Geothermal Energy Has Enormous Potential. These 3 Technologies Could Help the Industry Dig Deeper, Hotter, and More Profitable Wells. “The Fast Lane” series zooms in on some of the thousands of technologies born in the National Laboratory of the Rockies that companies can license today. This iteration focuses on technologies … [continued]
As part of the competition, students will visit the National Laboratory of the Rockies to identify a part or materials they want to work with to turn their Phase 1 concept into reality during Phase 2. They will showcase the results of that work in May 2027 to industry judges. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
New Competition Invites Collegiate Teams To Develop Creative Yet Practical Ways To Recycle or Reuse Parts and Materials Where do energy technologies go after they retire? A new competition challenges undergraduate and postsecondary students to brainstorm new options for components and materials—that do not involve them being dumped in a … [continued]
National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) scientists Bennett Addison (left) and Ross Kerner study results from a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scan of a semiconductor material. Their curiosity and keenness to venture into NMR's lesser-used methods have shown that discoveries are around the corner in many energy applications. Photo by Agata Bogucka, National Laboratory of the Rockies.
National Laboratory of the Rockies Researchers Use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance To Advance Innovation in Batteries, Semiconductors, and Bioplastics When researchers bring their inventions into the laboratory of Bennett Addison, he often has one question for them: “Did you really make what you think you made?” At the atomic level, the answer … [continued]
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]
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]
