Experts from NETL participated in the West Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit this week where they addressed energy R&D issues of importance to the Mountain State and presented energy research data at the Laboratory’s official informational display unit at the event’s exhibit hall.

Hosted by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Commerce and the Southern States Energy Board, the annual two-day event traditionally attracts more than 250 elected officials, senior government officials, energy and technology association executives, college and university administrators and researchers, industry leaders, and other decision makers from throughout the state to discuss innovative ways to strengthen West Virginia’s energy industry.

NETL has been a key voice on energy technology and research for many previous summits, providing participants with a glimpse into the role the Laboratory plays locally and nationally in innovating, integrating, and developing new ways to use fossil fuels efficiently and cleanly.

This year, NETL’s Keith Dodrill was a featured speaker. He discussed “Emerging Technologies in the Electric Grid.” Dodrill is an energy analyst with NETL’s Energy Delivery and Security Team, and has a long history working on improvements to the nation’s electrical grid and assessing electricity production vulnerabilities.

Under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy, NETL is managing R&D projects on facility energy management systems, building materials, and electric vehicles that interact with smart grid technologies; conducting analytical and modeling studies on the integration of fossil energy resources in a modern grid that incorporates smart grid capabilities; and is a regular participant in various groups of smart grid experts convened to address specific challenges of deploying the smart grid.

In addition to Dodrill’s presentation, the Laboratory presented information at an NETL exhibit booth on its R&D activities. NETL remains committed to the development of new technologies that effectively and safely use America’s most abundant natural resources to ensure a secure energy future. Sharing information about that effort is a key activity for the Laboratory.