As the sun rises and sets each day, the availability of solar power comes and goes. Cloud cover, weather patterns and more also impact reliability. This variability makes it challenging for many to count on solar power to meet their energy needs. To expand solar energy use in the United States, scientists must find an efficient and cost-effective way to combat the natural intermittency of photovoltaic (PV) power.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of six projects to receive approximately $30 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development in unconventional oil and natural gas recovery.

A new technology invented by NETL researchers is changing the game for carbon capture by offering an effective way to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gas.

With a long record of success advancing hydraulic fracturing innovations, NETL teamed with Gas Technology Institute (GTI) of Des Plaines, Ill., to develop and execute a hydraulic fracturing test site program to answer questions, advance the understanding of the hydraulic fracturing processes to attain greater efficiencies, and improve environmental impacts.

Representatives from seven regional community and technical colleges and 25 regional economic development districts from four states converged on the NETL Morgantown site December 14 for the Laboratory’s second Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI) Workshop. RWFI is part of NETL’s ongoing drive to develop externally-focused initiatives that align with U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) call for community outreach and educational opportunities that focus on future workforce needs.

On December 14, 2017, Steven Winberg was ceremonially sworn in by Energy Secretary Rick Perry as the new Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE). Mr. Winberg was officially sworn in as Assistant Secretary on November 22, 2017.

The 104,000-square mile Marcellus natural gas trend—the largest source of natural gas in the United States—was once considered to have inconsequential natural gas potential until new technologies helped industry access an estimated 141 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. Because more research is required to more completely realize the rich potential of Marcellus Shale natural gas, NETL is helping discover safe and effective natural gas recovery innovations with its work on the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL).

An NETL-sponsored team led by the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) has recovered the first pressurized cores from a gas hydrate reservoir in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico—a key step in opening the door to a vast untouched natural gas resource.

On November 30, 2017, Steven Winberg, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, spoke at the 2017     U.S.–China Clean Coal Industry Forum at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place in Morgantown, West Virginia. The biennial forum is jointly organized by the Department of Energy and China’s National Energy Administration. The two-day event featured dialogue between the two nations that addressed challenges related to development and deployment of clean coal technologies and strategies.

Pioneering research at NETL on the use of microwaves to create the chemical reactions necessary to transform stranded natural gas resources into usable natural gas liquids and methane is serving as the springboard for more intensive work with long-time NETL academic partner West Virginia University (WVU).