Improving Energy Planning, Water Desalination Device, and Ongoing Battery Research

This week on Peaks to Power, we break down battery research, gather updates on a water desalination device, and review a grid planning tool.  

• NLR researchers are equipping state energy offices and public utility commissions with the Sienna analysis tool and trainings to make the most of the energy planning. 
•  The latest update to the HERO WEC device could provide a blueprint for future wave energy components.  
• Years of work and a catalogue of data results in a new, open-access Battery Safety Database and more from NLR’s extensive battery research. 

Follow @NatLabRockies on Instagram to meet a few incredible interns and celebrate National Intern Day.  

This week's episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Nataleah Small. 

This episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle, written and produced by Allison Montroy, Hannah Halusker, and Kaitlyn Stottler, and edited by Taylor Mankle, Joe DelNero, and Brittany Falch. Graphics are by Brittnee Gayet. Our title music is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at podcast@nlr.gov. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

Transcript

Kerrin Jeromin 0:06

Welcome to Peaks to Power, a podcast brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Laboratory of the Rockies. It's Wednesday, July 29th. I'm Kerrin Jeromin.

Nataleah Small 0:15

And I'm Nataleah Small.

Kerrin Jeromin 0:17

Nataleah, welcome back to the podcast, friend. It's been a little while since you've joined us, and to our listeners out there, you may hear a few new voices here on the show upcoming. There are several of us who contribute to this podcast from NLR's Communications Office.

Nataleah Small 0:31

Thanks so much, Kerrin. I'm so happy to be back and talking about the latest and greatest from the laboratory.

Kerrin Jeromin 0:37

Well, without further ado, let's get into it then. Nataleah, I feel like there's one question on everyone's minds right now.

Nataleah Small 0:50

What's the song of the summer?

Kerrin Jeromin 0:52

Uh okay, well, maybe maybe two questions, not that one, but it's okay. I'm talking about the question of how do we affordably and reliably meet rising energy demand?

Nataleah Small 1:02

Okay, well, that is a good question. Uh, one that different states with different populations, landscapes, and industries are considering. And so are NLR grid researchers. That's why they turn to Sienna, an open source power systems modeling platform that is designed to represent modern electrical grids.

Kerrin Jeromin 1:21

Sienna is a grid analysis tool that allows users to simulate power systems operations and analyze complex challenges related to system scheduling, resource integration, and transmission performance. Essentially, Sienna helps state energy offices and public utility commissions create an effective energy plan.

Nataleah Small 1:40

Sienna can equip partners with tools and capabilities to address grid challenges, not just today, but for the future. It's a really valuable tool to understand electricity needs for partners of all sizes, from local tribal communities to the state of Illinois.

Kerrin Jeromin 1:57

The NLR Sienna team has taken the tool beyond the laboratory and developed a specialized training program that equips energy planners of all modeling backgrounds with the tools and knowledge needed to build and analyze models of the systems in their localities.

Nataleah Small 2:12

The team said that their goal is to take the advanced analysis capabilities of the lab and put them in the hands of people who are making the day-to-day decisions on energy system affordability and reliability, which is awesome.

Kerrin Jeromin 2:26

Absolutely.

Nataleah Small 2:27

And my song for the summer is "Orbiter" by Noah Kahan, in case you were wondering.

Kerrin Jeromin 2:38

Okay, now that we are firmly in the dog days of summer, let's hit the beach for our next story.

Nataleah Small 2:44

Our next story is all about waves. In an earlier episode, we introduced you to the hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter, also known as the HERO WEC device. So let's dive into this.

Kerrin Jeromin 2:59

Right, the HERO WEC uses energy from waves to desalinate seawater, the process of removing salt and minerals to make it drinkable. The device can operate using either a hydraulic or an electrical configuration to pump seawater through an onshore reverse osmosis system to produce that fresh drinking water.

Nataleah Small 3:18

The device has been around since 2020. And now, after hundreds of hours of testing, the team is retiring version one and drawing on lessons learned to design version two. And right now they are working on the charge controller, which is, well, let's hear about it from Alec Schnabel.

Alec Schnabel 3:37

The charge controller is exactly as it sounds. It controls the charge to the battery. So as the waves come in, they pulse, they move, energy goes from peak to zero. It's a very what we call wild power. And so what the charge controller does is it takes that power and smooths it out for the battery to use because batteries are very particular in what they can accept, the current and the voltage levels. So it is that critical piece that converts wild power to smooth power.

Kerrin Jeromin 4:06

Smoothing out that power meant creating a custom charge controller just for wave energy. The team has been working on this particular system since the winter of 2024, and after rigorous testing, the system works better than expected.

Nataleah Small 4:20

It can handle irregular states of energy and capture up to eight times more power than the original charge controller during in-lab testing. This means the HERO WEC can produce significantly more usable power, consistently charge the battery bank, reliably power the reverse osmosis system, and ultimately desalinate more seawater.

Kerrin Jeromin 4:43

And this new charge controller isn't just for the HERO WEC device. It can provide a much-needed blueprint for the entire wave energy industry. And because this is now a proven technology, it can be used to cut development time and accelerate new WEC designs.

Nataleah Small 4:59

The HERO WEC isn't done. There's more to come from this device and more in lab testing and potential ocean testing still ahead. I feel like we talk about batteries a lot on this show and at the lab in general.

Kerrin Jeromin 5:20

Oh, yeah, lots of battery talk around here.

Nataleah Small 5:22

Yeah, and it's not surprising. Batteries are basically everywhere. They're important to pretty much every technology you can think of. And when they fail, things can escalate quickly.

Kerrin Jeromin 5:33

That's why NLR researchers spend so much time on understanding the risks at every stage of the battery's life so we can prevent those failures. Our researchers use advanced analytical techniques and real-world data, collaborating closely with industry experts to deliver unique insights into battery safety spanning emerging chemistries and designs, field performance and emergency response.

Nataleah Small 5:58

And now all that information has been used to populate a new open access battery safety database, which describes key safety characteristics across different battery types. NLR developed this database in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin and Exponent Incorporated through a project supported by the Advanced Research Project Agency Energy, better known as ARPA-E.

Kerrin Jeromin 6:23

NLR researchers also use state-of-the-art imaging techniques to monitor batteries as they function and fail in real time. That imaging is complemented by data analytics and physics-informed AI models that assimilate experimental data.

Nataleah Small 6:38

So, AI can help us with the predictability of battery cell behaviors, such as thermal runaway. And using this tool, NLR researchers can perform objective assessments of new battery designs, and data from non-proprietary projects can be released publicly to enable innovators and manufacturers to accelerate breakthroughs and battery technologies.

Kerrin Jeromin 7:00

Right, they're not just looking at our current batteries, but also emerging chemistries to hopefully achieve higher energy storage at lower cost.

Nataleah Small 7:08

There's so much more happening with batteries at the laboratory. For instance, NLR researchers are assisting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to train emergency responders to deal with battery fires. Researchers are evaluating novel materials like sodium, potassium ion, and solid-state lithium metal for batteries, and so much more.

Nataleah Small 7:30

That wraps up another episode of Peaks to Power. Kerrin, it's so great to be back.

Kerrin Jeromin 7:42

Yeah, absolutely. And listeners, if you liked this episode, please give us a quick review on your favorite podcast player.

Nataleah Small 7:48

Before we wrap things up, Kerrin, I did want to ask our listeners to head over to the National Laboratory of the Rockies Instagram channel this week to help us celebrate National Intern Day.

Kerrin Jeromin 7:59

Oh, yay, that's fun. Oh, you know, we love our interns here, of course. They're amazing. And we're featuring a few of them on our Instagram. So you can follow us over there at NatLabRockies.

Nataleah Small 8:10

You know, I hear there are some pretty cute photos of our interns as kiddos. So don't miss it. Yes. And don't miss our next Peaks to Power episode in two weeks. This episode was adapted from National Laboratory of the Rockies news articles from June and July 2026, written by Daniella Frank, Brittany Enos, and Rebecca Martineau. Our theme music is written and performed by Ted Vaca, and episode music by Chuck Koernick, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. This podcast is produced by the National Laboratory of the Rockies Communications Office.