The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity has selected two companies to receive $19 million in awards to demonstrate long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects in remote communities and military housing. The companies will receive funding to show how energy storage can lower electricity bills and increase power reliability in Vermont and Kansas. This marks the first projects to be funded under the new energy storage demonstration programs enacted as part of the 2020 Energy Act.
Dr. Stan Atcitty was featured in the Winds of Change magazine, published by American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). AISES is a national nonprofit organization focused on increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers. Stan was recognized for his work securing funding for and helping maintain a partnership with Navajo Technical University and other tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Read more in the Summer 2023 Winds of Change.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) announces more than $30 million in awards and funding opportunities at the Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC) Summit in Atlanta.
How can US states with aggressive decarbonization goals coupled with federal decarbonization goals have energy when they need it? Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is a likely candidate. LDES systems are large energy storage installations that can store renewable energy until needed and can provide a much-needed solution for a reliable and decarbonized grid. But planning needs to start now, according to new research from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
Iron nitride (Fe4N), a new soft magnetic material, is a high-magnetization and high-resistivity soft magnetic alloy. Fe4N soft magnetic components can reduce next-generation smart grid power electronics system size and weight by up to an order of magnitude over existing state-of-the-art soft magnetic materials, while also realizing increases in efficiency. The revolutionary performance advantages of Fe4N soft magnetics are expected to spur key innovations in utility-scale and transportation-based power electronics hardware and to increase the accessibility and use of distributed energy resources such as grid energy storage and carbon-free mobility. This leading-edge material is the world’s first commercially available iron nitride soft magnetic component, and it is ready for manufacturing now.
Developer: Sandia National Laboratories
Co-Developer: University of California, Irvine, United States