When Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S decided to build a multi-rotor wind turbine, it used a hardware emulation system developed by Sandia National Laboratories to create, configure, and test the controls system. Instead of relying on ever larger turbines to increase energy production and reduce the cost of energy, Vestas designed an [...]
Hearing of a current-voltage (IV) sweep (or tracing) product made by a small start-up company, Sandia contacted Stratasense to discuss its compact product that had three features for studying photovoltaic (PV) performance: (1) it was rated for mounting outdoors at the PV module, (2) it was self-powered, and (3) it wirelessly reported the IV sweep [...]
A team from Sandia’s Wind Energy Technologies department recently briefed Lieutenant General Frank Klotz, the DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator for the NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration). The briefing covered Sandia’s offshore wind research and development, the leveraging of Sandia’s nuclear weapons capabilities to address wind energy challenges, and a summary of [...]
As reported on the PV Performance Modeling Collaborative (PVPMC), Sandia Labs is leading a three-year research project to study bifacial photovoltaic technology and performance. The project is sponsored by SunShot, a U.S. Department of Energy program. Conventional PV cells convert light hitting the front side of the cell to electricity. With a few extra processing steps, [...]
On October 15th, Carol Adkins (Director of Sandia’s Energy Technologies & Systems Solutions Center, Program Area Director for Renewable Systems & Energy Infrastructure), was honored, as one of seven distinguished University of New Mexico (UNM) alumni recognized this year, for her significant impact on UNM’s School of Engineering. The award is the school’s highest recognition for [...]
New Mexico Governor Martinez and Energy, Minerals, & Natural Resources Department Secretary Martin released the New Mexico Energy Policy and Implementation Plan in mid-September. New Mexico is one of the most energy-rich and energy-diverse states in the nation. Southeast and northwest New Mexico produce large amounts of oil and natural gas. These industries provide much [...]
The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) and Sandia have signed an MOU to implement electrical energy storage systems (ESSs) in renewable-energy projects at their Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park. Aquion Energy battery module installed at NELHA. Hawaii’s innovative green economic development park plays a significant role in Hawaii’s growth [...]
The SWiFT facility comprises three heavily instrumented and modified variable-speed, variable-pitch Vestas V27 turbines and two 60 m anemometer towers, with the first two turbines spaced three diameters apart, perpendicular to the prevailing oncoming wind, and the third turbine five diameters downwind (the turbines form a three, five-, six-rotor-diameter-length triangle). Two turbines are funded [...]
Pete Devlin, of the Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technology Office, cut the ribbon to initiate the Maritime Hydrogen Fuel Cell project to test a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered generator at Young Brothers Ltd.’s Port of Honolulu facility. Left to right: Mark Glick, Hawaii State Energy Office, Glenn Hong, Young Brothers Ltd., Pete Devlin, John Quinn, US [...]
Sandia’s Energy Program has won two awards from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer’s (FLC’s) Far West Region for its work to develop and commercialize innovative technologies. The FLC is a nationwide network of ~300 federal laboratories and centers that provides a forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking laboratory mission technologies and [...]
