More than a century ago, American naturalist John Muir observed that, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” That’s a lesson NETL’s Natalie Pekney, Ph.D., learned as a child growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, and it’s a lesson she carries with her when searching for potential gas well leaks in remote locations, or mentoring young people about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) because problem solvers know all things are connected.

Check out the August 2022 edition of RWFI E-Note Monthly to learn how to engage with NETL and other federal agencies in collaborative development efforts to prepare workers for high-tech jobs in energy-related fields and to meet the growing demand for a diverse and highly skilled workforce.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a nearly $4.9 billion set of funding opportunities to bolster investments in the carbon management industry and to significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions released into the atmosphere through power generation and industrial operations. The funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support three programs to help drive the demonstration and deployment of carbon capture systems, along with carbon transport and storage infrastructure.

NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., highlighted the crucial decarbonization strategies associated with fossil energy use at the 2022 International Pittsburgh Coal Conference, held virtually this week. Anderson kicked off the first plenary session of the conference with a discussion of how integrated carbon management solutions can enable the transformation to a net-zero energy future.

Energy leaders from around the world converged on NETL Pittsburgh Wednesday for an up-close review of the Lab’s growing expertise in a range of cutting-edge energy research areas including carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, conversion, and utilization; development of carbon free fuels; use of drones to monitor emissions from oil and gas production; and advanced alloy development.

NETL Director Brian Anderson hosted representatives from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Energy Team at the Lab’s Pittsburgh site today where they discussed how NETL energy analysis expertise can help support the nation’s transition to a clean energy future. The group also toured several NETL facilities focused on developing decarbonization technologies.

A unique partnership between NETL and the City of Pittsburgh supports the development of energy districts designed to meet the energy needs of individual neighborhoods using highly efficient and cost-effective technologies. In 2015, NETL and Pittsburgh leaders signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to transform the city’s energy system and aging infrastructure by implementing a “grid of microgrids” concept that spanned nine energy districts.

NETL has published “Cost of Capturing CO2 From Industrial Sources,” an update to an

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $156 million in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for a first-of-a-kind facility to extract and separate rare earth elements (REE) and critical minerals (CM) from unconventional sources like mining waste.

With use of aerial drones increasing, NETL has been a major player in this area of technological development and is working on a new program with its partners to enhance the performance of America’s energy infrastructure and improve environmental integrity.