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]
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]
