The September 2022 edition of the SSAE Newsletter provides updates about recent research initiatives undertaken within NETL’s Strategic Systems Analysis and Engineering (SSAE) directorate. Click here to access this latest edition and learn about activities that SSAE is leading to gain insights into new energy concepts, support the analysis of energy system interactions and advance its capabilities.

NETL is leading the Center for Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals (CSFC), a focus to help the U.S. chemicals industry retool products and operations for a sustainable future that strengthens domestic manufacturing as the nation transitions to clean energy.

NETL researchers have developed a cutting-edge fiber-optic sensor to monitor conditions in extreme environments thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface and obtain essential data needed to safely sequester greenhouse gas in underground reservoirs.

NETL will support a new research consortium funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to identify and characterize the nation’s vast number of undocumented orphaned wells (UOWs) and determine their full environmental impact with a focus on methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.

On Aug. 29, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), issued a Request for Information (RFI) to help guide the implementation of $335 million in investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for lithium-ion battery recycling programs.

NETL received stakeholder feedback and suggestions as the Lab prepares to launch a $25 million Direct Air Capture (DAC) Test Center that will identify promising technologies to separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from ambient air so the greenhouse gas can be safely and permanently stored deep underground or converted into value-added products.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Aug. 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $6.4 million in funding for 18 projects to conduct early-stage research and development of decarbonization technologies and environmental remediation, and to develop strategies to enhance the engagement of minority-serving institutions on FECM-related research at eligible U.S. colleges and universities.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) released a Request for Information (RFI) on Aug. 25, 2022, on the characterization, treatment and cleaning, and management of effluent waters from oil and natural gas development and production, along with legacy wastewaters associated with thermal power generation.Water is critical to almost every phase of fossil energy operations — from resource extraction, transport, and processing to power generation.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage and Technology Acceleration (SHASTA) collaboration, a project designed to use unique capabilities and expertise of key national laboratories to determine the viability, safety, and reliability of storing hydrogen in subsurface environments, has added Sandia National Laboratories as its fourth research partner.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the award of $28.9 million to 15 industry- and university-led projects and a new $32 million funding opportunity for research that will advance cutting-edge clean hydrogen technology solutions. The funding will support clean hydrogen uses for a more available and affordable fuel for electricity generation, industrial decarbonization, and transportation fuel.