You are here

Home » Energy.gov » Energy Blog

Energy Blog

April 5, 2013
Testing materials in the lab at Vorbeck Materials Corp. | Photo courtesy of Vorbeck Materials Corp.
From Lab to Market: DOE's America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Program

America’s Next Top Energy Innovator Program is unleashing the National Labs’ unlicensed patents for use by startups -- and helping build businesses and bring energy technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

April 5, 2013
Particle physics research from Fermilab and SLAC are helping to improve our daily lives and the products we use. | Illustration by Sandbox Studio, Chicago.
How Particle Physics Improves Your Life

Symmetry magazine explores how particle physics affects our daily lives.

April 4, 2013
Patrick Yarn Mills, located in Kings Mountain North Carolina, installed a 105-kilowatt rooftop solar system with the help of the Energy Department's State Energy Program. | Photo courtesy of the NC Energy Office.
Spinning with the Sun

Learn how a North Carolina yarn manufacturer is using solar power to reduce its energy costs.

April 3, 2013
Dr. Karl Gschneidner is holding a neodymium-iron-boron magnet produced using a new, greener process. The process that Dr. Gschneidner helped develop doesn’t produce the environmentally unfriendly byproducts that result from traditional manufacturing methods. | Photo courtesy of Ames Laboratory.
10 Questions for a Materials Scientist: Mr. Rare Earth -- Dr. Karl A. Gschneidner, Jr.

A jack-of-all-trades, Dr. Gschneidner’s research spans the fields of physical chemistry, materials science, engineering and physics. In this edition of 10 Questions, Dr. Gschneidner shares insights into his research of rare earth materials.

April 2, 2013
Submit a video question now for our Earth Day Google+ Hangout on home energy efficiency. | Graphic courtesy of Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Submit Your Home Energy Efficiency Questions Now for Earth Day Google+ Hangout

Whether you want to know if you would benefit from air sealing or how to install solar panels on your home, residential energy efficiency and renewable energy experts will be on hand on April 22 to answer your home efficiency questions.

April 1, 2013
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signs the robot of Hardin Valley Academy's FIRST robotics team during the dedication of DOE's Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The RoHAWKtics team (named after their school mascot) spent an intense six weeks constructing the robot, using design, engineering, and problem-solving skills. The team will be moving on to a national competition in April. Learn more about the <a href="http://www.ornl.gov/info/features/get_feature.cfm?FeatureNumber=f20130401-00">FIRST competition</a>. | Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Photo of the Week: RoHAWKtics at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Check out our favorite energy-related photos!

March 29, 2013
The Energy Department’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides clean energy companies and researchers with the opportunity to develop less expensive, better-performing carbon fiber materials and manufacturing processes. Pictured here is the carbon fiber conversion line with the in-line melt spinner. The melt-spinner will be used to produce new precursor fibers that will then be converted to carbon fiber. In collaboration with industrial partners, these fibers will be used to produce prototype composite parts for applications, such as automotive parts, wind turbine blades and thermal insulation. | Photo courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Top 9 Things You Didn’t Know about Carbon Fiber

Think you know about carbon fiber? Test your knowledge with our top 9 carbon fiber facts.

March 29, 2013
Keeping the Nation’s Energy Flowing

The Energy Department is committed to securing the nation's energy infrastructure.

March 28, 2013
Together, the five newest National Parks Initiative projects will save the equivalent of nearly 10,000 gallons of gasoline and 71 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. | Infographic by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
National Parks Move Transportation Forward in America’s Great Outdoors

Learn how the Energy Department's Clean Cities is helping National Parks across the country reduce air pollution and lower fuel costs.

March 27, 2013
The America’s Next Top Energy Innovator program, a part of the Startup America initiative, makes it easier for start-ups to use inventions and technology developed at Energy Department labs and facilities. | Photo courtesy of NREL, credit Jim Yost.
America's Next Top Innovator: Lab Tech for Startups

Read about America’s Next Top Energy Innovator -- a program making it easier for startups to use inventions and technology developed at DOE labs and facilities.