![]() A legacy of energy innovation is carried into the present day by INL. In 1949, the first experimental breeder reactor, EBR-1, the first nuclear test reactor was operated near Arco. “Of course, we're here because of the history," President of Battelle Energy Alliance and Director of Idaho National Laboratory (INL) said. Idaho National Laboratory aims towards Net-Zero Technologies being developed right now in Idaho will likely contribute to this new national investment and this stems from a history of energy innovation at Idaho National Laboratory. This includes funding for emission-reducing equipment at power plants, tax credits for nuclear power and carbon capture technology. This new budget contains line-items for a changing energy future. ![]() Headlines were made last week when President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law - which included the first significant federal investment to fight climate change at the price tag of $375 billion. ![]() In the future, this power distribution might look different. ![]() More information on energy generation and consumption can be found here and here. Just 12% of energy consumed comes from renewable energy, 8% comes from nuclear, and the rest - about 80% - comes from fossil fuel sources. Energy Information Administration, of the 4 billion kilowatt hours of power generated last year in the United States, 61% came from fossil fuel sources like coal and natural gas, 20% came from renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and nuclear power accounted for 19%.Įnergy consumption in the country doesn't line up to this distribution of generated electricity. We use electricity every day, but where does it come from?Īccording to the U.S. geothermal plants could meet up to 8% of the world’s demand. Extracting lithium from the brine before cycling it back into the ground might also offset geothermal capital costs, making electrical generation from geothermal more cost competitive.IDAHO FALLS - About a quarter of emissions in the United States comes from electricity production and a National Laboratory here in Idaho is working to change that.įrom new nuclear investments to electric vehicles, scientists and engineers at Idaho National Laboratory are working to shift the electricity grid and they're starting now with a goal to reach site-wide Net-Zero by 2031. In the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Ange-Lionel Toba, an INL systems modeling researcher, and his colleagues Ruby Thuy Nguyen and Ghanashyam Neupane suggest that lithium from U.S. Industry experts estimate that lithium demand will rise nearly twentyfold, from 75,000 metric tons in 2020 to 1.41 million metric tons per year by the end of the decade. Using computational modeling, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory say geothermal power generation may significantly address both challenges.Īnnual passenger electric vehicle sales are predicted to more than quadruple by 2025, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. As more of them roll off production lines and onto roads, the world will need two things: more lithium, the key element in the batteries that power them, and carbon-free power to charge those batteries. This composite image from Idaho National Laboratory shows geothermal water and batteries, representing CMI research at INL that lithium from geothermal brine could help meet growing demand for raw material and make geothermal power more cost efficient.Įlectric vehicles are expected to be essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |