US Department of Energy

Physicists develop polymer with tunable colours

y inserting platinum atoms into an organic semiconductor physicists were able to "tune" the plastic-like polymer to emit light of different colors - a step toward more efficient, less expensive and truly white organic LEDs for light bulbs of the future.

New method for harvesting energy from light

Researchers have demonstrated a new mechanism for extracting energy from light, a finding that could improve technologies for generating electricity from solar energy and lead to more efficient optoelectronic devices used in communications.

New device tests for internal short circuit in lithium ion batteries

NREL has developed a device to test one of the most challenging failure mechanisms of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries - a battery internal short circuit.

Just add water: possible key to energy storage for electric vehicles

A water-based, flow battery capable of more than just traditional, stationary energy storage.

Shedding new light on the 'electron highways' of organic solar cells

Sunlight absorbed by organic solar cells must first navigate a nanoscale gauntlet before becoming useable electricity.

Energy Department releases updated eGallon prices

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has highlighted the continued growth of electric vehicle sales - doubling in the first 6 months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012 - as the Energy Department released its most recent pricing data showing the low cost of fueling on electricity.

Paper thin e-skin responds to touch

A research team has created the first user-interactive sensor network on flexible plastic.

New flow battery for cheaper energy storage

MIT researchers have engineered a new rechargeable flow battery that doesn't rely on expensive membranes to generate and store electricity.

Solar powered unmanned aircraft continuous flight for over 9 hours

Solar material like that used in the development of the solar Puma AE incorporates a thin, mobile power technology on a flexible substrate that has been independently certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as world-records for both single (28.8%) and dual (30.8%) junction solar cells.

Energy Dept partners with EU on electric vehicle, smart grid

The Energy Department has launched a new center that will work to ensure that vehicles, charging stations, communications and networking systems work in unison with the electric grid.

Self-healing solar cells channel natural processes

Creating solar cell devices with channels that mimic organic vascular systems can effectively reinvigorate solar cells whose performance deteriorates due to degradation by the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Quest for inexpensive, durable electronics and solar cells

Electronic touch pads that cost just a few dollars and solar cells that cost the same as roof shingles are one step closer to reality today.

Advanced wind monitoring system

The Fishermen's Wind Sentinel is a suite of environmental monitoring sensors which are installed on a buoy platform called the NOMAD.

Innovators partner to develop wireless vehicle charging technology

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and the S.C. Technology Aviation Center (SCTAC) have contracted with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support a three-year program to develop and test wireless charging systems for electrical vehicles.

Printing innovations allow 10-fold improvement in organic electronics

Through innovations to a printing process, researchers have made major improvements to organic electronics—a technology in demand for lightweight, low-cost solar cells, flexible electronic displays and tiny sensors.

Quantum Materials' tetrapod quantum dots break Kasha's Rule

Since 1950, Kasha's Rule 1, a principle of photochemistry, held true that if a source of light excited a molecule enough, the molecule would fluoresce in a single color.

New all-solid sulfur-based battery outperforms lithium-ion technology

Scientists have designed and tested an all-solid lithium-sulfur battery with approximately four times the energy density of conventional lithium-ion technologies that power today's electronics.

ALABC UltraBattery hybrid surpasses 100,000 miles of fleet duty

Three years ago, the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) was asked to demonstrate the durability of lead-carbon batteries in the high-rate, partial state-of-charge operation of a hybrid electric vehicle.

World's first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine

The us Energy Department recognized the nation's first grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Castine, Maine. Led by the University of Maine, this project represents the first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine to be deployed in the world.