New PNNL Energy Sciences Center to foster research collaborations on biofuels, chemicals

In Washington, a new research facility on the Richland campus of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is set to open fall 2021. The Energy Sciences Center (ESC) will feature many of PNNL’s strengths in chemistry, materials sciences, and computing in one building.

“The ESC will accelerate innovation in energy research using chemistry, materials science, and quantum information sciences supporting the nation’s climate and clean energy research agenda,” said Lou Terminello, associate laboratory director of the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate. “This will be one of the most advanced facilities in the world designed for this type of research and will be a tremendous asset for the nation. The research that it will enable is going to play an important part in decarbonizing the energy system.”

The $90 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility will help enable a clean energy future through advances in fundamental chemistry and materials science to drive the development of higher-performing, cost-effective catalysts and batteries, and other energy efficiency technologies. With cutting-edge capabilities in advanced electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance methods, researchers will be able to accelerate the production of high-value sustainable chemicals and biofuels from waste carbon and other sources.