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Post, September 8, 2025 • Findings shed light on the mechanisms of zinc passivation, a critical factor affecting the performance of zinc battery systems Rechargeable alkaline zinc batteries are a promising technology for large-scale stationary energy storage due to their high energy density, as well as their use of abundant and inexpensive raw materials. New...

Post, April 13, 2026 • On January 20, 2026, Sandia researchers Niranjan Bhujel and Ujjwol Tamrakar published the chapter titled "Optimization Framework for Frequency and Parameter Estimation in Low-Inertia Power Systems for Fast-Frequency Support" in the book "Power System Inertia, Strength, and RoCoF.” The chapter is based on the work performed by Niranjan Bhujel and...

Post, August 10, 2026 • A panel session at the 2026 Battery Council International Convention, titled “Consortium Applied R&D Programs (SAGE/Zn/OE960/OE961),” convened representatives from national laboratories and industry to discuss how consortiums’ research bridges the gap between R&D and commercial deployment. Sandia’s Timothy Lambert, distinguished member of the technical staff and Sandia’s energy storage materials...

Post, August 10, 2026 • On May 5, 2026, Will McNamara from Sandia National Laboratories spoke on a panel at the Battery Council International (BCI) convention in Nashville, TN. The panel focused on battery suppliers and what they need to know about data centers. McNamara shared insights on policies, operations, and interconnection challenges affecting data...

Post, April 4, 2026 • Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories, Loraine Torres-Castro, Nathan Johnson, and Alex Bates, filed a patent application titled “Method for Scaled Thermal Evaluation of Batteries and Related Materials.” The application (No. 19/416,660) was filed on December 11, 2025. The invention introduces a methodology for evaluating the thermal behavior and safety characteristics of batteries and related...

Post, June 12, 2024 • Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) hosted the 2024 Energy Storage Safety & Reliability Forum on May 14-16 at Discovery Hall on the PNNL campus. The event provided about 200 guests the opportunity to learn about the latest developments, share lessons learned and best practices, and discuss the ongoing challenged of...

Post, September 3, 2026 • On June 18, 2026, Ujjwol Tamrakar delivered an invited presentation titled “High-Fidelity Testing and Validation of Energy Storage Controls” at the Energy Institute at Colorado State University. Energy storage is a rapidly developing technology that plays a growing role in meeting evolving energy needs. However, bringing an energy storage system...

Post, May 1, 2026 • On March 26, Sandia researcher Oindrilla Dutta presented at an industry session at the 41st IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC). The presentation focused on grid-forming battery systems. These systems can provide significant benefits to the grid by mitigating transients, enabling black start, offering fault ride through, and...

Post, August 10, 2026 • Over one-hundred thirty attendees from research organizations, government agencies, manufacturers, utilities, and first responders met in Albuquerque, NM, for the tenth annual Energy Storage Systems Safety & Reliability Forum. Sponsored by the Office of Electricity Energy Storage Division, the event offered battery safety tutorials, panel sessions, and technical posters. Speakers...

Post, April 13, 2026 • On January 5, 2026, Dilip Pandit and a team of researchers at Sandia National Laboratories released a Python-based open source software tool called QuESt PCM: A Production Cost Modeling Tool with High-Fidelity Models of Energy Storage Systems, now available on GitHub. This tool is designed for evaluating power system operations...

Post, June 25, 2024 • Led by Sandia grid energy storage researcher David Rosewater, the Energy Facilities Contractors Group (EFCOG) and the IEEE Energy Storage and Stationary Battery (ESSB) committee collaborated to submit public comments for the next edition of NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. These public inputs, submitted on June...

Post, April 13, 2026 • The online monitoring of battery energy storage systems (ESSs) is crucial to detecting sensor anomalies that could have detrimental impacts on the system’s safety, reliability, and availability. Model-based anomaly detection mechanisms could be integrated into battery management systems (BMSs) with modeling and estimation capabilities. However, previous model-based anomaly detection mechanisms...

Post, April 13, 2026 • Niranjan Bhujel presented about the effect of battery management systems (BMSs) on grid service provided by energy storage systems (ESSs) on Oct 23, 2025 in IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE) conference 2025. Battery management systems, in some scenarios, limit how much power a battery can supply or absorb....

Post, August 10, 2026 • Findings offer insight for battery manufacturers and information provided to installers and consumers Cell aging in manufacturer specification sheets and research publications is commonly reported as capacity fade, rather than energy fade, the irreversible loss of a battery cell’s ability to store and deliver energy over time. However, when results...

Post, August 20, 2025 • On March 7, 2025, Sandia researcher David Rosewater was awarded the IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Committee’s Young Professional Achievement Award at the 2025 IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop in Jacksonville, FL, USA. At this conference, Rosewater presented his latest research on practical battery arc flash models, which has the potential to...

Post, April 3, 2026 • At the Gordon Research Conference on Batteries on February 17, 2026, Loraine Torres-Castro of Sandia National Laboratories delivered an invited talk titled “Rethinking Battery Safety with Strategies for Early Risk Mitigation.” Her presentation highlighted innovative, proactive approaches to identify and address battery safety risks during early design stages—shifting the focus from reactive failure response...

Post, February 26, 2025 • On January 7, 2025, Will McNamara was a featured speaker in a Sandia-hosted public webinar, in collaboration with the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), entitled "Bridging the Gap: How Emerging State Policies are Making Energy Storage More Affordable and Accessible." The webinar aimed to summarize a recently published report of...

Post, August 20, 2025 • On March 26-27, 2025, Sandia technical systems analyst Will McNamara was featured as a keynote speaker at the 2025 USA Energy Storage Summit held in Dallas, TX. The presentation, entitled “A New Era for Long-Duration Technologies,” provided an overview of existing policies and regulations for long-duration technologies and their commercial...

Post, August 20, 2025 • On April 15-17, 2025, Sandia technical systems analyst Will McNamara moderated a panel session on the last day of the first IEEE PES Energy & Policy Forum held in Washington, D.C. The Forum was a week-long event filled with engaging and informative sessions, aimed at exploring the challenges and opportunities...

Post, September 10, 2024 • A team of researchers from the City College of New York and Sandia National Laboratories (Contact: Timothy N. Lambert) examined the impact of different acetate-based super-concentrated (or “water-in-salt”) electrolytes on zinc electrochemical performance at currents and material utilizations of practical relevance to industry (0.3-8 mA/cm2 and ~20 mAh/cm2 respectively). Data...

Post, September 10, 2024 • Henry Guan and Waylon Clark, members of the Sandia Energy Storage Demonstrations Projects team, along with Dr. Ray Byrne, Sandia Energy Storage Technology and Systems Department Manager, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, August 16, 2024, for the Vermont Electric Cooperative/Green Mountain Power North Troy Battery Energy Storage Demonstration...