The contributions of NETL and its partner organizations toward realizing a clean, decarbonized power sector were detailed throughout the 45th Clearwater Clean Energy Conference, held July 26-29 in an all-virtual setting in which NETL associate laboratory director for Research & Innovation Bryan Morreale delivered the keynote address.

The Lab took an active role in the conference, with NETL Thermal Science Team supervisor Ronald Breault serving as Clearwater Clean Energy Conference Committee Co-Chair in addition to delivering opening remarks for the event. He was also presented with the Percy Nichols Award for 2020 for notable scientific or industrial achievement in the field of solid fuels.

“Ron’s recognition is great for NETL and demonstrates the top-tier scientists and engineers hard at work every day to address our country’s greatest energy challenges,” said Bryan Morreale, NETL associate laboratory director for Research & Innovation.

“Between the advent of Big Data applications to build the energy infrastructures of tomorrow and improved technologies to enable energy storage and carbon capture directly from the atmosphere, we have all the resources needed to create a clean and sustainable power sector. While the Lab is well positioned to realize the Biden Administration’s goal of a decarbonized economy, such a task cannot be achieved by any one organization. That’s why events like the Clearwater Clean Energy Conference are so important for collaboration and sharing best practices on a truly global scale.”

The Clearwater Clean Energy Conference featured innovations that are meeting energy utilization challenges from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratories, key planners, leading engineers, experts and scientists from prominent research universities from all over the world, and members of the global energy industry. The event presented an extensive overview of emerging, evolving, and innovative technologies, fuels and/or equipment in the power generation industry. 

NETL’s Omer Bakshi and Madhava Syamlal provided an update on the NETL/Penn State University Coalition for Fossil Energy Research Program. The Coalition was established in 2016 as a six-year initiative and brought together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from participating institutions to address the fundamental research challenges that impede advancement of energy technologies. Its research focus efforts include, among other things, advanced energy systems along with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).

Other sessions included “Geographically Distributed Real-Time Co-simulation for Next Generation Hybrid Energy Systems,” presented by NETL’s David Tucker, along with representatives from Idaho National Laboratory. Another session, “IDAES Dynamic Power Plant Unit Model Library: Analyzing Boiler Health During Cycling Operations,” explored how NETL’s Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems Integrated Platform (IDAES) can optimize the design and operation of complex, interacting technologies and systems via rigorous modeling capabilities to increase efficiency, lower costs, increase revenue, improve sustainability and enable deep decarbonization.

NETL is a DOE national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. Through its world-class scientists, engineers and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans, advancing environmental justice and revitalizing the economies of disadvantaged communities. Leveraging the power of workforce inclusivity and diversity, highly skilled innovators at NETL’s research laboratories in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy and environmental challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.