ORNL, Fermilab and MEEA partner to develop retrofit strategy for aging buildings. Fermilab Village will serve as a real-world setting for building and community energy improvements Oct 20, 2026 The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a strategic approach for improving the energy performance of aging buildings at Fermilab Village in Batavia, Illinois. The collaboration will combine ORNL's expertise in building science, field testing, sensors, controls and energy modeling with Fermilab's knowledge of the village's buildings and operations. MEEA will provide expertise in energy efficiency programs, utility engagement and building retrofit initiatives. Together, the partners will evaluate phased retrofit pathways designed to reduce energy use and operating costs, improve occupant comfort and address the practical challenges of upgrading older structures. Fermilab Village includes 114 buildings used for housing, laboratories, offices and support functions. Some structures are more than 100 years old, and many were adapted from homes and farm buildings that predate the laboratory. Fermilab has identified 81 buildings as potential candidates for analysis. Previous improvements have focused primarily on heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment in approximately 30 buildings rather than comprehensive upgrades to building envelopes and other systems. "The technology demonstrations made possible through this project will allow innovative solutions to be tested and validated here, with the potential for broader deployment across industries and communities throughout the region," said Fermilab Director Norbert Holtkamp. Field measurements and energy modeling guide phased building upgrades. Planned work will begin with a review of buildings expected to remain in use. Researchers will classify the buildings by type, size, age, condition, energy performance and building systems, then select representative structures for detailed study. Sensors and meters will be installed to measure indoor temperature and humidity, energy use, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning operation. These measurements would provide a baseline that captures seasonal conditions and current building performance. ORNL researchers will use the field data to develop and calibrate baseline energy models for the buildings. These models will help the team assess each building's current performance and identify opportunities for improvement at different levels of retrofit. The models also will estimate potential energy and cost savings from ORNL-developed and commercially available technologies, helping the team determine which solutions to implement and how best to deploy them. Technologies under consideration include building-envelope upgrades, high-performance windows, advanced HVAC systems and controls, and other energy-efficiency measures. "Fermilab Village gives us a rare opportunity to study aging buildings as part of an interconnected community," said Robert Wagner, ORNL's associate laboratory director for Energy Science and Technology. "By pairing field measurements with calibrated energy models, we can help Fermilab compare practical options, understand their costs and benefits, and make informed decisions about improvements that can be implemented over time. The approach could also help other campuses and communities address similar challenges." Community-scale analysis explores coordinated energy systems and measurable savings. At the village scale, the team will evaluate future opportunities to coordinate buildings as an integrated energy system. Options could include shared infrastructure, district thermal systems, microgrids, load shifting and controls that coordinate energy use across multiple buildings. Selected strategies could then be demonstrated in representative buildings and evaluated through post-retrofit monitoring. Measurement and verification will be central to the research. By comparing post-retrofit performance with measured baselines and calibrated simulations, researchers can quantify energy and cost savings, evaluate occupant comfort and indoor conditions, and identify adjustments needed to support long-term performance. ORNL researchers estimate that comprehensive retrofit pathways could reduce energy consumption by more than 40 percent. The estimate is preliminary, and actual savings will depend on field measurements, the measures selected, available funding, operating conditions and the scope of implementation. "MEEA is excited to partner with ORNL and Fermilab to explore and pilot new technologies that can make aging buildings more energy efficient and comfortable for the people who live and work in them," said Paige Knutsen, executive director of MEEA. "This project offers a valuable opportunity to connect research and development with real-world applications in the Midwest. We plan to work with our network of member companies across the energy efficiency industry to identify opportunities to leverage utility incentives and collaborate on technology validation and piloting. By connecting national laboratory expertise with our members' experience, we can help turn promising innovations into practical solutions - advancing MEEA's mission and helping other Midwest communities improve their buildings, reduce energy costs, and enhance comfort." The project is expected to produce a phased strategy identifying near-term measures, medium-term upgrades and longer-term comprehensive retrofits. The approach could also provide a model for other national laboratories, research campuses and communities seeking to improve the performance of diverse aging buildings while maintaining ongoing operations. The Building Technologies Research and Integration Center at ORNL is a Department of Energy applied energy facility that supports research in grid-flexible solutions, high-performance equipment, building envelopes and industrialized construction, energy storage and multifunctional products, and systems integration. The facility's capabilities span laboratory testing, field demonstrations and whole-building simulation, enabling researchers to evaluate technologies from early development through real-world validation. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America's national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. Fermi Forward Discovery Group manages Fermilab for the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is a collaborative network that promotes energy efficiency to optimize energy generation, reduce consumption and create jobs across Midwestern communities. MEEA serves a 13-state region that includes Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of its time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.

Energy department announces 2026 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award winners. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced that Fermilab's Chris Polly was one of nine recipients of the prestigious Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for exceptional contributions to research and development supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) missions in science, energy and national security. Media contact. * Tracy Marc, Fermilab [email protected], 224-290-7803 Fermilab editor's note: The following press release was posted by the U.S. Department of Energy. Charles "Chris" Polly has been a central figure in Muon g-2 experiments for almost three decades. His leadership and contributions were key to achieving the most precise measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon in particle physics to date, with the latest result published in 2025. He was a lead graduate student on the Muon g-2 experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Brookhaven result, completed in the early 2000s, revealed a tantalizing discrepancy between experiment and theoretical predictions, making it one of the most closely watched measurements in particle physics and motivating decades of further research. Polly was instrumental in the move of the 50-foot muon storage ring from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York to Fermilab in Illinois. He helped lead the next generation of the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab as the Project Manager who led the design and construction of the experiment from start to finish, and later served as co-spokesperson when the collaboration announced its first result in 2021. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced nine recipients of the prestigious Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award for their exceptional contributions to research and development supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) missions in science, energy, and national security. "This year's Lawrence Award recipients exemplify the ingenuity and determination that drive America's leadership in science and technology," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. "From achieving fusion ignition to advancing critical materials and high-performance computing, these scientists and engineers are tackling some of our nation's most complex challenges and translating groundbreaking research into real-world capabilities. Their work strengthens our nation's energy security, drives American innovation, and ensures the United States remains at the forefront of scientific discovery." Established in 1959, the Lawrence Award recognizes mid-career U.S. scientists and engineers for groundbreaking achievements across nine scientific and engineering categories. The award is among the longest-running and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. government. The 2026 Ernest O. Lawrence Award recipients are: Charles "Chris" Polly, Ph.D. (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) - High Energy Physics - Honored for his "exceptional scientific and technical contributions to low-energy precision measurements in particle physics, most notably leadership of the experimental measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon with the Muon g-2 experiment." Eric J. Schelter, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania) - Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Sciences - Honored for his "fundamental chemical studies of energy-critical metals leading to new methods for their selective and sustainable separations." Patrick Chain, Ph.D. (Los Alamos National Laboratory and New Mexico Consortium) - Biological and Environmental Sciences - Honored for his "pioneering work in genomics and microbiome science, including discoveries of new bacterial-fungal interactions and revolutionizing the field by democratizing access to advanced bioinformatics tools." Samuel W. Williams, Ph.D. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) - Computer, Information, and Knowledge Sciences - Honored for his "pioneering contributions in performance modeling, hardware/software design optimization, and novel computer architecture for high-performance computing, enabling modeling of complex computational solutions, and increasing analysis speed, simulation accuracy, and computational efficiency." Thomas Epps, III, Ph.D. (University of Delaware) - Condensed Matter and Materials Sciences - Honored for his "fundamental contributions to chemistry and materials science with applications in the chemical upcycling of polymeric waste, generation of high-performance materials from biomass feedstocks, and development of membranes for lithium-ion battery technologies." Gregg Beckham, Ph.D. (National Laboratory of the Rockies and University of Colorado Boulder) - Energy Science and Innovation - Honored for his "transformative research in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass and waste plastics via biology, chemistry, and engineering, yielding building blocks for sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials." Andrea L. Kritcher, Ph.D. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) - Fusion and Plasma Sciences - Honored for her "exceptional design efforts leading to the first-ever achievement of fusion ignition in the Laboratory, which is of major scientific impact to institutional and national missions, the private sector, and fusion interests within academia." Michael Reed, Ph.D. (Nevada National Security Site) - National Security and Nonproliferation - Honored for his "vital contributions to national and international nuclear emergency response through the Advanced Visualization & Integration of Data (AVID) software, which broke existing paradigms by simultaneously fusing all radiological data into a single interface connected seamlessly to world-wide expertise." Lijuan Ruan, Ph.D. (Brookhaven National Laboratory) - Nuclear Physics - Honored for her "outstanding leadership and ingenuity in the design, construction, and operation of novel detector systems in the STAR experiment, transforming dilepton final states into precision probes of heavy ion collisions." DOE will honor the recipients at a hybrid award ceremony in Washington, D.C., on November 13, 2026. The ceremony will be broadcast live online, and a recording will be available following the event. Registration is required for both virtual and in-person attendees. Due to space and security requirements, in-person attendance is limited, with registration closing October 30, 2026.

Physics and fusion research advances through Fermilab's MAGNES. 1 - 4 of 4 results October 12, 2026 Fermilab's long legacy of pioneering superconducting magnet technology is entering a new chapter with the launch of the MAGNet Environment Simulator. The test platform will support cutting-edge research aimed at enabling the powerful magnets needed for future fusion energy systems. October 1, 2026 Leaders from U.S. national laboratories and industry will come together at Fermilab on October 13 to participate in a special public evening focused on the future of fusion energy. December 14, 2022 From CNN Opinion, Dec. 14, 2022: Don Lincoln examines the result from the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that fusing elements released more energy than the lasers supplied. While this is a monumental step for science and a spectacular technical achievement, the process has to be repeated again and again and engineers need to construct a containment structure that can survive the bath of neutrons that a functional fusion generator will create. February 14, 2022 CNN, February 11, 2022: Fermilab's Don Lincoln discusses how nuclear fusion technology has developed into a commercial technology. Fusion could revolutionize how energy is generated across the globe and have significant impacts on the world's future climate.