With the fall semester of a new school year underway, NETL chemist Scott Crawford is preparing to return to the classroom and inspire students to serve as the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Energy researchers, engineers, and industry leaders gathered at NETL Sept. 21–23, 2026, for the annual Low Emission Advanced Power (LEAP) Workshop. Hosted at NETL’s Morgantown campus, the three-day event served as a critical platform to unleash American energy innovation, directly supporting the Department’s priority to expand energy production, lower costs for families, and strengthen national grid reliability and security.

NETL researchers are helping pave the way for the next generation of ultra efficient nanoelectronics by developing a new method to build tiny, powerful components using carbon materials derived from coal.

NETL researchers recently advanced their OASIS (O2 from Air Separation at Intermediate Scales) technology toward commercialization as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy I-Corps (EIC) Cohort 22. This innovation provides a cost effective, on-site, and high-purity oxygen generation solution for small to moderately sized applications using unique sorbent technology.

Four NETL teams recently received Secretary’s Honor Awards for demonstrating exceptional creativity, drive, and commitment that has a lasting impact on the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). These honors represent the highest internal, nonmonetary recognition that DOE employees and contractors can receive for their service and contributions to the Department’s mission and to the nation.

NETL researchers are exploring shovel-less mining technologies to recover critical minerals and materials (CMMs) from the subsurface and provide U.S. manufacturers with a reliable domestic supply chain of CMMs needed to produce computers, electronics, components for energy and defense systems, and much more.

NETL received a 2026 R&D 100 Award for its contributions that led to the development of Real-time Embedded Feedback and Layered Excitation (REFLEX) — technology that addresses fundamental challenges limiting the efficient use of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs).

Ruishu Wright, an NETL researcher who has demonstrated technical leadership and made exceptional contributions in the development of novel sensor technologies to protect the nation’s critical energy infrastructure, has been named a recipient of an Arthur S. Flemming Award. The awards are presented annually to honor outstanding federal employees who go above and beyond to make a difference in society.

NETL joins the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) in announcing the Geothermal Center of Excellence (CoE), a unique effort that will position the U.S. as a global leader in the production of geothermal energy.

Experts from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are collaborating with the Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory (EMSL) on a community science campaign to identify, characterize, and process domestic sources of critical minerals (CMs), including rare earth elements (REEs), needed to ensure American energy dominance and national security.