An analysis of the potential safety issues associated with using hydrogen sourced from America’s vast energy resources to build a sustainable future is now available for all to see on NETL’s website.

NETL expertise was showcased at a recent workshop held to develop innovative pathways to produce hydrogen as a clean and affordable fuel of the future and identify opportunities for collaborative research efforts among national labs, academic researchers and industry partners.

NETL researchers have been awarded a patent for a new fiber optic sensor designed to detect hydrogen (H2) leaks at storage facilities that can save time and money compared to traditional methods — progress that can help accelerate the drive to put H2 to work as a dependable fuel to advance America’s decarbonization efforts.

A new study by NETL researchers, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers, demonstrated that existing U.S. underground gas storage (UGS) facilities can viably store hydrogen-methane blends, reducing the need to build new hydrogen infrastructure while meeting a range of the hydrogen demand projected for 2050 and helping to support the transition to a clean hydrogen economy.

Aluminum is a critical element used in thousands of important products, but it can often interfere with quick and effective extraction of valuable rare earth elements (REEs) from coal waste byproducts. Because aluminum interferes with the recovery of REEs from some sources, NETL researchers developed an effective, renewable, technology that can detect aluminum in liquids for removal, clearing the way for effective recovery of REEs.

NETL has released the latest edition of its semiannual publication that showcases research on emerging energy technologies. NETL Edge shares the latest developments in the Lab’s mission to drive innovation and deliver solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. 

Often, bright orange flames can be seen dancing atop vertical pipes that rise above landscapes where oil and gas is retrieved from below the ground. It’s called flaring and it is a way to dispose of associated gases that come with oil production. It’s a practice that has been used for nearly 160 years when other options for the use or transport of the gas are not readily available to the producers, but it’s also a source of greenhouse gas emissions and significant waste of a valuable natural resource that could be used to make useable products.

NETL representatives are supporting U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to gather information about the status of gasification technologies for biomass and solid waste at a special virtual workshop set for 9 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Nov. 30.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) researchers across the nation are accelerating efforts to solve challenging production, transportation and storage issues to put hydrogen (H2) to work as a low-carbon fuel option for a range of critical energy applications. NETL is a key part of that overall effort with work to advance surveillance and monitoring technologies for underground H2 storage facilities that ensure maximum safety.

Across America, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) researchers in national laboratories like NETL are working together to identify and develop containment and monitoring technologies for the safe and effective underground storage of hydrogen (H2). Concurrently, planning is under way to raise public perception and acceptance of the underground storage facilities needed to help make H2 a safe and practical low-carbon fuel source for a new energy economy.