News
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.
A new frontier in the voluntary carbon market: Old, leaky oil wells 1/16/2025
A new frontier in the voluntary carbon market: Old, leaky oil wells
Payne Institute Energy Finance Lab Director Brad Handler contributed to this article about how over the last two years, developers have generated roughly 5 million carbon credits from cleaning up orphaned oil and gas wells. If disused wells remain unplugged — the term of art for closing them up with concrete and remediating the environment around them — they can leach toxic chemicals and spew planet-warming methane into the air. January 16, 2025.
The 2025 Economic Report of the President
The 2025 Economic Report of the President
A Payne Institute article from Fellow Alex Gilbert, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Samantha Gross titled “The Emerging Global Natural Gas Market and the Energy Crisis of 2021-2022” was cited in the 2025 Economic Report of the U.S. President. January 10, 2025.
Mines professor working to slow methane leaks in natural gas production
Mines professor working to slow methane leaks in natural gas production
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling co-founded Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL) to directly implement processes to detect and stop natural gas leaks, and to provide accurate data and modeling on the greenhouse gas emissions occurring across energy supply chains. January 9, 2025.
BP’s largest terminal in Azerbaijan hit gas-flaring record in 2024
BP’s largest terminal in Azerbaijan hit gas-flaring record in 2024
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group provided the flaring data for BP’s largest terminal in Azerbaijan, Sangachal, which flared record-breaking amounts of gas in 2024 with their VIIRS Nightfire service. This data is based on Suomi NPP satellite imagery gathered by NASA/NOAA/US Defence Department, which uses infrared imaging to detect gas flaring. January 9, 2025.
Why it might be hard for Trump to reverse Biden’s offshore oil ban
Why it might be hard for Trump to reverse Biden’s offshore oil ban
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this podcast about how Joe Biden has promised to ban drilling in more than 600 million acres off the coast of the western U.S. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has promised to undo the ban, as well as much of Biden’s climate and conservation efforts. Thing is, this one might be a little trickier to reverse, because Biden can make this declaration thanks to a 70-year-old law called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. January 7, 2025.
Leadville and other Colorado communities stand to benefit as president signs Good Samaritan Mining Act
Leadville and other Colorado communities stand to benefit as president signs Good Samaritan Mining Act
Molly Morgan, and Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Elizabeth Holley and Nicole Smith write about how getting the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act legislation through Congress was a critical step forward in addressing one of the nation’s longest-standing environmental challenges. January 2, 2025.
The E.P.A. Promotes Toxic Fertilizer. 3M Told It of Risks Years Ago.
The E.P.A. Promotes Toxic Fertilizer. 3M Told It of Risks Years Ago.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributed to this article about how the U.S. E.P.A. obtained research from 3M in 2003 revealing that sewage sludge, the raw material for the fertilizer, carried toxic “forever chemicals.” December 27, 2024.
Leveraging the Defense Production Act to Stockpile Minerals 12/19/2024
Leveraging the Defense Production Act to Stockpile Minerals
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Fellow Jahara Matisek write about how on December 3, 2024, China imposed export bans on antimony, gallium, and germanium—three elements with important defense applications. Since the U.S. relies heavily on China for these minerals, China’s new export ban could delay the manufacture of defense platforms and munitions, exacerbating already depleted defense stocks and further undermining America’s warfighting capabilities. December 19, 2024.
The American industry that wants more government intervention
The American industry that wants more government intervention
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Elizabeth Holley contributed to this article about how President-elect Donald Trump is promising to slash government regulations and even eliminate whole agencies. But one American industry, mining, is asking for more government intervention, saying national economic and military security are at stake. December 18, 2024.
The American industry that wants more government intervention 12/18/2024
The American industry that wants more government intervention
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Elizabeth Holley contributed to this article about how President-elect Donald Trump is promising to slash government regulations and even eliminate whole agencies. But one American industry, mining, is asking for more government intervention, saying national economic and military security are at stake. December 18, 2024.
Colorado’s leadership on reducing methane more important than ever 12/18/2024
Colorado’s leadership on reducing methane more important than ever
Erin Tullos, Stephen Curry, and Payne Institute Accelerated Methane Program Manager Simon Lomax write about how in the wake of the 2024 election, federal officials are expected to reassess the nation’s approach to energy, environmental and climate policy. Colorado’s expertise in regulating methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, will continue to play a critical role on the national and global stage. In fact, Colorado’s continued leadership on methane may be more important now than ever before. December 18, 2024.
The U.S. Must Fortify Itself Against Future Mineral Export Bans 12/16/2024
The U.S. Must Fortify Itself Against Future Mineral Export Bans
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Fellow Lt. Col. Jahara “Franky” Matisek write about how last week, China imposed export bans on antimony, gallium, and germanium—all of which are listed on China’s dual-use export control list. Other minerals on the list and, thus, at risk of future bans include aluminum, magnesium, and zinc, among others. With many minerals, the U.S. government can increase domestic mining, processing, and recycling to help mitigate future supply cutoffs from China. Of course, building and expanding domestic capacity will take time, significant capital, and appropriate government policies, but it can be done. December 16, 2024.
Can we please have a nuanced discussion of development and fossil fuels? 12/13/24
Can we please have a nuanced discussion of development and fossil fuels?
Payne Institute Fellow Todd Moss writes about how he was quoted in a New York Times piece that presents a pernicious strain of black-or-white thinking about climate and poverty. It’s pernicious both because it’s widespread and because it’s false: The real debate on climate and poverty is not 100% renewables now vs climate deniers. And while posing these two extremes as the only choices for global development might make good clickbait, it’s terrible for civil discussion or constructive policymaking. If we’re going to make faster progress on clean energy development, we need to call this false binary out. December 13, 2024.
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.
China’s Mineral Export Ban Strikes at the US Defense Industrial Base 12/6/2024
China’s Mineral Export Ban Strikes at the US Defense Industrial Base
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Fellow Jahara “Franky” Matisek write about how the U.S. defense industry could experience short-term mineral shortages and higher prices – not to mention the impact on the U.S. economy more broadly. December 6, 2024.
Minor levels of ‘forever chemicals’ found in water samples taken in Leadville and Lake County 12/4/24
Minor levels of ‘forever chemicals’ found in water samples taken in Leadville and Lake County
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Christopher Higgins contributes to an article about the minor levels of PFAS, a class of chemicals that can cause serious health effects, that have been found at eight testing sites in Leadville and Lake County, a state-funded study shows. December 4, 2024.
Five Bipartisan Actions on Energy Security as Trump Returns to the White House 12/4/2024
Five Bipartisan Actions on Energy Security as Trump Returns to the White House
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Accelerated Methane Program Manager Simon Lomax, and Roger Pielke, Jr. write about how Republicans and Democrats can meet in the middle on the complex set of issues that comprise energy policy – from emissions, to affordability, to reliability, to national security and geopolitics. In fact, for almost two decades, the U.S. has been a global energy leader, even as power has shifted back and forth between the two major political parties. December 4, 2024.
Underground voids from abandoned mines pose danger to people and property when land collapses 12/3/2024
Underground voids from abandoned mines pose danger to people and property when land collapses
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Paul Santi contributes to this article about how swaths of Pennsylvania and many other states are honeycombed with old, unstable mines that can cause the earth to suddenly give way and threaten people and property. That’s what searchers in Westmoreland County, just southeast of Pittsburgh, fear led to the disappearance of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard. Pollard and a young granddaughter were looking for a lost cat when she went missing Monday evening. December 3, 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.
Small and Medium Infrastructure Development Projects – Policy Implications
Small and Medium Infrastructure Development Projects – Policy Implications
Payne Institute Senior Fellow Jamal Saghir writes about how the many years of observations in developing countries make it very clear that no country can achieve sustained increases in GDP without spending on infrastructure, whether for energy services, water treatment plants, roads, railways, ports and airports, telecommunications, digital transformation, urban services, rural facilities, or environmental protection. November 26, 2024.
Trump energy pick wrote ESG report hailing oil, gas, downplaying climate worry 11/22/2024
Trump energy pick wrote ESG report hailing oil, gas, downplaying climate worry
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how mainstream science conflicts with many opinions of the incoming top U.S. energy official, who will likely be zealous to carry out Trump’s agenda, maximizing already record-high domestic oil and gas production and withdrawing from international cooperation to avoid catastrophic climate change. November 22, 2024.
Lights Dim at Giant Russian LNG Construction Facility as Energy Sanctions Bite 11/21/2024
Lights Dim at Giant Russian LNG Construction Facility as Energy Sanctions Bite
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Mikhail Zhizhin contributes to this article about how activity appears to have slumped at Russia’s only construction yard for liquefied natural gas modules, another sign of how Western sanctions are thwarting the country’s ambition to become a top player in this key energy market. 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.
Kickstarting VCM crediting for orphan oil wells 11/20/2024
Kickstarting VCM crediting for orphan oil wells
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler and Student Researcher Anne Welch write about how voluntary carbon market (VCM) credit issuances are getting underway for plugging orphan oil wells. Having the credits in hand will now let developers educate and get feedback from buyers and others in the ecosystem—a critical step in establishing the activity as a credible and attractive source of carbon offsets. November 20, 2024.
Five Bipartisan Actions to Protect America’s Mineral Supply Chains 11/18/2024
Five Bipartisan Actions to Protect America’s Mineral Supply Chains
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the U.S. Congress needs to make sure critical resources are protected. Five bipartisan actions that Congress could take are increasing mineral stockpiling, streamlining the permitting process, increasing funding for mineral projects and education, enhancing mineral supply chain transparency in government procurement, and reviving the U.S. Bureau of Mines. November 18, 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.
Policy, Regulatory, and Market Viability (Part 2)
DEMYSTIFYING HYDROGEN – Policy, Regulatory, and Market Viability (PART 2)
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and Student Researcher Siddhant Kulkarni write about how hydrogen is emerging as a cornerstone of global energy policy, with nations across the world setting ambitious goals to integrate hydrogen into their clean energy strategies. In Part One of this two-part commentary, they explored the production pathways and associated ‘color wheel’ of hydrogen, in addition to applications and methods for transporting and storing hydrogen. Building on that foundation, here we explore the policy incentives, regulatory frameworks, and the viability of hydrogen markets. November 13, 2024.
What could the Trump administration’s mineral policy look like? 11/12/2024
What could the Trump administration’s mineral policy look like?
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the incoming administration would likely implement a mineral policy to increase US mineral production—especially extraction—while supporting American workers and companies. Specifically, this mineral policy could include imposing tariffs, streamlining permitting, and financially incentivising domestic mineral projects. November 12, 2024.
How oil and gas companies disguise their methane emissions 11/11/2024
How oil and gas companies disguise their methane emissions
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group provided methane emissions data for this article on how firms regularly hide leakages of the deadly greenhouse gas — despite this being one of the easiest climate fixes there is. November 11, 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.
Sound Science and Practical Perspicacity 11/1/2024
Sound Science and Practical Perspicacity
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer L. Miskimins, F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair of Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, has been named the incoming President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). November 1, 2024.
Carbon Credits for Mitigating Orphan & Idle Oil Well Methane Emissions 11/1/2024
Carbon Credits for Mitigating Orphan & Idle Oil Well Methane Emissions
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, and Student Researcher Vandan Bhalala write about how it is well understood that permanently plugging old, abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S. can make a big impact in our nation’s efforts to combat global warming. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, public funding has increased to properly plug many orphan wells. November 1, 2024.
China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips 10/26/2024
China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Rod Eggert contributes to this article about how Beijing, already the dominant producer of rare minerals, is using export restrictions and its power over state-owned companies to further control access. In a series of steps made in recent weeks, the Chinese government has made it considerably harder for foreign companies, particularly semiconductor manufacturers, to purchase the many rare earth metals and other minerals mined and refined mainly in China. October 26, 2024.
Demystifying Hydrogen: Production Pathways, Applications, Storage & Transportation (Part 1) 10/24/2024
DEMYSTIFYING HYDROGEN – PRODUCTION PATHWAYS, APPLICATIONS, STORAGE & TRANSPORTATION (PART 1)
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and Student Researcher Siddhant Kulkarni write about how as global efforts to decarbonize the economy intensify, hydrogen is emerging as an important component of the clean energy transition. Hydrogen offers a versatile, low-carbon solution that addresses the limitations of electrification in sectors like heavy industry and transportation, making it a critical tool in the global push toward sustainability. October 24, 2024.
FINANCING OPTIONS & LIABILITY MANAGEMENT IN CCS 10/24/2024
FINANCING OPTIONS & LIABILITY MANAGEMENT IN CCS
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler presented at the Houston Strategy Forum’s “Carbon Conclave” held on October 22, in Houston, TX. This paper addresses some of the academic and advocacy communities’ thinking on the state of risk management and financing opportunities for the U.S. CCS sector, and the Payne Institute’s perspective on some of these issues that comes out of its ongoing work in carbon finance and some specific work looking at managing liability in CCS. October 24, 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.
What does it take to decarbonize a manufactured home community? 10/18/2024
What does it take to decarbonize a manufactured home community?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Paulo Cesar Tebares-Velasco contributes to this article about how a community-scale retrofit project in Colorado offers a path toward lowering power bills for a population that faces high levels of energy insecurity. October 18, 2024.
Moving in the wrong direction
Moving in the wrong direction
Payne Institute’s Earth Observation Group provided the satellite data in this article about flaring emissions from global upstream oil and gas production activity increased by 7% from 2022 to 2023, according to latest Rystad Energy research. Upstream activities emit about 1 gigatonne per year of carbon dioxide (CO2) in total, with flaring contributing around 30% of those emissions in 2023 assuming 98% flaring efficiency on average. October 15, 2024.
How clean energy legislation can incentivize US mineral production 10/11/2024
How clean energy legislation can incentivize US mineral production
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the presidential candidates disagree on much, they seem to largely agree on the need to support domestic critical mineral projects. The next president needs to prioritize minerals and metals production in jurisdictions with high labor standards, especially the United States. Importantly, existing U.S. government programs can be modified to incentivize U.S. mineral production. October 11, 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.
THE STATE OF CRITICAL MINERALS REPORT 2024 10/10/2024
THE STATE OF CRITICAL MINERALS REPORT 2024
The Payne Institute for Public Policy and the Colorado School of Mines has released its second annual State of Critical Minerals Report. Building on last year’s report, which provided a comprehensive overview of the supply, demand, technical and political landscape for critical minerals globally, this year’s edition targets the U.S. federal response, while also examining dynamics that will impact the mining industry’s ability to meet the needs for critical minerals that are presented by the global energy transition. Highlights include 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.
Crested Butte celebrates permanent protections for its ‘Red Lady,’ a victory 47 years in the making 10/8/2024
Crested Butte celebrates permanent protections for its ‘Red Lady,’ a victory 47 years in the making
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith contributes to this article about how Sue Navy’s moment finally came, it took nearly 50 years. For decades, she and many others, protested, fundraised, lobbied, filed lawsuits and negotiated with government leaders and industry executives to permanently protect Mt. Emmons, which, at about 12,400 feet, towers over the town from the west and often glows red at dawn and dusk. October 8, 2024.
CHINA, CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES, AND NATIONAL SECURITY 10/2/2024
CHINA, CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES, AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Payne Institute Fellow Joshua Busby, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Emily Holland write about how the Biden administration announced sweeping 100 percent import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles as well as the batteries and minerals that go in them. While these minerals and refined products are sourced from various countries, China heavily dominates their processing and other stages along various supply chains. In what way is China’s domination of minerals processing, batteries, and potentially automobiles a threat to U.S. national security? October 2, 2024.
Giant sinkholes in a South Dakota neighborhood make families fear for their safety 9/21/2024
Giant sinkholes in a South Dakota neighborhood make families fear for their safety
Payne Institute Fellow Paul Santi contributes to this article about how sinkholes are fairly common, due to collapsed caves, old mines or dissolving material, but the circumstances in South Dakota stand out, said Paul Santi, a professor of geological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. The combination of such large sinkholes endangering so many homes makes the Hideaway Hills situation one to remember. September 21, 2024.
Indonesia ‘blood nickel’ risks too grave to ignore 9/21/2024
Indonesia ‘blood nickel’ risks too grave to ignore
Payne Institute Student Researcher Gabriel Collins, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Policy and Outreach Advisor Simon Lomax write about how manufacturers and investors should beware the reputational and operational risks of dealing in Indonesian nickel. Earlier this month, the US government sounded the alarm over the use of forced labor in the nickel mines of Indonesia, and the major implications for the energy transition. September 21, 2024.
Community Benefit Agreements are key to mining battery minerals on public lands 9/20/2024
Community Benefit Agreements are key to mining battery minerals on public lands
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Elizabeth Holley writes this article about meeting energy transition goals for decarbonization and how it will require huge increases in the production of battery minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium and graphite. The USA is almost entirely dependent on imports for most of these minerals, and the potential for geopolitical supply chain disruption has led to new federal policies that prioritize domestic mining. September 20, 2024.
The U.S. Needs to Produce More Minerals at Home. Current Policies Only Take Us Partway. 9/19/2024
The U.S. Needs to Produce More Minerals at Home. Current Policies Only Take Us Partway.
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the U.S. government has sought to increase domestic mineral production and processing through supply side policies, however boosting production also requires ramping up demand for domestic minerals. The U.S. government is already taking some valuable steps to support demand, but there is much more it could do. September 19, 2024.
Colorado’s quantum hub will revolutionize technology, with Colorado School of Mines helping lead the way 9/16/2024
Colorado’s quantum hub will revolutionize technology, with Colorado School of Mines helping lead the way
Payne Institute Fellow Lincoln Carr contributes to an article about Zhexuan Gong and other Mines researchers on how they turned to a quantum simulator made of a particular experimental device that uses electrodes and lasers to trap charged atoms. By controlling the interactions among the trapped ions, Gong and his collaborators were able to create a brand-new synthetic quantum material—the world’s first 1D magnet, made of just 23 atoms. September 16, 2024.
Senator Hickenlooper announces bipartisan legislation at the Mines Critical Minerals Symposium 9/13/2024
Senator Hickenlooper announces bipartisan legislation at the Mines Critical Minerals Symposium
The Payne Institute at Colorado School of Mines hosted Senator John Hickenlooper delivered a keynote address at our Critical Minerals Symposium on September 13. Hickenlooper proposes national leadership and innovation for clean and responsible critical mineral sourcing. During his speech, Hickenlooper announced a pair of bipartisan bills to guide a national strategy on a clean, responsible and innovative approach to sourcing critical minerals. September 13, 2024.
Keynote Video
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.
Mines faculty member testifies before congressional critical minerals working group on U.S. mineral workforce 9/13/2024
Mines faculty member testifies before congressional critical minerals working group on U.S. mineral workforce
Payne Institute Fellow Elizabeth Holley testifies before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party’s Critical Minerals Policy Working Group. The working group, chaired by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), explored the need to develop a skilled domestic workforce to support U.S. economic, energy and national security through the responsible sourcing of critical minerals. September 13, 2024.
Hickenlooper, Tillis to unveil bipartisan minerals bills 9/13/2024
Hickenlooper, Tillis to unveil bipartisan minerals bills
The Payne Institute for Public Policy was pleased to host Senator John Hickenlooper for our Critical Minerals Symposium where he announced his new legislative efforts. The two bills are intended to stimulate innovation in the U.S. to produce technologies for identifying, mining, processing and recycling minerals. September 13, 2024. EVENT VIDEO
COMPARISON OF CO-LOCATED LASER AND METAL OXIDE CONTINUOUS MONITORING SYSTEMS 9/12/2024
COMPARISON OF CO-LOCATED LASER AND METAL OXIDE CONTINUOUS MONITORING SYSTEMS
Payne Institute Research Scientist Kellis Ward, Student Researcher William Daniels, and Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling write about how accurate measurement of methane (CH4) concentrations on oil and gas sites is essential for accurate estimates of methane emission rates via inversion algorithms. Different types of continuous monitoring sensors are offered as commercial solutions, with varying accuracy. In this paper we compare data from co-located Metal Oxide (MOx) and Laser Spectroscopy (LS) sensors on a midstream oil and gas site, with the goal of quantifying the differences in raw concentration measurements between the two technologies. September 12, 2024.
America’s mineral blind spot – the trillion-dollar opportunity hiding in plain sight 9/11/2024
America’s mineral blind spot – the trillion-dollar opportunity hiding in plain sight
Payne Institute Student Researcher Gabriel Collins, Faculty Fellow Ian Lange, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how In the sprawling mines of Utah and Arizona, where global giants extract copper and nickel by the ton; germanium, gallium, tellurium—names that don’t make headlines, but underpin the technologies of tomorrow—are discarded as waste or left ignored in tailings ponds. While China tightens its grip on these critical minerals, the US sits idle, stymied not by geology but by corporate calculus. September 11, 2024.
Trump, Harris back mining, but producers unsatisfied 9/9/2024
Trump, Harris back mining, but producers unsatisfied
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how Democrats and Republicans alike have been expressing support for US metal extraction, allowing domestic miners to bask in a rare moment of bipartisan support, though they say turning that backing into barrier-clearing action remains a tough pull. September 9, 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.
Government stockpiles of metals, materials could aid clean energy transition 9/4/2024
Government stockpiles of metals, materials could aid clean energy transition
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian on a podcast discussing the history and possible future directions of critical minerals stockpiling for energy transitions and national security. Some experts argue that the NDS, U.S. National Defense Stockpile, could be mobilized against another threat — climate change — by helping to transform the nation’s energy infrastructure. September 4, 2024.
The US government should build a Resilient Resource Reserve for wartime and peacetime 8/29/2024
The US government should build a Resilient Resource Reserve for wartime and peacetime
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how if Congress proceeds—as it should—with creating a Resilient Resource Reserve, it should establish a physical stockpile that can meet the critical mineral demands of the US military in a major conflict, as well as influence domestic mineral prices to incentivize expanded US mineral production. August 29, 2024.
Forging a Greener Future: The Imperative of Decarbonizing Steel Production 8/26/2024
Forging a Greener Future: The Imperative of Decarbonizing Steel Production
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and PhD candidate at School of Mines Edikan Udofia write about the EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel mill, a longstanding institution in this industrial area for more than a century and how it is evolving as part of the push to decarbonize the global steel industry. Collaborating with Lightsource bp, the mill is shifting to solar energy, positioning itself as the first steel mill in North America to operate predominantly on solar power. The solar conversion is set to abate almost half a million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. August 26, 2024.
Standardizing “green” extractivism: Chinese & Western environmental, social, and governance instruments in the critical mineral sector 8/24/24
Standardizing “green” extractivism: Chinese & Western environmental, social, and governance instruments in the critical mineral sector
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Raphael Deberdt writes as societies attempt to transition to low-carbon energy and reduce fossil fuel dependencies, mineral extractivism is reaching new heights globally. This trend is accompanied by a surge of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) standards used to justify a perceived just transition. August 24, 2024.
Understanding the Significance of China’s Antimony Export Controls 8/22/2024
Understanding the Significance of China’s Antimony Export Controls
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wisher and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the Chinese government will probably continue to allow some antimony exports to the United States, sending a retaliatory signal but also keeping the U.S. reliant on Chinese mineral supplies. August 22, 2024.
The Colorado Geothermal Frontier
The Colorado Geothermal Frontier
Payne Institute Program Manager Anna Littlefield and CSM PhD Candidate Edikan Udofia write about how in Chaffee County Colorado, residents and visitors alike have long taken advantage of the natural hot springs generated by thermal anomalies deep underground. Soon, this same heat may be tapped to provide energy for the local community. August 20, 2024.
Locked up for the long-term: Financial risk mitigation for CCS 8/20/24
Locked up for the long-term: Financial risk mitigation for CCS
Payne Institute Program Director of the Sustainable Finance Lab Brad Handler, and Lindene Patton, Payne researchers Siddhant Kulkarni, and Felix Ayaburi write about how Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is widely considered an important tool in mitigating the global warming effects of excess CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere. August 20, 2024.
New forms of steel for stronger, lighter cars 8/5/2024
New forms of steel for stronger, lighter cars
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow John Speer contributed to this article about how automakers are tweaking production processes to create a slew of new steels with just the right properties, allowing them to build cars that are both safer and more fuel-efficient. The new approaches by automakers are yielding ways to tune steel to protect soft human bodies when vehicles crash into each other, as they inevitably do — while curbing car weights to reduce their deleterious impact on the planet. August 5, 2024.
Locked Up for the Long Term: Risk Mitigation and Liability Assumption in the Geological Storage of CO2 8/5/2024
Locked Up for the Long Term: Risk Mitigation and Liability Assumption in the Geological Storage of CO2
The Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab looks at Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). CCS is an integral activity in the effort to limit global warming and its harmful effects. That contribution requires a significant scaling of CCS operations, and initiatives for new CCS projects are indeed proliferating. August 5, 2024.
Geological Storage Risk Mitigation: The Way Forward 7/29/2024
Geological Storage Risk Mitigation: The Way Forward
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler, Lindene E. Patton, and student researcher Siddhant Kulkarni write the fifth and last paper in a series that identified the operational, financial and business model risks through the lifecycle of a geological storage project. These papers then discussed steps that are being taken to mitigate each risk, as well as to ensure that adequate funds are available to pay for closure and for environmental damages should any occur. In addressing these risks, this series averred that the regulatory landscape appears adequate to address them. July 29, 2024.
Long Term Stewardship: Releasing Residual Liability 7/29/2024
Long Term Stewardship: Releasing Residual Liability
Payne Institute Program Director Brad Handler, student researcher Siddhant Kulkarni, and Lindene Patton write the fourth paper in a series of papers on the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a climate mitigation tool envisions the permanent underground storage of CO2. In a carbon geological storage project, the final phase is referred to as Long Term Stewardship (LTS). It follows the Post Injection and Site Care (PISC) phase, i.e., after the injection well has been plugged, the developer has monitored the subsurface for any CO2 leaks for the prescribed period, and the site has been “closed.” July 29, 2024.
UN climate summit host Azerbaijan’s gas flaring hits decade-high, study shows 7/28/2024
UN climate summit host Azerbaijan’s gas flaring hits decade-high, study shows
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group provided bp and the World Bank with historical data for natural gas flaring taken from their VIIRS Nightfire (VNF) product. Methane reduction in the atmosphere is regarded by scientists as among the most effective ways of limiting climate change in the near term. July 28, 2024.
Monitoring China’s Mineral Stockpiling and Understanding Its Military Implications 7/26/2024
Monitoring China’s Mineral Stockpiling and Understanding Its Military Implications
Payne Institute Communication Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian co-author an article about discerning when China is stockpiling – and why – is increasingly challenging given China’s increasing secrecy about mineral-related information. Concerns continue apace about the meaning of China stockpiling minerals. In addition to China’s government statements and military activities, stockpiling minerals is one potential indicator that China may be preparing for a military invasion of Taiwan. July 26, 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.
Harris expected to campaign on Biden administration’s energy, climate record 7/22/2024
Harris expected to campaign on Biden administration’s energy, climate record
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how Vice President Kamala Harris will inherit the Biden administration’s record on energy and climate policy as she looks to secure the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination and deny former US President Donald Trump a second term in November. July 22, 2024.
Insight: Western miners push for higher metals prices to ward off Chinese rivals 7/22/24
Insight: Western miners push for higher metals prices to ward off Chinese rivals
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about the only U.S. cobalt mine in the northern Idaho woods and how it is too expensive for its owner to operate because Chinese rivals have flooded global markets with cheap supplies of the bluish metal used in electric vehicle batteries and electronics. July 22, 2024.
Financial Risk Management for Geological Storage 7/22/24
Financial Risk Management for Geological Storage
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler, Lindene E. Patton, student researchers Siddhant Kulkarni and Felix Ayaburi, and Darshil Shah write the third paper in a series of papers on the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a climate mitigation tool envisions the permanent underground storage of CO2. The U.S. government has implemented several policies designed to position Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects for growth. These include a regulatory framework and financial incentives such as Internal Revenue Service Section 45Q tax credits and grants. July 22,2024.
A Systems Engineering Approach to Decarbonizing Mining: Analyzing Electrification and CO2 Emission Reduction Scenarios for Copper Mining Haulage Systems 7/21/2024
A Systems Engineering Approach to Decarbonizing Mining: Analyzing Electrification and CO2 Emission Reduction Scenarios for Copper Mining Haulage Systems
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dr. H. Sebnem Düzgün, student researcher Kemalcan Aydogdu, Evren Deniz Yaylaci, and Fatih Aranoglu write that due to climate change risks, the public, regulators, and investors require solid actions to minimize the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of mineral extraction and metals production. The mining sector considers alternatives to reduce its carbon footprint by transforming the business and adopting new technologies into operations. July 21, 2024.
RADIOACTIVE 7/17/2024
Radioactive
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how Energy Fuels Inc., a Denver company, is seeking to mine uranium near the Grand Canyon — and an Indigenous tribe’s long fight to stop it. Prices for uranium rose enough for the company to seek to bring uranium ore to White Mesa from one of the company’s mothballed uranium mine sites. July 17, 2024.
BP Releases Energy Outlook 2024 7/17/2024
BP Releases Energy Outlook 2024
Our Payne Institute Earth Observation Group provided bp with historical data for natural gas flaring taken from their VIIRS Nightfire (VNF) product. The Energy Outlook report explores the speed and shape of the energy transition out to 2050 and to help shape a resilient strategy for bp, using two scenarios, Current Trajectory and Net Zero. The two scenarios are informed by recent trends and developments in the global energy system. In emerging trends, they discuss these recent developments across areas including energy security, energy demand, carbon emissions and investment. July 17, 2024.
Preliminary Evaluation of Community-Oriented Risk Analysis of Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage in the United States 7/15/24
Preliminary Evaluation of Community-Oriented Risk Analysis of Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage in the United States
Mines Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD student researcher Nicolas G. Perticari Pesci writes the second in a series of papers on the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). CCS projects are slated to be multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects comprised of carbon dioxide pipelines, capture sites, and injection wells for the sub-surface. While the technical feasibility of carbon capture projects is explained systematically, for example as part of the permitting application for Class VI wells for geological storage, the social implications of projects are equally important and must also be evaluated to better understand risks and holistic mitigation of liability for all involved parties. July 15, 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.
Why steel prices have been sagging all year 7/9/2024
Why steel prices have been sagging all year
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange is featured on this podcast about how there are two reasons steel prices have dropped? Slowed construction spending and flat-ish manufacturing activity. In China, because their economy is faltering so significantly, yet they’re still producing a lot of steel, they’re exporting their steel market weakness to the rest of the world, and it could be a while before the market picks up. July 9, 2024.
Mineral Supply Chains and Space Assets 7/9/2024
Mineral Supply Chains and Space Assets
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer, Gregory Autry, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how both the United States and China seek to build and deploy significant numbers of space assets, most of which are mineral intensive. The mineral compositions of three important space assets—satellites, direct-ascent antisatellite weapons, and rocket bodies—require the United States to import minerals, particularly from China, for their construction. Consequently, the US space industry, and thus the US government, faces the associated risks of supply chain disruptions that can restrict mineral availability and cause price volatility, negatively impacting space asset production. This article proposes three policies to mitigate such risks to the mineral supply chains. July 9, 2024.
GEOLOGICAL STORAGE: RISKS AND OPERATIONAL RISK MITIGATION 7/8/2024
GEOLOGICAL STORAGE: RISKS AND OPERATIONAL RISK MITIGATION
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, Payne Institute CCS Program Manager Anna Littlefield, and student researcher Felix Ayaburi write the first in a series of papers on the use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a climate mitigation tool envisions the permanent underground storage of CO2. The prospects for large scale adoption of geological storage has raised concerns regarding the risks — of property damage, environmental degradation, and to human health— if stored CO2 were to leak to the surface or into shallow water resources. July 8, 2024.
INTRODUCTION: RISK MITIGATION IN GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OF CO2 7/8/2024
INTRODUCTION: RISK MITIGATION IN GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OF CO2
The Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab writes the introduction to a series of papers that looks at Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). CCS is an integral activity in the effort to limit global warming and its harmful effects. That contribution requires a significant scaling of CCS operations, and initiatives for new CCS projects are indeed proliferating. July 8, 2024.
A tell-tale sign that China could be preparing for war 7/4/24
A Tell-tale Sign that China Could Be Preparing For War
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer’s ‘Statement for the Record’ was highlighted in an article discussing how a telling similarity has been noticed between what Germany was doing before it invaded Poland in September 1939 and what China is doing now – stockpiling resources and raw materials. July 4, 2024.
UNITED STATES FOSSIL FUELS AND PROVIDING ENERGY TO OTHER COUNTRIES IN BALANCE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
Energy Security and Geopolitics
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is on this PBS show during CERA Week discussing the trade off between the dependency of the United States on fossil fuels and providing energy to other countries in balance with climate change. Also, the balance between energy security, energy independence, and the environment. July 3, 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.
Why Is China Stockpiling Key Resources? 6/28/24
Why Is China Stockpiling Key Resources?
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer is highlighted in an article about a question that prompted a hearing this month by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a government-funded organization that follows the relationship between the United States and China. Is China preparing to invade Taiwan, or just flexing its muscles to attract attention? “The Chinese central government stockpiling minerals is one potential indicator that it may be preparing to invade Taiwan,” Gregory Wischer of Dei Gratia Minerals told the Commission in a prepared statement. June 28, 2024.
US Stockpiles of the Rare Earth Minerals 6/27/2024
US Stockpiles of the Rare Earth Minerals
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer contributes to an article about how he suspects national stockpile levels are well below where they should be given the available information. Rare earth minerals are needed to make all sorts of things, from F-35 stealth fighters and night-vision goggles to internet fiber-optic cables and MRI machines and suspects national stockpile levels are well below where they should be given the available information. June 27, 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.
Will Congo move up the battery supply chain? 6/26/2024
Will Congo move up the battery supply chain? Strategic capitalism, friendshoring, and localized manufacturing in the time of the green transition
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Raphael Deberdt writes about how in recent years, countries where extraction of so-called green minerals occur have increasingly asserted themselves. Negatively dubbed as resources nationalism, these political decisions are more akin to a willingness to increase in-country value added for regions often suffering from centuries of colonial extractivism. In the battery sector, these strategies led to cobalt, lithium, and nickel producers aiming to develop local manufacturing of battery components. June 26, 2024.
Oil companies flare more natural gas, defying effort to eliminate practice 6/20/2024
Oil companies flare more natural gas, defying effort to eliminate practice
The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group satellite data team provided gas flaring data for the 2024 World Bank annual Global Gas Flaring Report. June 20, 2024.
2024 GLOBAL GAS FLARING TRACKER REPORT 6/20/2024
2024 GLOBAL GAS FLARING TRACKER REPORT
The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group satellite data team provided gas flaring data for the 2024 World Bank annual Global Gas Flaring Report. June 20, 2024.
Comparable to Germany before World War II? China’s strategic metal reserves have attracted attention, especially copper and cobalt 6/20/2024
Comparable to Germany before World War II? China’s strategic metal reserves have attracted attention, especially copper and cobalt
Payne Institute Communications Associate Greg Wischer contributes to this article about how China’s control and reserves of key mineral resources such as rare earths, lithium, copper (Copper) and cobalt (Cobalt) have increasingly attracted the attention of the United States and the West. In addition to worries about being too dependent on China for key minerals, China’s control and reserves of key minerals also make the United States and the West worried that China is preparing for a potential war. June 20, 2024.
Fostering Effective Energy Transition Report 2024 6/19/2024
Fostering Effective Energy Transition Report
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Advisory Board Member David Victor contribute to the report which looks at the Energy Transition Index (ETI), which benchmarks 120 countries on their current energy system performance and on the readiness of their enabling environment, finds that while there has been notable progress in energy efficiency and a marked increase in the adoption of clean energy sources, energy transition momentum has been held back by setbacks in energy equity, driven by rising energy prices in recent years. Energy security also continues to be tested by geopolitical risks. June 19, 2024.
A new report says worldwide oil demand will peak in 2029. Some oil industry observers are skeptical. 6/13/2024
A new report says worldwide oil demand will peak in 2029. Some oil industry observers are skeptical.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this podcast discussing recent IEA and OPEC analysis on global oil markets and trends. A new report from the International Energy Agency indicates that global oil demand will peak before the end of the decade. However, OPEC, by contrast, predicts the peak won’t come until 2045. So which one’s estimate is more likely to be right? June 13, 2024.
Hearing on “China’s Stockpiling and Mobilization Measures for Competition and Conflict” 6/13/2024
Hearing on “China’s Stockpiling and Mobilization Measures for Competition and Conflict”
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer writes a Statement for the Record submitted to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission about why the Chinese central government stockpiling minerals is one potential indicator that they may be preparing to invade Taiwan. The National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration oversees China’s stockpile, which reportedly contains large volumes of minerals like aluminum, cobalt, and copper. June 13, 2024.
CRITICAL MINERAL FUTURES MARKETS: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION 6/9/2024
CRITICAL MINERAL FUTURES MARKETS: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Payne Institute Student Researcher Gabe Collins wrote this article about how the rise in demand for critical minerals begs the question of how to develop effective market-based pricing signals that encourage new supplies. Futures markets for many critical minerals are non-existent; those that do exist like lithium and cobalt, however, remain relatively small and less liquid in the U.S. compared to other commodity markets. Efficient pricing mechanisms support long-run decisions in allocating capital through price discovery and transparency. June 9, 2024.
A Critical Mineral Trade War Is Brewing 6/4/2024
A Critical Mineral Trade War Is Brewing
Payne Institute Communications Associate Gregory Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how China and the United States have fired their opening salvos in a critical minerals trade war. In all likelihood, this critical mineral trade war will intensify, with corresponding implications for U.S. industries that use these raw materials. June 4, 2024.
Mines, Development Partner Institute announce partnership 5/31/2024
Mines, Development Partner Institute announce partnership
Mines Global Energy Future Initiative Vice President John Bradford announced a partnership with Development Partner Institute (DPI) that will open the door to collaboration between industry authorities and the next generation of experts. Both parties will be able to take significant learnings from one another to work towards our shared interest in making positive change and creating a prosperous future. May 31, 2024.
The West needs to produce more critical minerals. Here’s how the Pentagon should help 5/30/2024
The West needs to produce more critical minerals. Here’s how the Pentagon should help
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Communications Associate Greg Wischer write about how Western governments are seeking to build more mines and refineries for critical minerals, given their necessity in not only clean energy technologies like electric vehicle batteries but also defense applications like hypersonic glide vehicles. But beyond capital challenges (and local opposition), the West’s paucity of mines and refineries faces structural realities: geology and technology. May 30, 2024.
Mining Is Mired in Regulatory Delays. That’s Now a Climate Problem. 5/30/2024
Mining Is Mired in Regulatory Delays. That’s Now a Climate Problem.
Payne Institute Policy and Outreach Advisor Simon Lomax, Deputy Director Greg Clough, and Director Morgan Bazilian write an commentary looking at how Washington, D.C. continues to wrestle with the subject of NEPA reform, there are some pragmatic steps the federal government can take to accelerate the production of critical and strategic minerals in the United States. They examine how to make progress quickly as the wider NEPA reform debate plays out. May 30, 2024.
More Reporting Clarity Can Help Fund U.S. Lithium Growth 5/29/2024
More Reporting Clarity Can Help Fund U.S. Lithium Growth
Colorado School of Mines’ Mineral & Energy Economics Master candidate Reese Epper, SFL Program Manager Brad Handler and Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange discuss the role of recent SEC reporting changes in fostering more investment in Lithium extraction, including using Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) techniques. 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.
Mines researchers on two finalist teams for $310M NASA Earth System Explorer mission 5/23/2024
Mines researchers on two finalist teams for $310M NASA Earth System Explorer mission
Geophysics’ Bia Villas Bôas and Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Matthew Siegfried are members of two proposed missions to improve understanding of key Earth science focus areas for two of the four missions recently selected by NASA to move forward in the Earth System Explorer Program competition. The competition – which will ultimately select two proposals to launch in 2030 and 2032 with a budget of $310 million per mission – aims to improve understanding of key Earth science focus areas for the benefit of all, including greenhouse gasses, the ozone layer, ocean surface currents and winds, and changes in forest structure, glaciers, and ice sheets around the world. May 23, 2024.
Biden’s Green Agenda Could Be In Trouble As China Moves At Breakneck Speed To Corner Key Resources 5/21/2024
Biden’s Green Agenda Could Be In Trouble As China Moves At Breakneck Speed To Corner Key Resources
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how President Joe Biden’s climate agenda could be in trouble as China continues to rapidly expand its control over the production of valuable minerals essential to green technology like electric vehicles. China is growing its operations in the harvesting and production of nickel, lithium and cobalt as the U.S. and its allies suspend business at a number of plants in response to a glut in global supply. May 21, 2024.
China Is Winning the Minerals War 5/21/2024
China Is Winning the Minerals War
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how western efforts to make a dent are languishing; ‘China is not just standing still waiting for us to catch up.’ Chinese mineral companies are expanding operations, supercharging supply and causing prices to drop. Their challengers can’t compete. May 21, 2024.
Bending Bureaucracy Towards Tribal Sovereignty 5/20/2024
Bending Bureaucracy Towards Tribal Sovereignty
W. Gregory Guedel, Payne Institute NAMES Program Manager Rick Tallman, Fellow Richard Luarkie, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how sovereign Native American Tribes and their communities can play a pivotal and positive role in the future of America’s twin pursuits of energy security and effectively addressing climate change. Native American lands are extraordinarily rich with energy resources. Still, significant Tribal energy development efforts remain stymied. While positive efforts are emerging across the government from the Department of Energy to Department of Interior, there is a need to reform administrative processes, and ensure some level of stability in investing and supporting Indian Country. May 20, 2024.
Colorado’s leadership on methane emissions survives another challenge
Colorado’s leadership on methane emissions survives another challenge
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Deputy Director Greg Clough, and Policy and Outreach Advisor Simon Lomax write this opinion piece about how Colorado is both a national and global leader on many areas of energy and climate policy, and especially when it comes to the regulation of emissions from oil and natural gas production. A decade ago, Colorado became the first state to directly regulate methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities. The lessons learned have influenced not only the US EPA, but other efforts globally. May 16, 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.
US Lawmakers Left the LNG Pause in Place, So What Next? 5/15/2024
US Lawmakers Left the LNG Pause in Place, So What Next?
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Policy and Outreach Advisor, Responsible Gas Simon Lomax, and Deputy Director Greg Clough write about how US lawmakers did not force President Joe Biden to lift his pause on LNG export approvals in exchange for the recent approval of a $95 billion security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. This likely means the US Department of Energy (DOE) can complete a review of the economic and climate impacts of LNG exports, which was the stated purpose of the pause. May 15, 2024.
LEEDING POWER BACK TO COMMUNITIES THROUGH GREEN BUILDING CODES 5/10/2024
LEEDING POWER BACK TO COMMUNITIES THROUGH GREEN BUILDING CODES – ADVICE FOR POLICYMAKERS CONSIDERING LEED CERTIFICATION
Payne Institute Student Researcher Nathan Li compares goals of original, local green building codes and their potential for projects to use LEED certification as a path of compliance. By using his professional experience in LEED certification to analyze these codes’ language and priorities, he provide guidance on the applicability of LEED to achieve energy efficiency and renewable energy goals set by jurisdictions. Nathan then makes suggestions to policymakers not to rely on the widespread acceptance of LEED to communicate a sustainability commitment, but instead use locally specific codes that require needed changes in their communities. May 10, 2024.
Mines PFAS expert weighs in on regulating “forever chemicals” 5/9/2024
Mines PFAS expert weighs in on regulating “forever chemicals”
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins, University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, is among an international group of environmental consultants, regulators, land managers and academics that have jointly published an evaluation of differing approaches to regulation of the substances popularly known as ‘forever chemicals.’ May 9, 2024.
In the Race for Space Metals, Companies Hope to Cash In 5/8/2024
In the Race for Space Metals, Companies Hope to Cash In
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Angel Abbud-Madrid contributes to this article about how mining asteroids could, in theory, reduce the burden on Earth’s resources. Potential applications of space-mined material abound: Asteroids contain metals like platinum and cobalt, which are used in electronics and electric vehicle batteries, respectively. Although there’s plenty of these materials on Earth, they can be more concentrated on asteroids than mountainsides, making them easier to scrape out. May 8, 2024.
Diagnosing the PFAS Problem 5/8/2024
Diagnosing the PFAS Problem
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article about how scientists Investigate So-Called ‘Forever Chemicals’ in the Chesapeake Bay. Throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, researchers are trying to piece together the fate and transport of PFAS. But PFAS behave differently than many legacy toxic chemicals like mercury and PCBs, and they are driving researchers to think about toxic contaminants in new ways. May 8, 2024.
Methane emissions from gas flaring being hidden from satellite monitors 5/2/2024
Methane emissions from gas flaring being hidden from satellite monitors
The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group utilizes the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) that continues to be the the standard product that scientists use globally to monitor gas flaring. It’s the best, most consistent product they currently have to assess flares by fossil fuel companies. The World Bank, alongside the EU and other regulators, has been using satellites for years to find and document gas flares, asking energy companies to find ways of capturing the gas instead of burning or venting it. May 2, 2024.
Is Green Growth Possible? 4/30/2024
Is Green Growth Possible?
Environmental data scientist Hannah Ritchie is featured on the Ezra Klein Show, a New York Times podcast, discussing how climate technology is increasingly catching up to the world’s enormous need for clean energy and with a few changes, a more sustainable future. The Payne Institute is mentioned as a key research organization looking at the amount of resources available to support a clean energy transition using solid data science. April 29, 2024.
Getting De-risking “Just Right” on Critical Minerals and Battery Supply Chains 4/29/24
Getting De-Risking ‘Just Right’ on Critical Minerals and Battery Supply Chains
Payne Institute Fellow, Joshua Busby, writes about how China has come to dominate both the critical minerals space and wider supply chains for the clean energy transition including batteries for electric vehicles and solar panels. With rising geopolitical tension between the two countries, U.S. policymakers have described these not only as risks to the U.S. economy and manufacturing but also as threats to U.S. national security. April 29, 2024.
Revitalizing the future economy: Critical mineral derivatives could bring stability 4/29/2024
Revitalizing the future economy: Critical mineral derivatives could bring stability
Payne Institute Student Researcher Reese Epper, Sustainable Finance Laboratory Program Manager Brad Handler, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how despite very likely high demand growth for some minerals, recent price drops give poor signals to investors. Slower-than-expected growth in the electric vehicle sector, especially in China, combined with supply increases, has weighed heavily on the prices of several critical minerals. Given the long lead times to develop new supply sources, investments in mining these minerals must begin now. Yet, in the face of low prices, the mining industry is delaying projects, scaling back work and suspending operations. April 29, 2024.
How Demand-Side Policies in Keystone Industries Can Help Revive the US Mineral Industry: A Case Study of the US Automotive Industry 4/28/24
How Demand-Side Policies in Keystone Industries Can Help Revive the US Mineral Industry: A Case Study of the US Automotive Industry
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer writes about how critical minerals are necessary in applications across core industries, from the defense industrial base to the automotive industry. Nickel, for example, is used in the steel pressure hulls of attack submarines and the lithium-ion batteries of electric vehicles. Recognizing the importance of critical minerals to its national security and economic prosperity, the US government has mainly sought to increase US mineral production through supply-side policies like grants and loans for US mineral projects. April 28, 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.
Drinking water for 268,000 Coloradans exceeds new limits on “forever chemicals” 4/21/2024
Drinking water for 268,000 Coloradans exceeds new limits on “forever chemicals”
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article about how the utilities that provide drinking water to nearly 268,000 Coloradans will need tens of millions of dollars over the next five years to comply with new federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals,” but finding the money will be a challenge — especially for small, rural systems. April 21, 2024.
Jennifer Miskimins nominated as 2026 president of Society of Petroleum Engineers 4/17/2024
Jennifer Miskimins nominated as 2026 president of Society of Petroleum Engineers
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer Miskimins, professor and head of the Petroleum Engineering Department at Colorado School of Mines, has been nominated to serve as the 2026 president of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the premier global organization for oil and gas professionals. Dr. Miskimins is a Mines alum, Miskimins has 30 years of industry experience and has led Petroleum Engineering Department since 2020. April 17, 2024.
Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules Must Sync With Biden’s Climate Agenda 4/10/2024
Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules Must Sync With Biden’s Climate Agenda
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Deputy Director Greg Clough, and Responsible Gas Program Advisor Simon Lomax write about how President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda is more aggressive than anything previously in US energy and environmental policy. But involving many federal departments and agencies in administering these initiatives introduces risks that must be managed, such as the danger of disorganization and conflicting policies from different parts of the US government that will make reducing carbon emissions slower and more expensive. April 10, 2024.
The United States’ Strategy for Securing Critical Minerals Supplies: Can It Meet the Needs of the IRA? 4/9/2024
The United States’ Strategy for Securing Critical Minerals Supplies: Can It Meet the Needs of the IRA?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Raphael Deberdt published this policy brief about how the United States reliance on foreign supplies of raw and processed critical minerals is pressing Washington to devise a strategy to secure short-, medium- and long-term solutions. Pressure only increased with the booming demand spurred partly by the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) policies. April 9, 2024.
Making Sense of the U.S. LNG Pause: Five Key Data Points 4/9/2024
Making Sense of the U.S. LNG Pause: Five Key Data Points
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Deputy Director Greg Clough, and Responsible Gas Program Advisor Simon Lomax write about how the Biden administration’s pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals will be over in a matter of months. They provide five data points offer some critical clues. April 9, 2024.
The price of copper has been rising. That’s good news for the economy. 4/9/2024
The price of copper has been rising. That’s good news for the economy.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange is featured on this podcast about the rising cost of copper. We say pretty regularly that if you want to figure out which way the global economy is headed, you should take a look at the price of copper. Because copper is used in so many things — power lines, appliances, vehicles, wind turbines, EV batteries. You get the picture. There is so much demand for the metal right now, the price of copper futures is at its highest since the middle of 2022. April 9, 2024.
Colorado School of Mines, Chevron announce partnership for Global Energy Future Initiative 4/8/2024
Colorado School of Mines, Chevron announce partnership for Global Energy Future Initiative
Through this partnership, Chevron will sponsor research projects and participate in steering committees and working groups, adding industry expertise to solve complex problems related to the energy transition. Chevron has been one of Mines’ strongest industry research partners for many decades and this new relationship will only strengthen that partnership. Chevron and GEFI aim to develop sustainable, secure, resilient, and adaptive energy systems and infrastructure, fostering worldwide economic development while reducing environmental impacts. April 8, 2024.
Boom goes uranium in Utah — again 4/7/2024
Boom goes uranium in Utah — again
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about the latest concerns of the La Sal Complex, a Uranium mine 32 miles southeast of Moab. The mine has been opened and closed and opened again over the years. The price of uranium has increased recently, and so has uranium production in Utah. The mining and processing of uranium have ignited old concerns. April 7, 2024.
Greening the black gold? How private carbon finance can tackle oil & gas 4/5/2024
Greening the black gold? How private carbon finance can tackle oil & gas
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how a set of entrepreneurs in the U.S. are considering how carbon finance and the Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM) can be harnessed in new ways to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Their target: oil and natural gas wells. These entrepreneurs are looking across the “lifecycle” of a well or a whole oilfield and, in the process, targeting different GHGs. April 5, 2024.
US ratification of the ocean treaty will unlock deep sea mining 4/2/2024
US ratification of the ocean treaty will unlock deep sea mining
Payne Institute Fellow Alex Gilbert and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how hundreds of former political and military leaders are calling for the US Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the impetus being to open up deep sea mining to supply critical minerals needed for clean energy and military technologies. Deep seabed resources include highly valued minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and rare earths. April 2, 2024.
Panel of lawmakers considers whether carbon capture holds future in Colorado 4/1/2024
Panel of lawmakers considers whether carbon capture holds future in Colorado
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield contributed to this article about how as Colorado aims to achieve 100% net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, leaders of key state agencies argue that they can’t meet that goal without employing carbon-capture-and-sequestration techniques in hard-to-decarbonize sectors. Ensuring the state has tools to allow and regulate such operations as fossil-fuel usage continues for the foreseeable future is a “strategic step to expediting the process.” April 1, 2024.
Hydropower production took a hit in 2023 3/28/2024
Hydropower production took a hit in 2023
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Adrienne Marshall is on this podcast discussing how U.S. hydropower production was down 11% from the year before and dipped to a 22-year low last year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. To make up for the hydro deficit, the U.S. bought natural gas power, which emits more carbon than hydro does, as well as some solar energy. March 28, 2024.
New Method for Tracking Down Methane Emissions on Oil and Gas Sites 3/27/2024
New Method for Tracking Down Methane Emissions on Oil and Gas Sites
Payne Institute Student Researcher William Daniels, Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how reducing methane emissions is a key component of short-term climate action. Empirical data and transparent models are key pillars of emission reduction efforts. Payne Institute researchers William Daniels, Meng Jia, and Dorit Hammerling have developed a completely open-source analytical framework for detecting single-source methane emissions, determining the source location, and estimating an emission rate using data from continuous monitoring systems (CMS). March 27, 2024.
Energy Dept. Awards $6 Billion for Green Steel, Cement and Even Macaroni Factories 3/25/2024
Energy Dept. Awards $6 Billion for Green Steel, Cement and Even Macaroni Factories
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how industries produce 25 percent of America’s planet-warming emissions but so far have proved very hard to clean up. The Biden administration is trying by with plans to spend up to $6 billion on new technologies to cut carbon dioxide emissions from heavy industries like steel, cement, chemicals and aluminum, which are all enormous contributors to global warming but which have so far been incredibly difficult to clean up. March 25, 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.
Stephanie Kwon wins NSF CAREER Award for research to design new catalytic materials 3/21/2024
Stephanie Kwon wins NSF CAREER Award for research to design new catalytic materials
Carbon-carbon (C-C) coupling reactions can be used to enhance the fuel properties of biofuels in sustainable energy applications.
Stephanie Kwon, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Colorado School of Mines, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her work to design catalytic materials for carbon-carbon (C-C) coupling reactions. March 21, 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.
Nuclear Power is Tribal Power 3/19/2024
Nuclear Power is Tribal Power
Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative Program Manager Rick Tallman, Fellow Richard Luarkie and Director Morgan D. Bazilian write about how with the newly found bipartisan political will for American nuclear power, the U.S. is poised for a uranium mining boom once again. As the inevitable debate ensues, what is often not appreciated is the essential need to gain support from our Native American communities from the very start and through the developments. March 19, 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.
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 Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative 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.
Mines’ Potential Gas Agency provides guidance for assessment of natural gas supply and demand 3/6/2024
Mines’ Potential Gas Agency provides guidance for assessment of natural gas supply and demand
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Stephen Sonnenberg led the most recent biennial assessment of the United States’ estimated natural gas resource base for the Potential Gas Committee. The assessment reports the nation’s natural gas recoverable supply, which ensures we have the knowledge to make well-informed decisions about current natural gas usage and how it fits into the nation’s future energy strategy. March 6, 2024.
Navigating Energy’s New Frontiers: The IEA at 50 3/6/2024
Navigating Energy’s New Frontiers: The IEA at 50
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Fellow Thijs Van de Graaf write about the International Energy Agency (IEA) marking its 50-year anniversary. From its origins as a relatively unknown analytical body primarily focused on oil security for a select group of OECD members, it has evolved significantly. March 6, 2024.
Biden Cracks Down on Chinese Electric Vehicles 3/1/2024
Biden Cracks Down on Chinese Electric Vehicles
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the Biden administration on Thursday ordered the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate the potential national security threats posed by Chinese-made “connected vehicles,” marking Washington’s latest push to de-risk ties from Beijing and tighten the screws on China’s tech industry. March 1, 2024.
STEEL RISING: HARNESSING NIGERIA’S POTENTIAL FOR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY 2/29/24
STEEL RISING: HARNESSING NIGERIA’S POTENTIAL FOR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY
Payne Institute student researcher Edikan Udofia writes about Nigeria is endowed with more than 2 billion metric tons of iron ore reserves and is striving to position itself as a key player in the worldwide steel sector. Despite encountering challenges in the past regarding enhancing its steel manufacturing capabilities, Nigeria is currently well-placed to harness its abundant mineral wealth and enhance its steel production capacity. February 29, 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.
USGS, Colorado School of Mines establish joint industry program to explore potential of geologic hydrogen 2/26/2024
USGS, Colorado School of Mines establish joint industry program to explore potential of geologic hydrogen
8 companies have already signed on, including major players in mining and energy industries, geologic hydrogen start-ups.
Colorado School of Mines (Mines) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have established a joint industry program supported by leading international companies in the energy industry to study the potential of a low-carbon alternative energy source: geologic hydrogen. February 26, 2024.
LNG exports, pauses, climate impacts: Are we having the wrong debate? 2/26/2024
LNG exports, pauses, climate impacts: Are we having the wrong debate?
Payne Institute Fellow Arvind Ravikumar shares his perspective on the way we should be thinking about the future of US LNG exports. The US Department of Energy in late January hit “pause” on its work issuing key LNG export permits. About 30 million mt/year of probable export capacity additions in the US and Mexico are at risk because of the permitting hold. February 26, 2024.
Utility Global Partners with Colorado School of Mines for Accelerated Research Programs 2/21/2024
UTILITY GLOBAL PARTNERS WITH COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES FOR ACCELERATED RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Company leading net-zero hydrogen innovation taps R1 university for research expertise to continue accelerated go-to-market strategies.
Read the full article here! February 21, 2024.
The Next Big Thing in Energy: Two Mines faculty members working on Energy Earthshots 2/20/2024
The Next Big Thing in Energy: Two Mines faculty members working on Energy Earthshots
Professors Katie Johnson and Alexis Navarre-Sitchler contributing to U.S. Department of Energy program focused on clean energy transition.
The U.S. Department of Energy has set some ambitious goals: reduce carbon emissions by 50 to 52 percent by the end of the decade, secure a 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035 and reach a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. February 20, 2024.
EOG’S VIIRS SATELLITES CONFIRM DRONE ATTACKS ON RUSSIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE 2/16/2024
EOG’S VIIRS SATELLITES CONFIRM DRONE ATTACKS ON RUSSIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE
Payne Institute Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin, 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 was able to confirm several of the recent Ukrainian drone attacks on oil and gas infrastructure in Russia that have occurred over the past several weeks. February 16, 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.
Gore-Tex maker polluted some Marylanders’ drinking water with ‘forever chemicals,’ officials say. The question is how many. 2/15/2024
Gore-Tex maker polluted some Marylanders’ drinking water with ‘forever chemicals,’ officials say. The question is how many.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Christopher Higgins contributes to this article about how the maker of the renowned Gore-Tex waterproofing for outdoor gear polluted groundwater near two of its plants in Northeastern Maryland with a hazardous “forever chemical,” according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. February 15, 2024.
SOLAR SURGE PUTS PRESSURE ON SILVER SUPPLY (BUT LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING) 2/14/24
SOLAR SURGE PUTS PRESSURE ON SILVER SUPPLY (BUT LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING)
Payne Institute Communications Associate Kristin Ziv and Director Morgan Bazilian write about the global demand for solar panels and as it soars, so does the demand for silver – a key component in the manufacturing of photovoltaic (PV) panels. Solar installations are breaking records worldwide in both volume and low price, according to BloombergNEF. February 14, 2024.
Mines to receive $1.5M in federal funding to explore potential of geologic hydrogen 2/12/2024
Mines to receive $1.5M in federal funding to explore potential of geologic hydrogen
Funding part of first-ever U.S. government effort to research technologies related to stimulation and reservoir management of geologic hydrogen.
Colorado School of Mines announced today that it has been selected to receive $1.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). February 12, 2024.
The U.S. Military and NATO Face Serious Risks of Mineral Shortages 2/12/24
The U.S. Military and NATO Face Serious Risks of Mineral Shortages
Payne Institute Communications Associate Greg Wischer writes about how critical minerals undergird great power competition and war. These nonfuel minerals and mineral materials are vital to countries’ defense industrial bases, enabling the production of military platforms like tanks as well as munitions and artillery shells. Therefore, mineral supplies can help sustain military power, while mineral shortages can severely undermine it. February 12, 2024.
Does the US Military Have Enough Minerals for a Possible Conflict with China? Estimating Shortfalls for Military Materials 2/12/2024
Does the US Military Have Enough Minerals for a Possible Conflict with China? Estimating Shortfalls for Military Materials
Payne Institute Communications Associate Greg Wischer and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the National Defense Stockpile is a tool to both reduce America’s reliance on foreign materials, especially materials from China, and to prepare for a possible conflict. Material shortfalls can impact—and have impacted—U.S. warfighting ability. Better understanding the military’s projected shortfall quantities for individual materials would inform what materials—and corresponding applications—the U.S. military will most likely have shortfalls of during a conflict. February 12, 2024.
TRANSPARENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY: THE VITAL LINK BETWEEN MONITORING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION IN CCS INITIATIVES 2/9/24
TRANSPARENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY: THE VITAL LINK BETWEEN MONITORING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION IN CCS INITIATIVES
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and Project Canary’s Charlie Losche write about how the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has catalyzed significant growth in CCS, with projections indicating a substantial increase in capture capacity by 2035. With this expansion comes challenges, notably in securing Class VI permits for CO2 injection, and most pressingly in maintaining public trust. February 9, 2024.
World continues to learn from Colorado’s oil-and-gas methane controls 2/8/2024
World continues to learn from Colorado’s oil-and-gas methane controls
Ten years ago this month, Colorado became the first U.S. state to directly tackle methane emissions from oil and natural gas production. Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Policy and Outreach Advisor for Responsible Gas Simon Lomax and, Program Manager of the Sustainable Finance Lab Brad Handler explore how the lessons learned in Colorado are reflected in national and international approaches to regulating methane, which has taken on new urgency recently. February 8, 2024.
Letter from the US: Chesapeake-Southwestern merger is big deal for US LNG 2/6/2024
Letter from the US: Chesapeake-Southwestern merger is big deal for US LNG
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Policy and Outreach Advisor for Responsible Gas Simon Lomax and, Program Manager of the Sustainable Finance Lab Brad Handler comment on the Chesapeake-Southwestern merger’s potential to foster more differentiated gas use in LNG exports. The merger comes amid a wave of multibillion dollar oil industry tie-ups, including ExxonMobil buying Texas-headquartered Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron buying New York-headquartered Hess. February 6, 2024.
Why lithium prices have been on a roller coaster ride 2/6/2024
Why lithium prices have been on a roller coaster ride
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange is interviewed on Marketplace talking about how the prices of the metal have fallen about 80% in the past year, and two U.S. lithium companies have cut jobs and pulled back their capital spending recently. The latest is a company called Piedmont Lithium, which announced cuts Tuesday. February 6, 2024.
Ignoring Indigenous rights is making the green transition more expensive 2/2/2024
Ignoring Indigenous rights is making the green transition more expensive
Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative Program Manager Rick Tallman contributes to this article about how as more companies look to build wind and solar farms or mine minerals for renewable energy, failing to recognize Indigenous sovereignty could make the clean energy transition a lot more expensive and much farther away. February 2, 2024.
How Can Capturing Carbon and Monitoring Methane Play a Role in the Energy Transition? 2/2/2024
How Can Capturing Carbon and Monitoring Methane Play a Role in the Energy Transition?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, Paulina Lanz, and Justine Huang are on this podcast discussing how in 2022, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reached a high of 53 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent. To bring that down to net zero, we can either stop emitting GHGs into the atmosphere, or we can pull out CO2 that has already been emitted. Also in this episode, Will Daniels, a Payne Institute student researcher is interviewed, talking about methods for detecting methane emissions from oil and gas production and the role that data might play in reducing these emissions. February 2, 2024.
Biden’s EV agenda hits mining world’s boom-and-bust cycle
Biden’s EV agenda hits mining world’s boom-and-bust cycle
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle agenda could be in for a roller coaster ride, but this time it can’t be blamed on thorny politics, range anxiety or the effect of falling temperatures on chargers. Instead the focus now is on the price of lithium. The price of the key EV battery ingredient plummeted in recent months, not because of any policy action but due to the simple laws of supply and demand. January 31, 2024.
Mines alumni working to create a zero-carbon steel future 1/31/2024
Mines alumni working to create a zero-carbon steel future
Steve Sparkowich ’89 and Daniel Wright ’21 work on the inert anode team at green steel startup Boston Metal.
Steel is one of the most important construction materials in the world, giving buildings and bridges a sound structure and adding strength and stability to the most common construction material globally: concrete. Global crude steel production reached nearly 2 billion tons in 2022, and demand is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. But the steel industry creates 11 percent of global carbon emissions and 7 percent of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Though many companies are working toward reducing the industry’s outsized carbon footprint, two Orediggers are lending their expertise to an innovative zero-carbon method of producing the material at green steel startup Boston Metal. January 31, 2024.
Colorado School of Mines, Idaho National Laboratory expand research partnership 1/31/2024Colorado School of Mines, Idaho National Laboratory expand research partnership 1/31/2024
Colorado School of Mines, Idaho National Laboratory expand research partnership
Energy storage, geothermal energy and next-generation mining are among topics for five-year collaboration.
Colorado School of Mines and Idaho National Laboratory have agreed to expand their joint efforts in scientific research for the next five years. A memorandum of understanding signed in late October establishes a framework for both institutions to collaborate on projects involved with energy storage, high-temperature fuel cells, geothermal energy systems, nuclear fuel cycle and reactor engineering, environmental science, and next-generation mining science and engineering. January 31, 2024.
LNG Exports Shouldn’t Be the Next Keystone Campaign 1/26/2024
LNG Exports Shouldn’t Be the Next Keystone Campaign
Payne Institute Fellow Liam Denning writes this article on the greenest White House the US has ever seen also happens to preside over a record-breaking domestic oil and gas boom. While that complicates Republican talking points, it also stokes a conflict within President Joe Biden’s own party that has now found its battleground: Liquefied natural gas. January 26,2024.
How Does a “Reverse Sprinkler” Work? Researchers Solve Decades-Old Physics Puzzle 01/26/24
How Does a “Reverse Sprinkler” Work? Researchers Solve Decades-Old Physics Puzzle
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Brennan Sprinkle contributes to this article about how for decades scientists have been trying to solve Feynman’s Sprinkler Problem: How does a sprinkler running in reverse—in which the water flows into the device rather than out of it—work? Through a series of experiments, a team of mathematicians has figured out how flowing fluids exert forces and move structures, thereby revealing the answer to this long-standing mystery. January 26, 2024.
What is the Cost of Going Green? (Part B) 1/23/24
WHAT IS THE COST OF GOING GREEN? Perspectives from Ghana (PART B)
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, Paulina Lanz, and Justine Huang are on this podcast (part B) discussing what the real costs of going green are, and who is going to pay the bill? In Part B of the episode, Jim chats with a panel of Payne Institute student researchers from Ghana at the Colorado School of Mines – Eben Manful-Sam, John Ayaburi, Rueben Anafo and Felix Ayaburi– who help us better understand the challenges of sustainable development from a sub-Saharan Africa perspective. January 23, 2024.
What is the Cost of Going Green? (Part A) 1/19/2024
What is the Cost of Going Green? (Part A)
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, Paulina Lanz, and Justine Huang are on this podcast discussing what are the real costs of going green, and who is going to pay the bill? Brad Handler breaks down why we are still investing so much in fossil fuels, the investments that might be needed to support the growth of renewable energy, and how we might redirect investments towards developing countries that will play a large role in the energy transition. We also dive into why oil companies have been so profitable, whether divesting from fossil fuels is a good idea, and the role that Wall Street and the fossil fuel industry might play in the energy transition. January 19, 2024.
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.
Saudi Arabia wants to be the Saudi Arabia of minerals 1/11/2024
Saudi Arabia wants to be the Saudi Arabia of minerals
Vice President for Global Initiatives John Bradford contributed to this article about how Saudi Arabia is eyeing to fuel its post-oil future with mineral resources. On January 10th the government revised its estimate of the value of its buried mineral wealth from $1.3trn to $2.5trn. This includes deposits of gold, copper and zinc. January 11, 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.
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.
Students tackle upcycling, reducing waste streams in Cornerstone Design 12/18/2023
Students tackle upcycling, reducing waste streams in Cornerstone Design
Winning team used AI to better inform public on recycling practices.
Earth has a waste problem. Processing materials, fuels and food contributes to up to half of greenhouse gas emissions – and recycling isn’t a perfect solution, either, requiring its own energy to re-process and break down materials, not to mention transportation and the re-manufacturing of goods. December 18, 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
First-of-its-kind prototype capable of generating almost 30 kW of electric power from natural gas, low-carbon fuels.
Researchers at Colorado School of Mines are currently testing a novel pressurized solid oxide fuel cell power module that is capable of generating almost 30 kilowatts of electric power from natural gas and low-carbon fuels. December 18, 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.
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.
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.
U.S. EV Makers Are Still Stuck on China. The Stakes Are Rising. 12/5/2023
U.S. EV Makers Are Still Stuck on China. The Stakes Are Rising.
Payne Institute Student Researcher Isabel Guajardo, Program Manager Brad Handler and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how U.S. automakers are dependent on China for important aspects of EV construction. It’s in the interests of the U.S. economy to accommodate the current shortcomings, work with allies, and make long-term investments toward more robust and resilient sourcing. December 5, 2023.
Mines researchers receive $3M in DoD funding to develop processes to not just remove but destroy PFAS 12/1/2023
Mines researchers receive $3M in DoD funding to develop processes to not just remove but destroy PFAS
Research team will design, build and demonstrate an integrated system of 3 technologies for removal, concentration and destruction of PFAS in contaminated water streams.
Although poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can be reliably removed from contaminated water resources, the best available treatment approaches use separation processes that create an issue all their own. December 1, 2023.
COLORADO FUEL CELL CENTER NOW POWERING MINES CAMPUS 11/30/2023
COLORADO FUEL CELL CENTER NOW POWERING MINES CAMPUS
The research team at the Colorado Fuel Cell Center is now powering the Mines electrical grid as part of a U.S.Department of Energy program on low-carbon, distributed electricity generation. The program is managed through DoE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), and features a fuel-cell / reciprocating engine hybrid system targeting 100 kW of net electricity generation at 70% efficiency under natural gas fuel, more than double the efficiency of today’s conventional electric generators. November 30, 2023.
Where the World Is (and Isn’t) Making Progress on Climate Change 11/30/2023
Where the World Is (and Isn’t) Making Progress on Climate Change
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how emissions from electricity and transportation are projected to fall over time, a new report finds, but industry remains a major climate challenge. To tackle dangerous global warming, countries have started to clean up their power plants and cars. But emissions from heavy industry — like cement, steel or chemical factories — have been harder to curb and are now on pace to become by far the world’s largest source of planet-warming pollution. November 30, 2023.
AS AMERICA’S MILITARY REARMS, IT NEEDS MINERALS—AND LOTS OF THEM 11/29/2023
AS AMERICA’S MILITARY REARMS, IT NEEDS MINERALS—AND LOTS OF THEM
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Macdonald Amoah write about how the US military is attempting to quickly replenish diminished weapons stocks in its largest production ramp-up in decades. To ensure a secure, resilient, and sufficient mineral supply for its platforms and munitions, the Department of Defense should refine its approach to mineral stockpiling, its engagement with mineral mining and refining, and its implementation of mineral recycling. November 29, 2023.
Tesla’s Cybertruck Is Two Years Late and Still Crazy 11/29/2023
Tesla’s Cybertruck Is Two Years Late and Still Crazy
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow John Speer contributed to this article about how after years of delays, Tesla will livestream its Cybertruck delivery event Thursday. Car experts still can’t believe it’s trying to mass-produce a vehicle with such a challenging design. One theme of the Cybertruck’s off-kilter aesthetic is simplicity—straight lines, bare surfaces, sharp corners. Taking that approach actually makes building the thing a lot more complex. November 29, 2023.
Net-Zero Industry Tracker 2023 11/28/2023
Net-Zero Industry Tracker 2023
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, a World Economic Forum Advisory Council Member, contributed to the second edition of the Net-Zero Industry Tracker report provides a detailed analysis of the progress heavy industrial and transport sectors are making worldwide, in their efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These sectors, which account for more than 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, need multifaceted solutions that accelerate the speed of technology development, build supporting infrastructure, and raise necessary capital to finance the transformation. November 28, 2023.
Forever chemical study planned for Schriever Space Force Base focused on soils 11/26/2023
Forever chemical study planned for Schriever Space Force Base focused on soils
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Christopher Higgins contributes to this article about how PFAS or “forever chemicals” leach into the groundwater and pose a health risk, they sit in soils — where they can be washed out or otherwise treated before they reach an aquifer. The chemicals can cause a range of health problems at high levels in humans. Researchers from the Colorado School of Mines and Clarkson University expect to compare nine different strategies for removing firefighting foam from the soils at the Schriever Space Force Base to help inform how soils at other sites could be treated in the future. November 26, 2023.
Align the VCM with Internal Carbon Pricing 11/21/2023
Align the VCM with internal carbon pricing
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how companies can boost confidence in the voluntary market by using their internal carbon prices as reference points against which to measure the implied climate contribution of their purchased offsets. November 21, 2023.
Students tackle energy problems at GEFI Innov8x Challenge 11/21/2023
Students tackle energy problems at GEFI Innov8x Challenge
Mines Global Energy Future Initiative and the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation hosted the 2023 Global Energy Future Initiative (GEFI) Innov8x Challenge on November 3. The challenges were presented by two energy companies: Chevron and ConocoPhillips. Chevron asked the teams to find creative ways to re-purpose produced water in the Permian Basin, while ConocoPhillips had teams envision ways to make a heater treater used in oil and gas operations more efficient and produce less emissions. In addition to providing students with real-world opportunities to innovate for the likes of Chevron and ConocoPhillips, companies gain fresh perspectives and practical, out-of-the-box solutions. November 21, 2023.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment 11/14/2023
The Fifth National Climate Assessment
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian was one of the contributing authors of the U.S. Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the scientific foundation to support informed decision-making across the United States. However, without deeper cuts in global net greenhouse gas emissions and accelerated adaptation efforts, severe climate risks to the United States will continue to grow. November 14, 2023.
How can Colorado attack “forever chemicals” tainting military soil? School of Mines is leading the way to find out. 11/13/2023
How can Colorado attack “forever chemicals” tainting military soil? School of Mines is leading the way to find out.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article about how nine different techniques for getting PFAS out of toxic dirt will be tested next year at Schriever Space Force Base near Colorado Springs. Even the environmental watchdogs cataloging the depressing toll of “forever chemicals” throughout the food chain say they are encouraged by the School of Mines test. November 13, 2023.
EMPOWERING OR REPRESSIVE: NAVIGATING THE COMPLEXITIES OF RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARDS IN THE US 11/13/2023
Empowering or Repressive: Navigating the Complexities of Renewable Portfolio Standards in the US
Payne Institute Student Researcher Siddhant Kulkarni and Program Manager Anna Littlefield write about how Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) represent a strategic push by governments to usher in an era of clean, renewable energy. While RPS are not the only policy-mechanisms that incentivize renewable energy, they have been in place for decades across the world. Data from the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA) shows that worldwide installed renewable energy capacity has almost doubled in the last decade, thanks in part to the RPS policies implemented. In the US these regulations are particular to individual states and aim to combat increasing greenhouse gas emissions and by extension, climate change. November 13, 2023.
Project to test technologies to clean up contaminated materials set to start at Colorado Springs-area military base 11/10/2023
Project to test technologies to clean up contaminated materials set to start at Colorado Springs-area military base
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article about how a project headed by the Colorado School of Mines to test the best clean up methods for PFAS-contaminated materials is set to begin next summer on Schriever Space Force Base. According to Christopher Higgins, a School of Mines professor working on the Department of Defense-funded project, those working on the project will be testing six different PFAS clean up technologies on soils they say the base has set aside for testing in an effort to see which is the most effective on a larger scale. November 10, 2023.
WHAT IF AMERICA’S MINERAL-INTENSIVE MILITARY RUNS OUT OF MINERALS? 11/10/2023
WHAT IF AMERICA’S MINERAL-INTENSIVE MILITARY RUNS OUT OF MINERALS?
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Macdonald Amoah, Gregory Wischer, and Juliet Akamboe write about how minerals still undergird warfighting technology, including defense platforms and munitions. Like previous junctions in human history, the current period will be defined by minerals and the warfighting technology that they enable. November 10, 2023.
Fighting Climate Change with Carbon Offsets and Fossil Fuel Retirement Credits 11/10/2023
Fighting Climate Change with Carbon Offsets and Fossil Fuel Retirement Credits
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler is one of two guests today on the S&P Global Energy Evolution podcast. They are talking about carbon offset markets and oil and gas retirement credits. What function do these tools serve in the broader decarbonization push, and how exactly are we calculating them anyway? November 10, 2023.
Native American Energy Sovereignty is key to American Energy Security 11/9/2023
Native American Energy Sovereignty is key to American Energy Security
Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative Program Manager Rick Tallman, Daniel Cardenas, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how as the energy transition plays out across the United States, tribal communities see both a tremendous opportunity and a direct threat to their sovereignty. The immense natural resources of tribal lands will almost certainly be needed to help secure the future of American energy security. At the same time, a history of energy exploitation has left reservation communities with systemic problems and unmet needs that energy policy makers, regulators and industry leaders must acknowledge, understand, and address in any go-forward plans. November 9, 2023.
How Cutting Methane Emissions Became Good For Business 11/09/2023
How Cutting Methane Emissions Became Good For Business
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, and Responsible Gas Program Manager Simon Lomax write about how methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and fast reductions will help stabilize the climate more than any other action we can take in the short term. November 9, 2023.
A Pathway to Responsible Mining in Indian Country 11/09/2023
A Pathway to Responsible Mining in Indian Country
Payne Institute Program Managers Rick Tallman and Brad Handler, Director Morgan Bazilian and Daniel Cardenas write about how the demand for minerals critical to both the energy transition and U.S. national security is growing rapidly. At the same time, the reliability of the global supply chain is being challenged by geopolitical events. The result is a growing call to bring more mining for these critical minerals back to the United States, where the vast majority of critical mineral reserves are located on or within 35 miles of Native American reservations. November 9, 2023.
Tabares-Velasco awarded two DOE grants for work toward energy efficiency at any income level 11/7/2023
Tabares-Velasco awarded two DOE grants for work toward energy efficiency at any income level
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Paulo Tabares-Velasco is featured in this article about receiving funding from the DOE Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) program, for two projects specifically aimed at making energy efficiency, electrification and resiliency possibility for communities in Colorado: a home battery energy storage system for retrofitted housing in in Colorado and a new heat pump water heater with latent heat storage in low-income housing. November 7, 2023.
CFCC CRANKS 10KW CARBON FREE 11/6/2023
CFCC CRANKS 10KW CARBON FREE
The research team at the Colorado Fuel Cell Center recently generated 10 kW of carbon-free electricity with hydrogen-fueled solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). This power level is the highest ever demonstrated at the CFCC, and serves as a stepping-stone towards the 30-kW target prescribed in our Department of Energy “INTEGRATE” research and development program. November 6, 2023.
Rebuilding after disaster: Mines professor working on low-emissions plan for earthquake-damaged area 11/2/2023
Rebuilding after disaster: Mines professor working on low-emissions plan for earthquake-damaged area
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow H. Sebnem Düzgün is featured in an article about how she is part of a team evaluating efficient and low-emission rebuilding plan for southeastern Türkiye. November 2, 2023.
Mines alum creates business out of microscopic masterpieces 11/1/2023
Mines alum creates business out of microscopic masterpieces
A geologist by training, Teresa Johnson ’10, MS ’15 combines science, art and sustainability through the personal and home decor brand Terra Persona.
If you’ve ever looked at a rock sample under a microscope, you might think you’re looking at an intricate piece of abstract art. November 1, 2023.
Measurement-based differentiation of low-emission global natural gas supply chains 11/2/2023
Measurement-based differentiation of low-emission global natural gas supply chains
Payne Institute Fellow Arvind P. Ravikumar, Erin E. Tullos, David T. Allen, Ben Cahill, Steven P. Hamburg, Daniel Zimmerle, Thomas A. Fox, Manfredi Caltagirone, Lara Owens, Robert Stout, Andrew J. Grimes, Tania M. Fernandez, Carrie Jenks, Riley Duren, Antoine Halff, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, and Stefanie Rucker write about how a differentiated natural gas market is emerging as a key mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across global natural gas supply chains. Trust in such voluntary markets across civil society, industry and governments depends on a transparent framework for reporting independently verifiable and accurate emissions data. November 2, 2023.
Colleges and companies collaborate to study PFAS soil purification methods at Schriever SFB 11/1/2023
Colleges and companies collaborate to study PFAS soil purification methods at Schriever SFB
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article about how a team of scientists at the Colorado School of Mines alongside other major universities will be testing out soil purification technologies at Schriever Space Force Base. It’s an international effort to defeat what is commonly known as “Forever Chemicals.” The three universities and five companies, both foreign and domestic, are testing technologies to get these chemicals out of soils. The work is funded by the Department of Defense. November 1, 2023.
‘Lunar gold rush’: NASA wants to mine the moon 11/1/2023
‘Lunar gold rush’: NASA wants to mine the moon
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Angel Abbud-Madrid contributes to this article about how mining the moon isn’t just fodder for the movies. Scientists at NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey are using their Earthly expertise to identify and catalog resources on the celestial body to look for valuable materials — from minerals and crushed rock that can be used to make dwellings and equipment, to ice that can be turned into drinking water and even rocket fuel. November 1, 2023.
9 PFAS treatment, destruction technologies to be tested side by side at Colorado military base 11/01/2023
9 PFAS treatment, destruction technologies to be tested side by side at Colorado military base
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins is featured in this article about how the Colorado School of Mines is leading a multi-institutional research effort to test the effectiveness of treatment technologies in PFAS-contaminated soil. November 1, 2023.
Critical mineral demand estimates for low-carbon technologies: What do they tell us and how can they evolve? 10/31/2023
Critical mineral demand estimates for low-carbon technologies: What do they tell us and how can they evolve?
Mines Student Researcher Jordy Lee Calderon, Faculty Fellows Nicole Smith and Elizabeth Holley, and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the transition to low-carbon energy systems will increase demand for a range of critical minerals and metals. As a result, several quantitative demand models have been developed to help understand the projected scale of growth and if, and to what extent, material shortages may become an obstacle to the deployment of clean energy technologies. October 31, 2023.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR Circumventing the Chokepoint: Can the US Produce More Rare Earths? 10/30/2023
Circumventing the Chokepoint: Can the US Produce More Rare Earths?
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Gregory Wischer write about China’s dominance in the production of heavy rare earths affords it leverage over US national security and economic prosperity. To reduce this vulnerability, the US government has sought to increase domestic rare production, but to limited effect. To better encourage private sector investment in American rare earth projects, the industry’s high barriers to entry—including capital costs, technical challenges, and an incumbent oligopoly—must be addressed. October 30, 2023.
VCMs’ other fragmentation problem 10/27/2023
VCMs’ other fragmentation problem
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Manager Brad Handler writes about how in mid-October, he had the opportunity to attend and present at the biannual World Investment Forum (WIF), sponsored by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. The WIF’s goal is to spur more sustainable development investment in low- and middle-income economies. The agenda included full-throated support for voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), to lure capital towards the energy transition and to help countries meet decarbonisation commitments set out under their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). October 27, 2023.
GOVERNMENTS’ RECENT STEPS TO ADVANCE CLIMATE IMPACT; SELECT WORLD INVESTMENT FORUM HIGHLIGHTS 10/25/2023
GOVERNMENTS’ RECENT STEPS TO ADVANCE CLIMATE IMPACT; SELECT WORLD INVESTMENT FORUM HIGHLIGHTS
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about the 8th World Investment Forum focused on spurring sustainable development across low and middle income economies. The challenges loomed large, as speakers noted that not only were absolute spending levels far short of what was needed to be “on track” to meet energy transition and SDG targets, but that recent spending in the developing world was far too concentrated in select economies. October 25, 2023.
America’s Trade War With China Spills Into Clean Energy 10/24/2023
America’s Trade War With China Spills Into Clean Energy
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how what began as a dispute over world-leading computer chips is now rocking the auto and clean energy industries. The new restrictions show that America and China’s growing trade battle over “dual-use technologies” — tools and materials that can be used by both civilians and the military — is proving difficult to contain. What began as a dispute over world-leading computer chips is now rocking the auto and clean energy industries. October 24, 2023.
Things Are Looking Up for Asteroid Mining 10/20/2023
Things Are Looking Up for Asteroid Mining
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how asteroids are rich with the metals used in clean energy technologies. As demand soars, advocates argue that mining them in space might be better than mining them on Earth. While some companies are exploring the controversial idea of scooping cobalt, nickel, and platinum from the seafloor, some asteroids could harbor the same minerals in abundance—and have no wildlife that could be harmed during their extraction. October 20, 2023.
China limits exports of graphite, a key mineral for EV batteries 10/20/2023
China limits exports of graphite, a key mineral for EV batteries
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this podcast about how China said Friday that it would start requiring stricter permits on exports of graphite, a key mineral component of pencils, but perhaps more importantly, a key mineral component of electric vehicle batteries. It’s the latest development in a China-U.S. trade war that’s making the transition to a green economy more expensive. October 20, 2023.
Are PFAS really ‘forever chemicals’? It’s complicated. Here’s what to know 10/19/2023
Are PFAS really ‘forever chemicals’? It’s complicated. Here’s what to know
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Christopher Higgins contributed to this article about how for the past five years, public awareness around PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” has been growing in the U.S. A growing body of evidence has shown that long-term exposure, even to low traces of these chemicals, can cause severe health issues that include cancer, developmental effects and reproductive disorders. October 19, 2023.
TAKING THE FIGHT TO FOREVER CHEMICALS 10/16/2023
TAKING THE FIGHT TO FOREVER CHEMICALS
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins is featured in an article about how Mines launched a broad-based research initiative earlier this year to advance scientific understanding of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, and develop practical engineering solutions to address these so-called “forever chemicals,” one of the largest-scale environmental and public health challenges facing the U.S. today. October 16, 2023
SHAPING THE NEXT TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE 10/16/2023
SHAPING THE NEXT TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Sebnem Düzgün is featured in an article about how the world is now in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: a cyber-physical expansion that is, according to the World Economic Forum, “blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres.” October 16, 2023
Modular Carbon Capture and The Inflation Reduction Act 10/12/2023
Modular Carbon Capture and The Inflation Reduction Act
Payne Institute Program Manager Anna Littlefield writes about how as the field of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) continues to evolve, the importance of modular carbon capture technologies has become increasingly apparent. August of 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) being signed into law, and its potential to incentivize smaller-scale capture systems is manifesting in modular capture innovation. October 12, 2023.
Energy Security, Critical Minerals, and Energy Policy 10/11/2023
Energy Security, Critical Minerals, and Energy Policy
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is on this podcast discussing domestic and international energy security, critical minerals, and energy policy. A lot of the narrative on critical minerals revolves around the supply chain demand that comes from the 17 rare earth minerals needed for computer chips, batteries, solar energy, and other needs. October 11, 2023.
Mining execs warn of disconnect between metals appetite, pace of new projects 10/5/2023
Mining execs warn of disconnect between metals appetite, pace of new projects
The Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how lithium, like that extracted from the Silver Peak mine in Nevada, plays a major role in energy transition technologies. However, it is just one of many metals needed by the sector and mining companies fret that permitting is not happening fast enough to keep up with demand for several commodities. October 5, 2023.
Energy Security at the UN High-Level Week: More Heat Than Light 10/3/2023
Energy Security at the UN High-Level Week: More Heat Than Light
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Fellow Cullen Hendrix write about how U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the 78th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week a “one-of-a-kind opportunity each year to harness the power of diplomacy and collaborate on solutions to global challenges.” But from an energy security perspective, the meetings only spotlighted the mismatch between the nature of the world’s shared problems and the institutions and tools designed to address them. October 3, 2023.
Mines researchers get $2M from NASA to advance technology for extracting aluminum from lunar soil 10/02/2023
Mines researchers get $2M from NASA to advance technology for extracting aluminum from lunar soil
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jihye Kim is featured in an article about Molten regolith electrolysis – which processes melted lunar soil to extract the metals within – is one of the leading processes for in situ resource utilization of lunar metals and oxygen. October 2, 2023.
Iron batteries offer an energy transition lesson 10/2/2023
Iron batteries offer an energy transition lesson
Payne Institute Program Manager Simon Lomax writes about how to build a zero-carbon economy, we need technologies that can store large amounts of energy for a long time. But in Colorado, a promising new battery technology is being prepared for use by the state’s largest utility, Xcel Energy. It’s called an “iron-air” battery and, quite fittingly, it will be built in the iron and steel town of Pueblo. October 2, 2023.
Payne Institute report assesses supply chain variables for critical minerals 9/29/2023
Payne Institute report assesses supply chain variables for critical minerals
The Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines released The State of Critical Minerals Report 2023. The analysis examines how the increasing demand for the critical minerals necessary to power a green economy will impact global communities, markets, national security, and geopolitics. The United States Geological Survey suggests that lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite are the metals needed to power electric vehicles. Alternatively, arsenic, gallium, germanium, indium, and tellurium are essential to constructing solar panels. September 29, 2023.
PAYNE INSTITUTE TO CONVENE TALKS ON DIFFERENTIATED GAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS IN COLLABORATION WITH EEMDL RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP 9/28/2023
PAYNE INSTITUTE TO CONVENE TALKS ON DIFFERENTIATED GAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS IN COLLABORATION WITH EEMDL RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
As part of its ongoing work with the Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL), the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines is commencing a new stakeholder dialogue focused on the independent verification of standards and other governance issues in the rapidly evolving differentiated gas market. EEMDL was established in early 2023 to improve the accuracy of greenhouse gas measurement and accounting across global energy supply chains, starting with methane emissions. September 28, 2023.
Payne Institute for Public Policy Releases First Annual State of Critical Minerals Report
Payne Institute for Public Policy Releases First Annual State of Critical Minerals Report
The Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines released today its first annual State of Critical Minerals Report on the growing demand for critical minerals and their impact on energy transitions, communities, markets, national security and geopolitics. The energy transition—and increased demand for electric cars, solar panels and other low-carbon technologies—is reliant on critical minerals. Many of these minerals, however, are mined and processed in adversarial nations or countries with low environmental, labor and human rights standards. In fact, of the 50 minerals identified on the U.S. Geological Survey Critical Minerals List, the U.S. is 100 percent reliant on imports for 12 and more than 50 percent dependent for 31. September 26, 2023.
THE STATE OF CRITICAL MINERALS REPORT 2023 9/26/2023
THE STATE OF CRITICAL MINERALS REPORT 2023
The Payne Institute for Public Policy and the Colorado School of Mines has released our inaugural annual State of Critical Minerals Report. The report is aimed at contributing to the important discourse on critical minerals and how to harness them in a more sustainable manner as a catalyst to the energy transition and by extension, climate action. It explores various parts of the critical minerals value chain and the interplay of these segments in driving a successful minerals industry. The report covers geopolitics and what that means for national security, the demand and supply dynamics of critical minerals markets, financial markets and investments, the future of sustainable mining and the environment, and social governance (ESG) factors confronting the industry. September 26, 2023.
Prospects for American cobalt Reactions to mine proposals in Minnesota and Idaho 9/25/
Prospects for American cobalt Reactions to mine proposals in Minnesota and Idaho
Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone, Faculty Fellows Nicole Smith and Elizabeth Holley, and Student Researcher Tinzar Htun write about how cobalt is a critical mineral for electric vehicles and the transition to renewable energy. Two leading prospective regions for U.S. cobalt production, in Minnesota and Idaho. Our central aim is to understand why reactions to mining proposals have been divergent, with polarized, intractable debates that have stalled projects in Minnesota while proposed mines in Idaho have advanced with minimal controversy. We summarize the geology and mining methods of each project before analyzing similarities and differences in responses, organizing our analysis around facets of environment, identity and legitimacy, politics, and economy. September 25, 2023.
FIRST ANNUAL CRITICAL MINERALS SYMPOSIUM 9/21&22/2023
FIRST ANNUAL CRITICAL MINERALS SYMPOSIUM
The Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute for Public Policy hosted the first annual Critical Minerals Symposium in Golden, Colorado. The event brought together more than 200 leaders from industry, academia, and government to address a broad range of complex challenges associated with critical minerals. The event was opened with remarks from Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Chairman, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), watch their video replays here. September 21 and 22, 2023.
What Does Energy Transition Mean To You? 9/18/2023
What Does Energy Transition Mean To You?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton is a co-host on this podcast hosting Dr. Ershaghi, Director of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET), on the history of the energy transitions; where we stand in the race to net zero; the role that governments, private sector, and individuals play in the energy transition; and the importance of combating misinformation. Also featured, Mathew Davis, a Master’s student in petroleum engineering at USC, on how he defines energy transition and the role that petroleum engineering plays in the energy transition. September 18, 2023.
U.S. House debates which minerals should be considered “critical” 9/14/2023
U.S. House debates which minerals should be considered “critical”
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dr. Roderick Eggert contributes to this article about how a recent U.S. House hearing that centered on a relatively unknown segment of federal energy policy quickly evolved into a discussion on how much the government should prioritize mining. The Committee on Natural Resources focused on the U.S. Geological Survey’s list of critical minerals. The tally list includes several dozen well-known elements like aluminum, platinum and titanium. It also has lesser-known minerals – like lithium, cobalt and neodymium – that are used in modern technologies such as cell phone batteries and semiconductors. September 14, 2023.
Mines faculty member testifies before U.S. House committee on critical minerals 9/13/2023
Mines faculty member testifies before U.S. House committee on critical minerals
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dr. Roderick Eggert testified before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy & Mineral Resources on critical minerals and the structure and role of the U.S. Geological Survey’s critical minerals list. As the United States rapidly accelerates its transition to a clean energy future, there is a growing focus on the role of critical minerals, many of which are mined, processed, and transported around the globe through complex supply chains. September 13, 2023.
How Big Oil’s wastewater could fuel the EV revolution 9/12/2023
How Big Oil’s wastewater could fuel the EV revolution
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how since oil and gas drilling began nearly 150 years ago, the salty wastewater it produces has been a nuisance for operators. Now, the electric vehicle revolution could turn the industry’s billions of barrels of brine into dollars. Oil and gas companies are eyeing their own byproduct — along with naturally occurring brine found deep underground — as a source of lithium, a highly sought-after metal needed to make EV batteries. September 12, 2023.
New Arizona mines unearth new conflicts: resist climate change or protect fragile landscapes? 9/7/2023
New Arizona mines unearth new conflicts: resist climate change or protect fragile landscapes?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Rod Eggert and Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how South32 is one of many prospective miners in the West in a position to capitalize on a national appetite for homegrown US sourced minerals. However, in Arizona, It also would change a landscape that many prize as a unique biological mixing zone in forested mountain ranges like the Patagonias. Arizona’s Sky Islands form an archipelago of oases above the desert, alive with migratory birds, bats and big cats. September 7, 2023.
The African Climate Summit – Averting the Climate Crisis 9/5/2023
The African Climate Summit – Averting the Climate Crisis
Payne Institute Research Associate Juliet Akamboe and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how climate change poses a significant threat to Africa, a continent already grappling with challenges including poverty and a lack of access to basic human needs like clean water, healthcare, education, jobs and electricity. Africa is already witnessing severe environmental consequences with changing rainfall patterns, severe droughts and extreme weather conditions, which are stalling socio-economic development. The inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) taking place in Nairobi, this week is a great forum to discuss the role Africa can play in bridging the gap between the Global North and South in addressing the climate crisis. September 5, 2023.
NIGER, URANIUM, AND THE COUP D’ETAT 9/1/2023
NIGER, URANIUM, AND THE COUP D’ETAT
Payne Institute ESG Researcher Baba Freeman writes about how the recent coup d’etat in Niger, a key supplier of uranium, has created some level of anxiety in the market and brought forward new questions for stakeholders across the industry and the West African sub-region. The event calls for a fresh look at the potential market impact and the way forward to resolving the current disputation in a manner that preserves Niger’s development agenda, minimizes political risk to investors, and aids the emergence of a more resilient global critical minerals supply chain. September 1, 2023.
How Colorado’s oil and gas industry helps and hurts the economy 8/30/2023
How Colorado’s oil and gas industry helps and hurts the economy
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how economic benefits, like jobs and tax revenue, weigh against costs, like clean-up of environmental damage. As Colorado’s oil and gas industry plans to drill hundreds of new wells along the Front Range in the coming years, residents want to know how the financial benefits and costs of those operations will affect their lives. The answer is complicated, and not all economists agree. August 30, 2023.
Proposed West Africa-Europe Gas Pipelines Will Fail Without a Radical Shift in Thinking
PROPOSED WEST AFRICA-EUROPE GAS PIPELINES WILL FAIL WITHOUT A RADICAL SHIFT IN THINKING
Payne Institute ESG Researcher Baba Freeman writes about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 injected a renewed urgency into Western European countries’ energy security concerns and led to an increase in demand for non-Russian sources of oil and gas. Consequently, Europe is expected to take a larger share of future LNG supplies even as greenfield pipeline projects are being conceived to supply West African gas to Western Europe. These projects include the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline (TSGP) and the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) but may not be able to adequately meet these projects’ future obligations. August 29, 2023.
The need for balance in the regulation of the oil and natural gas industry 8/29/2023
The need for balance in the regulation of the oil and natural gas industry
Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Jennifer Miskimins and Jim Crompton write about how to get the balance between environmental action and economic reality right, we all need more collaboration. Over the past several years, Colorado has implemented precedent-setting regulations, from baseline groundwater testing and monitoring, to air regulations targeting methane leak detection and repair. But we still have a long way to go, and while it’s not an easy road for regulators, it’s crucial we stay the course. August 29, 2023.
Faster permits alone won’t build a U.S. clean-energy supply chain 8/25/2023
Faster permits alone won’t build a U.S. clean-energy supply chain
Payne Institute Responsible Gas Program Manager Simon Lomax, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Elizabeth Wilson write about a faster permitting process for U.S. mining projects may be just around the corner, thanks to regulatory reforms that were wrapped into the debt-ceiling compromise between President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans. It’s a major breakthrough for climate action. Mines produce the raw materials used in electric cars, solar panels, power lines and other technologies that cut carbon emissions and slow the pace of climate change. A clean energy revolution is a minerals and mining revolution. August 25, 2023.
Contemporary ice sheet thinning drives subglacial groundwater exfiltration with potential feedbacks on glacier flow 8/18/2023
Contemporary ice sheet thinning drives subglacial groundwater exfiltration with potential feedbacks on glacier flow
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Matthew Siegfried and Alexander A. Robel, Shi J. Sim, Colin Meyer, and Mines alum Chloe D. Gustafson write about how groundwater-laden sedimentary aquifers are extensive beneath large portions of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. A reduction in the mechanical loading of aquifers is known to lead to groundwater exfiltration, a discharge of groundwater from the aquifer. Here, we provide a simple expression predicting exfiltration rates under a thinning ice sheet. August 18, 2023.
Discovering Hidden Offshore Lighting Structures with Multiyear Low-Light Imaging Satellite Data 8/18/2023
Discovering Hidden Offshore Lighting Structures with Multiyear Low-Light Imaging Satellite Data
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Christopher Elvidge, Tilottama Ghosh, Namrata Chatterjee, Mikhail Zhizhin and Morgan Bazilian write about how in 2015, the Earth Observation Group developed the VIIRS Boat Detection (VBD) product and today several fishery agencies use VBD data to monitor fishing activity and compliance with closures. Recently EOG compiled the full record VBD detections as a 15 arc second global grid. The record spans 2012-2021 in Asia and 2017-2021 elsewhere. Upon reviewing the multiyear accumulation of VBD detections we were surprised to find a diversity of previously unseen lighting features. The additional features include lit platforms, transit lanes, and vessel anchorages associated with ports and passage straits. August 18, 2023.
INVESTORS IN AFRICAN MINING VENTURES MUST REFRESH THEIR RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
INVESTORS IN AFRICAN MINING VENTURES MUST REFRESH THEIR RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
Payne Institute Research Associate Baba Freeman writes about how the frequency of coup d’etats in the Sahel region is troubling and calls for mining investors to refresh their political risk assessment processes. The recent trend of militarization must surely prod investors to further assess the likelihood and possible impact of military interventions and incorporate key takeaways from current events into their risk management tools and processes. While the risk of a total loss of capital due to outright warfare can be assessed deterministically, subjective measures of political instability can substantially impact the “country risk” premium that mining investors must pay over and above the risk-free cost of capital. August 17, 2023.
Investors in African Mining Ventures Must Refresh Their Risk Management Processes
Investors in African Mining Ventures Must Refresh Their Risk Management Processes

PAYNE INSTITUTE COMMENTARY SERIES: COMMENTARY
Investors in African Mining Ventures Must Refresh Their Risk Management Processes
By Baba Freeman
August 17, 2023
Despite the spread of democracy in the post-Soviet era, there is a substantial threat of military takeovers in frontier economies. The frequency of coup d’etats in the Sahel region is troubling and calls for mining investors to refresh their political risk assessment processes. The recent coup in Niger and the sudden outbreak of war in Sudan, both in 2023, bring the risk of political instability and a breakdown of law and order into sharp focus. These events are more troubling when viewed within the continuum of recent military takeovers in Mali (2020), Guinea (2021), and Burkina Faso (2022), countries that produce important minerals such as manganese, zinc, uranium, bauxite, iron ore, and gold. Niger, the latest arena for military takeover is an emerging producer of oil and gas as EU countries seek out non-Russian sources of hydrocarbons. Its stability as a host nation is also essential to the success of the proposed Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline (TSGP) which was conceived to carry gas from the Niger Delta to Western European markets.
Military takeovers can dampen return on investment and discourage FDI.
The recent trend of militarization must surely prod investors to further assess the likelihood and possible impact of military interventions and incorporate key takeaways from current events into their risk management tools and processes. While the risk of a total loss of capital due to outright warfare can be assessed deterministically, subjective measures of political instability can substantially impact the “country risk” premium that mining investors must pay over and above the risk-free cost of capital. At present, the African region has the highest risk premium among the regions of the world. At about nine percent, it is more than double the global average risk premium of about four percent ex-U.S. It is likely that the threat of political instability from militarization contributes immensely to this situation.
Furthermore, the possibility of sudden, undemocratic changes to governments increases political risk insurance premiums that investors must pay as the risk of breach of contract, arbitrary changes to tax and royalty rates, political violence, and force majeure disruptions to contracted supply increase. The recent case of the Canadian miner, Global Atomic Corp., (TSX: GLO) which has substantial exposure to uranium operations in Niger, shows how political risk can impact business outcomes over short periods. Its market capitalization dropped by about 50% within two weeks of the military coup in Niger.
Common factors across recent events can be indicative of future coup d’etats.
Given the potential for substantial commercial losses, investors must identify if there are commonalities across Sahelian countries where coups and military takeovers have recently occurred. One visible attribute that cuts across the latter countries is that their armed forces have played an increasing role in public life. Political scientists such as Svolik (2012) had earlier noted that military takeovers are more likely to occur when a country’s political elite increases its reliance on the military to retain political power. In Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was the instrument that the Sudanese government used to assert its power over the Darfur region in Western Sudan in the past. The refusal of the RSF leadership to accept incorporation into the Sudanese army was the immediate cause of the outbreak of war in Sudan.
In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the profile of the armed forces also rose steadily in the last decade as they were deployed to quash separatists and insurgents that took up arms against national governments across the region. The technical capabilities and the political standing of these militaries may also have been bolstered by military aid flowing steadily from Western countries.
Investors must commit to a deep understanding of political-military interactions and strengthen their risk management tools and processes.
There are several implications of these insights. The first is that an understanding of the politics of military intervention can enhance investors’ assessments of risk outcomes and lead to improvements in risk management. Hence, investors must develop predictive analysis capabilities to address non-trivial questions relating to the possibility of military interventions in a country’s affairs and the potential for diffusion across international boundaries within a subregion. Going by the thesis above, countries such as Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Benin which are increasingly reliant on their armed forces to battle insurgents, face an elevated risk of military takeovers. It should be noted though that even where some factors may be pointing towards militarization, the potential for such to occur may be equally dependent on other prevailing factors such as the geographic concentration of fighting men and the ideological orientation of a country’s military leaders. For example, while the Pakistani army has controlled political power for long periods, neighboring India has never experienced a military coup. Investors must also note that it is plausible that a prolonged military conflict may also lead to a reduction in a country’s overall risk profile by raising the warfighting proficiency and professionalism of its armed forces. Hence, current conflicts may ultimately raise a country’s ability to provide security to its citizens and enhance its ability to attract foreign direct investment.
Secondly, because of the often-feeble resistance of the Sahelian countries’ populations to military takeovers, investors with long-term commitments in the region should seek opportunities to partner with NGOs, civil society groups and development agencies to strengthen democratic processes, increase government accountability, and boost society-wide preference for democracy over military takeovers.
In conclusion, the benefits of better assessment and management of risks coming from military takeovers cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, investors in extractive industries should consider increasing their capability for geopolitical risk assessment and embrace sustained board-level focus on the character of military-political relationships in the countries where they operate or are planning to operate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Baba Freeman
Payne Institute for Public Policy, Energy and Natural Resources Researcher
Baba Freeman is a researcher at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, with a focus on the energy and natural resources sector. He has a background in oil and gas financial management and in management consulting. He has worked internationally in different business and consulting roles in both developed and emerging market countries.
Baba has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Geophysics, and master’s degrees in Mineral Economics and Natural Resources and Energy Policy from the Colorado School of Mines.
ABOUT THE PAYNE INSTITUTE
The mission of the Payne Institute at Colorado School of Mines is to provide world-class scientific insights, helping to inform and shape public policy on earth resources, energy, and environment. The Institute was established with an endowment from Jim and Arlene Payne, and seeks to link the strong scientific and engineering research and expertise at Mines with issues related to public policy and national security.
The Payne Institute Commentary Series offers independent insights and research on a wide range of topics related to energy, natural resources, and environmental policy. The series accommodates three categories namely: Viewpoints, Essays, and Working Papers.
For more information about the Payne Institute please visit:
https://payneinstitute.mines.edu/
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DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints, or official policies of the Payne Institute or the Colorado School of Mines.
Critical Minerals Outlooks Comparison 8/15/2023
Critical Minerals Outlooks Comparison
Payne Institute Research Associate Juliet Akamboe, student researchers Ebenezer Manful-Sam, Felix Ayaburi, Director Morgan Bazilian and IEF’s Mason Hamilton write a critical minerals report about how with the acceleration of energy transitions, clean energy technologies have rapidly emerged as the segment with the fastest growth in demand in critical minerals supply chains and markets. Highlighting key insights for critical minerals decisionmakers, the report analyses eleven publicly available reports from eight agencies and organizations across different geographies, spanning from 2019 to 2023. August 15, 2023.
Olympus deal is key first for RSG market 8/8/2023
Olympus deal is key first for RSG market
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how the long-term deal signed by Olympus Energy marked an important evolution in the development of a market for environmentally responsible US natural gas. Olympus Energy, a private upstream and midstream natural gas developer, entered into a long-term agreement with natural gas marketing firm Tenaska Marketing Ventures to sell ‘responsibly sourced gas’ (RSG). August 8, 2023.
Big Oil’s Talent Crisis: High Salaries Are No Longer Enough 8/6/2023
Big Oil’s Talent Crisis: High Salaries Are No Longer Enough
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer Miskimins contributes to this article about how energy companies scramble to attract engineers as young workers fret over climate and job security. At U.S. colleges, the pool of new entrants for petroleum-engineering programs has shrunk to its smallest size since before the fracking boom began more than a decade ago. European universities, which have historically provided many of the engineers for companies with operations across the Middle East and Asia, are seeing similar trends. August 6, 2023.
COLORADO FUEL CELL CENTER PARTNERS WITH CERES TO ENHANCE SOLID-OXIDE FUEL CELL PERFORMANCE 7/28/2023
7/28/2023COLORADO FUEL CELL CENTER PARTNERS WITH CERES TO ENHANCE SOLID-OXIDE FUEL CELL PERFORMANCE
Professor Ryan O’Hayre of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department and Professor Neal Sullivan of the Mechanical Engineering Department are partnering with the research and development team at Ceres (Horsham, UK) to enhance the performance of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The O’Hayre – Sullivan research team is exploring the value brought by novel materials in boosting the performance of Ceres’ unique metal-supported SOFCs. The Ceres solid-oxide technology replaces the ceramic backbone of more-conventional SOFCs with a steel support. This technology is the centerpiece to its highly efficient, fuel flexible, robust and economic fuel cells and electrolyzers. The Ceres technology can be used in a wide range of industry applications to decarbonize industry including distributed power, motive, and marine. In parallel to this cell-development research, CSM is currently developing a 100-kW, 70%-efficient hybrid electric generator based on Ceres’ technology through funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (DoE – ARPA-E).” July 28, 2023.
The Economics of Natural Gas Flaring and Methane Emissions in US Shale: An Agenda for Research and Policy 7/26/2023
The Economics of Natural Gas Flaring and Methane Emissions in US Shale: An Agenda for Research and Policy
Mark Agerton, Payne Faculty Fellow Ben Gilbert, and Gregory B. Upton Jr. write about how natural gas flaring and methane emissions (F&M) are linked environmental issues for US shale oil and gas operations. Flaring refers to burning natural gas when regulatory, infrastructure, and market constraints make it infeasible to capture it when drilling for oil. In this paper, we lay out an agenda for researchers and policy makers. We describe why F&M are linked, both physically and in terms of policy. July 26, 2023.
Today’s energy economy is building Colorado’s zero-carbon future 7/26/2023
Today’s energy economy is building Colorado’s zero-carbon future
Payne Institute Program Managers Anna Littlefield, Simon Lomax, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the transition to a zero-carbon economy may look like a case of “out with the old, in with the new.” Dig deeper and the reality is much different, however. Many of the skills, technologies and scientific research that support the energy sources we use today are also essential for developing the new energy sources of tomorrow. July 26, 2023.
Electrical engineering researchers work to find the energy balance 7/25/2023
Electrical engineering researchers work to find the energy balance
Control systems expand the scope of renewable and hybrid energy technologies.
Innovations in renewable technology are rocketing ahead, but they can only advance so far without control systems, which manage and regulate how a technology operates. A car, for example, is full of control systems: fuel injection, anti-lock brakes, cruise control, to just name three. The same is true for mechanisms that harness and transfer renewable energy into usable energy. July 25, 2023.
The Energy Transition Will Require Cobalt. America’s Only Mine Can’t Get Off the Ground. 7/22/2023
The Energy Transition Will Require Cobalt. America’s Only Mine Can’t Get Off the Ground.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Rod Eggert contributed to this article about how the U.S. is playing catch-up in battery supply chains dominated by China. Economists and executives warn similar challenges lie ahead in the race to build renewable-energy infrastructure. Many of the richest deposits of commodities required lie elsewhere, while firms extracting them in the U.S. or its allies face higher environmental standards, greater labor costs and limited interest from Wall Street. July 22, 2023.
Transitional dynamics from mercury to cyanide-based processing in artisanal and small-scale gold mining: Social, economic, geochemical, and environmental considerations 7/21/2023
Transitional dynamics from mercury to cyanide-based processing in artisanal and small-scale gold mining: Social, economic, geochemical, and environmental considerations
Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone and Faculty Fellow Nicole Smith and others examine the environmental issues around artisanal gold mining, in particular highlighting often-overlooked problems that are occurring as more of the sector incorporates cyanide processing. The common sense among policy makers and the international community is that anything that decreases use of mercury is an improvement – but what we show is that the current transition phase, with mercury and cyanide use overlapping, actually makes environmental problems worse. In this regard, it is important not to be complacent or imagine that artisanal gold mining’s environmental problems will fix themselves. July 21, 2023.
Mines professor to chair federal advisory committee on energy transition, metal markets 7/20/2023
Mines professor to chair federal advisory committee on energy transition, metal markets
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange, the director of the Mineral and Energy Economics program, will lead Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) subcommittee (an independent agency of the U.S. government). Dr. Lange will lead a team of stakeholders to examine the role of critical metals in transitional energy sources and their potential impact on derivatives markets. July 20, 2023.
Geochemistry is how this Mines alum is helping the environment 7/19/2024
Geochemistry is how this Mines alum is helping the environment
Jeff Gillow PhD ’06 is a technical expert and vice president at Arcadis, focusing on geochemistry for manufacturing, industrial and mining companies.
Witnessing sea life in the Caribbean. Shipwrecks in the Eastern United States. A love of scuba diving as a teenager grew Jeff Gillow’s PhD ’06 interest in the environment. While he once thought that interest would take him into a career as a marine scientist, he saw greater opportunity and a chance to enhance the environment in a different way as a geochemist. It has taken him from being a part of nuclear clean-up to having a positive effect on water as it relates to mining. July 19, 2024.
The Defense Production Act’s Role in the Clean Energy Transition 7/17/2023
The Defense Production Act’s Role in the Clean Energy Transition
Payne Institute Fellow Joshua Busby, Emily Holland, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Paul Orszag write about how the Defense Production Act (DPA) has been invoked by President Biden to address U.S. dependence on imports of critical minerals and the battery supply chain. The Biden administration has been pushing for greater domestic production and sourcing of minerals to assist with the clean energy transition, a process that the administration classifies as an existential security priority. July 17, 2023.
Minnesota locked in global dilemma: More copper and nickel are needed, but mine development slow 7/15/2023
Minnesota locked in global dilemma: More copper and nickel are needed, but mine development slow
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the demand for copper and nickel is surging thanks to a worldwide transition to clean electricity and electric vehicles, which is driven by government policy and improving economics. But the mineral supply is not keeping up: No one, it seems, wants a hardrock mine as a neighbor. July 15, 2023.
Mining Profile – Ghana 7/13/2023
Sonnenberg recognized with RMS AAPG Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contribution Award 7/12/2023
Sonnenberg recognized with RMS AAPG Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contribution Award
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Stephen Sonnenberg was awarded the RMS AAPG Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contribution Award for contributions to the practice of geosciences and petroleum geology in the Rocky Mountain region. Sonnenberg’s research focuses on unconventional reservoirs, sequence stratigraphy, tectonic influence on sedimentation, and petroleum geology. July 12, 2023.
Characterization work aims to address cost of green hydrogen technologies 7/10/2023
Characterization work aims to address cost of green hydrogen technologies
Chemistry’s Svitlana Pylypenko is looking for answers to questions of cost, durability and performance at the microscopic — and even nano — scale.
The appeal of green hydrogen is clear, but before hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies can be adopted on a commercial scale, questions of cost, durability and performance still need to be addressed. July 10, 2023.
Mines researchers discovering new ceramic materials to support the hydrogen economy 7/10/2023
Mines researchers discovering new ceramic materials to support the hydrogen economy
Ryan O’Hayre and his team are focused on the development of protonic ceramics, with applications in all sorts of electrochemical energy conversion technologies.
Electrolysis plays a significant role in sourcing hydrogen for use in fuel cells and other energy technologies. But the ceramic materials used in the electrolysis process must withstand unique stresses and conditions to operate efficiently. July 10, 2023.
Mines team creating hydrogen membranes for use in nuclear fusion power plants 7/10/2023
Mines team creating hydrogen membranes for use in nuclear fusion power plants
The project, led by Chemical and Biological Engineering’s Colin Wolden, is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
Fusion, the process that powers the sun and the stars, has long been a part of the conversation about low-carbon sources of electricity. Unlike nuclear power generated through fission, less waste is generated as a byproduct of fusion. However, there isn’t currently a process that successfully produces power through fusion in a way that is cost effective, efficient and safe.
Green hydrogen: Colorado School of Mines researchers empowering future of energy 7/10/2023
Green hydrogen: Colorado School of Mines researchers empowering future of energy
A closer look at hydrogen’s role in the energy transition and the Mines researchers working on this critical challenge.
Hydrogen has emerged as a key player in the energy transition, identified by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier” that has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a variety of sectors. July 10, 2023.
China Controls Minerals That Run the World—and It Just Fired a Warning Shot at U.S. 7/7/2023
China Controls Minerals That Run the World—and It Just Fired a Warning Shot at U.S.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how Beijing’s export restrictions on two minerals this week show it is willing to use its dominance to rock Western supply chains. China’s decision this week to restrict the export of two minerals used in semiconductors, solar panels and missile systems was more than a trade salvo. It was a reminder of its dominant hold over the world’s mineral resources. July 7, 2023.
RENEWABLE ENERGY IN AFRICA: KENYA’S SUCCESS AND ITS POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION IN ANGOLA 7/6/23
Renewable Energy in Africa: Kenya’s Success and its Possible Implementation in Angola
Payne Institute student researcher Yara Alexandra Lima writes about how Africa represents some of the world’s largest reserves of both renewable and non-renewable energy sources, however, it accounts for half of the world’s power deficit. Many African countries are working towards developing their energy sector and, consequently, improving their economic, social, and political framework. This paper will discuss the key strategies employed by Kenya to develop its energy sector and increase its electrification rate, and the possibility of applying these policies in other African countries, namely Angola. July 6, 2023.
China Fires a Fresh Salvo in the Chip War 7/6/2023
China Fires a Fresh Salvo in the Chip War
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how Beijing’s export restrictions on two metals may not be a death blow, but they are likely to serve as a warning shot. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen began a key diplomatic trip to Beijing on Thursday, just days after China unveiled new metal export restrictions and warned of stronger countermeasures—escalatory moves designed to showcase its geopolitical leverage and willingness to hit back at Western measures. July 6, 2023.
Professor Carol Dahl receives OPEC Award for research 7/5/2023
Professor Carol Dahl receives OPEC Award for research
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Carol Dahl received an OPEC Award for Research that was given in recognition of a career dedicated to the objective study and balanced analysis of the energy sector. This award, established in 2004, honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to enhancing knowledge of the petroleum industry and oil-related issues (on page 38). July 5, 2023.
The Global Energy Landscape 7/5/2023
The Global Energy Landscape
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is on this podcast discussing the intersection of policy and climate technology, how to drive energy access in the global south, Dr. Bazilian’s work at the UN and World Bank, how to facilitate the energy transition in the U.S., the importance of community engagement, and many other topics. July 5, 2023.
NDAA takes aim at critical mineral supply chain 6/30/2023
NDAA takes aim at critical mineral supply chain
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the Pentagon needs to address reliance on Chinese-dominated weapons materials, lawmakers say. Lawmakers are mulling a slew of new authorities and reporting requirements designed to shore up the U.S. supply chain of critical minerals as tensions with China deepen. June 30, 2023.
Payne Institute Responsible Gas Initiative Report 6/30/2023
Payne Institute Responsible Gas Initiative Report
In early March 2023, the Payne Institute for Public Policy convened the inaugural Responsible Gas Symposium in Golden, Colorado. This report summarizes some of the major themes of discussion and lessons learned during and after the symposium, amid increasingly urgent domestic and international efforts to reduce methane emissions from all sectors of the economy, including the oil and natural gas industry. June 30, 2023.
The U.S. Strategic Minerals Situation Is Critical 6/30/2023
The U.S. Strategic Minerals Situation Is Critical
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how desperate to diversify away from Beijing, Washington is ramping up efforts to jump-start its struggling domestic industry. Washington’s focus on plugging strategic vulnerabilities amid worsening U.S.-China relations has also reignited U.S. efforts to control crucial, yet often overlooked, materials: critical minerals. June 30, 2023.
The 2023 CCNow Journalism Awards Finalists 6/28/2023
The 2023 CCNow Journalism Awards – Finalists
The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group contributed satellite imagery to this 2023 CCNow Finalist for Journalism Award (Up In Flames article in Reuters) that analyzed the flaring sites across Mexico. The article is about how gas flaring soars in Mexico, derailing its climate change pledges as it seeks to boost oil output. The new data suggests that in spite of signing an international pledge to reduce methane emissions, Mexico is moving in the opposite direction from a global push to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas production. June 28, 2023.
Rising Costs’ Impact on Renewable Power Generation 6/27/2023
Rising Costs’ Impact on Renewable Power Generation
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler and student researcher Mason Shandy write about how the inflationary pressures that have gripped the global economy over the last 18 months, along with central banks’ efforts to lessen them, are weighing on the economics of building new power generation. Despite recent evidence of some moderation in these inflationary pressures, it is reasonable to expect that they will persist for some time. These higher costs disproportionately impact development of variable renewable energy (VRE), such as wind and solar, and in emerging market (EM) economies. June 27, 2023.
A new attempt at building a carbon futures market 6/27/2023
A new attempt at building a carbon futures market
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how Climate Impact X is the latest operator to try to foster exchange-based trade in voluntary carbon credits. Singapore-based Climate Impact X (CIX) launched its CIX Exchange for the voluntary carbon market (VCM) in early June to some fanfare about the city-state’s carbon trading ambitions. It is the carbon industry’s latest attempt to foster the growth of exchange-based trading in the VCM, as well as of a futures business. June 27, 2023.
HONG KONG UNIVERSITY WELCOMES CFCC PH.D. CANDIDATE CHARLIE MEISEL! 6/26/2023
HONG KONG UNIVERSITY WELCOMES CFCC PH.D. CANDIDATE CHARLIE MEISEL!
Ph.D. Candidate Charlie Meisel was welcomed to present his research from the Colorado Fuel Cell Center to Prof. Francesco Ciucci and his research team at the School of Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The visit in June of 2023 provided Charlie with an outstanding perspective on the research underway by Prof. Ciucci and his team, and the exciting developments in materials research in Hong Kong. Charlie also got enjoy some time in the wonderful city of Hong Kong. We thank Prof. Cuicci and his team for their hospitality. June 26, 2023.
Understanding America’s technological tit-for-tat with China 6/25/2023
Understanding America’s technological tit-for-tat with China
Fabian Villalobos and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the U.S. and China engage in a decades long, high stakes, increasingly brutal game, elbowing one another to gain and maintain advantage across several technological and manufacturing capabilities. This tit-for-tat has most recently led to sweeping legislation in the U.S., such as the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to stymie China’s technological innovation and dominance over supply chains, especially for advanced products that are crucial for modern economies and warfare. June 25, 2023.
The pros and cons of getting cobalt from Idaho 6/22/2023
The pros and cons of getting cobalt from Idaho
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Elizabeth Holley is featured on a news show discussing the prospects of cobalt mining in the U.S. amid heightened demand for EV batteries. She says the U.S. lacks cobalt processing plants but Idaho’s cobalt belt has potential for producing the mineral. June 22, 2023.
Q&A: Mines’ first director of federal relations a bridge between university, federal government 6/21/2023
Q&A: Mines’ first director of federal relations a bridge between university, federal government
Andrew Lattanner joined Mines in 2023 after more than a decade working in the U.S. Congress.
Ensuring Mines is a top-of-mind and first-choice partner for federal labs, funding agencies and policymakers is a big job. June 21, 2023.
Why China dominates the world’s EV supply chain 6/20/2023
Why China dominates the world’s EV supply chain
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this podcast discussing that after a rare visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing this week, a group of lawmakers are meeting with American car companies to urge them to lessen their reliance on Chinese electric vehicle parts — especially batteries. To build its refining capacity, the U.S. will have to cite, permit and develop infrastructure, which is hard to accomplish. June 20, 2023.
Price volatility, human rights, and decarbonization challenges in global solar supply chains 6/17/2023
Price volatility, human rights, and decarbonization challenges in global solar supply chains
Payne Institute Fellow Dustin Mulvaney and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how from 2020 through 2022 the solar industry experienced supply chain disruptions that caused price increases and trade restrictions, causing project delays and cancelations. Fixing the weak links in solar supply chain, where a significant sourcing is from China, will require multiple interventions that diversify the geography of manufacturing and lead some countries to re-shore production. Increased attention to sustainability and low carbon manufacturing initiatives through public policy, standards, and certification would hasten these developments and maximize the benefits of solar investments. June 17, 2023.
GLOBAL ENERGY FUTURE INITIATIVE BRINGS INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE TABLE 6/9/2023
GLOBAL ENERGY FUTURE INITIATIVE BRINGS INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE TABLE
Mines Global Energy Future Initiative (GEFI) is creating partnerships to forge solutions for society’s greatest energy challenges. But creating effective partnerships that address many facets of a problem is tricky. Mines has expertise across the gamut of disciplines required to tackle these problems and a new framework for the interdisciplinary research needed to spark innovation and attract external partners. Mines has put together a powerhouse list of energy-related experts and our connections to industry and other partners to build a structure for unprecedented collaboration. June 9, 2023.
Analyzing a deadly confrontation to understand the roots of conflict in artisanal and small-scale mining: A case study from Arequipa, Peru 6/7/2023
Analyzing a deadly confrontation to understand the roots of conflict in artisanal and small-scale mining: A case study from Arequipa, Peru
Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone, Faculty Fellow Nicole M. Smith, Eliseo Zeballos Zeballos, Rolando Quispe Aquino, Ubaldo Tapia Huamaní, Jerónimo Miguel Gutiérrez Soncco, Guido Salas, Zacarias Madariaga Coaquira, Jose Herrera Bedoya write about how conflicts around large-scale mining are common and widely researched, but artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) features sparingly in the mining conflict literature, despite the prevalence of ASM conflicts. This paper examines ASM conflicts, focusing on a central case study from Arequipa, Peru, where violence between rival ASM groups and a mining company resulted in 15 deaths between 2020 and 2022. June 7, 2023.
Zimbabwe’s Attack on Carbon Offsets 6/6/2023
Zimbabwe’s attack on carbon offsets
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how Zimbabwe’s announcement that it is canceling all carbon offset contracts in its borders and demanding a larger government share of any new ones is wearily familiar to those who have experience with resource nationalization. But tearing up contracts can only set a bad precedent for developing economies seeking to attract investment that might benefit their communities. June 6, 2023.
Colorado (CDPHE/AQD) Rule Making Verifying Methane Emissions Reporting 6/5/2023
Colorado (CDPHE/AQD) Rule Making Verifying Methane Emissions Reporting
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, and Student Researchers Ebenezer Manful-Sam, Wyatt Lindsey and Pierluigi Nichilo write about how reducing greenhouse gases, especially methane emissions, from oil and gas production activities is one of the major themes of regulatory actions both at state, provincial and federal levels in North America as part of society’s path for addressing climate change. One of the biggest barriers for methane reduction is not financial or technology, but rather a lack of rigorous and transparent data. In 2021, Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission adopted a rule that limits how much greenhouse gas can be emitted per barrel of oil and gas produced. June 5, 2023.
Cobalt mineralogy at the Iron Creek deposit, Idaho cobalt belt, USA: Implications for domestic critical mineral production 6/2/2023
Cobalt mineralogy at the Iron Creek deposit, Idaho cobalt belt, USA: Implications for domestic critical mineral production
Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Elizabeth Holley, Erik Spiller, Rod Eggert and others co-wrote this paper about how current U.S. policies aim to establish domestic supply chains of critical minerals for the energy transition. The Iron Creek deposit in the Idaho cobalt belt (ICB) is one of the most promising cobalt (Co) targets. Our case study illustrates the importance of mineralogy in strategic evaluations of critical mineral potential. June 2, 2023.
The United States Needs a Shift in Perspective on Mining 6/1/2023
The United States Needs a Shift in Perspective on Mining
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Program Manager Simon Lomax write about how the energy transition involves more than a move away from high-carbon fuels to low- and zero-carbon fuels. It also entails the fundamental reorganization of the global economy around so-called critical minerals—the metals and other raw materials needed to build electric cars, solar panels, power lines, and other technologies that cut carbon emissions. The United States needs to build new mines and expand existing mines. Rather than stop digging, the United States needs to start. June 1, 2023.
Why we must act now on critical minerals for a greener future 5/26/2023
Why we must act now on critical minerals for a greener future
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Simon Moores write about how critical minerals are vital for modern technology and the advent of electric vehicles have driven them to the top of the geopolitical agenda. However, there is a big gap between supply and demand, as well as a disconnect between miners and users of these key raw materials. Stakeholders must act now to enable the energy storage revolution, with decisions made now impacting the geopolitical order of the next century. May 26, 2023.
Mines researchers working to understand critical materials deposits within Earth’s subsurface 5/25/2023
Mines researchers working to understand critical materials deposits within Earth’s subsurface
Center to Advance the Science of Exploration to Reclamation in Mining is focused on finding efficient, sustainable workflows to improve supply chain
A renewable, green future full of electric cars, wind turbines, solar panels and smart technology is on the horizon. But for the sun to rise in this new dawn, these devices must be manufactured. Doing so requires a supply of certain minerals—often rare earth elements—with unique magnetic, catalytic and luminescent properties. May 25, 2023.
Saudi to play significant part in mineral supply 5/24/2023
Saudi to play significant part in mineral supply
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian discussed how Saudi Arabia’s entry to the mineral supply equation is “significant.” The intent for Saudi Arabia to be a key player in the mineral supply chain for the critical minerals space was there in Saudi Arabia, as well as the building blocks to have a downstream presence through processing industries. This was, however, not without its challenges. May 24, 2023.
EV manufacturers look ahead amid high lithium demand 5/24/2023
What You Should Do Is What You Can Do 5/23/2023
What You Should Do Is What You Can Do
Payne Institute Research Associate Baba Freeman is on this podcast discussing how as the world shifts toward green technology, how can African countries with abundant rare mineral reserves navigate and benefit from this change? What role do global financial systems play in responsibly investing in these minerals? With an in-depth analysis of the implications for developing countries in Africa and across the globe. May 23, 2023.
Chevron’s $7.6B purchase of PDC Energy creates the biggest oil and gas company in Colorado 5/23/2023
Chevron’s $7.6B purchase of PDC Energy creates the biggest oil and gas company in Colorado
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler contributed to this article about how the Denver-based PDC Energy’s share price sagged under concerns over increased regulation, but the company has received 1,000 drilling permits in the last 10 months. Chevron Corp. is buying PDC Energy in a $7.6 billion deal that will make it by far and away the largest oil and gas producer in Colorado and continues a trend in the state of bigger companies gobbling up smaller ones. May 23, 2023.
What are critical minerals – and why are they key to a greener future? 5/23/023
What are critical minerals – and why are they key to a greener future?
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Simon Moores write about how critical minerals – the once forgotten elements crucial to modern day technology – have made it to the top of the geopolitical agenda. A global battery arms race, driven by the advent of electric vehicles (EVs), has seen a step change in demand for lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earths. A supply demand mismatch, especially for lithium, has created a tremendous raw material disconnect between those building gigafactories and EVs – and those that mine these elements critical for their function. May 23, 2023.
Feds allot $33 million to study carbon capture and storage in Pueblo region 5/22/2023
Feds allot $33 million to study carbon capture and storage in Pueblo region
Mines Global Energy Future Integrated CCUS Initiative Director Manika Prasad is leading the team from the Colorado School of Mines, the Los Alamos National Library and a private company, Carbon America, that were recently awarded a $32.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study carbon capture and storage in the Pueblo area. May 22, 2023.
Ensuring Sustainable Supply of Critical Minerals for a Clean, Just and Inclusive Energy Transition 5/22/2023
Ensuring Sustainable Supply of Critical Minerals for a Clean, Just and Inclusive Energy Transition
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and other researchers write about how the global clean energy transition involves large-scale deployment of a suite of renewable energy, energy storage and other new technologies. These are highly mineral-intensive and accelerated adoption of such technologies will significantly increase the demand for critical minerals (CMs). Challenges to sustainable supply of CMs include inadequate investment in mining, increased and more volatile prices, higher supply risks, negative environmental and social impacts, concerns about corruption, misuse of public finances, and weak governance. May 22, 2023.
Harnessing the VCM to retire orphaned oil and gas wells 5/19/2023
Harnessing the VCM to retire orphaned oil and gas wells
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Manager Brad Handler writes about how the American Carbon Registry (ACR), a greenhouse gas registry, has released a methodology for creating carbon offset credits from plugging orphaned oil and gas wells. These offset credits will be the first of their type to be issued through a major registry for the voluntary carbon market (VCM). May 19, 2023.
Colorado School of Mines and Carbon America awarded $32.6M from U.S. Department of Energy CarbonSAFE Initiative 5/19/2023
Colorado School of Mines and Carbon America awarded $32.6M from U.S. Department of Energy CarbonSAFE Initiative
Mines Director of Global Energy Future Initiative – Integrated CCUS Initiative Manika Prasad is part of a team of Mines researchers that received funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the development of a regional CO2 storage hub in concert with local stakeholders. Colorado School of Mines, Carbon America and Los Alamos National Laboratory have been awarded $32.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) initiative to advance the development of a potential carbon storage hub for the Pueblo, Colorado area. May 19, 2023.
Colorado School of Mines launches interdisciplinary research initiative to tackle “forever chemicals” 5/18/2023
Colorado School of Mines launches interdisciplinary research initiative to tackle “forever chemicals”
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Christopher Higgins, Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be the lead investigator of the new initiative. PFAS@Mines will focus on development of treatment strategies for most challenging PFAS sites, improved methods to characterize human exposure. May 18, 2023.
Colorado gets $32 million to create carbon-stuffing hub underground at Pueblo 5/18/2023
Colorado gets $32 million to create carbon-stuffing hub underground at Pueblo
The Colorado School of Mines Global Energy Future Integrated CCUS Initiative received $32 million from the federal Department of Energy to study and develop a carbon sequestration hub in southern Colorado, considered a key to meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals in coming years. The hub will be located in the Pueblo area, where massive carbon emissions from two power plants and cement kiln, among other major carbon producers, may need to be stuffed underground to meet state and U.S. climate change targets. The large DOE grant gives School of Mines and partners — including Los Alamos National Laboratory — financing to define and drill test sites, and set the boundaries for a carbon sink in the Lyons Sandstone formation thousands of feet beneath Pueblo County. May 18, 2023.
Ambitious EPA Rules to Face Stark Permitting Reality 5/17/2023
Ambitious EPA Rules to Face Stark Permitting Reality
Payne Institute Program Manager’s Anna Littlefield and Brad Handler, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how in early May EPA proposed major new carbon emissions standards for coal and many gas-fired electric power plants. Prominent among the options is carbon capture and storage (CCS)—this represents a unique and significant possibility for the technology. The proposal highlights the pressing need to accelerate permitting of CO2 pipelines and injection wells. May 17, 2023.
Colorado is writing the national blueprint on ozone control 5/17/2023
Colorado is writing the national blueprint on ozone control
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Program Manager Simon Lomax, and Deputy Director Greg Clough write an opinion piece on how Colorado has done the hard work on energy and environment, but it promises historic results — and it was almost undone by state legislators demanding even more regulations. May 17, 2023.
China’s Consolidation of Rare Earth Elements Sector 5/12/23
China’s Consolidation of Rare Earth Elements Sector
Payne Institute student researcher Tinzar Htun writes about how today China is the biggest global supplier of rare earth elements (REEs), accounting for around 70 percent of global mine production (1.2 million tons) in 2022. More importantly, China holds the dominant role in the downstream process of REE, separating and processing. The partial shutdown of the Lynas facility in Malaysia will grant China near-exclusive control over the production and distribution of REEs in the global market. May 12, 2023.
Biden is scrambling for minerals. This U.S. cobalt mine just closed. 5/12/2023
Biden is scrambling for minerals. This U.S. cobalt mine just closed.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how White House clean energy adviser John Podesta this week touted a cobalt mine in Idaho as just one example of a new domestic critical mineral project getting permits and coming online to support a booming electric vehicle industry. There’s just one problem: The mine quietly stopped construction in late March, a victim not of government red tape but of the vagaries of a global marketplace. May 12, 2023.
Russia’s War in Ukraine: Green Policies in a New Energy Geopolitics 5/8/2023
Russia’s War in Ukraine: Green Policies in a New Energy Geopolitics
Payne Institute Fellow Andreas Goldthau and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how Russia’s brutal aggression has wreaked devastation in Ukraine for more than a year. It has also forced a fundamental rethink of geopolitics. Central to that new thinking is the role of energy security and how to manage the insecurities created by the lopsided dependencies exposed by the conflict. May 8, 2023.
Avoiding old geopolitical paradigms for new energy challenges 5/4/2023
Avoiding old geopolitical paradigms for new energy challenges
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how the US needs critical minerals for the energy transition, but its strategy for securing supplies should not mirror its approach to fossil fuels. Washington has clearly woken up to the need to secure critical raw minerals (CRM), but it risks overlaying old frameworks onto new challenges. May 4, 2023.
How can we decarbonize the metals industry? Mines researchers are working toward the answers. 5/3/2023
How can we decarbonize the metals industry? Mines researchers are working toward the answers
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow John Speer is featured in this article about how in the U.S. and around the world, there’s a push to cut greenhouse gas emissions by the metals industry. Decarbonization in the metals industry has already begun in the United States, and we’re one of the cleanest steel industries in the world. May 3, 2023.
CUSTOM SKI DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING EVENT HIGHLIGHTED BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS 5/1/2023
CUSTOM SKI DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING EVENT HIGHLIGHTED BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
Owen Hildreth, Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor at Colorado School of Mines, sponsored a manufacturing education event with partners Denver Art Street and Community Skis. Eight artists from the Denver urban area were selected to design and manufacture custom skis. Art Street, a Denver based non-profit creative provides industry training programs for underserved youth. Community Skis provides education based ski fabricating workshops. The three partners were highlighted recently by Rocky Mountain PBS. Funding for the event was provided by Colorado Fuel Cell Center at the Colorado School of Mines and from the National Science Foundation. May 1, 2023.
The Mining Boom is Coming, but Where Can Their Workers Live? 4/28/2023
The Mining Boom is Coming, but Where Can Their Workers Live?
Payne Institute Research Associate Caitlin McKennie writes about how building out a robust talent pipeline for the mining sector through providing quality jobs to workers and advancement opportunities (i.e., training, upskilling, and next skilling efforts) will be a central factor for ramping up domestic critical mineral production and strengthening U.S. energy security. Yet, the labor force associated with nonfuel mineral mining in the U.S. has remained roughly stagnate over the last five years, and aligns with new statistics coming from employers. April 28, 2023.
Applying Post-Quantum Cryptography – Survey and Application of Machine Learning 4/26/23
Applying Post-Quantum Cryptography – Survey and Application of Machine Learning
Payne Institute student researcher Mack Osborne writes about how quantum computing poses a considerable threat in the world of cyber security. Policy makers are largely unprepared for a post-quantum world, significantly due to a lack of understanding and awareness. The goal of this paper is to improve understanding and provide a new and effective way to analyze post-quantum cryptography, for researchers and security engineers alike. April 26, 2023.
Chile Is Nationalizing Lithium. It May Not Go How Nervous Investors Expect. 4/25/2023
Chile Is Nationalizing Lithium. It May Not Go How Nervous Investors Expect.
Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how lithium is one of the renewable energy transition’s most crucial minerals, primarily for its use in electric vehicle batteries. Chile is the world’s second-largest producer of lithium, and has the largest reserves. So, when Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced his intention on Thursday to nationalize the country’s lithium industry, it provoked strong reactions. April 25, 2023.
Critical Minerals and China, With Morgan Bazilian 4/25/2023
Critical Minerals and China, With Morgan Bazilian
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is on this podcast discussing why critical minerals have emerged as a major issue in the U.S.-China geopolitical competition. Topics include critical minerals, foreign policy, national security, and China. April 25, 2023.
Decarbonizing the cement and concrete industry: A systematic review of socio-technical systems, technological innovations, and policy options 4/23/2023
Decarbonizing the cement and concrete industry: A systematic review of socio-technical systems, technological innovations, and policy options
Payne Institute Fellow Steve Griffiths, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Dylan D. Furszyfer Del Rio, Aoife M. Foley, Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Jinsoo Kim, and Joao M. Uratani write about how although concrete has become an essential and ubiquitous construction material for modern society, its use has significant environmental impacts. This paper describes the CCI’s sociotechnical system and energy and environmental impacts, highlights barriers and opportunities for CCI decarbonization, outlines technologies and policies to mitigate negative CCI impacts, and proposes gaps and future agendas for CCI decarbonization research. April 23, 2023.
Biden’s EV bet is a gamble on critical minerals 4/18/2023
Biden’s EV bet is a gamble on critical minerals
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the Biden administration’s electric vehicle plan bets the U.S. will be able to secure enough critical minerals to electrify up to two-thirds of the nation’s new cars within less than a decade. But industry experts say the plan rests on assumptions that are bullish given volatility in the still-burgeoning mineral markets, a disconnect that could undermine one of President Joe Biden’s most aggressive climate rules. April 18, 2023.
Petroleum engineering faculty cracking open enhanced geothermal energy 4/17/2023
Petroleum engineering faculty cracking open enhanced geothermal energy
Oil and gas techniques find new life when water turns to energy in subsurface wells.
As the U.S. transitions to clean energy and a net-zero carbon future, renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, are becoming commonplace. But beneath the surface lies another, less visible but still viable alternative: geothermal energy. April 17, 2023.
The Critical Minerals Club 4/14/2023
The Critical Minerals Club
Payne Institute Fellow Cullen Hendrix and Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the United States and allies aim to sidestep reliance on China for the materials needed for clean tech and advanced defense gear. U.S. lawmakers are scrambling to weaken China’s grip on the critical mineral supply chains that are key to the global energy transition, as escalating tensions stoke fears of strategic vulnerabilities and potential geopolitical disruptions. April 14, 2023.
CURTIN UNIVERSITY AND THE WESTERN AUSTRALIA SCHOOL OF MINES WELCOMES CFCC RESEARCHERS 4/18/2023
CURTIN UNIVERSITY AND THE WESTERN AUSTRALIA SCHOOL OF MINES WELCOMES CFCC RESEARCHERS
Professor Neal Sullivan and Ph.D. candidate Charlie Meisel of the Colorado Fuel Cell Center are visiting the Western Australia School of Mines (WASM) at Curtin University. The two are being hosted by John Curtin Distinguished Professor Zongping Shao and his Curtin research team over the first half of 2023. Both the CFCC and the WASM research groups share core competency in materials development for green-hydrogen production. Charlie is working directly with WASM Ph.D. students and research staff to develop novel high-entropy perovskite materials to serve as steam electrodes for high-efficiency solid-oxide electrolyzers. These new materials have promise for boosting durability of next-generation fuel cells, electrolyzers, and membrane reactors. Prof. Sullivan is engaging WASM faculty to develop collaborations with the many mining companies located in Western Australia, including BHP and Fortescue Metals Group. Prof. Sullivan was named the 2023 Fulbright Scholar in Resources and Energy at Curtin to support his six-month sabbatical. This research exchange builds on shared values of the Colorado and Western Australia Schools of Mines; both schools have maintained their commitments to stewardship of our natural resources, making for natural partners with mutual ambitions to promote sustainable growth for the communities of both countries. April 18, 2023.
Colorado School of Mines partners with Aquagga to commercialize PFAS destruction technology 4/11/2023
Colorado School of Mines partners with Aquagga to commercialize PFAS destruction technology
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins is featured in this article about how Mines researchers developed HALT-PFAS. This promising technology for the destruction of so-called “forever chemicals” developed by Colorado School of Mines researchers has been licensed by a cleantech startup that aims to use the Mines-patented process to halt the growing environmental and public health challenge posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. April 11, 2023.
Critical Mineral Mining and Sustainable Development in Africa 4/10/23
Critical Mineral Mining and Sustainable Development in Africa
Payne Institute student researcher Mama Nissi Abanga Abugnaba writes about how as a continent with abundant natural resources, such as large reserves of vital minerals, Africa could play a critical role in facilitating the energy transition. This will be possible through a just energy transition that supports the retention of jobs, social aid for affected workers, upskilling of current employees, environmental restoration, and the development of local businesses. April 10, 2023.
Mines to host high-level event on mining and development in the Americas
Mines to host high-level event on mining and development in the Americas
The Colorado School of Mines and the Payne Institute are hosting a Cities Summit Side Event – Partners in Development – Mining and Cities in the Americas on Tuesday, April 25. U.S. State Department Under Secretary Jose W. Fernandez will be among the high-level representatives in attendance. This event will provide mining sector stakeholders with visibility on past successes and future challenges for the mining industry and cities in the Americas as partners in development. April 10, 2023.
UNLEASH THE DEEP SEA ROBOTS? A QUANDARY AS EV MAKERS HUNT FOR METAL 4/5/2023
UNLEASH THE DEEP SEA ROBOTS? A QUANDARY AS EV MAKERS HUNT FOR METAL
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about why car companies are avoiding a vast source of battery components at the bottom of the ocean. EV manufacturers who need the minerals for their batteries are distancing themselves from the practice as diplomats and scientists sound an alarm over the ecological damage that could be caused by rushing to scrape the seafloor. April 5, 2023.
2023 GLOBAL GAS FLARING TRACKER REPORT 4/5/2023
2023 GLOBAL GAS FLARING TRACKER REPORT
The Payne Institute Earth Observation Group satellite data team provided gas flaring data for the 2023 World Bank annual Global Gas Flaring Report. April 5, 2023.
Lithium is becoming more crucial in a warming world, but Maine’s huge deposits may never be mined because of environmental concerns 4/1/2023
Lithium is becoming more crucial in a warming world, but Maine’s huge deposits may never be mined because of environmental concerns
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how in Maine, on the north side of Plumbago Mountain, the ore of a newly precious and highly sought metal: lithium, a vital ingredient of a carbon-free future, essential for running electric cars and storing solar energy is in vast supply. But none of their ore is being mined here. The state has refused to allow it, citing Maine’s strict environmental laws. April 1, 2023.
Big questions loom around EV tax guidance 3/31/2023
Big questions loom around EV tax guidance
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how the Biden administration on Friday released guidance that it hopes will alter the landscape for electric vehicles by pivoting the nation from gas-guzzling cars and bolster its aggressive climate goals. But major questions remain around exactly how the new tax regime will keep out China-linked cars, components and minerals; whether and how the federal government can enforce the law; whether industry can scale up fast enough; and how many EVs will qualify for the $7,500-per-vehicle credit under last year’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act. March 31, 2023.
Voluntary carbon markets’ growth challenges 3/31/2023
Voluntary carbon markets’ growth challenges
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how the 20th anniversary of the US’ biggest carbon conference, North America Carbon World, was held last week and conference participants voiced concerns over public perception and difficulties integrating carbon instruments into broad investment portfolios. March 31, 2023.
Six bold steps towards net-zero industry 3/30/2023
Six bold steps towards net-zero industry
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, Jinsoo Kim, and Fellow Steven Griffiths write about how the rapid and deep decarbonization of global industry is key to reaching climate policy targets, yet it remains an incredibly difficult challenge. They propose six bold steps for accelerating progress on achieving net-zero industrial carbon emissions by mid-century with a focus on lessons learned and emerging analysis from both the Global North and Global South, the latter of which we consider as low or middle income countries primarily located in Africa, Asia and Latin America. March 30, 2023.
How to foster US mineral trade with Africa 3/28/2023
How to foster US mineral trade with Africa
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, Student Researcher Juliet Akamboe, and ESG Research Associate Baba Freeman write about how Vice President Kamala Harris will be in sub-Saharan Africa this week as part of the Biden administration’s effort to strengthen its diplomatic and economic relationships in the region. The U.S. has the opportunity to leverage trade policy to our advantage, with the potential benefits including strengthening clean energy supply chains — especially in light of intense investment and diplomacy by China on the sub-continent. March 28, 2023.
Samples from Front Range oil and gas wells detect seeping natural gas, benzene and other chemicals 3/22/2023
Samples from Front Range oil and gas wells detect seeping natural gas, benzene and other chemicals
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer Miskimins contributes to this article about Colorado regulators say the subset of wells tested were known to be troubled, and many have already been plugged and abandoned. Natural gas and chemicals may be seeping through compromised barriers in northeastern Colorado oil and gas wells, according to a federal study, but state regulators and other researchers caution that analysis may overstate the problem. March 22, 2023.
Samples from Front Range oil and gas wells detect seeping natural gas, benzene and other chemicals 3/22/2023
Samples from Front Range oil and gas wells detect seeping natural gas, benzene and other chemicals
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer Miskimins contributes to this article about Colorado regulators say the subset of wells tested were known to be troubled, and many have already been plugged and abandoned. Natural gas and chemicals may be seeping through compromised barriers in northeastern Colorado oil and gas wells, according to a federal study, but state regulators and other researchers caution that analysis may overstate the problem. March 22, 2023.
Mines researchers aim to improve understanding of water’s role in climate change 3/17/2023
Mines researchers aim to improve understanding of water’s role in climate change
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Adrienne Marshall is featured in this article about how as emissions change snowpack melt, hydropower generation could fail in the near future. Marshall’s research, which is supported by a National Science Foundation IGERT grant and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, focuses on understanding how climate change impacts snow hydrology, such as how snow drifts change and how precipitation intensity mitigates or exacerbates the effects of warming on winter snowmelt. March 17, 2023.
America’s Military Depends on Minerals That China Controls 3/16/2023
America’s Military Depends on Minerals That China Controls
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Emily H. Holland, and Fellow Joshua Busby write about how rethinking supply chains is vital for U.S. security. The crucial role of supply chains and logistics in military operations. Simply stated, supply chains win wars and save lives. Materials need to be in the right place at the right time. March 16, 2023.
The Global Competition for Critical Minerals with Morgan Bazilian 3/16/2023
The Global Competition for Critical Minerals with Morgan Bazilian
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on the Energy Security Cubed podcast discussing the shift to clean energy, and how America must rethink supply chains amid the growing global competition over critical minerals. March 16, 2023.
How to get the minerals we need in a clean energy future 3/15/2023
How to get the minerals we need in a clean energy future
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how securing the critical minerals we need for a green energy future will require cleaning up mining practices, boosting recycling and innovating to be less dependent on them altogether. Technological innovation can help improve the environmental footprint of these processes. March 15, 2023.
Colorado will start putting one of country’s most comprehensive PFAS laws into effect next year 3/15/2023
Colorado will start putting one of country’s most comprehensive PFAS laws into effect next year
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article about how for the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday produced limits on PFAS known as “forever chemicals” in drinking water. It provides guidance for water systems trying to figure out to what level it should limit the presence of the chemicals, which have been connected to serious illnesses including cancer. It will likely mean the addition of costly filtering for many water providers. March 15, 2023.
Filling the hole Silicon Valley Bank left in the climate tech ecosystem 3/15/2023
Filling the hole Silicon Valley Bank left in the climate tech ecosystem
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about the Silicon Valley Bank playing a critical role in the climate tech industry, particularly for early-stage companies. The bank’s recent collapse will be felt even though its depositors will get their money back, as announced by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. March 15, 2023.
EPA announces plans to regulate toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” for the first time, dozens of Colorado water systems affected 3/15/2023
EPA announces plans to regulate toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” for the first time, dozens of Colorado water systems affected
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins was interviewed for this article about how for the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing national legal limits on per- and polyflouroalkyl substances — or PFAS — in public water supplies. The proposed changes could affect dozens of public water utilities across the Centennial State. March 15, 2023
The Regulation of CO2 Pipelines and Ensuring Public Safety 3/15/2023
The Regulation of CO2 Pipelines and Ensuring Public Safety
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and student researcher Dwi Nuraini Siregar write that the 45Q tax credit is anticipated to play an important role in accelerating the expansion of the CO2 pipeline network in the United States by providing a financial incentive for businesses to invest in carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies and supporting infrastructure.The Inflation Reduction Act’s amplification of this credit has already increased the number of CCUS projects. March 15, 2023.
EPA’s proposed change on PFAS limits would deem dozens of Colorado water sources unsafe 3/14/2023
EPA’s proposed change on PFAS limits would deem dozens of Colorado water sources unsafe
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article on how water sources across Colorado contain potentially hazardous levels of the toxins under the new standard. Dozens of water sources across Colorado previously thought to be safe would now violate the federal maximum contaminant level for PFAS, or toxic “forever chemicals,” under a new standard proposed Tuesday. March 14, 2023
Christopher Higgins recognized for PFAS research 3/14/2023
Christopher Higgins recognized for PFAS research
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins and PhD candidate Stefanie Shea were co-authors of paper honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers on on poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. The winning paper detailed research on the use of bench-scale experiments to measure and evaluate the desorption rate kinetics from a vadose zone soil exposed decades ago to aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs). March 14, 2023.
Colorado School of Mines part of multi-university team selected by DoD for social science research 3/13/2023
Colorado School of Mines part of multi-university team selected by DoD for social science research
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Faculty Fellow Mark Deinert will be contributing to research on critical minerals, battery technology, and reducing dependence on hostile suppliers in the clean energy supply chain along with Payne Institute Fellow Professor Joshua Busby, LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, University of Texas, Austin and Professor Emily Holland, U.S. Naval War College. March 13, 2023.
Securing Mineral Supply: Backwards Vertical Integration for Technology Companies 3/9/23
Securing Mineral Supply: Backwards Vertical Integration for Technology Companies
Master of Public Policy, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago student researcher Christian Gaona writes about how the demand for minerals has increased with the growing production of standard technologies, such as EV car batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels. However, major mining companies need help to satisfy the demand at the current rate, leading to inconsistent and expensive supply chains and environmental and geopolitical concerns. Technology companies should consider backward vertical integration strategies to mitigate against risks associated with supply chain issues, which would merge upstream processes essential to companies’ value chains.This article explores how tech companies are best suited to provide the capital and skill sets to overcome the risks associated with mineral extraction and ensure a cleaner, sustainable energy future. March 9, 2023.
The massive quest for the minerals we need in a clean energy future 3/8/2023
The massive quest for the minerals we need in a clean energy future
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the rush toward a clean energy future means digging, extracting and processing the Earth’s resources faster and better than ever before. He says that there is no fundamental medium or even long-term constraint on the resources themselves, but says there is a constraint on investment into mining and then the associated permitting and social license to operate. March 8, 2023.
Mines research team develops new model for gold deposition in low-sulfidation epithermal deposits 3/6/2023
Mines research team develops new model for gold deposition in low-sulfidation epithermal deposits
Findings from the study, conducted by researchers at the Center to Advance the Science of Exploration to Reclamation in Mining, were recently published in the journal Geology
A research team at Colorado School of Mines has proposed a new model for the deposition of gold in low-sulfidation epithermal deposits, one of the most important sources of this precious metal in the United States. March 6, 2023.
Addressing the Need for Accurate and Comparable Greenhouse Gas Data: The COMET Framework
Addressing the Need for Accurate and Comparable Greenhouse Gas Data: The COMET Framework
Former Payne Institute Program Manager Jordy Lee Calderon writes about how the Coalition on Materials Emissions Transparency (COMET) began as a collaboration between the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), RMI (formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Institute), and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN Climate Change). Its objective is to advance accurate and transparent greenhouse gas accounting through a harmonized set of principles, standards, and reporting requirements. March 2, 2023.
Aurora, other communities await first US limits on ‘forever chemicals’ spills at military sites 3/2/2023
Aurora, other communities await first US limits on ‘forever chemicals’ spills at military sites
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributes to this article and states that “It is very clear there is PFOS and PFOA (on Buckley) and they are at orders of magnitude above the health advisory — which is really not a surprise, being that that is very typical for a foam-fire-fighting site.” He went on to add that this is a national-scale issue that is being addressed everywhere in the country. March 2, 2023.
Carbon capture utilization and storage in review: Sociotechnical implications for a carbon reliant world 3/2/2023
Carbon capture utilization and storage in review: Sociotechnical implications for a carbon reliant world
Payne Institute Fellow Steve Griffiths, Director Morgan Bazilian, CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield, student researchers Hope McLaughlin, Maia Menefee, Austin Kinzer, Tobias Hull, along with Benjamin K.Sovacool, and Jinsoo Kim write about how the decarbonization of industry and industrial systems is a pressing challenge given the relative lack of low-carbon options available for “hard to decarbonize” sectors such as steelmaking, cement manufacturing, and chemical production. This review takes a systematic and sociotechnical perspective to examine how CCUS can support industrial decarbonization and relevant associated technical, economic, and social factors. March 2, 2023.
PROFS. SULLIVAN AND O’HAYRE PARTNER WITH BHP ON GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION 3/1/2023
PROFS. SULLIVAN AND O’HAYRE PARTNER WITH BHP ON GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
Professors Neal Sullivan and Ryan O’Hayre are working with the innovation team of BHP to advance green hydrogen production. Dr. Sullivan is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Director of the Colorado Fuel Cell Center (CFCC). Dr. O’Hayre is a Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and a member of Mines’ Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics (CCAC). BHP is supporting the research in their role as an Founding Member to Mines’ newly formed Global Energy Futures Initiative (GEFI). March 1, 2023.
Mines alum carves a new path in clean energy and beyond 3/1/2023
Mines alum carves a new path in clean energy and beyond
A first-generation college student and Iñupiaq, Salina Derichsweiler ’02 believes firmly in the power of education and value of personal agency.
Salina Derichsweiler ’02 has always carved her own path. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, she confessed, but it has given her a unique perspective on life and business that has served her well. Most recently the CEO of the clean energy company Transitional Energy, Derichsweiler is a successful entrepreneur and self-described agent of change who believes firmly in the power of education and the value of personal agency. “I’ve always been the person trying to save the world,” she said. March 1, 2023.
Energy efficient living: Mines professor leads project to refurbish neighborhood 2/28/2023
Energy efficient living: Mines professor leads project to refurbish neighborhood
Paulo Tabares Velasco leads a collaborative project to cut carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency in a Colorado manufactured home community.
Many new-construction houses are designed with energy efficient and carbon emission-reducing features, like solar panels and highly insulated windows. A project led by a Colorado School of Mines professor aims to extend those energy benefits to a whole community of manufactured homes in Colorado. 2/28/2023.
Exclusive: Mexico’s Pemex increased gas flaring at top field, despite pledge to stop 2/28/2023
Exclusive: Mexico’s Pemex increased gas flaring at top field, despite pledge to stop
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin contributes to this article by analyzing satellite data. State oil company Pemex promised late last year that it would stop burning natural gas from a major field in southeast Mexico by mid-January, amid mounting pressure to improve its poor environmental record. But satellite data analyzed by scientists exclusively for Reuters – as well as a visit by reporters to the site – showed that gas flaring from the vast Ixachi field in Veracruz state not only continued, but it increased. February 28, 2003.
How American energy helped Europe best Putin 2/23/2023
How American energy helped Europe best Putin
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how Moscow bet its energy shipments to Europe would stifle the opposition to its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, it sparked a backlash that has dramatically altered global trade. Instead, a flow of American energy has given the United States a growing role in the continent’s economy, while pushing Russia to the side. February 23, 2023.
Mines alum focused on adding value to the energy market 2/22/2023
Mines alum focused on adding value to the energy market
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Rick Tallman ’85, MS ’93 has centered his career around supporting sustainable development and new energy technologies.
Sustainability is often top of mind for entrepreneur and philanthropist Rick Tallman ’85, MS ’93. For the past 15 years as founder and partner at Renova Capital, a Denver-based private equity firm that invests in renewable energy assets, Tallman has worked with dozens of companies to bring new sustainable technologies to market. And through that process, he has focused on ensuring his business not only supports these new products but also has a positive impact on the environment and society. February 22, 2023.
Better methane accounting will mean a faster and cheaper energy transition 2/22/2023
Better methane accounting will mean a faster and cheaper energy transition
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler and Responsible Gas Program Manager Simon Lomax write about how the push for the oil and gas industry to reduce its methane emissions is on. Methane, the major component of natural gas, is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe. In the U.S., the oil and gas industry is the second largest contributor of methane emissions after agriculture. According to the International Energy Agency, the energy sector globally was responsible for 135 million metric tons of methane emissions in 2022 2022 — an increase from the year before. February 22, 2023.
What happens if Suncor’s Colorado refinery closes? Less pollution, loss of jobs and tax revenue — and a big cleanup. 2/21/2023
What happens if Suncor’s Colorado refinery closes? Less pollution, loss of jobs and tax revenue — and a big cleanup.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how Suncor’s Colorado refinery and what would happen if it closes. There’s no indication it’ll happen anytime soon, but neighbors and environmental advocates continue to press issue. The suggestion surfaces almost every time Suncor Energy is in the news in Colorado. Close the refinery. It comes up during permit hearings or when the company is tagged with another air pollution violation or, most recently, with the extended shutdown of its Commerce City operations. February 21, 2023.
Night-Time Detection of Subpixel Emitters with VIIRS Mid-Wave Infrared Bands M12–M13. 2/21/2023
Night-Time Detection of Subpixel Emitters with VIIRS Mid-Wave Infrared Bands M12–M13
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin, Director Christopher D. Elvidge and Alexey Poyda talk about a new approach to subpixel infrared (IR) emitter detection in VIIRS mid-wave (MWIR) infrared bands M12–M13 at night, based on the presence of a tightly clustered background diagonal present in full granule scattergrams of M12 versus M13 radiances. This diagonal is found universally in night-time VIIRS data collected worldwide. The diagonal feature is absent during the day due to solar reflectance. The existence of the diagonal is attributed to close spacing in the bandpass centers of the VIIRS’ two MWIR bands. Februay 21, 2023.
Change Gfanz to save it 2/21/2023
Change Gfanz to save it
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how investor alliance must reconcile push for decarbonisation with responsibility to maximise returns for clients. A widely circulated report in mid-January chastises Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (Gfanz) members for continuing to lend to coal and, oil and gas development. February 21, 2023.
The Global Crux of the Energy Transition: Making Sure Everyone Benefits From the Coming Mining Boom 2/19/2023
The Global Crux of the Energy Transition: Making Sure Everyone Benefits From the Coming Mining Boom
Payne Institute Global Energy Future Initiative Director John Bradford and Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith write about how calls to quickly transition from oil and gas to renewable energy sources grow more urgent, a harsh reality is setting in. The amount of raw materials needed to build out solar panels, wind farms, charging stations, batteries and the like is enormous. The other, often overlooked requirement of the energy transition is the infrastructure needed to manage carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Many of the materials needed for these two infrastructure builds are the same, which only amplifies the challenge. February 19, 2023.
TURNING WASTES TO RARE VALUE
TURNING WASTES TO RARE VALUE
Payne Institute student researcher Hassan Al Hassan writes about how there remain considerable uncertainties surrounding critical mineral supply chains, and their relationship to energy transitions and energy security. There is clear evidence that they will play an increasing role, but the pathways to the future are unclear. As we strive for answers, one clear area to look is in recycling and circular economy concepts. February 16, 2023.
Opinion: To regulate methane emissions, Colorado needs clear data 2/15/2023
Opinion: To regulate methane emissions, Colorado needs clear data
Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Jim Crompton and Jennifer Miskimins write about how greenhouse gas reporting from upstream oil and gas production isn’t new; it’s been required in the United States and Canada since 2010. The long-accepted method of understanding these emissions from industrial sources is a well-established process based on estimates. But recent academic studies have cast doubt on the accuracy of this approach. Now, regulatory agencies are moving towards measuring and moving away from estimating emissions. Yet simply collecting data on methane is not enough. We need to understand the context of where measurements are taken from production operations, what the limitations of new measurement technologies are, and how to use data to tell an accurate and actionable story. February 15, 2023.
Conflict and Copper 2/13/2023
Conflict and Copper
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone write about how the global demand for copper has climbed dramatically in recent years, a trend that is likely to continue apace. Peru is the world’s second largest producer of copper. Yet the clamor for copper is an opportunity that the nation is unable to seize upon at present. Peru is now undergoing severe political upheaval and protests that have brought new attention to the underlying risks in extractive industries and supply chains. Production cuts stemming from protests and blockades could amount to 3 percent of global copper output. February 13, 2023.
A critical review of natural gas emissions certification in the United States
A critical review of natural gas emissions certification in the United States
Payne Institute Faculty Fellows Jim Crompton and Ben Gilbert, write how concerns about the climate and local air impacts of emissions from the oil and gas supply chain have caused a reevaluation of natural gas’ role in a low carbon future. In response, some producers, large purchasers, and investors have pushed to certify some gas deliveries as ‘responsibly-sourced’ or ‘green’, which could give rise to a differentiated gas market. Third-party oil and gas certifications have been under development for several years, however, their focus has historically been on a broader set of societal impacts and risks, and they have typically focused on the upstream sector. Recent advances have been focused on methane emissions and supply chains into the certification process. In this paper they provide a critical review of several prominent natural gas certification processes. February 10, 2023.
Towards multi-scale measurement-informed methane inventories: reconciling bottom-up inventories with top-down measurements using continuous monitoring systems 2/10/2023
Towards multi-scale measurement-informed methane inventories: reconciling bottom-up inventories with top-down measurements using continuous monitoring systems
Payne Institute Student Researcher Will Daniels, Fellow Arvind Ravikumar and Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling write this article that discusses how government policies and corporate strategies aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector increasingly rely on measurement-informed emissions inventories, as conventional bottom-up inventories poorly capture temporal variability and the heavy-tailed nature of methane emissions. This work is based on an 11-month methane measurement campaign at oil and gas production sites. They find that basin and operator-level top-down measurements show lower methane emissions during end-of-project than during baseline 9-months earlier. February 10, 2023.
UK scientists found a way to slash nearly 90% of carbon emissions from the country’s steel industry 2/9/2023
UK scientists found a way to slash nearly 90% of carbon emissions from the country’s steel industry
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jihye Kim contributes to this article and gives her take on steel production that doesn’t use fossil fuels. She finds the strategy very innovative and promising, but also acknowledges there are a few disadvantages. In the end, she says different strategies are needed to decarbonize steel and that multiple techniques can be used at the same time. February 9, 2023
Company moves to Colorado with asteroid mining in its sights 2/8/2023
Company moves to Colorado with asteroid mining in its sights
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Angel Abbud-Madrid is featured on this podcast to talk about the new era of space exploration. February 8, 2023
Nature-Based Carbon Offset Momentum Defies Critics 2/7/2023
Nature-Based Carbon Offset Momentum Defies Critics
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler writes about how a recent trend towards offset crediting at a jurisdictional level is raising funds at a much larger scale than traditional project-based programmes. Climate solutions company Anew Climate in January announced it will deploy a $640mn investment to anchor social enterprise Terra Global Capital’s Terra Bella NBS Carbon Pool. The scheme seeks to preserve forests by committing to purchase carbon offset credits. It is part of a recent movement in offset crediting to work at a jurisdictional level (i.e., an entire country or region) and thus is raising funds at a much larger scale than traditional project-based programmes. February 7, 2023.
Colorado School of Mines, American Gem Trade Association unveil strategic relationship 2/7/2023
Colorado School of Mines, American Gem Trade Association unveil strategic relationship
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Nicole Smith will lead the effort in a multiyear project, that will examine supply chain for at least 10 colored gemstones — sapphire, ruby, emerald, tanzanite and more – supply chains in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. Different types of mining and sizes of operations will be examined as well as different environmental and social contexts. In each location, data on the top colored gemstone export will be analyzed — a minimum of 10 different colored stones will be scrutinized. February 7, 2023.
A forward looking perspective on the cement and concrete industry: Implications of growth and development in the Global South 2/3/2023
A forward looking perspective on the cement and concrete industry: Implications of growth and development in the Global South
Payne Institute Fellow Steve Griffiths, writes about how the cement and concrete industry serves as the foundation for modern infrastructure. Hence, it has a massive global impact on both energy demand and carbon emissions and so is a key focus of industrial decarbonization efforts. The relationship between cement and concrete production and societal development is made more apparent as a result of the limited degree of international trading of these products. 2/3/2023.
Managing the future of water — in the West and beyond 2/2/2023
Managing the future of water — in the West and beyond
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Adrienne Marshall is among Mines alumni and researchers that are at the forefront of U.S. water management challenges, whether that’s through mitigation, water reuse, new water systems or alternative renewable energy systems. The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the southwestern U.S., with nearly 40 million Americans in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming relying on the Colorado River System for drinking water and to support farming and recreation. However, the Colorado River Basin water supply is dwindling, leading to water management challenges and an uncertain future of water in the West. February 2, 2023.
Hydrogen liquefaction and storage: Recent progress and perspectives 2/16/2023
Hydrogen liquefaction and storage: Recent progress and perspectives
Payne Institute Fellow Steve Griffiths, write about how the global energy sector accounts for ∼75% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Low-carbon energy carriers, such as hydrogen, are seen as necessary to enable an energy transition away from the current fossil-derived energy paradigm. Thus, the hydrogen economy concept is a key part of decarbonizing the global energy system. 2/16/2023
PROFESSORS SULLIVAN AND O’HAYRE WIN TWO NEW SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS WITH INDUSTRIAL PARTNER ADAPTIVE ENERGY 2/1/2023
PROFESSORS SULLIVAN AND O’HAYRE WIN TWO NEW SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS WITH INDUSTRIAL PARTNER ADAPTIVE ENERGY
Professors Neal Sullivan and Ryan O’Hayre received notice of two new research and development awards in partnership with fuel-cell developer Adaptive Energy of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both are Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and focus on developing next-generation, high-efficiency fuel cells for military applications (Figure 1). The two awards mark the second and third DoD programs secured by the Mines – Adaptive team in the past six months. February 2, 2023.
The UAE has been a first mover on sustainability 2/1/2023
The UAE has been a first mover on sustainability
Payne Institute Advisory Board Member Nawal Al-Hosany writes an opinion article on how the term sustainability didn’t enter the UAE discourse until the 1980s, but has always been at the heart of the country’s development plans. From an ever-more conscious civil society to governments responsible for planning the long-term prosperity of their citizens, we are all thinking of ways we can meet the needs of today, without compromising the capacities of future generations to thrive. It is fitting then, that with Cop28 to be hosted in the Emirates later this year, the country’s leadership announced 2023 as the Year of Sustainability. February 1, 2023.
With EV batteries in demand, some in GOP say ‘no’ to China 1/30/2023
With EV batteries in demand, some in GOP say ‘no’ to China
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how meeting U.S. goals for electric vehicle adoption may require supplies from China. As Americans snap up electric cars, some Republicans are adopting a tough-on-China stance even for projects that would create jobs for Americans and perhaps advance U.S. battery-manufacturing prowess. Experts say the Chinese presence in the electric-vehicle market is already nearly ubiquitous, that corporate partnership between Chinese and foreign automakers, including those in the U.S., is standard and that reaching America’s climate goals without Chinese technology would be exceedingly difficult. January 30, 2023.
Musical chairs: Analyzing the evolution of stakeholders in Peru’s mining sector through dialogue tables 1/30/2023
Musical chairs: Analyzing the evolution of stakeholders in Peru’s mining sector through dialogue tables
Payne Institute Research Associates Alicia Polo y La Borda Cavero and Aaron Malone, Yezelia Caceres Cabana, and Ronaldo Quinta Soto write about how mining is an important but often contentious activity. Despite substantial research on mining dynamics and conflict, there has been less analysis of the stakeholders. This paper centers stakeholders and analyzes the case of Peru, asking: Who are the stakeholders in dialogues and conflicts around Peru’s mining sector? How have stakeholders changed over time, and how do they vary across contexts? January 30, 2023.
IFC Net Zero Roadmap for Copper and Nickel Value Chains 1/30/2023
IFC Net Zero Roadmap for Copper and Nickel Value Chains
The Payne Institute is a collaborator in the creation of the IFC Net Zero Roadmap for Copper and Nickel Value Chains. The Roadmap is a net zero transition guide that sets out a science-based decarbonization strategy for copper and nickel mining value chain actors. It highlights how mining sector actors can lower their emissions footprints, including scopes 1 and 2, and a subset of scope 3. It shows how to take advantage of the growth in demand coming from end users such as EVs, solar, wind, and storage. And it demonstrates how a net zero strategy offers opportunities to improve broader ESG impacts and performance, access sustainable finance, and contribute to a just energy transition. January 30, 2023.
Pathways to net-zero emissions from aviation 1/30/2023
Pathways to net-zero emissions from aviation
Candelaria Bergero, Payne Institute Fellow Greer Gosnell, Dolf Gielen, Seungwoo Kang, Director Morgan Bazilian and Steven J. Davis write about how international climate goals imply reaching net-zero global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by roughly mid-century (and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the century). Among the most difficult emissions to avoid will be those from aviation given the industry’s need for energy-dense liquid fuels that lack commercially competitive substitutes and the difficult-to-abate non-CO2 radiative forcing. Here we systematically assess pathways to net-zero emissions aviation. January 30, 2023.
Policy Guidelines for Accelerating the Energy Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from the Mobile Telecoms Sector 1-26-2023
Policy Guidelines for Accelerating the Energy Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from the Mobile Telecoms Sector
Payne Institute ESG Research Associate Baba Freeman writes about how Sub-Saharan Africa faces immense challenges in its bid to attract capital to develop its energy resources and grow its economy. Relative to the pace of market penetration of cell phone services in the recent past, the growth in the share of the population with access to electricity has been rather dismal. The comparisons between both sectors are not new and have been made repeatedly over the years. This commentary recognizes that there are substantial differences between both sectors that make direct comparisons and a transfer of policy lessons difficult. January 26, 2023.
Are we about to see a mining boom for EV minerals in the West? 1/26/2023
Are we about to see a mining boom for EV minerals in the West?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this podcast discussing critical minerals and mining in the West. Lange directs the mineral and energy economics program at the Colorado School of Mines and is an expert in mining economics. He discusses what’s going on in the world of critical minerals—specifically those used in electric vehicle batteries. These include cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel and are mostly mined overseas, but we do have some of them here in the U.S. And we could see a big increase in domestic mining for them thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which included subsidies aimed at stimulating mining at home. January 26, 2023.
Financing Utility Scale RE in Developing Countries 1/25/2023
Financing Utility Scale RE in Developing Countries
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler on a podcast discussing how multilateral development banks (MDBs) like the World Bank are increasingly under pressure to find ways that more capital can move into emerging market renewable energy projects. Brad walks the listeners through some recent Energy Transition Mechanisms (or ETMs) and Just Energy Transition (or JET) refinancing projects that aim to close coal plants in the developing world long before the end of their expected lifespans, and replace their generation with renewable power. January 25, 2023.
Batteries Are the Battlefield 1/25/2023
Batteries Are the Battlefield
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Fellow Cullen Hendrix contribute to this article about how the next geopolitical contest may be over green technology, and China, for now, is poised to win control of those supply chains. In the quest for the clean energy revolution, the United States is one of many countries that have ramped up investment in electric vehicles manufacturing and renewable energy sources to power the shift away from fossil fuels. But that is an industry that has already been staked out by another power: China. January 25, 2023.
DOE offers loan to Nevada lithium mine 1/19/2023
DOE offers loan to Nevada lithium mine
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how the move by the US Department of Energy (DOE) is an effort to build up US production of minerals needed for batteries. The DOE is offering the Australian mining company Ioneer a $700 million loan to build a lithium carbonate plant at its proposed lithium mine in Nevada. The DOE issued guidance in 2020 that encouraged companies developing “critical mineral” projects to apply for loans. January 19, 2023.
Battle at the bottom of the sea 1/12/2023
Battle at the bottom of the sea
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how the treasures of a deep ocean floor pit green energy proponents against environmentalists. Companies are interested in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) where potato-sized manganese rocks line the ocean floor and play host to innumerable sea creatures. Also known as polymetallic nodules, the rocks contain manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, and rare earth metals, all vital for making the rechargeable batteries that undergird the global push toward green energy. January 12, 2023.
$50M partnership with UT Austin, CSU to tackle oil & gas greenhouse gas emissions accounting. 1/10/2023
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES ALONG WITH UT AUSTIN, CSU TO TACKLE OIL & GAS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ACCOUNTING IN A $50 MILLION PARTNERSHIP
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling and Fellow Arvind Ravikumar and the Payne Institute has partnered with the University of Texas at Austin and Colorado State University to stand up a new $50 million multidisciplinary research and education initiative that will address the growing need for accurate, timely and clear accounting of greenhouse gas emissions across global oil and natural gas supply chains. Data and analysis from this major new endeavor will help both public and private institutions develop climate strategies and actions informed by accurate data, identifying both opportunities for emissions reductions and verification. The Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL) will be hosted at UT Austin. January 10, 2023
Space mining startups see a rich future on asteroids and the moon 1/7/2023
Space mining startups see a rich future on asteroids and the moon
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Angel Abbud-Madrid is featured in the article about how nobody wants to think about a future in which humans don’t thrive. So it’s time for us to go into space. Space mining has matured to the point where there are dozens of startup companies, even larger firms, addressing aspects of what’s called the “space resources value chain.” January 7, 2023.
Comparison of the Gaussian plume and puff atmospheric dispersion models on oil and gas facilities 1/6/2023
Comparison of the Gaussian plume and puff atmospheric dispersion models on oil and gas facilities
Payne Institute Student Researchers Meng Jia and Will Daniels, and Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling write about how characterizing methane emissions on oil and gas facilities often relies on a forward model to describe the atmospheric transport of methane. Here we compare two forward models: the Gaussian plume, a commonly used steady-state dispersion model, and the Gaussian puff, a time varying dispersion model that approximates a continuous release as a sum over many small “puffs”. We compare model predictions to observations from a network of point-in-space continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) collected during a series of controlled releases. January 6, 2023.
The Missing Minerals 1/6/2023
The Missing Minerals
Gregory Brew and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how as America shifts to clean energy, America must rethink supply chains. After decades of foot-dragging in the United States, there is now momentum to tackle climate change. In August 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark piece of legislation that directs more than $1 trillion in subsidies and incentives toward clean energy production. January 6, 2023.
CRITICAL MINERALS & ENERGY TRANSITION A LOOK AT AFRICA & WESTERN & CENTRAL ASIA 1/5/2023
CRITICAL MINERALS & ENERGY TRANSITION – A LOOK AT AFRICA & WESTERN & CENTRAL ASIA
The Payne Institute and the Future Minerals Forum collaborate on this paper about how as energy systems evolve on a global scale, the shift to a clean energy economy will depend on fulfilling critical mineral supply needs. Demand for raw materials such as Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Copper, Graphite, Silicon, Platinum Group Metals, and Rare Earth Elements are expected to increase fivefold over the next two decades. To meet the level of demand set forth in the Paris Agreement, the world looks to mineral-rich countries for reliable sourcing of inputs along the value chain. In the short to medium term, economies across Africa and Western and Central Asia can aim to play an important role in critical minerals supply chains. January 5, 2023.
COLORADO FUEL CELL CENTER PARTNERS WITH MINES’ MULTICULTURAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM 1/1/2023
COLORADO FUEL CELL CENTER PARTNERS WITH MINES’ MULTICULTURAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM
The Colorado Fuel Cell Center is hosting a number of undergraduate and graduate students through a partnership with Mines’ Multicultural Engineering Program. The team of students is commissioning a fuel processor to convert municipal natural gas into H2 and CO, a composition known as “syngas.” This syngas is then fed as fuel to solid-oxide fuel cells for subsequent electrochemical conversion into H2O, CO2 and electricity. The team is assembling an autothermal fuel reformer to execute the conversion process. The reformer is supplied by Precision Combustion Inc. January 1, 2023.
We must change how we think to solve the plastic waste crisis 12/28/2022
We must change how we think to solve the plastic waste crisis
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Michael McGuirk writes this opinion piece on how the world has a plastic waste problem. Most single-use plastics, which represent about 50 percent of all plastic production and include everyday items like straws and shampoo bottles, wind up in landfills, incinerated, or leaked into the environment. In the U.S. alone, we discard 40 million tons of single-use plastics every single year — the visual equivalent of throwing away 100 Empire State buildings. By 2050, we are estimated to have more plastic in our oceans than fish. Yet despite this grim situation, we now have more reason to fundamentally change the way we think about plastic waste — not just as a burden, but as an opportunity to harvest valuable resources and energy. December 28, 2022.
Methane emission detection, localization, and quantification using continuous point-sensors on oil and gas facilities 12/27/2022
Methane emission detection, localization, and quantification using continuous point-sensors on oil and gas facilities
Payne Institute Student Researchers William Daniels and Meng Jia, with Faculty Fellow Dorit Hammerling write about how they propose a generic, modular framework for emission event detection, localization, and quantification on oil and gas facilities that uses concentration data collected by point-in-space continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS). The framework uses 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). Potential uses for the proposed framework include near real-time alerting for rapid emissions mitigation and emission quantification for data-driven inventory estimation on production-like facilities. December 27, 2022.
New rule for electric car tax incentive delayed 12/20/2022
New rule for electric car tax incentive delayed
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this podcast about how the Joe Biden administration wants half of all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be zero-emission. It’s pouring billions into the industry to incentivize car companies to make electric vehicles and get customers to buy them. However, this week, the administration delayed announcing the details of a new rule requiring that a certain percentage of battery components be sourced in the U.S. or countries that have free-trade agreements with the U.S. December 20, 2022.
Markets for Critical Minerals Are Too Prone to Failure 12/17/2022
Markets for Critical Minerals Are Too Prone to Failure
Payne Institute Fellow Cullen Hendrix and Director Morgan Bazilian write this commentary on how in March, the London Metals Exchange suspended nickel trading after prices spiked over 250% in two days. Much of the spike occurred in an 18-minute window. The nickel debacle highlights one of the underappreciated financial challenges that green-energy transitions will bring: Markets for many critical minerals are small, thin, and opaque. Markets with these structures are prone to failures such as cornering, natural disaster- and geopolitically-induced supply disruptions, and murky, inefficient price discovery processes. December 17, 2022.
Statistical Moments of VIIRS Nighttime Lights 12/16/2023
Statistical Moments of VIIRS Nighttime Lights
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Director Christopher D. Elvidge, Feng Chi Hsu, Mikhail Zhizhin, Tilottama Ghosh, and Tamara Sparks write about how they generated VIIRS day/night band multiyear and annual statistical moments for a widely dispersed set of test areas. The moments were calculated from 15 arc second nightly temporal profiles spanning 2012-2020, filtered to exclude cloudy and sunlit data, with radiance adjustments to reduce view angle and lunar illuminance effects. The moment data were examined in two ways: 1) Geospatial grids-which reveal zonation and temporal changes present in urban areas, and 2) Scattergrams of moment pairs. December 16, 2022.
How to Avoid Gas Shortages in the European Union in 2023 12/13/22
How to Avoid Gas Shortages in the European Union in 2023
The Payne Institute contributed data and insights to this IEA report on the latest analysis of the extent of the EU’s potential gas supply-demand gap in 2023 and sets out the practical actions that can close that gap while avoiding excessive strains for European consumers and for international markets. The analysis includes real-world examples of measures that could be implemented and quantifies their impacts. The measures offer a pathway to a more secure and balanced EU gas market in 2023 and are consistent with the EU’s climate goals. December 13, 2022.
Company starting to recover oil from Kansas pipeline spill 12/13/2022
Company starting to recover oil from Kansas pipeline spill
Payne Institute Fellow Jennifer Miskimins contributed to this article about how Canada-based TC Energy operating a pipeline that spilled about 14,000 bathtubs’ worth of oil into a Kansas creek during a test for potential problems is recovering at least a small portion of the crude. Canada-based TC Energy has recovered 2,598 barrels of oil mixed with water from the 14,000-barrel spill on a creek running through rural pastureland in Washington County, Kansas, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City. Last week’s rupture in Kansas forced the company to shut down the Keystone system, and it hasn’t said when it will come back online. December 13, 2022.
Fusion energy breakthrough could be an ‘inflection point’ for clean fuel technology 12/12/2022
Fusion Energy Breakthrough Could be an Inflection Point for Clean Fuel Technology
Payne Institute Fellow Alex Gilbert is featured on this news show about a fusion energy breakthrough that could be an inflection point for clean fuel technology. The Department of Energy is expected to announce a major development regarding fusion energy on Tuesday December 13th, and Alex Gilbert, discusses the significance of this potential discovery. He further explains how scientists have produced net energy gain using fusion and how nuclear fusion power could be the key to clean energy. December 12, 2022.
DEVELOPING HYDROGEN AND CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE PROJECTS IN THE STATE OF COLORADO 12/9/2022
Developing Hydrogen and Carbon Capture and Storage Projects in the State of Colorado
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield and student researcher Chiang Cheng Siew write about how over the past two years, both the hydrogen and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) industries have gained momentum in the US. Project development in these industries has been rapidly accelerating with the growing financial incentives from policymakers for the commercial deployment of these projects. The signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in November of 2021 marked the US Department of Energy’s largest single investment in carbon management, along with significant investments funding clean hydrogen development. December 9, 2022.
Critical Minerals of the Energy Transition 12/9/2022
By 2025, coal will no longer be the main way to generate the world’s electricity 12/8/2022
By 2025, coal will no longer be the main way to generate the world’s electricity
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this podcast on how the International Energy Agency released a report this week saying renewables would overtake coal and become the world’s biggest source of electricity generation by 2025. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act includes billions in subsidies and tax credits to encourage development of technologies like advanced nuclear power and hydrogen generation in the U.S. December 8, 2022.
Saudi Arabia’s Future Minerals Forum partners with global think tanks ahead of January conference 12/5/2022
Saudi Arabia’s Future Minerals Forum partners with global think tanks ahead of January conference
Saudi Arabia’s global conference Future Mineral Forum has partnered a host of major think tanks to drive innovation and thought leadership, according to a statement. Launched in 2022 by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, the FMF has now joined forces with the Development Partner Institute, the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Clareo, and the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. Through these partnerships with the think tanks and research institutions, the FMF is targeting to provide dynamic insights that propel the development of the industry in line with strict environmental, social and governance principles. December 5, 2022.
For the future of geophysics, not even the sky is the limit 11/22/2022
For the future of geophysics, not even the sky is the limit
Mines Geophysics alumni, faculty look below the surface to enable innovation in energy, infrastructure, space exploration and beyond.
As a child, Whitney Schultz ’17, MS ’19 remembers always being fascinated by rocks, a passion her geologist mother encouraged whenever they went on hikes or other outdoor adventures near their home in Parker, Colorado. November 22, 2022.
How to Avoid a New Cold War Over Critical Minerals 10.22.2022
How to Avoid a New Cold War Over Critical Minerals
Payne Institute Fellow Cullen Hendrix writes how to prevent a return to the zero-sum logic of Cold War resource politics, critical mineral supply chains must be widened at every step. Will the 21st century be the century of the green great game? In the early 20th century, then-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill oversaw the conversion of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy from coal- to oil-powered ships. Oil was comparatively more energy-dense, easier to transport, and allowed ships to travel farther faster. But the transition to oil-fueled navies in the 20th century meant that, for the first time, projecting military might would require most major powers to rely on energy sources over which they were not sovereign. November 22, 2022.
Mines graduate student named one of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining 11/22/2022
Mines graduate student named one of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining
Payne Institute student researcher Juliet Akamboe has been recognized as one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining in 2022 by Women in Mining UK. Akamboe currently lives in Colorado, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in mineral and energy economics at Mines. While in school, she has been involved in research around sustainable finance, building ESG frameworks, securing critical minerals and shaping policy for a more sustainable future. November 22, 2022.
Geopolitics of Green Energy 11/18/2022
Geopolitics of Green Energy
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this report on how the postwar, U.S.-dominated geopolitical order shaped by oil is yielding to a new system built on carbon-free renewable energy and electric vehicles. In the emerging international scramble for so-called green energy, China is leading, with its control over many supplies of minerals essential for batteries, wind turbines and other technologies. To counter China, the United States is rallying allies and friendly mineral-rich countries to forge alternative supply chains that can enable green energy industries to scale up. November 18, 2022.
Retiring Coal? The Prospects Are Brighter Than They Appear 11/17/2022
Retiring Coal? The Prospects Are Brighter Than They Appear
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how as COP27 draws to a close, the conference is proving to be a disappointment for environmental advocates focused on eliminating the planet’s number one emitter: coal-fired power. In the tumult of international uncertainty, governments have looked to coal as a security blanket of sorts. Coal’s ability to deliver power 24/7 compares favorably to some renewable energy, like solar and wind, that is variable and, at least to some degree, unpredictable. November 17, 2022.
A New Paradigm for Managing Mineral Trade Routes in Africa 11/16/2022
A New Paradigm for Managing Mineral Trade Routes in Africa
Payne Institute ESG Research Associate Baba Freeman writes about how the African Copper belt is a major supplier of key minerals such as Copper, Nickel, and Cobalt to the world economy. Extracting and transporting these minerals to market will be essential to the success of the energy transition as demand for solar and wind energy, and battery metals soar exponentially over the next three decades. In contrast, the dismal state of road infrastructure for transporting the minerals from mine to port creates a major impediment to the commercial competitiveness of miners in the region and threatens economic rents accruable to host countries and communities. This commentary describes a new paradigm that could radically transform the design of solutions to ease logistics problems in the region. November 16, 2022.
MOVING BEYOND ‘ALL OR NOTHING’: FINDING THE PRAGMATIC MIDDLE GROUND ON GAS IN AFRICA 11/15/2022
MOVING BEYOND ‘ALL OR NOTHING’: FINDING THE PRAGMATIC MIDDLE GROUND ON GAS IN AFRICA
Payne Institute and Mines/NREL Advanced Energy Systems student researcher Bonnie Powell, Program Manager Brad Handler, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how Europe’s energy crisis is aggravating a decades-old tension between the developed and the developing world. As wealthy countries increase natural gas imports (including from Africa), many of them are maintaining policies that restrict development finance for gas-fired infrastructure projects in poorer nations. This hypocrisy is not lost on African leaders. November 15, 2022.
Highest heating bills in years, U.S. Energy agency predicts 11/15/2022
Highest heating bills in years, U.S. Energy agency predicts
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article discussing the how the Energy Information Administration is predicting the average U.S. household will spend $900 on natural gas or $1,366 on electricity between Oct. 2022-March 2023. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is forecasting a spike in this winter’s heating costs, across the board. EIA’s forecast shows the average household will pay roughly $900 between October and March when using a gas heater, or roughly $1300 for electricity. That’s higher than at least the last seven winters, EIA data shows. November 15, 2022.
GLOBAL RESILIENCE INDEX INITIATIVE LAUNCHES NEW DEMONSTRATOR; CALLS FOR CLIMATE DATA COLLABORATION 11/12/2022
GLOBAL RESILIENCE INDEX INITIATIVE LAUNCHES NEW DEMONSTRATOR; CALLS FOR CLIMATE DATA COLLABORATION
Payne Institute Fellow Ben Caldecott comments on how the UN launched their new Global Resilience Index Initiative at COP 27. The new GRII initiative calls for worldwide climate data collaboration. The GRII is a global public-private partnership to address the climate data emergency with consistent, accessible and reliable risk information for use by governments, the financial sector and wider communities to create a new climate risk data architecture to provide globally consistent, open baseline datasets on climate risk and resilience metrics as a public good. November 12, 2022.
7 Keys to the Future Oil and Gas Production Facility: The Colorado Story 11/11/2022
7 Keys to the Future Oil and Gas Production Facility: The Colorado Story
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, and Mines Student Researchers Wyatt Lindsey and Chiang Cheng Siew write about how seven facilities design and public engagement principles are identified as key elements for the future oil and natural gas production facilities for the DJ Basin, and maybe even as a guide for other North American onshore shale basins. With growing concern about climate change, the need for a diversified energy portfolio for energy security and the expectation for an energy transition away from fossil fuels to noncarbon energy solutions, such as renewables, all suggest that the energy transition has already begun. November 11, 2022
Oil and Gas Industry Being a Good Neighbor: Getting a License To Operate Through Proactive Community Engagement 11/10/20022
Oil and Gas Industry Being a Good Neighbor: Getting a License To Operate Through Proactive Community Engagement
Mines Student Researcher Wyatt Lindsey and Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, write about how operators have increased stakeholder engagement by participating in proactive and continued communication with relevant stakeholders, which has led to positive unintended outcomes for operators, communities, and regulators. In the DJ Basin in Colorado, there has been a collision of industry activities and community development due to the “mini-boom” of oil and gas development, stemming from hydraulic fracturing of the Niobrara Formation and the growing population along the Front Range. November 10, 2022.
Climate bill boosts Biden’s credibility at COP27 as countries look to US to deliver 11/10/2022
Climate bill boosts Biden’s credibility at COP27 as countries look to US to deliver
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how this year, President Biden heads to the United Nations climate summit with major legislation to tackle the issue he can trumpet. The passage of the inflation Reduction Act gives Biden something concrete to point to, a sharp contrast to former President Trump’s climate denial. Biden will give a special COP27 address on American efforts to reduce emissions and help the vulnerable build resilience to climate change. November 10, 2022.
CONCRETE SOLUTIONS TO INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES 11/8/2022
CONCRETE SOLUTIONS TO INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Lori Tunstall is featured in this article about how she is developing novel methods of improving concrete to help lower its overall environmental footprint. She’s trying to help make concrete more durable so it can stand up to the punishing freeze-thaw cycle that exists in many cold climates, as well as other causes of degradation that, over time, cause concrete to crack, crumble and break apart. Concrete that lasts longer doesn’t need to be replaced as often which, in turn, will help reduce the demand for the heavy CO2-emitting production process. November 8, 2022.
The Mining Gap: Critical Minerals and Geopolitical Competition 11/7/2022
The Mining Gap: Critical Minerals and Geopolitical Competition
Gregory Brew and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how this year’s COP-27 conference carries with it the weight of the climate challenge, an enormous threat facing humanity, but also comes at a time of growing volatility in global energy markets, rising energy prices, a food security crisis, and war. As a result, countries both rich and poor will be focused on immediate security and economic threats. November 7, 2022.
What’s the carbon sequestration potential of copper, nickel and platinum ore deposits? Mines-led project to help mining companies do the math 11/4/2022
What’s the carbon sequestration potential of copper, nickel and platinum ore deposits? Mines-led project to help mining companies do the math
Cross-disciplinary team at Colorado School of Mines, Virginia Tech received $1.15M in funding from ARPA-E.
Researchers at Colorado School of Mines and Virginia Tech have been awarded $1.15 million by the U.S. Department of Energy for research that will aid in the development of new technology that will enable mining companies to quantitatively model the carbon sequestration potential of copper-nickel-platinum-group element ore deposits. November 4, 2022.
As EV sales accelerate, battery makers face a new shortage of a crucial mineral: graphite 11/3/2022
As EV sales accelerate, battery makers face a new shortage of a crucial mineral: graphite
Payne Institute Morgan Bazilian contributes to this podcast about how Ford Motor Co. reports that it sold twice as many electric vehicles in the month that just ended as it did in October of last year. But as demand for electrics is surging, manufacturers are facing yet another shortage of yet another crucial material — not lithium this time, but graphite. November 3, 2022.
Africa’s Energy Transition & Critical Minerals 11/3/2022
Africa’s Energy Transition & Critical Minerals
Payne Institute Critical Minerals Research Associate Caitlin McKennie and student researchers Al Hassan Hassan, and Mama Nissi Abanga Abugnaba write about how as the energy crisis perseveres and governments around the world attempt to meet net zero emission timelines, there are many eyes on Africa’s natural resource supply. Africa is resource rich. The continent is endowed with significant hydrocarbon reserves and critical minerals required for low-carbon technologies. As political and environmental developments around the world seek to decarbonize supply chains, pivoting investments over time towards critical minerals in Africa can help and bridge the gap between emerging/developing economies and energy security. November 3, 2022.
How Critical Minerals Became So Critical 10/31/2022
How Critical Minerals Became So Critical
Payne Institute Program Manager Jordy Lee writes about how critical minerals are minerals and metals that are designated by governments as being “essential to economic or national security” – but also have supply chains vulnerable to interruption and play important roles in manufacturing everything from jet engines to fiber-optic cables. In short, they are the raw ingredients for dozens of engineering miracles that, while often unfamiliar to non-specialists, are vital to modern technologies. October 31, 2022.
Oil & Gas Industry being a Good Neighbor: Getting a License to Operate Through Proactive Community Engagement 10/27/22
Oil & Gas Industry being a Good Neighbor: Getting a License to Operate Through Proactive Community Engagement
Payne Institute student researcher Wyatt Lindsey and Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton write about how in the DJ Basin in Colorado, there has been a collision of industry activities and community development due to the “mini-boom” of O&G development, stemming from hydraulic fracking of the Niobrara Formation and the growing population along the Front Range. After the O&G industry was challenged by regulatory agencies and environmental activists that many traditional practices were no longer going to be accepted, operators had to make a greater effort towards new forms of proactive community and local government engagement to prevent permit delays and operational downtime. October 27, 2022.
Oil & Gas Industry being a Good Neighbor: Getting a License to Operate Through Proactive Community Engagement 10/27/2022
Oil & Gas Industry being a Good Neighbor: Getting a License to Operate Through Proactive Community Engagement
Payne Institute student researcher Wyatt Lindsey and Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton write about how in the DJ Basin in Colorado, there has been a collision of industry activities and community development due to the “mini-boom” of O&G development, stemming from hydraulic fracking of the Niobrara Formation and the growing population along the Front Range. After the O&G industry was challenged by regulatory agencies and environmental activists that many traditional practices were no longer going to be accepted, operators had to make a greater effort towards new forms of proactive community and local government engagement to prevent permit delays and operational downtime. October 27, 2022.
On Equal Footing: The Impact of FERC Order 841 on Grid Battery Installations 10/26/2022
On Equal Footing: The Impact of FERC Order 841 on Grid Battery Installations
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange, student researcher Anuja Oke, and Critical Mineral Research Associate Caitlin McKennie write about how new technologies don’t often “fit” within market designs as well as the incumbent technologies. As a result, subtle changes in market rules can have large impacts on new technology adoption, and their associated supply chains. This research measures the impact on grid battery installations, and the resulting lithium demand – both generated by the June 2020 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 841. October 26, 2022.
The Keys to the Future Oil and Gas Production Facility: The Colorado Story 10/26/2022
The Keys to the Future Oil and Gas Production Facility: The Colorado Story
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, and Mines Student Researchers Wyatt Lindsey and Chiang Cheng Siew and write about how with the growing concern about climate change, the need for a diversified energy portfolio for energy security and the expectation for an energy transition away from fossil fuels to non-carbon energy solutions, such as renewables, all signals suggest that the energy transition has already begun. States like Colorado has been rewriting regulations to include stricter rules on oil and gas production. While the energy industry is transitioning due to market forces, public policies, and technological advances, fossil fuels are not yet out of the picture for the total energy supply of the future. October 26, 2022.
The Future of Oil and Gas Production in Urban and Suburban Environments 10/25/2022
The Future of Oil and Gas Production in Urban and Suburban Environments: “Is Colorado an Example of Where the North American Crude Oil and Natural Gas Industry Might be Headed?”
Mines Student Researcher Wyatt Lindsey, Alumni William Jordan, Student Researcher Chiang Cheng Siew and Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton write about how there has and is much discussion about the future of fossil fuels, specifically the oil and gas industry. With growing concern on climate change, the need for a diversified energy portfolio, incorporation of clean energies into energy production, and the expectation for an energy transition away from fossil fuels to non-carbon energy solutions, such as renewables, signifies that the energy transition has already begun. While the energy industry is transitioning due to market forces, public policies, and technological advances, fossil fuels are not yet forgotten in the total energy supply of the future. October 25, 2022.
Novel Steel Industry Flaring Capability at Payne Institute 10/24/2022
Novel Steel Industry Flaring Capability at Payne Institute
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Director Christopher Elvidge, Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin, Communications Associate Kelly Tabor, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the they have developed a new method for detecting flaring at industrial sites with the capability to produce worldwide data on steel mills. This data is relevant for policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, and industry leaders seeking innovative Green Steel solutions; traditional steel manufacturing produces more CO2 emissions than any other heavy industry. October 24, 2022.
GOP pans oil reserve sale despite a long and bipartisan history 10/24/2022
GOP pans oil reserve sale despite a long and bipartisan history
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how historically U.S. Presidents from both parties have ordered sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to soften spikes in gas prices. October 24, 2022.
Aligning Value with Communities: Conceptualizing a ‘Carbon Steward’ Federal Tax Credit 10/20/2022
Aligning Value with Communities: Conceptualizing a ‘Carbon Steward’ Federal Tax Credit
Ashleigh Ross and Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield write about how there is a significant and growing risk to wide-spread deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the US that exists not in the technical space, but rather with social license to operate. The central challenge is how to achieve the principles of environmental justice for communities when the only incentives go directly to industry, and stakeholders must negotiate for fair compensation. Here we propose that a direct to community and landowner tax credit, the ‘Carbon Steward Tax Credit,’ may be the solution that enables true alignment between projects and communities. October 20, 2022.
Supporting a Just Energy Transition through Alternative Funding Strategies for African Hydrocarbon Developments 10/18/2022
Supporting a Just Energy Transition through Alternative Funding Strategies for African Hydrocarbon Developments
Payne institute ESG Research Associate Baba Freeman writes about how Africa contains significant amounts of hydrocarbon reserves that contribute extensively to state revenue and facilitate social and economic development. The growth prospects for these African countries are however under threat as international financial institutions reduce their funding for hydrocarbon developments in response to global warming and its adverse effects. The paper reemphasize the importance of hydrocarbon resources to African development and present alternative funding strategies that can minimize disruptions to growth and are consistent with notions of a just energy transition. October 19, 2022.
9 Element Strategic Programming Framework, 10/18/2022
9 Element Strategic Programming Framework
SPE Gaia’s Sustainability Program is an engaging and empowering framework for engineers and scientists to generate scale and act with urgency & purpose. Their vision is to advance the oil and gas community’s ability to meet the world’s energy demands in a safe, environmentally responsible, and sustainable manner. They achieve this through the mission of collecting, disseminating and exchanging technical knowledge concerning the exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources and related technologies for the public benefit; and by providing opportunities for professionals to enhance their technical and professional competence. October 18, 2022.
Mines professors contribute to roadmap for successful wind energy projects 10/14/2022
Mines professors contribute to roadmap for successful wind energy projects
Electrical Engineering’s Kathryn Johnson and Payne Faculty Fellow Engineering, Design & Society’s Jessica Smith were co-authors on the findings recently published in JOULE. The two Colorado School of Mines professors were part of an effort to create a first-of-its-kind roadmap that demonstrates how communities, governments and researchers can work together to consider social, technical, economic and political challenges and opportunities to create successful wind energy projects – even when the wind doesn’t blow. October 14, 2022.
UN climate talks in Egypt must urgently focus on methane 10/11/2022
UN climate talks in Egypt must urgently focus on methane
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Fellow Arvind Ravikumar, and Communications Associate Simon Lomax write about how in about a month the global climate community will descend upon Egypt for the next round of annual climate change talks convened by the United Nations. At the same time, much of Europe will be bearing up in the face of a very tough winter for energy security. If the delegates in Egypt are serious about taking swift action by 2030, they must give another greenhouse gas some urgent attention — methane. October 11, 2022.
Multiscale Methane Measurements at Oil and Gas Facilities Reveal Necessary Frameworks for Improved Emissions Accounting 10/6/2022
Multiscale Methane Measurements at Oil and Gas Facilities Reveal Necessary Frameworks for Improved Emissions Accounting
Jiayang Lyra Wang, Payne Institute Researcher Associate William S. Daniels, Faculty Fellow Dorit M. Hammerling, Matthew Harrison, Kaylyn Burmaster, Fiji C. George, and Fellow Arvind P. Ravikumar write about how methane mitigation from the oil and gas (O&G) sector represents a key near-term global climate action opportunity. Recent legislation in the United States requires updating current methane reporting programs for oil and gas facilities with empirical data. While technological advances have led to improvements in methane emissions measurements and monitoring, the overall effectiveness of mitigation strategies rests on quantifying spatially and temporally varying methane emissions more accurately than the current approaches. In this work, we demonstrate a quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification framework that pairs snapshot measurements with continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) to reconcile measurements with inventory estimates and account for intermittent emission events. October 6, 2022.
GEFI Innov8x Challenge showcases Mines student ideas on the future of energy 10/5/2022
Repurposing Abandoned Mine Lands and the Clean Energy Transition 10/4/22
Repurposing Abandoned Mine Lands and the Clean Energy Transition
Payne Institute and Mines Advanced Energy Systems student researcher Peyton Sanders writes about how thousands of abandoned mines across the US are now becoming potential sites for clean energy projects and revitalized communities. The DOE’s Clean Energy Demonstrations on Current and Former Mine Land Program aims to boost the economies of the traditional fossil fuel communities and expand clean electricity capacity by demonstrating up to 5 clean energy developments on abandoned lands. Replication across the country could generate up to 89 gigawatts of additional power for American homes. This will not only give back to communities that powered the country for generations before, but to also allow them to play a significant role in the energy transition moving forward. October 4, 2022.
The demand for electric vehicles is skyrocketing. Can the supply of lithium and other critical minerals for batteries keep up? 10/4/2022
The demand for electric vehicles is skyrocketing. Can the supply of lithium and other critical minerals for batteries keep up?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how if the world wants to replace all its gas-burning cars and trucks with cleaner electric vehicles, it will have to dig up rocks. A lot of rocks. Demand for EVs is soaring in many parts of the globe, and a wave of domestic policies will send it skyrocketing in the U.S. soon. The batteries that power all those EVs need minerals — cobalt, nickel, graphite and, in particular, lithium — and the race is now on to mine and process enough of them. October 4, 2022.
Russia Is Keeping Unsold Gas Underground Rather Than Flaring It 9/28/2022
Russia Is Keeping Unsold Gas Underground Rather Than Flaring It
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group contributes to the research on the economic impact of Russia’s gas shutoff is dominating European politics, but there are also concerns about the environmental consequences. The amount of gas observed being flared — burned off into the atmosphere — at Gazprom’s key production area in the Yamal peninsula between Aug. 10 and Sept. 21 averaged 1.18 million cubic meters a day. September 28, 2022.
Europe vows ‘robust’ response to alleged sabotage of Russian gas pipelines 9/28/2022
Europe vows ‘robust’ response to alleged sabotage of Russian gas pipelines
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about the large disturbance in the sea can be observed off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 following a series of unusual leaks on two natural gas pipelines running from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany have triggered concerns about possible sabotage. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she “cannot rule out” sabotage after three leaks were detected on Nord Stream 1 and 2. September 28, 2022.
Colorado must move quickly to keep pace on carbon capture 9/28/2022
Colorado must move quickly to keep pace on carbon capture
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield, Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, and Director Morgan Bazilian write an opinion piece about promoting safe and secure injection of CO2 is in the public’s interest, and how Colorado is poised to be central in the effort. Amid growing interest in using carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS, as a tool in the fight against climate change, several states’ legislatures approved CCS-related rules governing commercial and liability issues during their recently ended sessions. Colorado was not among them. September 28, 2022.
The Latest in Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment, with Alex Gilbert 9/27/2022
The Latest in Nuclear Energy Innovation and Deployment, with Alex Gilbert
Payne Institute Fellow Alex Gilbert is featured on this podcast about the latest developments in nuclear energy innovation, policy, and deployment. In the podcast, he discusses the types of nuclear technologies in the development pipeline, how they differ from older technologies, which technologies are being piloted, and how recent policies—especially the Inflation Reduction Act—are incentivizing the deployment of these technologies. September 27, 2022.
How a clean energy future is colliding with mining’s dark past 9/22/2022
How a clean energy future is colliding with mining’s dark past
Payne Institute Program Manager Jordy Lee contributes to this article about how no one wants a mine in their backyard. Clean energy will require a lot of metal. As global demand for these “critical minerals,” a group that includes lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper, is projected to increase by 400-600 percent driven by a surge in manufacturing of renewable technologies. September 22, 2022.
The Inflation Reduction Act Is the Start of Reclaiming Critical Mineral Chains 9/16/2022
The Inflation Reduction Act Is the Start of Reclaiming Critical Mineral Chains
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Gregory Brew write about how green technologies depend on the supply of a few key resources. But one important component of the the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been largely overlooked. Built within the IRA is a commitment to increasing the domestic U.S. supply of critical minerals—lithium, nickel, manganese, and graphite, among others—to provide the materials necessary for a vast expansion in electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, and renewable power production infrastructure. September 16, 2022.
Without permits to build things, there will be no clean energy boom 9/15/2022
Without permits to build things, there will be no clean energy boom
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Communications Associate Simon Lomax write an opinion piece about how President Joe Biden’s landmark climate and clean energy bill. American green groups have lauded the legislation, which was signed into law last month and provides $369bn in federal climate and clean energy incentives. But now comes the really hard part: turning hundreds of billions of dollars of incentives into real projects. September 15, 2022.
EU official unveils proposals to address energy crisis amid Ukraine war 9/14/2022
EU official unveils proposals to address energy crisis amid Ukraine war
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the European Commission proposed emergency measures on Wednesday aimed at quelling a burgeoning energy crisis that is rattling the continent amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The plans — which individual EU member states must still approve — would serve to tackle soaring prices exacerbated by “a severe mismatch between energy demand and supply,” the commission said, attributing the circumstances to “the continued weaponization by Russia of its energy resources.” September 14, 2022.
Lithium mining’s water use sparks bitter conflicts and novel chemistry 9/13/2022
Lithium mining’s water use sparks bitter conflicts and novel chemistry
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith is featured on this podcast exploring the impact of the world’s hunger for lithium-ion batteries, an important tool in the fight against climate change. Mining of lithium used to manufacture batteries in electric cars comes with a cost to the local environment and access to water. September 13, 2022.
Monitoring of Portovaya Gas Flares 9/12/2022
Monitoring of Portovaya Gas Flares
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Christopher Elvidge, Mikhail Zhizhin, Communications Associate Kelly Tabor, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how using a proprietary Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Nightfire clustering algorithm, Payne Institute scientists are monitoring two flares from Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) production facilities owned by Gazprom near Portovaya, Russia. September 12, 2022.
How Ukrainians Purchased Military Equipment 9/9/2022
How Ukrainians Purchased Military Equipment
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Kathleen Hancock is featured on this podcast about how Ukraine and the IAEA say they’ve learned of a serious development at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The challenges facing the European Union as ministers meet to discuss what to do about soaring energy prices, as Russia threats to cut off natural gas supplies to Europe. September 9, 2022.
Closing the Energy Poverty Gap in Africa Using Landfill Gas 9/8/2022
Closing the Energy Poverty Gap in Africa Using Landfill Gas
Payne Institute ESG Research Associate Baba Freeman writes about how energy poverty is widespread in African countries and power generation capacity has continued to lag population and economic growth. The prospects for adding generation capacity are currently diminished as global financial institutions reduce lending for carbon-based energy developments in response to the adverse effects of climate change. This paper looks at the economic feasibility assessments of African landfill power generation projects from literature and develops options for policymakers to boost landfill gas power penetration on the continent. September 8, 2022.
Mines celebrates 100 years of Petroleum Engineering with new Hall of Fame 9/6/2022
Mines celebrates 100 years of Petroleum Engineering with new Hall of Fame
The Petroleum Engineering Department at Colorado School of Mines will mark its 100th Anniversary in 2022 by founding the PE Hall of Fame, which recognizes alumni, faculty and supporters for their contributions to the oil and gas industry and to the department. Mines’ Petroleum Engineering Department is one of the oldest and highest-ranked programs in the United States. Nearly 5,000 students have come from around the world to earn hands-on, interdisciplinary applied science undergraduate and graduate degrees. September 6, 2022.
High energy prices could threaten European utilities’ ability to keep doing business 9/6/2022
High energy prices could threaten European utilities’ ability to keep doing business
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this podcast about how over the past few days, Europe’s energy crisis has started to look like it might turn into a financial crisis as well. The turbulence in the natural gas market is threatening the ability of some European utilities to buy the gas they need. September 6, 2022.
Shifts in the Energy Workforce 9/6/2022
Shifts in the Energy Workforce
Payne Institute Critical Minerals Research Associate Caitlin McKennie, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler write about how the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act heralds an unprecedented era of climate investment for the U.S. Such investment brings with it the promise of new jobs across the clean energy landscape. For rural communities that have historically depended on fossil fuel development or use, however, included several in Colorado, the outlook is at least more complicated. September 6, 2022.
Using electricity to reduce emissions 9/5/2022
Using electricity to reduce emissions
Where possible, we invest in infrastructure to power compression engines and drilling rigs using electricity from the power grid. When we can use grid electricity to power a rig, we eliminate 100 percent of nitrous oxides and other ozone precursor emissions from rig operations in summer months and approximately 75 percent in colder months, when operations require the use of boilers for heat. In the Mustang area, we have drilled 56 wells using utility electric power since 2019. September 5, 2022.
Colorado School of Mines, BHP announce founding partnership for Global Energy Future Initiative 8/30/2022
Colorado School of Mines, BHP announce founding partnership for Global Energy Future Initiative
Colorado School of Mines Global Energy Future Initiative and BHP announce a founding partnership ahead of the Inaugural Global Energy Future Innovation Forum and Innov8x Challenge set for Sept. 7-8. BHP becomes a founding partner of the initiative to drive innovative sustainable energy solutions. Through this partnership, BHP will sponsor research projects and participate in steering committees and working groups, adding industry expertise to solve complex problems. In exchange for their expertise, BHP will gain access to cutting-edge research critical to building a sustainable future for the mining industry. Through this partnership, BHP and GEFI aim to develop renewable, secure, resilient, and adaptive energy systems and infrastructure, fostering worldwide economic development while reducing environmental impacts. August 30, 2022.
Free energy efficiency assessments now available for Colorado, Wyoming businesses 8/30/2022
Free energy efficiency assessments now available for Colorado, Wyoming businesses
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Paulo Tabares-Velasco is the assistant director of the new Rocky Mountain Industrial Assessment Center (RMIAC). The center assists small- and medium-sized manufacturers to reduce carbon emissions, lower energy costs by offering free energy system assessments for local manufacturers, with the goal of helping them improve their facilities’ energy efficiency and reduce their carbon emissions. August 30, 2022.
Woburn startup wants to steer the steel industry away from coal 8/29/2022
Woburn startup wants to steer the steel industry away from coal
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow John Speer contributes to this article about how Boston Metal has developed a way to manufacture iron using sustainable electricity. The startup, Boston Metal, wants to help the steel industry reduce its dependence on burning coal-based fuel and use electricity instead — ideally sustainably produced electricity from sources such as hydropower or solar. August 29, 2022.
Oil and gas industry concessions take the sting out of Biden’s climate bill 8/26/2022
Oil and gas industry concessions take the sting out of Biden’s climate bill
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler and Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the new Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 legislation’s impact on US oil and gas production likely to be modest. From the domestic industry’s standpoint, if could have been much worse. August 26, 2022.
Mines department head wins Society of Petroleum Engineers international award 8/25/2022
Mines department head wins Society of Petroleum Engineers international award
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jennifer Miskimins is awarded 2022 Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The honor recognizes superiority in classroom teaching, excellence in research, significant contributions to the petroleum engineering profession and special effectiveness in advising and guiding students. August 25, 2022.
More Than Just a ‘School of Mines,’ CSM Is a Major Player in Climate Research 8/25/2022
More Than Just a ‘School of Mines,’ CSM Is a Major Player in Climate Research
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the Colorado School of Mines, with its historic connection to fossil fuel and mineral extraction, would seem an unlikely place for a high-level pursuit of the transition from a world powered by fossil fuels to a world of clean energy. However, Mines recognizes that saving our planet depends on transitioning from oil and gas to other forms of energy that reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. August 25, 2022.
Mines researchers explore way to reduce cost of high-efficiency solar cells 8/24/2022
Mines researchers explore way to reduce cost of high-efficiency solar cells
Corinne Packard’s team in the Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics has been working on a fracture process to allow substrate reuse.
Researchers at Colorado School of Mines and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently published findings on a critical route to reducing the cost of high-efficiency solar cells in the high-impact journal Advanced Energy Materials. August 24, 2022.
Pandemic, War, and Global Energy Transitions 8/23/2022
Pandemic, War, and Global Energy Transitions
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian co-authors this paper about how the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine have impacted the global economy, including the energy sector. The pandemic caused drastic fluctuations in energy demand, oil price shocks, disruptions in energy supply chains, and hampered energy investments, while the war left the world with energy price hikes and energy security challenges. The long-term impacts of these crises on low-carbon energy transitions and mitigation of climate change are still uncertain but are slowly emerging. This paper analyzes the impacts throughout the energy system, including upstream fuel supply, renewable energy investments, demand for energy services, and implications for energy equity, by reviewing recent studies and consulting experts in the field. August 23, 2022.
The case for closing coal plants at scale 8/23/2022
The case for closing coal plants at scale
Deb Chattopadhyay, Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how pressure to retire coal-fired power plants is building due to economic and environmental concerns. Four business models can be applied to plant closures but greater efficiencies can be achieved when there are coal plant closures-at-scale. A hybrid model is likely better when a country or region wants to look at a large programme of coal plant closures-at-scale. August 23, 2022.
The Inflation Reduction Act’s modest impact on oil and gas 8/22/2022
The Inflation Reduction Act’s modest impact on oil and gas
Payne Institute Research Associate Brad Handler and Director Morgan Bazilian write about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and how it can be easy to miss that the new law includes several items related to the future of the oil and gas industry. The goal is both to foster more U.S. oil and natural gas development while pursuing lower methane emissions and sharing more revenue with taxpayers. August 22, 2022.
Perceptions and realities of mercury contamination in a Peruvian artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) community 8/22/2022
Perceptions and realities of mercury contamination in a Peruvian artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) community
Rolando Quispe Aquino, Payne Institute Research Associate Aaron Malone, Faculty Fellow Nicole M. Smith, and Fredy Fortunato García Zúñiga write about how artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the leading global source of mercury pollution. Efforts to reduce or eliminate mercury use in ASGM have produced limited results, in part because they do not engage the complex socio-technical nature of mercury issues in ASGM. The paper takes a multidisciplinary approach to understand the mercury issue with a socio-technical lens, pairing sampling of mercury in soils with surveys of miners’ and residents’ perceptions of mercury pollution and its dispersion. August 22, 2022.
Completion Equipment Constraints 8/22/2022
COMPLETION EQUIPMENT CONSTRAINTS
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler has prepared a quarterly report on how activity in the U.S. oil patch has reached the point of being supply constrained. Areas of tightness had been identified earlier in the year and include wellbore pipe known as Oil Country Tubular Goods, or OCTG), hydraulic fracturing (frac) services and frac sand. For now, the oilfield services providers are not yet focusing on adding meaningful amounts of capacity. They, like their oil company customers, have received clear messages from investors and lenders to prioritize financial returns over growth. And for at least some services, it is only with further price increases — and confidence that demand will persist — that the providers can justify investing in new equipment. August 22, 2022.
The technology trying to make farming more sustainable 8/20/2022
The technology trying to make farming more sustainable
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Mike McGuirk contributes to this BBC video on how climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, mainly caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels. Attempting to offset carbon emissions to combat climate change is becoming more important for companies around the world. One new permanent solution is to convert unwanted biomass from farmers’ fields or forest debris – which contains carbon – into oil. August 20, 2022.
Everything to know about the Biden administration’s new EV subsidies 8/19/2022
Everything to know about the Biden administration’s new EV subsidies
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this brief guide to buying an electric vehicle with Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. The new law also includes tax credits for purchasing new and used electric vehicles, with several stipulations. Here’s a brief guide to buying an EV with IRA rebates. August 19, 2022.
Copper is key to rolling out climate tech—but supply may not keep up 8/19/2022
Copper is key to rolling out climate tech—but supply may not keep up
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the electrification of everything is copper’s time to shine, but soon the metal could become harder to find. Copper is a standout electrical conductor—only silver allows electricity to flow more easily. While it is commonly used today in electrical wiring, renewable energy sources and EVs will require much more copper than their fossil-fuel-powered predecessors. Global demand for the metal could nearly double by 2035, from ~25 million metric tons to ~50 million MT, according to a July report from S&P Global. August 19, 2022.
CUBAN FUEL DEPOT FIRE CAUSES ENERGY CRISIS 8/11/2022
CUBAN FUEL DEPOT FIRE CAUSES ENERGY CRISIS
Payne Institute Earth Observation Group student researcher Elijah Mt.Castle uses satellite imagery to look at how a fuel storage depot in Matanzas, Cuba burned for 5 days. The fire destroyed 4 crude oil tankers in the port which made up 40% of the country’s reserves. The oil in Matanzas is mainly used for generating electricity. The country has already been experiencing blackouts in the last months and shortages on gasoline and other items. August 11, 2022.
How energy subsidy reform can drive the Iranian power sector towards a low-carbon future 8/11/2022
How energy subsidy reform can drive the Iranian power sector towards a low-carbon future
Vahid Aryanpur, Mahshid Fattahi, Siab Mamipour, Mahsa Ghahremani, Brian ÓGallachóir, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, and James Glynn write about how substantial energy subsidies are recognised as the leading cause of Iran’s inefficient electricity generation and consumption. This paper investigates the impacts of subsidy removal on future electricity demand and the required generation mix. A hybrid modelling framework is developed to analyse supply and demand sides under harmonised assumptions. August 11, 2022.
How Manchin kneecapped the climate bill’s EV tax credit 8/8/2022
How Manchin kneecapped the climate bill’s EV tax credit
Payne Institute Program Manager Jordy Lee contributed to this article about how Democrats have been jubilant about their budget reconciliation bill nearing final passage, but the auto industry is starting to worry the climate spending legislation might actually slow the nation’s switch away from gas-powered cars. The West Virginia Democrat has repeatedly groused that minerals crucial to electric car batteries — like lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite — are currently produced into a global supply line primarily controlled by China. August 8, 2022.
Why isn’t Big Oil up in arms about the climate-friendly Inflation Reduction Act? 8/8/2022
Why isn’t Big Oil up in arms about the climate-friendly Inflation Reduction Act?
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this podcast about how there’s a lot of stuff baked into the 755-page Inflation Reduction Act, which was approved in the Senate and is expected to pass in the House. Top of mind for many is the nearly $370 billion set aside for energy transition and climate change mitigation. In fact, some are calling the Democrats’ measure the biggest piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. On the surface, that sounds like it could be bad news for traditional fossil fuel companies, specifically Big Oil and Gas. But believe it or not, some of them sound fairly encouraged by the bill. August 8, 2022.
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage in the New Inflation Reduction Act 8/5/2022
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage in the New Inflation Reduction Act
Payne Institute CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield writes about how the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 should offer an immense boost to the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) industry. With $369 billion allocated to energy security and climate change, the expectation is to ‘lower energy costs, increase cleaner energy production, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030.” August 5, 2022.
NEW WINNERS, NEW LOSERS: TOWARD A NEW ENERGY SECURITY 8/4/2022
NEW WINNERS, NEW LOSERS: TOWARD A NEW ENERGY SECURITY
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian and Fellow Cullen Hendrix write about how we are in the midst of the biggest global energy crisis in history. Old playbooks are not up to the task. This new paradigm will require making the new geopolitical risks and tradeoffs of sustainable energy systems explicit. It will also require figuring out how to ensure energy security for some — major powers and developed economies — does not create massive insecurity for the rest: the many developing countries that have huge unmet energy needs and significant natural resources. August 4, 2022.
Manchin deal could raise new hurdles for electric vehicle incentives 8/4/2022
Manchin deal could raise new hurdles for electric vehicle incentives
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how Democrats’ push to boost electric vehicles could be hobbled by some of the protectionist supply chain provisions they included as requirements to get electric vehicle tax credits. Part of the credit is also tied to a percentage of battery components being manufactured in North America. Experts and industry players have indicated that these provisions — particularly the critical minerals piece — represents a high bar, and may hamper electric vehicle adoption in the short term. August 4, 2022.
Proposed Tax Break for Buying Electric Vehicles Is Too Hard to Get, Auto Makers Say 8/4/2022
Proposed Tax Break for Buying Electric Vehicles Is Too Hard to Get, Auto Makers Say
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the draft rules in Senate climate package mean few current vehicles would be eligible. Major automakers are pressing lawmakers to ease a proposed battery-sourcing requirement for electric-vehicle tax breaks, saying that few, if any, plug-in models on sale today would qualify. But the proposal would stiffen the requirements for an electric vehicle to qualify. Only U.S.-built vehicles would be eligible. August 4, 2022.
Carmakers say the climate bill sets impossible targets 8/3/2022
Carmakers say the climate bill sets impossible targets
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how auto companies would qualify for electric vehicle tax credits only if they move supply chains out of China. The industry warns that could be too ambitious. The dispute underscores the immense challenge the United States faces in its effort to retake control of production lines at a critical moment in the energy transition. August 3, 2022.
Deep in the Democrats’ Climate Bill, Analysts See More Wins for Clean Energy Than Gifts for Fossil Fuel Business 8/3/2022
Deep in the Democrats’ Climate Bill, Analysts See More Wins for Clean Energy Than Gifts for Fossil Fuel Business
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions on electric vehicles, methane, industrial and agriculture policy add up to big greenhouse gas emissions cuts—if the bill can make it through Congress. At least three separate analyses by think tanks and academic institutions agree that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions some 40 percent by 2030—within striking distance of President Joe Biden’s pledge to cut emissions in half. More evidence of the legislation’s potential to ignite a clean energy transition can be seen in the reaction it has spurred among the most ardent keepers of the fossil fuel status quo. August 3, 2022.
Scrap, sell, auction or repurpose? What’s the best business model for coal plant closure? 7/29/2022
Scrap, sell, auction or repurpose? What’s the best business model for coal plant closure?
Payne Institute Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler and Deb Chattopadhyay write about how various business models and financial mechanisms are available to accelerate the retirement of coal-fired power plants across the globe. But, which one is best depends on a multitude of factors such as the plant’s ownership, utilization prospects and the host government’s commitment. Examples are provided to illustrate the decision-making process of how to most quickly retire coal-fired power plants. July 29, 2022.
Climate bill would create roadblock for full EV tax credit 7/28/2022
Climate bill would create roadblock for full EV tax credit
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the climate deal struck yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin would significantly expand consumer tax credits for electric vehicles by offering a $7,500 tax credit to people buying an EV made with a certain percentage of minerals mined or processed in nations with U.S. free trade agreements, or recycled in North America. But there’s a catch: The EV supply chain required for the tax credit doesn’t exist. July 28, 2022.
The Net-Zero Industry Tracker 7/28/2022
The Net-Zero Industry Tracker
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is an advisory board member for the new World Economic Forum Net-Zero Industry Tracker report that sets the their ambition to establish a robust tracking platform that supports the emergence of low-carbon industries by the decade’s end. Industrial sectors account for nearly 40% of global energy consumption and more than 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The transformation of these sectors is pivotal to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. It is time to close the gaps with timely and consistent monitoring of industrial decarbonization. July 28, 2022.
Gov. Polis, as Chair of the Bipartisan Western Governors Association, Outlines Geothermal Opportunities for Colorado & West 7/26/2022
Gov. Polis, as Chair of the Bipartisan Western Governors Association, Outlines Geothermal Opportunities for Colorado & West
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this announcement by Colorado Governor Jared Polis on his “Heat Beneath our Feet” initiative with the 2023 Western Governors’ Association (WGA). HBOF is a bold initiative that will jump-start the development of geothermal energy generation. HBOF and the exploration of geothermal energy generation is an innovative approach to expanding clean energy resources, saving people money, and promoting bipartisan partnership with other Western States. July 26, 2022.
Nuclear Power Reset? 7/25/2022
Nuclear Power Reset?
Payne Institute Fellow Alex Gilbert writes about how nuclear power, we’ve learned the hard way, can be dangerous and is always off-the-charts expensive. And if that doesn’t disqualify it as part of the solution to our energy woes, there are the problems of waste and nuclear weapons security. Or maybe not. Last fall, for the first time in recent memory, nuclear energy was on the agenda of very serious people trying to stop climate change. July 25, 2022.
How Manchin wobble may hit Biden’s public land oil strategy 7/18/2022
How Manchin wobble may hit Biden’s public land oil strategy
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how after Sen. Joe Manchin sent climate negotiations into chaos on Capitol Hill last week, the pressure is on President Joe Biden to take his own concrete steps to halt global warming, like toughening his stance on drilling for oil on public lands. The West Virginia Democrat waffled ahead of the weekend on whether he will support climate spending in ongoing negotiations over the reconciliation package that Democrats are trying to get passed ahead of the midterm elections — when the GOP is predicted to gain spots in Congress. He blamed inflation for his position. July 18, 2022.
Making carbon offset disclosure align with climate value
Making carbon offset disclosure align with climate value
Payne Institute Program Manager Brad Handler, Communications Associate Simon Lomax, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the voluntary carbon market would benefit from a ratings system to score the climate effectiveness of different offset types. Carbon offsets have a valuable role to play in mobilizing private capital to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and slow the pace of climate change. July 18, 2022.
A View from the Ground Along the Proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) Route 7/15/2022
A View from the Ground Along the Proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) Route
Payne Institute ESG Research Associate Baba Freeman writes about how the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) has been conceived to transport gas from the Niger delta in Nigeria, across Niger and Algeria to supply Europe as it reduces its dependence on Russian gas while transitioning to lower carbon energy. Technical risks to the pipeline’s success can also be substantially mitigated through engineering studies before the final investment decision is made. A case can be made that beyond these latter risk categories, that there would be residual risks to the TSGP’s success that are non-market and non-technical in nature. July 15, 2022.
Clearing the Non-Technical Hurdles for CCS 7/15/2022
Clearing the Non-Technical Hurdles for CCS
Payne Institute Communications Associate Brooke Bowser, Sustainable Finance Lab Program Manager Brad Handler, CCUS Program Manager Anna Littlefield, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the oil and gas industry began injecting carbon dioxide into the ground in the 1970s as a technique to produce more oil (now called enhanced oil recovery), but today there is a renewed interest in CO2 injection for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects — this time as a way to address climate change. Despite CCS technology itself being decades-old, persistent regulatory and liability questions paired with limited economic viability threaten development, even as the industry appears to be gathering momentum for large-scale growth. July 15, 2022.
After years of contamination at Pittsburgh airport, nearby drinking water still hasn’t been tested 7/15/2022
After years of contamination at Pittsburgh airport, nearby drinking water still hasn’t been tested
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributed to this article about how the airport has known about the potential contamination on its property for years but hasn’t tested for it or taken steps to protect nearby residents. There are no laws requiring it to take action. Scientists say the airport’s $1.4 billion construction project could make the contamination problem worse. July 15, 2022.
Payne Institute for Public Policy tackling ripple effects of renewable energy on mineral supply chain 7/14/2022
Payne Institute for Public Policy tackling ripple effects of renewable energy on mineral supply chain
The Payne Institute Supply Chain Transparency Initiative is studying, documenting journey for materials that are critical to clean energy transition. Though increased clean energy should ultimately help slow the progression of climate change, it may also cause wide-ranging ripple effects around the world. The new Supply Chain Transparency Initiative at the Payne Institute for Public Policy aims to better understand these issues and, using Mines’ technical expertise, offer solutions for addressing them. July 14, 2022.
More than 8 million Illinoisans get drinking water from a utility where forever chemicals have been detected, Tribune investigation finds 7/12/2022
More than 8 million Illinoisans get drinking water from a utility where forever chemicals have been detected, Tribune investigation finds
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Chris Higgins contributed to this article about how something as simple as drinking tap water is exposing millions of Illinoisans to toxic chemicals that build up in human blood, cause cancer and other diseases and take years to leave the body. Scientists call the chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. They are commonly known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment. July 12, 2022.
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