During his two decades at NETL, William Fincham, a federal project manager, has pursued three passions: a love for technology development through the nurturing of external partnerships, musicianship and an enthusiastic regard for architecture and local history. Fincham grew up in Farmington, West Virginia, and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Fairmont State University. He first came to NETL as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education student in May 1999. Since his arrival at NETL, his work portfolio has been varied and voluminous. He has overseen and provided technical support to projects associated with exploration and production of oil and natural gas technologies (both onshore and offshore), methane hydrates exploration and production, and fossil energy infrastructure. Fincham has also led the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) natural gas and oil programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $24.9 million in funding for six research and development projects to support the advancement of clean hydrogen for electricity generation. DOE will partner with private companies to research advanced technology solutions that could make hydrogen a more available and effective fuel for electricity generation.  This includes improving capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with hydrogen production from carbon-based resources and technologies to more efficiently use hydrogen in gas turbines for electricity generation. The six industry-sponsored projects will fast-track the development of technologies that will improve the performance, reliability, and flexibility of existing and new hydrogen technologies. Electricity generated from clean hydrogen will help in reaching President Biden’s goal of having a zero-carbon American power sector by 2035.  

NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., addressed issues related to deployment of clean energy technologies such as decarbonized hydrogen production and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) during a 2022 Policy Impact event organized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Wednesday, May 18. As ASME's second annual premier legislative event, Policy Impact 2022 was a virtual gathering that showcased experts in clean energy, workforce development, the supply chain, and other topics pertaining to America’s ongoing transition to carbon-neutral power and associated economic opportunities. Policy Impact and events like it serve as a nonbiased resource to connect engineering expertise with the policymaking process. Anderson joined Sunita Satyapal, director of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Andrew Griffith for “U.S. Clean Energy Deployment and Decarbonization Priorities.”

NETL has released the latest edition of its semiannual publication that showcases research on emerging energy technologies. NETL Edge shares the latest developments in the Lab’s mission to drive innovation and deliver solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. In this issue, we feature key research and technology development that supports clean energy goals and provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Check out the newly released edition of NETL Edge to learn more about how NETL is ramping up efforts to transform U.S. energy infrastructure and guiding the path toward U.S. decarbonization. Also featured is the Lab’s Hydrogen Initiative, which is supporting critical BIL investments, NETL’s transition to a net-zero laboratory, and an inside look at developing technologies for attaining net-zero greenhouse gas emissions with NETL’s Neil Kirschner. https://go.usa.gov/xutvy

NETL senior project manager Neil Kirschner is locked in on America’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as he works to help evolve electric vehicle technologies and expand their use on American highways. Kirschner’s work with NETL directly supports the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). Kirschner said the NETL role of supporting EERE is a challenging and rewarding field. EERE’s mission is to accelerate the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies and solutions that can transition America to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide, all while making sure the clean energy economy benefits all Americans by creating good paying — especially for communities impacted by energy transition.

Read the latest edition of the Carbon Capture Newsletter to learn about recent developments in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/NETL Carbon Capture Program. The Carbon Capture Program is developing the next generation of advanced carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technologies that can provide step-change reductions in both cost and energy requirements over currently available technologies.

NETL senior officials discussed programs driving the development of sustainable energy technologies and the organizational structure that supports and advances its research activities during a meeting with up-and-coming leaders of the national lab system. On Monday, May 9, NETL held a virtual discussion with representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national labs who were selected to participate in the Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program (OSELP) 2022 Cohort. “OSELP is a distinguished fellows program that brings together exceptional leaders to explore the complexities, challenges and opportunities facing the national lab system and DOE. It was an honor and tremendous opportunity for NETL to share our insights with this elite group,” said NETL Director Brian Anderson.

The project team developing the National Experimental Turbine (NExT), an initiative advanced with NETL support and oversight, has surpassed several key milestones as it builds a first-of-its-kind testing platform for manufacturing a new generation of higher-efficiency gas turbines. Gas turbines play an important role in U.S. energy security and represent a critical technology for energy conversion, with broad uses for combined cycle power plants, aircraft propulsion, and backup power generation for renewable energy plants and hospitals. Technological strides in turbine development can have wide-reaching economic and environmental benefits. According to data presented at the 2019 American Society of Mechanical Engineers TurboExpo, a one-point U.S turbine efficiency improvement, in terms of carbon reduction, is equivalent to eliminating the emissions from 2 million cars.

NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., addressed participants of the virtual 2022 Spring Symposium of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) Tuesday, May 10 and highlighted NETL’s ongoing contributions to building a sustainable energy future via hydrogen power generation and carbon capture. The symposium’s theme, “Hydrogen’s Role in a Decarbonized Energy System: How to Enable It,” explored the hydrogen markets, infrastructure, production and policies needed to achieve a future in which the needs of the economy are met by a hydrogen-based power sector ─ actions essential to meet the administration’s greenhouse gas emission reduction and net zero-carbon economy goals by 2050.

NETL researchers will showcase critical decarbonization projects and important research initiatives at the 12th Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit May 23-25 in Denver, Colorado. The summit is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its twelfth year, the Summit offers a unique, three-day program aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market. “With so much outstanding work going to build a sustainable energy future empowered by legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NETL is excited to return to the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit as a technology development partner,” said Mike Knaggs, NETL associate director of research partnerships and technology transfer.