NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., brought his Laboratory’s story of collaboration with industry, academia, and sister Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories that focus on development and deployment of innovative energy technologies during a panel discussion at National Lab Day at the University of Wyoming (UW) Wednesday.

National Lab Day is an event designed to share information about opportunities for partnerships with DOE’s 17 national laboratories and acquaint UW researchers, industries, small businesses and students with laboratory scientists and leaders.

UW President Ed Seidel said the laboratories are “the crown jewels of DOE and address the grand societal challenges of our time, including developing sustainable and diverse sources of energy, building a prosperous and equitable economy, and creating healthy environments and vibrant communities.”

Anderson explained NETL’s mission and programs as part of a panel discussion on DOE national lab interactions.

“NETL plays a critical role in advancing clean energy technologies,” Anderson explained to a large UW audience. “One of NETL's primary focus areas is carbon capture, utilization, and storage, which is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and industrial facilities. NETL leads efforts to develop new materials and processes for carbon capture, monitoring and verification of carbon storage, and use of captured carbon for beneficial purposes. NETL also plays a key role in advancing hydrogen technologies, which have the potential to decarbonize various sectors of our economy, including transportation, industry, and power generation.”

He noted that NETL has a partnership with Ramaco Carbon, a Wyoming-based coal technology and innovation company. The partnership is focused on developing advanced carbon products from coal, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions and increasing the economic value of coal. Ramaco and NETL are collaborating on several research projects, including development of advanced carbon products that have a wide range of potential applications, in the aerospace, automotive, and infrastructure industries.

“Overall, NETL's world-class research facilities, expertise in energy technologies, collaborative research programs, and data and modeling capabilities make it a highly sought-after partner for industrial and academic collaborators looking to advance energy technologies and accelerate their deployment,” Anderson said.

The University of Wyoming has been working on a project sponsored by DOE and managed by NETL to accelerate the scale-up and deployment of commercial CO₂ storage in basaltic rocks at a storage complex near Hermiston, Oregon.

NETL work was also represented with researcher Ale Hakala’s participation on a breakout session devoted to Modeling and Simulation of Complex Systems.

NETL drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using 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.