Whether designing computer models for a new combustion technology or sensors to ensure electric grid reliability, researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) consistently stand at the vanguard of innovation, taking steps each day to enhance the nation’s energy foundation. Their research expertise has helped usher in a new era of U.S. energy dominance, but this position can only be sustained by ensuring that new researchers are prepared to solve the increasingly complex energy demands of the nation.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has announced up to $2.75 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development (R&D) projects. Future amounts are subject to congressional appropriations.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has announced up to $1.6 million in federal funding  for research and development projects under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001842 , Support of Fossil Energy Research at U.S.

As our nation expands its technological horizons and stretches the boundaries of what is currently feasible, we open doors to a future that is bright with promise. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are the tools required to empower that promising future. Through advances in STEM, we can solve our nation’s energy and environmental challenges, maintain American competitiveness, and usher in a new era of prosperity and sustainability.  

Four rare earth elements (REEs) recovery projects managed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have made significant progress in the development of a domestic supply of REEs from coal and coal by-products by successfully producing REE concentrates.

When the power goes out unexpectedly, people understandably grow concerned, especially if they are left without electricity for an extended time. For many, this amounts to a temporary inconvenience, but some power failures can be catastrophic – costing millions of dollars and creating extreme safety hazards. NETL and the University of Pittsburgh are hoping to reduce some of these power failures in the future by developing advanced fiber optic sensing technology that can alert utility companies of an impending power transformer failure before it’s too late.

A patented technology from NETL inventors offers a cost-effective way to enable low-carbon electricity generation and efficient fuel processing, among other benefits.

NETL is providing first-hand knowledge to the City of Morgantown Engineering and Urban Landscape Departments on the energy efficiency of adding a green roof to the City Hall building. The Morgantown Engineering and Urban Landscape Departments visited the NETL Morgantown Site for a presentation by Facility Operations Engineering and Operations Team engineers on the Technology Support Facility’s (TSF) Green Roof build followed by a tour.

NETL researchers have developed a refractory brick that can increase the service life of refractories that are used to line entrained flow slagging gasifiers, reducing wear from molten mineral impurities (slag) in carbon feedstock, and resulting in reduced replacement costs and an increased gasifier availability and efficiency.

As the sun rises and sets each day, the availability of solar power comes and goes. Cloud cover, weather patterns and more also impact reliability. This variability makes it challenging for many to count on solar power to meet their energy needs. To expand solar energy use in the United States, scientists must find an efficient and cost-effective way to combat the natural intermittency of photovoltaic (PV) power.