NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., delivered the keynote address and connected with national and state energy experts this week at a virtual forum hosted by Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation, Inc. The forum, titled “The Value of Carbon and Coal in West Virginia’s Energy Future,” discussed how West Virginia can be an integral part of the solution in reducing the nation’s carbon emissions and identified the challenges and opportunities surrounding the advancement of carbon reduction technologies in the Mountain State.

Notable speakers included Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who leads the foundation, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. Granholm highlighted the importance of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal technologies while sharing the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) commitment to revitalizing the nation’s manufacturing base and working toward a net-zero carbon future.

“Connecting with national and state energy experts — including government officials, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry and community leaders — at this week’s virtual forum was invaluable in locating areas for economic development and addressing carbon management challenges in West Virginia,” Anderson said. “With the fossil energy community’s support, the state has the potential to become a leader in developing the next groundbreaking emission-reducing technologies.”

Anderson also represented President Biden’s Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization at the forum, of which he was recently named director. The IWG was established in January to ensure that the shift to a clean energy economy creates good-paying union jobs, spurs economic revitalization, remediates environmental degradation and supports energy workers in coal, oil and gas and power plant communities across the country. 

Under Anderson’s leadership, CCUS research efforts at NETL are working to deliver solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future in West Virginia. Critical focus areas at the Lab include direct air capture of CO₂, conversion of CO₂ into valuable fuels and chemicals, and monitoring and verification of long-term carbon storage methods, which all work to mitigate carbon emissions and protect the environment. NETL researchers are also exploring bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, which has the potential to achieve net-negative carbon emissions and is of great interest to the Biden Administration.

The Lab’s world-class scientists are prioritizing several emerging research areas that aim to reduce carbon’s impact in the energy industry, such as using natural gas to produce hydrogen that can power turbines and improving solid oxide fuel cell technology capable of storing energy from renewable sources. These and other technology thrusts at NETL are driving innovation while enabling environmental sustainability for future generations.

The Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation, Inc., is a nonprofit organization with more than two decades of success diversifying West Virginia’s economy and providing West Virginia businesses with the resources they need to grow and succeed in today’s global economy. Created in 1993, the Foundation remains responsive to the changing needs of the state’s economy and the demands of its business community.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory develops and demonstrates for commercialization advanced technologies that provide clean energy while safeguarding the environment. NETL’s work supports DOE’s mission to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.