Filtered News
Building Trust through an Equitable and Inclusive Energy Transition 1/17/2024
Building Trust through an Equitable and Inclusive Energy Transition
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this report by the World Economic Forum that provides a framework and 10 critical questions, aiming to build trust, encourage collaboration and guide policy-makers and business leaders in the energy sector towards advancing a just, equitable and inclusive energy transition. January 17, 2024.
Fast-growing ‘carbon-neutral’ energy company ramps up oil and gas production 1/16/2024
Fast-growing ‘carbon-neutral’ energy company ramps up oil and gas production
Payne Institute Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler contributed to this article about the Canadian wildfires this past summer, killing at least 17 people and burning more than 45.7 million acres — blazes that were made 50% more intense by climate change fueled by the burning of fossil fuels — some Canadians took out their anger on their country’s pension plan. They demanded that the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board stop investing their retirement savings in a Colorado oil and gas company that’s ramped up its extraction activity in recent years, drilling near homes, schools and parks. January 16, 2024.
First Uranium Mines to Dig in the US in Eight Years Begin Operations Near Grand Canyon 1/15/2024
First Uranium Mines to Dig in the US in Eight Years Begin Operations Near Grand Canyon
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about the push for more nuclear energy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How it has spiked uranium prices, leading mines for the element to begin operating again in the U.S. despite long-term environmental and health impacts. January 15, 2024.
Analysis of world trade data with machine learning to enhance policies of mineral supply chain transparency 1/13/2024
Analysis of world trade data with machine learning to enhance policies of mineral supply chain transparency
Umut Mete Saka, Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Sebnem Düzgün, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how utilizing machine learning to help the integration of supply chains worldwide and the establishment of resilient material flows emphasize the significance of transparency on mineral supplies. As regulations and policies around mineral supply become more stringent, organizations are actively seeking effective tools to assess the transparency of their supply chains. January 13, 2024.
Comparing methods for criticality and security in minerals for clean energy 1/13/2024
Comparing methods for criticality and security in minerals for clean energy
Mines Advanced Energy Systems Student Eliza Hotchkiss, Maria Paz Urdaneta, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how energy security goals, supply chain risks, production growth, and market dynamics will shape the future of critical mineral methodologies. This paper reviews two methodologies employed for critical mineral identification from nations committed to clean energy transitions. January 13, 2024.
The US shale magnate trying to sell oil and gas jobs to Generation Z 1/8/2024
The US shale magnate trying to sell oil and gas jobs to Generation Z
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer Miskimins contributed to this article about how US shale magnate Harold Hamm is leading attempts to lure an increasingly skeptical younger generation to the oil and gas industry as climate concerns and job insecurity dent the attractiveness of the industry for graduates and skilled tradespeople. January 8, 2024.
Bezos Eyes SpaceX Rival as Critical New Rocket Is Finally Ready 1/4/2024
Bezos Eyes SpaceX Rival as Critical New Rocket Is Finally Ready
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow George Sowers contributed to this article about how when the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket lifts off for the first time as soon as next week, multiple billionaires are sure to be watching. It’s a pivotal moment for ULA, a once-dominant launch provider for the US government whose star has faded in recent years. With SpaceX now leading the commercial market and making inroads with the government on the strength of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, ULA finds itself needing to adapt to avoid being left behind. January 4, 2024.
Lithium nexus: Energy, geopolitics, and socio-environmental impacts in Mexico’s Sonora project 12/22/2023
Lithium nexus: Energy, geopolitics, and socio-environmental impacts in Mexico’s Sonora project
Vlado Vivoda, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, Asmaa Khadim, Natalie Ralph, and Ghaleb Krame write about how the global transition to low-carbon energy systems has dramatically increased the demand for lithium, essential for energy storage and transport electrification—with lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries as the dominant technology in both market segments. Enter the Sonora Lithium Project in Mexico, home to what could be one of the world’s largest lithium deposits. This paper delves into these challenges using the Sonora Project as a lens, aiming to provide clarity and insights for various decision-makers, stakeholders, and researchers. December 22, 2023.
Antarctic Octopus Holds Secrets of Prehistoric Ice Loss in Its Genome 12/21/2023
Antarctic Octopus Holds Secrets of Prehistoric Ice Loss in Its Genome
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ryan Venturelli contributed to this article about how as the climate crisis continues, sooner or later the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet will collapse. An unassuming octopus just gave scientists an important clue about how quickly that might happen. December 21, 2023.
Solid oxide fuel cell at Colorado Fuel Cell Center now helping to power Mines campus 12/18/2023
Solid oxide fuel cell at Colorado Fuel Cell Center now helping to power Mines campus
Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Robert Braun and Neal Sullivan are featured in this article about how the Mines first-of-its-kind prototype is capable of generating almost 30 kW of electric power from natural gas, low-carbon fuels. The research program is managed through DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), and features a hybrid fuel-cell and reciprocating engine system targeting 100 kW of net electricity at 70 percent efficiency under natural gas fuel and renewable fuels. December 18, 2023.
Elevate Quantum puts Colorado – and Mines – at forefront of future innovation 12/14/2023
Elevate Quantum puts Colorado – and Mines – at forefront of future innovation
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Lincoln Carr is featured in this article about how the U.S. Department of Commerce designates regional consortium of universities, national laboratories, organizations and companies as a tech hub for quantum information tech including Mines Elevate Quantum. Elevate Quantum Colorado is one of 31 tech hubs around the country and one of only two dedicated to quantum specifically. December 14, 2023.
Nations strike historic deal to transition off fossil fuels 12/13/2023
Nations strike historic deal to transition off fossil fuels
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how nearly 200 countries agreed to “transitioning away” from fossil fuels in energy systems in an agreement reached at the global climate summit. The use of the “transitioning away” language comes after a contentious debate about whether or not the agreement should “phase out” fossil fuels or simply reduce their use. December 13, 2023.
COP28: 5 big takeaways on a historic climate agreement 12/13/2023
COP28: 5 big takeaways on a historic climate agreement
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how this year’s United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) has ended with a historic new agreement: For the first time, world governments have said countries should transition away from fossil fuels. Climate advocates have praised it as a step forward, but also raised concerns about potential loopholes in its language and criticized it for not going further as the climate crisis deepens — and fossil fuel production continues to increase. December 13, 2023.
What does the groundbreaking COP28 agreement mean for the US? 12/13/2023
What does the groundbreaking COP28 agreement mean for the US?
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the unprecedented agreement reached at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai this week is unlikely to prompt a dramatic upheaval in the U.S. energy landscape, but it could bolster efforts to shift the country toward energy sources that are less harmful to the planet. The text, released Wednesday, calls for a “transition away” from planet-warming fossil fuels, marking the first time such language has appeared in a COP agreement. It further calls for tripling renewable energy development and doubling energy efficiency. December 13, 2023.
Transition finance advances at COP28 12/12/2023
Transition finance advances at COP28
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how announcements made during the COP28 climate talks signal progress on several fronts when it comes to unlocking finance to support the energy transition. Transition finance holds the key in terms of giving the owners of emitting assets the financial incentive for closure or conversion, but flows of transition finance have not risen to the challenge so far. December 12, 2023.
STACKING 45Q WITH VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKETS 12/11/2023
STACKING 45Q WITH VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKETS
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and Fellows Siew Chiang and Mike Matson write about how CCS has been at the forefront of decarbonization commitments in public and private sectors, with the development of CCS projects rapidly accelerating in the U.S. following the signing of federal incentives of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). They explore the economic pathways for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, beginning with “credit stacking” voluntary carbon market credits and Section 45Q tax credits, with additional pieces on both the California-based Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Section 45Z tax credit. December 11, 2023.
Deemed Sustainable by Seafood Industry Monitors, Harvested California Squid Has an Unmeasurable Energy Footprint 12/8/2023
Deemed Sustainable by Seafood Industry Monitors, Harvested California Squid Has an Unmeasurable Energy Footprint
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Senior Research Associate Christopher Elvidge contributed to this article about how tens of thousands of tons of the cephalopods caught off the California coast are shipped to China for processing, then sold to consumers around the world. China has also become a ruthlessly efficient and cheap processor of the seafood its fleets catch, as well as that caught by fleets from other countries. December 8, 2023.
Why the U.S. has a serious mining worker shortage 12/8/2023
Why the U.S. has a serious mining worker shortage
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith and Research Associate Juliet Akamboe contributed to this news video about the role that miners play in the transition to green energy. The demand for rare earth minerals such as lithium, cobalt and copper, critical components used to make batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones, is on the rise, and with it, the need for the expertise of miners. December 8, 2023.
Vietnam Renewables: Investment Priorities 12/6/2023
Vietnam Renewables: Investment Priorities
Centre for Climate Finance & Investment at Imperial College Business School led a team, including the Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, to write “Vietnam Renewables: Investment Priorities”, a review of prospects and challenges to deploy more renewable energy in the country. The report offers specific steps for further renewable power deployment in Vietnam in the context of its economic growth and incredible resource potential (solar and wind), through a combination of policy and market mechanisms. December 6, 2023.
Enabling Finance for Net-Zero Energy Transitions 12/6/2023
Enabling Finance for Net-Zero Energy Transitions
Payne Institute Program Manager Bradley Handler, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Fellow Johannes Urpelainen and others write about how the key issue of financing of the transition required in the energy sector to get to net-zero targets. It identifies key technologies, maps them to potential sources of finance, identifies key barriers to at scale deployment, and suggests potential solutions to these barriers. Policy solutions include setting net-zero targets and creating sector specific pathways, enabling cost-effective procurement, providing supporting policies, and enabling a diverse financial sector. Financial solutions include development of risk-mitigation instruments, blended finance funds, and innovative financial products. December 6, 2023.