NETL Senior Environmental Engineer Timothy Skone was recently honored by the ACLCA for leadership in life cycle analysis (LCA) that exemplifies bold and forward-thinking initiatives that advance the implementation and application of LCA.

The award was presented at the LCA XIX Awards dinner Sept. 25, 2019, in Tucson, Arizona. Skone, who has 21 years’ experience in energy analysis, was one of six award winners recognized as a “true catalyst in the field of LCA.” 

Skone works in the Lab’s Systems Engineering and Analysis Directorate, where he leads life cycle analysis research with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy. Much of his work focuses on carbon utilization technologies, methane emissions from the natural gas value chain, alternative transportation fuels, and advanced power generation systems. He is the primary author on multiple natural gas and coal-related life cycle analyses published by DOE.

Skone, a graduate of Penn State University, also leads NETL research on energy resource availability, integration of biomass and fossil energy resources and strategic energy concepts for new programs.

LCA evaluates the environmental, economic and social attributes of energy systems, ranging from the extraction of raw materials to the use of energy carriers to perform work. NETL uses results from LCA to inform research and evaluate energy options from a national perspective.

LCA includes the environmental challenges of converting fuel to useful energy, infrastructure construction, extraction and transportation of fuel, and transport of the final energy product to the end user. NETL has applied LCA to fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy systems that produce electricity and liquid fuels. The final products of these LCAs include detailed reports as well as dynamic software tools.

The ACLCA is a non-profit membership organization that brings together diverse organizations interested in the implementation and application of LCA. The ACLCA’s annual conference is the largest LCA meeting in North America.

NETL is a DOE national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support home-grown energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at three NETL research sites – Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.