At NETL, maintaining responsible stewardship of the environment is crucial to the Lab’s mission of finding innovative solutions to America’s energy problems. Earth Day, celebrated since 1970, aligns closely with NETL’s vision while emphasizing the importance of recycling, conserving energy and improving air quality.

U.S. Rep. David McKinley (1st-WV) visited NETL in Morgantown Thursday, April 18, to meet with NETL’s Director and receive an update regarding ongoing energy research activity including stops at the facility’s visualization lab, the NETL Joule supercomputer, the new Reaction Analysis and Chemical Transformation (ReACT) facility where researchers use novel tools to advance the science of chemical reactions and energy conversion, and a facility where researchers were examining a core sample from an experimental Marcellus Shale well.

More than a dozen young students experienced a one-of-a-kind adventure in science Friday, April 19, at NETL’s Morgantown, West Virginia, site.

NETL experts on geo-data science and oil and natural gas technology shared their technical insight with more than 250 peers from around the world at this week’s 4th annual Machine Learning in Oil & Gas conference. NETL Oil & Gas Technology Manager Jared Ciferno and Research Geo-Data Scientist Kelly Rose were among the featured speakers at the event, organized by the Energy Conference Network and held April 17-18 in Houston.

To really understand a complex challenge, it pays to take a close look at the details. NETL researchers are taking this approach as they use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to understand and characterize rare earth oxides on the atomic level. The pioneering research was recently selected for publication in the June edition of the journal Surface Science Spectra. To view the study, go here.

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy and NETL have announced up to $39 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development projects that aim to improve oil and natural gas technologies.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and NETL have issued a Notice of Intent for a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) expected to fund cost-shared research and development (R&D) projects on next-generation coal gasification technologies that have lower capital costs than traditional utility-scale plants.

NETL’s world-renowned computer modeling capabilities are front and center in a pivotal collaboration with West Virginia University (WVU). Computational modeling is a critical tool in technology development, and the forward-looking efforts by the NETL-WVU research team are improving the accuracy of fossil-fuel energy systems models — work that will ultimately help provide the nation with cost-effective, sustainable and efficient clean energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NETL have announced today investments for the Coal FIRST (Flexible, Innovative, Resilient, Small, and Transformative) initiative, which aims to develop coal plants of the future that will provide secure, stable, reliable power with near zero emissions. 

U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Assistant Secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) Karen S. Evans visited NETL in Morgantown Thursday, April 11 to meet with laboratory leadership and discuss ongoing DOE efforts aimed at improving cybersecurity. The visit was a return to Morgantown for Evans. She earned an MBA and a BA in chemistry from West Virginia University.