The Energy Matrix

The state of Minnesota and the city of Phoenix, Arizona each have something to celebrate these days. Minnesota was recently awarded 6 million dollars to continue its progress with the Weatherization Assistance Program, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Not only will this funding increase the amount of low-income homes optimized to save money on their energy bills, but the money will also help create jobs for construction workers. Similarly, the city of Phoenix was awarded 700,000 to continue installing solar or heating pumps in low- and moderate-income homes. Read more…

In 2009, President Barack Obama requested 2.3 billion for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. His larger 26.4 billion budget also included 280 million dollars for up to eight different “Energy Innovation Hubs”, each focused on a different challenge facing the energy world today. Although the plan has been scaled back to three hubs, they still remain ambitious projects in the global energy game, and the final one has recently been announced.The first, the Nuclear Energy Modeling and Simulation Energy Innovation Hub, was introduced in May of this year. Led by a team from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Hub represents a shift from previous testing and demonstration methods of nuclear research to the newer theoretical models. Using a variety of a high-power computers and existing modeling techniques, the Hub will be able to simulate an actual nuclear reactor and investigate questions concerning safety, power, and lifespan.The second Hub, Fuels from Sunlight, was announced in July. This Hub is divided between the Caltech campus in Pasadena and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. Scientists from the “Golden State” will be investigating issues of sustainability and efficiency for biofuels (sunlight converted into plant material, and then again into fuel). The project combines scientists from the chemistry, physics, material sciences, biology, and engineering fields, with big results expected. Read more…