Utah State University and the Idaho National Laboratory team up on energy research

Utah State University and the Idaho National Laboratory http://www.inl.gov are joining forces for a new research partnership in Utah’s mineral-rich Uintah Basin.

The deal announced Tuesday includes the creation of a research hub in Vernal, the eastern Utah town whose recent history has closely followed oil and gas development.

The project will focus on finding ways to make energy development more efficient and easier on the environment. That will include cutting air pollution and finding new uses, possibly in agriculture, for salty water that’s extracted during oil and gas operations.

The other component will be investigating "hybrid energy systems" that combine traditional energy with renewables such as solar and wind. Similar work is already under way at the Idaho lab.

By Mike Stark

Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705336595/USU-Idaho-lab-team-up-on-energy.html