With diminishing energy supplies, aging infrastructure, and increasing energy costs, a worldwide search for more efficient and clean energy resources and power systems is underway. To help find solutions for these energy challenges, the U.S. government looks to DOE's national laboratories to ensure that energy security policies are being planned, developed, integrated, and implemented. As one of DOE's key multiprogram national laboratories, INL serves as lead laboratory for nuclear research, hydropower engineering, geothermal power generation, and biomass feedstock harvesting. The Laboratory also supports the agency's Wind Powering America and FreedomCAR Programs and manages its Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity as well.
INL currently works on diverse nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy research projects with the goal of increasing cost-effective alternative energy production, distribution and use, environmental protection and grid security solutions. These projects include nuclear energy enhancements and production of hydrogen; fossil fuel alternatives such as liquefied natural gas, coal and oil shale gasification, tar sands gasification, and coal bed and coal mine methane recovery; renewable energy—including wind, geothermal, and hydropower resource development and distributed power systems; advanced vehicle and transportation technologies—including elements of the hydrogen economy and supporting infrastructure and advanced battery energy storage; converting agricultural crop residues into bioenergy sources; and designing sustainable "green" buildings.
As a member of the Big Sky Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, INL explores industrial energy efficiency systems to identify ways to sequester carbon emissions. Capturing carbon releases reduces greenhouse gas emissions and enables continued commercial energy development. INL also researches methods to resolve challenges associated with the Energy~Water Nexus—where domestic, agricultural, and commercial energy applications compete for limited water supplies.
INL is building vital science programs and establishing "distinctive scientific signatures" that crosscut all INL missions and are an integral part of the Science and Technology Directorate's energy security portfolio. These signatures are: Instrumentation and Controls; Advanced Fuels and Materials; Microbiological and Geological Systems Science; Actinide Science and Advanced Separations; and Theory, Modeling, and Simulation.
Energy Security
The Process Science and Engineering for Energy Security Business Line (PSE) is a multidisciplinary endeavor that encompasses a number of technical areas across the Science and Technology Directorate and the Laboratory. PSE focuses on providing novel, state-of-the-art, integrated technical solutions to problems experienced by a diverse customer set in both government and industry. These problems encompass conventional energy. . .more
Alternative Fuels & Energy Systems
The customer base for alternate fuels and the related systems spans the DOD, DOE, and commercial sectors. In 2002, the United States was consuming 19.8 million barrels of oil per day of which 53% was imported. By 2025, the estimate is for consumption of 29.2 million barrels per day with approximately 70% being imports. A market pull for the development of alternatives to conventional petroleum and natural gas sources is being. . .more
Intelligent Systems & Robotics
The Intelligent Systems and Robotics (IS&R) business line represents a unique blend of innovative technologies coupled with an associated set of applicable business models. Accordingly, it will integrate technology-push with demand-pull strategies representing specific customer needs. Although currently the largest customer of such technologies is the defense sector, Intelligent Systems and Robotics will increasingly be adapted to. . .more
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- Walt Newcomb, (208) 526-4509, Send E-mail