Peaks to Power

New tools, discoveries, and solutions are happening every day at the National Laboratory of the Rockies. Today, a newly released software is helping architects and engineers model building energy use without needing to learn computer programming language. And universities across the country are competing in the Technology Recycling and Repurposing (T-ReX) Collegiate Competition to find new uses for retired energy technologies. Then, researchers at NLR and the Colorado School of Mines use quantum mechanics to better understand the materials underpinning modern electronics.  

Find these stories on NLR.gov: 

• Building Energy Modeling Made Easy With Natural Language Prompts 
• Student Teams Begin Plans To Repurpose and Recycle Energy Technologies 
• New Framework Finds Unexpected Order Inside Amorphous Materials

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

How do we advance technology to industry-scale? A new partnership between the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute aims to shorten the gap between promising discovery and real-world deployment. Then, one of NLR’s flagship products gets an update, helping users make more informed decisions. Finally, rural communities benefit from a field-tested solution to implement a microgrid approach, building energy resilience.  

Email us at [email protected].  

Read more on the stories in today’s episode:  

• NLR-NRRI Partnership Advances Industry-Scale Innovation and Process Demonstration 
• Electricity Annual Technology Baseline 2025 Update Now Available 
• As Local Power Grows, Utilities Reorganize for Resilience 
• Bill Tumas Named NLR Deputy Laboratory Director of Science and Technology 

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

In this week’s episode, hosts Jackson and Nataleah dive into water power research at NLR:  

• Using NLR’s ARIES platform to de-risk and ready LAMP in a dry simulator for ocean deployment. (Check out more here.)
• Testing OSWECs inside NLR’s SWEL tank at the Flatirons Campus near Boulder, Colorado.  
• Deploying a SURF WEC for ocean testing at Makai Research Pier in Oahu, Hawaii. 

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

In this Lab Notes episode, hosts Kerrin and Taylor explore NLR's Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems, or ARIES platform. ARIES is a first-of-its-kind research platform that uses innovative capabilities to help us find solutions for the grid of the future. 

Learn about its history, what it actually does, and how this work can contribute to a more affordable, reliable, and secure energy future. Hear from leading ARIES experts and take a look at one ARIES project called SuperLab, which demonstrates how we can connect energy assets and sources from differing locations and get them to work together seamlessly as one balanced energy system.  

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

In today’s episode, we’re taking you below ground, through busy intersections, and over cascading hydropower dams in stories about:

• The launch of the lab’s Geothermal Center of Excellence to accelerate geothermal energy deployment in the U.S. 
• A new tool that aims to make traffic signals more efficient, reducing crashes and delays at intersections  
• A technical assistance project in Washington state that modeled the impacts of coordinated operations in a system of hydropower plants.

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

In this episode of Peaks to Power, hosts Kerrin and Taylor get into the details on a partnership to advance grid reliability, some fantastic interns, and energy storage strategies. 

- NLR researchers, in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the University of Chicago, Princeton University, and industrial advisors, study opportunities to lower costs of computing facilities through cooling systems.  

- Lab interns take a trip into the Edgar Experimental Mine near Golden, Colorado, and share their summer internship experiences.   

- NLR and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation launch a partnership to advance the reliability of the North American bulk power system. 

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

In this episode of Peaks to Power, hosts Jackson and Taylor talk chirality-induced spin selectivity and the R&D 100 Awards:  

• Experimental results show that chirality-induced spin selectivity can control electrochemical reaction products to generate useful chemicals. 
• NLR took home four of this year’s R&D 100 Awards for innovative technologies, bringing the lab’s total award count to 80 since 1982. 

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

Peaks to Power is back with updates in advanced computing, materials science, and flight! In this episode, find out about: 

• 12 project awards NLR received in the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission 
• A new collaboration with Argonne and Oak Ridge national laboratories to establish a national center for membrane technologies 
• A recently published report evaluating the real-world potential of five emerging aviation fuels.

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

This week on Peaks to Power, we break down battery research, gather updates on a water desalination device, and review a grid planning tool.  

• NLR researchers are equipping state energy offices and public utility commissions with the Sienna analysis tool and trainings to make the most of the energy planning. 
•  The latest update to the HERO WEC device could provide a blueprint for future wave energy components.  
• Years of work and a catalogue of data results in a new, open-access Battery Safety Database and more from NLR’s extensive battery research. 

Follow @NatLabRockies on Instagram to meet a few incredible interns and celebrate National Intern Day.  

This week's episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Nataleah Small. 

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.  

This week on Peaks to Power, dig into artificial intelligence, critical mineral mining, and national laboratory collaborations:

• Minnesota-based NLR researcher Ryan King is using AI to bolster critical mineral supply chains , thanks in part to a partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute.
• NLR’s Amanda Kolker and David Digon were named fellows in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program, enhancing collaboration across the national lab network. 

Find the episode transcript here. 

This podcast is hosted by Jackson Fletcher, Kerrin Jeromin, Taylor Mankle, and Nataleah Small and written and produced by Hannah Halusker, Allison Montroy, and Kaitlyn Stottler. Editors are Joe DelNero, Brittany Falch, and Taylor Mankle. Graphics by Brittnee Gayet. Music by Ted Vaca and Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Peaks to Power is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado. Email us at [email protected]. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.