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LONG ISLAND’S
Brookhaven National Laboratory: Science is
Brookhaven Lab is the
only national lab located
in the Northeast and one
of New York State’s largest
centers of scientific
research with special
emphasis on growing the technology-based elements
of the Long Island economy. The future
competitiveness of New York’s economy depends on
its capacity for innovation, and Brookhaven
represents a uniquely valuable resource—
both as a major science-based enterprise and
as a source of discoveries that drive
entrepreneurs and innovators. Brookhaven
research has been honored by seven Nobel
Prizes, as well as National Medals of Science,
Enrico Fermi Awards, Wolf Foundation
Prizes and dozens of R&D 100 awards.
A Passion for Discovery:
The Edges of the Universe
Brookhaven National Laboratory applies
its expertise and world-class facilities to
pressing scientific questions about everything
from the fundamental forces of nature to the
complex interactions of ecosystems and the
environment. Their cutting-edge explorations
reveal processes that unfold across the
smallest and largest scales of time and space
imaginable—from the building blocks of
matter to the edges of the universe itself.
Energy Innovation at Brookhaven Lab
Our nation faces grand challenges: finding
alternative and cleaner energy sources and
improving efficiency to meet our exponentially
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12 NETWORKING® June 2015
ABOUT
B R O O K H AV E N
N AT I O N A L
L A B O R AT O RY
Upper left: STAR Tracks... At nearly the speed of light, two 30-billion electron volt beams collide at Brookhaven National
Laboratory. Above: New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochul (center) visits the CSX beamline at NSLS-II with
Deputy Associate Lab Director for Energy Sciences & NSLS-II Director John Hill (left) and Lab Director Doon Gibbs (right).
STORY BY SALLY GILHOOLEY • PHOTOS COURTESY BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LAB
S
cience is transforming our tomorrows. The work going on at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
and Stony Brook University puts Long Island at the forefront of our country’s new energy future.
BNL is managed on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by Brookhaven Science
Associates LLC (BSA), a partnership between Stony Brook University and *Battelle. Brookhaven Lab is a
world-leading scientific organization and a source of technology innovation benefiting Long Island, the
nation and the world.
“The overarching goal of the U.S. Department of Energy is
to discover the solutions that power and secure America's
future. We share that goal at Brookhaven Lab,” said Dr. Doon
Gibbs, Brookhaven Lab Director. “We have a major focus on
energy science, for example, developing materials that enable
advanced batteries, solar cells, and other sustainable energy
technologies to help reduce the country's reliance on fossil
fuels—and also reduce its carbon emissions. Another focus is
understanding the world around us, including the origin and
properties of visible matter in the Universe. Altogether, our
mission adds up to nothing less than advancing science and
technology to make the world a better place.”
Robert Catell, Chairman, Advanced Energy Research and
Technology Center (AERTC) at Stony Brook University, told
Networking® magazine, "The unique relationship between the
Advanced Energy Center at Stony Brook and
Brookhaven National Laboratory allows Long Island to be a
leader in developing new technologies in energy storage,
Brookhaven Lab Director
renewable power, superconducting materials and smart
grids. That relationship results in a new energy economy: less
carbon intensive, better for the environment and less dependent on hydrocarbons from the Middle East."
Sources of Power
Most people agree that if they could get their energy at a similar cost from a source that uses fewer
hydrocarbons, they would do that. The challenge is to get more renewable energy at a lower cost. To get
off carbon fuels there are two major areas of opportunity. First, using less energy from big power plants
“The overarching goal of
the U.S. Department of
Energy is to discover the
solutions that power and
secure America's future.
We share that goal at
Brookhaven Lab.”
— Dr. Doon Gibbs
NEW ENERGY FUTURE
Transforming Our Tomorrows
and more distributed energy and renewable energy. Second, updating our
transportation fleet making electric cars more affordable and more practical. .
The Long Island Solar Farm (LISF), a 32-megawatt project on a 195-acre site at
BNL’s Upton location, features a 164,000 solar panel array held in place by 6,800
racks tilted towards the sun. LISF, built by BP Solar and MetLife, is the Island’s
poster child for how to green our energy, providing enough energy to PSEG to
power 4,500 Long Island homes.
David Manning, Director, Stakeholder and Community Relations Office at BNL,
in an interview with Networking® magazine said, “Not only do we have the biggest
solar photovoltaic farm east of the Mississippi, but we are working to create better
solar power components for everybody. The Lab has an entire team working to
make solar panels more efficient—so they absorb more energy from the sun and
reflect less. And, if we are going to rely on intermittent power sources like solar
and wind, we need better batteries to store electricity, because the sun sets every
night and wind doesn’t blow every day.”
BNL has built a second smaller solar array inside the Lab called the Northeast
Solar Energy Research Center (NSERC) which is just one megawatt devoted
exclusively to scientific testing. It provides a big opportunity to study renewables
and ways to electrify the transportation fleet using battery storage. Manning added
that the answers for better solar panels and batteries grow out of the scientific
research going on now at Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University giving Long
Island a major role in the world’s energy future.
That same battery technology is helping with the electrification of the vehicle
fleet, the other big energy user in the country.
The Eye of the Moth
When clouds come over LISF, solar power fades, so in order to balance that loss,
BNL scientists are researching ways to improve the solar panels themselves. They
are studying the eye of a moth because a moth flies at night and a moth’s eye lets
in more light than that of any other creature. BNL is looking at the surface of that
eye on a nano-scale to see how the moth can do that. They are taking the little
variations of the eye of the moth and applying those to solar panels because by
reflecting less and absorbing more light you have a more efficient panel.
If that technology can be advanced, every solar panel in the world will generate
more electricity at the same cost and, perhaps, using the same materials – a big
way to bring costs down for the future.
Building Better Batteries
The next step as you balance the increased load of more solar and wind power is
to have better batteries powering our vehicle fleet, the other big energy user that
needs to be made more efficient.
“One of the real challenges of the new energy economy is energy storage, and
better batteries will be part of the solution. They allow us to electrify the
automotive fleet and support the Long Island grid, to incorporate more wind and
solar,” explained Manning. “The tricky thing about energy is that you cannot store
it easily, especially in large amounts. The challenge today is to invent a better
battery that lasts longer, charges more quickly and is more affordable.
“Science at Brookhaven Lab has already produced a new battery, built by GE,
that is bigger and helps power locomotives. The next generation of batteries may
well come from BNL and Stony Brook University,” he added.
The Long Island Solar Farm (LISF) is a 32-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant built
through a collaboration including BP Solar, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA),
and the Department of Energy.
Dr. Esther Takeuchi, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Departments of
Materials Science and Engineering and Chemistry at Stony Brook University and
Chief Scientist, Energy Sciences Directorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory
and a renowned expert in developing batteries said, "Energy storage will play a
key role in the energy landscape of the future. The integration of renewable forms
of energy, which are often intermittent, may benefit from the integration of an
appropriately designed rechargeable battery. The advanced instrumentation at
Brookhaven Lab is leading to new insights about how batteries function. This
information may lead to further breakthroughs in energy storage science."
Alcatraz Island
In 1972, Alcatraz Island, formerly a federal prison, became a national recreation
area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. Today, the
Island's facilities are managed by the National Park Service.
Alcatraz’ power had been running off a cable in the Pacific Ocean but a ship
ripped out that connection in the 60’s. Until recently, Alcatraz has been running on
two diesel generators.
“For fifty years Alcatraz National Park has been smoking away on diesel
fumes,” said Manning. “And, they have now solved the problem by putting solar
panels on the roof, hidden behind walls so that nobody can see them from land.
continued on page 14, column 1
David Manning
Director, Stakeholder and
Community Relations Officer
at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Robert Catell
Chairman, Advanced Energy Research
and Technology Center (AERTC)
at Stony Brook University
Dr. Esther Takeuchi
SUNY Distinguished Professor at Stony
Brook University and a Chief Scientist,
at Brookhaven National Laboratory
NETWORKING® June 2015 13
Dr. Doon Gibbs
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Director
LONG ISLAND’S NEW ENERGY FUTURE
ABOUT BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LAB continued from page 12, column 1
continued from page 13
The panels are sending power down to the basement to
batteries that were improved using BNL’s facilities. They
are using this same model in Africa where energy storage is
helping improve the quality of life in remote areas. The same
technology will allow you to put more solar panels and
more wind into the grid here on Long Island.
Improving Superconductors
A superconductor is basically material that transmits
energy without loss. It is called a superconductor because
electricity goes through the copper or aluminum wires with
zero resistance. The hesitation in using them is their huge
costs. Some substances conduct better than others, and a
superconductor will allow the electricity to move with zero
resistance so you can move more energy with less loss along
the way.
What scientists at BNL are doing is trying to understand
more about superconductors to make them more affordable.
Manning explained, “If you upgrade the grid with today’s
superconductors, you can move much more energy, but the
cost to install and operate them is still too high to be
practical. Electricity is expensive on Long Island, but
technologies being developed at Brookhaven have the
potential to make the system far more efficient.”
He concluded, “Sustainable answers lie in understanding
the science of energy technology. Through the research and
development happening at Brookhaven Lab and Stony
Brook University, we have the tools and intellectual capital
to make major strides in improving energy technology, for
Long Island, New York State, the country, and the world.” ■
14 NETWORKING® June 2015
*Battelle is a global research and development organization
committed to science. It maintains more than 60 locations
worldwide, putting resources where clients need them most.
Facilities serve a wide spectrum of research, manufacturing and
innovation interests for both scientific and commercial advantage
including manufacturing centers; software and technology offices;
and analytical, chemical, biological and material science
laboratories. A network of strategic partnerships further extends
Battelle’s reach into government labs, academic institutions, and
corporate research centers.
growing energy needs. Researchers at
Brookhaven National Laboratory are poised to
meet these challenges with basic and applied
research programs aimed at advancing the
effective use of renewable energy through
improved conversion, transmission, and
storage.
Carbon-Free Generation
Carbon-free central generation of electricity,
either through fossil fuel combustion with
carbon dioxide capture and storage or
development of renewable sources such as
solar, wind, and/or nuclear power, is key to
our future energy portfolio. Brookhaven
provides tools and techniques for studying
geological carbon dioxide sequestration and
analyzing safety issues for nuclear systems.
Renewables Integration
Ongoing Brookhaven research aims to
improve the critical properties of
superconducting materials, which are key to
integrating renewables on the grid. The 32megawatt Long Island Solar Farm at
Brookhaven offers a unique opportunity for
our researchers to study utility-scale
photovoltaic plant performance and grid
integration.
Grid-Scale Storage
BNL research is focused on developing a
variety of storage technologies, including
advanced battery materials and
superconducting magnet energy storage
systems. The Lab’s connections to the NYBEST
Consortium and the New York State Smart
Grid Consortium (NYSSCG) provide a solid
connection to local and regional utility needs.
Robust Distribution Systems
Improved distribution efficiency and
customer empowerment will be enabled by a
next-generation distribution system that
incorporates feedback from end-user devices
and automatically adjusts accordingly. The Lab
is actively working with a New York State utility
on a modeling technology that will help identify
and reduce losses
Improved Catalysts
To obtain a fundamental understanding of
catalytic processes used to produce and improve
clean fuels, novel catalysts are being produced to
remove sulfur from oil and prevent acid rain,
and to transform pollutants into alcohols that
can be used as clean fuels.
Electro-Catalysis in Fuel Cells
Fuel cells facilitate direct conversion of the
chemical energy in fuel to electricity. Catalysts
are essential components of fuel cell electrodes
that make high-efficiency conversion possible.
Brookhaven is developing catalysts that contain
much smaller amounts of platinum, reducing the
amount of precious metals needed to
manufacture fuel cells for electric cars thus
lowering production costs.
Solar-to-Fuel Conversion
While solar generation of electricity is
important, hydrogen and liquid fuels are
essential for long-term storage of energy as a
replacement for fossil-based fuels. Brookhaven
scientists are working on ways to use the sun to
transform water and carbon dioxide into fuels
like hydrogen and oxygen, and using a carbon
dioxide reduction process to produce important
industrial raw materials
Biofuels
Brookhaven biologists are exploring strategies
for engineering plants optimally tailored for
biofuel production. Researchers also study the
applications of biofuels and alternative fuels—
how we use them and their limitations. ■