The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is hosting the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, including NETL, for a workshop on May 30 and 31.

The workshop creates links and explores opportunities for partnerships between the DOE national laboratories and the University of Alaska. Organizers hope the workshop leverages America’s national laboratories to advance Alaska’s, and the nation’s, goals for growing the economy, developing and implementing sustainable energy solutions, and understanding the implications of a changing Arctic environment.

“NETL has a long history in fossil energy innovation and broad expertise in effective resource development and environmental stewardship. Our Lab is an active partner with Alaska, being a key region for energy both in terms of production and knowledge, and has several awards and agreements focused on the economic and commercial development of Alaska’s unconventional energy resources, such as methane hydrates and viscous oil,” said Sean I. Plasynski, Ph.D., NETL Director (Acting). “I’m pleased to join UAF for this important event.”

Alaska has unique energy-related resources, infrastructure, and environment. For example, Alaska holds about one-fifth of America’s remaining proved oil reserves, large accumulations of associated natural gas awaiting a means to reach a market, and over half of the nation's coal resources. When stranded North Slope natural gas and unconventional oil and gas resources, such as viscous oil, coal bed natural gas, and methane hydrates, are factored in, the energy resources found in Alaska are astounding. Despite Alaska’s energy wealth, producing and delivering those resources to the rest of the United States, and even providing affordable power to Alaska’s rural villages, continues to be a challenge.

The labs and the university want to increase awareness about these resources to identify research areas and mechanism through which national labs could contribute to addressing Alaska’s energy-related challenge, and identify opportunities to utilize Alaska’s expertise and resource to support research in energy, climate, and security at the national level.

This event will focus on four broad themes that connect Alaska to the nation:

• Developing Locally and Globally Relevant Energy Solutions — Alaska is home to over half of the microgrids in the U.S. How can this living laboratory help develop next-generation technologies that offer Alaska and the world affordable, reliable energy?
• Exploring and Accessing the Energy Field of the Future — Alaska has vast untapped fossil energy resources. How can we access these more difficult-to-extract resources, given the region’s challenging and sensitive environment?
• Navigating the Changing Arctic — The Arctic’s vulnerability to the changing climate has global repercussions. How can we better understand these changes, avoid problems and take advantage of opportunities?
• Diversifying the Economy — Alaska’s economy depends on extraction of petroleum, minerals, seafood and timber. How can we attract or develop value-added, sustainable industries and encourage small businesses by fostering innovation and local entrepreneurship?

The UAF is America's Arctic University where researchers find solutions to Arctic challenges. These challenges include understanding the movement of frozen debris lobes to extracting rare earth minerals from coal ash, modeling water resources for ice roads, preventing permafrost subsidence of oil wells, and much more.

UAF is in the top 150 US institutions that conduct research out of nearly 700 that conduct research. It has been listed in the top 11 of more than 10,000 institutions worldwide for number of citations in climate change publications, fourth among US universities. UAF also operates the Sikuliaq [see-KOO-lee-auk], one of the world’s most advanced university research vessels.

Contact:

• Shelley Martin, DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory, 304-285-0228, contact.publicaffairs@netl.doe.gov