Biomass Puzzle Unlocked, Startups Getting a Head Start, New Lab Space Coming Soon

• Researchers at NREL have utilized a multidisciplinary approach to quantitatively define the arrangement of polymers in Populus wood, offering insights crucial for biomass conversion to fuels, chemicals, and materials. The study presents a novel computer model detailing the intricate structural configuration of the wood's secondary cell wall, advancing our understanding beyond previous incomplete techniques and offering potential breakthroughs in bioenergy research.
• NREL's role in assisting startups is underscored by its cutting-edge technology and expertise, facilitating transformative innovations in the clean energy sector. Through collaborative programs and strategic partnerships, NREL empowers startups to navigate early-stage challenges, secure funding, and accelerate the development and adoption of groundbreaking technologies, driving the transition to a sustainable energy future.
• NREL is building a groundbreaking 127,000-square-foot Energy Materials and Processing at Scale (EMAPS) laboratory in Golden, Colorado. The facility, set to achieve LEED Gold certification, will provide state-of-the-art research capabilities in energy storage, advanced manufacturing, and grid modernization, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration and advancing NREL's mission of driving renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies

This episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle, written and produced by Allison Montroy and Kaitlyn Stottler, and edited by James Wilcox, Joe DelNero, and Brittany Falch. Graphics are by Brittnee Gayet. Our title music is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. We express our gratitude and acknowledge that the land we are on is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples. Email us at podcast@nrel.gov. Follow NREL on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.

Transcript

[intro music, fades]  

Taylor: Welcome to Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast, brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. We’re highlighting the latest in clean energy research and innovations happening at the lab. It’s Wednesday, February 7. I’m Taylor Mankle. 

Kerrin: And I’m Kerrin Jeromin. February! What. Can you believe it? It’s hard to believe just how much news has come out of the lab in just the first month of this year!  

Taylor: No kidding, we are working away over here. So much news to share with you listeners. Let’s dive right in!  

[music]  

Kerrin: Taylor, what do you think of puzzles?   

Taylor: You know, as strange as it sounds, I have a love/hate relationship with puzzles. As with many during the pandemic, I bought way too many puzzles, and they took up my entire living room for way too long, but I know a lot of folks in our office are big puzzle people. 

Kerrin: Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that. Sorry to send you back to a little flashback in time there, by the way. Apparently, we have an ongoing puzzle exchange in our office, which I just learned about as well. Apparently, we like them here at NREL, a lot of scientists, they’re into puzzles too! Not necessarily the cardboard box kind that’s strewn all over your living room floor, back in the day, but, you know, the kind where you put pieces together to solve things.    

Taylor: Right, as evidenced by our first story!   

Kerrin: Exactly. NREL scientists have put together the puzzle of Populus wood, which may hold the key to efficiently disentangle and deconstruct biomass for conversion to fuels, chemicals, and materials.  

Taylor: NREL has been looking into the benefits of populus wood for biofuels and products for years. Populus is a broad term for a variety of familiar trees including cottonwood, poplar—as expected—and one of every Coloradan’s favorites, the aspen.  

Kerrin: I do love the aspen. Ok, so this populus puzzle, NREL researchers have been able to quantitatively define the arrangement of polymers in populus wood and create a computer model that details these findings. Essentially, they were able to build an incredibly detailed model of the secondary cell wall of a poplar tree, which includes cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin biopolymers.  

Taylor: Why is that important? Well, understanding how all these pieces fit together could mean better biobased materials. Bennet Addison, the first author of the study, described it like a demolished house saying—and I’ll quote him directly here: “The pile of rubble is still composed of wood, concrete, drywall, and glass, but it’s certainly no longer a house. It’s how the individual constituent components are arranged relative to each other that matters. Similarly, you can’t just take cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin and throw them into a pile and call it a plant secondary cell wall.” 

Kerrin: You know I love a good analogy to learn about complex science, and that is a good analogy. This research helps us not only better understand the physical construction of these materials, but more importantly, helps us understand how we can use it better to produce bio-based energy, fuels, and products.  

[music]  

Taylor: Some of NREL’s research and development is pretty well known, but I think something people may not know is that a lot of the lab’s focus is actually working with startups.  

Kerrin: Yeah, I didn’t realize that until I got more involved in the work here at the lab.   

Taylor: Right, same here. NREL and some of our partners often help startups at their earliest stages. Getting them off the ground and into the market. Most often this comes through programs offered by NREL’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and partnerships and license agreements managed by the Technology Transfer Office. 

Kerrin: It also happens earlier in a startup’s development when NREL assists by validating emerging technologies. NREL, as a national laboratory, has equipment that can be very expensive for startups or that they may not have access to, and, our incredible researchers and scientists provide expertise to support and advance projects and ideas.   

Taylor: Exactly: One of the startups NREL helped along the way was a company called 7AC Technologies. Peter Luttik, who worked for 7AC, said, “In the beginning, we had this new idea, but we had no money. With NREL’s help, investors knew that this was not just a bunch of guys in a garage." End quote. In other words, NREL can help some of these startups get the industry credibility they need. 

Kerrin:  The credibility and measurable insight to support startups and their projects. For example, 7AC Technologies developed a new take on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. It caught the attention of global technology company Emerson, which is now working to scale the technology in the market.  

Taylor: And that’s basically whole goal of NREL’s work with startups: to help form and grow startups that could be critical to the energy transition. Building a startup isn’t easy—so much so that entering the market is commonly referred to as the “valley of death.”  

Kerrin: Which does not sound like fun. And get this--NREL’s Tech Transfer team has found that when cleantech startups partner with a national lab, they are 67% more likely to increase their venture capital funding and increase their initial public offering valuations.  

Taylor: That’s incredible. NREL is all about getting the technology – and expertise – out of the lab and into the world.  

[music]  

Kerrin: Alright, that last story was about getting science out of the lab, but this one is all about getting science into one. A new one!   

Taylor: NREL is growing fast, and our researchers and partners need space to do science! 

Kerrin: And that’s about to become a reality, with a new facility on NREL’s Campus in Golden, Colorado. It’s called the Energy Materials and Processing at Scale, or EMAPS lab, and will be a signature facility for NREL.  

Taylor: I knew there had to be an acronym coming in there! 

 Kerrin: You know it!

Taylor: The 127,000-square-foot lab will enable collaboration with industry partners, universities, and other Department of Energy laboratories to accelerate lab-scale innovations in energy materials. The facility will enable innovations in energy storage, advanced manufacturing, grid modernization, and more.   

Kerrin: EMAPS will also address end-of-life and circularity challenges across multiple energy technology platforms. The facility will be designed to be flexible and adjust based on research direction and as new insights and needs arise. I can, kind of think of like the switchblade of laboratory space… 

Taylor: I like that. It will also, unsurprisingly, incorporate advanced sustainability strategies and innovative energy efficiency approaches. The project should break ground later this year.   

[music]  

 Taylor: We have a special ending on today’s episode! Every year at the lab, we hold a Giving Campaign. A time for NREL employees to give back to the community. This year, NREL collectively gave more than $633,000 to charities.  

 Kerrin: It’s so incredible, and such a wonderful thing that happens every year. In addition to donations and volunteering, we also host a charity basket auction and this year, the podcast team put together a basket that included a voiceover and podcast training session with the basket winner.  

Taylor: It was a really great way to give money and turned out to be really fun for us, Kerrin.  

Kerrin: Yes, it was so much fun and our basket winner is here with us in studio today to show off his new vocal skills—Todd! Welcome to Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast, please introduce yourself! 

Todd: Hi, my name is Todd Deluca. I’m the lucky winner of the NREL Podcast giftbasket for charity. I’m a project manager, I’ve been with NREL just over four years.  

Kerrin: Todd, we’re glad you’re here and for joining for a little voiceover 101. Tell us a little about yourself, what do you like to do?  

Todd: Well, I’m an avid wanderer … I like to explore cities and hiking trails. And I’m also an AFOL. 

Kerrin: And what is an AFOL?  

Todd: That’s an adult fan of Lego.  

Kerrin: Okay! I like it. Todd, it was a pleasure having you in the recording booth with us… we’ll hear from you again in just a moment to close out the show… 

Taylor: Thanks, listeners, for joining us on today’s clean energy research adventure. We’ll be back in two weeks with more news from NREL. If you would like to suggest a topic or learn more about the podcast reach out to us at podcast@nrel.gov  

Kerrin: As always, if you are enjoying the show, we ask that you give us a positive review on your favorite streaming platform. 

[music]  

Taylor: This episode was adapted from NREL news articles from January 2024 written by Wayne Hicks, David Glickson, and Jeffrey Wolf. Take it away, Todd— 

Todd: The theme music for Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino, of Drift B-C. This podcast is produced by NREL’s Communications Office and recorded at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. We express our gratitude and acknowledge that the land we are on is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples. We recognize and pay respect to the Indigenous peoples from our past, present, and future, and are grateful to those who have and continue to be stewards of this land.