questions in nuclear physics and high-energy physics and further our understanding of the universe, according to the NPLQCD. 

January 21, 2015

In a story about the role of Federal research and subsidies in laying the foundation for private capital to swoop in and flood the global crude market with plentiful, relatively cheap oil and natural gas produced by US shale plays, the New York Times reports that the oil embargo of 1973 was the “big boost” in the development of horizontal drilling techniques. A year after that oil crisis unfolded, Congress created what would later become the Department of Energy. Not only did DOE preside over the ensuing “period of heavy government investment in research and development”; the Department “performed the first big hydraulic fracturing,” while DOE labs worked at “a multi-well fracking test site.” Plus, Sandia National Laboratories pioneered “underground imaging — based on microseismic monitoring once used to detect coal mine collapses,” which is “critical” for locating fractures and sites for position wells.

January 21, 2015

In a piece about viewing the State of the Union address, the USA Today reports that Secretary Moniz’s hair caused a stir on social media. There were a lot of “very meme-worthy” moments “but one gentleman stole the show sans speech or podium. As TV streams panned to him in the audience several times, the collective heart of Twitter fluttered.” The man was “American nuclear physicist and current United States Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, and he is a precious jewel.” A tweet from one viewer said “Do you think Obama feels more pressure during this speech because an actual founding father is in the audience?”

January 21, 2015

The Hill reports President Obama yesterday “signed an executive order establishing a new panel that will advise the federal government on preserving the Alaskan Arctic.” Obama established “the Arctic Executive Steering Committee to help juggle the variety of tribal, scientific, corporate, and federal interests at play in the Arctic, where temperatures have risen at twice the rate as the rest of the United States.” He stated, “As the Arctic has changed, the number of Federal working groups created to address the growing strategic importance and accessibility of this critical region has increased. ... Although these groups have made significant progress and achieved important milestones, managing the broad range of interagency activity in the Arctic requires coordinated planning by the Federal Government.” Obama “declared in his State of the Union address that ‘no challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change’ and pledged that he would veto legislation turning back White House efforts on the environment.”

January 21, 2015

The Hill reports Sen. Jim Inhofe, the “most vocal climate change skeptic” in the Senate, “took the gavel of the Environment and Public Works Committee Wednesday, eight years after he gave it up.” The position “makes him the top senator in charge of two of his passions: fighting attempts to curb climate change and building transportation infrastructure.” Inhofe “brushed aside the report last week from federal scientists that 2014 was the hottest year on record.” He stated, “It’s kind of funny they’d say that. It has to be in some other hemisphere, because we had the coldest in the western hemisphere in the same time frame.”

January 21, 2015

The Aiken (SC) Standard reports the Energy Department “will have a public comment opportunity next week for residents” to express views “about a contamination present within several subunits of a facility at the Savannah River Site that could affect human health.” A Savannah River Site “fact sheet” indicates “an early remedial action is needed at portions of the C-Area Operable Unit,” because “contaminants are present in soil, gravel and concrete.”

January 22, 2015

Following the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 20 in which President Obama highlighted the surge in U.S. manufacturing and the strong growth in the auto industry, Secretary Ernest Moniz announces more than $55 million to develop and deploy cutting-edge vehicle technologies that strengthen the clean energy economy. In a speech at the Washington Auto Show, Moniz outlines how these technologies are designed to increase fuel efficiency and reduce petroleum consumption, and support the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to make plug-in electric vehicles as affordable to own and operate as today's gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022.

January 23, 2015

Environment & Energy Publishing reports the Energy Department “should retain sole responsibility for the nation’s nuclear security laboratories, but other national security agencies should have a greater strategic role in their governance and upkeep, the National Research Council said in a report released today.” Congress and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) asked the Council to examine “whether other agencies should become co-owners of the NNSA labs in light of a mission transformation to a wider national security focus, including work for the Defense Department, Homeland Security Department and other agencies, and the increasing and expensive need to maintain the aging nuclear stockpile.” The NRC said in their report that the NNSA’s “Work for Others” program “accounted for about 20 percent of its budget – about $1.7 billion – and helps keep federal scientists working on the latest problems and technology but does not help support the crucial larger infrastructure upkeep.”

January 23, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz announces the creation of the Jobs Strategy Council (JSC), an initiative focused on accelerating job growth in American-made clean energy sources while implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan, during a roundtable with the business leaders of Energy Intensive, Trade Exposed industries and their unions, the United Steelworkers, the United Autoworkers, the Machinists, the IUE-CWA, and the AFL-CIO. The Council plans to integrate the research, technical and economic resources of the Energy Department to respond to the workforce and economic development needs of industry.

January 23, 2015

The Washington Examiner reports Secretary Ernest Moniz “is on a campaign to change the way his department manages projects and measures performance” and he is emphasizing the promotion of “‘budget and schedule discipline’ at every stage of a project.” During a speech recently at the National Academy of Public Administration, Moniz said, “There has not been enough of what I would call more the corporate style of risk evaluation and risk management.” Moniz “has directed the Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board, which hasn’t met in more than two years, to meet at least once a quarter in order to play a much more active management oversight role.” In addition, he has “called for the formation of a Project Management Risk Committee to weigh the potential risks of projects.”

January 24, 2015

The Hill reports the Energy Department “is moving forward with ‘more stringent’ energy conservation standards for general service fluorescent lamps.” The DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced late last week “new efficiency rules for general service fluorescent lamps that could cost the industry an estimated $330 million to comply with.” The article notes that “manufacturers will be required to comply with these rules by Jan. 26, 2018.”

January 26, 2015

The AP reports that “a new weapon against malware has been developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.” According to an article by the Knoxville News Sentinel, “an 11-person tech squad has developed Hyperion, which they say is able to identify malicious software even if it’s not on a list of known threats.” ORNL “signed a licensing agreement recently with R&K; Cyber Solutions LLC, which allows the company to commercialize the technology.” The company said in a statement that “it plans to make Hyperion available commercially later this month.” ORNL’s Stacy Prowell “says he thinks it will have longevity because it attacks malware at the nuts-and-bolts level.”

January 26, 2015

A promising new technology sponsored by the Department for economically capturing 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from a coal-burning power plant begins pilot-scale testing. The technology is the PolarisTM membrane system, developed by Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR). The system uses a specially designed CO2-selective membrane—a micro-porous film that acts as a semi-permeable barrier—to separate CO2 from other gases, such as nitrogen, in a coal-burning plant’s flue gas.

January 27, 2015

Roll Call reports Secretary Ernest Moniz and Vice President Joe Biden met yesterday “with Caribbean leaders and global financial organizations to promote development of alternative energy sources for island communities.” The event was used by the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation “to announce $42.7 million in financing for a 34 megawatt wind project in Jamaica.” The project “is expected to come online next year and be the largest private sector renewable energy development in Jamaica.” The Department of Energy “is providing technical support to Trinidad and Tobago to develop an energy research center to serve the Caribbean.” Two months from now, DOE “will take part in a regional technical symposium on St. Thomas.”

January 27, 2015

The Hill reports that “the Obama administration told an appeals court that 12 states cannot preemptively challenge its landmark proposed climate rule for power plants.” On the EPA’s behalf, Justice Department attorneys “told the court Friday that the rule cannot be challenged in court until it is made final later this year.” In addition, the states “cannot sue against a 2010 court settlement because it did not obligate the agency to write the regulation, it said.” In a brief in response to the lawsuit, the EPA wrote, “The premise of petitioners’ suit is wrong; the proposed rule is not the result of that settlement agreement, but rather part of an administration initiative to address the most critical environmental problem of our time.”

January 27, 2015

The Obama Administration announcement that it would potentially allow some drilling off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts while barring it in some areas off of Alaska generates significant media coverage. Overall, the move is seen as a net benefit for the oil industry and, as the New York Times puts it, a “blow” to environmentalists. The coverage primarily focuses on the Atlantic coast proposal, with a secondary focus on the Alaska proposal and very little mention of the Gulf aspect. The New York Times reports that the Administration “announced a proposal to open up coastal waters from Virginia to Georgia for oil and gas drilling” while also moving to “ban drilling in Alaska in some portions of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.” Opening the Atlantic coast to drilling is a “prize” long sought by oil companies and a “blow to environmental groups.” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said, “This is a balanced proposal that would make available nearly 80 percent of the undiscovered technically recoverable resources, while protecting areas that are simply too special to develop.”

January 28-30, 2015

The Powering Africa: Summit meets in Washington, D.C., focusing on investment and policy strategy in sub-Saharan Africa, and welcomes 70 top-level speakers from the United States government and various African countries' public and private sectors.  In his January 29 speech, Secretary Moniz reinforces President Obama’s ongoing strong commitment to Africa and the recognition that the health and prosperity of hundreds of millions depends on the ability to help break down the barriers to investment and support the energy development across Africa.

January 29, 2015

In support of the Administration’s effort to double renewable energy generation for a second time by 2020, the Energy Department announces more than $59 million in funding to support solar energy innovation today. The $45 million Technology to Market funding opportunity is part of the Department’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, aimed at boosting American competitiveness and supporting a strong domestic, clean energy manufacturing sector. This opportunity combines three historically separate SunShot Initiative funding programs—Incubator, Solar Manufacturing Technology, and Scaling Up Nascent PV at Home—into one that will support projects with the potential to significantly reduce the costs for solar energy systems.  The Department is also awarding more than $14 million for 15 Solar Market Pathways projects to help communities develop multi-year solar deployment plans to install solar electricity in homes, businesses, and communities.

January 29, 2015

Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Energy Department announces that more than 20 new partners have committed to improving energy efficiency across their respective building portfolios by 20 percent over the next ten years. These new partners, including the 6 multifamily partners announced by the White House, span over 70 million square feet of fast-food, restaurant, manufacturing, university, and government facilities. As leaders in energy efficiency, partners plan to work with the Department to share their successful efficiency strategies and help pave the way for other organizations to follow.

January 29, 2015

A team of scientists from Columbia University, the New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC), and the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has deciphered structural details of the side effects of one of the best known antianxiety drugs, Valium. Using high-intensity x-rays at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven Lab, they produced high-resolution atomic-level snapshots of the difficult-to-study protein both alone and in conjunction with a Valium-like compound. The results are published in the January 30, 2015, issue of Science.

January 29, 2015

This week in the journal Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers reveal a new solution-based hot-casting technique that allows growth of highly efficient and reproducible solar cells from large-area perovskite crystals.

January 29, 2015

The Hill reports that this week “the longest consecutive streak of tumbling gas prices ended.” According to AAA “the 123-day streak came to a halt on Tuesday when the average prices of gas ticked up for the first time since September 25.” But that does not “mean the end to low gas prices is near. The current national average gas price is $2.04 per gallon.”

January 29-30, 2015

The Hill reports that the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “gave a positive safety evaluation of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site Thursday, but said it is still not ready for construction.” The staffers “released the final two parts of their five-part safety review Thursday, finding that Yucca would meet safety requirements during the time it is in operation and before its permanent closure.” In a statement NRC said, “The safety evaluation report includes the staff’s recommendation that the commission should not authorize construction of the repository because [Energy Department] has not met certain land and water rights requirements.” The AP reports that supporters and opponents “of the Yucca Mountain project each found support for their positions in the release of the final two volumes of a five-volume report by commission staff.” Each “acknowledged it will be up to Congress to pay for a licensing process and secure land and water rights before construction could resume on a site to entomb the nation’s most radioactive waste.” The article notes that Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz “has said he remains opposed to the Yucca Mountain project.”

January 30, 2015

The New York Times reports “An overwhelming majority of the American public, including nearly half of Republicans, support government action to curb global warming,” according to a poll conducted by The Times, Stanford University, and nonpartisan research group Resources for the Future. The Times says that the finding “could have implications for the 2016 presidential campaign.” The poll also found that “two-thirds of Americans say they are more likely to vote for political candidates who campaign on fighting climate change. They are less likely to vote for candidates who question or deny the science that determined that humans caused global warming.”

January 30, 2015

In support of the President’s call during his State of the Union Address to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Department of Energy announces it would renew funding, subject to congressional appropriations, for the Consortium for the Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL), an Energy Innovation Hub established in 2010 to develop advanced computing capabilities that serve as a virtual version of existing, operating nuclear reactors.

January 30, 2015

The Energy Department finalizes the sale of the historic Teapot Dome Oilfield located 35 miles north of Casper, Wyoming to Stranded Oil Resources Corporation, a subsidiary of Alleghany Capital Corporation.  More than $45 million in proceeds from the sale of the oilfield – known officially as the Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 3 (NPR-3) – will be deposited into the U.S. Treasury. Teapot Dome, consisting of 9,481 acres, was set aside as a naval oil reserve in 1915, and is best known for its connection to a scandal that rocked the Harding Administration approximately 90 years ago. Apart from some exploratory and offset wells drilled in the 1950s and 1960s, the oilfield was essentially closed until full development resumed in 1976.  In 1977, jurisdiction for the Teapot Dome reserve was transferred from the Navy to the Energy Department.  Now referred to as NPR-3, in 1993 it became the home of the Department’s Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC).  For nearly two decades, RMOTC used the reserve as a commercial testing ground primarily for new technologies and processes designed to improve drilling, oil production, and enhanced oil recovery.  In nearly 40 years of operation under the Department’s management, this stripper oilfield produced over 22 million barrels of oil resulting in over $569 million deposited into the U.S. Treasury.

January 30, 2015

The Department issues a Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNOV) to Fluor B&W Portsmouth (FBP) for violations of the DOE’s nuclear safety and radiation protection regulations, and has proposed a $243,750 civil penalty.  FBP is responsible for decontamination and decommissioning activities at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant located in Piketon, Ohio. The violations are associated with the improper alteration of Radiation Protection (RP) documents and other RP violations at the Portsmouth (PORTS) decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) project in Piketon, Ohio, which occurred in April 2013.

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February 2, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz details President Barack Obama’s $30 billion Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request for the Energy Department.  This Budget continues the Administration’s efforts to invest in America’s future, making critical investments in research, energy and infrastructure that will help support continued economic growth and job creation, in national and energy security, and in addressing the environmental legacy of the Cold War.

February 2, 2015

An article titled “Obama 2016 Budget Urges U.S. States To Cut Emissions Faster” by Reuters reports that according to officials, President Obama is proposing in his fiscal 2016 budget a fund of $4 billion to encourage states to reduce power plant emissions and $7.4 billion for clean energy technologies. The officials also said that the budget also calls for the Production Tax Credit and the Investment Tax Credit to be permanently extended.

February 2, 2015

Science Magazine reports that the Obama Administration presented its budget request to Congress for the 2016 fiscal year, which begins in October. The budget doles out “$5.3 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, a 5% increase that beats out inflation.” Additionally, five of the six “major research programs within the Office of Science get a share of the good news.” The biggest increase would go to the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, which would “support efforts by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration...and the Office of Science to develop fast, cutting-edge exascale computers, paving the way for advanced climate modeling and biomedical applications.” Nuclear physics “receives a 5% increase, to $625 million.”

February 2, 2015

President Obama’s FY 2016 budget reportedly seeks $842.1 million for the Office of Fossil Energy to advance technologies related to the reliable, efficient, affordable and environmentally sound use of fossil fuels, implement ongoing federal responsibilities at the Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves, and manage the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve and Northeast Home Heating oil Reserve to provide strategic and economic security against disruptions in U.S. petroleum supplies. The request includes $560 million for Fossil Energy Research and Development, $257 million for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, $7.6 million for the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve and $17.5 million for the Naval Petroleum Reserves.

February 3, 2015

Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall travels to Amarillo, Texas to visit the Pantex Plant, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) site charged with maintaining the safety, security and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, a critical component of President Obama’s National Security Strategy. Work performed at Pantex includes support of the nuclear weapons life extension programs; nuclear weapons dismantlement; the development, testing and fabrication of high explosive components; and interim storage and surveillance of plutonium pits. The Pantex visit comes the day after Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall participated in a meeting of National Petroleum Council Steering Committee on Artic Research, where she discussed American interests in the Arctic in the context of the upcoming American chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

February 4, 2015

The Department of Energy and Shell Canada announce they intend to collaborate in field tests to validate advanced monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) technologies for underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The tests will take place at Shell’s Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in Alberta, Canada. The Shell Quest team and technology developers funded by the DOE and managed by DOE’s National Technology Laboratory (NETL), have been discussing opportunities to field test and validate advanced MVA technologies at the Quest CO2 underground storage site. The Quest project is significantly funded by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Province of Alberta. The Department of Energy is leveraging a federal investment of approximately $3 million in existing and ongoing projects in their research and development program by proposing roughly $500,000 for this collaborative effort to field test advanced MVA technologies. 

February 5, 2015

Sandia National Laboratories researchers are the first to directly measure hydroperoxyalkyl radicals—a class of reactive molecules denoted as “QOOH”—that are key in the chain of reactions that controls the early stages of combustion. This breakthrough has generated data on QOOH reaction rates and outcomes that will improve the fidelity of models used by engine manufacturers to create cleaner and more efficient cars and trucks. A paper describing the work, performed by David Osborn, Ewa Papajak, John Savee, Craig Taatjes and Judit Zádor at Sandia’s Combustion Research Facility, is featured in the Feb. 6 edition of Science.

February 5, 2015

The Hill reports the Energy Department’s Office of Inspector General “blamed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) lax security protocols for a recent leak of secret information.” The OIG “looked into FERC’s practices for securing information after Jon Wellinghoff, a former chairman of the agency, gave The Wall Street Journal detailed information about security vulnerabilities in the nation’s electric grid.” OIG said, “Our review revealed that the commission’s controls, processes and procedures for protecting nonpublic information were severely lacking. ... Specifically, we found that staff inconsistently handled and shared commission-created analyses that identified vulnerability of the nation’s electric grid without ensuring that the data was adequately evaluated for sensitivity and classification.” In 2013, Wellinghoff “had his staff conduct reviews into grid vulnerabilities. He and others at FERC later shared the information with the private sector and congressional offices.” However, “despite the obvious sensitivity of the information, FERC never did a formal review to determine whether it should be labeled as classified or sensitive.” The “Federal Eye” blog of Washington Post reports current FERC chair Cheryl LaFleur “said in a response letter to the inspector general that the agency has already begun to implement the corrective actions.” LaFleur said, “We are dedicated to learning from this experience and strengthening our processes going forward.”

February 6, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz dedicates the world’s most advanced light source, the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The NSLS-II is a $912-million DOE Office of Science User Facility that produces extremely bright beams of x-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared light used to examine a wide range of materials, including superconductors and catalysts, geological samples, and biological proteins to accelerate advances in energy, environmental science, and medicine. NSLS-II will enable a future generation of scientists to continue building on the 32-year legacy of research at Brookhaven’s first light source, NSLS, which directly resulted in two Nobel Prizes and contributed to a third. With $150 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NSLS-II has come online on time and under budget to usher in the next chapter of light source capability. The planning, design, and construction of the 627,000-square-foot NSLS-II facility spanned 10 years, and when all beamlines are fully built out, NSLS-II will be able to support thousands of scientific users each year

February 6, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz makes a statement regarding the National Security Strategy (NSS) announced today, in which he claims the vision laid out by President Obama, “positions the United States to be a continued global leader in promoting a safe and secure world while mitigating the risks of climate change.”  Moniz insists the NSS update reaffirms the commitment of the United States to answer the call for global actions to meet many of the challenges that the world faces, from climate change, to global economic crisis, to nuclear proliferation. Moniz also reiterates the important role the Department of Energy has to play in preventing, countering, and responding to various threats.

February 6, 2015

The Energy Department announces $13 million in funding to help communities across the country reduce market and policy barriers to solar deployment and recognize communities for taking the initiative to go solar. This investment will make it faster, cheaper, and easier for Americans to install affordable solar energy systems and spur solar deployment nationwide by decreasing costs and supporting communities' efforts to transform solar energy markets. The Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities (SPARC) funding opportunity will establish a national recognition and technical assistance program for local governments—driving greater solar deployment and making it possible for even more American homes and businesses to access affordable and renewable solar energy to meet their electricity needs. Funding recipients will establish and administer a national recognition program and also provide technical assistance and share best practices with communities seeking national recognition for cutting red tape and improving local solar market conditions. 

February 9, 2015

Deputy Assistant Secretary Ed McGinnis opens a successful U.S.-Kazakhstan Civil Nuclear Energy workshop at Idaho National Laboratory the week of February 9. The workshop participants include leadership from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy Department of Nuclear Industry and Kazakhstan’s own “national laboratory,” the National Nuclear Center (NNC), as well as Idaho National Laboratory personnel. During the workshop, Mr. McGinnis explains the role of the Office of Nuclear Energy within the U.S. Department of Energy as well as useful ways by which to collaborate multilaterally such as through the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation and the International Atomic Energy Agency. INL Director John Grossenbacher summarizes the overall capabilities and purpose of INL. U.S. technical presentation subjects included development of accident tolerant fuels, modeling and simulation, probabilistic risk assessment, international safeguards training, small modular reactor technology, very high temperature reactor technology development, and low enriched uranium fuel development.

February 9, 2015

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) highlights many of its innovative projects, which are making significant technical and commercial progress towards ensuring America’s economic and energy security. At the start of the sixth annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, the Agency emphasizes that their projects are continuing to form new companies, strategic partnerships, and secure private sector funding to help move ARPA-E technologies closer to the market and provide options to transform the U.S. and global energy landscape.

February 10, 2015

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy each announce the selection of several new research awards to advance particle beam therapies for the treatment of cancer. Particle beam approaches use directed protons — or heavier ions, such as carbon ions — to target and kill cancerous tissue. Because the delivered particles interact strongly with tissue at a certain distance within the body that depends on the energy of the beam, the damage to surrounding healthy tissue can be minimized, offering an important possible alternative or supplement to more conventional radiotherapy (using x-rays or gamma rays), chemotherapy, and surgery. At present, there are 14 proton therapy centers in the United States; there are only a few carbon ion therapy facilities worldwide, but none are in the United States. The NCI awards announced today support planning for the establishment of a Center for Particle Beam Radiation Therapy as a national research resource, and the DOE awards address development of improved hardware that could shrink the size, increase the maneuverability, and considerably reduce the steep costs of particle beam therapy equipment.

February 11, 2015

The Hill reports the Energy Department “wants to update efficiency standards for residential natural gas-powered furnace[s] for the first time in more than 20 years.” New furnaces “under the new regulations...would have to reach a 92 percent fuel utilization efficiency rate.” Unveiled earlier this week, the proposed rule “would be similar to standards released last week for commercial furnaces.” DOE estimates that “the residential rule would result in net savings of up to $16.1 billion for consumers.”

February 11, 2015

Researchers working at the Department SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory report they have captured the first X-ray portraits of living bacteria. This milestone, reported in the Feb. 11 issue of Nature Communications, is a first step toward possible X-ray explorations of the molecular machinery at work in viral infections, cell division, photosynthesis and other processes that are important to biology, human health and our environment. The experiment took place at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser, a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

February 11, 2015

The Energy Department announces $2.5 million in available funding for the Cleantech University Prize, which aims to inspire the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs. This funding opportunity will support the commercialization of promising technologies for sectors such as solar and wind that reduce carbon pollution and grow the clean energy economy.

February 11, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz announces the launch of the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) to help expand the commercial impact of the Department of Energy’s research. The office will work closely with the national laboratories and engage with industry to commercialize technology and strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. industries based on scientific and technological innovations.

February 11, 2015

The Hill reports that “the White House announced a $2 billion goal for private sector investments in the fight to tackle climate change, and improve low-carbon energy technology.” According to a fact sheet released yesterday by the White House, the effort is meant to boost clean energy investments. The White House fact sheet said, “Today’s announcements will help clean energy investors reduce transaction costs, spread promising investment models, and increase their climate mitigation impact.” The Washington Examiner reports the Department of Energy “will collaborate with foundations, universities and other investors to identify clean energy investment opportunities” under the program. The Energy Department “will lend a hand by providing technical assistance and programs to potential investors.”

February 12, 2015

The Department of Energy’s Western Area Power Administration (Western) and a group of Arizona utilities celebrate the energizing of a new transmission infrastructure project that will serve the state’s growing electrical energy needs, attract renewable energy development to the area, and strengthen the transmission system in the Southwestern United States. The 109-mile Electrical District No. 5-to-Palo Verde Hub (ED5-PVH) transmission project in Arizona advances America’s energy infrastructure by eliminating system constraints and providing increased capacity access to affordable energy in the region.

February 12, 2015

Scientists report they have used an X-ray laser at the Department’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to get the first glimpse of the transition state where two atoms begin to form a weak bond on the way to becoming a molecule. This fundamental advance, reported Feb. 12 in Science Express and long thought impossible, will have a profound impact on the understanding of how chemical reactions take place and on efforts to design reactions that generate energy, create new products and fertilize crops more efficiently.

February 13, 2015

The first class of Marine trainees at Camp Pendleton graduate from the Energy Department’s solar job training pilot program, which is aimed at preparing service members for careers in the solar industry as solar photovoltaic system installers, sales representatives, system inspectors, and other solar-related opportunities. Camp Pendleton is one of three military bases partnering with the Department’s SunShot Initiative to train 200 transitioning military service members during the pilot period for employment opportunities in the rapidly growing U.S. solar energy industry. This pilot program is enabled by the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge initiative, which allows exiting military personnel to pursue civilian job training, employment skills training, apprenticeships and internships up to 6 months prior to their separation date. Service members who graduate from the Energy Department’s solar training program will gain the skills to size and install solar panels, safely connect electricity to the grid, and interpret and comply with local building codes.

February 13, 2015

The Department issues a Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNOV) to the University of California (UC) and Pacific Data Electric, Inc. (PDE) for violations of DOE worker safety and health requirements. Worker safety is a priority for the Department, and DOE’s enforcement program supports this priority by holding contractors accountable for meeting regulatory requirements and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. The violations are associated with a 277-volt electrical shock received by a PDE apprentice electrician at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on November 19, 2013. The PNOV issued to UC cites one Severity Level I violation of requirements enforceable under Title 10 C.F.R. Part 851, Worker Safety and Health Program. UC is cited for violations in the area of hazard identification, assessment, prevention, and abatement.

February 13, 2015

Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall participates in a panel discussion on the “Public-Private Collaboration on Cybersecurity” as part of the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection keynoted by President Obama. Moderated by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall discusses building upon the work of the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council (ESCC), and the importance of expanding and enhancing public-private cooperation to further safeguard consumers. She is joined on the panel by Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and CEO, American Express, Anthony Earley, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Pacific Gas & Electric, Mark McLaughlin, President and CEO, Palo Alto Networks, and Bernard Tyson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente.

February 13, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz makes a statement regarding Dr. Fatih Birol's confirmation to be the next Executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), in which he cites his deep knowledge of energy markets, global energy forecasts, and climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges. Moniz notes there are strong links between energy security and climate change, and suggests that as the United States takes bold action at home to move towards a low-carbon economy and seeks to partner with others in this historic shift in the energy system, the U.S. will work with Dr. Birol to advance common interests. This will include collaborating on the 2015 IEA Energy Ministerial, which will be chaired by the United States and will include an emphasis on clean energy technology solutions to energy security and climate change challenges. 

February 18, 2015

Researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory reveal previously unobserved behaviors that show how details of the transfer of heat at the nanoscale cause nanoparticles to change shape in ensembles. The new findings depict three distinct stages of evolution in groups of gold nanorods, from the initial rod shape to the intermediate shape to a sphere-shaped nanoparticle. The research suggests new rules for the behavior of nanorod ensembles, providing insights into how to increase heat transfer efficiency in a nanoscale system.

February 19, 2015

The “Morning Energy” blog of Politico reports a “congressionally established commission set to review the Energy Department’s national labs has released a draft of its 145-page interim report” to Secretary Ernest Moniz and Capitol Hill. The interim report is only the first part “of the commission’s work, which produced ‘preliminary observations and recommendations’ – mainly documenting the longstanding trust issues the labs have with headquarters.” The interim report “praises a lot of the work Moniz has done to improve relations with the labs but ‘[s]till, there is a degree of micromanagement and transactional oversight that continues and is not appropriate for the relationship that should exist between DOE...and its laboratories.’”

February 19, 2015

In a project sponsored by the Department, a demonstration-scale application of RTI International’s warm synthesis gas (syngas) cleanup process technology achieves a key operational milestone at Tampa Electric Company’s coal gasification plant in Polk County, Fla. The unit has accumulated more than 1,000 hours of operation on a coal- and petroleum-coke-based syngas feed and achieved 99.9 percent sulfur removal at temperatures as high as 600 degrees Celsius. When integrated with a downstream system for carbon capture, total sulfur in cleaned syngas was reduced to less than 1 part per million (ppm), resulting in more than 99.99 percent total sulfur removal. The new innovation is a lower-cost way to clean the syngas from coal to levels below EPA requirements and enable the syngas to be used cost-effectively in the production of chemicals and fuels.

February 20, 2015

The Energy Department's SunShot Initiative launches the largest-of-its-kind, 60-day online hackathon this week to quickly build prototype solutions and products that address barriers to greater solar energy deployment and drive down the costs of solar energy. Approximately 700,000 coders, developers, and data scientists are expected to participate in this series of contests to build promising software prototypes to help more American families and businesses go solar. The SunShot Catalyst Prize program was launched in 2014 to create connections and opportunities for collaboration among solar experts, business innovators, software developers, and entrepreneurs and introduce them to a vast array of software tools, capabilities, data sets, and application program interfaces (APIs) developed by the Energy Department and its national laboratories. Collectively, these innovators are now working via an online crowdsourcing platform to address near-term challenges to greater solar deployment and reduce soft costs that can quickly be tackled with data, apps, and automation.

February 24, 2015

The “Morning Energy” blog of Politico reports the Energy Department’s “long-awaited civilian nuclear technology export rule, Assistance to Foreign Atomic Energy Activities, is being published into today Federal Register.” The update “is the first comprehensive” one “to the regulations since 1986.” DOE spent more than “three years rewriting the rule, known more affectionately as Part 810, before sending a final version to the Office of Management and Budget in October.” The blog noted “OMB sent the rule back to DOE less than three weeks ago and earlier this month Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz teased that the rule would be out ‘very, very shortly.’”

February 25, 2015

As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to help tribal communities nationwide enhance their energy security and build a sustainable energy future, the Department announces the third round of Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Renewable Energy Project Development Assistance, which provides federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities with on-the-ground support to accelerate clean energy project deployment. Through the START Program, the Energy Department Office of Indian Energy and Energy Department National Laboratory experts provide technical assistance for tribal clean energy development by supporting community- and commercial-scale renewable energy projects across the country. Since its launch in December 2011, the START Program has helped 21 tribal communities advance their clean energy technology and infrastructure projects, from solar and wind to biofuels and energy efficiency.

February 26, 2015

Delivering the capability to image nanostructures and chemical reactions down to nanometer resolution requires a new class of x-ray microscope that can perform precision microscopy experiments using ultra-bright x-rays from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A new groundbreaking X-ray microscope, designed to deliver a suite of unprecedented x-ray imaging capabilities for the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (HXN) beamline, brings researchers one step closer to the ultimate goal of nanometer resolution at NSLS-II, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.

February 26, 2015

Scientists at the Critical Materials Institute have developed a two-step recovery process that makes recycling rare-earth metals easier and more cost-effective. Rare-earth metals are valuable ingredients in a variety of modern technologies and are found in cell phones, hard disk drives in computers, and other consumer electronics, which are frequently discarded for newer and more up-to-date versions. CMI scientist Ryan Ott and his research group have developed a two-stage liquid metal extraction process that uses differences between the solubility properties of different elements to separate out rare-earth metals.

February 26, 2015

A signing ceremony for the “Framework Agreement for International Collaboration on Research and Development of Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems” is held at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France where Ambassador Daniel Yohannes, Permanent Representative of the United States to the OECD, signs the Framework Agreement on behalf of the United States.  Mr. Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General, and Mr. William D. Magwood, IV, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Director-General also attends the ceremony.  The ceremony features introductory remarks by Christophe Béhar, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) Director of the Nuclear Energy Division and Vice-Chair of the GIF Policy Group. The Generation IV International Forum agreement is extended to 2025.

February 26, 2015

Politico reports that Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Jim Inhofe on Thursday tossed a snowball “on the Senate floor as he argued that human activity isn’t affecting climate change.” He “lobbed his snowball gently before arguing that the risks of global warming are exaggerated.” The Hill reports Inhofe said to Sen. Bill Cassidy, “In case we have forgotten, because we keep hearing that 2014 has been the warmest year on record, I ask the chair, do you know what this is. ... It’s a snowball. And it’s just from outside here. So it’s very, very cold out. Very unseasonable.” Later, Inhofe “realized that Senate rules require unanimous consent to use props during debate.” The senator “retroactively asked for unanimous consent to use the snowball, which Cassidy granted.” The Washington Times reports Inhofe “criticized President Obama for suggesting recently that climate change is a greater threat to Americans than terrorism.”

February 27, 2015

Scientists report they have captured the first detailed microscopy images of ultra-small bacteria that are believed to be about as small as life can get. The research was led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley. The existence of ultra-small bacteria has been debated for two decades, but there hasn’t been a comprehensive electron microscopy and DNA-based description of the microbes until now. The cells have an average volume of 0.009 cubic microns (one micron is one millionth of a meter). About 150 of these bacteria could fit inside an Escherichia coli cell and more than 150,000 cells could fit onto the tip of a human hair. The scientists report their findings Friday, Feb. 27, in the journal Nature Communications.

February 27, 2015

The White House releases its 2014 White House Tribal Nations Conference Progress Report, Investing in the Future of Tribal Nations. The report gives substance to the President’s stated commitment to strengthening nation-to-nation relationships with Indian Tribes by documenting the progress the Administration has made in Indian Country over the past year. Addressing tribal leaders at the sixth White House Tribal Nations Conference in November 2014, President Obama pointed to Native youth as the driving force behind the accomplishments highlighted in the report. “Your children represent the best of this country and its future,” he said. “Together, we can make sure that every Native young person is treated like a valuable member not only of your nation, but of the American family—that every Native young person gets an equal shot at the American Dream.”

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March 2, 2015

As part of the Energy Department's efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the nation's homes and buildings, lower energy costs, and enhance U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing, the Energy Department launches the new Buildings Crowdsourcing Community website. Administered by the Department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the new site, buildings.ideascale.com, will help technology innovators collect, share and evaluate input from customers and other stakeholders about next-generation building technologies. Innovators including start-ups, designers, buildings scientists, and students can use the website to share ideas that could develop into new energy efficient technologies for homes and buildings. Those interested in participating can register through the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community or they can vote on their favorite entries. The best ideas will be recognized during the Energy Department's Building Technologies Office Industry Day hosted at ORNL in September.

March 3, 2015

Just weeks after the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) achieved first light, the team of scientists at the X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XPD) beamline test a set-up that has yielded data on thermoelectric materials. The work was part of the commissioning activities for the XPD beamline, a process that fine-tunes the settings of beamline equipment to ready the facility for first scientific commissioning experiments in mid-March on its way to full user operations later in the year. It was published online on March 3 in the scientific journal Applied Physics Letters - Materials. 

March 3, 2015

The Energy Department announces up to $35 million in available funding to advance fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, and enable early adoption of fuel cell applications, such as light duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). This funding opportunity will accelerate American innovation in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies by supporting research and development advancements in demonstration and deployments of early fuel cell markets.

March 3, 2015

The 82nd Lessons Learned Quarterly Report (LLQR) is released, featuring recently issued Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) revised draft guidance on considering greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in NEPA reviews, and a new Executive Order that establishes a federal flood risk management standard to respond to climate change. For more LLQR, click here.

March 3, 2015

E&E News PM reports “inventions developed with federal funds but undisclosed by the private sector are escaping the Energy Department’s notice and leaving the government’s interests unprotected,” a report by the Government Accountability Office found. The article adds that “the failure to properly monitor federally funded inventions developed by nonprofits, small businesses and universities has crippled DOE’s ability to ensure that the invention is either patented for commercialization, licensed for federal use or manufactured domestically when appropriate, as required by the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, GAO says.” The report points out that “an outdated communication system and lack of a documented process to ensure contractors are disclosing inventions are to blame for DOE’s poor oversight.” Recently, Congress “turned its attention to ‘modernize’ the national laboratories, and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has created an Office of Technology Transitions to ‘elevate’ the commercialization of DOE research.”

March 4, 2015

Leading a team from Fermilab, physicist James Amundson reports he is working with the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF, a DOE Office of Science User Facility), to perform the complex accelerator simulations aimed at reducing the risks and costs involved in developing the world’s highest intensity particle beams. ALCF assisted in porting and optimizing Synergia, a state-of-the-art accelerator simulation software package developed by a team at Fermilab. The package allows for the development of detailed numerical models that simulate internal accelerator interactions with unprecedented reliability. The results will enable future investigations into the subatomic world at both Fermilab and Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.

March 4, 2015

In collaboration with Australian researchers, Argonne National Laboratory’s scientists report they are using decades of experience analyzing vehicle fuel injectors to study medical inhalers, hoping to unlock the secrets of the devices that are so well known to asthma sufferers everywhere.

March 4, 2015

The Energy Department issues a $12.5 million Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for a new technical track under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) that addresses water-related aspects of energy production and use. The solicitation calls for the formation of a U.S-based consortium to work with Chinese counterparts to bolster collaborative efforts to help ensure energy, water, and environmental security and combat climate change. The consortium will be funded with $12.5 million DOE support and $12.5 million recipient cost share for a total of $25 million over the 5 year period of performance.

March 5, 2015

Reuters reports Senate Republicans failed in their efforts to override President Obama’s veto of a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline in a bid that the Wall Street Journal notes was expected to fall short of the necessary votes. Media coverage portrayed the vote as the latest in what will become routine conflicts between Obama and Congress on the Keystone pipeline and other issues. The AP calls the 62-37 vote “one of many” anticipated “veto showdowns” between Republicans and Obama in his final term, while the Huffington Post reported that “Senate Keystone supporters vowed that this would not be the last time the subject is debated on the floor.”

March 9, 2015

A study from interdisciplinary scientist Steve Smith and colleagues at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory examines historical and projected changes over decades rather than centuries to determine the temperature trends that will be felt by humans alive today, and the research reveals that these changes are happening faster than historical levels and are starting to speed up. The Earth is now entering a period of changing climate that will likely be faster than what's occurred naturally over the last thousand years, according to a new paper in Nature Climate Change, committing people to live through and adapt to a warming world.

March 10, 2015

Scientists on two continents report they have independently discovered a set of celestial objects that seem to belong to the rare category of dwarf satellite galaxies orbiting our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Dwarf galaxies are the smallest known galaxies, and they could hold the key to understanding dark matter and the process by which larger galaxies form. A team of researchers with the Dark Energy Survey, headquartered at the Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and an independent group from the University of Cambridge jointly announced their findings. Both teams used data taken during the first year of the Dark Energy Survey, all of which is publicly available, to carry out their analysis.

March 12, 2015

In support of the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to diversify our nation’s power supplies, the Energy Department releases a new report looking at the future of wind power through 2050 and the economic benefits that come with a robust wind industry. The report, Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States, confirms that with technological advancements driving projected cost reductions, in combination with continued siting and transmission development, wind power can be economically deployed to provide renewable power in all 50 states.

March 12, 2015

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the Energy Department has informed Congress that there are no alternative plans for Yucca Mountain. In addition, there are no proposals from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which visited the site recently, according to DOE principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy John Kotek. Kotek told the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a letter sent last week, “we have been informed that DTRA does not intend to make such a proposal.” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz had been asked by Rep. Fred Upton about reports that DOE and DTRA had discussed the Yucca site.

March 13, 2015

The Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) project celebrates its first major milestone with the completion of site readiness work, delivered on time and under budget. “UPF is essential to our Nation’s uranium mission,” said John Eschenberg, UPF Federal Project Director. “Site readiness work sets the standard for UPF and opens the door for other site infrastructure projects to begin. We’ve accomplished a lot of work in an area that stretches across approximately a five-mile linear footprint. Most importantly, we have accomplished all of these activities securely, on schedule, under budget and with high quality.”

March 13, 2015

The AP reports that a new study by the Energy Department has determined that “wind power will be cheaper than electricity generated by natural gas within a decade, even without a federal tax incentive.” Wind energy being increased “to 35 percent of US electricity supplies by 2050 will cause national power prices to decline 2.2 percent and result in $400 billion in benefits related to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.” Improvements in technology and cost reductions “will reduce the price of wind power to below that of fossil-fuel generation, even after a $23 per megawatt-hour subsidy provided now to wind farm owners ends, according to a report released Thursday.”

March 14, 2015

The Wall Street Journal reports the Department of Energy announced March 13 it would purchase up to five million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Energy Department spokeswoman Lindsey Geisler said the purchase was being made to replace five million barrels sold in March 2014 within the statutory one year time limit. The Journal notes the 2015 purchase will be at roughly half the price of the 2014 sale.

March 15, 2015

The AP reports that “while the Keystone project awaits a final decision,” 11,600 miles of new pipeline have been “quietly added” in the United States. The network overall “has increased by almost a quarter in the last decade. And the work dwarfs Keystone.” Approximately “3.3 million barrels per day of capacity have been added since 2012 alone — five times more oil than the Canada-to-Texas Keystone line could carry if it’s ever built.”

March 16, 2015

Politico reports that “for five years, Dan Poneman was the Energy Department’s No. 2 administrator during a time when the agency steered hundreds of millions of dollars to a struggling nuclear company that has won the backing of both the Obama administration and top Republicans and Democrats in Congress,” and this month he is “set to become the company’s president and CEO — a post that will bring him as much as $1.7 million a year.” His “new job has drawn fire on Capitol Hill since the company announced his hiring March 5, and is prompting watchdog groups to question whether DOE’s revolving-door policies are strong enough.” In addition, it is “bringing more unflattering attention to Centrus Energy Corp.” formerly known as United States Enrichment Corp., which “has struggled to make a living from enriching uranium for the nuclear industry and the U.S. military.” In a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Sen. John Barrasso wrote, “DOE has long had an improper relationship with USEC. ... Mr. Poneman’s appointment as President and CEO only promises to make that record worse.”

March 16, 2015

Two reports from Los Alamos National Laboratory this week in the Nature journal Scientific Reports are helping crack the code of how certain materials respond in the highly-damaging radiation environments within a nuclear reactor.

March 17, 2015

In February 2014, OE formed the Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) Working Group by assembling a leadership team of representatives from the utility industry with the mission to collect the experiences, insights, and lessons learned from implementing these systems. The Voices of Experience | Insights into Advanced Distribution Management Systems report is the result of a one-day meeting held at CenterPoint Energy in Houston, Texas, in May 2014 that was followed by a series of conference calls about specific aspects of ADMS, interviews with individuals leading ADMS projects at their utilities, and a final small group meeting at San Diego Gas & Electric in California in October 2014. The information in the report came directly from the people in the industry on the leading edge of transforming their distribution systems. The report is now available for downloading.

March 17, 2015

A paper published in Nature's Scientific Reports by a team led by physicist Igor Aronson of the Argonne National Laboratory modeled the motion of cells moving together. This may help scientists design new technologies inspired by nature, such as self-healing materials in batteries and other devices.

March 17, 2015

A team of researchers at the Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S³TEC) discovers an unexpected way to convert thermal energy, or heat, into electricity. Their prototypical device is built from re-purposed and nano-engineered copper heat sinks, a standard part of any computer. This pollution-free generator harvests thermal energy from naturally forming condensation. Unlike a similar device made in the 1800s, their new approach is solely powered by moisture in the atmosphere, requiring no pumps or other inputs. In a paper in Applied Physics Letters, the authors explain that condensed water droplets spontaneously jump from one surface to another, carrying electric charges and in turn generating electricity.

March 17, 2015

The Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) announces the launch of a new website to provide timely and easily accessible public information about DOE’s Environmental Management (EM) cleanup efforts at the Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky Gaseous Diffusion Plant Sites. The new website may be accessed at: www.energy.gov/pppo.

March 17, 2015

In an article published in Nature Communications, scientists with the Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures, and Transport (FIRST) Energy Frontier Research Center, led by DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, reveal graphene can serve as a proton-selective permeable membrane, providing a new basis for streamlined and more efficient energy technologies such as improved fuel cells. Graphene, a strong, lightweight carbon honeycombed structure that’s only one atom thick, holds great promise for energy research and development. This research pinpoints unprecedented proton movement through inherent atomic-scale defects, or gaps, in graphene.

March 17, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration leads a three day meeting with U.S. and Japan emergency preparedness and response experts to exchange ideas on enhancing nuclear emergency preparedness and response capabilities, both on- and off-site.  The meeting is the latest cooperative effort between the two countries as part of the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation.

March 17, 2015

Researchers at the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are part of an international team, including the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), that contributed to a newly released report explaining the prospect of gas hydrates as a potential worldwide energy source that can contribute in the transition to the low-carbon energy systems of the future.

March 18, 2015

The Department announces that 11 tribal communities will receive nearly $6 million to accelerate the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies on tribal lands. As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to partner with Tribal Nations, these projects provide Indian Tribes and Alaska Native villages clean energy options that will reduce fossil fuel use and save money. With tribal renewable energy resources comprising approximately five percent of all U.S. renewable energy resources, these facility- and community-scale projects support national energy goals to strengthen tribal energy self-sufficiency, create jobs and further economic development.

March 18, 2015

The Critical Materials Institute, a Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by the Ames Laboratory, announces it has created a new chemical process that makes use of the widely available rare-earth metal cerium to improve the manufacture of nylon. The process uses a cerium-based material made into nanometer-sized particles with a palladium catalyst to produce cyclohexanone, a key ingredient in the production of nylon.

March 19, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration releases its Fiscal Year 2016 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP). The FY16 SSMP documents NNSA’s 25-year strategic plan for accomplishing its core stockpile stewardship mission area of maintaining the safety, security and effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile without nuclear testing. It also describes NNSA’s phased approach to maintaining and recapitalizing the scientific and production infrastructure that underpins the nation’s nuclear security enterprise.

March 19, 2015

President Obama signs an executive order to help meet the new target pledged in China and ensure that the federal government leads by example as the United States moves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while boosting clean energy. This new sustainability plan for the next decade directs federal agencies to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025. That means big cuts to the dangerous emissions driving climate change -- and also big savings. In addition to 21 million metric tons of emission reductions -- the same as taking 4.2 million cars of the road for a year -- achieving this goal will save taxpayers up to $18 billion in avoided energy costs between 2008 and 2025.

March 20, 2015        

The Interoperability of Demand Response Resources Demonstration in NY was awarded to Con Edison in 2009 as part of DOE's Smart Grid Demonstration Project (SGDP) grants funded by the Recovery Act. The objective of the project was to develop and demonstrate methodologies to enhance the ability of customer sited demand response resources, both conventional and renewable, to integrate more effectively with electric delivery companies. In order to achieve the project objective, interoperability between the delivery company and the demand response resources was achieved by integrating the operations of a demand response service provider, a large multi-facility retail customer, and a delivery company. The project focused on four main components: the Demand Response Command Center, the incremental Building Control Unit, the Thermal Storage Plant, and the Virtual Generator. All of these components were designed and configured to provide value to both the electric delivery company and the customer. The project ultimately showed that customer sited demand response resources can successfully be integrated into electric delivery company operation. The report is now available for downloading.

March 20, 2015

An interim evaluation report summarizing results from the first year of Lakeland Electric’s two-year 3-Period Time of Use (TOU) program called “Shift-to-Save” (STS) is now available. The study is part of a full system-wide deployment of advanced metering infrastructure funded in part by a grant from the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) Program. The study aims to estimate the amount of peak demand savings, the amount of load shifting from on peak or shoulder periods to off peak periods, and the amount of net overall electric usage savings to customers. Other objectives include assessing customer acceptance and retention, customer volunteer rates compared to assigned rates, and customer dropout rates. Data analysis was conducted to develop 12 different load impact metrics, broken out by the two groups (assigned and voluntary) of participating customers. The report is now available for downloading.

March 20, 2015

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz announce they will lead a delegation of 25 American companies on a Business Development Trade Mission to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, China next month. The trade mission will help U.S. companies launch or increase their business operations in China for Smart Cities – Smart Growth products and services, such as smart buildings, green data centers, carbon capture utilization and storage, energy efficiency technologies, clean air and water technologies, waste treatment technologies, smart grid and green transportation.

March 23, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration releases its report on NNSA’s efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation and terrorism, Prevent, Counter, and Respond—A Strategic Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats (FY 2016–FY 2020) (NPCR). It provides a comprehensive overview for the first time in a single place of NNSA’s integrated strategy for preventing, countering, and responding to nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear and radiological terrorism threats, now and in the future. The NPCR is the result of a recommendation by the Department of Energy Secretary, and NNSA Administrator—and is supported by the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board’s Task Force on Nuclear Nonproliferation. It is a companion document to the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) that NNSA released last week.

March 23, 2015

As part of the Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department recognizes its Cleveland area partners for their leadership in saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions today. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Cleveland area partners including the city of Cleveland, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the Cuyahoga Housing Authority and Forest City Enterprises have committed to reducing their energy use by 20 percent across their entire building portfolios over the next decade. By making energy efficiency upgrades to facilities across the city and demonstrating practices that can be replicated in the future, these partners are helping to save money and energy, while also making the city more sustainable for future generations.

March 23, 2015

The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel reports that Federal officials will be in Oak Ridge, Tenn., this week to start planning for the city’s inclusion in the Manhattan National Historical Park. According to the article, members of the delegation include the Energy Department’s chief historian and senior consultant for historic preservation, as well as DOE personnel from Los Alamos and Hanford. Three sites in Oak Ridge have been tapped as “signature facilities” by the DOE, the article notes.

March 23, 2015

In an experiment at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, scientists precisely measure the temperature and structure of aluminum as it transitions into a superhot, highly compressed concoction known as “warm dense matter.” Warm dense matter is the stuff believed to be at the cores of giant gas planets in our solar system and some of the newly observed “exoplanets” that orbit distant suns, which can be many times more massive than Jupiter. Their otherworldly properties, which stretch our understanding of planetary formation, have excited new interest in studies of this exotic state of matter. It is also believed the results of the SLAC study, published in Nature Photonics, could lead to a greater understanding of how to produce and control nuclear fusion, which scientists hope to harness as a new source of energy.

March 24, 2015

Two Environmental Management projects that spared resources, increased the efficiency of radioactive waste processing, and saved more than $10.6 million are honored as recipients of DOE’s 2014 Sustainability Awards. The Department highlighted the projects at its Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina and Oak Ridge site in Tennessee as exceptional performance in sustainability. The annual awards program draws attention to DOE achievements that improve operations and save taxpayer money by reducing the Department’s waste and its use of energy and water while improving the energy efficiency of government buildings and fleet management.

March 24, 2015

The U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of the Army for Civil Works announce that the three agencies have extended their partnership to advance hydropower development for an additional five years. The renewal agreement signed today commits the agencies to a specific, ambitious agenda for hydropower, building upon their Memorandum of Understanding for Hydropower (MOU) signed on March 24, 2010. 

March 24, 2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory mechanical and thermal engineering researchers’ efforts to solve the complex problem of how ocean currents affect the infrastructure of floating oilrigs and their computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations receive recognition from ANSYS Inc., a company that provides computer-based engineering simulation capabilities.

March 24, 2015

President Obama authorizes the Energy Department to move forward with planning for a separate repository for high-level radioactive waste resulting from atomic energy defense activities. In remarks before the Bipartisan Policy Center, Secretary Moniz discusses this path forward and also made clear that the Department will undertake a consent-based approach to siting storage and disposal facilities, as called for in the Administration’s 2013 “Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste,” and building upon the work of the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. 

March 25, 2015

The Hill reports that President Obama on March 24 asked Secretary Ernest Moniz to pursue a new strategy for developing separate nuclear waste sites for defense and civilian purposes while avoiding the Yucca Mountain site. “A separate repository for defense waste could allow greater flexibility in selection of a site, and greater flexibility could help keep costs down... This proposal means that the timeline for disposal of defense waste and civilian nuclear fuel are no longer linked,” Moniz said in a speech March 24. Also on March 24, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill calling on the Federal government “to establish both temporary and permanent storage sites for waste from nuclear weapons and energy production.”

March 25, 2015

The AP reports Secretary Ernest Moniz told a Senate subcommittee yesterday that the DOE is committed to the reopening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. He “made assurances...that resuming operations at the troubled facility would be done with worker safety in mind.” Moniz stated, “We’re doing all that we can. ... At the very beginning, I insisted that we not set schedules before we understood what the issues were. Otherwise, safety could be comprised.” The agency, according to Moniz, is planning to seal off two of the storage rooms at WIPP “and for looking at the other barrels that contain some of the same elements that were blamed for the thermal reaction that caused the breach.” Moniz also said, “We need to keep going as fast as we can to make sure that all of those other barrels are safe.” The Albuquerque (NM) Journal notes that “federal officials have said it could take years and more than a half-billion dollars for full operations to resume at WIPP.”

March 25, 2015

In a piece titled “As World Expands Nuclear Power, US Grapples With Decades Of Waste,” the Christian Science Monitor reports the Federal “government is seeking to stay relevant in an evolving global nuclear industry, in part by proposing new ways to confront a decades-old challenge: handling mounting nuclear waste.” The Monitor reports that, calling Yucca Mountain “unworkable,” the Obama administration “is now pushing for a new path forward on nuclear waste disposal that emphasizes a ‘consent-based’ approach and separate facilities for energy- and defense-related waste.” The Energy Department “said this week it will seek interim storage sites for commercial waste and begin planning a permanent geological repository for defense waste.” At a press conference on March 24, Secretary Ernest Moniz said, “A separate repository for defense waste could allow greater flexibility in selection of a site, and greater flexibility could help keep costs down. ... We think these steps are just common sense.”

March 25-27, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) hosts representatives from 11 States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and one representative from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. The officials from the non-nuclear-weapon States visited facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) related to U.S. implementation of the NPT. The NNSA Laboratories gave an overview of the multidisciplinary work involved in maintaining a smaller stockpile of nuclear weapons in a non-explosive testing environment through science-based stewardship. They also showed activities that increase confidence in the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and ultimately allow for future reductions.

March 26, 2015

As part of the Administration’s effort to support advanced vehicles that are more affordable for Americans to drive, strengthen U.S. leadership in manufacturing advanced vehicle technologies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased fuel efficiency, the Department of Energy announces a conditional commitment for a $259 million loan to Alcoa Inc. This conditional commitment is the first issued by the Department under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program since Secretary Moniz announced a number of improvements to the program last year, and is the first step toward issuing a final loan to Alcoa. If finalized, the loan would support the company’s Alcoa, Tennessee, manufacturing facility, where the company will produce high-strength aluminum for North American automakers looking to lightweight their vehicles.  

March 27, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz issues a statement about Mexico’s greenhouse gas emissions targets: “We warmly welcome the announcement by the Government of Mexico on new greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The commitment Mexico has made today sends a strong signal of Mexico’s determination to do its share in helping the world reduce emissions globally; it stands as an example for countries around the world to follow as they undertake ambitious goals to combat climate change as we all prepare for the upcoming COP21 meetings in Paris this December.

March 31, 2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory releases a report titled DC Microgrids Scoping Study: Estimate of Technical and Economic Benefits, which presents the results of a study by several national labs and funded by the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability. The study provides a preliminary examination of the benefits and drawbacks of potential DC microgrid applications relative to their AC counterparts, using several metrics for comparison, and offers recommendations for potential future research and deployment activities. The full report is now available for downloading.

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April 1, 2015

Coverage of the passing of the deadline for an agreement on a preliminary framework in the Iranian nuclear talks is somewhat critical, with reports saying that while talks will continue into Wednesday and some sort of agreement is still possible, the lapsed timetable creates difficulties for the Obama Administration. Critics of the Administration’s Iran policy and supporters of tougher sanctions have criticized the failure to reach an agreement on time, and several analyses suggest that the US, eager to get something to show for the effort, is in a weakened position. Andrea Mitchell reported on NBC Nightly News   that while negotiators missed the deadline, they made “enough progress, they said, to justify keeping at it until tomorrow.” However, Mitchell added, even if a deal is reached Wednesday, “the US will not get all of the specific commitments that it once hoped to get from Iran. That will make it harder to sell to critics who fear the Administration is making too many concessions.”

April 2, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz issues a statement on P5+1 nuclear negotiations: "The key parameters established today lay the groundwork for achieving the P5+1’s objective of blocking Iran’s four pathways to nuclear weapons: the two uranium pathways through Iran’s Natanz and Fordow enrichment facilities, the plutonium pathway at the Arak reactor, and the covert pathway. America’s leading nuclear experts at the Department of Energy and its national labs and sites were involved throughout these negotiations, evaluating and developing technical proposals to help define negotiating positions in support of the US delegation. As a result, I’m pleased to say that we are very confident in the technical underpinnings of this arrangement.”

April 2, 2015

A suite of analytical innovations used to detect and measure very low levels of compounds and elements for environmental, national security and health applications tops $10 million in licensing income for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and its operator Battelle.

April 3, 2015

Media coverage of the Iranian nuclear deal, with included more than 12 minutes of reporting on the network newscasts, universally hails it as a historic development. Reports also indicate the President is on course to achieving one of the top foreign policy goals of his presidency, after, as the AP puts it, investing “significant political capital in the...negotiations.” Under the headline “President Obama’s Told-You-So Moment,” meanwhile, Politico calls the deal “a validation of Obama’s whole foreign policy philosophy.” Nearly all stories, however, also reflect criticism of the deal from Congressional Republicans and from the US’ closest allies in the region, indicating that the Administration still faces significant obstacles as it seeks to flesh out the framework agreement in continuing talks with Iran. Assessments of the agreement in major print media outlets are mostly positive: The New York Times refers to “a surprisingly specific and comprehensive” deal – a point echoed by Politico’s Michael Crowley on MSNBC’s Now With Alex Wagner   – and the Washington Post says that it “includes almost all the restrictions...the United States had sought in recent months.”

April 4, 2015

The Economist reports on how “after years of hand-wringing,” the Department of Energy has resumed production of the plutonium-238 NASA needs to power the radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) used for space missions. While the amount being made “may not seem very much,” NASA is “more parsimonious with the stuff” than it used to be. Meanwhile, NASA’s work on an alternative to the RTG, the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator, was halted in 2013 due to a tighter budget. According to the article, NASA is “determined...to complete testing of the generator.”

April 6, 2015

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) publish the world’s largest set of data on the complete elastic properties of inorganic compounds, increasing by an order of magnitude the number of compounds for which such data exists. This new data set is expected to be a boon to materials scientists working on developing new materials where mechanical properties are important, such as for hard coatings, or stiff materials for cars and airplanes. While there is previously published experimental data for approximately a few hundred inorganic compounds, Berkeley Lab scientists, using the infrastructure of the Materials Project, have calculated the complete elastic properties for 1,181 inorganic compounds, with dozens more being added every week.

April 6, 2015

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy honor 128 businesses and organizations in 33 states with the Energy Star’s Partner of the Year award for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Awardees are helping families save money by saving energy in innovative ways including working with utilities to offer rebates to customers, creating more efficient products, and launching efficiency projects. In 2014 alone, Energy Star partners, including the 128 Partners of the Year awardees, prevented more than 300 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reduced utility bills for Americans by $34 billion.

April 8, 2015

President Obama discussed climate change in an interview which aired on the CBS Evening News  , saying, “With climate change and rising temperatures, some of the effects are slow in registering in the mind of the public. But what we know is this – the planet is getting warmer. The science is indisputable. As a consequence, we know that wildfires are going to be more frequent and longer in intensity. That means more particulates in the air. That’s going to have respiratory impacts on people.” The President added that he is “trying to communicate...that there is a cost to inaction.” Dr. Jon LaPook, who conducted the interview, noted, “One reason for the new initiative may be that climate change legislation has stalled in Congress. The President told me political will typically does not come from the top-down. It comes from parents and communities who say let’s go ahead and do something about this.” The Washington Times reports that the White House this week announced “series of initiatives to deal with the impact of climate change on public health, including the upcoming White House Climate Change and Health Summit.”

April 9, 2015

Vox reports on the debate between environmentalists regarding whether the benefits of fracking outweigh its downsides. On the one hand, the article reports, natural gas extracted through the practice is replacing coal and allowing utilities to offer more competitive prices. “Advocates of this approach include the Environmental Defense Fund and the Clean Air Task Force, as well as, crucially, the Obama administration,” the article reports. On the other hand, methane leaks and air and water pollution are a bigger risk with fracking, detractors say. “These groups don’t agree with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz that natural gas can be a ‘bridge’ to a cleaner future,” Vox reports, adding, “Both sides seem to be genuinely interested in reducing pollution — but they have wildly conflicting views on how to get there.”

April 9, 2015

The Hill reports President Obama during a visit to Jamaica “announced various efforts to encourage the development of low-carbon energy sources in the Caribbean.” The president “said moving Caribbean countries toward clean energy is a priority in the United States’ relations with those countries.” The Hill notes that “the initiative includes a $20 million finance facility for clean energy projects in Caribbean and Central American countries, a United States-Caribbean task force and collaborative efforts to lend the United States’ expertise to countries wishing to expand low-carbon energy.” Secretary Ernest Moniz joined the president “on his trip and at the Caricom meeting.” The Wall Street Journal reports Obama said, “Oftentimes people of the Caribbean, despite having less resources, are paying significantly higher prices for energy. ... And if we can lower those costs through the development of clean energy and increased energy efficiency, we could unleash, I think, a whole host of additional investment and growth.”

April 9, 2015

Under Secretary for Science and Energy Lynn Orr announces two new High Performance Computing (HPC) awards that continue to advance U.S. leadership in developing exascale computing. The announcement was made alongside leaders from Argonne National Laboratory and industry partners at Chicago’s tech start-up hub, 1871. Under the joint Collaboration of Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Lawrence Livermore (CORAL) initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $200 million investment to deliver a next-generation supercomputer, known as Aurora, to the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF). When commissioned in 2018, this supercomputer will be open to all scientific users – drawing America’s top researchers to Argonne National Laboratory. Additionally, Under Secretary Orr announced $10 million for a high-performance computing R&D program, DesignForward, led by DOE’s Office of Science and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

April 9, 2015

The Department announces the award of contracts for delivery of crude oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. BP Products North America, Inc., will deliver 2,197,500 barrels and Noble Americas will deliver 2,000,000 barrels to the Reserve’s Bryan Mound site in Freeport, Texas. Deliveries are expected to be completed by July 31, 2015.

April 13, 2015

The Department announces that over the preceding weekend, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall landed in China to lead a presidential trade mission focused on connecting U.S. businesses with opportunities in the green infrastructure and energy efficiency industries. This trade mission will promote “smart cities,” including technologies for green buildings, carbon capture, smart grid and waste treatment. Twenty-four outstanding U.S. companies joined the trip, representing industries from solar to software and ranging from startups to the ranks of the Fortune 50. The delegation will make stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

April 14, 2015

As part of the Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department acknowledges the city of Fort Worth today for its leadership in advancing energy efficiency. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Fort Worth has achieved eight percent energy savings across 19 million square feet of public and private sector buildings since 2009. The city is on-track to meet a ten year goal to improve energy use by 20 percent by 2020.

April 14, 2015

As part of this week’s joint trade mission to China, Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall spoke at Microsoft’s Beijing campus. Delivering remarks to Chinese and American business leaders and government officials, the Deputy Secretary emphasized how innovation in the clean energy space can help create jobs, drive economic growth and address climate change—both in China and in the United States.

April 15, 2015

The Hill reports on the $35.4 billion spending bill for energy and water development spending in fiscal 2016 released by the House Appropriations Committee yesterday, which represents “a funding level that’s $633 million below President Obama’s budget request,” although still providing “$1.2 billion above the level Congress enacted for 2015.” The House should vote on the bill before the coming May recess. Among the bill’s provisions is support for the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository. The AP reports that the spending bill raises spending “includes an almost $1 billion increase for weapons modernization...a 12 percent increase” over last year. The Democrats’ response to the bill has been to criticize its “cuts to renewable energy programs” and its support for Yucca Mountain, but “Democrats have since lost control of the Senate” and Sen. Harry Reid “is retiring, which sets up a showdown later this year over the facility.”

April 15, 2015

As part of the Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department recognizes San Antonio area partners today for their leadership in advancing energy efficiency. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) and Macy’s have committed to reducing their energy use by 20 percent across their entire respective building portfolios by 2020. By making energy efficiency upgrades to facilities across the city and demonstrating practices that can be replicated in the future, these partners are helping to save money and energy while also making San Antonio more sustainable for future generations.

April 16, 2015

Building on the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy and efforts to expand clean energy innovation, the Department of Energy announces it will award more than $5 million to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing nuclear engineering degrees and other nuclear science and engineering programs relevant to nuclear energy. The awards include 59 undergraduate scholarships and 32 graduate-level fellowships for students at American colleges and universities.

April 17, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announce they will host 44 people from 33 countries at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from April 20 to May 8, 2015 for the 25th International Training Course (ITC) on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities. The ITC is considered the IAEA’s flagship training on physical protection, and has evolved to reflect industry best practices and up-to-date technology for physical protection. The United States and the IAEA began this joint effort in 1978 to educate and train technical experts, policy makers, and nuclear operators from around the world on how to protect nuclear facilities from terrorists and other groups who seek to steal material that could be used in a nuclear weapon. NNSA and the IAEA co-sponsored the three-week course every 18 months.

April 20, 2015

The Hill reports, “The House Energy and Commerce Committee will kick off efforts this week toward writing Congress’s first comprehensive energy legislation in eight years.” The panel’s energy and power subcommittee on April 23 “will examine draft legislation meant to train a 21st century workforce, committee officials said,” according to the article. “This draft will allow the Department of Energy, along with the national laboratories, community colleges, and public-private partnerships, to better coordinate and leverage existing resources to foster an energy and manufacturing workforce for the 21st century,” said the panel. Lawmakers will also review the Administration’s proposed fracking regulations and will hear from various parties on the proposal.

April 21, 2015

Reuters reports that the Obama Administration has unveiled its plans to modernize the nation’s energy infrastructure under its Quadrennial Energy Review. The report calls for more than $15 billion in new spending or tax credits for the overhaul. Among the priorities laid out in the QER are grid modernization, transportation infrastructure expansion, and more flexibility for the President in tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The Hill reports that Vice President Biden “began selling” the plan on Tuesday, “pitching it as a pro-business, pro-middle-class economic driver at a utility provider in Philadelphia.” Biden said, “Investing in our infrastructure creates a virtuous cycle creating good paying jobs, attracting companies to America and expanding the ones who are here.”

April 21, 2015

Bloomberg News reports that in an interview on April 20 with Bloomberg TV, Energy Secretary Moniz said inspectors will need full access as part of any nuclear deal with Tehran. “We expect to have anywhere, anytime access,” Moniz said. Inspections, he added, would be part of “a well-defined process with a well-defined end time for access to places that are suspected of out-of-bounds activities.” According to Bloomberg, Moniz “said he thought it would take Iran at least six months to meet the terms of a deal sufficient to warrant relief from the sanctions.” Video of the full interview can be viewed here.

April 22, 2015

The Office of Enforcement announces recently resolved enforcement actions against seven companies that failed to submit required reports to certify that their refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and/or freezers comply with federal energy conservation standards. DOE assessed civil penalties of $8,000 per manufacturer for first-time violators and civil penalties ranging from $16,000 to $20,000 per manufacturer for companies with a history of noncompliance. As part of each settlement, the manufacturer must submit the required certification reports, which include a certification that the products have been tested in accordance with the DOE test procedure and that the products meet the applicable standard.

April 22, 2015

In a landmark accomplishment, the Department announces that a group of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects supported by the Department have safely captured 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the equivalent of removing more than 2 million passenger vehicles from the nation’s roads for one year. This milestone builds on the Obama administration’s goals of providing clean energy, supporting American jobs, and reducing emissions of carbon pollution. Rapid commercial development and deployment of clean coal technologies particularly CCS, will help position the United States as a leader in the clean energy race.

April 23, 2015

Karl A. Gschneidner and fellow scientists at the Ames Laboratory announce they have created a new magnetic alloy that is an alternative to traditional rare-earth permanent magnets. The new alloy—a potential replacement for high-performance permanent magnets found in automobile engines and wind turbines—eliminates the use of one of the scarcest and costliest rare earth elements, dysprosium, and instead uses cerium, the most abundant rare earth.

April 23, 2015

The Aiken (SC) Standard reports “the first of two studies evaluating alternatives” to the MOX program at the Savannah River Site “estimates that the program will cost about $51 billion to complete, with estimated completion in 2044.” The complete study hasn’t “been released, but instead is for ‘official use’ only.” The Union of Concerned Scientists, however, “obtained a summary of the study, which was conducted by Aerospace – a California nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center.” The cost of the MOX facility, according to the study, is approximately $20 billion more than the Department of Energy reported in 2014. Last month, Reps. Joe Wilson and Robert Brady “came together and submitted a letter to Ernest Moniz, the Department of Energy secretary, questioning DOE’s selection of Aerospace Corp. to conduct the mandated study on alternatives to constructing the MOX facility.” Aerospace “has a background in space missions rather than the nuclear field.”

April 26, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) begin hosting 35 representatives from 30 countries at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, from April 26 to May 8, 2015 for the 20th International Training Course (ITC) on State Systems of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material (SSACs). NNSA and the IAEA co-sponsor the ITC to educate and train technical experts from around the world on how to properly account for nuclear materials used in their home countries. The first SSAC ITC in the United States was held in Richland, Washington, in 1979. Since then, approximately 500 participants from 50 countries have completed the training. The ITC supports U.S. obligations under the U.S. Nuclear Nonproliferation Act of 1978.

April 26, 2015

USA Today reports Secretary Ernest Moniz “is receiving a lot of attention for his involvement in U.S. negotiations with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program,” but happening at the same time for Moniz “is a major new report that, until his Iran role, appeared likely to be the crowning achievement of his tenure” at DOE. The Quadrennial Energy Review “attempts to describe more clearly than ever the condition of the nation’s energy infrastructure.” In an interview, Moniz said, “It’s not a sky-is-falling kind of report. ... Overall, we have good infrastructure; it’s reliable. But the report points out that a lot of it is, in fact, quite old and in need of renewal.” In addition, “the composition of U.S. energy supply is shifting, too, with petroleum consumption flat and coal consumption declining, while the use of natural gas and renewable energy is growing.” Moniz said, “We’re in the middle of some kind of revolution in the energy system. ... We are seeing a lot of change, and oil and gas is one aspect of it. But the whole electricity sector is changing a lot, too, both on the opportunity side and the challenge side.”

April 27, 2015

The “Morning Energy” blog of Politico reports that “for all the incredible political drama it has inspired,” Secretary Ernest Moniz “told Pro Energy’s Darren Goode that the Keystone XL pipeline was just a ‘blip’ on the radar screen of the nation’s larger need to modernize the aging, inadequate energy infrastructure.” In an interview with Goode at CERAWeek, Moniz said, “No matter what the decision of Keystone is, it is one blip on the big picture of the energy infrastructure challenges. ... I mean, I don’t want to minimize it, but I don’t want to maximize it either.”

April 27, 2015

In support of the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, at the National Hydropower Association Annual Conference, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson announces the release of the 2014 Hydropower Market Report, the first ever report to quantify the current size, scope, and variability of our nation’s hydropower supplies. Hydropower currently provides approximately seven percent of the U.S. electricity supply – enough to power more than 20 million homes, and has experienced significant growth industry-wide. Within the last decade, the industry has supported more than 55,000 direct domestic jobs across the country, and helped offset 200 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions from more than 42 million passenger vehicles. The report also highlights how hydropower can be rapidly integrated with other renewable energy sources into the electric grid – contributing to the Administration’s goal of doubling our nation’s renewable energy supply again by 2020.

April 27, 2015

As part of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department announces five projects selected for a total of $2 million for the first part of the multiphase Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) effort. This field laboratory, dedicated to cutting-edge research on enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), could unlock access to a domestic, geographically diverse, and carbon-free source of clean energy with the potential to supply power to up to 100 million homes in the United States. The first two phases of FORGE will provide a total of up to $31 million over two years for selected teams.

April 28, 2015

A group of almost 30 scientists and engineers from six research institutions, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report the direct detection of cyclotron radiation from individual electrons in Physical Review Letters. They used a specially developed spectroscopic method that allowed them to measure the energy of electrons, one single electron at a time.

April 28, 2015

With access to supercomputing resources at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), an Office of Science User Facility, a research team from the University of Minnesota and Rice University demonstrates a predictive modeling capability that can help accelerate the discovery of new materials to improve biofuel and petroleum production.

April 28, 2015

The Department announces $75 million in funding to renew the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub originally established in 2010 with the goal of harnessing solar energy for the production of fuel. JCAP researchers are focused on achieving the major scientific breakthroughs needed to produce liquid transportation fuels from a combination of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, using artificial photosynthesis.

April 28, 2015

A new detection approach originally developed for tuberculosis diagnostics is being adapted as a tool for determining traumatic brain injury, one of the challenges facing the medical community as it works to treat military and sports figures with head injuries. Minute chemical alterations in the body, called biomarkers, are the key. The project is being conducted in conjunction with Samitaur Medical Technologies (SMT), which recently signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the Laboratory for this purpose.

April 28, 2015

The Hill reports Secretary Ernest Moniz “will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday on the Quadrennial Energy Review, a report from the administration that calls for billions of dollars in federal investment in energy infrastructure.” The report “recommends an overhaul of the nation’s pipelines, electric transmission lines, energy storage capacity and other infrastructure.” The E&E Daily reports his “appearance could pave the way for the upper chamber to set aside differences over climate change and focus on the practical concerns of implementing U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan.” Several Democrats on the committee “are already planning on introducing legislative language that falls in line with the QER’s thrust of upgrading the country’s expansive grid, while other members could build language off the discourse with Moniz.”

April 29, 2015

The Houston Chronicle reports Secretary Ernest Moniz is the “top pitchman” for the Quadrennial Energy Review, a “nearly 500-page analysis released last week that offers a $15 billion road map for updating U.S. energy infrastructure and making it more resilient against man-made and natural threats.” Moniz insists “that architecture must keep up with a rapidly evolving energy world.” Moniz stated, “It is the right time, maybe it’s a little after the right time, for us to make these kind of investments in energy infrastructure.” He “said the investments are not only ‘strongly connected’ to the domestic energy revolution that has driven oil and gas production in new areas of the U.S., but also to an evolution in renewable power and the way it is generated, including rooftop solar panels.” The Washington Examiner reports that during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee hearing Sen. Lisa Murkowski “said a major new Obama administration study on energy infrastructure is big on spending, but ‘light’ on ideas such as ending the ban on oil exports and approving the Keystone XL pipeline.” Murkowski stated, “Any modernization of energy policy should, in my view, revisit the de facto ban on oil exports that we have imposed 40 years ago. ... I think the QER is too light in that regard.” Murkowski “pointed out to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who testified at the hearing, that the administration should understand that most of the nation’s infrastructure is privately owned and maintained.”

April 29, 2015

The Department co-sponsors its first-ever Energy Open Data Roundtable with the Center for Open Data Enterprise on April 29. Held at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Energy Roundtable convened approximately 60 energy data leaders, including participants from the White House, other federal agencies, national laboratories, non-profit organizations, and private industry. Industry participants were diverse, ranging from Fortune 500 companies with commitments to the Climate Data Initiative, to a local incubator for early-stage, energy start-ups.

April 30, 2015

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and Secretary Ernest Moniz release the terms of a $73 million settlement of the State’s claims against the Department of Energy and its contractors related to the February 2014 incidents at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, including the associated activities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

April 30, 2015

The Department announces that it is extending the application deadline for the third round of Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Renewable Energy Project Development Assistance to May 22, 2015. The START Program provides federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal entities with on-the-ground support to accelerate clean energy project deployment as part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to help tribal communities nationwide enhance their energy security and build a sustainable energy future.

April 30, 2015

The AP reports that President Obama signs “long-delayed legislation to boost energy efficiency in buildings” at a White House ceremony where he was “surrounded by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.” The law “aims to cut energy use in commercial buildings, manufacturing plants and homes.” The President “says he hopes it will lead to more progress on environmental issues.” The Hill reports the President “brought to the White House energy efficiency advocates and the leading congressional backers of the legislation, including Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), for the signing ceremony, along with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.”

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May 1, 2015

The Albuquerque (NM) Journal reports the Energy Department “has agreed to fund infrastructure projects in New Mexico worth $73.25 million to resolve fines connected with a radiation leak” at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. In December, “the New Mexico Environment Department levied the largest-ever fines against the federal government,” $54 million, “over permit violations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant nuclear waste repository and Los Alamos National Laboratory after a drum of Los Alamos waste ruptured at WIPP in February 2014, releasing radiation into environment and contaminating nearly two dozen workers.” The settlement “resolves all violations linked to the radiation accident — both the initial fines levied last year and the threat of additional fines to come, state Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn told the Journal.”

May 2, 2015

In an piece titled “The Hidden Star Of Obama’s Cabinet” highlighting the recent work of Secretary Ernest Moniz, the Daily Beast says Moniz “might be our best hope to avoid war with Iran” and calls him “President Obama’s secret weapon to convince Congress and the American public that should the administration reach a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear ambition, it is a deal worthy of their support.” When “asked about Moniz’ role in the negotiations with Iran, a senior administration official told the Daily Beast that it was important to the President that any framework be able to stand on ‘rock-solid scientific footing.’” Moniz’s “participation was critical to achieving the deal, and also why there’s been no real doubt raised about the scientific underpinnings of what was announced, the official said.”

May 4, 2015

The Energy Department announces nine research and development projects that will receive funding to support solid-state lighting (SSL) core technology research, product development and U.S. manufacturing. The projects will help accelerate the development of high-quality light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products that can significantly reduce overall U.S. energy consumption and save consumers money.

May 4, 2015

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the Energy Department says that it will begin shipments of uranium waste to Nevada’s National Security Site, northwest of Las Vegas. The announcement comes after 18 months of delay to address the worries of state officials. The material will be coming from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and will be stored in the NNSS’s Area 5 landfill, though DOE officials would not offer any time-line for when they would begin. The DOE’s plans to dispose of 403 canisters of uranium-233 mixed with uranium-235 have been the subject of discussions between representatives of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Gov. Brian Sandoval for 18 months about environmental and security concerns associated with such hazardous material, and how some of the material is being classified as “low level.”

May 5, 2015

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) and the University of Hawaii at Manoa show for the first time that cosmic hot spots, such as those near stars, could be excellent environments for the creation of these nitrogen-containing molecular rings. In a new paper in the Astrophysical Journal, the team describes the experiment in which they recreate conditions around carbon-rich, dying stars to find formation pathways of the important molecules.

May 6, 2015

The “Morning Energy” blog of Politico reports the Department of Energy “last week reassured Sen. John Barrasso that former Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman’s new job as head of Centrus Energy didn’t violate ethics guidelines.” Barrasso “wrote to DOE in March criticizing Poneman’s new job as a symptom of an ‘inappropriate and legally questionable relationship.’” In an April 30 letter, DOE Deputy General Council Eric Fygi “said...that a document check ‘does not reveal any indication’ that Poneman ‘violated any ethical obligations’ in this matter.”

May 6-7, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Anne Harrington and China National Energy Administration (NEA) Director General Liu Baohua co-chair the 10th Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technology (PUNT) Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting in Chengdu, China. Since 2002, the United States and China have held periodic joint meetings on their cooperative activities under the U.S.-China PUNT Agreement. The agreement is a formal government-to-government mechanism established to support the civilian development of nuclear energy in both countries while addressing nuclear security, safety and proliferation risks. Highlighting the first day of meetings were reports on the progress achieved in five PUNT working groups:  nuclear energy technologies, nuclear safeguards and security, environment and nuclear waste management, nuclear emergency management, and radioactive source security. There was general agreement on the need to strengthen technical collaboration across all areas. In addition, new areas for potential cooperation were discussed.

May 7, 2015

The Energy Department announces that it has issued a final authorization for Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The Cove Point LNG Terminal in Calvert County, Maryland is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 0.77 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years.

May 7, 2015

A new agreement between the United States and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is signed, paving the way for renewed collaboration in particle physics, promising to yield new insights into fundamental particles and the nature of matter and our universe. The agreement, signed in a White House ceremony by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Science Foundation and CERN—the renowned European organization based in Geneva, Switzerland—will enable continued scientific discoveries in particle physics and advanced computing.

May 9, 2015

The Washington Post reports Charles Harvey Eccleston, a former Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission employee, has been “indicted for attempting to infiltrate the agency’s computer system to steal nuclear secrets and sell them to China.” The indictment says Eccleston, who lived in the Philippines, was arrested after he offered to provide “classified information he claimed had been obtained from the Energy Department” to an individual in a foreign embassy. The Hill reports Eccleston sought to “use a spear-phishing campaign to harvest sensitive nuclear weapons information from government computers.” If true, the “charges against Eccleston point to an unusual case that combines both an insider cyber threat and the risks associated with targeted malware campaigns against the government.”

May 11, 2015

Representatives of the nations, or Contracting Parties, who are signatories to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention), begin the Fifth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties. The Joint Convention is the first international instrument that deals with the safety of management and storage of radioactive waste and spent fuel in countries with and without nuclear programs. It elaborates and expands the existing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear safety regime and promotes international standards in this area.

May 11-22, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence program holds a hands-on nuclear forensics course at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington. The “International Training Course on Nuclear Forensics Methodologies,” was co-sponsored with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Twenty participants from eight countries focused on the application of nuclear forensics methods during the investigation of nuclear or other radioactive material found outside of regulatory control.

May 12, 2015

The Energy Department announces that it has issued a final authorization for the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project (Corpus Christi) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project in Corpus Christi, Texas is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.1 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years.

May 14, 2015

The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announces $60 million in funding for 23 groundbreaking new projects aimed at creating highly efficient and scalable dry-cooling technologies for thermoelectric power plants and developing prototype technologies to explore new pathways for fusion power. The projects are funded through ARPA-E’s two newest programs, Advanced Research In Dry cooling (ARID) and Accelerating Low-cost Plasma Heating and Assembly (ALPHA), which both seek to develop low-cost technology solutions.

May 15, 2015

In continuing coverage of President’s Obama’s meeting with the heads of state from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Bloomberg News reports Secretary Ernest Moniz and Secretary of State John Kerry “the two lead U.S. negotiators in the Iran talks, briefed the leaders on the verification mechanisms to detect illicit work on nuclear weapons that would be part of a final agreement, Obama said.”

May 18, 2015

Christopher Clark Deschene joins the Department as Director of the  Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs Deschene, a member of the Navajo Nation, brings more than 20 years of management and policy experience to DOE, along with extensive tribal relationships and deep expertise in business and energy development, natural resources and environmental policies, federal Indian law, and government affairs.

May 19, 2015

In support of the President’s all-of-the above energy strategy, Secretary Ernest Moniz announces the release of Enabling Wind Power Nationwide, a report showing how the United States can unlock the vast potential for wind energy deployment in all 50 states—made possible through the next-generation of larger wind turbines. Announced today at the American Wind Energy Association’s WINDPOWER Conference in Orlando, Enabling Wind Power Nationwide builds upon the recently released Wind Vision report, which quantifies the economic, social, and environmental benefits of a robust wind energy future.

May 21, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz announces nine exceptional U.S. scientists and engineers as recipients of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for their contributions in research and development that supports the Energy Department’s science, energy and national security missions. Since 1959, the Lawrence Award has recognized mid-career scientists and engineers in the United States who have advanced new research and scientific discovery in the chemical, biological, environmental and computer sciences; condensed matter and materials; fusion and plasma sciences; high energy and nuclear physics; and national security and nonproliferation.

May 22, 2015

The Washington (DC) Examiner reports that the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $35.4 billion spending bill that covers the Energy Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies without engaging in any partisan warfare over amendments. The measure allocates $6 billion for nuclear waste management, $167 million above current funding, and $10.5 billion on Energy Department programs. The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel quotes Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) as saying that the bill moves the US “closer to doubling basic energy research, strengthening and rebuilding our waterways and ports, removing major obstacles to the use of nuclear power, maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile and cleaning up hazardous materials left over at Cold War facilities.” The Hill notes that the funding levels are up from last year, but still $666 million less than the Administration requested. Notably missing is a provision for the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository.

May 25, 2015

The Honorable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources; Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, Mexico’s Secretary of Energy; and Secretary Moniz announce the establishment of a North American Energy Ministers’ Working Group on Climate Change and Energy. This group expands the North American Energy Ministers Dialogue, which was established by the 2014 North American Leaders Summit, which highlighted that clean and reliable energy supplies can drive economic growth as we shift towards a low-carbon energy future. The new trilateral Working Group supports implementation of clean energy and climate change goals of each of the three countries, including respective Paris targets. This announcement took place as ministers met on the margins of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas Ministerial and the Clean Energy Ministerial meetings.

May 26, 2015

The Energy Department announces $32 million in funding to help train American workers for the solar energy workforce and to further drive down the cost of solar by developing innovative low-cost concentrating solar power collectors and increasing access to critical solar data. The Department is making up to $12 million available to develop a diverse, well-trained solar support workforce, including professionals in the insurance, real estate and utility industries, who consumers rely on when they choose solar. An additional $5 million will fund projects aimed at increasing market transparency and access to key solar energy datasets, and $15 million will fund projects to develop new designs for concentrating solar power (CSP) collectors, the most expensive component of CSP systems. Altogether, this funding promises to help make solar energy more accessible and affordable for American families and businesses.

May 26, 2015

At the Second Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) Ministerial, hosted May 25-26, 2015 in Merida, Mexico, Energy Ministers of Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama and the United States announce the creation of a new Western Hemisphere Clean Energy Initiative. The participating countries intend to work toward a collective doubling of renewable sources such as solar, wind, small-scale hydropower, sustainable biomass, and geothermal, by 2030.

May 26, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration announces its team has successfully conducted the fourth in a series of experiments designed to improve our ability to detect underground nuclear explosions. The Source Physics Experiment (SPE-4 Prime) is a fundamental step forward in the U.S. effort to improve arms control verification, and will eventually be used to assure compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Anne Harrington, noted that “The seismic Source Physics Experiments substantially advance the United States’ efforts to develop, validate and improve on emerging technology. The work conducted at the NNSS and by the NNSA’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation programs serves to advance the implementation of President Obama’s nuclear nonproliferation agenda.”

May 27, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration joins the Republic of Armenia to announce the safe and secure removal of three unused radioactive sources from two locations in Yerevan, Armenia. The successful completion of the radioactive source recovery campaign was conducted by the Armenia Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA). Since 2002, the NNSA’s Radiological Security Program has committed over two million dollars to Armenia in support of radiological security projects. Together, ANRA and NNSA have removed, identified and secured over 30,000 curies (Ci) of dangerous radiological materials from a total of nine locations. Government experts have determined that sources with as few as ten curies, if used in a radiological dispersal device (RDD), could result in extensive land denial and significant economic impact that requires a national response. This recovery campaign was accomplished through the combined efforts of Armenia’s Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center operating under ANRA and the NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation.

May 27, 2015

As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to advance energy efficiency and combat the harmful effects of climate change, Better Buildings Challenge partners report they have cut energy waste by 94 TBTUs since President Obama first launched the challenge in 2011. The energy saving have saved partners a total of $840 million dollars in energy costs and avoided 6 million tons of harmful carbon emissions, equivalent to cutting the emissions of 1 million cars. To continue this progress, the Energy Department is expanding the Better Buildings Challenge to include water savings goals and Senior Advisor to the President Brian Deese on this day called on existing partners to recruit one new partner to join the program and set a goal of reducing energy use across their respective building portfolios by at least 20 percent in the next 10 years, effectively doubling down on Better Buildings.

May 28, 2015

To further advance energy efficiency in buildings across the country, the Department of Energy announces it is launching two new Better Buildings Accelerators that will help American families improve the efficiency of their homes. The two new accelerators are aimed at making home energy information more accessible to potential homebuyers and improving and expanding home upgrade programs that help Americans save money on their energy bills. With new accelerators announced today, the Department is working to build on the success of the Better Buildings Challenge, cutting energy waste and moving the United States closer to a clean energy future.

May 28, 2015

The Energy Department announces that it has issued a conditional authorization for the Alaska LNG Project, LLC (Alaska LNG) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Subject to environmental review and final regulatory approval, Alaska LNG, in the Nikiski Area of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.55 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 30 years.

May 28, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz launches several new initiatives with other global energy leaders at the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) and the sixth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM6) this week in Merida, Mexico. These initiatives will further strengthen momentum in the Western Hemisphere and around the globe to combat climate change and accelerate clean energy technology and policies ahead of the December 2015 climate talks in Paris.  At both ECPA and CEM6, energy ministers discussed technology solutions to grow low-carbon economies while helping to implement national commitments to reduce climate pollution.

May 28, 2015

In an interview with Politico Secretary Ernest Moniz discusses “the low-carbon revolution he believes has already begun.” On the subject of clean coal and the rising costs at the Kemper plant in Mississippi, Moniz said, “The projects we support [at the Energy Department] are very aggressive projects. They’re typically looking to capture 90 percent of their carbon, and as with Kemper, with multiple product streams, not just carbon. But if you look at the EPA’s proposed rule for new power plants that came out last year and you look at the target in terms of emissions, if you start with a very highly efficient coal plant, a new, ultra-super-critical plant, the amount of capture required to meet that proposed rule is roughly a third – a very far cry from 90-plus percent.” Moniz emphasized, when asked about the Obama Administration’s decision to let Shell drill in the Arctic, “We are committed to this low carbon world and are doing so within this ‘all of the above’ approach.” When asked by Politico, “Have we gone from dirty to clean, and is it all going to be one direction from here on in?” Moniz responded, “Oh, I think so, absolutely. And that is both policy- and technology-driven. Of course, we’re all working hard to go to Paris and to see ambitious declarations of targets backed up to the extent possible by credible implementation programs, globally. ... I think the pattern is very clear, and I think we are definitely heading toward a cleaner future.”

May 28, 2015

On a visit to the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Deputy Energy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood announces that as part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, the Department of Energy has selected five Alaska Native villages to receive technical assistance through the Alaska Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Program. The program provides federally recognized Alaska Native Corporations and federally recognized Alaska Native governments with technical assistance to accelerate tribal clean energy projects and initiatives.

May 28, 2015

With two off-the-shelf digital cameras situated about 1 kilometer apart facing Miami’s Biscayne Bay, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists David Romps and Rusen Oktem collect three-dimensional data on cloud behavior that have never been possible to collect before.

May 28, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability releases the Year-in-Review: 2014 Energy Infrastructure Events and Expansions. This publication provides a summary of significant energy disruptions and infrastructure changes that occurred in the United States throughout 2014.

May 29, 2015

The General Counsel’s enforcement office settles an enforcement action against Perlick Corporation for $168,200.  Perlick agreed to the settlement after manufacturing and distributing 841 units of freezer model HP24F. DOE found that the model consumed over 20% more energy than permitted under the applicable energy conservation standard. Documents related to the distribution of products that do not comply with the federal energy conservation standards are available online.

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June 1, 2015

Researchers from Denmark’s Roskilde University use the first-class capabilities of the Molecular Foundry—an Office of Science User Facility—to create new compounds which may eventually be useful against drug-resistant bacteria.

June 1, 2015

The AP reports that congressional Republicans have pledged to oppose the Obama Administration’s environmental policy, including the EPA’s ruling expanding federal jurisdiction over waterways and rules curbing pollution by coal-fired power plants. The article says that conservatives consider the efforts as “anti-business job killers” and federal overreach, and plan to oppose them through litigation, legislation, and state resistance. EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said that “Clean air and clean water should not be a political issue. We are just doing our jobs — as Congress has directed us, and as courts have affirmed for us — to protect public health and the environment.”

June 3, 2015

The Department announces it was recently awarded the Purchaser Leadership Award for an Overall Program by the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) as part of its 2015 Awards for Leadership in Sustainable Purchasing. This is SPLC’s highest honor and identifies DOE as being the purchasing organization whose overall sustainable purchasing program epitomizes leadership. SPLC recognized DOE for its innovative GreenBuy Awards Program, which incentives Departmental purchasers to identify and purchase products with strong environmental attributes. “We are honored to be identified as a leader in sustainable purchasing,” said Matthew Moury, DOE Associate Under Secretary for Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS).  “With GreenBuy, DOE is increasing its use of more sustainable products and services, which saves money, reduces risks, and improves environmental performance.” The Leadership Awards honor organizations that have exemplified or actively supported the type of leadership that SPLC’sPrinciples for Leadership in Sustainable Purchasing envision. The Principles state that an organization exemplifies leadership in sustainable purchasing through: Understanding, Commitment, Results, Innovation, and Transparency.

June 4, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announces it has selected nine research and development projects to receive funding through the NETL-managed University Turbine Systems Research Program. The Program funds a portfolio of gas turbine-focused university projects to facilitate the development and demonstration of next-generation technology. The work will address technical challenges in turbine technology in support of the Energy Department’s strategic goals and program mission needs.

June 4, 2015

The E&E Daily reports Secretary Ernest Moniz on June 2 before the House Energy and Power Subcommittee “offered advice...to lawmakers who want to see a faster permitting process for energy infrastructure projects: Don’t include unrealistic deadlines in your bills.” Quicker “permitting is shaping up to be a major focus in the House and Senate energy packages, with a host of bills surfacing in both chambers intended to hasten development for pipelines and other energy projects.” It is “also a goal that enjoys some degree of bipartisan support, although the prospects for any particular bill will likely hinge on whether the administration and Democrats think the measure allows sufficient time for public input and environmental review.” After testifying, “Moniz suggested to reporters that lawmakers should be cognizant of federal agencies’ responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act.” Moniz said, “The trouble is, putting arbitrary time limits typically does not work in these issues. ... Let’s face it. The problem is often dealing with publics who are concerned. All I can say is we’ve got to go through the entire process.”

June 4, 2015

The Hill reports Secretary Ernest Moniz “met with three top Kentucky Republicans – Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul and Rep. Ed Whitfield” yesterday “to discuss the Department of Energy’s work at the state’s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.” Kentucky legislators “have long pushed for more funding to clean up the site, which produced enriched uranium for nuclear power plants for more than 60 years.” In a statement the lawmakers said, “The DOE must maximize the resources it has been provided to promote job growth and preservation in Paducah, and we remain dedicated to ensuring that DOE commits to a long-term plan.”

June 5, 2015

The Department of Energy and General Motors Co. announce The Ohio State University as the overall winning team for Year One of the EcoCAR 3 competition, a four-year collegiate engineering program that gives students the chance to design, build, and demonstrate cutting-edge, eco-friendly automotive technologies in the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.

June 5, 2015

The Energy Department announces more than $60 million in nuclear energy research and infrastructure enhancement awards. Sixty-eight projects from across the country were selected based on their potential to create scientific breakthroughs that both help strengthen the nation’s energy security and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the announcement, the Energy Department is awarding over $31 million to 43 university-led nuclear energy research and development projects across 23 states to develop innovative technologies and solutions through its Nuclear Energy University Program. Approximately $3.5 million will also be awarded to nine universities for research reactor and infrastructure improvements – providing important safety, performance, and student education related upgrades to many of the nation’s 25 university research reactors to enhance university research and training infrastructure.

June 8, 2015

During a speech at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Annual Convention in New Orleans, LA, Secretary Ernest Moniz signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department and EEI, strengthening collaborative action to accelerate plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and charging infrastructure deployment. Building on the President’s goal and the Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to develop plug-in electric vehicles by 2022 as affordable as a 2012 gasoline-powered vehicle, this partnership advances mutual interests to increase the economic, environmental, and national security benefits of using electricity as a transportation fuel and expanding the electric vehicle market by bringing utilities directly into the fold.

June 8, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz announces the creation of the Utility Industry Workforce Initiative during a speech at the Edison Electric Institute conference in New Orleans. This key partnership between the Departments of Energy, Labor, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and five utility trade associations will recruit and train service members, veterans and military spouses to qualify for high-skilled jobs in the utility industry.

June 8, 2015

President Obama names Dr. Claudio Pellegrini and Dr. Charles V. (Chuck) Shank as recipients of the Enrico Fermi Award, one of the government's oldest and most prestigious awards for scientific achievement. The Presidential award carries an honorarium of $50,000, shared equally, and a medal. The award is administered on behalf of the White House by the U.S. Department of Energy.

June 8, 2015

The Energy Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recognize the Denver Housing Authority and the cities of Denver and Arvada, Colorado, for their leadership in the Better Buildings Challenge. Altogether, these organizations are cutting energy waste across 10 million square feet of commercial buildings, municipal facilities, and multifamily affordable housing facilities. Energy Department and city officials join HUD Secretary Julián Castro on a tour of North Lincoln Homes before also viewing showcase projects in Denver and Arvada.

June 8, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects ten projects to receive funding through NETL’s Advanced Combustion Systems Program. The program focuses on lowering costs and improving performance of combustion systems that generate electricity with near-zero emissions, including CO2. Central to the program are systems based on oxy-combustion—which uses oxygen to combust fuel and form a concentrated stream of CO2 for efficient and effective carbon capture—and chemical looping, which produces energy using oxygen from metal oxide oxygen carriers for fuel combustion. Projects being funded fall under three subtopic areas: use of higher efficiency supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) power cycles, further research on mature combustion technologies, and development of novel concepts.

June 8, 2015

The Washington Examiner reports that a plan in the House “to use the nation’s emergency oil supply as a piggy bank to fund a new healthcare initiative” called the 21st Century Cures Act “is alarming the energy industry and raising wider questions about government spending.” However, “the idea of raising money by selling a portion of the 600 to 700 million barrels of crude oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, is too great a temptation for the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s leadership” to let slip by. Last month, the committee approved the legislation which would use oil from the SPR to “fund the legislation’s programs, including an extra $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health over five years.” On June 2, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told the committee he has “considerable concern about using [the oil reserve] for anything other than energy security and resilience issues for which it is intended.”

June 9, 2015

Platts reports that Secretary Ernest Moniz told the convention of the Edison Electric Institute yesterday that “proper valuation of the services that energy assets bring to the US power system is central to the ongoing transformation of the sector.” He stated, “We need more transparent and broadly accepted methods for characterizing the value of services provided to the grid by existing and new technologies.” Platts adds that “while noting that the Department of Energy and others have taken steps to examine valuation in terms of net metering and other issues,” the Energy Secretary “said that officials ‘envision a broader approach to valuation’ that examines how to unbundle and value conventional generation, distributed resources and the grid itself.”

June 9-11, 2015

The DOE Office of Indian Energy, with support from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), hosts the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Project Development and Finance Workshop, the first in a series of regional workshops, which will walk participants through a five-step process for developing facility- and community-scale renewable energy projects on tribal lands. The workshop is designed exclusively for, and limited to, elected tribal leaders, tribal executives, and tribal staff.

June 15, 2015

Secretary Ernest J. Moniz and Korean Foreign Minister Yun sign the successor United States - Republic of Korea Agreement for Civil Nuclear Cooperation, or 123 Agreement, as they are referred to in the United States. The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are world leaders in civil nuclear energy and have a long and productive history of nuclear cooperation, and it is announced that this relationship will continue to strengthen and grow as a result of this Agreement.

June 16, 2015

The Department of Energy announces several new and expanding initiatives as part of the Administration’s Clean Energy Investment Summit, including the launch of a Clean Energy Impact Investment Center (CEII), which will work to make the Department’s resources more readily available to the public, including to mission-driven investors.

June 16, 2015

The Department hosts a Clean Energy Investment Summit at the White House, announcing $4 billion in independent commitments by major foundations, institutional investors, and others to fund innovative solutions to help fight climate change, including technologies with breakthrough potential to reduce carbon pollution. Taken together, these commitments far surpass the initial $2 billion goal set at the launch of the Administration’s Clean Energy Investment Initiative last February. In addition, as part of the Summit, the Administration is announcing a series of new executive actions that will further encourage private-sector investment in clean-energy innovation.

June 17, 2015

The Department issues a Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNOV) to UT-Battelle, LLC, (UTB) for violations of DOE worker safety and health requirements. DOE’s enforcement program holds contractors accountable for meeting regulatory requirements and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. The violations are associated with program elements for the assessment and control of ergonomic and material handling hazards that were associated with a series of events beginning in 2013 that resulted in serious injury to two workers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The PNOV cites three Severity Level I violations, and one Severity Level II violation, of requirements enforceable under Title 10 C.F.R. Part 851, Worker Safety and Health Program. UTB is cited for violations in the areas of: (1) management responsibilities, (2) hazard identification and assessment, (3) hazard prevention and abatement, and (4) manual material handling limits and training and information.

June 17, 2015

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of the French space agency, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), sign an agreement at the Paris Air Show for France to provide the mast unit for the SuperCam component of NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. Los Alamos National Laboratory is coordinating with the French science and engineering team on developing SuperCam, the next-generation version of the ChemCam device currently on Mars as part of the Curiosity rover’s essential equipment.

June 18, 2015

Pope Francis calls for a dramatic change in the world’s approach to climate change, while backing the scientific community that concludes global warming is caused by humans. In a papal encyclical that media characterized as long-awaited, controversial, and strongly worded, Francis blended religion and science while chiding those who deny the human role in the changing environment and criticizing the lack of positive action by governments and businesses. Coverage was widespread across the media. On ABC World News   David Muir reported that in a “controversial new report,” Pope Francis calls for “a revolution on climate change.” In what is “meant to be a teaching document for the Catholic Church,” the Pope says this is “a moral issue,” adding that “the earth has been turned into an immense pile of filth” and “fossil fuels are partly to blame.”

June 18, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz releases a statement regarding the release of a papal encyclical on climate change by Pope Francis, which begins: "Pope Francis' call to action on climate change is an important milestone in the global effort on this issue. His is not just a powerful moral voice, he also graduated as a chemical engineer and understands the consensus of climate scientists that accumulating man-made pollution endangers our planet and people around the world. As Pope Francis reminds us, we must push for ambitious and cost-effective solutions that protect us all, including those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.”

June 18, 2015

The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announces $55 million in funding for 18 innovative projects as part of ARPA-E’s two newest programs: GENerators for Small Electrical and Thermal Systems (GENSETS) and Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture (TERRA). GENSETS projects are aimed at developing generator technologies that will improve efficiencies in residential Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation, and TERRA projects will accelerate energy crop development for the production of renewable transportation fuels from biomass.

June 18, 2015

In the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, a team led by ORNL's Vilmos Kertesz report that surgeons could know while their patients are still on the operating table if a tissue is cancerous. According to researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, an automated droplet-based surface sampling probe can accomplishes in about 10 minutes what now routinely takes 20 to 30 minutes. Kertesz expects that time to be cut to four to five minutes soon. For this proof-of-concept demonstration, researchers rapidly profiled two hormones from human pituitary tissue.

June 18, 2015

As a spinoff from their research aimed at fighting a specific parasite, researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory and Brandeis University announce they may have found a way around an infectious bacterium’s natural defenses.

June 22, 2015

Scientists for the first time track ultrafast structural changes, captured in quadrillionths-of-a-second steps, as ring-shaped gas molecules burst open and unraveled. Ring-shaped molecules are abundant in biochemistry and also form the basis for many drug compounds. The study points the way to a wide range of real-time X-ray studies of gas-based chemical reactions that are vital to biological processes.

June 23, 2014

Reuters reports that China’s lead environmental negotiator said that it would cost the country more than $6.6 trillion in order to meet the target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions it plans to propose to the UN this month. During the three-day Strategic and Economic Dialogue conference, Xie Zhenhua, climate change affairs representative from China’s National Development and Reform Commission, met with officials from the Obama Administration, including Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. In broader coverage of the US-China talks, the AP reports that Moniz said that the agreement between President Obama and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping on climate change had a “transformational” impact on international negotiations. Moniz said, “A lot of countries were in some sense hiding behind the idea that the United States and China had not come forward clearly. When we both came forward together it just changed the whole nature of the discussion.” According to the AP, Moniz also “said the US and China agreed Tuesday to partner on two new carbon capture initiatives — projects which aim at storing carbon dioxide and preventing those emissions from entering the atmosphere.”

June 24, 2015

The Washington Post reports that a study released by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California at Berkeley finds that the actual savings brought by investing in energy efficiency upgrades for homes and businesses are less than half of what models have previously predicted. The research used a sample of over 30,000 Michigan homes enrolled in the federal Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income families, finding that the families who spent the $5,000 afforded by the government on upgrades only saved $2,400 in energy costs. Bloomberg News calls the study “a blow to a program that’s been a mainstay of the Department of Energy since 1976” and notes that the report’s co-author is a former economic advisor to President Obama. The study controlled for any “rebound effect.” However, the AP reports that the study “has not yet been reviewed by a panel of peers. And energy efficiency experts who were shown the study say the authors’ broad conclusions about energy efficiency in general aren’t justified after a study of a single program in a single state focused only on low-income households.” Energy Department spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said that previous national studies have supported the program, and that Oak Ridge National Laboratory is set to release another on the program is summer that “should show that families are still saving more money in energy bills than money spent updating their homes.”

June 24, 2015

To further support the construction of two advanced nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, the Department of Energy announces it will issue $1.8 billion in loan guarantees to three subsidiaries of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power). This is the last of three conditional commitments that were first announced by the Administration in 2010, which, when combined with the previously issued $6.5 billion in loan guarantees to Georgia Power Company (GPC) and Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC), allow the project to be fully financed. The Department considers this project a crucial part of America’s revitalized nuclear energy industry and maintains it will further support the nation’s clean energy economy.

June 24, 2015

The Hill reports that the Department of Energy on Wednesday announced it will guarantee $1.8 billion in loans for the construction of two nuclear reactors at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia. According to the article, the guarantee follows previously approved guarantees of $6.5 billion, and the DOE said the latest measure will help the first nuclear facility in 30 years to be fully financed. “As we move towards a low-carbon future, the Department’s loan guarantees will play an important part in expanding the role of nuclear energy as a part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy... The Vogtle project has put the U.S. at the forefront of a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors, incorporating numerous innovations resulting in significant operational and safety improvements, and helping to train a world-class workforce with expertise in building nuclear power plants,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in a statement.

June 24, 2015

The Wall Street Journal reports that a new study funded by the Department of Energy finds that oil from Canada’s oil sands produces about 20 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional US crude. The study examined emissions from extraction to final use, and the Journal says it is likely to provide fodder for opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline. Hao Cai, lead researcher from Argonne National Laboratory, emphasized the difference in various types of crude.

June 26, 2015

The Energy Department announces that it has issued a final authorization for Sabine Pass Liquefaction, LLC’s Expansion Project (Sabine Pass) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana is authorized to export additional volumes of LNG up to the equivalent of 1.38 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years. In 2012, Sabine Pass Liquefaction was authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.2 Bcf/d of natural gas for a period of 20 years. With this most recent authorization, Sabine Pass Liquefaction is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 3.58 Bcf/d of natural gas for a period of 20 years.

June 26, 2015

The Department releases an interim report on Customer Acceptance, Retention, and Response to Time-Based Rates from consumer behavior studies. Since 2009, the Department, using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the electric power industry have jointly invested over $7.9 billion in 99 cost-shared Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects. As part of the SGIG program, 10 electric utilities agreed to conduct 11 consumer behavior studies and produce comprehensive reports with the aim of evaluating customer responses to various types of time-based rate programs implemented in conjunction with information and control technologies such as in-home displays and programmable communicating thermostats. Four of the studies are complete; seven others are in various stages of implementation. The new report presents the results from the interim and final evaluations for the four utilities with projects completed by December 31, 2014, as well as results from the interim reports of six other utilities. The full report is now available for downloading.

June 26, 2015

The Washington Post reports that the Small Business Administration released its annual scorecard for government agencies on Friday, measuring their effectiveness in “awarding work to small businesses.” The Post says the Federal government awarded almost 25 percent of “prime contracts” to small businesses, higher than its goal of 23 percent; although top performers include the State, Interior, and Transportation Departments, “agencies that performed poorly included the Energy Department and the Education Department.”

June 26, 2015

The Washington Free Beacon reports on the Defense Department’s assertion this week that it would require an annual average of $18 million to upgrade and expand nuclear systems. During a hearing Tuesday before the House Armed Services Committee, Deputy Secretary of Energy Liz Sherwood Randall said, “Some of the physical infrastructure dates back to the days of the Manhattan Project... Much of it is degrading, and has exceeded its useful life and is in need of substantial repair.”

June 26, 2015

Scientific American reports in its “Plugged In” blog that Hyliion, a student start-up from Carnegie Mellon University, won the $50,000 grand prize at the Department’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (NCEBP) Competition this week. The article outlines their winning SMART Suspension System, and notes that the program will transition next year to the Cleantech University Prize. DOE analyst and NCEBP Competition coordinator Jennifer Garson explained that Spark Clean Energy will run the new program.

June 29, 2015

As part of the Energy Department’s effort to support U.S. businesses working to save money by saving energy, the Better Buildings Alliance’s Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign recognizes 18 organizations for leading the way in efficient outdoor lighting today.  In the past year, these organizations have committed to install efficient lighting across more than 470 million square feet of parking space – cutting energy use on average by 60 percent. Nationwide, building owners spend more than $16 billion annually to light their parking lots and garages, but by improving all outdoor lighting by 60 percent, American building owners could save more than 9 billion dollars annually across the 215 billion square feet of parking facilities.

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July 1, 2015

The Department’s ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) awards 24 projects a total of 1.7 billion core-hours at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), a DOE Office of Science User Facility. Managed by DOE’s ASCR (Advanced Scientific Computing Research) program, ALCC provides one-year awards that range from a few million to several-hundred-million core-hours to researchers from industry, academia, and government agencies. Chosen through a peer review process, ALCC projects cover a wide range of research areas, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, physics, climate modeling, and materials science.

July 2, 2015

The Oglala Lakota Community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new sustainable and energy-self-sufficient community conceived and championed by the people who live there. At the ceremony, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) joined other federal, state, and tribal leaders to announce that USDA Rural Development is awarding $1.97 million to Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation for a community center for the project, which in later phases will incorporate single- and multi-family housing, a small farm, an aquaponics greenhouse, a grocery store, powwow grounds, a youth center, a workforce development center, and more.

July 6, 2015

According to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, autonomous taxis would both be cost-effective and greatly reduce per-mile emissions of greenhouse gases. The analysis found that the per-mile greenhouse gas emissions of an electric vehicle deployed as a self-driving, or autonomous, taxi in 2030 would be 63 to 82 percent lower than a projected 2030 hybrid vehicle driven as a privately owned car and 90 percent lower than a 2014 gasoline-powered private vehicle. Almost half of the savings is attributable to “right-sizing,” where the size of the taxi deployed is tailored to each trip’s occupancy needs.

July 8, 2015

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) releases a study entitled "Modeling the Integrated Expansion of the Canadian and U.S. Power Sectors with the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS)”. Funded by OE, this study documents a development effort that created a robust representation of the combined capacity expansion of the U.S. and Canadian electric sectors in the NREL Regional Energy Deployment System model. The development effort, building on previously published work, comprehensively updated a number of model assumptions, such as fuel price and load projections, existing fleet specifications (including expected retirements and new builds), renewable energy cost and performance projections and resource characterizations, and existing regulation and policy suites.

July 8, 2015

As part of a “series of steps President Obama is taking to tackle climate change,” the Administration announces “an initiative to help low- and middle-income Americans gain access to solar energy,” the New York Times reports. Administration officials say the intent of the initiative is “to triple the capacity of solar and other renewable energy systems it installs in federally subsidized housing by 2020, make it easier for homeowners to borrow money for solar improvements and start a nationwide program to help renters gain access to solar energy.” The Washington Post says the goal of installing “a total of 300 megawatts of solar and other renewables in federally subsidized housing developments by the year 2020” would “greatly exceed a 2013 Obama pledge to install 100 megawatts of solar and other kinds of renewable energy in federally subsidized housing by 2020,” a target which has “already been reached five years ahead of schedule, the White House said.”

July 8, 2015

The Seattle Times reports that according to a Securities and Exchange Commission, Helion Energy “raised $10.6 million in a new funding round to develop technology that aims to create a fusion reactor to generate power.” The company intends to “raise more than $21 million total in the continuing round.” The company has “received $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.” The company proposes to “use helium from engine exhaust,” mixed with “deuterium fuel from seawater,” to heat it to plasma and then to compress it using “magnetic fields to reach fusion temperature.” One “expert” is cited saying that fusion “would be cleaner than coal, and it can be cheaper.” The company has said that it “could build a useful reactor in the next three years.”

July 9, 2015

Scientists, engineers and technicians at the U.S. Department’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory achieve, for high-energy neutrino experiments, a world record: a sustained 521-kilowatt beam generated by the Main Injector particle accelerator. More than 1,000 physicists from around the world will use this high-intensity beam to more closely study neutrinos and fleeting particles called muons, both fundamental building blocks of our universe.

July 9, 2015

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announces that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has awarded $11.8 million in Tribal Climate Resilience Program funding awards. The funding will help federally recognized Tribes and tribally chartered organizations with climate change adaptation and ocean and coastal management planning projects. Projects will help Tribes plan, train, and participate in technical workshops and forums, while also supporting coastal Tribes as they address the unique challenges of coastal erosion and development, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and emergency management.

July 9, 2015

The White House hosts the inaugural Tribal Youth Gathering in collaboration with United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) and the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. The Youth Gathering brought together over 875 Native youth representing 230 Tribes from 42 states to engage with the First Lady, Cabinet officials, the White House Council on Native American Affairs, and non-federal partners on key issues, including cultural protection and revitalization, education, health and wellness, climate change and natural resources, tribal justice, and economic opportunity.

July 10, 2015

Groundbreaking work at two Department of Energy national laboratories confirms plutonium’s magnetism, which scientists have long theorized but have never been able to experimentally observe. The advances that enabled the discovery hold great promise for materials, energy and computing applications.

July 10, 2015

A team of researchers from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility and their collaborators announce they have developed and evaluated a new method for classifying microbial species that could be supplemented—as needed—by traditional approaches relied on by microbiologists for decades.

July 10-11, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability holds a peer review of the Transmission Reliability Program on June 10-11, 2015, in Washington, DC. Twenty-five presentations are held during eight sessions. Materials including the agenda and presentations are available for download.

July 13, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects for funding 16 solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology research projects. Fuel cells are a modular, efficient, and virtually pollution-free power generation technology. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, NETL issued two funding opportunities announcements (FOAs) to support programs that enable the development and deployment of this energy technology. The projects selected under the two FOAs will receive funding through NETL’s Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Program. The FOAs were awarded with two primary objectives: to design, construct, and field-test a SOFC prototype system and to support innovations that improve the reliability, robustness, and endurance of SOFC cell and stack technology.

July 14, 2015

A new video reveals how scientists from all over the world visit the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven Lab to explore phenomena hidden on the nanoscale—an exciting and powerful landscape spanning just billionths of a meter. The Department opened the CFN, one of its five nanoscale science research centers in the United States, to develop unprecedented energy technologies and solve fundamental scientific puzzles.

July 14, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz issues a statement on the announcement between the P5+1 and Iran, which he refers to as “a historic accomplishment.” As Secretary Moniz explains, “Building on the Lausanne framework, it will ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is – and will remain – a peaceful one, or that the international community will have more than enough time to respond if Iran’s program proves otherwise. This deal will extend the time it would take for Iran to produce enough fissile material for a first nuclear explosive device to a year for at least ten years, from the current breakout time of just two to three months.”

July 14, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability releases the Regulatory Side-by-Side Governing Permitting of Cross-Border Electricity Transmission Facilities between the United States and Canada, which presents a series of side-by-side tables that describe the U.S. and Canadian regulatory and statutory requirements necessary to site, permit, and construct transmission facilities at the U.S. - Canada border. It is intended to function as a reference document that can be used by government officials, potential developers, and other stakeholders as a means to understand the permitting requirements in both countries

July 14, 2015

The first volume of the technology performance report for the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration project is now available for downloading on SmartGrid.gov. This $179 million project that was co-funded by the DOE in late 2009 as one of 16 regional smart grid demonstrations funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

July 14, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects seven projects to receive funding through NETL’s Gasification System Program. This program supports a wide range of research and development activities aimed at improving fuel and product versatility, efficiency, and economics of gasification processes. The projects conducted through this program are geared toward reducing the cost of coal conversion and mitigating the environmental impacts of fossil-fueled power generation. Advances in gasification technology are an important facet of unlocking the full potential of domestic coal resources, which both improves U.S. economic competitiveness and contributes to the protection of the global environment.

July 15, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects four projects to receive funding through NETL’s Carbon Storage program. The program is working to develop and advance the effectiveness of onshore and offshore carbon storage technologies, reduce the challenges associated with implementation, and prepare them for widespread commercial deployment in the 2025–2035 time frame. The funded research projects will assess the prospective geologic storage potential of offshore subsurface depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs and saline formations on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. These projects will use existing geologic and geophysical data to conduct a prospective storage resource assessment that will approximate the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be safely stored.

July 15, 2015

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft accomplishes one of the most exciting feats in the history of space exploration, with a little help from the Department of Energy. After a 9 1/2-year, 3-billion-mile journey, the mission’s historic flyby of Pluto has provided us with our first-ever close-up views of the frozen world at the edge of the solar system. New Horizons relies on a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), a simple form of nuclear power, developed by the Energy Department. It takes heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 and converts it into electricity using devices called “thermocouples.” The RTG provides about 200 Watts of electricity to the spacecraft. The heat-producing ceramic “fuel pellets” of plutonium dioxide for the RTG—designed and safety-tested by Energy Department scientists—were manufactured at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, with special iridium and graphite shielding provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The plutonium-238 itself came from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, which produced nuclear fuel for NASA's space missions for nearly three decades. The final product was assembled at Idaho National Laboratory in September 2005, just three years after the Energy Department decided to relocate its RTG program there in 2002. That’s especially impressive when you consider that an entirely new facility needed to be constructed before the team could even begin to build and test the RTG for New Horizons.

July 15, 2015

USA Today reports that Hyundai-Kia is part of the growing list of automakers “testing so-called inductive charging,” as well as Mercedes-Benz, GM, and Tesla. Using “a $4.2 million grant from the Department of Energy,” Hyundai-Kia and Mojo Mobility are “testing various techniques” for inductive charging, which would allow for “wireless electric car charging.” Mojo CEO Afshin Partovi comments that Mojo is “delighted to partner with Kia and the U.S. DOE to bring the cutting-edge capabilities of our position-free wireless charging systems, which allow greater flexibility for vehicle alignment with the charging surface, to Kia Motors’ electric vehicles and accelerate their adoption and ease of use for consumers.”

July 17, 2015

Scientists from the University of North Carolina, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and DOE’s Joint Genome Institute announce they are developing a better understanding of the soil microbes that important for plant growth, and of how they interact through a variety of signals, including regulatory chemicals called phytohormones. In a study published online July 16, 2015 in Science Express, a team led by Dangl and colleagues, looked at roles of three phytohormones in controlling the composition of the root microbiome in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

July 17, 2015

The Hill reports the Energy Department “is moving forward with new energy conservation standards for certain air conditioners, heat pumps and water heaters.” The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the DOE “is issuing the new efficiency rules that apply to ‘small three-phase commercial air-cooled air conditioners and heat pumps less than 65,000 Btu/h; water-source heat pumps; and commercial oil-fired storage water heaters.’”

July 21, 2015

The UN Security Council’s unanimous endorsement Monday of the nuclear deal reached with Iran was hailed by President Obama, the AP reports, as a sign “there is a broad consensus” that it is “the best way to ensure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon.” Obama told reporters Monday after talks with the president of Nigeria that he’s hopeful Congress “will pay attention to that broad-based consensus.” AP  quotes the President as saying, “There is broad international consensus around this issue. My working assumption is that Congress will pay attention to that broad basic consensus.”

July 22, 2015

The Hill reports that House Republicans unveiled a 95-page package aimed at comprehensive energy reform on Monday night. The effort from the Energy and Commerce Committee avoids more contentious provisions in a bid to attract wider support. The Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold mark up on Wednesday. Among the issues addressed in the package are grid modernization, electric reliability, and emergency powers for the Energy Secretary. E&E Publishing reports that the measures do not mention repealing the oil export ban, which the article calls a “politically charged issue.” Instead, the bill would require the Energy Department to formulate “energy valuation” protocols “to ensure that energy-related actions that significantly affect the supply, distribution, or use of energy are evaluated with respect to their potential impact on energy security, including their impact on consumers and the economy; energy supply, diversity and resiliency; well-functioning and competitive energy markets; United States trade balance; and national security objectives.” The Department would also be ordered to develop a plan for improved coordination with Mexico and Canada and convene forums with transoceanic partners on energy security.

July 23, 2015

Postdoctoral researcher Stephen Wu of the Argonne National Laboratory reports that you don't need magnetic material to create spin current from insulators—a discovery that has important implications for the field of spintronics and the development of high-speed, low-power electronics that use electron spin rather than charge to carry information. Wu’s work upends prevailing ideas of how to generate a current of spins. “This is a discovery in the true sense,” said Anand Bhattacharya, a physicist in Argonne's Materials Science Division and the Center for Nanoscale Materials (a DOE Office of Science user facility), who is the project's principal investigator. “There’s no prediction of anything like it.”

July 28, 2015

The DOE’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs announces it intends to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) later in 2015 that will help promote tribal energy sufficiency by providing funding for Tribes to make their buildings more energy efficient and deploy community-scale clean energy systems. Eligible applicants for this opportunity include Indian Tribes, Alaska Native regional and village corporations, tribal energy resource development organizations, and tribal consortia on whose Indian land the project will be located.

July 28, 2015

The Department of Energy and partnering Federal agencies announce selections for the 2015-16 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows. Eleven outstanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educators have been selected to serve the 11-month fellowship in Washington, DC, within the offices of three sponsoring agencies and four Congressional Offices.

July 28, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration, in partnership with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the U.S. Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United Mexican States, successfully complete the repatriation of three irradiators containing U.S.-origin radioactive sources from Mexico. For 30 years, these irradiators played a critical role in the eradication of a devastating livestock parasite, the screwworm.  The three irradiators contain more than 50,000 curies of cesium-137, a high-activity radioisotope that could be used in radiological dispersal devices (RDD).

July 29, 2015

The updated Directory of Potential Stakeholders for DOE Actions under NEPA is released. The Directory is primarily intended to supplement lists that Departmental Offices compile for individual projects or facilities. It complements the EIS Distribution Guidance.

July 29, 2015

The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel reports that the Department of Energy and National Park Service on Tuesday released a draft “Memorandum of Agreement,” which said the headquarters of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park would be based in Denver, as would the park superintendent. Each of the three sites would also have their own managers reporting to the superintendent.

July 30, 2015

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and DOE agree to a plan to demolish the massive, iconic process buildings and other facilities undergoing deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The formal Record of Decision (ROD) for the Process Buildings and Complex Facilities D&D Project details DOE’s decision for the D&D of the plant’s three large process buildings (each more than 30 acres under roof) and other facilities and auxiliary systems.  

July 30, 2015

Wired reports that President Obama has issued an executive order creating the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI), a research initiative aimed at developing “the first exaflop supercomputer—something that’s about 30 times faster than today’s fastest machines.” Wired notes that the program will involve the DOE, Defense Department, and National Science Foundation working together “to create a common agenda” for advancing the field of supercomputers, and the Energy Department “has already identified the major challenges preventing ‘exascale’ computing today, according to a fact sheet released by the government.” FedScoop reports that the order aims to have researchers “find a way over the next 15 years to move exascale systems forward even after the limit’s of Moore’s Law are reached.”

July 30, 2015

In the “Historically Speaking” column of the Oak Ridger (TN), D. Ray Smith outlines progress by the Department of Energy and National Park Service on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which he says “has huge potential for heritage tourism in Oak Ridge, and the sooner we get it in place the better.”

July 30, 2015

The Hill reports that “after three days of debate, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted” 18-4 “Thursday to approve its attempt at the first broad energy policy reform bill in eight years,” the “Energy Policy Modernization Act.” The bill “includes a number of policy priorities from both Republicans and Democrats,” including “provisions to expedite projects to export liquefied natural gas, indefinitely authorize the federal government’s main conservation fund, reform or remove outdated programs and better prepare the electric grid for modern needs, among other policies.” The AP notes that the bill also has a provision that will make the Energy Department “responsible for coordinating the response if the energy grid is hacked.”

July 31, 2015

The Department announces that, in cooperation with the Energy Communities Alliance, Energy Facility Contractors Group, and Nuclear Energy Institute, it will hold the first DOE National Cleanup Workshop Sept. 29 and 30 this year in the Washington, D.C. area. The workshop brings together senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry executives, and other stakeholders to discuss the Office of Environmental Management’s progress in the cleanup of the environmental legacy of the nation’s Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear weapons program.

July 31, 2015

Furthering efforts to encourage clean energy innovation, the Energy Department releases a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support the research, development, and demonstration of advanced reactor concepts. The announcement represents an early step in increasing investment in nuclear advanced reactor technologies, which have the potential to provide substantially enhanced operational performance, safety, security, economics, and proliferation resistance.

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August 3, 2015

In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory applied mathematicians Jeffrey Donatelli and James Sethian, and physical bioscientist Peter Zwart introduce a new mathematical theory and an algorithm, which they call "Multi-tiered iterative phasing (M-TIP)," which could advance the frontier of macromolecular imaging. This approach is an important step in unlocking the door to new advances in biophysics and has the promise of ushering in new tools to help solve some of the most challenging problems in the life sciences.

August 3, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz releases a statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued their final Clean Power Plan rule that will encourage energy innovation by reducing the carbon emissions from America’s power plants. Secretary Moniz notes, “Before President Barack Obama took office, America did not have a comprehensive national plan to avert the worst impacts of climate change. Seven years later, we are cutting carbon emissions from our cars, our trucks, our government, our businesses and institutions, and now from our power plants. Our efforts to combat climate change demonstrate that no challenge is too great when America’s technological know-how and optimism are put to the test.”

August 3, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects Thar Energy, LLC to develop new recuperator technologies leading to more cost-effective and efficient supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2)-based power cycles. Power cycles based on a supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) working fluid have the potential for higher thermal efficiencies when compared to state of the art steam-based power cycles. However, the cost and effectiveness [D1] [ARW2] of the cycle’s recuperators are currently seen as a barrier to the full-scale SCO2 power cycle demonstration and economic viability. The DOE Office of Fossil Energy’s Strategic Center for Coal supports research and development of SCO2 power cycle systems technologies in light of their potential advantages over conventional steam cycles. The selected project is designed to apply focused research and development to produce scalable, cost-effective recuperator technologies suitable for future deployment in large-scale SCO2 power cycle applications.

August 4, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCUs/OMIs) projects to receive funding for fossil fuel research through its Crosscutting Research Program. The NETL Crosscutting Technology Research Program is intended to bridge the gap between fundamental and applied technology by supporting efforts that improve existing power plants through efficiency; provide materials and techniques for advanced power generation; and introduce and foster growth of new technologies. University training and research is an area of emphasis.

August 4, 2015

The Washington Times reports the United States “is on the verge of becoming one of the world’s largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas.” Acting director of the Foreign Policy Energy Security and Climate Initiative at The Brookings Institution Tim Boersma “presented experts and analysts with his organization’s latest report on the state of global natural gas exports Monday during a briefing at the U.S. Energy Association in Washington, D.C.” The report states that the US “is poised to become a major global supplier of LNG, but its operators will face significant competition from a variety of suppliers, in terms of alternative LNG, pipeline gas, domestic production, and alternative energy sources.” In April, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said, “We anticipate becoming big players and I think we’ll have a big impact. ... We’re going to influence the whole global LNG market. ... Certainly in this decade, there’s a good chance that we will be LNG exporters on the scale of Qatar, which is today’s largest LNG exporter.”

August 5, 2015

Dr. Monica Regalbuto is confirmed by the Senate as the Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz states, “Having served in both the Office of Environmental Management and the Office of Nuclear Energy, Monica is more than ready for her new role at the Department. Her hands-on experience in all aspects of nuclear waste cleanup and her tenure as an Argonne National Lab scientist have prepared her for the position of Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.  I thank the Senate for approving Monica’s nomination, and look forward to continuing to work with her on some of the most complex challenges facing the Department.”

August 5, 2015

Jonathan Elkind is confirmed by the United States Senate on August 5, 2015 as the Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for International Affairs. “Jonathan brings a wealth of experience in international energy issues to the Department,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “I thank the Senate for confirming Assistant Secretary Elkind and look forward to continuing my work with him in support of the nation’s global energy agenda.”

August 7, 2015

The Hill reports the Obama administration is joining “with three major unions to encourage creation of jobs that will be needed to implement the new climate rule for power plants.” The Energy Department announced “that it will provide technical assistance and similar help to the Utility Workers Union of America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Steelworkers, and other unions that want to join.” The aim of the program is to push “states and others to comply with the climate rule in ways that maximum preservation and creation of jobs like upgrading power plants, installing renewable energy and building energy infrastructure, the DOE said.” In a statement Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said, “This partnership will enable the Energy Department and our labor unions to work with the states on designing plans that maximize job creation.”

August 7, 2015

E&E Daily reports that the Senate confirmed several pending nominations for Energy Department and other posts as it prepares to begin its August recess. In the Department, Monica Regalbuto will be DOE assistant secretary for environmental management and Jonathan Elkind will serve as DOE assistant secretary for international affairs

August 7, 2015

The Energy Department announces that it has issued a final authorization to American LNG Marketing LLC (American LNG) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. American LNG is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 0.008 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years from the liquefaction facility located near Medley, Florida in Miami-Dade County, Florida, using approved ISO LNG containers.

August 10, 2015

Two reports released by the Energy Department show that the U.S. wind energy industry continued growing at an impressive rate in 2014, further solidifying America’s position as a global leader in wind energy. According to the 2014 Wind Technologies Market Report released by the Energy Department and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, total installed wind power capacity in the United States grew at a rate of eight percent in 2014 and now stands at nearly 66 gigawatts (GW), which ranks second in the world and meets 4.9 percent of end-use electricity demand in an average year. In total, U.S. turbines in distributed applications reached a cumulative installed capacity of more than 906 megawatts (MW)–enough to power more than 168,000 average American homes–according to the 2014 Distributed Wind Market Report, also released by the Energy Department and its Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

August 11, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects 12 projects to receive funding through its Crosscutting Research Program’s Transitional Technology Development to Enable Highly Efficient Power Systems with Carbon Management initiative. The NETL Crosscutting Technology Research Program is intended to bridge the gap between fundamental and applied technology by supporting efforts that improve existing plants through efficiency; provide materials and techniques for advanced power generation; and introduce and foster growth of new technologies.

August 11, 2015

Distinguished Fellow Ali Erdemir and his team at the Argonne National Laboratory receive a patent for an ultra-fast surface hardening technology that could greatly extend the lifetime of mechanical parts. To protect machinery and increase longevity, several methods of surface hardening have been developed including pack-boriding, which lays down a boride layer on metal pieces through the diffusion of boron. Erdemir’s work is a departure from this conventional boriding technique, which is both time-consuming and energy-intensive. Instead, his team came up with a process for ultra-fast boriding, a process that saves time, money and energy, and even alleviates environmental concerns.

August 11, 2015

The Austin (TX) Chronicle reports that SXSW Eco 2015 added “two big speakers” to the event, Chris Lewicki, “president and chief engineer of asteroid mining company Planetary Resources,” and Dirk Ahlborn, “CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies.” The article notes that the two speakers join other speakers with a “focus on energy,” including “clean power expert David Danielson of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and Ellen Williams of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy division.”

August 12, 2015

The Department recognizes Arizona’s Dysart Unified School District (USD) for increasing the use of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at 25 schools. Through the department’s Better Buildings Challenge, Dysart USD has committed to 20 percent energy savings over 10 years, spanning more than three million square feet of building space. The district is well on its way toward meeting an ambitious goal of implementing solar energy at each school.

August 13, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects 16 projects to receive funding through NETL’s Carbon Capture Program. The program funds development and testing of transformational carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture systems for new and existing coal-based power plants. Research funded by this program is expected to help overcome limitations of singular, standard gas treatment systems, such as those based on solvents, sorbents, or membranes alone.

August 14, 2015

Scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) announce they have used a unique nano-optical probe to study the effects of illumination on two-dimensional semiconductors at the molecular level. Working at the Molecular Foundry, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, the scientific team used the “Campanile” probe they developed to make some surprising discoveries about molybdenum disulfide, a member of a family of semiconductors, called “transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), whose optoelectronic properties hold great promise for future nanoelectronic and photonic devices.

August 14, 2015

This week marks the 20th anniversary of President Bill Clinton’s announcement that the United States would pursue negotiations for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and maintain the U.S. nuclear arsenal without nuclear explosive tests. President Clinton stated that the maintenance of a safe and reliable nuclear stockpile was “a supreme national interest” of the United States, and that the Department of Energy and the national nuclear design laboratories had assured him that the United States “can meet the challenge of maintaining [its] nuclear deterrent under a CTBT through a science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP).” On September 24, 1996, the United States was the first nation to sign the CTBT. The United States Senate has not yet ratified the CTBT. “This 20^th anniversary is an important milestone. The science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program was and remains successful thanks to the vision and determination of its proponents and the significant investment in the necessary tools, facilities, and people. The men and women employed by the national nuclear labs and production plants have achieved this goal with decades of hard work, ingenuity, and unmatched science and engineering,” said Lt. Gen. (Retired) Frank G. Klotz, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration. “Our Nation maintains the safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent necessary for national security. Today, we have a greater understanding of how nuclear weapons perform than we did when we were actually conducting nuclear explosive tests.”

August 17, 2015

Using physical chemistry methods to look at biology at the nanoscale, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researcher announces the invention of a new technology to image single molecules with unprecedented spectral and spatial resolution, thus leading to the first “true-color” super-resolution microscope. Ke Xu, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, has dubbed his innovation SR-STORM, or spectrally resolved stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy. Because SR-STORM gives full spectral and spatial information for each molecule, the technology opens the door to high-resolution imaging of multiple components and local chemical environments, such as pH variations, inside a cell.

August 17, 2015

Print and online coverage of the Administration’s decision to give Royal Dutch Shell final approval to drill into potential oil reserves under the floor of Alaska’s Chukchi Sea is extensive. Only one network news broadcast covered the story, however, and both cable and local television coverage last evening were light. Much of the coverage focuses on the reaction of environmental groups, with nearly every report noting their vehement opposition to the decision. MSNBC said on its website that while the President “is days away from championing his climate change agenda during a landmark visit to Alaska,” his Administration “seemed to move in a starkly different direction.” Similarly, the Wall Street Journal notes that environmentalists say the decision is a violation of the President’s commitment to dealing with climate change and moving away from fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy.

August 17, 2015

The Triangle (NC) Business Journal reports that the Department of Energy has awarded Duke University with a $5.2 million grant to lead a consortium on the study of various products from algae, particularly fuel. The consortium will be called the Marine Algae Industrialization Consortium (MAGIC) and will work over three years.

August 17, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects nine projects to receive funding to research new CO₂ storage technologies devoted to intelligent monitoring systems and advanced well integrity and mitigation approaches through DOE’s Carbon Storage Program. The Carbon Storage Program is intended to advance the development and validation of technologies that enable safe, cost-effective, permanent geologic storage of CO₂. The program also supports the development of best practices for commercial implementation of carbon capture and storage technologies. The technologies being developed and conducted through the program will benefit the existing and future fleet of fossil fuel power-generating facilities and other industrial CO2 sources.

August 17, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects six projects to receive funding through NETL’s University Coal Research Program, administered by the Crosscutting Research Technology Program. The University Coal Research Program funds research and development at U.S. colleges and universities for coal conversion and utilization. Research funded by this program is intended to improve the fundamental understanding of chemical and physical processes for environmentally friendly coal conversion and utilization, byproduct utilization, and technological development. Through this funding, NETL enhances the education of the next generation of scientists and engineers, while upgrading the coal research capabilities and facilities of the academic environments in which they study.

August 18, 2015

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) announces it has fired its 300th laser target shot in fiscal year (FY) 2015, meeting the year’s goal more than six weeks early. In comparison, the facility completed 191 target shots in FY 2014. Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the NIF is the world’s most energetic laser. Increasing the shot rate has been a top priority for the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program and in particular the NIF team at LLNL. The greater than 50 percent increase in NIF shots from FY 2014 to FY 2015 is a direct result of the implementation of an efficiency study conducted in FY 2014 for the NIF.

August 19, 2015

With the opening of the Systems Engineering Building at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a new suite of capabilities becomes available to researchers and industry to tackle the nation's top challenges in grid modernization, buildings efficiency and renewable energy integration. The LEED Gold-certified facility houses power grid and buildings control rooms, testing platforms and a number of laboratories to address a broad range of energy challenges. The facility also features the latest in industry software and real-time grid bdata with access to advanced computational capabilities that allow researchers to design, test and evaluate tools and concepts in a setting that mirrors current industry conditions.

August 20, 2015

As part of the White House’s Back to School Climate event, the Energy Department releases renewable energy-related content about sources such as geothermal, solar and wind as part of the new science-visualization tool developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which uses earth science information on colorful maps on an animated 6-foot globe. Science On a Sphere is now in more than 120 museums and science-technology centers worldwide. These new datasets are part of Department’s commitment to the White House’s Climate Education and Literacy Initiative, launched in December 2014 to connect students and citizens with the best-available, science-based information about climate change.

August 20, 2015

The Department selects the University of California, Berkeley to lead a consortium of university, nonprofit, utility, and national laboratory partners in a new technical track under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) that addresses water-related aspects of energy production and use. Once the award is finalized, the U.S. consortium will match or exceed DOE funding of $12.5 million and work with their Chinese counterparts to bolster collaborative efforts to ensure energy, water, and environmental security and combat climate change. The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, with its consortium partners, has pledged an equivalent amount of resources, bringing the total bilateral effort to $50 million over 5 years.

August 20, 2015

The Augusta (GA) Chronicle reports an Energy Department-commissioned study has “found that the U.S. could save $400 million a year if it disposed of weapons-grade plutonium at a New Mexico nuclear waste repository instead of converting the surplus material into mixed-oxide fuel at Savannah River Site.” The study “was produced by the Red Team, a group of industry experts assembled by U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz to evaluate cost projections and alternatives to the MOX project.” The team determined “after a visit to SRS” that “the program would need to nearly double its annual budget from $400 million now to between $700 million and $800 million in the next two to three years to be viable.” The study “added that the program would need to remain at that funding level until the U.S. has satisfied an agreement it made with Russia to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium.”

August 24, 2015

A team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who are developing a bioinorganic hybrid approach to artificial photosynthesis achieve another milestone. Having generated quite a buzz with their hybrid system of semiconducting nanowires and bacteria that used electrons to synthesize carbon dioxide into acetate, the team has now developed a hybrid system that produces renewable molecular hydrogen and uses it to synthesize carbon dioxide into methane, the primary constituent of natural gas.

August 24, 2015

President Obama announces more than one billion dollars in Department of Energy  initiatives to drive innovation and accelerate the clean energy economy. As part of the President’s Clean Power Plan, DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) is making up to one billion dollars in loan guarantees available to support commercial-scale distributed energy projects, such as rooftop solar with storage and smart grid technology. In addition, through the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), DOE is awarding $24 million in funding for 11 high-performance solar power projects that could lower the cost and improve the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems.

August 24, 2015

Bloomberg BNA reports Secretary Moniz said at the National Clean Energy Summit Monday that the Obama Administration “remains strongly committed to advancing technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide from power plants as vital in the global effort to combat climate change.” Moniz said, “We need to both push on the highest efficiency and also to get a reasonable carbon profile.”ClimateWire reports that at the summit “Moniz said all clean energy tools, including carbon capture and sequestration, are crucial to develop in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stave off global warming.” Moniz stated, “We need all the tools we can get.”

August 25, 2015

A BMW manufacturing plant in Greer, South Carolina, demonstrate that fuel cells can be powered by fuel from a unique source: Garbage. In a first-of-its-kind demonstration, the Energy Department, BMW and project partners Ameresco, Gas Technology Institute and the South Carolina Research Authority have powered some of the facility’s fuel cell forklifts with hydrogen produced on-site from biomethane gas at a nearby landfill. Hydrogen fuel cells are one of many technologies the Energy Department supports that generate clean, reliable power and help create a more sustainable planet for future generations. Learn more about how hydrogen and fuel cells work and what the Energy Department has been doing to advance these technologies.

August 25, 2015

The AP reports the US and China have taken “a major step Tuesday toward an agreement to advance ‘clean coal’ technologies that purport to reduce the fuel’s contribution to climate change.” The agreement would permit the nations “to share their results as they refine technologies to capture the greenhouse gases produced from burning coal,” according to DOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Christopher Smith.

August 26, 2015

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report a major advance in understanding the biological chemistry of radioactive metals, opening up new avenues of research into strategies for remedial action in the event of possible human exposure to nuclear contaminants. Research led by Berkeley Lab’s Rebecca Abergel, working with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, has found that plutonium, americium, and other actinides can be transported into cells by an antibacterial protein called siderocalin, which is normally involved in sequestering iron.

August 26, 2015

The Department launches a large-scale experiment designed to answer questions about how carbon-rich peatlands will respond to projected warming of the climate and increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide. SPRUCE, which stands for Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change, will take place at a site about 25 miles north of Grand Rapids.

August 27, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability releases the Annual U.S. Transmission Data Review, its annual compilation of transmission-related data focusing on six areas:  transmission infrastructure, reliability, utilization, constraints, planning, and economic congestion. This data, which is gathered from publicly-available sources, is used to inform various DOE analyses, including OE’s triennial transmission congestion studies. Until now, there has not been a single, inclusive, and authoritative annual transmission data summary that analysts can turn to readily. Over time, this summary may be broadened in scope if additional sources of transmission data become available.  

August 27, 2015

The AP reports that a four-year investigation by the Energy Department Inspector General has concluded that Solyndra officials “misrepresented facts and omitted key information in their efforts to get a $535 million loan guarantee from the federal government.” The IG report read in part, “In our view, the investigative record suggests that the actions of certain Solyndra officials were, at best, reckless and irresponsible or, at worst, an orchestrated effort to knowingly and intentionally deceive and mislead the department.”

August 27, 2015

The Washington Examiner reports wind and solar energy “have become cost-competitive without subsidies, according to Obama administration officials and outside experts.” On Monday, Secretary Ernest Moniz told reporters “that the price of solar has fallen so dramatically that the market can now grow without subsidies.” The Energy Secretary “told reporters that the administration supports Congress’ extension of the tax credits, but ‘I certainly see solar growing’ even ‘without subsidy.’” The reductions in cost “have ‘been incredible’ for the solar industry, making for an improved ‘value proposition ... in many contexts.’” Moniz “said the cost of electricity from rooftop solar panels could fall to as low as 6 cents per kilowatt hour very soon, which makes it ‘extremely competitive’ with natural gas and other fossil and non-fossil power plants.”

August 31, 2015

The RAND Corporation releases two energy-sector workforce development studies conducted on behalf of the Energy Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The two studies, one targeting the state of West Virginia and one the southwestern Pennsylvania (SWPA) region, provided recommendations that support the Energy Department’s strategic objective to increase energy productivity and ensure safe and responsible development of domestic energy resources.

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September 1, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects eight projects to receive funding to construct small- and large-scale pilots for reducing the cost of carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture and compression through DOE’s Carbon Capture Program. The Carbon Capture Program is developing technologies that will enable cost-effective implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the power generation sector and ensure that the United States will continue to have access to safe, reliable, and affordable energy from fossil fuels. The program consists of two core research technology areas, post-combustion capture and pre-combustion capture, and also supports related CO₂ compression efforts. Current research and development efforts are advancing technologies that could provide step-change reductions in both cost and energy penalty compared to currently available technologies. The selected projects focus on advancing the development of a suite of post-combustion CO₂ capture and supersonic compression systems for new and existing coal-based electric generating plants, specifically: (1) supersonic compression systems, (2) small pilot-scale (from 0.5 to 5 MWe) post-combustion CO₂ capture development and testing, and (3) large pilot-scale (from 10 to more than 25 MWe) post-combustion CO₂ capture development and testing.

September 1, 2015

The Argonne National Laboratory reports that experiments have afforded researchers a greater understanding of how to manipulate photosynthesis, putting humankind one step closer to harvesting “solar fuel,” a clean energy source that could one day help replace coal and natural gas. Lisa M. Utschig, a bioinorganic chemist at Argonne for 20 years, said storing solar energy in chemical bonds such as those found in hydrogen can provide a robust and renewable energy source. Burning hydrogen as fuel creates no pollutants, making it much less harmful to the environment than common fossil fuel sources. 

September 1, 2015

Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studying how cells repair DNA damage announce they have developed a computerized way to measure DNA repair in thousands of human mammary epithelial cells before and after they’re exposed to ionizing radiation. Microscopy images are acquired about every thirty minutes over a span of up to two days, and the resulting sequence of images shows ever-changing hotspots inside cells where DNA is under repair. The approach even tracks individual cells as they move about a petri dish, a leap in automation that has been difficult to achieve.

September 2, 2015  

The Department issues a report showing that threats to tribal energy infrastructure are expected to increase as climate change impacts extreme weather conditions. The department also announced a $6 million grant opportunity to establish clean energy projects and energy efficiency projects on Indian lands that will help support economic opportunity and combat the effects of climate change on tribal lands. The Tribal Energy System Vulnerabilities to Climate Change report assesses how climate change and extreme weather vulnerabilities specific to tribal energy infrastructure and systems in the contiguous United States and Alaska are projected to affect energy availability to Native American lands.

September 2, 2015

The AP writes that a new Energy Information Administration report found that ending the US restrictions on crude oil exports wouldn’t affect or would slightly reduce the price of US gasoline and petroleum products. While the report had “numerous caveats,” House Republicans “are expected” to address the issue in the fall. Those in favor of keeping the ban say it makes it easier for domestic refineries to compete internationally and that removing it could lead to lost jobs and more accidents and spills as more oil is transported via rail and pipeline.

September 3, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability releases the 2014/2015 Economic Dispatch and Technological Change Report to Congress. In this report, the Department of Energy is responding to Sections 1234 and 1832 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which directed the Secretary of Energy to conduct an annual study of economic dispatch and potential ways to improve such dispatch to benefit American electricity consumers.

September 3, 2015

In Kotzebue, Alaska, President Obama announces a robust package of resources, funding, and other programs to assist with combating climate change and building climate resilience in remote Alaskan communities. Watch a video of the President talking about how Alaska is being affected by climate change and a video of Native Village of Kivalina President Millie Hawley explaining how rising sea levels and climate change are threatening their community’s way of life. In support of these efforts, the U.S. Department of Energy  Office of Indian Energy also announces a $6 million grant opportunity to establish clean energy projects and energy efficiency projects on tribal lands in the 48 contiguous United States and Alaska, which will help support economic opportunity and combat the effects of climate change. The DOE Office of Indian Energy also releases a new Tribal Energy System Vulnerabilities to Climate Change report highlighting regional threats to tribal energy infrastructure, which are expected to increase as a result of extreme weather events and other climate change impacts.

September 8, 2015

The National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Nicolas Huerta is honored as a Great Minds in STEM™ Luminary Honoree by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation. Dr. Huerta, who has made significant scientific contributions to the field of carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage risk assessment, is being recognized for his work as a leader and role model to the Hispanic technical community. Dr. Huerta works with the National Risk Assessment Partnership where he serves as a member of the Technical Leadership Team and the Group Leader for the Wells and Seals Working Group. He coordinates research across multiple national laboratories and universities to develop risk assessment tools that will provide a better understanding of how the subsurface environment influences well and seal integrity. The research is making invaluable contributions to DOE’s program goals of ensuring safe and permanent CO₂ storage.

September 10, 2015

In what media reports are universally casting as a victory for the President, Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a vote on a GOP-sponsored resolution to reject the Iran nuclear deal. Mike Emanuel reported on Fox News’ Special Report   that Senate Majority Leader McConnell on Thursday “called for a procedural vote to consider disapproval” of the Iran nuclear agreement, but the vote “was 58-42. Republicans failed to get the 60 votes they needed.” On NBC Nightly News  , the only network to report on the vote last night, Lester Holt called it “a key victory for President Obama,” but noted that House Republicans “are vowing the fight is far from over.”

September 10, 2015

The Energy Department releases its second Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR), which examines the current status of clean energy technologies and identifies hundreds of clean energy research opportunities that could support the effort to modernize the power sector as a whole, while also helping Americans to power their homes, businesses, cars and trucks more efficiently. The report finds that emerging advanced energy technologies provide a rich set of options to address the nation’s economic, security, and environmental challenges, but continued improvements in cost and performance are crucial to the large-scale deployment of these technologies.

September 11, 2015

EnergyWire reports that “a few pilot programs” at Energy Department labs “are nudging the labs to get their clean-technology ideas to market by working with regional tech firms.” Argonne National Laboratory director Peter Littlewood said, “There’s been a cultural and programmatic shift within DOE.” Littlewood “added that commercializing the labs’ intellectual property, known as technology transfer, is moving up the priority list.” The labs “do significant collaborations with private industry, earning the labs tens of millions of dollars in licensing fees.” However, “they tend to be with enormous companies and with rigid oversight from the Energy Department.” According to some lab leaders, “in the last 18 months or so, a change in tone has taken place at the national labs under Ernest Moniz, who took over from Steven Chu as secretary of Energy in 2013.” EnergyWire notes, “The new approach comes nearly a decade after a directive to improve the labs’ ability to transfer technology was ignored.”

September 15, 2015

The Washington Examiner reports that a “new initiative” was started yesterday by the White House “to help cities tackle everything from crime to climate change.” The Smart Cities Initiative “seeks to leverage 25 new federal technology programs to help cities do everything from improving congested roads and reducing crime to ‘fostering economic growth, managing the effects of a changing climate, and improving the delivery of city services.’” A White House fact sheet said, “The new initiative is part of this administration’s overall commitment to target federal resources to meet local needs and support community-led solutions.” The Energy Department and the EPA “will team up to help cities benefit from the government initiative.”

September 16, 2015

ClimateWire reports governments and companies “around the world are racing for improved energy storage, more efficient thermostats, cheaper solar cells and cleaner combustion, and with average temperatures rising, funding agencies are losing patience for whimsical curiosity-driven pursuits that strike out far more often than they get on base.” But it is “often the absent-minded professors, the laboratory mistakes or the unexpected results that completely change the game in a science, so the tension now is in whether to pursue incremental gains or swing for the fences.” The Energy Department “says it has been trying to do both, stemming from an ultimate goal to fight climate change.” DOE undersecretary for science and energy Lynn Orr said, “We really try to work across the full range of fundamental science all the way to energy applications.” ClimateWire notes “DOE has been clamoring for more funding for basic sciences, to little avail.” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said last month, “We are probably two or three times underfunded, especially in the early stages of the innovation pipeline. ... We keep proposing to Congress to increase that.”

September 16, 2015

The Energy Department announces more than $102 million in new projects and available funding to support American leadership in clean energy innovation. More than $52 million will support 22 new projects in partnership with companies, non-profit organizations, universities, and national laboratories that aim to make solar energy more affordable and accessible across the nation. In addition, up to $50 million in new funding will advance solar photovoltaic (PV) technology towards and beyond the SunShot goals to reduce the total cost of solar energy, and enable cutting-edge solar technologies, tools, and services to swiftly enter the marketplace.

September 16, 2015

The Department announces up to $70 million in funding for the next Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which will be focused on smart manufacturing. With this investment, the Department aims to support research and development advancements that can reduce the cost of deployment for technologies such as advanced sensors, controls, platforms, and modeling for manufacturing by as much as 50 percent. As part of President Obama’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) institutes, the institute will also demonstrate these technologies in manufacturing processes with a goal to increase energy efficiency by at least 15 percent and improve energy productivity by at least 50 percent.

September 16, 2015

As part of the Administration’s effort to increase energy efficiency and double U.S. energy productivity by 2030, the Energy Department awards $22 million in funding for five projects aimed at merging wide-bandgap (WBG) technology with advancements for large-scale motors to increase energy efficiency in high-energy consuming industries, products and processes, such as the transportation of fossil fuels and industrial-scale compression systems. These projects, funded through the Next Generation Electric Machines funding opportunity, could cut energy waste by as much as 30 percent. The projects also aim to reduce the size of megawatt-scale motors and drive systems used in the chemical and petroleum refining industries, natural gas infrastructure, and general industry compressor applications like HVAC systems, refrigeration, and wastewater pumps by up to 50 percent.

September 16, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration, working in collaboration with the Government of Switzerland, announces that approximately 2.2 kilogram of U.S.-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) has been returned from the University of Basel in Switzerland to the United States. The successful transport of this HEU, managed by NNSA’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, makes Switzerland the 27th country plus Taiwan to remove all of its HEU. This effort highlights the strong role Switzerland has played as a leader in nuclear nonproliferation.

September 16, 2015

The Department announces the selection of five projects that will study the feasibility of using salty water – or brine – from carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage sites to produce fresh water. These projects – which will receive more than $7 million in funding from the Department – will develop and validate strategies to manage pressure and the flow of CO₂ in saline formations through a Brine Extraction Storage Test (BEST). By managing the pressure and the flow of CO₂– also known as a plume steering– brine can be extracted from the formation at specific points, where fresh water can be separated in a process known as enhanced water recovery (EWR). The remaining brine is injected at another point to help steer the plume.

September 16, 2015

In support of the President’s goal to double U.S. energy productivity by 2030, Secretary Moniz unveils a strategic plan today laying out a path businesses, state and local governments, consumers and other stakeholders can use to achieve this goal. The report, Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030: A Strategic Roadmap for American Energy Innovation, Economic Growth, and Competitiveness, identifies proven and effective strategies and actions to advance energy efficiency. Strategies include: states securing energy productivity through setting and updating vehicle and product codes and standards, and providing energy performance information to consumers; utilities and regulators designing rates and related policies that more effectively align energy efficiency with utility business models; and businesses reinvesting avoided energy costs. By doubling energy productivity, American families will be able to power their homes and vehicles using less energy, while American businesses will be able to manufacture more while spending less and cutting harmful carbon emissions.

September 16, 2015

Materials including the agenda and presentations the August 4-5, 2015 Reliability and Markets peer review are now available for download. The Reliability and Markets activity of the Transmission Reliability Program researches, develops, and implements infrastructure to ensure electric reliability while improving the efficiency and economics of market operations.

September 16, 2015

The Hill reports that the Obama Administration has pledged “more than $120 million aimed at boosting solar and other clean energy sources.” Specifically, the funding will go to programs to develop solar power technology and get it into homes and businesses. The Washington Times reports the President “will take executive actions, the White House said, to provide money for a host of solar projects facilitated” by the Energy Department. The DOE “soon will launch the second round of its $30 million technology-to-market funding opportunity, designed to spur advancement in technology to help reduce the cost of solar systems.” In addition, DOE “will pour $20 million into research to advance photovoltaic cell and module performance, along with additional money to find ways to cut installation time for solar panel projects on homes.”

September 17, 2015

As part of the Obama Administration’s strategy to increase energy productivity, reduce America's reliance on foreign oil and cut harmful emissions the Energy Department announces an investment of nearly $55 million for 24 projects to develop and deploy cutting-edge vehicle technologies that will strengthen the U.S. clean energy economy. These technologies will play a key role in increasing fuel efficiency and reducing petroleum consumption, while also supporting the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to make plug-in electric vehicles as affordable to own and operate as today's gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022.

September 17, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces five grants to help reduce energy costs for tribes in Alaska, Arizona, and South Dakota where the cost of producing electricity is extremely high. Through the High Energy Cost Grant program, the USDA will provide $7.9 million to nine grantees to help improve the environment by reducing carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels. The funds can be used to improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities in communities where the average residential cost for home energy exceeds 275% of the national average.

September 17, 2015

Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Chris Smith, along with Zhang Yuqing, Deputy Administrator of China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), opens the 15th US-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum (OGIF) in Chongqing, China. In his opening remarks before 240 participants, Smith highlighted the importance of innovation, diversification, sustainability, and efficiencies in the current global oil and natural gas environment.  Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas Paula Gant moderated the first morning session of presentations focusing on sustainability and efficiencies.

September 18, 2015

With a new formula developed by a team of researchers led by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, scientists announce they can now double the accuracy of forecasting the rate at which tropical cyclones intensify.

September 18, 2015

Politico reports the Energy Department “took some heat over its Weatherization Assistance Program, which subsidizes energy efficiency improvements for poor Americans, in a University of Chicago assessment in June.” The Energy and Policy Institute study “found that the program’s costs vastly exceeded its benefits.” However, a new “peer-reviewed study from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory finds that savings top the costs by a factor of 1.5, and that the program provided $3,190 in savings per household.”

September 21, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz and Indian Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal co-chair the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue in Washington, DC. Their discussions focused on our mutual goals for combating climate change, ensuring energy security, and fostering economic growth.

September 22, 2015

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announces it is collaborating with Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories (LLNL and LBNL) on a new Department of Energy program designed to fund and foster public-private R&D projects that enhance US competitiveness in clean energy manufacturing. The High Performance Computing for Manufacturing Program (HPC4Mfg) was announced by David Danielson, DOE assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, during the third annual American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit. The HPC4Mfg program couples U.S. manufacturers with the labs’ world-class computational R&D expertise and advanced computing resources to address key challenges in U.S. manufacturing whose solutions will have broad industry and national impact. HPC4Mfg will make up to $5 million available to national laboratories to work with qualified industry partners.

September 22, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration announces that it has removed approximately 1 kilogram of U.S.-Origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Jamaica’s “Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment” (SLOWPOKE) research reactor and returned the material to the United States, making the Caribbean region completely free of HEU.

September 22, 2015

The “Morning Energy” blog of Politico reports a delegation of Indian energy officials “sat down with U.S. officials, including Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, yesterday to discuss how the two nations could collaborate.” The two “groups agreed that the U.S. could help India with its energy efficiency and power plant efficiency, according to a press release from the Embassy of India.” In addition, the US and India “agreed to work together developing India’s shale resources.”

September 23, 2015

Jack Gilbert, a microbial ecologist and group leader in Argonne National Laboratory's Biosciences division, has been named one of Popular Science's "Brilliant 10" for his environmental and biomedical-focused research as part of the magazine's 14th annual awards list.

September 23, 2015

The Eugene (OR) Register-Guard reports that Oregon State University has been chosen by the Department of Energy to receive a $2.5 million grant “aimed at bringing down the cost of producing electricity from sunlight,” through testing “microchannel technology.” That technology makes use of “extremely tiny channels that speeds up the heat transfer process and improves efficiency in order to generate electricity both more efficiently and at a lower cost than existing solar generation systems.” The university is working with Sandia National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Lab, the National Energy Technology Lab, University of California, Davis, and ECOKAP Technologies on the technology development.

September 23-25, 2015

The Office of Indian Energy participates in the Tribal Energy Summit: A Path to Economic Sovereignty, in partnership with the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The Summit brings together tribal and state governments, federal agencies, tribal corporations, private industry, utilities, and academia to explore energy development and security issues identified by Tribes and DOE's Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group (ICEIWG). It features a keynote by Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and introduction by DOE Office of Indian Energy Director Chris Deschene.

September 24, 2015

In a speech to the National Tribal Energy Summit, Secretary Ernest Moniz announces actions to strengthen energy support networks among Native American Tribes and Alaska Natives. In his address, Secretary Moniz reaches out to tribal leaders from across the nation to seek their input to craft a new initiative aimed at creating and sustaining inter-tribal technical energy assistance provider networks. The Intertribal Network will support tribal capacity-building for energy project development and meaningful participation in the clean energy economy.

September 25, 2015

Atomic City Underground reports that Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Alcoa Inc. will be partners in “a new Department of Energy pilot program called Technologist in Residence.” In the program, “there will be personnel exchanges.” ORNL Director Thom Mason said, “It’s really about learning about one another.” He added, “We need to have a pretty-intense dialogue back and forth at the end to have the right kind of strategic partnership where our capabilities are applied to problems that really make a difference.”

September 28, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) releases the fifth edition of the Carbon Storage Atlas (Atlas V), which shows prospective carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage resources of at least 2,600 billion metric tons – an increase over the findings of the 2012 Atlas. Atlas V is a coordinated update of carbon storage resources, activities, and large-scale field projects in the United States. It showcases the progress that NETL scientists and engineers have made with their partners toward wide-scale deployment of carbon storage technologies.  It also underscores the importance of the research partnerships and projects that are increasing our understanding of safe, permanent geologic storage of CO₂.

September 28, 2015

The San Diego Business Journal reports that the Department of Energy has launched a $20 million pilot program “to help small businesses bring next-generation clean energy technologies to the market faster,” providing business with access to the world-leading researchers, facilities and knowledge found at the DOE national laboratories across the country. The program, says the Business Journal, particularly focuses on clean technology development in the areas of advanced manufacturing, buildings, vehicles, fuel cells, bioenergy, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind energy, and solar energy.

September 29, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration announces the successful return of the final 5 kilograms (approximately 11 pounds) of highly enriched uranium (HEU) spent fuel from the IIN-3M “Foton” research reactor in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Russia. This is the eighth shipment of HEU from Uzbekistan since 2004 and marks the removal of all HEU from the country. Since the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return program began in 2002, DOE/NNSA has collaborated with the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation and the Federal Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety to successfully repatriate more than 2,200 kilograms of Russian-origin HEU from around the world—enough for 88 nuclear weapons. This includes the complete removal of all Russian-origin HEU from 11 countries. Furthermore, this shipment marks the 28^th country overall, plus Taiwan, to have partnered with DOE/NNSA to become free of all HEU.

September 29, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz issues a statement on the occasion of the Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The statement begins, “In 1992, the United States government voluntarily implemented a moratorium on nuclear explosive testing—a policy that has been observed ever since, by four presidential administrations, both Democrat and Republican. Four years later, the United States was the first country to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) when it opened for signature. Today, the Obama Administration continues to urge ratification by the United States, as well as the other Annex 2 states, so that the treaty can enter into force as quickly as possible. A legally binding prohibition on nuclear explosive testing is in the interest of all nations and of all humanity, and is long overdue.”

September 30, 2015

As the Department prepares to kick off October’s National Energy Action Month, the Department announces that manufacturers in its Better Buildings, Better Plants Program (Better Plants) have racked up an estimated $2.4 billion in cumulative energy cost savings over the last five years. Across America, manufacturers spend more than $200 billion each year to power their plants. As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to double energy productivity, American manufacturers and water and wastewater treatment agencies made a voluntary commitment to improve energy intensity by about 25 percent over ten years, or an equally ambitious level for their sector, through the Better Plants Program. The Department also announces that nine partners have met their energy efficiency targets this year.

September 30, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability releases the 2015 National Electric Transmission Congestion Study. Section 1221(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, codified at 16 U.S.C. 824p(a), directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct an electric transmission congestion study every three years, and to prepare it in consultation with affected states and regional reliability organizations. The Study seeks to provide information about transmission congestion by focusing on specific indications of transmission constraints and congestion and their consequences. It focuses primarily on historical trends over the past few years, and looks into the future to the extent possible.

September 30, 2015

The Ames Laboratory announces it has developed a near ultra-violet and all-organic light emitting diode (OLED) that can be used as an on-chip photosensor. It’s a first in a rather specialized field of research to capture and manipulate light near the invisible end of the spectrum, around 400 nm in wavelength.

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October 1, 2015

The Augusta (GA) Chronicle reports the Savannah River Site’s MOX facility will likely “be funded another year, possibly beating back opposition from critics who want the project terminated after several reports showed it was over budget and behind schedule.” The National Defense Authorization Act, which was “approved Tuesday by a House subcommittee chaired by Rep. Joe Wilson” allows the Energy Department “to spend $345 million in fiscal year 2016 to ‘carry out construction and project support activities relating to the MOX facility.’” National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Al Stotts said, “We have not terminated the MOX project. ... Per the direction of Congress, the department is continuing construction of the MOX facility.” The bill “stipulates that Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz must submit in his 2017 budget proposal to Congress a cost analysis for MOX that shows how much has been spent and will be spent in the future.”

October 5, 2015

The Concord (NH) Monitor reports that recently Eric Dors “received one of the highest awards for a government physicist because his work has found nothing.” The project for which Dors “recently received the E.O. Lawrence Award seeks signs of nuclear explosions.” The device he developed, “called SABRS, circles the Earth searching for bursts of neutrons and gamma rays as part of nuclear non-proliferation treaties.” For nearly 20 years, “Dors has been a staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.” He “was one of two Los Alamos recipients of the Lawrence award” in May. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz “presented Dors with the award.”

October 6, 2015

The Washington Examiner reports the Department of Energy “announced a new multi-million dollar partnership” yesterday “between California and China to tackle the effects of climate change and the state’s growing drought problems.” The Clean Energy Research Center for Water Energy Technologies, as the partnership is known, “would require China to fork over half of the $50 million cost of creating the partnership, which will be used to develop novel technologies to allow power plants and other energy resources to reduce the amount of water used for cooling and energy production.” The Examiner adds “the consortium will be led by the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, other state and research institutions, and the utility industry.” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said, “Addressing the impact of water resource scarcity and variability on energy systems in the U.S., China, and around the world will require collaborative efforts like [this consortium] to develop technical solutions.”

October 6, 2015

For their work on the development, transfer, and successful commercialization of a novel platinum-chromium alloy used in next-generation coronary stents, scientists at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and their colleagues, are honored with a 2015 ASM Engineering Materials Achievement Award from the materials science and engineering society ASM International. The team received the award at a banquet held in conjunction with the 2015 Materials Science and Technology meeting in Columbus, Ohio. NETL’s Edward Argetsinger, Jeffrey Hansen, Paul Jablonski, and Paul Turner developed the alloy in collaboration with researchers at Boston Scientific Corporation. It is the first stainless steel formulation for stents with a significant concentration of platinum, making it easier for coronary specialists to see the stent on x-ray during placement and expansion. The alloy also increases the stents’ corrosive resistance, strength and flexibility.

October 6, 2015

The E&E Daily reports President Obama last week nominated John Kotek “to permanently replace Pete Lyons as DOE assistant secretary of nuclear energy.” Kotek “has been serving as the top nuclear energy official in an acting capacity since Lyons retired in June.” He “has been overseeing the management of spent reactor fuel and high-level radioactive waste, as well as nuclear research and development programs.” In 2012, Kotek “served as staff director on President Obama’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which prepared reports on the United States’ decades long impasse over nuclear waste storage.” If Kotek is confirmed by the Senate, he “will be on tap to answer questions about the administration’s plans for the contentious nuclear waste repository under Yucca Mountain in Nevada, as well as research with significant implications for the development of new reactors, the life span of the existing fleet, the choice of fuels and the storage of wastes.”

October 7, 2015

The Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announces up to $30 million in funding for a new program focused on improving the energy efficiency of commercial and residential buildings. ARPA-E’s Single-pane Highly Insulating Efficient Lucid Designs (SHIELD) program seeks to reduce heat-loss for improved building efficiency by developing innovative materials that are both transparent and insulating to retrofit existing single-pane windows.

October 7, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration sponsors the Fundamentals of Nuclear Safeguards and the Additional Protocol workshop in Vientiane, Laos. The Department of International Organizations (IO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) host the event. The workshop is DOE/NNSA’s first safeguards engagement held in Laos. DOE/NNSA report that engagement activities such as this workshop help international partners build capacity to carry out their respective safeguards responsibilities, which is a critical part of the international nuclear safeguards system. Twenty-five participants from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology and other key stakeholder organizations attended the event.

October 7, 2015

The Washington Examiner reports Secretary Ernest Moniz told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday that global energy stability could be threatened by Russia. He said, “Just last week, the Russian intervention in Syria add[ed] another element of geopolitical uncertainty in that entire region.” The Energy Secretary “said Russia’s presence in the oil-rich region adds the latest element of uncertainty to global energy markets, in addition to increased cyber threats aimed at U.S. energy assets, physical threats and the threat of climate change.”

October 8, 2015

The Augusta (GA) Chronicle reports the US Senate yesterday “approved a one-year funding extension” for a Savannah River Site’s mixed-oxide fuel fabrication facility, “teeing up what could become a heated political battle over money for the embattled project.” The legislation “authorizes the U.S. Energy Department to spend $345 million in fiscal year 2016 to ‘carry out construction and project support activities’ at SRS’ mixed-oxide fuel fabrication facility, which is nearly 70 percent complete and employs about 1,800 workers.” The vote by the Senate “sent the defense bill to President Obama, who has threatened to veto the legislation because it uses a war-fund account to skirt congressional budget caps.” Leaders in Congress “believe wide-ranging support for the bill could make it harder for the Obama administration to kill MOX, but objections to the facility still remain as a slew of reports made public this year show the project is years behind schedule and $6 billion over its original budget.”

October 8, 2015

Collegiate teams involving hundreds of students from around the world assemble at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., to showcase their highly energy-efficient, solar-powered houses for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015. Today’s opening ceremony, headlined by U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernest Moniz, kicked off the highly anticipated biennial competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate houses powered by the sun that are affordable, energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in.

October 9, 2015

While visiting California, a state plagued by persistent drought and dangerous wildfires, U.S. Secretary Ernest Moniz releases an Energy Department report that examines the expected regional energy sector vulnerabilities to climate change. The report divides the United States into nine regions, finding that the severe challenges from climate change across America will require a more comprehensive and accelerated national, regional and community approach to keep the U.S. energy system reliable and safe. The report also notes the important efforts to improve climate resilience in each region to handle the new weather extremes and other impacts from climate change.

October 9, 2015

The Energy Department announces more than $34 million for two projects that will improve the protection of the U.S. electric grid and oil and natural gas infrastructure from cyber threats. The University of Arkansas and the University of Illinois will assemble teams with expertise in power systems engineering and the computer science of cybersecurity to develop new technologies that will help protect energy delivery systems which control the physical processes that result in the delivery of continuous and reliable power. Under the Academic Collaboration for Cybersecurity of Energy Delivery Systems Research and Development for the Energy Sector Funding Opportunity Announcement, the Universities of Arkansas and Illinois and their partners will engage with utilities and suppliers of energy delivery systems and components from early research through the eventual transition for use by the energy sector. Lessons learned from these R&D efforts will be shared through academic outreach to ensure that the technical knowledge also transitions to the energy sector. This investment underscores the vital role that strong cybersecurity technologies and practices play in creating a modern power grid that is reliable, resilient, and secure, as discussed in the Energy Department’s Quadrennial Technology Review released last month.

October 9, 2015

The Energy Department announces a new report that shows the fuel cell industry is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate, totaling more than $2.2 billion in sales in 2014. In order to further expand on this emerging market, the Department also announced today the investment of more than $20 million in 10 projects to advance fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, and enable early adoption of fuel cell applications such as light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). These projects will accelerate American innovation in clean energy technologies by supporting research and development advancements that will reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and cut harmful carbon emissions.

October 9, 2015

A pioneering study led by West Virginia University, and financially supported by the Energy Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and 14 industry members of the Utica Shale Appalachian Basin Exploration Consortium, indicates that the newly explored Utica Shale, which underlies the better-known Marcellus Shale, could hold far more natural gas and oil than previously estimated. If the commercial potential of this play could be realized, it would be, geographically, the largest natural gas field in the United States The two-year study estimates technically recoverable volumes of 782 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and nearly 2 billion barrels of oil. These results, which build upon and further refine previous estimates, far exceed a 2012 assessment conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and highlight new potential for the Utica Shale. Results from the comprehensive study were incorporated into the Geologic Play Book for Utica Shale Appalachian Basin Exploration and made publicly available at the recent Utica Shale Play Study Workshop, which was hosted by West Virginia University and sponsored by the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council and the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Systems program. The results are also available in a searchable and interactive database.

October 9, 2015

The Hill reports in its “Floor Action” blog that Senate Democrats blocked an energy spending bill on October 8 “as they try to push Republicans to negotiate a larger budget deal” that would “increase funding for defense and nondefense spending above the congressionally mandated budget caps.” The Hill reports that the bill was widely expected to fail, and the Office of Management and Budget said the bill “drastically underfunds critical investments” and contains “highly problematic ideological riders,” including a provision that would undermine clean water protection. The Washington Examiner adds that the Obama Administration on October 8 threatened to veto the energy spending bill, “arguing that it favors the Energy Department’s bomb-making over its clean energy programs.”

October 15, 2015

Demonstrating just how cost-effective, appealing and livable energy-saving houses powered by solar energy can be, the University of California, Davis, and Mass/Central America (Western New England University, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana) tie for first place in the Affordability Contest, and Stevens Institute of Technology claimed first place in the Market Appeal Contest, at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015. These contests encourage teams to design and build reasonably priced houses that are comfortable and attractive and combine highly energy-efficient construction designs, energy-efficient appliances and renewable energy systems,

October 13, 2015

The AP reports the Energy Department “has awarded a $12.2 million grant for a new University of Arkansas research center focused on cybersecurity for electric power utilities.” Alan Mantooth, distinguished professor of electrical engineering, will “serve as principal investigator and director of the new national center that focuses on the issue.” He “says the center will focus on protecting the U.S. electric energy delivery system from cyberattacks.”

October 15, 2015

A new report “Fossil Fleet Transition with Fuel Changes and Large Scale Variable Renewable Integration” from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and jointly funded by the Offices of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), Fossil Energy (FE), and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is now available.  This report addresses future operational and engineering challenges likely to face the fossil generation fleet in response to the need for much greater flexibility in power plant operations.  While the principal area of interest in prior studies has been an evaluation of the feasibility of higher levels of variable wind and solar generation, this study is primarily focused on better understanding and projecting the engineering and operational challenges implicit for dispatchable assets (principally coal and natural gas units) in supporting higher levels of variable renewable generation, which will require greater grid flexibility to maintain reliable electricity. This report is intended to inform fossil generation owners, operators and vendors, researchers, and policymakers regarding fossil generation operational and engineering impacts associated with increasing levels of flexible operations, as well as reliability challenges and impacts for dispatchable assets.

October 15, 2015

Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall issues a statement after touring the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station, which begins: “Today I had the opportunity to visit the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station to see first hand the significant progress that is being made by TEPCO and the dedicated workers at the Fukushima site cleanup and to gain a better understanding of the challenges that remain. Japan is a close ally and we are committed to making available the full range of U.S. expertise in nuclear energy, remediation, and decommissioning to support this critical cleanup effort.”

October 15, 2015

The Hill reports President Obama “is taking executive action to crack down on emissions from air conditioners and refrigerators.” The Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced initiatives “to restrict the use of harmful chemicals known as hydrofluorocarbons.” HFCs, “often found in air conditioners and refrigerators, are 10,000 times worse for climate change than carbon, according to the agencies.” At a joint press conference with Secretary Ernest Moniz, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said, “So they’re more dangerous for climate change.”

October 16, 2015

Stevens Institute of Technology of Hoboken, NJ, takes first place in both highly competitive Architecture and Communications Contests at the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015. Stevens’ SURE HOUSE is a sustainable and resilient house for shore residents vulnerable to extreme weather conditions that could cause flooding and blackouts. For the Architecture Contest, collegiate students from around the world were judged on the design and construction of attractive, high-performance houses that integrate renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies. The Communications Contest rated each team’s effectiveness in communicating the features of their house and the students’ experiences during this project to jurors and the public through a variety of media including websites, audiovisual presentations, displays and tours.

October 17, 2015

Assistant Secretary of Energy Dr. David Danielson commends the winners of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 today at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. Stevens Institute of Technology won top honors overall by designing, building, and operating the most cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive solar powered house. University at Buffalo, The State University of New York took second place followed by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in third place.

October 18, 2015

President Obama issues a Presidential Memorandum to prepare for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and releases a statement on Adoption Day.  Additionally, Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz issues a statement on adoption day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which begins: "Adoption Day marks an important milestone in ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful in nature. Today, as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) comes into effect, Iran will begin taking substantial and verifiable steps to roll back its nuclear program and place it under a stringent verification and monitoring regime. Under the JCPOA, one step that Iran must take is to redesign its Arak Heavy Water Research reactor, including removing its existing calandria and rendering it inoperable. To support this effort, the Department of Energy’s nuclear experts will lead the U.S. effort to work with our P5+1 partners and Iran to modernize the Arak reactor, effectively eliminating a potential source of weapons-grade material. The Statement of Intent released today between the United States, China, and Iran identifies the United States Department of Energy  and the People’s Republic of China’s China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) as the co-chairs of the P5+1 and EU working group, which will meet for initial discussions in the coming weeks.” 

October 19, 2015

The Energy Department announces that it has issued a final authorization to Emera CNG, LLC (Emera) to export domestically produced compressed natural gas (CNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.  Emera is authorized to export CNG up to the equivalent of 0.008 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years from Emera’s proposed facility at the Port of Palm Beach, Florida, via trailers, tank containers, and ocean-going carriers to any non-FTA country not prohibited by U.S. law or policy.

October 19, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz and Israeli Minister of National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz launch the 2015 U.S.-Israel Energy Dialogue. The dialogue, held regularly since 2011, includes staff exchanges and discussions in the areas of natural gas development, cybersecurity, energy-water nexus, civil nuclear energy, and research and development activities. Secretary Moniz and Minister Steinitz delivered opening remarks in which they highlighted the importance of the dialogue as an opportunity for both the United States and Israel to learn from each other’s experience and to identify key energy priorities.

October 20, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz issues a statement on new leadership at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory: “The Department of Energy welcomes Dr. Martin Keller as the new director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Martin’s track record in building links between the basic sciences and our Nation’s energy challenges will help NREL reinforce its place as the world’s leading laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. I would also like to thank Dr. Dan E. Arvizu for his excellent service of more than 10 years as NREL director. As director, Dan helped to bolster America's research efforts in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and Martin will continue that effort, further advancing America's low-carbon economy. We look forward to seeing the important innovations NREL will put forth in our national interest under this renewal of strong leadership.”

October 20, 2015

President Obama and the DOE honor the exemplary careers of two scientists, Claudio Pellegrini, of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Charles V. Shank, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, with the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award. Established in 1956, the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award is given to individuals to recognize their exceptional scientific, technical, engineering, and/or management achievements that have advanced areas of research and technology related to the broad missions of DOE. The award was named in honor of Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi, who achieved the first nuclear chain reaction in 1942. President Obama met with this year’s winners in the Oval Office to congratulate them on their decades of accomplishments. The awardees were later honored at a ceremony hosted by Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz.

October 21, 2015

The proven success of the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP)–which pushed the limits of modern science and engineering by requiring the transition from explosive nuclear weapons testing to what is effectively virtual nuclear testing–is celebrated at a half-day public event hosted by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), featuring remarks by Secretary Ernest Moniz, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator Lt. Gen. (retired) Frank G. Klotz. 

October 21, 2015

Bloomberg News reports the Energy Department “is offering another $1 billion to companies developing innovative energy systems, Secretary Ernest Moniz will announce Wednesday.” DOE’s loan programs office “now has $4.5 billion available for loan guarantees for renewable energy, up from $4 billion” and “funding for the advanced fossil energy projects initiative has been boosted to $8.5 billion from $8 billion.” In addition, the programs “support energy storage, smart grid technology and methane capture for oil and natural gas wells.”

October 22, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration announces it has awarded more than $11 million in additional funding to its cooperative agreement partners, SHINE Medical Technologies and NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, to accelerate the establishment of new, domestic sources of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) produced without the use of proliferation-sensitive highly enriched uranium (HEU). 

October 22, 2015

The Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Collaborative (EISPC) releases a white paper on “State Approaches to Retention of Nuclear Power Plants” that examines operational, economic, and policy pressure points affecting pressures on the nation’s existing fleet of nuclear generating stations, and suggests options for states concerned about near-term retirement.  Authored by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) and funded by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, the paper notes that states have differing tools available to manage the risks of near-term retirement, including tax incentives, integrated or other resource planning efforts, resource definitions in state portfolios, dispatchable capacity products, carbon pricing, and legislative and regulatory actions. The paper also highlights some of the steps taken in a number of states.

October 22, 2015

The Aiken (SC) Standard reports a “final showdown” to fund the MOX facility “and other items in the federal defense bill was set up Thursday when President Barack Obama vetoed the bill due to higher spending levels.” The bill was sent “to Obama’s desk Tuesday afternoon after passing it earlier in the month.” The legislation “calls for $345 million for continued construction” of the MOX project. But President Obama “threatened to veto the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act...weeks ago because the bill includes a ‘slush fund tactic that’s an irresponsible way to fund our most basic national security priorities,’ said a White House press secretary.”

October 26-29, 2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) host a visit by eight foreign disarmament and nonproliferation experts to demonstrate the technologies and capabilities through which the United States maintains the nuclear weapon stockpile in a non-testing environment. This visit builds on the success of the first visit by NPT Non-Nuclear Weapon State representatives in advance of the NPT Review Conference in May.  Madelyn Creedon, Principal Deputy Administrator for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), was the featured speaker during the visit, and was accompanied by Anita Freidt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and Ambassador Adam Scheinman, Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation.

October 27, 2015

The General Counsel’s enforcement office settles an enforcement action against Friedrich Air Conditioning Company for $1,494,626.25, for the distribution of room air conditioners that failed to meet federal minimum standards for energy efficiency.  Room air conditioners must meet minimum efficiency standards to be sold in the U.S.,a nd manufacturers are responsible for the efficiency of the products that they make and sell. DOE found that Friedrich’s room air conditioner model SQ10N10 consumed more energy than permitted under the applicable standard.  Friedrich ceased manufacturing and distributing the model and has notified purchasers about the product’s noncompliance.

October 27, 2015

Politico reports Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz are hoping to persuade the Senate “to reconsider the nuclear test ban treaty that it rejected in 1999.” A revival of the treaty “would be a huge step toward preventing the emergence of new nuclear weapons states and controlling nuclear outlaws, the two Cabinet members believe.” An “unscripted moment” last Wednesday “in a hallway at the Naval Heritage Center in the shadow of the Capitol demonstrated how much the nuclear pact is on Kerry’s and Moniz’s minds.” After they both spoke to a gathering of nuclear weapons scientists, Kerry told Moniz, “Let’s do it.” Moniz agreed, saying, “Let’s get the conversation going. ... Let’s go to Paris and then we’ll do it.” Politico adds, “But getting the Senate to revisit – let alone ratify – the treaty is set to run into a buzz saw in Congress.” After hearing of the plan, Sen. Tom Cotton “denounced the treaty as ‘flawed and unwise’ and called the duo’s effort ‘almost comical.’”

October 28, 2015

Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Deputy Secretary of Energy, visits DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for a firsthand look at the progress in the recovery of operations at the site and meet with employees and community leaders. The day began with an early breakfast with Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway, other elected officials, and community leaders at the Mayor’s Nuclear Task Force. Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall expressed her appreciation for their support of the WIPP mission and underscored DOE’s enduring commitment to working with the community.

October 29, 2015

The Department's Better Buildings Challenge program recognizes Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. for its leadership in energy efficiency and 38 percent energy savings at its flagship restaurant in Atlanta. As one of the first food service partners to join the Department’s Better Buildings Challenge, Arby’s has committed to 20 percent energy savings over 10 years, across 2.7 million square feet of building space, at company-owned restaurants.

October 30, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz and Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall issue a statement on the National Day of Remembrance Honoring Nuclear Weapons Workers: “Today is a National Day of Remembrance for nuclear weapons and uranium workers and we want to honor this integral part of our workforce at the Department of Energy. From the earliest days of the Manhattan Project, brave and innovative Americans have contributed to our national security and the security of our allies and partners through their work in this important field. They have often gone unrecognized and today is an opportunity to commend them for their extraordinary service. Across our enterprise, we have men and women serving their country and their communities by modernizing our nuclear deterrent and cleaning up the environmental legacy it generated. We are proud of their many accomplishments and know they will continue make the United States stronger and safer and make progress on some of the toughest challenges of our time.”

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November 1, 2015

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Energy Department’s operation to clean up contamination from the nation’s nuclear weapons program is beset by declining budgets and rising cost estimates. Moreover, with 2,700 structures already on its list, officials say more than 350 facilities controlled by other Department programs could be eligible for transfer to the operation, but the program is not taking on additional projects for now regardless of their significance, meaning some the gravest problems could go unaddressed for decades in favor of lower-priority work. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, earlier this year, appointed a working group to examine what is the best way to handle all the buildings that have been contaminated. Mark Gilbertson, a deputy assistant secretary in the Energy Department’s Environmental Management office, said, “We’re making progress on important things.” A video posted on the Wall Street Journal website also covers this story.

November 3, 2015

During his keynote speech at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) 2015 Diversity in STEM Conference, Secretary Ernest Moniz announces a new program to help ‎tribal colleges prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and specifically in advanced manufacturing. Moniz announced that the National Nuclear Security Administration has awarded five tribal colleges $150,000 each to connect them to world class facilities and partnerships. 

November 4, 2016

The fourth meeting of the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation (the Bilateral Commission) is held in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Japan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama leading the discussions as Co-Chairs. The delegations include participants representing a wide range of government agencies. Established at the U.S.-Japan summit held in Washington, D.C., in April 2012, the Bilateral Commission serves as a standing senior-level forum to foster a comprehensive strategic dialogue and joint activities related to the safe and secure use of civil nuclear energy, advancing shared goals in the field of global nuclear nonproliferation and the response to the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

November 5, 2015

A team led by scientists at the Department’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory announce they have combined powerful magnetic pulses with some of the brightest X-rays on the planet to discover a surprising 3-D arrangement of a material’s electrons that appears closely linked to a mysterious phenomenon known as high-temperature superconductivity. This unexpected twist marks an important milestone in the 30-year journey to better understand how materials known as high-temperature superconductors conduct electricity with no resistance at temperatures hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit above those of conventional metal superconductors but still hundreds of degrees below freezing. The study was published today in Science Express.

November 5, 2015

President Obama hosts the 2015 White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference will provide leaders from the 567 federally recognized tribes the opportunity to interact directly with high-level federal government officials and members of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. Each federally recognized tribe is invited to send one representative to attend the event. This will be the seventh White House Tribal Nations Conference for the Obama Administration, and continues to build upon the President’s commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Indian Country and to improve the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives, with an emphasis on increasing opportunity for Native youth.

November 5, 2015

At the White House Tribal Nations Conference, the Department of Energy announces that it will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of the Interior to assist Indian Tribes throughout the United States to develop their energy resources. The MOU will assist Indian Tribes to manage energy resources on approximately 56 million acres of land and natural resources. DOE and Interior will develop and share policies, technical information, strategic plans and best practices in Indian Country in the lower 48 states and Alaska to enhance the reliability and security of the North American energy infrastructure to better serve and create market opportunities for Indian Country. This will include exploring partnerships among DOE’s national laboratories, research institutes and other organizations to promote energy efficiency and clean energy development and deployment in Indian Country.

November 5, 2015

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports the Department of Energy “released a final environmental impact statement declaring that it prefers to partner with a private power company to build a high-voltage wind transmission line through Arkansas.” In addition, the impact statement “says the Energy Department wants to participate with Clean Line Energy Partners LLC in the development of a power-converter station in the state to deliver up to 500 megawatts of power.” The congressional delegation of Arkansas yesterday “sent a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, urging him to postpone issuing the record of decision until he has responded to the issues that delegation members raised in a Sept. 14 letter” which “asked for more information on, among other things, the authority that Clean Line would get from the partnership with the Energy Department and stated concerns on the partnership’s effects on Arkansas and its communities.”

November 6, 2015

DOE reached an agreement with LG Electronics, USA, Inc. (LG) that modifies a prior agreement under which LG had been making annual payments to consumers who had purchased certain models of LG and Kenmore-brand French Door refrigerators.  Under the modified agreement, LG will issue one larger, lump-sum payment to each of the approximately 92,000 customers who are currently receiving annual payments, and will send letters to approximately 48,000 other customers who are potentially eligible for payments. LG also agreed to pay each eligible customer an additional $4.54 above the amount to which the customer was entitled under the original agreement. Potential payments to individual customers range from approximately $28 to $250, depending on the model of refrigerator purchased.

November 6, 2015

E&E Daily reports that the nuclear industry is hoping that a summit at the White House “is the start of a more proactive effort by the Obama administration to put reactors into the U.S. push to meet its international climate change targets.” The summit takes place “as the days tick down to the Nov. 30 start of the U.N. climate conference in Paris aimed at producing a post-2020 emissions agreement.” However, “while administration officials profess that nuclear has a place in the United States’ low-carbon future,” industry supporters “say they have seen little action to boost the source of about two-thirds of the nation’s zero-carbon power.” Paul Dickman of Argonne National Laboratory, a former Nuclear Regulatory Commission official, said the summit should highlight the point that nuclear energy has a key role to play in meeting climate targets. The article adds that Energy Secretary Moniz was not able to speak at the summit because of a “scheduling conflict.”

November 9, 2015

The Office of Environmental Management makes available support materials from the first-ever DOE National Cleanup Workshop. The materials include links to 15 videos that capture addresses by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and DOE Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Monica Regalbuto, along with roundtable sessions focusing on the cleanup program’s next five years and its major accomplishments. The presentations from the roundtable sessions, photos from the workshop, and a workshop attendee list are also available. More than 350 people attended the event — including senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry executives, and other stakeholders — to talk about EM’s progress in the cleanup of the environmental legacy of the nation’s Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear weapons program. The workshop focused on major cleanup successes planned for the next two years, contract and project management improvement, efforts to develop new cleanup technologies, and more.

November 10, 2015

For the first time in U.S. history, high-level waste (HLW) is placed in long-term, outdoor storage. The unprecedented accomplishment occurred in the Office of Environmental Management’s cleanup at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The liquid waste, which had been immobilized in glass in the vitrification process, is being relocated from the site’s Main Plant Process Building to an interim storage pad so pre-demolition activities can take place within the building. Relocation of all HLW at the site is scheduled to be complete in 2018. There will be 55 casks in total relocated to the interim storage pad.

November 10, 2015

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary Ernest Moniz sign a memorandum of agreement establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The agreement directs how the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Energy will work together to preserve, protect, and provide access to the historic resources associated with the Manhattan Project at locations in Oak, Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and the Hanford Site in Washington state. The 2015 National Defense Authorization Act established the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which tells the story of people, events, science and engineering that led to the creation of the atomic bomb, the role these weapons played in World War II and how the role of the United States in global affairs has evolved in the nuclear age. The purpose of the agreement is to identify the facilities and areas under the DOE’s administrative jurisdiction that will initially be included in the park, and to establish a broad framework for the management and interpretation of those facilities and areas. The Atomic City Underground reports that “a bunch of happenings” are slated “this week in Oak Ridge to celebrate the park creation, including ‘special access’ tours at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex — two of the facilities that contributed to the World War II project that developed the first atomic bombs.” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports the agreement “provides for the National Park Service to welcome visitors and develop interpretive services.” The Department of Energy “at Hanford would soldier on with its perpetually-behind-schedule cleanup of the nation’s largest concentration of high-level nuclear waste.” The Chattanoogan (TN) and the Los Alamos (NM) Monitor also provide coverage of the signing ceremony.

November 12, 2015

A new center for advancing computational science and networking at research institutions and universities across the country opens at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Named Shyh Wang Hall, the facility will house the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, or NERSC, one of the world’s leading supercomputing centers for open science which serves nearly 6,000 researchers in the U.S. and abroad. Wang Hall will also be the center of operations for DOE’s Energy Sciences Network, or ESnet, the fastest network dedicated to science, which connects tens of thousands of scientists as they collaborate on solving some of the world’s biggest scientific challenges.

November 13, 2015

The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability releases a report entitled “Bridging the Gaps on Prepaid Utility Service” that examines utilities’ and consumers’ experiences with prepay which is an alternative payment option in which consumers buy a dollar amount of electricity, and utilities deduct energy usage from that balance as it is used. Strong growth of prepay is being driven by key technology and consumer shifts, including the rollout of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and other smart grid technologies, the emergence of the empowered consumer, rising consumer interest in energy conservation, and the increased use of prepay options for other services.

November 13, 2015

At a gala reception in Las Vegas, DOE researchers win 33 of the 100 awards given out this year by R&D Magazine for the most outstanding technology developments with promising commercial potential. The R&D 100 awards, sometimes called the “Oscars of Innovation,” are given annually in recognition of exceptional new products or processes that were developed and introduced into the marketplace during the previous year. To be eligible for an award, the technology or process has to be in working and marketable condition -- no proof of concept prototypes are allowed -- and had to be first available for purchase or licensing during 2014. Since 1962, when the annual competition began, the Energy Department’s National Laboratories have received more than 800 R&D 100 awards. The awards are selected by an independent panel of judges based on the technical significance, uniqueness and usefulness of projects and technologies from across industry, government and academia.

November 18, 2015

The General Counsel’s enforcement office announces it recently resolved enforcement actions against two companies that failed to submit required reports to certify that their commercial refrigeration equipment complies with federal energy conservation standards. DOE assessed civil penalties of $8,000 from both Atosa Catering Equipment, Inc. and RPI Industries, Inc. As part of each settlement, each manufacturer must submit the required certification reports, which include a certification that the equipment has been tested in accordance with the DOE test procedure and that the equipment meets the applicable standard.

November 18, 2015

The General Counsel’s enforcement office announces it recently resolved enforcement actions against two companies that failed to submit required reports to certify that their commercial refrigeration equipment complies with federal energy conservation standards. DOE assessed civil penalties of $8,000 from both Atosa Catering Equipment, Inc. and RPI Industries, Inc.  As part of each settlement, each manufacturer must submit the required certification reports, which include a certification that the equipment has been tested in accordance with the DOE test procedure and that the equipment meets the applicable standard.

November 19, 2015

This week, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change conclude a workshop at Wilton Park, United Kingdom, on the growing challenge of securing the global maritime supply chain.  In total, 55 participants from 15 countries and 9 international organizations participated in the workshop that fulfilled a commitment made by 13 countries at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit. The workshop focused on actionable recommendations and best practices for deterring, detecting, and responding to trafficking of nuclear and radiological material that could be acquired by terrorists through the maritime shipping system. The recommendations reached will be shared as a deliverable to the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit.  

November 20, 2015

In continuing coverage the Albuquerque (NM) Business First reports on Sen. Tom Udall’s updated bill “would make funding for technology transfer from the national labs and other public research institutions to the marketplace a top priority for the U.S. Department of Energy got a second stab at becoming law this week.” The New Mexico Democrat “told Business First that the main thrusts of ATTAIN are to codify and expand the DOE’s latest public-private partnership initiatives, such as the Labs-Corps program, in permanent legislation and distribute capital dollars that mostly go to states like California and Massachusetts, more evenly to underserved regions like New Mexico.” Udall said, “DOE Secretary [Dr. Ernest Moniz] has said tech transfer is an important mission. When legislation sets this up, then you make things permanent.”

November 20, 2015

The Oak Ridger (TN) reports the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources “has approved the nominations of Victoria Wassmer as Under Secretary of the DOE, Cherry Murray as Director of the Office of Science at the DOE, and John Kotek as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy” at the Energy Department. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski “struck a positive note relative to the nominations of Wassmer, Murray and Kotek, remarking that Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz ‘is doing a good job…and deserves to have a team in place to support him.’”

November 23, 2015

The DOE and Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources (MIEW) announce $5.1 million for six newly selected clean energy projects as part of the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy program. The announcement represents the seventh annual selection of BIRD Energy project. The program began in 2009 as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. BIRD Energy has approved 28 projects with a total investment of about $22 million, including the six selected projects announced today, which will leverage private sector cost-share for a total project value of $11.3 million.

November 23, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz announces $125 million across 41 cutting-edge energy technologies awarded by the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). These new projects are funded under ARPA-E’s OPEN 2015 program and come in advance of the COP21 U.N. Climate Negotiations in Paris next week. The announcement was made at D.C. technology incubator 1776 at an event that focused on leveraging America’s top innovators to find technological solutions to combat climate change, enhance security and solve pressing energy challenges around the globe.

November 24, 2015

Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), visits NNSA’s Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) on November 23, as part of a multi-day itinerary that also includes tours of national laboratories overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

November 25, 2015

The Jerusalem Post (ISR) reports that the energy arm of the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation “will be granting $5.1 million to six new American-Israeli ventures” in the renewable energy sector. In addition to the direct funding, the project “will be able to leverage private sector cost sharing for a total project value of $11.3m, the program said.” Secretary Ernest Moniz said the partnership “makes possible collaborative investments that move us closer to rigorous technology breakthroughs” that will be key to “modernizing our energy infrastructure, enhancing our energy security, and mitigating the risks of global climate change.”

November 29, 2015

President Obama and French President Hollande, along with a wide range of other top global leaders, announce Mission Innovation, an initiative to dramatically accelerate public and private global clean energy innovation to address global climate change, provide affordable clean energy to consumers, including in the developing world, and create additional commercial opportunities in clean energy. Through Mission Innovation, 20 countries are committing to double their respective clean energy research and development (R&D) investment over five years. These countries include the top five most populous nations -- China, India, the United States, Indonesia and Brazil. They stretch across five continents. And when you add all partner countries together, they represent 75 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions from electricity, and more than 80 percent of the world’s clean energy R&D investment.

November 30, 2015

Media coverage of the President’s remarks at the UN climate talks in Paris is heavy with all three networks – including the lead story on CBS – and major print and wire outlets offering largely positive reviews. Reports are generally hopeful that the summit may result in a deal, and highlight the urgency in the President’s plea for world leaders to act. For example, the New York Times which calls the talks “the planet’s last, best hope to stave off the worst consequences of climate change,” says that many leaders at Monday’s meeting “remarked upon the urgency of the task – but also upon a new optimism that a successful deal could be closer at hand than ever before, despite significant obstacles in the negotiating days ahead.”

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December 1, 2015

The 85th Lessons Learned Quarterly Report is released, featuring Administration changes in environmental policy to better account for climate change and improve watershed- and landscape-scale planning. 

December 2, 2015

The Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) selects 10 projects to receive funding for research in support of the lab’s program on Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal and Coal Byproducts. The selected research projects will further program goals by focusing on the development of cost-effective and environmentally benign approaches for the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from domestic coal and coal byproducts. The funded projects fall under two subtopic areas: (1) development of bench-scale and (2) pilot-scale technology to economically separate, extract, and concentrate mixed REEs from coal and coal byproducts, including solids and liquids from coal-related operations.

December 2, 2015

E&E Publishing report Bill Gates has joined Secretary Ernest Moniz in lobbying Congress “to sell the plan” to establish a clean energy fund “announced in Paris yesterday by President Obama and spearheaded by Gates, includes a pledge by 19 nations to double clean energy research and development funding to $20 billion, with 28 major companies putting up billions of their own in aid.” According to the article, “Moniz emphasized that Mission Innovation and Breakthrough Energy Coalition are unprecedented efforts in terms of size and approach,” saying, “This is not just more venture capital.”

December 2, 2015

The New Haven (CT) Register reports that Secretary Ernest Moniz last week announced the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) “awarded Proton OnSite a $2.5 million contract to develop a specialized battery capable of generating hydrogen to power fuel cells while also storing energy on the electric grid.”

December 2, 2015

The Wall Street Journal reports that the $305 billion highway bill released by House-Senate conferees Tuesday is a five-year authorization expected to win passage. Among its numerous provisions, TEA-21 authorizes the sale of 66 million barrels of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to raise $6.2 billion. The Hill (12/2, Laing, 654K) that the 1,300 page measure “relies largely on revenue from reducing interest rates paid by the Federal Reserve to large banks, selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve...and increasing fees for customs processing.”

December 3, 2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), along with DOE and NNSA, are recognized as "Climate Champions" by the White House GreenGov Awards program, for the project, "Climate Realities at LANL." The award recognizes LANL, DOE, and NNSA for identifying significant climate-change related impacts at and around LANL and taking steps to integrate the reality of climate change into the Lab's operational and planning processes. 

December 4, 2015

Reuters reports the House on Thursday passed the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act on a 249-174 vote. The bill would repeal the ban on exports of crude oil, as well as speeding the permitting process for liquefied natural gas export facilities. The Hill reported the bill was approved despite “a veto threat from President Obama.” It includes “provisions to speed up the permitting process for pipelines and energy projects,” and “to expand liquefied natural gas exports and hydropower,” as well as measures to increase “energy efficiency and maintain security and reliability of the electricity grid.” Democrats accused Republicans of having “packed the final version with too many provisions they couldn’t support.”

December 4, 2015

The AP reports that the DOE granted $3.5 million to Tibbar Technologies and almost $2.8 million to Pajarito Powder for energy projects. The Albuquerque (NM) Business First reported that Pajarito Powder CEO and Chairman Tom Stephenson stated that the company will complete the final negotiations of the grant and then begin the three-year development phase for the production of new, cheaper electrodes for electrolyzers that will enable the storage of wind and solar power.

December 4, 2015

The Hill reports that chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker and Sen. Ben Cardin sent President Obama a letter outlining a “rigorous program” ensuring that Congress will monitor and oversee the pre-implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal. Corker and Cardin also called for officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, to testify on “implementation day,” projected for mid-2016.

December 7, 2015

Jeff McMahon writes in Forbes that, taking advantage of the “dramatic drop in” LED light fixtures’ costs, the Clean Energy Ministerial seeks to deploy 10 billion of them across the globe, Secretary Ernest Moniz said. He added, “This is really an example of how innovation and cost reduction can lead to deployment, can lead to emissions reductions and can lead, again, to satisfy our social responsibility goals.”

December 8, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz and California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announce that the United States will host the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7) in San Francisco, California in June 2016. The announcement was made at an event in Paris during the COP21 UN Climate Negotiations. The annual meeting of energy ministers and other high-level delegates from the 23 CEM member countries and the European Commission, taking place on June 1-2, will provide an opportunity for the major economies to collaborate on solutions that advance clean energy globally and demonstrate tangible follow-up actions to COP21.

December 9, 2015

The Department announces that Secretary Ernest Moniz, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and the President of the World Bank Group Dr. Jim Yong Kim will serve as keynote speakers for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit, which will be held from Feb. 29 – March 2, 2016 in National Harbor, MD. In addition, other renowned speakers at the Summit will include Xerox Chief Technology Officer Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, BASF Corporation Chairman and CEO Wayne T. Smith, and General Electric Vice Chair Beth Comstock. Additional speakers will be announced as the agenda is finalized.

December 10, 2015

The Department’s Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) program awards a total of $3.9 million to three competitively-selected teams to develop conceptual plans to support the design, cost and schedule for a 10 MWe (megawatts electrical) Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) Brayton Cycle test facility. The awardees selected for funding are Echogen Power Systems in Ohio, the Gas Technology Institute in Illinois, and the Southwest Research Institute in Texas.

December 10, 2015

Reuters reports that Secretary Moniz said yesterday that “small modular reactors,” mini-versions of current nuclear reactors, could solve the industry’s difficulty finding financing for new power plants. Speaking to reporters in Paris at the New York Times Energy for Tomorrow conference, Moniz said, “SMRs could lead to better financing terms, because right now there is a big risk premium if you are going to finance a 1200 megawatt nuclear plant,” adding that he anticipates the first SMR concepts will apply for design certification to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission next year. Moniz noted, “Assuming that goes smoothly, we are talking 2022-2023 as a credible time for having some of those built.”

December 11, 2015

Former New Mexico Gov. and former US Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson asserts in The Hill “Congress Blog” that tackling the climate change crisis is “a moral obligation for all of us,” and opponents of global emissions reduction plans “try to divert our attention and undermine our conviction.” Richardson states that “people will fight by whatever means to get their way,” but their arguments only bolster the need to act swiftly in response to climate change. Richardson adds that the US has a responsibility to lead the world in a global emissions reduction transition to ensure “a healthier, safer and more resilient future.”

December 11, 2015

The Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announces $33 million in funding for 12 innovative projects as part of ARPA-E’s Network Optimized Distributed Energy Systems (NODES) program. NODES project teams will develop technologies that coordinate load and generation on the electric grid to create a virtual energy storage system. The teams will develop innovative hardware and software solutions to integrate and coordinate generation, transmission, and end-use energy systems at various points on the electric grid. These control systems will enable real-time coordination between distributed generation, such as rooftop and community solar assets and bulk power generation, while proactively shaping electric load. This will alleviate periods of costly peak demand, reduce wasted energy, and increase renewables penetration on the grid.

December 11, 2015

Dr. Cherry Murray is confirmed by the Senate on December 10 as the Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. As Director of the Office of Science, Dr. Murray will oversee research in the areas of advanced scientific computing, basic energy sciences, biological and environmental sciences, fusion energy sciences, high energy physics, and nuclear physics. She will have responsibility not only for supporting scientific research, but also for the development, construction, and operation of unique, open-access scientific user facilities. The Office of Science manages 10 of the Department’s 17 National Laboratories.

December 13, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz releases a statement regarding the conclusion of the COP21 climate change negotiations, which begins: “This agreement shows that the world is ready to move towards an innovative era of reductions in heat-trapping emissions that will put us on a path to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and the entire U.S. negotiating team showed leadership, not just at these talks in Paris, but for the months and years of groundwork that was necessary to reach this day. This agreement puts in place a framework to keep global warming below the most dangerous levels. Innovation-driven lower clean energy costs will underpin increased ambition on climate, while enabling life-changing energy services to the poor and enhanced global energy security.”

December 13, 2015

Secretary of State Kerry makes the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows to defend the climate deal reached Saturday in Paris. Media reports widely note Republican opposition to the deal, which Bloomberg Politics notes “includes no mechanism that would force countries to cut pollution,” but does require every nation to report emissions. On ABC’s “This Week,” Kerry said, “There is a uniform standard of transparency and therefore, we will know what everybody is doing. The result will be a very clear signal to the marketplace of the world that people are moving into low-carbon, no-carbon, alternative, renewable energy.”

December 14, 2015

Secretary Ernest Moniz tells the CNBC program “On The Money” that even with climate the deal, “We recognize fossil fuels will continue to be a part of the portfolio for quite a long time” but that “almost every country in the world...declared their targets to cut down on (greenhouse gas) emissions, pretty substantially.” In the US, “alternative energy sources, including wind and solar power, currently generate about 10 percent” but Moniz “thinks those figures are poised to ‘far exceed’ those levels soon.” Moniz said, “Wind energy has gone up by several fold just in the last five to six years...and now (wind) provides about 4.5 percent of our electricity. You add that with solar, we’re talking 5 percent.”

December 15, 2015

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s public release of more than 35,000 files with detailed information about important microbes promises help scientists study the entire "tree of life." These files describe more than 100 microbial species, including many environmental strains and human pathogens. The scientists hope to promote wider use of this important resource. The dataset PNNL made available comes from hundreds of collaborative projects. Scientists packaged the data from these projects in the PNNL Biodiversity Library in multiple ways to help other researchers from different disciplines access the information. 

December 16, 2015

Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley announce they have demonstrated that diamonds may hold the key to the future for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies. In a study led by Alexander Pines, a senior faculty scientist with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division and UC Berkeley’s Glenn T. Seaborg Professor of Chemistry, researchers recorded the first bulk room-temperature NMR hyperpolarization ​of carbon-13 nuclei in diamond in situ at arbitrary magnetic fields and crystal orientations. The signal of the hyperpolarized carbon-13 spins showed an enhancement of NMR/MRI signal sensitivity by many orders of magnitude above what is ordinarily possible with conventional NMR/MRI magnets at room temperature. Furthermore, this hyperpolarization was achieved with microwaves, rather than relying on precise magnetic fields for hyperpolarization transfer.

December 17, 2015

The Department announces historic new efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces. Developed with industry, utilities, and environmental groups, these standards will save more energy than any other standard issued by the Department to date. Over the lifetime of the products, businesses will save $167 billion on their utility bills and carbon pollution will be reduced by 885 million metric tons. During the Obama administration, the Department has finalized new efficiency standards for more than 40 household and commercial products, including commercial refrigeration equipment, electric motors, and fluorescent lamps, which will save consumers nearly $535 billion and cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 2 billion metric tons through 2030. This announcement brings the Energy Department more than two-thirds of the way to achieving the goal of reducing carbon pollution by 3 billion metric tons through standards set in the President’s first and second terms. This is equivalent to cutting more than a year’s carbon pollution from the entire U.S. electricity system.

December 17, 2015

The DOE announces that the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University is joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) to support implementation of the DOE-led U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program to advance women’s participation and leadership in clean energy. Women represent substantially less than half of the workforce across the energy field; closing the gender gap is a major goal of C3E. The new collaboration with the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy will broaden the geographic reach of the U.S. C3E program and help further raise awareness of C3E and women’s leadership in the energy sector.

December 21, 2015

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports on the spending bill Congress approved December 18. In an interview on December 17 ahead of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid “pointed gleefully to the fact that no additional funding was included [for DOE’s Yucca Mountain program] in the final package that emerged.”

December 22, 2015

E&E Publishing reports opponents of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan “are preparing to attack the Obama administration on a host of legal fronts as the court battle over the embattled rule gets underway.” They will argue that the EPA “illegally issued duplicative rules for coal-fired power plants; the rule infringes on states’ rights; the agency intrudes on federal energy regulators’ turf; and EPA doesn’t have the authority to force states to transform their energy systems to favor certain sources of electricity.” EPA and its supporters in the lawsuit, “have long insisted that the rule will withstand the court’s scrutiny.”

December 22, 2015

Reuters reports that a new study by NASA and the National Science foundation has found that lakes around the world are rapidly warming because of climate change. The study, published Dec. 16 in Geophysical Research Letters, used 25 years worth of satellite temperature data and ground measurements from 235 lakes across the globe, finding that the lakes are warming at an average of 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit each decade. Sam Hook, the Science Division Manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-author of the study, said this warming could lead to 20 percent increases in algae blooms, which would restrict human ability to use the water for drinking purposes, among other things.

December 22, 2015

The New York Times reports that Volkswagen executive Wolfgang Hatz, who oversaw engine development, who was among the first employees suspended when the emissions scandal broke, is playing a “pivotal” role in investigations of the company’s decision-making. During his tenure, Hatz battled with the state of California and frequently spoke out about the difficulties of meeting regulations in the American market, according to examination of statements on public record. Hatz’ role in engine development raises questions on whether he or his superiors were aware of the cheating.

December 22, 2015

In continuing coverage the Aiken (SC) Standard reports the Energy Department “has officially started searching for states and communities interested in housing the nation’s nuclear spent fuel.” The move “would officially reverse the controversial Yucca Mountain project, which was expected to house defense and commercial materials and remove waste from sites around the nation, including the Savannah River Site and four nuclear power plants in South Carolina.” An announcement on Monday from Franklin Orr, the Under Secretary for science and energy, “states that the consent-based approach would need a pilot interim storage facility, a larger interim storage facility and long-term geologic repositories.” Orr said, “To support each of these elements of an integrated waste management system, the strategy also emphasizes the importance of a consent-based approach to siting waste storage and disposal facilities throughout the decision making process.”

December 22, 2015

The Department announces that first U.S. production in nearly 30 years of a specialized fuel to power future deep space missions has been completed by researchers at the Department of Energy‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. The production of 50 grams of plutonium-238 –roughly the mass of a golf ball – marks the first demonstration in the United States since the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina ceased production in the late 1980s. Radioisotope power systems convert heat from the natural radioactive decay of the isotope plutonium-238 into electricity. These systems have been used to power the exploration of the solar system and beyond, from the Viking missions on Mars, to the Voyager spacecraft entering interplanetary space, and most recently powering the Curiosity Mars Rover and the New Horizons spacecraft sailing past Pluto.

December 23, 2015

The Office of Environmental Management releases its 2015 Year-in-Review highlighting the wide array of work performed in the cleanup program this year. The Year-in-Review features detailed major accomplishments achieved at each EM site, as well as EM headquarters, including: decontamination and demolition of facilities and waste sites along the Columbia River Corridor at the Hanford Site; continuing progress on building the Salt Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site, now over 90 percent complete; completing demolition of a former uranium enrichment process building at Oak Ridge; and standing up a new field office to help strengthen the legacy cleanup under way at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A PDF of the full 2015 EM Year-in-Review, including graphics and photos, can be accessed here.

December 23, 2015

At the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), researchers led by associate research physicist Clayton Myers identify a mechanism that may halt eruptions before they leave the sun. The finding, reported in the December 24-31 issue of Nature magazine, provides a potentially important way to distinguish the start of explosions from buildups that will fail. This work was supported by the DOE Office of Science.

December 29, 2015

The Osage Nation (OK) celebrates the opening of two state-of-the-art tribal government buildings designed with energy efficiency, comfort, and cost savings in mind. The buildings incorporate daylighting, energy-efficient windows, geothermal heat pumps, fans, and other environmentally friendly design features that optimize the use of natural light, moderate heating and cooling, and reduce electricity consumption and costs.

December 29, 2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration releases “NNSA Achievements: 2015 By the Numbers,” a report highlighting major accomplishments and milestones reached during the course of the year by the Nuclear Security Enterprise and its workforce to make the nation safer and more secure. The achievements reach across NNSA’s core mission pillars: to maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent; to prevent, counter and respond to the threats of nuclear proliferation and terrorism worldwide; and to provide naval nuclear propulsion.

December 29, 2015

Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Washington create a new material that quickly separates electrons and their holes, providing a key insight for solar fuel production. To create a material where the electrons and holes are forced to separate, the team produced an artificial crystal structure called a superlattice. The ability of these superlattice stacks to separate electrons and holes was first predicted in 2000 by Kaspar's colleague Dr. Scott Chambers, but no practical applications were envisioned at the time. Further study led to an understanding of the interfacial properties between the hematite and chromium oxide layers. This work proved relevant to the recent interest in using hematite to produce solar fuels, prompting Kaspar and colleagues to create and test the superlattice stacks. 

December 30, 2015

The DOE releases a video of highlights from the past year.  Major events covered include two major international agreements: the historic nuclear deal that blocks Iran’s four pathways to a nuclear bomb, and the COP21 climate agreement--a major milestone in the fight against climate change; carbon capture and storage projects that removed their 10 millionth metric ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; work from the National Labs, where employees were awarded 33 of the 100 prestigious R&D 100 awards; sale of land that caused the Teapot Dome scandal 93 years ago; the 20-year anniversary of the stockpile stewardship program; an agreement on three sites for the Manhattan Project National Historic Park; and the announcement of the first U.S. production in nearly 30 years of a specialized fuel to power future deep space missions.

December 31, 2015

In its look ahead at 2016 research trends, Science Magazine reports a positive outlook for DOE labs. From 2009 to 2013, former Energy Secretary Steven Chu “tried to reinvent how the Department of Energy addresses energy science by developing ‘hubs,’ Bell Labs–like centers designed to tackle specific problems.” The article reports current Secretary Ernest Moniz “has kept existing hubs but has focused on optimizing the performance of DOE’s 16 national labs.”

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