News

March 9, 2018
Most Americans don’t realize cooking can be a major source of indoor air pollutants, unless they’ve recently burned something on the stove. But studies have shown that cooking-related contaminants can cause health problems such as respiratory illness and asthma attacks.To learn more, I spoke with Brett Singer, PhD, a scientist at Berkeley Lab who investigates indoor air quality. Recently, he...
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March 9, 2018
Berkeley Lab-led study suggests early exposure to thirdhand smoke may lead to greater health risks later in life.Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) identified thirdhand smoke, the toxic residues that linger on indoor surfaces and in dust long after a cigarette has been extinguished, as a health hazard nearly 10 years ago. Now a new...
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February 13, 2018
in light of changes in how electricity is being both generated and consumed, the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has written a new report analyzing challenges facing the nation's electric grid and making recommendations for ensuring continued reliability.The report was prepared for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Office of Electric...
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January 30, 2018
With traffic congestion at a record high, some Bay Area officials would like to see more people take public transportation to work. Habits, however, are hard to break — and so the gridlock grinds on, with no solution in sight.But for Anna Spurlock, an environmental and behavioral economist in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group of the Lab's Energy Technologies Area, the path to changing our...
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January 23, 2018
Through the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center Building Energy Efficiency (CERC-BEE) program, the U.S. Department of Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and U.S. industry, are working together to accelerate the research, development and deployment (RD&D) of advanced building energy efficiency technologies. A cornerstone of the program is R&D on building energy...
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January 23, 2018
The 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development was held in Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on December 9–11, 2017. This important forum allows Chinese leadership to engage the international community on environment and development issues. The theme of the 2017 meeting was “Ecological Civilization in Action: a...
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January 19, 2018
On December 12th in Beijing, China, Carolyn Szum participated in a panel discussion entitled, “International Green Finance Experience Exchange,” alongside representatives from Citibank, HSBC, and the Green Climate Fund, to advise leading Chinese banks and government agencies, such as Ministry of Finance, National Development and Reform Commission), People’s Bank of China, China Banking and...
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January 8, 2018
Berkeley Lab Atmospheric Chemist Allen Goldstein and Theoretical Physicist Hitoshi Murayama received prestigious research grants from the Humboldt Foundation, which promotes collaborative research with German scientists. As part of the award, the two researchers will be invited to spend a period of up to one year cooperating with colleagues at a research institution in Germany.Goldstein is a...
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December 20, 2017
Berkeley Lab's Jiang Lin delivered a keynote speech at the International Forum on Sustainable Solutions for New Era of Ecological Civilization at Tsinghua University on December 18, 2017. Dr. Lin presented research results on potential impacts of electricity market reforms in Guangdong Province from a study by Berkeley Lab's China Energy Group and the Berkeley-Tsinghua Joint Research Center....
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December 19, 2017
Peter Larsen of the Energy Technologies Area recently announced the release of the Alaska Energy Data Gateway 2.0. The gateway, first released in 2013,provides Alaskans with data to make informed decisions prior to undertaking rural energy projects. The project is a joint effort of the Alaska Microgrid Partnership and DOE's Grid Modernization Initiative....
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December 6, 2017
Scientists from research areas across Berkeley Lab, including ETA's Hanna Breunig and Anna Spurlock, have been awarded new Early Career Development awards, as part of the Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Program....
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December 6, 2017
After an extensive search, Associate Lab Director Ramamoorthy Ramesh has announced the appointment of Tom Kirchstetter as the Division Director of the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division. Kirchstetter had served as acting director since June 2017....
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November 21, 2017
The China Energy Group took home a prestigious R&D 100 Award for its innovative Benchmarking and Energy Saving Tool for Low-Carbon Cities (BEST Cities), which provides software for low-carbon planning that users can easily install and run. Berkeley Lab also won awards for technologies that help determine how solar energy affects the grid; understand the functions of genes in microbes under...
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November 10, 2017
The International Energy Studies Group recently announced the release of a new Berkeley Lab study that will improve the energy efficiency of room air conditioners. "Assessment of commercially available energy-efficient room air conditioners including models with low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants" reviews improvement of energy efficiency of room air conditioners (RACs) while...
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September 28, 2017
The International Energy Studies Group is pleased to announce the release of Berkeley Lab’s new study: Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Uganda, Making Energy Efficiency Count.The Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Uganda is a response to the important role that electrical energy efficiency can play in meeting Uganda’s energy development goals. The report shows that implementing energy efficiency in...
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September 25, 2017
The utility-scale solar sector has led the overall U.S. solar market in terms of installed capacity since 2012. In 2016, the utility-scale sector installed more than 2.5 times as much new capacity as did the residential and commercial sectors combined, and is expected to maintain its dominant position for at least another five years. This report—the fifth edition in an ongoing annual...
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August 28, 2017
Lynn Price has been awarded the 2017 Champion of Energy Efficiency in Industry Award by the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The Champion award recognizes outstanding achievement and leadership in the field of industrial energy efficiency. Lynn is being honored for her passion for energy efficiency, including many and substantial accomplishments and she is being recognized...
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August 14, 2017
Wind energy pricing for land-based, utility-scale projects remains attractive to utility and commercial purchasers, according to an annual report released by the U.S. Department of Energy and prepared by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Prices offered by newly built wind projects in the United States are averaging around 2¢/kWh, driven lower by technology advancements and...
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July 31, 2017
The New York Times recently featured a report by ETA's Nihar Shah, which reviews the regulatory frameworks, energy efficiency standards, and labeling programs in 18 countries that account for roughly 65% of global AC demand. Shah previously found that improvements could roughly double the 89.7 gigatons of expected emissions savings from switching refrigerant alone....
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July 19, 2017
ETA's Lynn Price (left), senior scientist, retired from Berkeley Lab on June 29 and has stepped down as acting division director of the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts (EAEI) Division as well as department head of the International Energy Analysis Department in the Energy Technologies Area. Tom Kirchstetter, staff scientist, head of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems...
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July 17, 2017
India is pushing hard to electrify its automobile market, aiming to sell only electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. But what impact will that shift have on the country’s utilities and the grid? A new report by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found that the prospective EV expansion will deliver economic benefits, help integrate renewable energy, and significantly...
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July 6, 2017
Panagopoulos received a $35,000 scholarship from the Sweden-America Foundation to support his work at the Lab and in collaborations with Swedish scientists. The research focuses on human exposure to chemicals from artificial turf in sports arenas. The Foundation supports the exchange of science between Sweden, the U.S. and Canada....
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June 29, 2017
Scientist Peter Therkelson organized a recent visit by the Association of Energy Service Providers (AESP) to the Energy Technologies Area at Berkeley Lab.AESP leaders Patsy Dugger from CB& and Karen Maos from Navigant also facilitated the visit.Seven LBNL speakers gave presentations, and the group enjoyed FLEXLAB® tours.Approximately 25 attendees from AESP, representing 15 organizations, were...
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June 14, 2017
As solar energy’s popularity continues to grow among homeowners, it’s changing the way people buy and sell homes. Because solar has been found to consistently add value to homes, real estate agents need a new way to fairly value solar homes and make sure house hunters can easily find key solar system information. New data standards from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will enable...
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June 9, 2017
As solar energy's popularity continues to grow among homeowners, it's changing the way people buy and sell homes. Because solar has been found to consistently add value to homes, real estate agents need a new way to fairly value solar homes and make sure house hunters can easily find key solar system information. New data standards from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will enable thousands...
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