US Department of Energy

​Lightweight and shatterproof, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic is recyclable, although most items made from it don't get recycled. This is because reclaimed PET (rPET) just isn't as good as the original material. A new "upcycling" process, however, is claimed to make it even better.

Last year, ORNL scientists revealed they were working on ultrasonic clothes drying technology. At the time, they said they planned to implement the technology in a press dryer and a clothes dryer drum. A new video shows they've been true to their word.

Back in 2009, the US Department of Energy issued its SuperTruck Challenge. It invited truck manufacturers to design a prototype that was at least 50 percent more freight-efficient than a baseline truck. Daimler Trucks North America recently unveiled its response – the Freightliner SuperTruck.

Dendrites – thin conductive filaments that form inside lithium batteries – reduce the life of these cells and are often responsible for them catching fire. Now researchers claim to have produced an electrolyte that completely eliminates them while also boosting carrying capacity and efficiency.

If you had a big enough 3D printer, one of the first things you might do is print a replica of a vintage 1965 Shelby Cobra sportscar, and that's what the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) did for the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Researchers have created a dye-sensitized solar cell that stores its own power by "breathing" air to decompose and re-form lithium peroxide. Its creators believe the device, which effectively combines a battery and a solar cell in one, could reduce renewable energy costs by 25 percent.

The best advice for surviving a nuclear bomb is to be somewhere else when it goes off. If that doesn't work out for you, though, a recent study carried out at the USDOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) provides some simple guidance for maximizing your chances of survival.

The Empowerhouse won first prize in the Affordability category of the 2011 US Solar Decathlon and was redesigned to become the first house in the city of Washington, DC built to Passive House standards. Its first family speak of a brighter future in their ultra-energy-efficient home.

Team Austria (Vienna University of Technology) has been announced the overall winner of Solar Decathlon 2013 after the closest competition in the history of the event. Second place went to University of Nevada Las Vegas, with the Czech Technical University achieving third place overall.

SCI-Arc and Caltech students joined forces to produce a net-zero micro-home concept dubbed "DALE," which expands in size to offer more living space.

Hydromatic's new energy saving technology targets one of the biggest energy guzzling appliances found in the home - the clothes dryer - reducing energy consumption by up to 50% and cutting clothes-drying time by up to 41%.