Global Energy Future Initiative
Connecting energy innovators,
industry leaders and policy makers
to advance scientific, data-driven solutions
for the global energy future
The Future of Energy is Now, at Mines
Join the Mines Global Energy Future Initiative as we bring together global energy thought leaders and world-class Colorado School of Mines faculty through research, education, workshops, seminars and outreach.
Why Mines Global Energy Future Initiative?
Governments and industry around the globe are pursuing increasingly ambitious initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify their energy portfolios, all while the world is facing significant growth in energy demand from emerging and developing economies. On these complex issues, Mines has a unique combination of expertise with the depth to meet the energy challenges head on. Mines has an exceptional track record of solving tough scientific and engineering problems across the gamut of energy and environmental fields. The university enjoys a hard-earned reputation as an unbiased problem-solver in disciplines often at odds in the energy-environment discussion; the university tagline, “Earth, Energy, Environment” is an accurate reflection of our expansive and growing purview.
With partners from academia, industry, government, and civil society galvanized by Mines’ uniquely comprehensive expertise, we’re developing energy solutions that will shape decision-making, now and in the decades to come.
Impactful Hubs
Low Carbon and Renewable Energy
Developing renewable, secure, resilient, and adaptive energy infrastructure that fosters economic growth while reducing environmental impact
Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage (CCUS)
Multidisciplinary approach to scientific, engineering and policy research on net zero emissions technological innovations
Clean Water Innovations
Role of technology innovation in reimagining global water in the future energy system
Minerals & Metals
Finding solutions to meet the minerals and metals needs to create our future energy system, including sustainable mining practices; technological innovations in mining; and the role of markets, economics and policy
Oil and Gas
Designing interdisciplinary research focused on the science, engineering and policy of oil and gas in the net-zero energy future
Supply Chain Transparency
Understanding how the future energy system will impact the global supply chain and the associated effects on markets, communities and the environment
Upcoming Events
Please join the CSU Energy Institute and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jim Crompton, Professor of Practice, Petroleum Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, for a presentation titled Measure What Matters at CSU on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Please join the Cities Summit of the Americas and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines for a Cities Summit Side Event – Partners in Development – Mining and Cities in the Americas on Tuesday, April 25 at the Colorado School of Mines.
Latest News
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.
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.
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.
Why Mines?
Since 1874, Mines has been a pioneer at the frontiers of science and engineering, from locating and recovering earth resources, to energy production, to environmental stewardship.
Over time, Mines’ expertise expanded to meet the changing needs of industry and society, playing key roles in the growth of the global energy and natural resource industries. We are now positioned to leverage that deep expertise through a data-driven approach to informing the global energy future, in collaboration with academia, industry, government and civil society partners.
Leadership
John Bradford
Vice President for Global Initiatives
Morgan Bazilian
Director, Payne Institute for Public Policy
For more information about the Mines Global Energy Future Initiative at the Colorado School of Mines, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.
Mines@150
As Colorado School of Mines approaches our sesquicentennial, we are ideally suited to lead this initiative. Our bold and ambitious MINES@150 strategic plan builds on the exceptional legacy of our PAST, the ways we impact the PRESENT and the POSSIBILITIES of our global energy future.