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“We’ve Got the Power”: Sandia technology test delivers electricity to the grid
August 9, 2022 • First test of cutting-edge Brayton cycle technology put power into local grid For the first time, Sandia National Laboratories researchers delivered electricity produced by a new power-generating system to the Sandia-Kirtland Air Force Base electrical grid. The system uses heated supercritical carbon dioxide instead of steam to generate electricity and...
"Two men stand before a cabinet of power system controllers"

Photovoltaic panels catch the sun despite the snow
July 20, 2022 • Alaska trials of icephobic coating show 85% increase in energy output A Sandia-led research team has developed a transparent, polymeric-based coating that helps photovoltaic panels continuously shed snow and ice. Early field trials in Alaska demonstrated that coated panels can produce 85% more energy, compared to uncoated panels. Preliminary data...

Using the power of the sun to roast green chile
July 7, 2022 • Greener approach to a New Mexican staple opens possibilities for sustainable food roasting Sandia National Laboratories engineer Kenneth Armijo, who grew up on a chile farm in Sabinal, located between Albuquerque and Socorro, New Mexico, thought there was a “greener” way to roast green chile. The results of his experiments...

Exploring explosives for expanding geothermal energy
June 23, 2022 • Sandia researchers test explosives and propellants to create geothermal power sites Why are scientists setting off small-scale explosions inside 1-foot cubes of plexiglass? They’re watching how fractures form and grow in a rock-like substance to see if explosives or propellants, similar to jet fuel, can connect geothermal wells in a...
Technicians and students examine a plexiglass cube fractured by a small explosion

Sandia’s concentrating solar quarterly seminar addresses challenges associated with surfaces at high temperatures
June 22, 2022 • Sandia National Laboratories’ Concentrating Solar Power Program will present its third quarterly concentrating solar seminar, “Textured Surfaces for Applications in Concentrating Solar Power,” on June 23, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. MDT. Professor Ranga Pitchumani, of the Advanced Materials and Technologies Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering...

WEC-Sim v5.0 recently released
June 21, 2022 • Building on an R&D 100 award to include major code overhauls and an updated PTO-Sim library, WEC-Sim v5.0 has been released. The open-source code for simulating wave energy converters was developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK, with the ability to model devices that are comprised of rigid bodies, joints, power take-off systems, and...
Image of WEC device specification, relevant numerical methods, WEC performance , motions and loads

Sandia to host Deployable Wind Power for Defense and Disaster Response Workshop on June 17th
June 13, 2022 • Sandia National Laboratories, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and the University of Dayton Research Institute will present the Deployable Wind Power for Defense and Disaster Response Workshop on June 17, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Stakeholders from the defense and disaster response communities are invited to attend to...

Powering the moon: Sandia researchers design microgrid for future lunar base
May 17, 2022 • Reliable, resilient microgrid to sustain astronauts, mining and fuel processing Sandia National Laboratories is well-known for designing reliable and resilient microgrids for military bases and vital city services. Now, Sandia researchers are working with NASA to design one for the moon. This is not the first time Sandia has partnered...
An artistic rendering of what a resilient microgrid for a lunar base camp might look like. Sandia National Laboratories engineers are working with NASA to design the system controller for the microgrid. (Illustration by Eric Lundin)

Chemist honored for ‘major impacts’ in physical chemistry
May 11, 2022 • Chemist Krupa Ramasesha has received a competitive award for her major contributions to the field of physical chemistry, in only her seventh year at Sandia. Ramasesha, who works in gas phase chemical physics at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia/California and began as a postdoc in 2015, is one of...
Chemist Krupa Ramasesha

Center of collaboration
April 28, 2022 • It may not be common knowledge within Sandia that the Labs are home to the Plasma Research Facility, but those who study plasma around the nation and the world are not only acutely aware, they are also coming in great numbers to perform experiments and work with the experts. “There are...
From left, Malik Tahiyat, from University of South Carolina, and Sandia scientists Dirk van den Bekerom, Erxiong Huang, and Jonathan Frank are all performing experiments in the Plasma Research Facility. Photo by Angie Zhang

Family-friendly Earth Day virtual event
April 20, 2022 • Sandia is partnering with national laboratories across the country to host a ‘Sunrise to Sunset’ Earth Day celebration on April 22. The day-long event will feature science-based, educational activities for kids K-12. At 11:30AM (MST) Sandia’s Kenny Armijo will provide a tour of the National Solar Thermal Test Facility and...

International collaboration compares geologic repository assessment tools
April 18, 2022 • Sandia software supports assessment of future spent nuclear fuel disposal Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and partner national laboratories will compare their Geologic Disposal Safety Assessment software framework to the safety assessment software of international peers at a late-April workshop. The Sandia-led Geologic Disposal Safety Assessment framework is a computer...
Sandia National Laboratories engineers discuss recent results from their Geologic Disposal Safety Assessment software framework

Researcher makes the most of Sandia’s educational opportunities
April 13, 2022 • Sandia Water Power program researcher Chris Chartrand recently completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering thanks to educational opportunities offered through Sandia National Laboratories’ University Education Programs. Sandia offers these benefits to build the professional capabilities of the Laboratories’ employees and designs individual programs to support special technical talent acquisition, workforce...

Record-Breaking, Ultrafast Devices Step to Protecting the Grid from EMPs
April 6, 2022 • New Sandia diode can shunt excess electricity in a few billionths of a second Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories have announced a tiny, electronic device that can shunt excess electricity within a few billionths of a second while operating at a record-breaking 6,400 volts — a significant step towards protecting...
Two Sandia engineers examine a wafer will an array of diodes

WPTO releases 2020-2021 Accomplishments Report, highlights Sandia water power technologies contributions
April 4, 2022 • The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) recently released its 2020-2021 Accomplishments Report. The compilation includes achievements from Sandia National Laboratories’ Water Power Technologies program over the past year, while working alongside its National Lab partners, and other collaborators: SWEPT facility hosts AquaHarmonics power take-off system testing. The first test by an...
Waves crashings against the beach

Sandia solar facilities to host American Solar Energy Society conference tour
March 25, 2022 • The 51st Annual National Solar Conference will be held June 21-24, 2022, in Albuquerque, NM, at the University of New Mexico campus and online. Hosted by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and the New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA) this year’s technical sessions will include topics such as: Grid...

Hydrogen workshop assembles research community
March 21, 2022 • University faculty and staff from national laboratories convened last week to identify opportunities for collaborative research in critical, thematic areas related to hydrogen. During a technical workshop hosted March 9th by the Northern Rio Grande Corridor Collaborative (NRGCC), attendees held discussions focused on challenges, opportunities, and the research needed to...

Sandia researcher contributes to Wind report published by National Academy of Sciences
March 18, 2022 • The National Academy of Sciences recently published the new report, “Wind Turbine Generator Impacts to Marine Vessel Radar,” co-written by Sandia wind energy researcher Ben Karlson. While wind energy development is expected to grow along the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf and expand into the Gulf of Mexico and the...

Safer, more powerful batteries for electric cars, power grid
March 15, 2022 • Solid-state batteries with little liquid electrolyte are safer than lithium-ion batteries Solid-state batteries, currently used in small electronic devices like smart watches, have the potential to be safer and more powerful than lithium-ion batteries for things such as electric cars and storing energy from solar panels for later use. However,...
Sandia National Laboratories engineers, examine a lithium-ion battery in front of a specially designed battery testing chamber.

Sandia to Host Discussion of Progress in Fusion Energy
March 14, 2022 • What is fusion energy? Why are we hearing more about it recently? Could fusion energy change the world? Sandia invites the public to learn more about these and other questions related to fusion energy startups and technological innovations on March 29, 2022, 10-11:00 a.m. MDT on Microsoft Teams. This virtual...
PHOTO: The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a collaborative nuclear fusion research and engineering project aiming to build the world’s largest magnetic fusion device, also known as a tokamak, in southern France. CREDIT: ITER Organization

Black engineer awards distinguish Sandia Labs
March 9, 2022 • Expertise in advanced modeling and performance shines through Ten Sandia National Laboratories engineers received Black Engineer of the Year Awards this year, including Most Promising Scientist in Government, Research Leadership, Science Spectrum Trailblazers and Modern-Day Technology Leaders. Honorees include Sandia mechanical, electrical, civil, aerospace and aeronautical engineers who excel in...

Women @ Energy blog features Sandia director
March 7, 2022 • Amy Halloran featured on DOE STEM Rising website Amy Halloran became the director of nuclear fuel cycle and grid modernization for Sandia in 2021. Her team works in diverse areas of research, from ensuring the electric grid can handle renewable energy sources to enhancing the safety of nuclear energy to...
Results 126–150 of 162