Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using ultrasounds — usually associated with medical imaging — to check the health of an operating battery. The technique uses sensors as small as a thumbnail, which could be attached to a lithium-ion battery inside a car.

Companies can use this technology to immediately learn which batteries are healthy enough to be resold. “We are combining expertise at ORNL’s Battery Manufacturing Facility with ultrasound measurement expertise to identify good batteries that can be reused, reducing waste,” said ORNL’s Hongbin Sun.

A team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Duke University and other institutions studying Sphagnum moss have identified two new species in North America, and they are learning how evolution may affect the species’ role in carbon storage.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists recently demonstrated a low-temperature, safe route to purifying molten chloride salts that minimizes their ability to corrode metals. This method could make the salts useful for storing energy generated from the sun’s heat.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently demonstrated a new technology to better control how power flows to and from commercial buildings equipped with solar, wind or other renewable energy generation.

“We are creating an electric grid of the future that allows renewable energy to be deployed in the most effective way,” said ORNL’s Madhu Chinthavali, who leads the research. “With this new grid interface architecture, operators can control energy flows much more meaningfully, even when power generation is decentralized.”

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are deploying their broad expertise in climate data and modeling to create science-based mitigation strategies for cities stressed by climate change as part of two U.S. Department of Energy Urban Integrated Field Laboratory projects.