Biofuels
Harnessing microbes and plants to produce carbon-neutral fuels from plant matter waste.
Solar fuels
Developing new technologies that convert sunlight, greenhouse gases, and water into clean-energy liquid fuels such as hydrogen and ethylene.
Photovoltaics
Developing efficient and affordable photovoltaic technologies, such as solar panels, and conducting multidisciplinary research to make them more accessible to consumers and integrate them into the U.S. power grid.
Clean hydrogen
Leading research and development in clean hydrogen production, use, and storage, to enable the decarbonization of a wide range of carbon-intensive sectors, from heavy-duty transportation to long-duration energy storage.
Geothermal energy
Exploring new technology to leverage the Earth’s geothermal energy to power the grid.
Inspired by photosynthesis in plants, scientists are designing materials and chemical processes that can convert sunlight into chemical energy using only components of air: water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.
JBEI researchers are using the latest tools in molecular biology, chemical engineering, and computational and robotic technologies to transform plant matter into carbon-neutral biofuels.
Focused on developing innovative technologies that can identify and characterize conventional natural hydrothermal systems, and approaches to implement, monitor, and model enhanced geothermal systems.
Driving magnet technology and laser-plasma science for plentiful, secure carbon free energy.
Berkeley Lab leads the research and development of clean hydrogen production, use, and storage, across both fundamental science and applied technologies.
A multi-lab partnership aiming to accelerate advanced water splitting technologies for clean, sustainable hydrogen production.
Berkeley Lab conducts unbiased analysis to evaluate the cost implications and environmental impacts of a wide range of energy technologies and strategies to support decision-making by groups.
Patrick Dobson is the Geothermal Systems program lead and staff scientist in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area. He has studied geothermal systems around the world, working on a wide range of research topics that include supercritical systems, play fairway analysis, mineral recovery, district heating, and subsurface thermal energy storage.
Corinne Scown is a staff scientist in the Energy Technologies Area and she leads the Life-cycle, Economics, and Agronomy Division in the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). Her research is focused on modeling the economic and environmental impacts of advanced pathways to bio-based fuels and products.
Peng Peng is a research scientist in the Sustainable Energy Systems Group in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division. His research includes developing process models to analyze the economic and environmental impacts for early-stage sustainable energy storage and critical resource circularity technologies.
Berkeley Lab scientists are developing sensing technologies consisting of fiber-optic cables, which could be installed on floating offshore wind (FOSW) structures that have been planned off the California coast. This would allow structures to self-monitor damaging conditions that could lead to costly repairs and would also help gauge how FOSW impacts marine mammals by detecting their activity.
By harnessing the power of AI and machine learning, Berkeley Lab scientists are developing a tool that predicts properties of high-potential, bio-based molecules and fuels, paving the way for cost-effective and sustainable jet fuel production. This innovation offers a promising short-term solution to reduce emissions.
What is photosynthesis? Oh, no big deal, just the key to life on Earth as we know it! Join me as I take a deep dive into this amazingly sophisticated chemical process. Hear fascinating details they didn’t teach you in school and get a crash course on how natural photosynthesis inspires the development of renewable energy technologies that could someday replace all petroleum products.
