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The National Laboratories — those great repositories of scientific and engineering ability — have shaped the evolution of energy sometimes in apparent ways, as with natural gas and oil recovery, and sometimes as an invisible hand, perfecting, assisting, counseling and filling out the work of others.

The labs have been at the forefront of almost every aspect of the energy world, from nuclear waste to mastering switching and control of rooftop solar; from looking to decrease the electricity demand at data centers to helping with corrosion control on offshore structures and undersea technology.

The next United States Energy Association virtual press briefing will focus on what the labs are doing to help electric utilities and their associated companies in this current transformative period. It is set for Wednesday, May 1, at 11 a.m. EDT.

A panel of leaders from some of the most critically involved national labs have been invited to meet the press for an hour on Zoom.

These are some questions that might come up at the briefing:

• What is going to be the impact of artificial intelligence on the grid both as a consumer of electricity and its role in operating the grid? Is vulnerability affected?
• What is research into lithium batteries yielding? Will costs fall and discharge duration rise?
• What is being learned about the extended operation of the current aging fleet of nuclear power plants?
• What is lab involvement in virtual power plants?
• What does lab research reveal about the chances of a carbon-free grid and when will that come about?
• What is the most exciting national lab project that affects electricity supply, operation and resiliency?
• What are the labs working on across the board?

Experts

• Kimberly Budil, Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Stephen Streiffer, Director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Steven Ashby, Director, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Claus Daniel, Associate Director for Advanced Energy Technologies, Argonne National Laboratory
• Martin Keller, Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Reporters

• Peter Behr, E&E News
• Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
• Ken Silverstein, Forbes
• Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS