Biofuels and Renewable Energy

Renewable energy resources can play major roles in advancing alternative energy sources with small carbon footprints. Beginning with INL's Bioenergy Program, the idea of transforming biomass to high-value bioenergy feedstock commodities--offers great promise in the 21st century as one of the best sources of clean, renewable and sustainable energy for transportation fuels, power generation, and other consumer bioproducts. INL also leads development of knowledge pertaining to the preconversion, densification and custom formulation of on-spec bioenergy feedstocks for industrial biorefineries.

To round out it's portfolio of renewable energy research, INL also provides data and evaluation of wind, hydro and geothermal power generation opportunities. In many cases, INL partners with private industry to refine systems and processes that can reduce the inherent risks with developing first-generation energy systems, especially hybrid energy systems.

INL researchers conduct research to diversify and integrate demand for baseload power with intermittent renewable energy power generation without over taxing the at capacity power grid.