Low Carbon Energy Technologies
Multidisciplinary Approach to Scientific and Engineering Research on Low Carbon Energy Technological Innovations, Coupled with Crosscutting Work on Policy, Markets, and Regulation
Multidisciplinary Approach to Scientific and Engineering Research on Low Carbon Energy Technological Innovations, Coupled with Crosscutting Work on Policy, Markets, and Regulation
Low Carbon Energy Technologies can be applied across the energy system. The Colorado School of Mines has directly relevant science and technology expertise that spans from fundamental chemistry through reactor engineering. There are on the order of 30-50 faculty actively engaged with areas related to one or more aspects of the Low Carbon Energy Technologies chain.
Most, if not all, CO2 reduction to fuels or chemicals depends on catalytic hydrogenation or dehydrogenation processes. Thus, the design, synthesis, and implementation of selective catalysts are essential aspects of CO2 utilization for the production of value-added chemicals. As a practical matter, cost-effective and timely technology development depends on closely coordinated multidisciplinary research and engineering.
Through collaboration and research Colorado School of Mines and the Payne Institute are connecting the technical expertise on campus related to Low Carbon Energy Technologies with industry, government and civil society to increase awareness of the opportunities related to CCUS. Maintaining the focus of the University as a leader at the frontiers of science and engineering, related to earth, energy and environmental stewardship.
For more information about the Low Carbon Energy Technologies Initiative at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.
NEWS
How Europe’s Carbon Tax is Reshaping Mineral Markets 4/15/26
How Europe’s Carbon Tax is Reshaping Mineral Markets
Payne Institute Student Researcher Sravan Lavudya and Geothermal and Low Carbon Technologies Program Manager Anna Littlefield write how across the global minerals sector, from mines in Australia to refineries in Brazil and smelters in South Africa, a new force is reshaping the landscape. It is not being driven by markets or technology but by policy coming out of Brussels. April 15, 2026.
Colorado Is Emerging As An Energy Innovation Hub 4/12/2026
Colorado Is Emerging As An Energy Innovation Hub
Colorado School of Mines has long been admired for its work in the energy industry through top-ranked programs in geology, mining engineering, petroleum engineering, materials science, chemical engineering, and others. It has also led training in cross-disciplinary areas with the Payne Institute for Public Policy and a new Energy and Minerals Research Facility expected to open next year in partnership with the US Geological Survey. April 12, 2026.
Tracking and Transacting Clean Natural Gas: Operationalizing Environmental Attribute Tokens 4/7/2026
Tracking and Transacting Clean Natural Gas: Operationalizing Environmental Attribute Tokens
Payne Institute Student Researcher Liam O’Byrne and Energy Finance Lab Program Director Brad Handler write about how there is an emerging need for companies to track and disclose the carbon intensity of the natural gas and other fossil fuel-based products they buy. For producers of these fuels, documenting carbon intensity, at least at scale, requires systems that standardize, which the financial services industry can leverage to create new markets. April 7, 2026.
Energy systems research strengthens the power grid to withstand disruptions 4/7/2026
Energy systems research strengthens the power grid to withstand disruptions
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Paulo Cesar Tabares Velasco is featured in this article about how when power grids fail during sub-zero cold snaps or high winds threaten to topple power lines and spark wildfires, the vulnerabilities in the Unites States’ energy infrastructure become apparent. The gap between what our infrastructure was built to handle and what it must endure continues to widen. April 7, 2026.
Mines Energy Research Magazine 4/6/2026
Mines Energy Research Magazine
The Payne Institute is featured in the Energy Issue of the Mines Research Magazine which highlights how Mines stands at the center of the energy conversation. We integrate education, research and industry partnerships to spur innovation and prepare adaptable, forward-thinking talent to lead what’s next in the domestic and international energy workforce. April 6, 2026.
Data centers are gobbling up a resource — but not the one you think 3/25/2026
Data centers are gobbling up a resource — but not the one you think
Brandon N. Owens and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how expanding footprint of AI infrastructure creates a thirst for more than electricity. Technology companies are committing billions of dollars to facilities designed to power the next generation of computing. March 25, 2026.
Climate change is already happening in Colorado. Here are 10 signs we can see right now. 3/20/2026
Climate change is already happening in Colorado. Here are 10 signs we can see right now.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Adrienne Marshall contributed to this article about how it’s hotter, it’s drier, the plants are stressed, the air is choked, and the trees are in big trouble in Colorado. It’s bad. But it’s not too late. March 20, 2026.
US pledges $500 million in continued push for mineral processing 3/20/2026
US pledges $500 million in continued push for mineral processing
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how the US Department of Energy (DOE) is continuing a push to expand domestic mineral production through a $500 million fund, announced March 13, that will finance mineral processing plants, recycling projects, and battery component manufacturing. March 20, 2026.
As data centers go off-grid, utilities face new cost and planning risks 3/17/2026
As data centers go off-grid, utilities face new cost and planning risks
Brandon Owens and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how industry disclosures suggest that by the end of the decade, a meaningful share of new data center capacity could be partially or fully self-supplied. Increasingly, many of those data centers are choosing not to rely on the electric grid at all. March 17, 2026.
Nuclear and SMR Non‑Fuel Critical Minerals Supply Chain: An Emerging Fourth Value Chain 3/11/2026
Nuclear and SMR Non‑Fuel Critical Minerals Supply Chain: An Emerging Fourth Value Chain
Kruthika A. Bala and Payne Institute Senior Research Fellow R.J. Johnston write about how as Canada expands its nuclear ambitions through small modular reactors (SMRs) and legacy technologies such as CANDU and AP-1000 reactor designs, a new strategic value chain for critical minerals demand is emerging. The nuclear sector is emerging as a fourth value chain for critical minerals, alongside clean energy, defence, and artificial intelligence/semiconductors. March 11, 2026.
When the Cloud Becomes a Target: The Future of War Is Your Internet
When the Cloud Becomes a Target: The Future of War Is Your Internet
Macdonald Amoah, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, and Fellow Jahara Matisek write about how to defend against data centers becoming military targets, governments must prioritize geographic dispersion, treat them as critical infrastructure, and move beyond a cybersecurity-only approach. March 9, 2026.
America’s Data Center Boom Must Not Depend on Chinese Batteries 3/6/2026
America’s Data Center Boom Must Not Depend on Chinese Batteries
Jesse R. Edmondson and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the United States must build its own domestic battery supply chain to support the AI data center boom and reduce reliance on Chinese energy storage technologies. March 6, 2026.