Latest Department of Energy Stories

A climate tax corresponding to €60/ton CO2eq on meat and milk could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from European agriculture by around seven per cent. If the land made available is used for bioenergy production, the decrease in emissions can be six times greater. This is shown by the researchers Kristina Mohlin, Stefan Wirsenius and Fredrik Hedenus, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in an article published in the scientific journal Climatic Change.Kristina Mohlin is a PhD student at...

KNOXVILLE/OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With an estimated $10 billion of projects on the horizon, the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley® finds itself at the epicenter of a rebirth of nuclear power research and construction. "Companies are expanding their presence here, others are establishing one," said Jesse Smith, director of technology for the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley regional economic development group. Smith points to several recent...

New work will help researchers refine atmospheric weather, climate modelsThe fresh scent of pine has helped atmospheric scientists find missing sources of organic molecules in the air -- which, it could well turn out, aren't missing after all. In work appearing in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition Online, researchers examined what particles containing compounds such as those given off by pine trees look like and how quickly they evaporate. They found...

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepco Energy Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM) and a leader in energy savings performance contracting, has reached agreement to design and construct a $2.3 million photovoltaic (PV) project for the Department of Energy at the Germantown, Maryland, campus. The project will be implemented under the U.S. General Services Administration's Utility Energy Services Contract (UESC) with Pepco. The 10-month construction...

BASF today announced that it has honored six U.S. builders for their exceptional achievements in high- performance building at the Third Annual BASF Builders Challenge Awards. The ceremony was held during the 2011 International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida on January 13, 2011. Florham Park, NJ (PRWEB) January 18, 2011 BASF today announced that it has honored six U.S. builders for their exceptional achievements in high- performance building at the Third Annual BASF Builders Challenge...

Nationally-recognized energy expert to lead MRI in making global impact on energy and environment KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Midwest Research Institute (MRI), one of the nation's leading independent engineering and research organizations, with more than 65 years of experience in scientific/engineering technical services, has named David A. Brockman as Chief Energy Advisor. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110114/DC30495) Brockman will be...

Federal Tax Credits Provide Additional Relief WASHINGTON Jan. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Winter's chill pervades much of the nation, and escalating gas prices are putting their own chill down the spines of U.S. consumers. But until the spring thaw arrives, simple energy-efficiency steps at home and on the road - potentially supplemented by federal income tax credits for specific energy-efficiency home improvements - can take the sting out of high energy bills, says the Alliance to...

December is a time for twinkling lights, and scientists at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility are delivering. They've just produced a long-sought, rare color of laser light 100 times brighter than that generated anywhere else.The light was produced by Jefferson Lab's Free-Electron Laser facility. The laser delivered vacuum ultraviolet light in the form of 10 eV photons (a wavelength of 124 nanometers). This color of light is called vacuum ultraviolet...

Study gathers comprehensive wind info to improve renewable energyMeteorological equipment typically used to monitor storms could help power grid operators know when to expect winds that will send turbine blades spinning, as well as help them avoid the sudden stress that spinning turbines could put on the electrical grid."We know that the wind will blow, but the real challenge is to know when and how much," said atmospheric scientist Larry Berg. "This project takes an...

Locke Island is a small island in a bend of the Columbia River in eastern Washington that plays a special role in the culture of the local Indian tribes. Since the 1970s, however, it has been eroding away at a rate that has alarmed tribal leaders.The island is part of the Hanford Reservation, which is managed by the Department of Energy.So the DOE has turned to a team of researchers headed by David Furbish, professor of earth and environmental sciences (E&ES) at Vanderbilt, to study the...