Key researchers and leadership from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are set to present the details of revolutionary energy technologies at the eighth annual TransTech Energy (TTE) Start-Up Development Conference, taking place Oct. 28-30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

TTE was created to provide an opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs from throughout the Mid-Atlantic states to pitch ideas, products, projects, apps and discoveries to venture and angel investors, potential strategic partners, project and economic developers, potential customers and the public. The conference is organized by West Virginia University and supported by Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Pittsburgh, along with local sponsors. (WVU will issue a media advisory with details for regional media outlets interested in covering the conference.)

NETL has been a frequent participant in TTE conferences, where information about the Lab’s energy technology innovations are presented as “pitches” for funding opportunities.

Four sessions will feature multiple pitches on projects available for commercialization. Judges will determine the top five presenters for consideration of conference awards. The sessions provide valuable feedback to innovators, networking opportunities and awards for top-ranked teams.

NETL will make two pitches on innovative technologies presented by key Laboratory researchers. One project features highly efficient magnetic cores, spearheaded by Paul Ohodnicki, Ph.D., and Kevin Byerly, along with Michael McHenry, Ph.D., from Carnegie Mellon University. Using new materials and flexible manufacturing processes, the final electronic components are smaller, lighter and more efficient than current technologies.

The second pitch highlights a new optical sensor technology that includes a simultaneous temperature and hydrogen detection sensor, led by Ohodnicki, Mudabbir Badar, Ph.D., and Ping Lu, Ph.D., in collaboration with Kevin Chen, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh. The technology costs approximately $100 to produce and can be a substitute for more complex technologies costing from $10,000-40,000.

Additionally, NETL will host a half-day introductory session on the NSF and DOE Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programs at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, to convey the many benefits the I-Corps programs offer to federal researchers and their partners. The DOE I-Corps program focuses on helping laboratory researchers, while the NSF program more broadly engages faculty, students or anyone with an innovative idea in the identification of valuable product opportunities and in developing skills in entrepreneurship with guidance from established entrepreneurs.

Each of the technologies featured in the NETL pitches is currently available for licensing opportunities or further research through partnership arrangements. NETL research is focused on creating innovations that more efficiently and effectively use fossil fuels to support the nation’s energy independence.

Participation in the TTE conference is one more way NETL demonstrates its commitment to discover, integrate and mature technology solutions to enhance the nation’s energy foundation and protect the environment for future generations. To register for the event, go here.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that produces technological solutions to America’s energy challenges.  For more than 100 years, the laboratory has focused on developing tools and processes to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy to the American people.  Three NETL research sites—Albany, Ore., Morgantown, W.Va., and Pittsburgh, Pa.—conduct a broad range of energy and environmental research and development activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.