Idaho Impacts FY21

Idaho Impacts
FY21

National lab research, home state advantage

INL is largely made up of people who choose to live and work in Idaho. Our actions and work reflect the respect we hold for our state and everything in it. INL researchers seek to discover, create and advance useful technologies that improve daily life around the world and right here in Idaho.

Accomplishments and data are from fiscal year 2021.

$ 0 M

Spent with Idaho business

Hours of research donated

Public speaking engagements

Co-chairs Idaho Cybersecurity Task Force to combat cyberattacks

Gov. Brad Little created a Cybersecurity Task Force that will work to increase education for small businesses so they are prepared for potential cyberattacks. It also will ensure Idaho election infrastructure is secure. Plus, it will work with the state’s public universities to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity employees. INL Associate Laboratory Director Zach Tudor co-chairs the task force with Idaho Department of Commerce Director Tom Kealey.

Improved cancer medicine production

Medical isotopes are critical for diagnostic testing and treatment of cancer. INL researchers discovered a way to produce and separate significant quantities of scandium-47 (Sc-47), providing hope to millions of cancer patients. Sc-47 is a potential lifesaving isotope, but it has been difficult and costly to make a reliable supply. INL researchers took an entirely new approach. They predicted that natural vanadium, when exposed to high-energy photons, could rapidly produce a high-quality source. Collaborating with Idaho State University and the University of Utah, the research team demonstrated the first end-to-end production and separation of a medically significant amount (11.5 millicuries) of the Sc-47 isotope.

Showed how hydropower can support emergency services

After a winter storm created a regional blackout, leaving thousands of residents without power, the city of Idaho Falls asked INL to collaborate on a solution. The city-owned utility has five hydropower plants, which together generate about a third of the city’s electricity. However, small hydropower plants like these can’t restart a local grid on their own, largely because they can’t quickly respond to changing demand. The solution proved to be two six-megawatt load banks, essentially large batteries, that store and release electricity on demand. Using INL technology, the team proved the city could continue powering emergency services during a blackout.

Led Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance

INL’s Associate Laboratory Director Todd Combs chairs the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance (ISEA) board. The ISEA provides information to elected officials, stakeholders and the public on how to efficiently, economically develop the state’s energy portfolio in a way that maintains the integrity of Idaho’s natural resources. It has increased understanding of Idaho’s diverse energy resources; raised awareness of efficiency and conservation opportunities; improved cooperation among Idaho’s public and private-sector entities; and showcased Idaho’s innovative energy technologies. Three ISEA task forces, each led by an INL researcher, are studying utility scale energy storage, reliability and resilience of the grid, and alternative transportation fuels.

Designed software to inform irrigation modernization

Investing in irrigation systems can transform agricultural infrastructure into a system that conserves water and energy, supports broadband communications in rural areas, and protects wildlife habitats. Yet analyzing the benefits and costs can be a daunting, expensive task for small water districts. That’s why INL partnered with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to build a user-friendly software tool for decision-makers. IrrigationViz helps them identify the most environmentally and financially efficient irrigation methods for their crops. Using IrrigationViz to upgrade irrigation infrastructure could lead to more local jobs, higher profit for farmers, greater investments in rural communities and increased water supply for distinct uses.

Supported Cybersecurity Center for Excellence

Lab leaders worked with College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) to help the college earn designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. Recognized by the National Security Agency, the designation assures CEI’s status of offering the highest level of cybersecurity education. Only a small number of colleges have programs mature enough to obtain this designation. This is a significant achievement for CEI and cybersecurity in Idaho.

Supporting green hydrogen production for Idaho Power

INL researchers will help evaluate the technoeconomic feasibility of adding hydrogen production to an Idaho Power Company hydropower plant. Idaho Power Company is interested in making hydrogen to diversify its revenue streams. Today, no hydropower facilities include hydrogen production, but there is growing interest in the concept from the hydropower industry.

Tested INL cybersecurity device with Hailey-based engineers

INL researchers designed and demonstrated a new technology to detect and block cyberattacks on power grid operations. The Constrained Cyber Communication Device uses advanced communication capabilities and artificial intelligence to block cyberattacks targeting digital relays. Relays command breakers to turn off electricity when a disturbance or fault on the grid is detected. However, relays are not able to detect the speed and stealth of cyberattacks. Lab researchers used INL’s power grid test bed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the device during a full-scale experiment.

Hosted disaster training for first responders

To properly train for natural, human-made or terrorist-initiated disasters, the Idaho National Guard needed a collapsed structure. Experts from INL and Idaho State University (ISU) collaborated to build a safe and secure training site, which grew into ISU’s Disaster Response Complex. Its simulated collapsed structure is engineered to be safe for training emergency responders. In September, ISU and INL hosted a joint training exercise between the Idaho 101st and Oregon 102nd Civil Support Teams.

INL economic impact infographic

While INL’s primary mission is to help the nation solve energy and security challenges, we’re equally committed to thriving local communities and successful educational initiatives. Our growth as a laboratory strengthens both our local community and those throughout Idaho. We are committed to making Idaho stronger because Idahoans make us stronger. This infographic provides a snapshot into the lab’s impact on the local, regional and state economies.

Not finding what you are looking for? Please send your question to info@inl.gov.