NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D. joined the Lab’s carbon capture technology manager, Dan Hancu, Ph.D. at the 2021 International Pittsburgh Coal Conference (PCC) to discuss how to cost-effectively implement carbon capture and storage technologies to support the deep decarbonization of the power industry.

“The future will be a balancing act between carbon management and responsibly leveraging our nation’s vast resources, and with the right technology and teamwork, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish,” said NETL Director Brian Anderson, who served as a plenary speaker during the conference. “With our facilities in Pittsburgh and Morgantown in the heart of energy-rich Appalachia, NETL committed to finding ways to power the future without carbon emissions while ensuring the power plant communities that kept the lights on for so long aren’t left behind and can rely on good paying jobs in our nation’s energy sector.”

NETL-led presentations highlighted a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to the research and development of advanced carbon capture technologies for today’s fossil fuel-based power platforms. The success of this research will enable cost-effective implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies throughout the power generation sector and ensure the United States will continue to have access to safe, reliable, and affordable energy generation while meeting the goals of carbon neutrality by 2035.

“Our Lab is in an excellent position to support the Biden Administration’s goals of reaching net-zero emissions and decarbonizing the country’s power generation sector through accelerating deployment of commercial-scale carbon capture technologies coupled with long-duration carbon storage as well as through development of highly efficient carbon capture technologies” said Dan Hancu, NETL technology manager for carbon capture who also served as a plenary speaker. “Events like the PCC provide an opportunity for NETL to network with other institutions and demonstrate the progress achieved so far. Only by working together and sharing best practices can we achieve our goals because addressing climate change and powering the economy are challenges too great to be met by any one institution.”

Originally called Coal Gasification, Liquefaction, and Conversion to Electricity, the PCC was originally conceived by the University of Pittsburgh following the oil embargo of 1973. The conference provides opportunities for in-depth and focused exchanges of technical information and policy issues among representatives from industry, government and academia throughout the world. Program topics included gasification technologies; clean coal demonstration and commercial projects; combustion technologies; clean coal and gas to fuels; carbon management; coal science; coal mining, preparation, and handling; coal bed methane and shale gas; power plants; sustainability and environment; rare earth elements; coal ash management; value-added products from coal; and energy storage.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent 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.