2015 Annual Report

Human nature often causes us to take conveniences for granted. We flip a switch to illuminate a darkened room, microwave a bowl of popcorn, drive to the grocery store, or tackle hundreds of other machine-assisted chores without a second thought about all that must occur to make it possible. Most often, energy from fossil fuels makes those actions happen, and it will remain that way for quite some time. In fact, fossil fuels will be meeting more than 80 percent of national and global energy demands well into 2040.

At the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the only laboratory in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratory system focused on fossil fuels, we have a responsibility to discover, integrate, and mature new technologies and approaches into our nation’s energy bloodstream to keep us strong, secure, and to protect the environment while we continue to use fossil energy. This is a mission our researchers have pursued aggressively under a variety of names and federal agencies for more than 100 years with major success. The work that our people performed in fi scal year 2015 (FY15) was particularly fruitful.

In addition to conducting cutting-edge fossil energy research, NETL manages a wide-ranging portfolio of strategic research projects for DOE’s Offi ce of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability and the Offi ce of Energy Effi ciency and Renewable Energy. And, we conduct a variety of energy analysis studies to identify promising research and development opportunities to advance NETL’s mission. We do all of that work and more in world-class research facilities in Pittsburgh, PA; Morgantown, WV; and Albany, OR, and in offi ces in Sugarland, TX, and Anchorage, AK. These locations give us a presence in regions critical to our national energy security, rich in coal, oil, and natural gas.

NETL conducts much of its important work through partnerships and cooperative research and development agreements with universities and the private sector. Our expertise has allowed us to become a leading voice on research devoted to safe and effi cient recovery of natural gas and oil resources, advanced energy systems, carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture and storage, crosscutting research to meet the needs of future near-zero emission power systems, and major demonstrations of commercial-scale clean coal technology demonstration projects.

In the coming year, we will be implementing a new organizational structure that will enhance integration within the Lab and facilitate collaboration with our research partners. This new structure represents a fundamental shift for NETL and charts a path forward to drive innovation and promote better science.

As Director, I am extremely proud of the breakthroughs and contributions we achieved in FY15 and I am particularly excited about our plans to build upon those accomplishments. Please review the following pages to learn more about how NETL made a difference in FY15.