At Andlinger Center, our approach to solving the most important global energy and environmental challenges is through collaborative projects that leverage the knowledge of our partners across sectors. These projects include traditional bench studies, novel experiments, pilots, white papers, and other world-class research that advance practical solutions.
projects
A Hub for Energy Technologies
Deloitte, a global leader in providing climate change transformation services to corporations and governments, has collaborated with Chris Greig and Eric Larson to support multiple studies related to the planning and optimization of clean energy hubs.
Clean Hydrogen Hubs
The collaboration with Deloitte resulted in a new study to explore challenges for a future clean hydrogen economy. With assistance from Anthony Ku, consultant and former non-resident fellow at the Andlinger Center, the initial study focused on hydrogen development in the U.S., which has been buoyed by unprecedented subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act and federal funding for regional clean hydrogen hubs. Through interviews and workshops with senior-level individuals from organizations across the clean hydrogen value chain and investment community, the researchers concluded that most investment was likely to support opportunities where clean hydrogen substitutes existing carbon-intensive supplies in the chemical and refining sectors. However, the researchers found that investment in most new clean hydrogen uses remains uncertain. Consequently, the collaborators identified several system-level issues that regional hydrogen hubs will need to address to support a large and diverse clean hydrogen economy.
Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage (CCTS) Hubs
Collaboration with Deloitte has also supported an effort to understand the opportunities and challenges of rolling out widespread CCTS infrastructure. In one study, researchers developed a model for making scoping-level estimates of the cost of retrofitting any existing industrial facility in the US with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology based on the concentration and magnitude of CO2 in its emissions. A second project is combining the cost model with other methodologies and datasets to study cost-optimized designs for CCTS hubs, with a case study focusing on heavily industrialized southeast Louisiana. One initial finding is that sharing CO2 pipelines among multiple nearby CO2 capture facilities could reduce the cost of CO2 transportation infrastructure by up to two-thirds and the total required pipe miles by more than two-thirds, implying significantly reduced disruptions for local communities and landscapes.
Delivering on Decarbonization Goals
Worley, a leading global provider of engineering, procurement and construction services to the energy, chemicals and resources sectors, continued its collaboration with Chris Greig.
Net Zero Australia
The collaboration with Worley includes participation in the Net Zero Australia study, inspired by Princeton’s influential Net-Zero America study. The Net Zero Australia study was launched in 2021 to develop pathways for decarbonizing the country’s relatively small domestic economy as well as for transforming its export economy from being coal and natural gas intensive to instead focus on exporting clean energy carriers. Net Zero Australia findings were publicly released in August 2022, final modeling results from the study were released in April 2023, and a mobilization report was released in July 2023, which outlines opportunities and timelines for making net-zero goals happen.
From Ambition to Reality
Greig has also continued to work with Worley to produce From Ambition to Reality, a series of thought leadership articles that aim to reimagine infrastructure delivery to convert net-zero goals into tangible outcomes.
The first paper, released in 2021, identified five key shifts in practice that would constitute a new paradigm for infrastructure delivery. The second paper, released in 2022, proposed fifteen indicators of change to measure global progress on each of the five shifts. The series prompted a pulse-check on current industry behaviors and suggested a huge gap between net-zero ideals and current practices. As a result, the collaboration has expanded to include Elke Weber, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor of Energy and the Environment and professor of psychology and public affairs, and Jordana Composto, a graduate psychology student. The team designed and administered the first installment of a longitudinal survey to a diverse range of stakeholders connected with the energy transition around the world to measure progress and identify bottlenecks to clean energy adoption at the industry level. The third paper in the series, released in August 2023, incorporated early findings from the study and outlined an updated framework to drive adoption of the paradigm shift and accelerate net-zero infrastructure delivery.
Optimizing How Baggage Is Loaded Onto Planes
Christos Maravelias, the Anderson Family Professor in Energy and the Environment, is collaborating with Siemens to automate the process of loading cargo into unit load devices, which are containers used to store luggage on planes. Maravelias is developing an optimization model to maximize the amount of cargo that can fit into each loading device. Such optimization could reduce the number of devices that need to be flown, leading to greater aircraft fuel savings. Additionally, automating the loading process could reduce workplace injuries and lead to less misplaced baggage.
Learning to Control Power Grids
Despite advances in automation, managing daily energy grid operations still requires almost hourly interventions from human operators. Ryan Adams, professor of computer science, is working with Siemens to explore how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to further automate and optimize power grid operations. The team has demonstrated that AI algorithms can learn clever ways of reconfiguring network topologies to redirect power through alternate paths, especially when the power flows on critical lines are under stress from external events such as natural disasters or cyber-physical attacks. The team is currently working to communicate their findings at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.
Net-Zero Grows
Siam Cement Group (SCG) is one of Thailand’s largest industrial firms with key business units of cement, chemicals, and packaging. SCG supported a scoping study for a potential Net-Zero Thailand, with a similar level of technological, temporal and spatial resolution to Net-Zero America and Net Zero Australia. Led by Chris Greig, the team has undertaken multiple visits to Thailand and has engaged with more than 60 individuals, representing five universities and research institutions, six energy and industrial companies, and a number of governmental agencies. The research is currently pending the initiation and engagement of core research partners, which is being led by collaborators at Thammasat University.
