Members of the University of Southern California team celebrate their win in the 2026 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. Photo from Sarah Yeoman, Yeoman Photo LLC.
Top Teams Claim Prizes at 2026 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Final Events, and DOE Welcomes a Record 45 Teams for the 2027 Season Two teams have snagged the top prizes in the 2026 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competition finals, and 45 others have risen to the top … [continued]
New Research Evaluates Potential of 5 Aviation Fuels To Lessen Supply Chain Shocks By Anna Squires, NLR Tight jet fuel supplies—and a growing demand for jet fuel—are intensifying interest in an aviation fuel mix that extends beyond Jet A and A-1, the most widely used aviation fuels in the world. … [continued]
The National Laboratory of the Rockies has published a first-of-its-kind “capability maturity matrix” to help the aviation sector assess its readiness to support and deploy advanced air mobility. Photo from Joby Aviation.
Airports, Governments, Communities, and Aviation Sector Can Chart Their Readiness for Next-Generation Air Mobility Advanced air mobility (AAM) is rapidly moving from concept to reality. Flying taxis are no longer a figment of “Jetsons”–style science fiction—they are preparing to cross American skies, joined by planes that can take off and … [continued]
How 4 Companies Are Working To Bring New Technologies to Communities in Need—With Help From National Laboratory Experts By Caitlin McDermott-Murphy and Stacy Parker, NLR A year after the Palisades and Eaton wildfires destroyed more than 13,000 homes in Los Angeles County, fewer than a dozen had been rebuilt. Rebuilds … [continued]
As part of NLR’s extensive work to improve battery safety, the Flatirons Campus recently hosted a battery energy storage system response training for local emergency responders. Photo by Joe DelNero, National Laboratory of the Rockies .
Battery failures can escalate quickly: Heat accumulates, materials break down, and gases ignite in a chain reaction known as thermal runaway. Such events are rare thanks to carefully applied safeguards in material design and battery management systems. Still, continued research is needed to anticipate how new battery materials behave, understand … [continued]
Transporting large power transformers requires specialized vehicles and trailers that can support large and heavy loads and reach isolated areas over rough terrain. Photo from Nippon Express.
New Report Identifies 9 Unique Challenges That Hydropower Facilities Face When Upgrading or Replacing Large Power Transformers The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) just released a report examining the U.S. supply chain for large power transformers, or LPTs. The latest report, titled Large Power Transformer Supply Chain Gap Analysis and … [continued]
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) researcher Alec Schnabel tests the custom-built charge controller in the Water Power Instrumentation Laboratory on NLR's Flatirons Campus. Photo by Taylor Mankle, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
Latest HERO WEC Mission Status Update Examines How New Charge Controller Design Addresses Critical Challenge in Wave Energy Industry Since 2024, researchers at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) have been improving the overall design of NLR’s hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis wave energy converter—or HERO WEC. Their work aims … [continued]
Greg Bowman presented the keynote address at the 2026 Partner Forum where experts from across the R&D spectrum discussed how to build a stronger domestic supply chain for critical minerals. Photo by Joe DelNero, National Laboratory of the Rockies/
At 2026 Partner Forum, Industry, Academia, Government, and Researchers Convene To Talk U.S. Supply Strangleholds, Modern Mining, and Optimism If you drive through one of the western-most points of West Texas—about 85 miles east of El Paso County—you might spot a rounded brown mountain in the empty dust sprawl alongside … [continued]
National Laboratory of the Rockies Director Jud Virden (seated at left), Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson (center), and Gov. Mike Dunleavy (seated at right) are joined by NLR leadership and staff and University of Alaska Fairbanks leadership. Photo from the Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy.
NLR Laboratory Director Jud Virden Signs Partnership Agreements at Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) signed two new memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on May 19 that aim to increase research and innovation in critical minerals, energy, and buildings in Alaska and the Arctic. … [continued]
Sarah Inskeep Talks Supply Chains for Energy Technologies—and One NLR Model That Brings Them Together When you plug in your phone or laptop, do you ever think about the wires that carry the electricity to the battery? Okay, now what about the powerlines, transformers, and substations that move the electricity … [continued]
