News

January 10, 2019
Computer gaming accounts for about 5 percent of all residential energy use in California -- equal to the same amount as 10 million new refrigerators – yet gamers do not routinely think about energy efficiency or ways to trim energy costs while gaming.In a recent study sponsored by the California Energy Commission, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) have revealed... Read more
January 5, 2019
Students and early career researchers in the areas of building science, energy-efficiency and the electricity grid are invited to enter a prestigious poster competition sponsored by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.Five winners will be invited to give a five-minute lightning talk at Rosenfeld Symposium 2019 - Energy-Efficient and Grid-Interactive Buildings, to be held at the David Brower... Read more
December 20, 2018
A recent segment on CNBC about how a growing battery industry is changing the world featured Vince Battaglia, leader of the Energy Storage Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), along with the lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS) user facility.The eight-minute piece features Battaglia and other scientists talking about the history and future of batteries. The introduction of... Read more
December 6, 2018
Two projects awarded to Berkeley Lab and Mexican institutions advancing energy efficiency in buildings in Mexico as part of the call “Collaboration Projects in Energy Efficiency; Cooperation with the University of California” started work this fall. The call, issued last year by the CONACYT-SENER Energy Sustainability Fund (ESF) in a ceremony led by UC President Janet Napolitano and Mexico... Read more
December 3, 2018
Ramamoorthy Ramesh, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientist in the Materials Sciences Division, leads a major Lab research initiative called “Beyond Moore’s Law,” which aims to develop next-generation microelectronics and computing architectures.Moore’s Law – which holds that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years and has held true... Read more
November 27, 2018
Four scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.AAAS awarded 416 of its members the distinction of Fellow this year for “their scientifically or socially distinguished... Read more
November 24, 2018
An online data management tool for water/energy retrofits, and a device that recycles carbon dioxide into renewable fuels have both been recognized in the 2018 R&D 100 Awards given to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).eProject Builder won the 2018 R&D 100 Award, and Opus 12 is a co-recipient of a Special Recognition Award. The... Read more
November 15, 2018
Recent wildfire smoke has greatly impacted air quality in the Bay Area. Experts from the Energy Technologies Area (ETA) weigh in on tips and resources for the public. Brett Singer and Woody Delp are internationally recognized experts in the field of indoor air quality. Singer is a Principal Investigator, Staff Scientist and Leader in the Indoor Air group; Delp is a Research Engineer in the Indoor... Read more
November 13, 2018
In a recent Facebook post, Energy Secretary Rick Perry lauds the DOE’s national labs and “the incredible work being undertaken by our nation’s brightest minds.” The post includes a video that features his visit to all 17 national labs, including Berkeley Lab.... Read more
November 9, 2018
Mexico City Mayor-elect Claudia Sheinbaum visited Berkeley Lab on Nov. 9, 2018, as part of a visit to the Bay Area to learn about urban sustainability practices. Dr. Sheinbaum spent four years at the Lab (1991-1994) analyzing energy consumption in Mexico and other industrialized countries. She and Lab scientist Lynn Price were lead authors of the Industry Chapter of Working Group III... Read more
November 9, 2018
The International Energy Studies (IES) Group is pleased to announce the publication of A study of appliance ownership and electricity consumption determinants in urban Ghanaian households in Sustainable Cities and Society Journal, January 2019 edition. The paper was coauthored by past visiting scholar Marriette Sakah, upcoming visiting scholar Felix Diawuo and assistant leader of the IES Group... Read more
November 8, 2018
Our collaborator Global Cool Cities just announced the Million Cool Roofs Challenge -- an unprecedented, $2 million effort to create cooler communities in places that need it most. The Challenge is made up of two parts: an outcome-based $1 million challenge prize and a $1 million grant pool of up to ten $100,000 grants to support teams with their entry to the challenge. The final prize will be... Read more
November 1, 2018
Dr. Michael McNeil, Director of Berkeley Lab's MEI has been invited to serve as a member of the Editorial Board of the Monthly E-Bulletin on Energy Efficiency Activities (Boletin Electronico Mensual de Difusion de Acciones de Eficiencia Energetica), published and distributed by Mexico's Energy Secretariat (SENER). The decision was made by current members of the Editorial Board and was communicated... Read more
November 1, 2018
Diego Chatellier Lorentzen, a PhD student of energy engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), joined MEI last month on a six-month fellowship granted by Mexico's National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). Diego will be collaborating at the Lab on the "Mexican Energy Pathways Initiative", which focuses on finding solutions for Mexico to achieve its emission... Read more
October 30, 2018
Applying artificial intelligence to self-driving cars to smooth traffic, reduce fuel consumption, and improve air quality predictions may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but researchers from the Lab’s Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division have launched two research projects to do just that. For the full story:... Read more
October 24, 2018
The Energy Technologies Area’s ITRI-Rosenfeld 2017 and 2018 fellows are investigating a range of techniques to improve the energy efficiency of water treatment, remediation, and water consumption.Olga Kavvada, of EAEI, joined the Lab in January 2018 to work on developing water demand forecast models that can quantify the impacts of urban development decisions on the spatial distribution of water... Read more
October 11, 2018
ETA staff members were recently honored for outstanding efforts to improve diversity, implement innovative lighting in a "Living Lab" and performing breakthrough discoveries in thirdhand smoke research.The 2018 Director's Awards for Exceptional Achievement recognize accomplishments, leadership, collaboration, multi-disciplinary science, cross-divisional projects and commitment to excellence in... Read more
October 9, 2018
A color developed by Egyptians thousands of years ago has a modern-day application as well – the pigment can boost energy efficiency by cooling rooftops and walls, and could also enable solar generation of electricity via windows.Egyptian blue, derived from calcium copper silicate, was routinely used on ancient depictions of gods and royalty. Previous studies have shown that when Egyptian blue... Read more
October 3, 2018
October 8 marks the 4th annual National Hydrogen Day—a date that gives a nod to the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008) and to the increasing role hydrogen fuel is playing nationally. Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientists are working every day on research that allows hydrogen to be produced, stored, and used in cleaner and even more efficient and affordable ways.Hydrogen fuel is... Read more
October 3, 2018
Today, electric vehicles (EVs) make up just a small part of the U.S. road fleet, but they are gaining ground in some regions. While EVs hold promise for lowering costs and air pollutant emissions from auto travel, among other benefits, their growth raises questions about the changes needed to support this transition. How much charging infrastructure will be needed, and what role should utilities... Read more
October 1, 2018
MEI's Director Dr. Michael McNeil highlighted aspects of Berkeley Lab's Mexico Cooling Initiative (MCI) in the presentation "Air Conditioning Impacts and Strategies in Mexico", delivered at the Second "KONWAKAI in Latin America" seminar held last month in Mexico City. The event was convened by air conditioner manufacturer Daikin and included the participation of Mexican government officials,... Read more
September 26, 2018
As part of Berkeley Lab's mission to bring science to the world, the Energy Technologies Area is hosting three visiting scientists through the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs TechWomen program.The goal is to empower, connect and support the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by providing them access and... Read more
September 25, 2018
Looking around the typical home or office, many homeowners and employees will find a staggering amount of technology on display: the refrigerator that keeps our food fresh; the thermostat that controls room temperature; the array of electronics to enable (and sometimes impede) our productivity; the lights that make tasks visible at night.“As this large technology base continues to grow, the... Read more
September 10, 2018
Three Berkeley Lab researchers, including Corinne Scown of the Energy Technologies Area, recently received the Secretary of Energy's Achievement Award as part of a larger team from the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). Here's more from JBEI's announcement:The award is designed to recognize the contributions of Department of Energy (DOE) employees to the mission of the Department and to the benefit... Read more
September 5, 2018
A national online energy data management system is transforming how energy retrofit projects implemented by a wide variety of users – including local, state, and federal governments – develop projects and track performance.The eProject Builder energy project data management and benchmarking tool was developed by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to... Read more