Department of Energy News 
Top News
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- Senator: IRS to pay $70M in employee bonuses
- Furlough song: Laugh or you'll cry
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
- 29-year-old NASA engineer going where no one has gone before
- USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
- NOAA meteorologist helps save lives one storm at a time
- NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
- House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
- NIH tops list of best companies for baby boomers
- Latest postal reform proposal OKs 5-day delivery
Grants Fund Study of Alternative Refrigeration
A Milwaukee-based company is about to begin research on an alternative form of refrigeration for cooling buildings, under a $2-point-nine million dollar energy research grant funded through the federal stimulus package. Using a solid state cooling technology, the privately held Astronautics Corporation of America will research a type of magnetic refrigeration that does not rely on a liquid-based refrigerant. Energy Department officials say, if successful, the breakthrough system could achieve significant energy efficiency, greatly reducing system operating costs compared to conventional compression systems, in addition to producing zero greenhouse gases. In all, $30 million dollars in grant money is being given to 17 different projects around the country that focus on a variety of novel approaches to air-conditioning.
The fight over luxury showerheads
Learn more about the DOE's efforts to regulate luxury showerheads
China passes U.S. as world's biggest energy consumer
China is now the world's biggest energy consumer.
Building Government's Future Infrastructure-"Progress & Best Practices"
August 24th
Program will discuss the progress report on on agency infrastructure modernization at FAA-DISA-Interior, whether concepts such as Virtualization-Cloud Computing & Social networking tools being incorporated in plans, critical issues on optimizing government's infrastructure, lessons learned, and the vision for the future.
Energy awards $92 million in clean-tech grants
43 projects will be funded.
DOE analyst takes science beyond textbook
We continue our Sammies Tracker series, speaking to finalists in this year's Service to America Medals from the Partnership for Public Service
New Smart Electric Vehicles Being Introduced in U.S.
Smart USA, which recently debuted its smart for two electric vehicle or EV , will deploy a fleet of 250 of them across the U.S. in October. The company says it will target key cities leading in electrification and Department of Energy grant areas, but it hasn't yet released its list of cities. Smart USA is looking for partnerships and is targeting companies, municipalities, organizations, and individuals interested in making a statement on conservation and environmental awareness. The Electric Vehicles are powered by a 30 kilowatt drive motor and a 16.5 kilowatt/hour lithium ion battery; can be fully recharged in about eight hours with a 220 volt outlet. The vehicles can reach highway speeds of 60 miles an hour and offer a range of 82 miles on a single charge.
DOE Constructing the World's Brightest Light
The Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Lab is constructing the world's most brilliant light source, the National Synchrotron Light Source II. In a recent decision, DOE approved a new project to begin the conceptual design of experimental tools needed to complete the project.
Its research potential will only be realized when equipped with scientific instruments known as beamlines. Specialized magnets called insertion devices will create the light used by the most advanced of the beamlines.
Energy officials say, as the world's most brilliant light source, NSLS II will foster groundbreaking scientific advances. The new source will give scientists the ability to image materials down to a nanometer, or one billionth of a meter. The facility is expected to start operating in 2015.
OMB vows to end out of control IT projects
The administration issues two new memos focusing on all IT projects and specifically on financial management systems. OMB will issue guidance in the next month detailing how they will evaluate which programs are at most risk. OMB's Zients says programs worth more than $10 billion are significantly off track in cost, schedule or both.
Congress assembles comprehensive energy bills
In last night's address, Obama urged Congress and the nation to get behind sweeping energy and climate change legislation, a domestic priority of his presidency that has stalled on Capitol Hill. Congressional expert Jodi Schneider explains what bills address what and where they are in the process.
Feds lead Smart Grid development effort
The Senate is now considering a bill, approved last week by the House, designed to help the nation's electrical grid evolve into an enhanced Smart Grid which would help protect itself from cyber-attacks. In addition, however, the Smart Grid is also expected to help the nation do a better job of managing our electrical resources. A group of federal employees recently talked about their role in developing the Smart Grid.
U.S. electrical grid faces cybersecurity challenges
We get analysis from Federal News Radio's Max Cacas.
DHS, DoJ, EPA, Energy earn top green electronics award
Agencies recycled more than 51,000 pounds of electronics, purchases more than 58,000 hardware that met the green standards and saved the government more than $11 million.
Computing Power Addresses Nuclear Energy Concerns
Scientists at the Nuclear Science and Technology Division of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab are bringing together decades of nuclear energy and safety expertise with high-performance computing to effectively address a range of nuclear energy - and security-related - challenges. One of the goals of the Lab's Nuclear Science and Technology Division is to bring together what we know about nuclear energy, nuclear national security modeling, and simulation capabilities with high-performance computing. That will solve problems that were previously unthinkable, or impractical, in terms of the computing power required to address them. One example is using computational methods and software to simulate radiation, in order to support the design and safety of nuclear facilities.
DoD to host a performance symposium open to all
500 performance improvement leaders from across the Department of Defense, including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Agencies and activities, and federal government agencies get ready to gather and compare notes, and you're invited! We get details from J. D. Sicilia, the director of the Defense Department's Lean Six Sigma Program Office.
Energy Use Website
A new website has been launched that communicates essential information about America's energy situation, based on the vast holdings of reports from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. A finalist for the Webby Award in the category of science, the site called "What You Need to Know About Energy" provides an overview of our current energy system in the United States, and covers the uses for energy, sources of energy, the cost of energy including to cost to the environment, national security, and sustainability, and energy efficiency. It identifies each of the energy sources we rely on today - ranging from wind to nuclear to oil - and tracks how each is used. You'll find it at needtoknow.nas.edu.
A day of thank yous to federal employees
Senior administration officials encourage and promote federal service during Public Service Recognition Week. President Obama sends letter recognizing federal, state and local government employees.
ARPA-E seeks to change future energy technologies
New arm of the Department of Energy hopes to be what DARPA is for DoD.
NNSA looks cut costs while growing efficiences
After more than two years of review, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration has announced its new acquisition strategy decision for key contracts. We get details from Patty Wagner, site office manager at Sandia National Laboratories
