Global Energy Future Initiative

Connecting energy innovators,
industry leaders and policy makers
to advance scientific, data-driven solutions
for the global energy future

The Future of Energy is Now, at Mines

Join the Mines Global Energy Future Initiative as we bring together global energy thought leaders and world-class Colorado School of Mines faculty through research, education, workshops, seminars and outreach. 

Why Mines Global Energy Future Initiative?

Governments and industry around the globe are pursuing increasingly ambitious initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify their energy portfolios, all while the world is facing significant growth in energy demand from emerging and developing economies. On these complex issues, Mines has a unique combination of expertise with the depth to meet the energy challenges head on. Mines has an exceptional track record of solving tough scientific and engineering problems across the gamut of energy and environmental fields. The university enjoys a hard-earned reputation as an unbiased problem-solver in disciplines often at odds in the energy-environment discussion; the university tagline, “Earth, Energy, Environment” is an accurate reflection of our expansive and growing purview.  

With partners from academia, industry, government, and civil society galvanized by Mines’ uniquely comprehensive expertise, we’re developing energy solutions that will shape decision-making, now and in the decades to come. 

Impactful Hubs

Low Carbon and Renewable Energy

Developing renewable, secure, resilient, and adaptive energy infrastructure that fosters economic growth while reducing environmental impact

Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage (CCUS)

Multidisciplinary approach to scientific, engineering and policy research on net zero emissions technological innovations

Clean Water Innovations

Role of technology innovation in reimagining global water in the future energy system

Minerals & Metals

Finding solutions to meet the minerals and metals needs to create our future energy system, including sustainable mining practices; technological innovations in mining; and the role of markets, economics and policy

Oil and Gas

Designing interdisciplinary research focused on the science, engineering and policy of oil and gas in the net-zero energy future

Supply Chain Transparency

Understanding how the future energy system will impact the global supply chain and the associated effects on markets, communities and the environment

Latest News

Projecting demand for mineral-based critical materials in the energy transition for electricity 3/18/2024

Projecting demand for mineral-based critical materials in the energy transition for electricity

Payne Institute Student Researcher Gabriel Collins, Faculty Fellow Carol A. Dahl, Student Researcher Maxwell Fleming, Student Researcher Michael Tanner, Student Researcher Wilson C. Martin, Kabir Nadkarni, Fellow Sara Hastings-Simon and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how mapping the changing energy landscape toward net zero and understanding the critical material needs to support the transition are essential for demanders and suppliers as well as policy makers seeking to orchestrate the transition. They provide such decision makers for electricity markets with a transparent tool that can be easily understood and modified as our transitional knowledge improves.  March 18, 2024.

The Rise of Great Mineral Powers 3/12/2024

The Rise of Great Mineral Powers

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Communications Associate Gregory Wischer write about how minerals play a crucial role in bolstering a state’s military capabilities, defining its “mineral power.” This study assesses a state’s mineral power by evaluating its access to secure mineral supplies from four key sources: domestic production, government stockpiles, overseas production by domestic companies, and imports from aligned states. March 12, 2024.

The path to net-zero emissions runs through industry 3/12/2024

The path to net-zero emissions runs through industry

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Payne Institute Fellow Steve Griffiths and Benjamin K. Sovacool write about the recent COP28 United Nations climate conference and how leaders faced a monumental task: tackling the decarbonization of the industrial sector, responsible for over 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve emission reduction targets, urgent action is needed to curb emissions from carbon-intensive industries such as steel, cement, and chemicals. March 12, 2024.

Changing the relationship between mining and Native American Tribes 3/11/2024

Changing the relationship between mining and Native American Tribes

Payne Institute Program Manager Rick Tallman, Director Morgan Bazilian and Daniel Cardenas write about how the Native American Tribes stand to benefit greatly from mining and processing the critical minerals needed to drive the energy transition in the United States — but only if we acknowledge the sordid history of mining on tribal lands and properly remediate legacy issues while forging a new approach that is transparent, fair and centered on Tribal sovereignty. March 11, 2024.

Michael McGuirk Wins Negative Emissions Scialog Award 3/7/2024

Michael McGuirk Wins Negative Emissions Scialog Award

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Mike McGuirk has won a $50,000 award from the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement’s (RSCA) Negative Emissions Science Scialog program to conduct research exploring opportunities to replace petroleum in this process with polyolefin waste, the largest type of post-consumer plastic.  March 7, 2024.

Why Mines?

Since 1874, Mines has been a pioneer at the frontiers of science and engineering, from locating and recovering earth resources, to energy production, to environmental stewardship.

Over time, Mines’ expertise expanded to meet the changing needs of industry and society, playing key roles in the growth of the global energy and natural resource industries. We are now positioned to leverage that deep expertise through a data-driven approach to informing the global energy future, in collaboration with academia, industry, government and civil society partners.

Leadership

John Bradford

John Bradford

Vice President for Global Initiatives

Morgan Bazilian

Morgan Bazilian

Director, Payne Institute for Public Policy

For more information about the Mines Global Energy Future Initiative at the Colorado School of Mines, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.

Mines@150

As Colorado School of Mines approaches our sesquicentennial, we are ideally suited to lead this initiative. Our bold and ambitious MINES@150 strategic plan builds on the exceptional legacy of our PAST, the ways we impact the PRESENT and the POSSIBILITIES of our global energy future.