NETL demonstrated various technologies under development and emerging best practices to realize the Biden Administration’s goal of transforming the U.S. energy sector during the Smart Grid Observer (SGO) Carbon Capture, Storage & Utilization Virtual Forum, held on Tuesday, July 27.

Three years into their formal research partnership, NETL and Wyoming-based technology firm Ramaco Carbon are driving the development of carbon materials that could lead to safer vehicles, less expensive batteries, more durable roads and bridges, and other game-changing innovations while advancing new uses for coal, one of the nation’s most abundant resources.

On July 22, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced a commitment to coal communities that allocates $300 million in American Rescue Plan funds to support economic revitalization in hard-hit coal and energy communities. The new funding announcement advances the broader goals of the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. 

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), in collaboration with the Office of Nuclear Energy and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Geothermal Technology Office, issued a notice of intent (NOI) for a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) expected to support front-end engineering design (FEED) studies of direct air capture (DAC) combined with dedicated storage and coupled to existing low-carbon energy.

The June 2021 edition of RWFI E-Note Monthly provides up-to-date information about funding opportunities to launch and support workforce development initiatives in rural communities and ensure all students have access to quality programs that prioritize science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

NETL expertise in energy conversion engineering was front-and-center at the 17th International Symposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC-XVII) digital meeting, held July 18-23, 2021, as NETL SOFC Technical Portfolio Lead Gregory Hackett, Ph.D., co-chaired the “Cell, Stack, and System Modeling and Simulation” session and served as moderator for a live Q&A event with conference participants. SOFCs are an important technology option for reaching decarbonization goals of carbon-free power production by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050.

In an NETL-supported project, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Kentucky (UK) are investigating ways to use carbon ore to create high-value products like carbon fiber composites for the aerospace, automotive, wind energy markets and more. The research is also helping achieve a key Biden Administration priority of environmental justice by paving the way for new clean manufacturing industries and good-paying jobs in American coal communities.

NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI) will host the 2021 Regional Advanced Manufacturing and Energy (R-AME) Innovation Group summer meeting. This meeting includes stakeholders across Appalachia, including major players in academia and industry to discuss opportunities for strengthening economic & workforce development across the region.

NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., will participate in the H2IQ Hour, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, July 21, 2021, at 12 p.m. ET, to provide an update on NETL’s hydrogen activities, including how those efforts are supporting larger diversity, equity, inclusion and environmental justice initiatives.

In partnership with NETL, researchers at Rice University are studying how an advanced conversion process called flash Joule heating (FJH) can inexpensively produce high-value graphene from carbon ore using scalable technology, producing a valuable additive for next-generation technology and advanced manufacturing methods.