Episode Details

Disclaimer: This episode was produced when the laboratory operated as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The laboratory is now the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).

Hosts Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle discuss recent stories from NREL:  

• Alaska Native communities face enormous challenges when it comes to energy, housing, and health, in part due to government-provided prefabricated housing from the late 20th century that was not designed for Alaska’s extreme weather. Seven homeowners in the Native Village of Gakona are working with researchers at NREL’s Alaska Campus (formerly Cold Climate Housing Center) in Fairbanks, about 200 miles north, to improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of their homes. 
• Special Correspondent Jason Youngstrom joins to share how NREL is addressing the problem of “wishcycling,” where people recycle items they're unsure about, leading to challenges in the recycling system. NREL's approach involves staff-driven programs to sort and recycle plastics labeled 3–7, focusing on capturing various types of plastic waste. The laboratory is researching upcycling technologies and redesigning plastics for recyclability, aiming for a circular economy where every plastic produced has a viable path to reuse. 
• Malik Hassanaly, a computational science researcher at NREL, specializes in uncertainty quantification, machine learning, and computational fluid dynamics spanning diverse areas like solar and wind energy, bioenergy, energy storage, and cybersecurity. His multidisciplinary approach enhances scientific innovation and practical problem-solving, emphasizing the importance of understanding various computational science use cases. 

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 podcast@nlr.gov. Follow NLR on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.