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Hood Whitson, chief executive officer of Element3, and Cynthia Jenks, associate laboratory director for the Physical Sciences Directorate, shake hands during the Element3 licensing event at ORNL on May 3, 2024. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

A collection of seven technologies for lithium recovery developed by scientists from ORNL has been licensed to Element3, a Texas-based company focused on extracting lithium from wastewater produced by oil and gas production. 

A newly completed tunnel section will provide the turning and connecting point for the Spallation Neutron Source particle accelerator and the planned Second Target Station. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The new section of tunnel will provide the turning and connecting point for the accelerator beamline between the existing particle accelerator at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source and the planned Second Target Station, or STS. When complete, the PPU project will increase accelerator power up to 2.8 megawatts from its current record-breaking 1.7 megawatts of beam power.

: Quantity of CCR and, if applicable, water held in the unit as of 2020/2021.

ORNL scientists contributed to a DOE technical study that found transitioning coal plants to nuclear power plants would create high-paying jobs at the converted plants and hundreds of new jobs locally. 

The AI for Energy Report provides a framework for using AI to accelerate decarbonization of the U.S. economy. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory

Groundbreaking report provides ambitious framework for accelerating clean energy deployment while minimizing risks and costs in the face of climate change.

The transportation and industrial sectors together account for more than 50% of the country’s carbon footprint. Defossilization could help reduce new emissions from these and other difficult-to-electrify segments of the U.S. economy.

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and six other Department of Energy national laboratories have developed a United States-based perspective for achieving net-zero carbon emissions. 

ORNL researchers modeled how hurricane cloud cover would affect solar energy generation as a storm followed 10 possible trajectories over the Caribbean and Southern U.S. Credit: Andy Sproles/ ORNL,U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL researchers modeled how hurricane cloud cover would affect solar energy generation as a storm followed 10 possible trajectories over the Caribbean and Southern U.S.

Shift Thermal co-founders Mitchell Ishamel, left, and Levon Atoyan stand in front of one of the company’s ice thermal energy storage modules, which will be submitted to independent measurement and validation testing in May. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Shift Thermal, a member of Innovation Crossroads’ first cohort of fellows, is commercializing advanced ice thermal energy storage for HVAC, shifting the cooling process to be more sustainable, cost-effective and resilient. Shift Thermal wants to enable a lower-cost, more-efficient thermal energy storage method to provide long-duration resilient cooling when the electric grid is down. 

DOE national laboratory scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed the first tree dataset of its kind, bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes. Credit: Andy Sproles, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy

A first-ever dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes has been released by a team of DOE scientists led by ORNL. The project aims to inform research regarding how natural systems function, their vulnerability to a changing climate and ultimately how plants might be engineered for better performance as sources of bioenergy and natural carbon storage.

ORNL researchers are developing algorithms and multilayered communication and control systems that make electric vehicle chargers operate more reliably, even if there is a voltage drop or disturbance in the electric grid. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, US Dept. of Energy

ORNL researchers are working to make EV charging more resilient by developing algorithms to deal with both internal and external triggers of charger failure. This will help charging stations remain available to traveling EV drivers, reducing range anxiety.

Jens Dilling has been named associate laboratory director for the Neutron Sciences Directorate at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, effective April 1.

Jens Dilling has been named associate laboratory director for the Neutron Sciences Directorate at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, effective April 1.