WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced two funding opportunities, totaling $6.1 million, for student training and research on remediating legacy pollution from coal-based electricity generation and using carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to generate low-carbon power. One funding opportunity will provide $3.1 million to support DOE’s University Coal Research (UCR) program, and the other opportunity will provide $2.2 million in support of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU-OMI) program. Moreover, up to $800,000 in additional funding related to emissions control is available across both programs. This funding will support up to 20 student engineers and scientists working over 2-3 years on research projects related to technologies critical to advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  

NETL collaborated with education leaders in West Virginia and at the Columbus, Ohio-based Center of Science and Industry (COSI) to create and distribute “Learning Lunchboxes,” which include materials and a guide to complete five engaging hands-on STEM-related activities. “When students begin to learn about STEM subjects, it’s important for them to participate in active learning experiences. The energy kits in these lunchboxes build strong interest in STEM subjects by providing materials to complete exciting projects. This sets the stage for ongoing success in these areas and generates early interest in STEM-related careers,” said NETL’s Ken Mechling, coordinator, STEM Education & Outreach Program. An initial set of energy-themed Learning Lunchboxes was distributed in December at the Mountaineer Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia. The distribution was part of a celebration to open the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Technical Assistance Center (TAC). 

The NETL Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI) recently ramped up efforts to connect artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) researchers working on clean energy technologies by hosting a Jan. 19 Ai4AE Day Workshop and expanding the reach of its biweekly Artificial Intelligence for Applied Energy (Ai4AE) digital communication.  “The goal of this inaugural Ai4AE Day Workshop was to catalyze connections and socialize AI/ML research within NETL for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM),” said Kelly Rose, SAMI technical director. “Feedback from our participants and stakeholders indicate that this first event was a resounding success and helped build awareness of crosscutting efforts and promote knowledge sharing across the community.”

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $28 million in federal funding for research and development (R&D) and front-end engineering design (FEED) projects that will advance clean hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel for transportation, industrial use and electricity production. Most hydrogen in the United States is traditionally produced using natural gas without carbon capture, which is not clean. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will leverage innovative approaches to produce clean hydrogen at lower costs from materials that include municipal solid waste, legacy coal waste, waste plastics and biomass with carbon capture and storage. These next-generation hydrogen technologies will play a significant role in decarbonizing the U.S. economy and advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Morgantown High School’s Team One and Suncrest Middle School’s Team One, both from Monongalia County claimed victory at the 31st annual West Virginia Regional Science Bowl, held virtually Feb. 4-5, 2022. Twenty teams representing 15 high schools and 17 teams from nine middle schools throughout the Mountain State took part in the competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The winners of the 2022 WVSB competition earned an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they will represent West Virginia in DOE’s National Science Bowl scheduled for April 28-May 2.  The West Virginia Science Bowl tested students’ knowledge of math and science topics. Middle school teams competed Friday, followed by high school students on Saturday. The virtual competition space and altered format adopted in 2021 continued this year. Teams competed individually instead of going head-to-head, with the highest scoring teams moving up. 

The latest edition of Water-Energy Nexus News is packed with research efforts undertaken by NETL and its partners to deliver world-class technology solutions that enhance the nation’s energy foundation while helping to protect water resources for future generations. This quarter’s newsletter explores the development of ProteusLib, an open-source library of water treatment models built on NETL’s Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) platform. This work is creating a tool to complete technoeconomic assessments of early-stage water treatment technologies. Other updates in this edition of the newsletter include:

NETL researchers, working closely with experts at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), have designed a multi-cloud-based computational solution to complement on-site resources that will accelerate clean energy research across the agency.  The team then tested the cloud environment using the powerful NETL-developed deep-learning tool SmartSearch©, which helps to mitigate one of the biggest draws on a researcher’s time — searching for, acquiring, and transforming relevant data. 

The January 2022 edition of the RWFI E-Note Monthly, the newsletter of NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI), will include invitations for an upcoming webinar on the job-creating potential of hydrogen power. During the Energy 101 Webinar on Hydrogen and the Low-Carbon Economy, attendees will learn about the research being conducted by NETL in hydrogen technologies and how successes in research may lead to economic and workforce opportunities. The Biden Administration strives to create a clean energy sector, which can be achieved through a combination of hydrogen production from the country’s energy resources while simultaneously capturing and storing carbon dioxide. This approach holds great potential for workforce development. Attendance to the Energy 101 series is free, but spaces are limited. Interested parties are asked to register in advance for the event.

The December 2021 edition of the RWFI E-Note Monthly, the newsletter of NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative, details deadline extensions for funding opportunities to establish a network of university-based, regional electric power cybersecurity centers. These centers are intended to address interrelated research and development challenges of cybersecurity and critical energy infrastructure and steps that need to be taken to build workforce expertise. The goal of this initiative is the creation of tools and training for the energy sector. The original deadline to engage with the University Based Cybersecurity Centers Program has been extended to Feb. 4, 2022. This month’s newsletter also highlights funding opportunities from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that focuses on increasing and broadening the participation of underrepresented researchers.

In this quarter’s Research Associate Spotlight and Mentor Profile, up-and-coming environmental engineer Preom Sarkar discusses the important contributions she is making in collaboration with NETL experts to create more environmentally friendly methods of flue gas desulfurization (FGD). FGD systems are used to scrub the gas released during fossil energy combustion to mitigate the release of pollutants such as sulfur oxide gases and mercury into the atmosphere. As a result of scrubbing, a complex wastewater containing a number of contaminants is formed that must be treated before it is acceptable for surface discharge. Sarkar conducts research on water management of power systems, with a specific focus on biological treatment of FGD systems. In this spotlight feature, Sarkar shares the journey that led her to apply for a research associate position at NETL and the new skills and invaluable experiences she has gained completing research with her mentor, Djuna Gulliver, Ph.D.