The Latest Breaking News from US Department of Energy

In 2018, California's Kaiser Permanente opened an 8,110-square-meter medical office with a 640-kilowatt solar array. 8 years later, it cuts energy use 40% while using no fossil fuels

Solar installation is another defining part of the project's sustainability strategy. WorldGBC reports a 640-kilowatt photovoltaic array installed in shade canopies over the adjacent parking lot.

The Economic Times · Sep 6

In a 2011 Oak Ridge case study, ethanol-fed microbes cut uranium in groundwater from 40-60 mg/L to below the US drinking-water limit

By utilizing ethanol injections, researchers effectively stimulated indigenous bacteria to aid in the cleanup of uranium contamination. This innovative method was able to convert ethanol into acetate, which energized the reduction of uranium within the sediment. Over two years, levels of uranium in groundwater fell below the EPA's safe drinking…

The Economic Times · Aug 30

Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste-heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.

The Conversation · Mar 9

High electricity prices zapping your budget? Here are 5 ways to save

Pennsylvania residents may get sticker shock when they see their electric bills this summer. Aging infrastructure, extreme weather, transmission bottlenecks and increased demand are sending electricity rates soaring.

The Conversation · May 28, 2025

‘Strong evidence’ unusual nitrogen-9 nucleus exists, scientists say

Physicists studied nitrogen-9, an unusually high proton-to-neutron-ratio isotope, to check if it exists. Using a sophisticated setup, they bombarded an energised beam of oxygen-13 atoms at a target composed of beryllium-9 atoms. The team studied the collision debris, produced by fragmentation reactions, using a high-resolution array comprising 14 detectors. Using…

The Hindu · Nov 20, 2023

Disputes over COVID's origins reveal an intelligence community in disarray. Here are 4 fixes we need before the next pandemic

A recent Wall Street Journal article reported on new, classified intelligence from the US Department of Energy about the origins of COVID. It concluded with “low confidence” that the pandemic may have been due to a lab leak in Wuhan, China, rather than a natural disease transmission from animal to…

The Conversation · Mar 8, 2023

West warms to geothermal energy as a path to clean power goals

NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY, Colo. — In Colorado’s quest to transition to renewable energy, the state’s leaders want to take an old-school approach: Drill, baby, drill.

Tribune News Service · Mar 7, 2023

Reports on COVID origin reignite conspiracy theories about virus

FBI director, US Department of Energy say virus originated in a lab, but other US officials say there’s no consensus.

Al Jazeera · Mar 1, 2023

Coronavirus Origins Still a Mystery 3 Years into Pandemic

A crucial question has eluded governments and health agencies around the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Did the virus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab? Now, the US Department of Energy has assessed with “low confidence” in that it began with a lab leak, according to…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Feb 28, 2023

Fusion ignition explained

For the first time, scientists have managed to get more energy out of the fusion process than they put in

Salon · Jan 2, 2023