WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of four coal modernization and reliability projects to strengthen coal-based generation, grid reliability, and strategic energy infrastructure. The selected projects will expand and reinvigorate America’s coal fleet through targeted upgrades that increase efficiency, extend plant life, and support reliable baseload power generation. 

NETL researchers have leveraged decades of computer modeling expertise to design a key component of an emerging class of combustion technology called rotating detonation engines (RDEs), which could enable “pressure gain combustion,” a long-sought advancement that could significantly improve efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, and lower nitrogen oxides emissions of next-generation gas turbines.

Researchers at NETL are working to significantly increase the volume of oil and natural gas that can be recovered from unconventional formations, where only a small percentage of hydrocarbons in place are typically extracted, to ensure affordable, reliable, and secure energy for the United States. 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Industrial Technologies Office (ITO) has selected NETL and its partners at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to receive $10 million in funding to develop the Burner Laboratories to Advance fuel utiliZation for thermal Energy (BLAZE) Center.

When NETL held its regional Science Bowls in February, students competing in these exciting contests were tested and supported by researchers and staff dedicated to resolving complex energy issues and developing the nation’s next generation of scientific and engineering talent.

NETL’s Tammie Borders, acting associate laboratory director for the Critical Minerals & Advanced Alloys Center of Excellence, has been selected as a 2026 Oppenheimer Science & Energy Leadership Program (OSELP) fellow. This distinguished year-long program, facilitated by the National Laboratory Directors’ Council, identifies and cultivates exceptional leaders poised to shape the future of science and energy within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories.

ClearSign Technologies Corporation, with project management and financial support from NETL, is working to advance industrial fueling technologies that will address the practical demands of U.S. refineries and chemical processing facilities by enabling the cost-effective use of diverse fuel and natural gas mixed gas blends in industrial heating applications.

North Allegheny’s Ingomar Middle School Team 1 and North Allegheny Senior High School claimed the top spots in the 2026 Western Pennsylvania Science Bowl (WPASB), a challenging academic competition sponsored by NETL, and advanced to National Science Bowl to be held in the spring.

With two young children and a busy research job, Will Strahl did not have a lot of extra time to prepare for the third annual NETL SLAM, a contest in which early-career researchers explain complex projects in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Thirty-six schools will be represented at the 2026 Western Pennsylvania Science Bowl (WPASB), which will be held Friday, Feb. 27, for middle schools and Saturday, Feb. 28, for high schools. The Community College of Allegheny County South Campus in West Mifflin will host both days of the tournament.