Poster Abstracts
Joe Abbate1
1st Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Egemen Kolemen1,2,3
with Roy Conlin2
1Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory; 2Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; 3Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Machine learning for plasma profile prediction in tokamaks
Abstract
Tokamaks require careful tuning of actuator signals to steer the plasma to a stable, high-gain plasma profile. For feed-forward control, we need to predict the resultant plasma profile given a “proposed” trajectory in actuator space. Predictive-TRANSP is the best available code for profile prediction, but it is inaccurate in some regimes and takes many hours to run. We are developing a data-driven model that can run in about a millisecond. We hope the algorithm will help save time and money by avoiding instabilities and facilitate discovery of new and better plasma scenarios for fusion energy production.
Bio
Joe Abbate is a 1st year Ph.D. student in plasma physics at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. As an undergraduate at Princeton University, he majored in physics and did certificates in computer science, statistics and machine learning, mathematics, and engineering. He leveraged this diverse skillset to use machine learning to predict “disruptions” in experimental fusion reactions for his senior thesis. Abbate now continues to work at the intersection of machine learning and fusion technology research.
Xuyuan (Ellen) Ai1
4th Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Daniel M. Sigman1
1Department of Geosciences
The Southern Ocean and its impact on atmospheric CO2 level: what we can learn from paleoclimate reconstructions
Abstract
The deep ocean is a vast reservoir of carbon that exchanges with the atmosphere through high-latitude oceans, especially the Southern Ocean. To better predict future CO2 concentrations, we need to understand how natural carbon fluxes in and out of the Southern Ocean respond to climate changes. Using marine microfossils, we reconstructed the past surface conditions of the Antarctic Zone, which show that Southern Ocean overturning, the circulation that connects the surface ocean to the vast carbon reservoir in the deep ocean, was strengthened during climate warming, releasing more CO2 into the atmosphere, and vice versa during climate cooling.
Bio
Xuyuan (Ellen) Ai is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University, working with Professor Daniel Sigman on marine nitrogen biogeochemistry. She received her B.Sc. degree in environmental science from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei, China. Her current research seeks to reconstruct Southern Ocean surface biogeochemical conditions in the past and gain insight about the interaction of biological activity, Southern Ocean physical and geochemical conditions and global climate, especially during warm intervals in the past one million years.
Jaeil Baek1,2
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Principal Investigator: Minjie Chen1,2
with Ping Wang1,2
1Department of Electrical Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Ultra efficient and compact linear extendable group operated point-of-load (LEGO-PoL) architecture for future computing system (CPU, GPU, and TPU)
Abstract
Power delivery architecture with high efficiency, high power density, and high bandwidth are needed to support future high performance computing systems (CPUs, GPUs, and TPUs). Traditional research decouples dc transformer and regulation stages, limiting the system efficiency and power density. In our research, these decupled stages are replaced by a merged two stage architecture, which has fewer magnetic components and capacitors, higher efficiency, and higher power density. The merged architecture can be used in many applications because it can be linear extended and group operated to cover a wide range of input voltage and output current.
Bio
Jaeil Baek is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. He obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Baek has research experience in high efficiency and high power density power electronics converters for information systems and electric vehicles. He has published over 30 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, and holds two issued patents, with four patents pending.
Tapomoy Bhattacharjee1
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigator: Sujit S. Datta2
1Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Bacterial communities in three-dimensional porous media
Abstract
Bacteria living in complex interconnected pores are critical for bioremediation. Creating designer biofilms from these bacteria will yield opportunities for targeted water purification. We are using a novel experimental platform to study how bacteria explore three-dimensional (3D) porous environments, how their environments can be used to confine them, and how we can thereby 3D-print designer biofilms in these environments. We find that for sufficiently large pores, cell populations can collectively migrate, while below a threshold pore size, they are trapped and only spread via growth and division. Our work yields principles for designing and controlling bacterial communities.
Bio
Tapomoy Bhattacharjee is an Andlinger Center Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, where his research focuses on understanding and controlling the behavior of bacterial colonies. He did his undergraduate work at Jadavpur University and graduate work at the University of Florida where he studied cells in jammed microgels.
Yanhong Bian1
1st Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Zhiyong Jason Ren1,2
with Lu Lu1,2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Wastewater treatment for carbon capture and utilization
Abstract
A paradigm shift is underway in wastewater treatment as the industry heads toward ~3 percent of global electricity consumption and contributes ~1.6 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Although incremental improvements to energy efficiency and renewable energy recovery are underway, studies considering wastewater for carbon capture and utilization are few. This presentation summarizes alternative wastewater treatment pathways capable of simultaneous CO2 capture and utilization, and demonstrates the environmental and economic benefits of microbial electrochemical and phototrophic processes. Preliminary estimates demonstrate that re-envisioning wastewater treatment may entirely offset the industry’s greenhouse gas footprint and make it a globally significant contributor of negative carbon emissions.
Bio
Yanhong Bian is a 1st year Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, focusing on environmental engineering and water resources. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering from Ocean University of China and Tsinghua University in China, respectively. Her current research focuses on resource recovery from wastewater through electrochemical technologies. She is interested in wastewater treatment and desalination, the water-energy-carbon nexus, bioenergy and nutrients recovery.
Kian Wee Chen1
Andlinger Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow
Principal Investigator: Forrest Meggers1, 2
Adam Rysanek3, Jovan Pantelic4, Arno Schlueter5, Eric Teiltelbaum2, Dorit Aviv2, Lea Ruefenacht6, Kipp Bradford7, Patrick Janssen8, Erik Velasco9
1 Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2 School of Architecture; 3 University of British Columbia; 4 UC Berkeley;
5 ETH Zurich; 6 Singapore-ETH Center; 7 KippKitts LLC; 8 National University of Singapore; 9 Independent Researcher
Rapid design prototyping with advanced digital technologies for the built environment
Abstract
With rapid urbanisation and climate change, modern designers are tasked with the immense challenge of designing environments that can be built and operated with the greatest efficiency. To achieve this, it is essential that designers should be able to explore, compare and refine their designs based on clear measurable characteristics. This can be satisfied through prototyping, where artefacts are developed and evaluated to test out design ideas. This research aims to facilitate the process of prototyping by developing the necessary tools to streamline the use of advanced digital technologies in the rapid prototyping of energy-efficient designs for the built environment.
Bio
Kian Wee Chen is an Andlinger Center Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, where his research interest lies in the development and use of computational tools for improving the design of the built environment. His Ph.D. research with Future Cities Laboratory, Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich, focuses on creating an integrated design workflow for the evaluation/optimisation of energy-related design exploration. He joined Singapore MIT Alliance of Research and Technology (SMART) in 2015 as a postdoctoral associate looking at the use of optimisation algorithm in the urban design process.
Xi Chen1,2
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigator: Zhiyong Jason Ren1,2
with Yanhong Bian1,2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Nanostructured wood membrane for energy efficient desalination
Abstract
Water scarcity and the increasing supply of intermittent renewable energy like low-grade heat and solar are driving the development of new technologies such as membrane distillation (MD) and solar desalination (SD) for energy efficient water desalination. The nanowood membrane had high porosity (89±3 percent) and hierarchical pore structure with a wide pore size distribution which facilitated water vapor transportation. The unique fiber alignments granted excellent intrinsic vapor permeability (1.44±0.09 kg m−1 K−1 s−1 Pa−1) and thermal efficiency (~70 percent). The ideal properties of thermal efficiency, water flux, scalability, and sustainability make nanowood highly desirable for practical MD and SD applications.
Bio
Xi Chen is currently a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. She received her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from Tsinghua University in China. Her research interests focus on energy efficient desalination, resource recovery from wastewater, new material for water-energy nexus, sustainable hydrogen evolution and CO2M.sub> capture using electrochemical technology.
Rebecca Ciez1
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigator: Daniel Steingart2
1Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University
How cheap can long-duration lithium-ion batteries be?
Abstract
Lithium-ion battery costs have fallen rapidly enabling their adaptation for electric vehicle and high-value electricity grid storage applications, but costs are still too high to provide load-shifting services alone. Here, we examine both the performance and manufacturing costs of lithium-ion cells specifically designed for long-duration grid storage applications. We find that minimizing the balance of cell hardware and using existing, low cost electrode materials, cells can be manufactured for less than $100/kWh. While the levelized cost of storage is highly dependent on the use case, an 8-hour system cycled almost daily can provide stored electricity at a cost of < $0.10/kWh.
Bio
Rebecca Ciez is a an Andlinger Center Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, where her research focuses on the technology and policy challenges of integrating energy storage for decarbonizing electricity, transportation, and industrial systems. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.
Heidi Cooper1
Ph.D. Candidate
Ph.D. Supervisors: Nicole Gillespie1, Karen Hussey1, Chris Greig1,2,3
1University of Queensland, Australia; 2Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation (UQ), Australia; 3Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
The public trust deficit: understanding and repairing declining public trust in Australia
Abstract
Research shows that the public’s trust in major institutions is declining and many societies throughout the world are now considered to be largely distrusting. Declining public trust is impacting both the public and private sectors and is causing stagnation in the development and implementation of the long-term public policy needed to respond to climate change. Building on the concept that trust is fundamental to all aspects of society, this study will consider the causes of declining public trust and, importantly, the mechanisms that can be used to repair public trust. The study will also consider the role of business leaders in becoming authorities on major public policy debates, such as energy and climate, and the ability of business to progress significant public policy reform when governments reach roadblocks.
Bio
Heidi Cooper is currently completing her Ph.D. at the University of Queensland, Australia. She is also a senior executive with over 20 years of industry experience in external engagement. She has provided political, reputational, public policy and social licence advice across a range of industries including for some of the most significant issues currently facing the energy sector. A solicitor by background, Cooper has held Board positions in the resources and education sectors. In 2016, she was selected to attend Harvard University’s inaugural program on Climate Change and Energy and was also appointed as a Global Change Scholar at the University of Queensland, Australia. She holds several tertiary qualifications, including a Master of Laws and a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law.
Alicia Cooperman1,2
Postdoctoral Research Associate
1Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies
Local politics, collective action, and policy implementation
Abstract
Most discussion of political bottlenecks focuses on national or state politics, but we must consider local actors. My research specifically focuses on the relationship between village association leaders and local politicians. Using qualitative interviews and a large-scale household survey in rural Brazil, research shows that villages can organize and trade their collective votes to influence the distribution of public services. Even if technological and high-level political barriers are overcome, the interaction between citizens’ preferences, local civil society organization, and local politicians can dramatically shape the implementation and enforcement of policy reforms for energy transitions.
Bio
Alicia Cooperman is a postdoctoral research associate with the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) and in the Energy System Analysis Group. Her research focuses on the intersection of development, politics, and the environment. She is interested in how collective action interacts with local politics to shape sustainable development in developing countries. Her broader research agenda studies the politics of climate change mitigation and adaptation, the politics of natural disasters, and participatory natural resource management. Cooperman received a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University in May 2019, a Master of International Affairs from UCSD’s School of Global Policy & Strategy in 2013, and a B.A. in human biology from Stanford University in 2008.
Maria Curria1,2
1st year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Claire E. White1,2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Synthesis and characterization of monolayer Ca(OH)2 for CO2 physisorption
Abstract
The available technologies for highly-selective carbon adsorption work mostly by chemisorption, which involves a high binding energy between the sorbent and the CO2 molecules. This translates into a costly desorption process later on to recover the CO2. A selective physisorbent could solve this problem by reducing this binding energy. Computational simulations indicate that a monolayer of portlandite could potentially be used as a selective physisorption material to capture CO2/CO from syngas or other gas streams. The purpose of this work is to study the viability of manufacturing such a material to further assess its capture properties.
Bio
Maria Curria is a 1st year Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She received her master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA) in 2015, and worked for the Concrete Technology Department of the Argentinean Portland Cement Institute (ICPA) for two years. Last spring, she joined Professor Claire White’s Sustainable Cements Group as a Ph.D. student, where she’s currently doing research on carbon capture materials.
Ali Daraeepour1
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Invesigator: Eric Larson1
1Energy Systems Analysis Group, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Enhancing price formation process in electricity markets to support advancing high renewable energy targets: a PJM case study
Abstract
Successfully managing the evolving grid comes down to ensuring the grid is flexible enough to deal with the characteristics of variable renewable electricity (VRE). Paradoxically, electricity markets today are not designed to incent flexibility attributes of conventional generators, which mainly represent their ability to ramp and cycle over various time frames, with continued growth in VRE. This study investigates the scale and type of inefficiencies posed by conventional pricing mechanisms, and how these inefficiencies serve as a barrier to incent operational flexibility with continued growth in VRE. We also study the implications of alternative pricing mechanisms designed to overcome such inefficiencies.
Bio
Ali Daraeepour is a postdoctoral research associate in the Energy Systems Analysis Group at the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment. His research focuses on market design and grid operation reforms to enhance economic and environmental efficiency of electricity grids, with continued growth in variable 4renewable electricity and emerging technologies that support advancing zero-emission objectives. He earned his Ph.D. from Duke University in 2017. His dissertation addressed understanding grid-integration of variable renewable resources and related design of electricity markets and processes underlying operation of electricity grids. Prior to earning his Ph.D., he worked for several years as a power system engineer and consultant. Daraeepour is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation.
Hongshan Guo1,2
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigator: Forrest Meggers1,2
1Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2School of Architecture
Tapping hidden geothermal potential for thermal storage and demand shifting
Abstract
Geothermal energy is often harvested either at shallower depths (≤500m), serving primarily as a heat sink, or at larger depths (≥2km), as a heat source for the pressurized steam to generate electricity. Usage of geothermal energy is rarely associated with load shifting as viable form of thermal storage. We investigated the possibility of using a deeper coaxial geothermal heat exchanger, whose inner pipe is insulated for better heat extraction, and the possibility of addressing the larger heating/cooling demands of larger residential and commercial buildings in this project. A test well for this technology will soon be built on Princeton’s campus to provide more experimental evidences to our proposition.
Bio
Hongshan Guo is a recent Ph.D. graduate from Princeton’s School of Architecture and is currently a postdoctoral research associate in Forrest Meggers’ lab. Her dissertation focused on finding the most efficient way to deliver thermal comfort for occupants through various heating/cooling system combinations, in which harvesting the geothermal potential is a crucial part – the premises of harvesting the temperature at the bottom of said boreholes when additional insulation layers that can be included to limit the heat exchange between the two flow channels. As a graduate student, Hongshan was awarded the Maeder Graduate Fellowship in Energy and the Environment for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Sassan Hajirezaie1
3rd Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Catherine A. Peters1
with Alexander Swift2, Julia Sheets2, David R. Cole2, Dustin Crandall3, Michael C. Cheshire4, Andrew G. Stack4, Chris Greig5
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2The Ohio State University; 3National Energy Technology Laboratory; 4Oak Ridge National Laboratory; 5Gerhard R. Andlinger Visiting Fellow in Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Mitigating deep decarbonization risks: mineral precipitation strategy to increase the safety and salience of CCS
Abstract
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is projected to play a substantial role in deep decarbonisation scenarios with contributions to mitigating CO2 emissions from fossil fuel utilization and negative emissions technologies. CO2 leakage from geological formations poses a risk affecting the public acceptance and investability of CCS, which has the potential to delay or slow deployment rates, putting deep decarbonisation pathways at risk. This work explores the role of mineral precipitation in preventing leakage, which has the potential to limit the investment risk and expand the potential geological formations able to host CO2 storage, thereby increasing the potential pace and ultimate capacity of CCS deployment.
Bio
Sassan Hajirezaie is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, whose research focuses on the environmental challenges of subsurface energy technologies such as geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, enhanced oil recovery, and natural gas production. He is particularly interested in investigating the conditions that could lead to precipitation of minerals in fractures, and the impacts of precipitation on fracture hydraulic properties and CO2 leakage. He has an extensive background in petroleum engineering, and has worked on various oil and gas projects, including but not limited to reservoir modeling, hydraulic fracturing simulations, and history matching of CO2-EOR operations.
Sarah K. Hammer1
4th Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: José L. Avalos1,2,3
with Yanfei Zhang1
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 3Department of Molecular Biology
Mitochondrial compartmentalization confers specificity to recursive alcohol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Abstract
2-ketoacids with molecular weights larger than pyruvate are of particular interest due to their role as substrates for the production of higher alcohols, which are valuable renewable fuel compounds. This work demonstrates that overexpression of the 2-ketoacid elongation enzymes in mitochondria of a four-carbon alcohol production strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae boosts five-carbon alcohol production more than 13-fold. Harnessing additional pools of intermediates in the cytosol results in five-carbon alcohol production at greater than 85 percent specificity, while also enabling the highest five-carbon alcohol titers reported for S. cerevisiae in the peer-reviewed literature.
Bio
Sarah Hammer is a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and an incoming Harold W. Dodds Fellow and P.E.O. Scholar. She received her B.E. in chemical engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in 2015. Her research seeks to address the need for sustainable liquid transportation fuels by combining traditional metabolic engineering approaches with synthetic biology. Outside of the lab, she is a member of the Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars, vice president of Graduate Women in Science and Engineering, and chair of the Princeton chapter of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers.
Ming Liu1,2
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Principal Investigator: Minjie Chen1,2
1Department of Electrical Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Dual-band multi-receiver wireless power transfer: architecture, topology, and control
Abstract
Wireless power transfer (WPT) via near-field magnetic coupling is an enabling technology for many applications. A few WPT standards are under development with frequencies ranging from kHz to MHz. kHz operation offers higher power rating and MHz operation offers smaller size. This work presents a dual-band WPT architecture with novel transmitter and receiver topologies that can achieve high performance at both 100 kHz and 13.56 MHz with low component count and decoupled power delivery at different frequencies. On the transmitter side, we introduce an enhanced push-pull Class-E topology together. On the receiver side, we present a reconfigurable dual-band rectifier that can achieve a power density of 300 W/inch3 with low component count and low total harmonic distortion (THD). A complete dual-band WPT system comprising a RSN-based dual-band transmitter and multiple reconfigurable receivers has been built and tested.
Bio
Ming Liu is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering of Princeton University. He received a B.S. from Sichuan University, China, in 2007, and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, China, in 2017. From 2012 to 2014, he was an assistant research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. His research interests include circuit topology and architecture, control strategy, optimization-based design methods for MHz wireless power transfer (WPT). Liu was the recipient of the Top-10 Academic Star Award at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Research Excellence Award from AirFuel Alliance.
Robert J. Lovelett1
Visiting Research Collaborator
Principal Investigator: José L. Avalos1,2
with Evan M. Zhao1, Makoto A. Lalwani1, Jared E. Toettcher3, Ioannis G. Kevrekidis4
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 3Department of Molecular Biology, 4Johns Hopkins University, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Modeling, optimization, and control of bioprocesses using optogenetics
Abstract
Engineered microbial cultures can produce valuable products from renewable resources such as liquid fuels that serve as drop-in replacements for gasoline, but the processes that govern them are challenging to optimize and control. Optogenetic circuits, which use light-sensitive proteins to control metabolism, provide a promising tool for real-time control. These circuits will activate or inhibit key genes specified for producing biofuels. Our group has designed a suite of optogenetic circuits for yeast and have developed mechanistic models of each circuit to better control their behavior. By examining the mechanistic models, we can further optimize biofuel product yields.
Bio
Robert Lovelett is a postdoctoral research associate at the Avalos Lab at Princeton University. He is interested in applying systems/control theory and data mining/machine learning to biological systems. With the Avalos Lab and the Kevrekidis Group at Johns Hopkins University, he is building feedback control systems for improving biofuel yield in engineered yeast strains. He received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 2016.
Lu Lu1,2
Associate Research Scholar
Principal Investigator: Zhiyong Jason Ren1,2
with Jing Gu3
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 3San Diego State University
Microbial photoelectrosynthesis (MPES) for self-sustaining hydrogen generation from wastewater
Abstract
Direct harvesting of solar energy is challenging due to the variation and intermittency of natural sunlight. Current artificial photosynthesis (APS) system is showing promise to use solar energy to make transportable fuels, but water oxidation in APS is a rate-limiting and energy-intensive step. Most APS systems are not self-sustaining and require external voltage inputs. Here, we demonstrate a self-sustaining microbial photoelectrosynthesis (MPES) system with integrated microbial electrochemical oxidation (MEO) and low-cost semiconductor photocathode for H2 generation from real wastewater. MPES generates very high photocurrents (up to 23 mA cm-2) and retains a prolonged stability.
Bio
Lu Lu is currently an associate research scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and at the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment at Princeton University. Before joining Princeton University, he was a research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder since 2013. He obtained his Ph.D. from Harbin Institute of Technology, China in 2012. His research focuses on the water-energy-carbon nexus with the goal of simultaneous energy/resource recovery and greenhouse gas mitigation during wastewater treatment. He has published more than 40 peer reviewed papers with total citations of more than 1700.
Erin N. Mayfield1
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigator: Eric Larson1
with Jared L. Cohon2, Allen L. Robinson2, Nicholas Z. Muller2, Inês Azevedo2
1Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2Carnegie Mellon University
Cumulative air quality, climate change, and labor market impacts and equity in energy system modeling
Abstract
We develop a multiobjective optimization model to provide insight into how the energy system theoretically could develop if objectives that are often the subject of public discourse and concern, such as jobs, climate change, health effects, as well as, spatial, temporal, racial, and income equity, influence the decision-making process. Focusing on natural gas development in the Appalachian basin, we find that while environmental and employment impact and equity objectives are conflicting if we follow a pathway consistent with the status quo, a collection of siting, abatement, and renewable integration policies can resolve these conflicts. There are pathway dependencies between policies, and delaying implementation only amplifies tradeoffs between objectives.
Bio
Erin Mayfield is a postdoctoral research associate working with Dr. Eric Larson. She is a hybrid environmental engineer and policy researcher, with a focus on energy and environmental systems analysis, equity, and public policy. She previously worked as an environmental consultant on natural resource damages litigation and has held positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Congress, and Environmental Law Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Rutgers University, master’s degree in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and Ph.D. in engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.
Andrew Pascale1
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigators: Paul Lant2, Chris Greig1,2, Simon Smart2
with Shoibal Chakravarty3
1Energy System Analysis Group, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2University of Queensland; 3Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, India
The conundrum of income in a decarbonized and equitable world
Abstract
Is the notion of universal human development compatible with a world that is warmed less than 2°C? We use publicly available data sets to estimate distributions of the human development index (HDI) and CO2 emissions – by income quintile – for over 90 percent of the world’s population from 1990 – 2014. We then use projections of HDI and CO2 emissions from 2015 to 2050 – informed by data from the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) database – to explore the role of income in determining the pace of decarbonization needed to achieve a sustainable and equitable world.
Bio
Andrew Pascale is a postdoctoral research associate in the Energy Systems Analysis Group at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. His interests are in timely low carbon energy transitions that allow inclusive high development levels for all global populations, while remaining within safe planetary boundaries. Specific energy transition interests include net-zero greenhouse gas emission scenarios for the USA by 2050, national clean cooking plans, and renewable electrification system design for remote communities. Before joining the Andlinger Center in 2019, Pascale was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Queensland, Australia in 2018. In 2018, he also led the technical design and installation of a 3.4 kW solar PV system powering a sewing workshop in a remote village in rural Thailand.
Pooja Vijay Ramamurthi2
1st Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Elke Weber1,2,3
1Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; 3Department of Psychology and Public Affairs
What determines the power of coal in India?
Abstract
Effectively tackling climate change requires the world to move away from existing fossil fuel based energy systems — particularly coal assets. Climate policy has typically focused on techno-economic solutions, paying little attention to the complex social and political factors that influence fossil fuel dependency. Understanding the motivations and constraints of various actors and their network interdependencies could be key to providing vital insights into the socio-political factors that determine the pace of decarbonization in India.
Bio
Pooja Ramamurthi is a 1st year Ph.D. student at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Her work has always been multidisciplinary, where she looks at technical, socio-economic, political, and developmental aspects of sustainability. At the moment, she is interested in understanding how decisions around energy and environment are made in developing countries. Prior to coming to Princeton, Ramamurthi worked at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP). She received double master’s degrees in sustainable energy from the Innoenergy scholarship granted by the European Commission.
Saphira Rekker1,2
Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Finance
Ph.D. Supervisors: Jacquelyn Humphrey2, Kate O’Brien2
1UQ Business School, University of Queensland, Australia; 2School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia, 3Visiting Scholar, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Measuring corporate performance is critical to remain within the global carbon budget
Abstract
Meeting ambitious climate targets requires a rapid and sustained transition of capital to low-carbon investments. The role of the private sector is therefore crucial. This thesis examines how corporate performance in meeting climate goals is currently evaluated and how it can be improved to accelerate the response of companies to meeting climate goals. By proposing a novel and science-based approach for setting production targets for individual entities in the fossil fuel industry, this work helps companies and their stakeholders make climate-safe decisions. This work further aims to enable climate-safe investment decision making by identifying challenges and opportunities of using science-based targets to rate corporate climate performance.
Bio
Saphira Rekker is a lecturer/assistant professor in Finance at the University of Queensland and a visiting Scholar at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Her research interests are in the translation of global climate goals to a corporate level. Specific interests are in the development of science-based targets to guide climate-safe decisions for companies and their stakeholders, and how these metrics can be used for climate-safe financial decision-making. Rekker was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Queensland, Australia in 2019. She has published in several high quality journals and works with the financial industry and government to develop science-based sustainability ratings and the integration of these into investment decisions.
Huan Wang1,2
Visiting Associate Research Scholar
Principal Investigator: Jason (Zhiyong) Ren1,2
with Lu Lu1,2
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Bioelectrochemically enhanced remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the saturated soil
Abstract
Bioelectrochemical system (BECS) integrates microorganisms and an electrochemical process for environmental and energy applications, and it was recently developed for removing hydrocarbon contaminates during soil, sediment, or groundwater remediation. Bioelectrochemical remediation offers a number of advantages including greatly shortening remediation, unlimited supply of electron acceptors, and its energy neutral/positive and environment-friendly characteristics. This presentation reports on several studies, including on BECS for soil remediation, enhanced total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation, characterization of degradation products and microbial ecological interactions, the BECS application and scale-up for soil remediation.
Bio
Huan Wang is a visiting associate research scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment at Princeton University. She is also a Research Associate in University of Colorado Boulder. She received her Ph.D. from the Harbin Institute of Technology, China in 2012. Wang is currently focusing on bioelectrochemical system (BECS) remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil and sediment.
Ping Wang1,2
2nd Year Ph.D. Student
Principal Investigator: Minjie Chen1,2
1Department of Electrical Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment
Ultra-efficient energy processing units (EPU) for large scale modular loads in data center
Abstract
U.S. data centers currently consume more than 90 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. Traditional power delivery architectures in data centers are bulky and inefficient. Only 60 percent of electricity is used for computing and the rest is lost in the power conversion process. I developed a new power electronics converter, the Energy Processing Unit (EPU), which can simultaneously supply power to thousands of modular computing units with extremely high energy efficiency. It functions as an intelligent energy management system and only processes the differential power among the server clouds. The EPU has the potential to become the next generation power delivery standard for data centers and will open new opportunities to many other emerging energy systems such as large-scale solar farms and grid-scale energy storage systems.
Bio
Ping Wang earned his bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), China, is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical Engineering. As an undergraduate, Wang was twice awarded a National Scholarship of China, and the Excellent Graduate Award of SJTU. During his first year at Princeton University, he was selected as one of the outstanding students funded by the Ilian L. Mihov Fellowship. Wang’s team won the first prize at Princeton’s 14th annual innovation forum. Currently, he is working in the area of new applications of power electronics, including renewable energy and power electronics for data centers and computation
applications.
Bastien Wild2
Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow
Principal Investigators: Claire E. White1,2, Ian C. Bourg2,3
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; 2Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 3Princeton Environmental Institute
Nanofluidic controls on silicate alteration kinetics
Abstract
The alteration rates of silicate materials have been a prominent concern over the past 50 years in a range of fields including the long-term carbon cycle, the durability of urban infrastructure, and the feasibility of several low-carbon energy technologies including green cements, carbon capture and storage, and radioactive waste storage. We investigate the role of silica-rich nanoporous coatings forming at reacting interfaces, which strongly modulate the alteration process. Here we show that the mobility of reactive species and dissolution product through interfacial layers can be quantified at several scales by combining advanced microscopy and beamline techniques with molecular dynamics simulations.
Bio
Bastien Wild is an Andlinger Center Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow. His background lies at the crossroads of chemistry (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) and earth and environmental sciences (Ph.D.). He has developed, on that basis, interdisciplinary research focusing on the mechanisms underlying the dissolution of a variety of silicate material of strategic interest, including cements, glass and minerals. His Ph.D. was awarded the 2017 Excellence Prize of Strasbourg University and he recently received the 2019 Ozcar prize from the French network of Critical Zone Observatories. Wild was funded for one year by BASF Company to pursue research on cement phases prior to his appointment at the Andlinger Center.
Chuan Zhang1
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Principal Investigators: Markus Kraft2, Oliver Inderwildi2
1Energy System Analysis Group, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; 2Cambridge University (UK) Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore
Artificial intelligence enabled energy system transitions: opportunities and challenges
Abstract
Energy system transitions toward decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization (3D) represent a new frontier in energy research; artificial intelligence (AI) could facilitate such transitions by creating smart energy systems with high demand-side flexibility, low renewable curtailment and flexible cross-sector integration, thereby increasing environmental sustainability without undermining system security. It is estimated that by integrating AI technologies with energy systems, the abatement potential of multiple decarbonization technologies could increase by gigaton scale. AI could facilitate resilient, economically competitive, and low-carbon energy provision, thus accelerating energy system transitions.
Bio
Chuan Zhang will be a postdoctoral research associate in the Energy Systems Analysis Group. Zhang received his Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University Singapore, where he was a member of the Cambridge University Centre for Advanced Research and Education. His research interests center on energy system analysis at the intersection of modeling and optimization, environmental sustainability, and policy assessment. His Ph.D. work, including that reported in this poster, mainly focused on analysis of technological decarbonization strategies for Singapore’s energy system. He has eight peer-reviewed journal publications.