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December 20, 2005
Novel Coal-Fired Heating System Proves Successful at Ohio Greenhouse
Using a Department of Energy–funded coal-fired technology, a greenhouse in northeast Ohio is saving more than $1,000 a day in heating costs. The efficient fluidized-bed combustion unit provides an alternative to natural gas systems and, using locally available coal and limestone, surpasses state EPA standards for sulfur capture and stack emissions.

December 15, 2005
Coproduction Promises to Enhance Efficiency, Reduce Costs
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the selection of four new projects under its Coal and Power R&D Program. Project teams will research advanced coal-gasification technologies for the coproduction of power and hydrogen or substitute natural gas (SNG). The objective of the coproduction strategy is to pursue new technology developments leading to low-cost, high-efficiency, environmentally responsible coal gasification facilities .

December 6, 2005
FutureGen Project Launched
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman today announced that the Department of Energy has signed an agreement with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance to build FutureGen, a prototype of the fossil-fueled power plant of the future. The nearly $1 billion government-industry project will produce electricity and hydrogen with zero emissions, including carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

November 30, 2005
DOE Selects 23 Universities in 18 States for Clean Coal Research
DOE announces the selection of 26 university research projects that will investigate technologies to improve the efficient and environmentally responsible use of fossil energy.

November 28, 2005
Six Minority Universities Selected for Energy Research Grants
DOE has selected six institutions to receive grants for energy research through its Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions program.

November 21, 2005
DOE Selects Projects to Minimize Freshwater Use in Coal-Fired Power Plants
As part of an expanding effort to address the critical link between energy and water, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected seven projects aimed at reducing the amount of freshwater needed by coal-fired power plants.

November 17, 2005
DOE Advances Oxycombustion for Carbon Management
The Department of Energy has selected two projects to demonstrate "oxycombustion" – a promising carbon capture technology – in existing coal-fired power plants. The projects, valued at nearly $10 million, are expected to help expedite the timeline for commercialization of oxycombustion technology through slip stream or pilot plant testing.

November 17, 2005
Novel Pollution Control Technology Recognized
Praxair Inc.’s Oxygen Enhanced Combustion (OEC) system for controlling emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) was recently recognized as one of five 2005 finalists for Chemical Engineering magazine’s prestigious Kirkpatrick Award for Chemical Engineering Achievement.

November 15, 2005
Successful Sequestration Project Could Mean More Oil and Less Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Secretary Samuel Bodman today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE)-funded "Weyburn Project" successfully sequestered five million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the Weyburn Oilfield in Saskatchewan, Canada, while doubling the field's oil recovery rate. If the methodology used in the Weyburn Project was successfully applied on a worldwide scale, one-third to one-half of CO2 emissions could be eliminated in the next 100 years and billions of barrels of oil could be recovered.

November 7, 2005
DOE Announces $2 Million for Methane Hydrate Projects
The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a total of $2 million in funding to five research projects that will assess the energy potential, safety, and environmental aspects of methane hydrate exploration and development. Termed the "ice that burns," methane hydrates are crystalline solids that release a flammable gas when melted. They are considered the Earth's biggest potential source of hydrocarbon energy and could be a key element in meeting natural gas demand in the United States, which is expected to increase nearly 50 percent by 2025.

DOE-funded Seismic Tool Guides First Deep Well through San Andreas Fault
A newly commercialized Department of Energy–funded technology developed to aid the exploration and production of natural gas and oil has enabled researchers for the first time to drill through and observe an active portion of California's notorious San Andreas Fault.

November 7, 2005
New, Low-Cost Approach to 4-D Imaging of CO2 Flood Yields Breakthrough
U.S. Department of Energy–funded research has yielded a breakthrough in high-resolution subsurface imaging with the first low-cost depiction of CO2 movement through a thin, shallow oil reservoir.

November 7, 2005
DOE-Funded Technology Slashes NOx, Costs in Coal-Fired Cyclone Boiler
A new technology recently evaluated on a type of coal-fired boiler notorious for generating the air pollutant known as NOx was found to reduce NOx formation by 90 percent at about half the cost of current technologies.

October 31, 2005
Department of Energy Tracks Resurgence of Coal-Fired Power Plants
As the Nation strives for energy security by developing advanced, environmentally sound technologies and exploring a range of domestic energy sources, coal continues to prove itself as a critical energy resource for the nation. Providing more than 50 percent of U.S. electricity, coal represents an abundant, domestic energy source with more than a 250-year supply at current use rates.

October 20, 2005
Mary Anne Alvin, who has only recently started working here at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, has already been awarded a patent - the 22nd in her career.
The Office of Science and Engineering Research - the onsite research arm of the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory - prizes creativity and inventiveness among its research staff.

October 20, 2005
NETL has unique role of tracking and coordinating damage information by storms like Katrina, Rita and Wilma on the Nation's energy infrastructure.
When you think of a hurricane and its potential consequences, you probably think of locations on the ocean and of relief agencies that move into affected areas to help the residents deal with the losses of life and property.

September 29, 2005
Energy Dep't Names New Director of National Energy Technology Laboratory
The Department of Energy (DOE) has named Carl O. Bauer as director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), a national laboratory under the Federal operation of the Energy Department. Bauer succeeds Rita Bajura, who retired from the post in February 2005. As director, Bauer manages approximately 1,200 federal and contractor staff in four NETL locations -- Pittsburgh, Pa.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Fairbanks, Alaska.

September 8, 2005
Enabling Turbine Technologies for Hydrogen Fuels
The Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy Turbine Technology R&D Program was recently expanded with the selection of 10 new projects valued at $130 million. The new program will advance turbines and turbine subsystems for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants, and address the use of hydrogen in small-scale turbines for industrial applications.

August 16, 2005
Revolutionary Technology Could Significantly Increase Heavy Oil Production
A revolutionary new DOE-funded oil production technology that promises lower costs, reduced environmental and safety risks, and increased production is being commercialized by research partner Completion Concepts Inc., Katy, TX. The announcement follows last year's successful full-scale testing of the new technology, called "Teleperfs." An upcoming "real-world" test of the unit in an Alaska injection well will be conducted later this year.

August 12, 2005
Coal-Based Fuel Cells: A Giant Leap for Fuel Cell Technology
The Department of Energy today announced the first two projects selected under the Department's new Fuel Cell Coal-Based Systems program.

August 12, 2005
Four NETL Research Projects Win R&D Awards for Technological Innovation
Four technologies developed with support from the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have earned prestigious R&D 100 Awards from R&D 100 Magazine.

August 9, 2005
Great River Energy Unveils Prototype Module Coal Dryer
Great River Energy unveiled its prototype module coal dryer today at the Coal Creek Power Station in Underwood, North Dakota, representing the first milestone in the power company's 4-year bid to boost the generating capacity and efficiency of power plants that burn high-moisture coal.

August 8, 2005
GE Sets Benchmarks for Fuel Cell Performance
In the race to speed solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology out of niche markets and into widespread commercial use, GE Hybrid Power Generation Systems has kicked fuel cell performance into high gear. Recent advancements have dramatically improved baseline cell performance and accelerate GE’s prospects for achieving the system efficiency and cost objectives of DOE’s Solid State Energy Alliance (SECA) program.

August 3, 2005
DOE, Jacksonville Utility Complete Major Clean Coal Technology Project
The U.S. Department of Energy and JEA, the public utility of Florida, have achieved a significant milestone in the DOE's Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program by completing a project in which JEA's Northside Generating Station was converted into one of the cleanest burning coal-fired power plants in the world.

July 29, 2005
DOE Awards $1.4 Million for Electrochemistry–Fossil Fuel Energy-Conversion Research
The Department of Energy’s High Temperature Electrochemistry Center (HiTEC) announced its award today of $1.4 million to support five research projects that will foster novel electrochemical-based power generation and energy storage technologies for use in large, central coal-fired power plants.

July 27, 2005
Putting the Squeeze on Natural Gas Pipelines
A joint effort between Timberline Tool and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sped commercialization of the first "keyhole" squeeze-off tool for 4- to 6-inch polyethylene pipe. Through a Small Business Innovation Research grant, DOE funded the research and development of Timberline's TopReach 650, an innovative tool that gets natural gas pipeline operators out of the trenches and lessens the monetary and environmental impacts of pipeline repair.

July 19, 2005
DOE-funded R&D Seeks to Bolster Coalbed Gas, Water Resources in Western States
Department of Energy-funded research has resulted in the commercialization of an innovative technology designed to bolster supplies of two of America's most critical natural resources: natural gas and water.

July 19, 2005
Three Decades of DOE, Industry Partnership Slash Fuel Cell Costs
From its humble production of 1 watt of power nearly 30 years ago to its generation of nearly 2 million watts (2 megawatts) today, a revolutionary fuel cell technology is shaping the production of ultraclean electricity at a fraction of its former cost.

July 18, 2005
FE's National Energy Technology Laboratory Releases Annual Accomplishments Report
The Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, the research arm of the Department of Energy's fossil energy program, has released its annual Accomplishments Report highlighting advances in fossil-energy-related research, technological breakthroughs, and the successful transfer of technology to resolve the environmental, supply, and reliability constraints of producing and using fossil resources.

July 7, 2005
DOE Announces Winners of Annual University Coal Research Grants
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman today announced $3 million in funding under the University Coal Research Program (UCR), the department's longest-running student-teacher research grant initiative. Secretary Bodman made the announcement while visiting West Virginia University, a $200,000 awardee.

June 29, 2005
University of North Dakota Receives Award for Hydrogen to Coal Research
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the award of $2.7 million to help build on hydrogen-from-coal research with the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC).

June 24, 2005
Fossil Energy Research Results in Crow Reservation Exploration Oil Well
The first exploratory oil well to be drilled on the Crow Reservation of Montana in decades is forthcoming, thanks to research funded by DOE's Office of Fossil Energy.

June 21, 2005
DOE-Eight Minority Universities Selected for Energy Research Grants
The Department of Energy has awarded grants to eight institutions for energy research through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU) program.

June 9, 2005
DOE-Advances Commercialization of Climate Change Technology
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, in a speech before the National Coal Council in Washington, DC today, announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) will provide $100 million to further develop carbon sequestration technologies used to capture and permanently store greenhouse gases.

June 8, 2005
DOE Research Partner Named ‘Wildcatter of the Year’ in Rockies
Software Developed with NETL Grant Boosted Oil Reserves by Millions of Barrels
A Department of Energy research partner who developed innovative software tools that resulted in the recovery of millions of barrels of additional oil in the Rocky Mountains has been named “Wildcatter of the Year” by the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS).

June 6, 2005
DOE-Online Monitor Snaps Real-Time Photos for Real-Life Savings
An innovative new system that continuously monitors operating blades in gas turbines has surpassed 5,000 hours of operation, confirming that the technology is ready for commercialization.

June 2, 2005
DOE-Innovative Technology Shows Promise for Low-Cost Mercury Control
Close on the heels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's March 15 release of its Clean Air Mercury Rule, the U.S. Department of Energy has issued a license to private industry to commercially develop a promising low-cost, DOE-patented mercury control technology.

May 12, 2005
DOE-Heavy Oil Potential Key to Alaskan North Slope Oil Future
Alaska's North Slope boasts a massive heavy oil resource that someday could underpin the survival of one of the Nation's most critical oil-producing provinces—and research funded by the Department of Energy may provide the key to unlocking this vast but, to date, largely intractable oil resource.

May 4, 2005
Intelligent Pipe Technology Communicates Faster than Internet
With the successful completion of its fifth test well, smart pipe technology aptly named IntelliPipe™ has proven its ability to provide high-speed downhole oil and gas drilling communication in real time. The breakthrough could revolutionize the way companies probe for oil and gas and move domestic production capabilities into the next century.

May 2, 2005
DOE Celebrates Success of Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships
A report released today by the Department of Energy details the success of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships in laying the groundwork for field testing and verifying carbon sequestration technologies in the near term.

April 27, 2005
DOE-Consortium Delivers Six New Commercially-Ready "Stripper Well" Technologies
Joint ventures in technology development by government and industry have delivered six new deployment-ready applications in four years to extend the useful life of more than 650,000 stripper wells that deliver almost 15 percent of America's domestic oil production and almost eight percent of natural gas production, a Department of Energy review has determined.

April 20, 2005
DOE-Sponsored Project Turns Coal Waste Into Valuable Building Material
Working under a $7.2 million U.S. Department of Energy cooperative agreement, a Western Pennsylvania-based company recently converted 430 tons of coal combustion by-products (CCB) into valuable building material.

April 12, 2005
DOE Project Deems Feasible Miniaturization of Key Tools for Microhole Projects
The Department of Energy continues to mark progress in advancing its “microhole” initiative, a revolutionary new approach to drilling America’s oil and natural gas wells. The scale-down of two tools essential for the initiative has been deemed feasible under a DOE-funded project.

April 6, 2005
DOE Supports Promising Membrane Technology for Coal-to-Hydrogen Production Government-Industry Cost-Shared Project Advances Visionary Power Plant
Taking a step closer toward its vision of ultraclean, highly efficient power generation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will collaborate with a Colorado firm on a $15 million advanced research project to further develop coal-to-hydrogen production technology supporting DOE’s zero-emissions FutureGen plant of tomorrow.

March 16, 2005
DOE Announces $62.4 Million in "Clean Coal" R&D Awards
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman today announced the award of $62.4 million for 32 clean coal research projects to advance President George W. Bush's goal to develop a coal-fired zero emissions power plant. This initiative will also advance other energy-related policy initiatives in energy, climate and hydrogen, including the FutureGen zero-emissions power plant of the future.

March 11, 2005
Florida Demo Tames High Sulfur Coal: Delivers Power at Very Low Emissions
Recent tests with one of the nation's mid- to high-sulfur coals have further verified that a new electric generation technology in its first large-scale utility demonstration is one of the world's cleanest coal-based power plants.

March 7, 2005
DOE-Funded Acoustic Monitor Passes Key Field Test
A new, lightweight device that uses natural gas itself to detect leaks in natural gas pipelines has been successfully tested on a transmission main owned and operated by Dominion Transmission Inc.

March 1, 2005
DOE Commissions Voyage of Discovery for Vast New Resource
DOE commissions an expedition that will take the next major step in understanding a potentially huge energy resource trapped in methane hydrates.

February 24, 2005
Advanced Coal-Cleaning System to Recover Fine Coal from West Virginia Pond
The first commercial use of an advanced coal-cleaning system will take place this summer in southern West Virginia.

February 17, 2005
Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships Program Adds Canadian Provinces
The Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia have joined Saskatchewan and Manitoba as Canadian partners in the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program.

February 9, 2005
New Electronic Technology Advances Fuel Cell Development
Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a converter that can boost low direct current voltage produced by solid oxide fuel cells to the higher voltage required for conversion to alternating current for household and commercial applications.

February 3, 2005
NETL and Carnegie Mellon University Team Up To Create New Paradigms for Hydrogen Production
The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new computational modeling tool that could make the production of hydrogen cheaper as the United States seeks to expand its portfolio of alternative energy supplies.

January 31, 2005
DOE Announces R&D Funding for Microhole Technology Projects
DOE announces the award of funding for 10 projects that are designed to push microhole technology another step closer to commerciality and widespread adoption by the U.S. oil and gas industry.

January 19, 2005
Ultra-low Cost Well Monitoring Could Save Thousands of Marginal Oil Wells
A new, ultra-low cost method for monitoring marginal oil wells promises to help rescue thousands of U.S. wells from an early demise.

January 10, 2005
3-D Seismic Technology Locates Natural Gas in Fractured Reservoirs
Large volumes of natural gas are being tapped from the tight rocks of the San Juan Basin in New Mexico's Rio Arriba County using a new technology developed in a project sponsored by the Department of Energy.

January 3, 2005
CO2 Injection Boosts Oil Recovery, Captures Emissions 
Technology advances, economic improvements, and environmental needs have aligned to create a "perfect storm" of growth opportunity for a proven method for enhancing oil recovery in the United States: CO2 flooding.

January 3, 2005
Major Milestone Met in Government-Industry Drive to Develop Affordable Fuel Cell
Delphi Corp., a partner in the U.S. Department of Energy's advanced fuel cell development program, has reported that it has exceeded the power density level required to meet the government's $400 per kilowatt cost goal for fuel cells.