Research

Electrification of the joint force: Challenges and opportunities for competition in the Pacific and Arctic theaters 1/17/2025

Electrification of the joint force: Challenges and opportunities for competition in the Pacific and Arctic theaters

Joshua D. Simulcik, Fabian E. Villalobos, and Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian write about how the US Department of Defense will have to find ways to expand the portfolio of its energy sources, continue to refine its supply chains and delivery mechanisms for energy services, improve efficiency across systems, and maintain a focus on costs to increase growing demand for energy services on the battlefield.  January 17, 2025.

Critical Minerals Analytical Tools Launched by Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines 12/9/2024

Critical Minerals Analytical Tools Launched by Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines

The Payne Institute for Public Policy created a series of user-friendly critical minerals analytical tools.  The tools, being developed in cooperation with the Mineral and Energy Economics program at Mines, offer detailed information about the availability, cost, and demand for minerals integral to global efforts to transition to low carbon energy and transport systems.  December 9, 2024.

Mines researchers prioritize responsibility with carbon capture and storage 12/3/2024

Mines researchers prioritize responsibility with carbon capture and storage

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith is part of a team of Mines researchers are working in partnership with local stakeholders to curb these emissions in southern Colorado—and provide a model for similar efforts across the nation as states aim to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals and work toward a net-zero carbon future.  December 3, 2024.

Geophysics and the Energy Transition

GEOPHYSICS AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Carol Dahl coauthored portions of this book on geophysical monitoring as a means to carbon capture and storage and the energy transition.  November 24, 2024.

 

 

Mines researchers looking for answers to climate challenges below the surface 11/21/2024

Mines researchers looking for answers to climate challenges below the surface

Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Ryan Venturelli, Matthew Siegfried and Brandon Dugan are featured in this article about how cross-collaboration is key to addressing climate science challenges.  The researchers are on the leading edge of advancing our understanding of and response to critical environmental issues.  November 21, 2024.

Jihye Kim wins Scialog Award for funding of research in sustainable energy systems 11/20/2024

Jihye Kim wins Scialog Award for funding of research in sustainable energy systems

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jihye Kim, assistant professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, won the award as part of a multi-university team working on electrodeposition of nickel, cobalt.  Kim is part of a project titled “AI/ML-assisted Separation and Programmable Electrodeposition of Ni and Co.”  November 20, 2024.

Mines faculty examine the integration of mining, refining for domestic critical mineral production 11/18/2024

Mines faculty examine the integration of mining, refining for domestic critical mineral production

Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Nicole Smith, Elizabeth Holley, Jihye Kim, and Payne Institute Researcher Aaron Malone are featured in this article about how mining research will focus on both the environmental and community impacts of vertically integrated mining operations.  If the U.S. wants to stay competitive in the clean energy market, behind China, domestic production is crucial, which means the country needs more mines. November 18, 2024. 

ME Dr. Alexandra Newman honored as 2024 INFORMS Fellow 11/5/2024

ME Dr. Alexandra Newman honored as 2024 INFORMS Fellow

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dr. Alexandra Newman has been honored as a 2024 INFORMS Fellow for her outstanding contributions to Operations Research.  The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Fellow Award is reserved for distinguished individuals who have demonstrated outstanding and exceptional accomplishments and experience in operations research and the management sciences (OR/MS). November 5, 2024.  

Gas Pathing: Improved Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimates of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports through Enhanced Supply Chain Resolution 11/5/2024

Gas Pathing: Improved Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimates of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports through Enhanced Supply Chain Resolution

Selina A. Roman-White, Deeksha Mallikarjuna Prasanna, Amber McCullagh, Payne Fellow Arvind P. Ravikumar, David Thomas Allen, Kavya Chivukula, Harshvardhan Khutal, Paul Balcombe, Gregory Ross, Payne SFL Program Manager Brad Handler, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Fiji C. George write about how the utilization of greenhouse gas (GHG) life cycle assessments (LCAs) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has increased over the past decade. In this study, a novel framework for improved supply chain-specific LCAs for GHGs is presented using a gas pathing algorithm aligned with how gas is purchased, sold, and transported within the U.S.   November 5, 2024.  

Critical minerals mining and Native American sovereignty: Comparing case studies of lithium, copper, antimony, nickel and graphite mining in the United States 10/24/2024

Critical minerals mining and Native American sovereignty: Comparing case studies of lithium, copper, antimony, nickel and graphite mining in the United States

Payne Institute Communications Associate Macdonald Amoah, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Fellow Dustin Mulvaney, Director Morgan Bazilian, NAMES Director Richard Luarkie, and Daniel Cardenas write about how owing to the historical patterns of colonialism and settlement, many of the remaining undeveloped mineral resources needed for a low-carbon energy transition are located on lands that have historic, ancestral, or cultural significance to Native American Tribes and Indigenous communities, as well as are near environmental-sensitive areas, managed by multiple agencies with goals across the spectra from natural resource development to cultural resource conservation.  Through a comparative case study approach, this study analyzes mining projects seeking to develop these resources.   October 24, 2024. 

Sloan Foundation awards Mines more than $1M for energy/environment research 10/23/2024

Sloan Foundation awards Mines more than $1M for energy/environment research

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith is featured in this article about how Mines faculty and students are working on projects that centralize societal and community impact when developing solutions for the energy transition.  Among other research projects, is a $250,000 study of how energy researchers integrate societal considerations into their work. The project is led by Engineering, Design, and Society Professor Jessica Smith and Electrical Engineering Professor Katie Johnson.  October 23, 2024.  

Payne Institute for Public Policy 2024 State of Critical Minerals Report highlights potential of mining tailings and steep nickel cost curve 10/10/2024

Payne Institute for Public Policy 2024 State of Critical Minerals Report highlights potential of mining tailings and steep nickel cost curve

A new critical minerals report from The Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines highlights the vast potential from mining tailings, the steep cost curve for Nickel, new legislation focused on increasing the domestic mining of critical minerals and the U.S. government’s recent $4.9 billion of investments in mining and processing.  October 10, 2024.

Kamini Singha selected to 2024 class of AGU Fellows 9/18/2024

Kamini Singha selected to 2024 class of AGU Fellows

Payne Institute Fellow, Kamini Singha has been named to the 2024 class of fellows for the American Geophysical Union (AGU). She joins a distinguished group of 54 individuals from this year’s class.  AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, bestows this honor annually to a select number of individuals who have made exceptional contributions. Since its inception in 1962, less than 0.1% of AGU members have been selected as fellows each year. September 18, 2024.

Could Justice40 reproduce injustices in the critical mineral sector? 9/13/2024

Could Justice40 reproduce injustices in the critical mineral sector?

Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone and Faculty Fellows, Raphael Deberdt, Nicole M. Smith, and Elizabeth A. Holley write about how the United States is reprioritizing domestic extraction and processing of critical minerals, with billions of dollars of investments. Because of their uses in low-carbon technologies, the mining and processing of these resources falls under the scope of the Justice40 Initiative, the Biden administration’s flagship environmental justice policy that prioritizes green investments to benefit communities deemed disadvantaged, including all recognized Tribes.  September 13, 2024.  

Colorado School of Mines, Payne Institute for Public Policy announce grant from Quadrature Climate Foundation 9/5/2024

Colorado School of Mines, Payne Institute for Public Policy announce grant from Quadrature Climate Foundation

The Payne Institute for Public Policy and the Mineral and Energy Economics Program at Colorado School of Mines are pleased to announce the award of a three-year grant from Quadrature Climate Foundation in support of critical mineral development in resource communities, with an emphasis on the Global South.  September 5, 2024.

Electrifying Off-Road Vehicles: Is 1000 [Wh/kg] Enough? 7/24/2024

Electrifying Off-Road Vehicles: Is 1000 [Wh/kg] Enough?

Mines Aaron Brucker, Adam Duran, Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Neal P. Sullivan and Mines Aashutosh Mistry write about how in the past two decades, we have made strides in decarbonizing light duty vehicles through advances in lithium-ion battery technology. With the battery fundamentals reasonably known for these passenger electric vehicles (EVs), further scientific progress is motivated by the need to electrify other transportation modes.  July 24, 2024. 

Assessment of Peer-to-Peer Trading Benefits 7/10/2024

Assessment of Peer-to-Peer Trading Benefits

Emon Chatterji and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how a Peer-to-peer (P2P) electricity trading model can enable customers to support each other with potentially significant economic benefits, yields technical benefits to reduce losses/congestion, and presents a greater opportunity to maximize variable renewable development. This study uses a two-stage optimization model to generate supply curves for individual customers, followed by an optimization by the P2P operator to maximize the savings. July 10, 2024.

U.S. researchers build 16%-efficient mini perovskite solar module resistant to UV light-induced degradation 7/10/24

U.S. researchers build 16%-efficient mini perovskite solar module resistant to UV light-induced degradation

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Allan Sellinger contributes to this article about how a U.S. research team has built a 15 cm2 perovskite solar module with improved stability and efficiency thanks to a polymer hole transport layer that reportedly improves the panel stability and efficiency. July 10, 2024.

Elevate Quantum awarded $40.5M to expand quantum ecosystem in Colorado, Mountain West 7/2/2024

Elevate Quantum awarded $40.5M to expand quantum ecosystem in Colorado, Mountain West

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Eliot Kapit is featured in this article about how Mines is part of regional consortium receiving federal funding to support efforts to strengthen the quantum workforce over the next decade.  The federal funding, alongside Colorado’s recently passed $74 million Quantum Tax Credit and New Mexico’s substantial quantum investments, will enable Elevate Quantum to deliver on its key objectives, such as launching 50+ quantum startups, upskilling 30,000 workers, and establishing a world-leading quantum lab to provide state-of-the-art hardware and expertise to startups.  July 2, 2024.

Mines-developed molecule improves performance of perovskite solar cells 7/1/2024

Mines-developed molecule improves performance of perovskite solar cells

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Alan Sellinger is featured in this article about how a new molecule, called EtCz3EPA, was designed, and synthesized by his research group.  The molecule, which forms stronger bonds within the solar cells, enhancing the connection between different parts of the cells. In doing so, the molecule increases the cell’s stability and efficiency – even when exposed to UV radiation and tested outdoors.  July 1, 2024.

Statistical Review of World Energy 6/26/2024

Statistical Review of World Energy

The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group provided the data for global gas flaring based on our satellite data algorithms for the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy.  The Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy analyses data on world energy markets from the prior year. Previously produced by bp, the Review has been providing timely, comprehensive and objective data to the energy community since 1952.  June 26, 2024.

Lori Tunstall wins NSF CAREER Award for research on concrete sustainability and durability 5/29/2024

Lori Tunstall wins NSF CAREER Award for research on concrete sustainability and durability

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Lori Tunstall is featured in this article has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her work on improving concrete durability with a focus on sustainability.  The research aims to create methods for concrete that lasts long enough to offset carbon footprint from production.  May 29, 2024.  

Microgrid design and multi-year dispatch optimization under climate-informed load and renewable resource uncertainty 5/28/2024

Microgrid design and multi-year dispatch optimization under climate-informed load and renewable resource uncertainty

Madeline Macmillan, Alexander Zolan, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, and Daniel L. Villa write about how microgrids are an increasingly popular solution to provide energy resilience in response to increasing grid dependency and the growing impacts of climate change on grid operations.  They develop a two-stage stochastic programming extension of an existing microgrid design and dispatch optimization model to obtain uncertainty-informed and climate-resilient energy system decisions that minimizes long-term costs. May, 28, 2024.

Mitigating Performance Degrading Defects in Gallium-doped Czochralski Silicon Solar Cells with Data-Informed Modeling

Mitigating Performance Degrading Defects in Gallium-doped Czochralski Silicon Solar Cells with Data-Informed Modeling

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Sumit Agarwal received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Small Innovative Projects in Solar (SIPS) for a project that studies light- and temperature-induced degradation observed in p-type silicon passivated emitter rear contact (p-PERC) solar modules. The team is using gallium-doped Czochralski silicon wafers to understand the high efficiency and reliability of p-PERC crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules by mitigating 30 years of degradation in the field due to light and thermal effects.  May 16, 2024.

World Online Ranking of Best Environmental Scientists – 2024 Report 5/9/2024

World Online Ranking of Best Environmental Scientists – 2024 Report

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Senior Research Associate Dr. Christopher Elvidge has been named to the 2024 Edition of the Ranking of Best Scientists in the field of Environmental Sciences by Research.com.  The ranking is based on D-index (Discipline H-index) metric, which only includes papers and citation values for an examined discipline. The ranking includes only leading scientists with D-index of at least 30 for academic publications made in the area of Environmental Sciences.  Dr. Elvidge has been ranked #513 in the world ranking and #250 in United States.  May 9, 2024.

Colorado School of Mines awarded $10.5M in fuel cell funding 4/26/2024

Colorado School of Mines awarded $10.5M in fuel cell funding

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Robert Braun is featured in this article about how his research team received three federal awards boost funding for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies research.  The team is approaching this challenge from a multidisciplinary lens, with researchers bringing experience across cutting-edge fuel-cell research capabilities including new materials development, high-temperature electrochemistry, device design and characterization, ammonia chemistry, and systems integration.  April 24, 2024.

Greenhouse Gases Life Cycle Assessment for Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas 4/23/2024

Greenhouse Gases Life Cycle Assessment for Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this report from the National Petroleum Institute on titled Reducing GHG Emissions from the U.S. Natural Gas Supply Chain.  His contributions were made to Chapter 4 – Greenhouse Gases Life Cycle Assessment for Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas.  The chapter introduces the fundamental concepts of LCA, discusses modeling GHG emissions from U.S. natural gas and LNG supply chains, quantifies life cycle GHG emissions, and explores application of LCAs in public and corporate policies.   April 23, 2024.

Potential for small and micro modular reactors to electrify developing regions 4/19/2024

Potential for small and micro modular reactors to electrify developing regions

Mines Faculty Guillaume L’Her, R. Scott Kemp, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, and Faculty Fellow Mark Deinert write about how small-scale nuclear power is typically thought of for niche markets, however recent work has suggested that it could help address the massive gaps in energy access in developing countries.  They present a global analysis of regions suitable for nuclear reactor deployment based on physical siting criteria, security, governance and economic competitiveness.  April 19, 2024.

Exploring the Hidden World of Lighting Flicker with a High-Speed Camera 4/2/2024

Exploring the Hidden World of Lighting Flicker with a High-Speed Camera

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Senior Research Associate Christopher D. Elvidge, Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin, Director Morgan Bazilian, Ashley Pipkin, Sharolyn Anderson, and William S. Kowalik write about how alternating current can result in flickering—or pulsing—in the brightness of light emitted by luminaires.  However, evidence indicates that many organisms perceive flicker with non-visual photoreceptors present on the retinas. April 2, 2024.

Energy, material, and resource efficiency for industrial decarbonization: A systematic review of sociotechnical systems, technological innovations, and policy options 3/25/2024

Energy, material, and resource efficiency for industrial decarbonization: A systematic review of sociotechnical systems, technological innovations, and policy options

Jinsoo Kim, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Fellow Steve Griffiths, and Minyoung Yang write about how efficiency stands out as one of the most important options for achieving industrial decarbonization. In addition to carbon emissions reductions, improving energy, material and resource efficiency can bring many desirable benefits, such as cost savings, increased energy and resource security, and higher productivity. We conducted a comprehensive and systematic review through a socio-technical lens of more than 2.8 million references and 380 selected studies on industrial decarbonization.  March 25, 2024.

Exploring policy choices for addressing forever chemicals 3/25/2024

Exploring policy choices for addressing forever chemicals

Payne Institute Communications Associate Kristin Ziv, Student Researcher Isabel Guajardo Retamales and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how on March 20, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) convened a pivotal hearing titled “Examining PFAS as Hazardous Substances.”  The session focused on the risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of synthetic chemicals found in various industrial and consumer products. March 25, 2024.

Review of Policy Research Special Issue March 2024 3/21/2024

Review of Policy Research Special Issue March 2024

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dr. Kathleen J. Hancock is the editor of this March 2024 edition of the RDR Special Issue on Energy Regionalism. The Special Issue’s focus on energy regionalism stems from increasing academic interest in how geographic regions compare with each other and across issues areas as well as growing interest in a wide range of energy issues, often seen through lenses other than the traditional security one and including non-state actors. Understanding how regionalisms—players, processes, institutions, and organizations—intersect with energy is directly linked to domestic and international energy policies and outcomes. The contributions cover sub-Saharan Africa, the East Mediterranean, Central America, Russia, Europe, and North America.  March 21,2024.

Detection, localization, and quantification of single-source methane emissions on oil and gas production sites using point-in-space continuous monitoring systems 3/20/2024

Detection, localization, and quantification of single-source methane emissions on oil and gas production sites using point-in-space continuous monitoring systems

Payne Institute Student Researchers William S. Daniels and Meng Jia, and Faculty Fellow Dorit M. Hammerling write about how they propose a modular framework for methane emission detection, localization, and quantification on oil and gas production sites that uses concentration and wind data from point-in-space continuous monitoring systems. The framework leverages a gradient-based spike detection algorithm to estimate emission start and end times (event detection) and pattern matches simulated and observed concentrations to estimate emission source location (localization) and rate (quantification). March 20, 2024.

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.

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.

VIIRS SENSORS SHOW BREADTH OF TEXAS WILDFIRES 2/29/2024

VIIRS SENSORS SHOW BREADTH OF TEXAS WILDFIRES

Payne Institute Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin, Senior Research Associate Christopher Elvidge, Communications Associate Kristin Ziv, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how using the VIIRS Nightfire satellites, the Earth Observation Group at the Payne Institute for Public Policy has calculated the temperatures and spatial extent of active burning in the Texas Panhandle with their Nightfire algorithm applied to data collected by NOAA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer Suite (VIIRS). February 29, 2024.

The cleaning of U.S. natural gas; evolution of differentiated gas and related crediting mechanisms 2/15/24

The cleaning of U.S. natural gas; evolution of differentiated gas and related crediting mechanisms

Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler and Student Researcher Felix Ayaburi write about the concept of differentiated gas, the emerging role of crediting mechanisms in promoting its adoption, and the prospects for demand growth and its evolution.  After rapid growth in the supply of U.S. differentiated gas through late 2021 and 2022, demand is rising from domestic utilities and industry as well as European energy companies. February 15, 2024.

“Urban-Satellite” estimates in the ABCD Study: Linking Neuroimaging and Mental Health to Satellite Imagery Measurements of Macro Environmental Factors 2/1/2024

“Urban-Satellite” estimates in the ABCD Study: Linking Neuroimaging and Mental Health to Satellite Imagery Measurements of Macro Environmental Factors

The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group contributed to this paper on describing the linking of the ABCD (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development) study data with satellite-based “Urban-Satellite” (UrbanSat) variables consisting of 11 satellite-data derived environmental indicators associated with each subject’s residential address at their baseline visit, including land cover and land use, nighttime lights, and population characteristics.  February 1, 2024.

Colorado is a regional quantum hub, but what does that mean? 1/31/2024

Colorado is a regional quantum hub, but what does that mean?

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Lincoln Carr interviews with CPR News about how the U.S. government recently designated Colorado a regional tech hub for the quantum industry. That puts the state in line to receive a federal grant as part of the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost investment in emerging technologies. January 31, 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.

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.  

A comparative analysis of US state-level policies and programs to advance energy justice 12/6/2023

A comparative analysis of US state-level policies and programs to advance energy justice

Noah Sandoval, Jonathan Morgenstein, Jesse Geiger, Patrick Gibbs, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, and Adam Warren write about how the US energy system is undergoing massive changes that have environmental, technological, and societal implications. A formal survey of state-level energy justice policies and programs is needed to better understand the methods used to assist communities targeted and the impacts of these efforts. Such an analysis should include an analysis of the metrics used to judge the effectiveness of the enacted policies and programs. In this paper, we analyze the energy justice policies and programs of seven different US states. December 6, 2023.  

OGCI accelerates action to tackle global oil and gas methane emissions 12/5/2023

OGCI accelerates action to tackle global oil and gas methane emissions

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) announced at COP28 that it has stepped up activities on methane detection and flaring to help more companies reduce methane emissions from their oil and gas operations.  OGCI expanded its flagship Satellite Monitoring Campaign (SMC) to include more countries and assets. This was complemented by work with the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership (GFMR) and US-based Payne Institute for Public Policy to launch a more accessible platform on global gas flaring data.  December 5, 2023.

Context-dependent changes in maritime traffic activity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic 11/25/2023

Context-dependent changes in maritime traffic activity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Christopher D. Elvidge and others write about how rapid implementation of human mobility restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reduced maritime activity in early 2020.  However, maritime activity in 2020 was more complex than previously reported, as activity were industry and area specific.  Passenger vessels were less active in 97% of Mediterranean Sea coastal states, and ceclines in fishing vessel presence were localised and short-lived.  November 25, 2023.

Tracking electricity losses and their perceived causes using nighttime light and social media 11/21/2023

Tracking electricity losses and their perceived causes using nighttime light and social media

Samuel W. Kerber, Nicholas A. Duncan, Guillaume F. L’Her, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Earth Observation Group Chris Elvidge, and Faculty Fellow Mark R. Deinert write about how urban environments are intricate systems where the breakdown of critical infrastructure can impact both the economic and social well-being of communities.  Electricity systems hold particular significance, as they are essential for other infrastructure, and disruptions can trigger widespread consequences.  This study shows how satellite imagery, social media, and information extraction can monitor blackouts and their perceived causes. November 21, 2023.  

PROLONGED DIMMING OF UKRAINIAN URBAN ILLUMINATION: A MEASURE OF CONFLICT’S IMPACT 11/15/2023

Prolonged Dimming of Ukrainian Urban Illumination: A Measure of Conflict’s Impact

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Researcher Mikhail Zhizhin writes about how natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or pandemics trigger a short-term dimming of city lights, followed by a rapid recovery. The war in Ukraine, however, has induced a novel pattern of city lights changes: an abrupt and sustained decline in illumination from the outset of the conflict, persisting for two years with partial recovery observed in some cities. November 15, 2023.

 

The Payne Institute experts are regional, national, and international leaders in applied research in natural resources, energy, and the environment. Our team is involved in a wide variety of research projects in these fields, and are committed to sharing these results with academic and professional audiences.

 

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints, or official policies of the Payne Institute or Colorado School of Mines.