Diesel doesn’t float this boat
Marine research could soon be possible without the risk of polluting either the air or the ocean, thanks to a new hydrogen fuel cell ship design and feasibility study led by Sandia. Hydrogen fuel cells have existed for decades, but the feasibility of a hydrogen-powered research vessel has never been studied or proven. Until now.
Generating electrical power from waste heat
Directly converting electrical power to heat is easy, but the opposite, converting heat into electrical power, hasn't been so easy — until now. Sandia researchers have developed a tiny silicon-based device that can harness what was previously called waste heat and turn it into DC power.
NNSA Administrator Gordon-Hagerty touts mission, teamwork at all-hands meeting
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, DOE under secretary for nuclear security, signaled strong federal support for Sandia’s mission and infrastructure improvements in her all-hands presentation in Albuquerque on June 12. The meeting was part of an all-day tour of the Labs.
Raising the heat to lower the cost of solar energy
Sandia will receive $10.5 million from DOE to research and design a cheaper and more efficient solar energy system. The work focuses on refining a specific type of utility-scale solar energy technology, called concentrating solar power, which is appealing because it can supply renewable energy — even when the sun is not shining — without using batteries for storage.
DOE visit highlights Sandia energy work with Indian groups
Sandia recently hosted visitors from the DOE Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group. During the visit, ICEIWG members, DOE officials and intergovernmental and contracted partners learned about Sandia’s unique role in energy research.
Five seconds at F/16, with a broken camera
In May 1998, Sandia photojournalist Randy Montoya captured a photo that has since become legend. The stunning image, nicknamed "Arcs and Sparks," captures the Z machine just as it fires — a mere 100 nanoseconds of roughly 200 trillion watts of x-ray energy, many times all the electrical power generated in the world at any given moment.
How microgrids could boost resilience in New Orleans
In a year-long project, researchers at Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories teamed up with the city of New Orleans to analyze ways to increase community resilience and improve the availability of critical lifeline services during and after severe weather.
First wind blade from a 3-D printed mold, energy-saving nanoparticles earn Sandia national FLC awards
Sandia’s energy-saving nanomaterial window films and first wind turbine blades made from a 3-D printed mold earn national honors from the Federal Laboratory Consortium
Working smart
Pioneering smart grid technology solves decades old problematic power grid phenomenon
Reducing the traffic jam in batteries
Sandia researchers make solid ground toward better lithium-ion battery interfaces