ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

United States Department of Energy national laboratories

The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories are like secret science clubs where super smart people are trying to figure out new and better ways to create energy and understand how all kinds of things work in the world around us.

The Department of Energy is a big group of people that work together to make sure we have enough energy to run our cars, turn on lights, and power our homes. They also want to make sure we use energy in the best way possible, so it doesn't hurt the environment or cost too much money.

One way they do this is by setting up special places called National Laboratories all over the country. These labs are like big schools with scientists and engineers who work together to do experiments and create new things that will help us use energy better.

Some of the labs focus on nuclear energy, which is energy that comes from splitting atoms. Others work on things like solar power, wind energy, and even new ways to make cars that don't use gas.

It's really important that we have places like the National Laboratories so we can keep making new discoveries and coming up with better ways to use energy. It's kind of like a big puzzle, and the scientists at these labs are really good at figuring out how all the pieces fit together.