Energy and Environment

As the lifeblood of all industrial and technological societies, energy is one of our most fundamental needs. Our nation's goal to achieve energy self-sufficiency affects U.S. foreign, environmental, security, and economic policies. Developing new energy sources and exploiting existing ones more efficiently and cleanly are among the 21st century's greatest challenges.

SRI addresses this issue with a diversified, holistic approach that brings multiple disciplines together to work on a problem of staggering technological, economic, and political complexity. Our government and commercial clients worldwide benefit from our scientific expertise and practical know-how in a range of areas, from basic and applied research to developing and testing of advanced systems.

In the 1940s, SRI pioneered smog research in Los Angeles and hosted the first National Air Pollution Symposium. In the 1970s, our groundbreaking research into the environmental causes of lung diseases led to regulatory guidelines for air pollutants. In the 1980s, we demonstrated how chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) contribute to the ozone hole, and developed protocols for the EPA’s regulation of pesticides.

Today, SRI is developing pioneering technologies and services in power generation, energy storage, infrastructure, and environment:

Power generation

• Fuel cells: PEM (proton exchange membrane fuel cells, SOFC (solid oxide fuel cells), DCFC (direct carbon fuel cells)
• SRI Solar Silicon Process
• Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) technology
• Thermomagnetometry (TMAG) technology
• Thermionics
• Fuel sensors (hydrocarbon, hydrogen), oxidants, emissions, etc.
• Advanced materials (turbines, coatings, corrosion/erosion resistance, nuclear)
• Electroactive polymer "artificial muscle" for vibration scavenging, polymer engines, more)
• Combustion (catalysts, kinetics, monitoring)

Energy storage

• Batteries (High-power, high-energy, super capacitor, NFE, fiber)
• Hydrogen generation and storage
• Advanced materials (High-strength, corrosion-resistant, impermeable, membranes, gas sorbants)

Infrastructure

• "Smart grid" technologies (PDF)
• DATES: Detection and Analysis of Threats to the Energy Sector (PDF)
• Pipeline materials, fracture detection, safety, and monitoring
• Fuel processing and sensors
• Switching of wide bandgap materials
• Safety: natural gas, hydrogen, nuclear, remote gas leak detection

Environment

• Dinitramide salts for nontoxic oxidizers
• Noise suppression/vibration control
• Chemical and engineering processes
• Handheld biological and chemical sensors
• Optoelectronic systems
• Hydrothermal technology
• Hydrogen fuel generation, storage, and distribution
• Waste destruction
• Pollution abatement
• Potable water production
• Biodegradable materials
• Ultrasensitive hazardous materials detection
• Environmental impacts and site selection
• Eco-effective product design
• Carbon dioxide separation, sequestration, and reaction
• Nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide sensing and removal
• Fuel clean-up (sulfur, heavy metals)
• Hazardous waste destruction: Assisted Hydrothermal Oxidation (AHO), hot water extraction, trace chemical detection

For information about our work in related areas, visit SRI's Physical Sciences Division and Engineering and Systems Division.