The Department of Energy's National Laboratory of the Rockies just won four R&D 100 Awards, given yearly to the 100 most innovative technologies of the year. This is research news, not a program homeowners can sign up for, but one of the winning technologies could eventually matter for home energy costs.
The most relevant one is called ENDURING, a patented system for storing large amounts of energy cheaply. It uses sand, an inexpensive and widely available material, to hold heat generated during off-peak hours so that energy can be used later when demand is high. The lab says the system could store energy for less than $10 per kilowatt-hour and hold enough for up to 100 hours at a time. Technology like this, if it moves from the lab into wider use, could help utilities smooth out costs and demand, which over time can affect electricity rates for homes.
The other three awards involve freight rail simulation software, a computing tool for modeling combustion and industrial processes, and a membrane system that converts waste carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into chemicals. These are aimed at industry and infrastructure, not household upgrades, and don't have direct bearing on home energy decisions right now. For homeowners, the takeaway is mainly that national labs continue working on cheaper large-scale energy storage, which is the kind of research that can eventually shape the grid your home draws power from.
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