DOE-MIT Search Engine to Speed Materials Research
"The Materials Project" is a new online tool developed by researchers at DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
It operates like a "Google" of material properties, enabling scientists and engineers from universities, national labs, and private industry to accelerate development of new materials.
Discovering new materials and strengthening the properties of existing materials are key to improving just about everything humans use. Wind turbines, solar panels, and a variety of clean technologies depend on roughly 14 elements (including nine rare earth elements). With about 90% of these currently coming from China, there are concerns about potential supply shortages and disruptions.
With the Materials Project, researchers can use supercomputers to characterize properties of inorganic compounds, including their stability, voltage, capacity, and oxidation state, which had previously not been possible. The results are then organized into a database that gives all researchers at DOE’s national labs free access. The database currently contains properties of more than 15,000 inorganic compounds, and hundreds compounds are added every day.
Already, scientists are using the tool to work with several companies interested in making stronger, corrosion-resistant lightweight aluminum alloys, which could make it possible to produce lighter-weight vehicles and airplanes. Scientists have also successfully applied the tool for prediction and discovery of materials used for clean energy technologies, including lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen storage, thermoelectrics, electrodes for fuel cells, and photovoltaics.
See the DOE press release, the Materials Project website, and the DOE Office of Science website.
DOE Recognizes 2011 Sustainability Awards Winners
DOE’s sustainability initiatives saved over $4 million in fiscal year 2010. Awards were presented to individuals, teams, and organizations for improving energy, water, and fleet efficiency, as well as reducing pollution and waste across the agency’s facilities, including its national labs.
In FY 2010, DOE reduced energy use per square foot 18.4% from the FY 2003 baseline, while significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The agency also reduced water use per square foot 12.2% from the FY 2007 baseline, and it used renewable electricity for 9.2% of its total electricity.
The 2011 winners significantly improved DOE operations by constructing sustainable buildings, implementing green purchasing, replacing inefficient equipment, deploying renewable energy projects, etc. See the DOE press release, the complete list of winners , and DOE’s Sustainability Performance Office website.
DOE’s NREL Wins 2011 GreenGov Presidential Award
DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) won the 2011 GreenGov Presidential Award for Green Innovation.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality recognized NREL’s Green Data Center for its innovative design that minimizes its energy footprint and reduces costs without compromising service quality.
NREL’s Green Data Center is located in the lab’s 220,000 square foot LEED-Platinum Research Support Facility. Using the climate as a natural coolant, capturing waste heat to ventilate in the cooler months, and employing advanced equipment to minimize energy usage, the data center is designed to help achieve the building’s net-zero energy goals. The data center is expected to save $200,000 in electricity costs and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 5 million pounds a year. See the DOE Progress Alert, the White House announcement, and the GreenGov Presidential Awards Web page.
Ford, Chevrolet Rev Up All-Electric Cars
Ford opened reservations for its first electric passenger car, the 2012 Focus Electric, on November 2. And last month, GM announced it will produce an electric version of the Chevy Spark mini-car, the Spark EV.
Ford’s hatchback will be equipped with a 92-kilowatt electric motor and powered by a 23 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that is liquid-cooled. It includes regenerative braking, which captures over 90% of the energy normally lost as heat during braking and recycles it to recharge the battery. The base price is $39,200, and will be first available in New York, New Jersey, and California. See the Ford press release and the Focus Electric website.
Chevy will sell the Spark EV in limited markets starting in 2013. The automaker is incorporating feedback from participants in demonstration fleets in Shanghai, China, (Sail EV), Korea (Cruze EV), and India (Beat EV). Battery-maker A123 Systems will supply the advanced nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs. Details on specific markets, range, quantities and pricing will be announced later. See the Chevrolet press release.
Kansans Save $2.3 Million in Challenge to Change Their Energy Behavior
How did the Climate and Energy Project (CEP), a small environmental organization that received Recovery Act funding, achieve $2.3 million in savings a year for Kansans?
They engaged Kansas residents in the "Take Charge Challenge," a nine-month competition where residents in 16 communities competed against each other to save the most energy and money. Communities held over 1,000 events involving over 400,000 Kansans. Community leadership got together to develop strategies on how to best get their friends and families to reduce energy waste, such as changing lightbulbs or weatherizing houses.
Four communities each received a $100,000 energy efficiency or renewable energy grant as a prize. The Kansas Corporation Commission, which received $47.7 million in Recovery Act Funds, allocated $1.2 million dollars – $400,000 for winners, $400,000 for communities to spend on the challenge, and $220,000 to CEP for staff, travel, promotion, and expenses – to run the challenge. See the Energy Blog post.
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EERE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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