The Future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Geothermal Heat Pump Adoption—Plus, Honoring Black Researchers

Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast

This episode discusses two recent stories from NREL:

1. The transformative shift toward sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), highlighting the crucial role of advanced simulations powered by supercomputers. Despite the long-standing reliance on petroleum jet fuel since the 1950s, growing concerns about carbon emissions are driving the urgent need for change. Through meticulous testing and analysis, researchers like Shashank Yellapantula are paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future in aviation.
2. NREL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory teamed up to analyze the potential of geothermal heat pump installations. The collaborative efforts reveal the significant energy and emissions savings these pumps could achieve, highlighting their role in decarbonizing the building sector and strengthening the electricity grid.

Also, in celebration of Black History Month, special correspondent Nataleah Small spotlights NREL's Black Employee Resource Group, featuring co-leaders and NREL researchers Kamyria Coney and Sika Gadzanku, who discuss the group's mission to promote diversity and inclusion at NREL and in the local community.

This episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle, written and produced by Allison Montroy and Kaitlyn Stottler, and edited by 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 [e-mail]. Follow NREL on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.