NLR and University of Hawaii Deploy Wave Energy Device, Capturing and Sharing Data for Marine Energy Industry By Samantha Cuneo, NLR Like a surfer, the Small Underwater Research Flap Wave Energy Converter, or SURF-WEC, rides the ocean’s waves—but this system converts wave motion into electricity. The WEC recently made the leap … [continued]
Fellows Aim To Make Critical Minerals in the US, Generate Affordable Geothermal Energy, and Build Ultralight and Advanced Batteries—With Some Help From NLR Experts This article is part one of a two-part series featuring the laboratory’s seven newest West Gate fellows. Part one profiles four startup founders. By Caitlin McDermott-Murphy … [continued]
A new tool that integrates data from cameras, lidar, radar, and vehicle sensors could enable cities and departments of transportation to monitor and analyze intersection activity more effectively, helping reduce crashes and improve efficiency. Illustration by Besiki Kazaishvili, National Laboratory of the Rockies/
Digital-Twin Framework Provides Real-Time Visibility Into Traffic Conditions We have all been there: stopped at a red light at an empty intersection or narrowly avoiding a collision after a driver runs a red light. Researchers at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) are working to reduce such risks by … [continued]
Operated by Grant Public Utility District (PUD), Priest Rapids is the lowermost dam in a cascading hydropower system on the Columbia River in Washington. Photo from Grant PUD.
NLR Modeling Shows Coordinated Operation of Mid-Columbia Hydropower Plants Could Boost Efficiency Systemwide By Karen Petersen, NLR Collaboration is essential to any successful river expedition. Turns out, it is no different in a cascaded hydropower system—especially one where different operators run dams, each with their own goals and needs. But … [continued]
Representatives from the University of Minnesota and NRRI tour the 3D Visualization Lab at NLR, one of many research capabilities powered by NLR’s Kestrel supercomputer. Photo by Joe DelNero, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
By Lindsey McGuirk and Brooke Van Zandt The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) have launched a new initiative to demonstrate, at scale, the technologies that will secure supply chains for critical minerals and materials and power the next generation … [continued]
Visitors from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the National Laboratory of the Rockies convened in November 2025 to explore opportunities for deeper technical collaboration. Photo by Bethany Frew, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Collaboration Will Advance Research and Technical Insights Needed To Support Reliable, Resilient Energy Future for More Than 400 Million North Americans By Madeline Geocaris, NLR The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) announced a new partnership to advance the reliability of the … [continued]
An underground mine provided some welcomed cool on a peak-summer day in the mountains west of Denver, Colorado, for a group of 21 undergraduate interns from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). Outfitted with hard hats, and as gravel crunched under their closed-toed shoes, the … [continued]
Local Governments, Tribes, Utilities, and Organizations Across the Country Can Pursue Affordable Energy Solutions With Support From National Laboratories and Regional Organizations Coastal, remote, and island communities across the United States can overcome energy reliability hurdles—like aging infrastructure and harsh weather conditions—as participants in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) … [continued]
At a workshop in June 2026, researchers and industry members met at the National Laboratory of the Rockies to discuss the challenges—and solutions—to computing facility cooling with cold underground thermal energy storage. Photo by Tara Wertz, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
A New National Laboratory Study Finds that Underground Thermal Energy Storage Can Keep Servers Cool Year Round To ensure equipment in computing facilities function, they need to be kept cool, which can require a lot of energy and water—as much as 40% of their total annual energy consumption. Typical cooling systems … [continued]
R&D World magazine yesterday presented the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) with four of its annual R&D 100 Awards for research innovations. Including this year’s winners, NLR has received 80 R&D 100 Awards since 1982. Given annually, the R&D 100 Awards honor the 100 … [continued]
