Energy

Engineers use AI to wrangle fusion power for the grid
Feb. 21, 2024
Author
Written by Colton Poore, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

In the blink of an eye, the unruly, superheated plasma that drives a fusion reaction can lose its stability and escape the strong magnetic fields confining it within the donut-shaped fusion reactor. These getaways frequently spell the end of the reaction, posing a core…

Buyer beware: Most clean power purchasing strategies do little to cut emissions
Jan. 22, 2024
Author
Written by Colton Poore, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

In the quest to achieve a net-neutral climate impact, many companies seek to buy additional power from clean energy sources in an attempt to eliminate the emissions otherwise generated by operating on today’s fossil fuel-heavy grid.

Yet some of the most common strategies for purchasing clean energy have little impact in cutting long…

Princeton researchers revolutionize lithium production
Sept. 18, 2023
Author
Written by Colton Poore, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

Researchers at Princeton have developed an extraction technique that slashes the amount of land and time needed for the production of lithium, a vital component of the batteries at the heart of electric vehicles and energy storage for the grid. The researchers say their system can improve production at existing lithium facilities and unlock…

Getting to net-zero, in the U.S. and the world
Aug. 25, 2023
Author
Written by Molly Seltzer, Office of Communications; Liz Fuller-Wright, Office of Communications

Princeton University’s Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, has been a leader of both the national and the global charge to net-zero, along with his…

Exploratory Energy Research Fund fuels explorations into urban solar panels and batteries for electrical grid storage
Aug. 21, 2023
Author
Written by Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research

Two new projects that propel investigations in sustainable energy generation and storage have been awarded funding via the Dean for Research Innovation Fund for Exploratory Energy Research.

The fund…

Princeton establishes Energy Research Fund
Nov. 29, 2022

Princeton University has established the Energy Research Fund to support fundamental and applied energy solutions research and foster collaboration with corporate partners.

The best place to store energy for the electric grid? You might be standing on it
Sept. 6, 2022
Author
Written by Sharon Waters for the Office of Engineering Communications

For parts of the U.S., the best place to store massive amounts energy for the electric grid could be right beneath our feet.

Geothermal energy, which relies on hot rock far below the earth’s surface, has long been used as a source of heating and electricity generation. But recent advances in drilling technology have opened up new…

Once seen as fleeting, a new solar tech proves its lasting power
June 29, 2022
Author
Written by Scott Lyon, Office of Engineering Communications

Princeton Engineering researchers have developed the first perovskite solar cell with a commercially viable lifetime, marking a major milestone for an emerging class of renewable energy technology.

The device is the first of its kind to rival the performance of silicon-based cells, which have dominated the market…

VP David McComas receives the 2022 Distinguished Scientist Award
April 4, 2022
Author
Written by Liz Fuller-Wright, Office of Communications

The Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP), part of the International Science Council, announced today that they are honoring Princeton’s David McComas with the 2022 Distinguished Scientist Award “for original research, technical…

A timeline of innovation and impact at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
March 17, 2022
Author
Written by Princeton University

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is the U.S. national laboratory with the mission to develop the scientific foundation for the creation of fusion energy, the power source of the sun and the stars. 

Fusion energy research in the United States began at PPPL, and the lab's 71-year history offers a glimpse into some of the key…