CMU Scott Institute – EnergyTech UP Jan 31 Deadline, NEPTUNE & IN2 Funding + CMU Energy Week 2022 Update

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Register a Team for DOE EnergyTech UP Explore Event by Jan 31

Scott Institute is pleased to host the EnergyTech University Prize (UP) Explore Event, a virtual mid-Atlantic region showcase sponsored by the new U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Technology Transitions. This competition challenges multidisciplinary student teams to find a promising energy technology and develop a commercialization business plan, with a chance to win a share of $250,000 in cash rewards. The deadline for teams to register is Monday, January 31. Learn more about the regional showcase.
Register your student team here.

Finals will be held at CMU on March 24, 2022.

H E A D L I N E S

Litster, Viswanathan & Whitacre Receive Navy NEPTUNE Partnership for Hydrogen Electrolysis and Battery Research

With funding from NEPTUNE (the “Naval Enterprise Partnership Teaming with Universities for National Excellence”), three key CMU faculty, as part of the recently-launched Scott Institute Initiative for Energy Storage, Batteries and Electrolysis (IESBE), will further the development of next-generation Na-ion batteries, ultra-high energy density battery storage, improved safety for energy storage technologies as well as further fuel cell research on catalyst layers for hydrogen electrolyzers. Read more about the project.

CMU Energy Week 2022 Update – “Speaker and Panelists” Segment Postponed

We have made the difficult decision to postpone the “Speakers and Panelists” segment of CMU Energy Week 2022. We will announce new dates later this year. Stay tuned for updates in our newsletter and check back on our event-specific website regularly here. If you have specific questions about CMU Energy Week 2022, please contact Anna J. Siefken at asiefken@andrew.cmu.edu.

NOTE: You can still join us in-person for the DOE EnergyTech UP National Finals and DOE American-Made Solar Prize Hardware and Software Showcases on March 24 and 25, respectively, as well as our annual student career fair and poster competition (details available soon).

Scott Institute Receives IN² 2022 Channel Partner Strategic Award, Funding

NREL and Wells Fargo have selected the Scott Institute for an IN² 2022 Channel Partner Strategic Award, which includes funding for Energy Fellow Destenie Nock and Faculty Affiliate Corey Harper to examine how the deployment of EV charging infrastructure will impact disaster response performance metrics across low and high-income communities in emergency evacuation scenarios. This effort will help ensure equitable resilience while communities transition to a fully electrified transportation system. Read about all seven winners here.

WEBINAR Jan 25, 1pm ET: Exploring EVs, Electrification and Policy Priorities in the Transportation Sector

The Block Center for Technology and Society and the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation are partnering to host an important conversation on national decarbonization strategies. The virtual panel will discuss how we can ensure that the future of vehicle electrification and charging is contributing to critical future goals. Register here.

Beneficial Electrification In-Person Event Draws Engaged Stakeholders

Held in partnership with Duquesne Light Company in December, Scott Institute welcomed national experts for an informative in-person and virtual session, with panelists exchanging views on the implications of electrification in the built environment. Watch the recorded discussion here.

CMU Master’s Student Team Named Finalist in DOE Solar District Cup

Congratulations to the CMU student team from the Energy Science, Technology & Policy Master’s Program and Tepper School of Business MBA program for continuing among 35 finalist teams in the U.S. DOE Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition. They are working on optimized solar and storage solutions for a real-world district or campus, with the final presentations in April.

Jaramillo’s Open Energy Outlook Initiative Plans Q2 Partner Meeting

Lead by Scott Institute Energy Fellow Paulina Jaramill o, the newly-launched Open Energy Outlook (OEO) is designed to examine technology and policy pathways to achieve deep decarbonization in the United States using open-source tools and data. With a large team of over 35 experts, the modeling capability provides a way to examine future energy system evolution, test the effects of proposed policy, and explore the role of future uncertainty. A meeting for interested partners is planned for the second quarter of 2022. More details about OEO here.

Read more about Paulina Jaramillo, including her work with the upcoming IPCC Report, in this month’s Faculty Feature.

H I G H L I G H T S

Jha Wins Energy Economics Young Professional Award
Faculty Affiliate Akshaya Jha won the United States Association for Energy Economics Young Professional Best Paper Award for his paper, “Start-up Costs and Market Power: Lessons from the Renewable Energy Transition.” Jha’s research examines the benefits and costs of economic and environmental policy pertaining to the coal and electricity sectors in the United States and India. Read more here.

Karplus and Siefken on Climate Security, Rising Demand for Clean Energy in Proposed Legislation

Energy Fellow Valerie Karplus and Executive Director Anna J. Siefken examine the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better Legislation, with reference to the clean energy infrastructure plans. Read more here.

Pittsburgh Commits to Becoming a Dark Sky City
Thanks in large part to CMU’s “Dark Sky Defender” Diane Turnshek’s ongoing advocacy efforts, the City of Pittsburgh has committed to transition to lower-wattage LED streetlamp light bulbs. According to the city, 40,000 lamps will be replaced, resulting in a 40-50% reduction in overall energy use.

CMU Student Attends Nationally-Recognized Carbon Sequestration Intensive
CMU EST&P master’s student Alexandra Kramer was accepted into the U.S. DOE Research Experience in Carbon Sequestration (RECS) program, an annual instructional summit for graduate students and early career in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). As part of the program, Kramer conducted an interview with Scott Institute Faculty Affiliate John Kitchin, professor in Chemical Engineering. Read more here.

N E W S & M E D I A M E N T I O N S

Whitacre Discusses Importance of Long Duration Storage, Including Flow Batteries
Scott Institute Director Jay Whitacre explains the varying storage capacity and powering abilities of grid-scale lithium-ion batteries. Read about it here.

Viswanathan Appointed as Technical Advisor for TVS Motor
Energy Fellow Venkat Viswanathan will serve as a Technical Advisor for TVS Motor Company. His background in energy storage, electric vehicles, and planes will benefit the company’s commitment to green mobility. His research found that aircrafts require battery packs with energy densities at the extremes of current technology to accomplish their range and payload targets.

Apt Shares Thoughts on Flexible Energy Resources
Energy Expert Jay Apt discusses the role carbon capture can play in reaching net-zero emissions. Renewables can only make up about 80% of electricity production in the U.S., so flexible resources are necessary for the remaining 20%. Read the E&E News Article.

Fischbeck Suggests Abating Fossil Fuels with CCS Alternatives
According to recent research, the U.S. could help meet worldwide CO2 reduction objectives by upgrading some of the country's coal and natural gas power stations with CCS systems and retiring unabated fossil generation. Scott Institute Affiliate Faculty Paul Fischbeck and other researchers examined how abating fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration, bioenergy carbon capture and storage, and direct air capture with storage leads to the ability to maintain reliability, minimize economic disruption, and lower energy costs while meeting the global challenge of climate change.

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

Karthish Manthiram to Deliver Virtual Seminar with Scott Institute & University of Pittsburgh
Feb 4, 9:30am ET
Karthish Manthiram will be discussing research being conducted in the Manthiram Lab. Findings from this presentation will explore electrosynthetic transformations that could lead to the production of key chemicals and materials locally and on demand.

Attend Virtual Explore Event of DOE EnergyTech UP
Feb 24, 1-4pm ET
Not on a student team but want to watch the EnergyTech UP? Register here to attend the February 24, 1-4pm EnergyTech UP Explore Event - Virtual Mid-Atlantic Region Showcase hosted by the Scott Institute.

O P P O R T U N I T I E S

DOE Launches West Gate Entrepreneurial Post-Doc Fellowship Program at NREL: Apply by Jan 30
The U.S. DOE has announced the latest expansion of its Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program at NREL, which aims to speed up the commercialization of sustainable energy technologies. Learn more.

Register a Team: First Phase of DOE EnergyTech UP
Deadline to Register: Monday, Jan 31
Learn more about the Explore Event regional showcase taking place Feb 24, 1-4pm ET.
Register your student team here.

Rice Business Plan Competition Applications Open: Apply by Jan 31
Students accepted into this competition will receive mentoring to help build their startups and join a network with funding opportunities.
Find out if you are eligible.

Apply for the Clean Energy Corps
DOE is collecting resumes from candidates interested in joining the Clean Energy Corps through their Applicant Portal, a streamlined application process that allows applicants to match their skills to their passions by indicating specific areas of interest and allows hiring managers across the agency to review candidate resumes at the same time to find the best fit for you in DOE. Apply here.

Cleantech Open Northeast early deadline – Feb 28
Do you have an idea that has the potential to solve energy or environmental challenges? Apply to the 2022 CTO Accelerator to gain access to a full business development program that includes expert mentors, investor introductions, industry connections, and in-kind services to launch your venture. $60,000 in cash prizes in the Northeast, and a $50,000 National Grand Prize. The early bird deadline is Feb 28, and the final deadline is April 17. Apply here.

M U L T I M E D I A

Jaramillo and Muller Discuss The Green Design Institute
The Green Design Institute (GDI), a Scott Institute initiative at CMU, seeks to conduct, foster, and promote research pertaining to infrastructure and systems growth in the developing world. Energy Fellows Paulina Jaramillo and Nick Muller discuss the global impact of the climate crisis and how the efforts in the developing world have a direct impact on overall global sustainability success. Watch here.

Andrew Carnegie Fellow Jaramillo Joins Peers on Climate Change Forum
Paulina Jaramillo explains the recent hurdles identified at COP26. She states that technologies and pathways exist to reach net-zero, but social systems are holding us back. She identifies new relationships to be explored that can help overcome these obstacles. Watch here.

Keep up to date with Scott Institute’s Faculty Affiliate podcast features by following our Spotify playlist.

Check out additional recordings of previous events on our website.

Copyright © 2021 Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, All rights reserved.

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Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
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