Stanford Natural Gas Initiative (NGI)
Stanford Natural Gas Initiative (NGI)
NEWSLETTER
NGI Update
Greetings!
I trust our fall newsletter finds you well. As we head into the holiday season, I’d like to take a moment to express gratitude to all our members and friends for supporting our program this year. I would also like to welcome our new affiliate member, New Jersey Resources!
As we close out this calendar year and head into the holidays, it’s a good time to reflect on the last academic year. The Doerr School of Sustainability opened its doors a year ago and in June we had 424 students graduate. Now that NGI is housed within the new school, we have found many opportunities to collaborate with our colleagues on sustainability projects related to natural gas.
NGI continues to be a prominent builder of community too. This past year we hosted eight symposia, a number of webinars as well as the popular bi-weekly Methane Emissions Technology Alliance Seminar Series. As we look ahead to 2024, we already have a number of events on the schedule including our Annual Symposium in October.
The NGI website contains all our latest news, publications, and event information, and a short summary of recent and upcoming events may be found below. We are grateful for your continued support and we welcome you to contact us any time with questions, comments, and suggestions.
Wishing you all a holiday season full of happiness and joy and we look forward to seeing you all again in the new year.
Naomi Boness
Managing Director, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative
New NGI Member
Stanford NGI is pleased to announce our newest member!
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES
New Jersey Resources (NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that provides natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management, and home services. With its demonstrated leadership as a premier energy infrastructure and environmentally-forward thinking company, NJR is committed to meeting customers’ expectations for safe, reliable service; delivering value for our shareowners; strengthening our communities, and supporting a transition to a clean energy future. NJR is composed of the following core businesses: New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR Energy Services, NJR Clean Energy Ventures, Storage & Transportation, NJR Home Services
Thank you for your support of the Stanford Natural Gas Initiative.
We are looking forward to new opportunities to collaborate in an effort to “generate the knowledge needed to use natural gas to its greatest social, economic and environmental benefit.”
Natural Gas Initiative Annual Symposium
2023 Stanford Natural Gas Initiative Annual Symposium
November 8-9, 2023 - The Stanford Natural Gas Initiative, in collaboration with the Methane Emissions Technology Alliance, and the Net Zero Infrastructure Partnership hosted their annual symposium on the beautiful Stanford University campus. The 2-day event brought together 120 participants from industry, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations to discuss critical issues related to natural gas.
Day 1: "Methane Emissions - From Technology Innovations to Impact in Operations", focused on methane detection technology, utilization of data, regulations, measurement-based initiatives, methane emissions detection and mitigation outside of the US, and remote sensing through interactive panel discussions and a presentation from Evan Sherwin, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Founder and Chair Stanford Methane Emissions Technology Alliance (META) on "Taking a Basin Approach to Measuring Methane Emissions".
Day 2: "Repurposing the Natural Gas Infrastructure", included Adam Brandt, NGI Director, Associate Professor, Energy Resources Engineering presenting "The Value of the Natural Gas Infrastructure", followed by interactive panel discussions focused on investing in exiting gas infrastructure to accelerate the energy transition-making use of what we already have, effective decarbonization policies, and region-specific gas infrastructure planning.
We would to thank all of the outstanding speakers, moderators, panelists and attendees for their time and participation, and for contributing to the success of the symposium!
NGI Research
NGI BRIEF: How microbes might enable space exploration and a fossil-free future
What would it take for us to create useful products from greenhouse gasses, enable crewed missions to Mars
and achieve a fossil-free circular economy on Earth?
Nils Averesch says the answer lies in the hidden power of molecular factories we call microbes
Nils Averesch is a research engineer in Stanford University’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Prior to Stanford, he earned a PhD in metabolic engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia. Nils spends most of his time genetically engineering gas-fermenting microbes. These biological machines excel at transforming waste into useful products with high efficiency. Averesch is also an investigator of the NASA-sponsored 'Center for Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space' (CUBES), where he explores how microbial biomanufacturing can improve the resilience of long-duration space explorations to Mars.
With support from Stanford's Natural Gas Initiative, Averesch started out by engineering highly specialized microbes that can grow using methane as their sole input for production of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, a precursor compound to high-performance materials such as liquid-crystal polymers. This is a starting point for making useful products from greenhouse gasses, leveraging the unique advantages of microbial biochemistry.
This project had an unusual beginning. "During the COVID-19 pandemic there were virtually no collaborations possible, so I had to come up with a project that I could do just by myself, relying only on what was available in my lab," recalled Averesch. The project has since culminated in a patent.
DYNAMIC FRACTURE PROCESSES IN HYDROGN EMBRITTLED IRON
Author: Andrew C. Lee, Abhinav Parakh, Sebastian Lam, Andrew Sleugh, Ottman Tertuliano, David Doan, Johanna Nelson Weker, Peter Hosemann, X. Wendy Gu, Dynamic fracture processes in hydrogen embrittled iron, Acta Materialia, Volume 259, 2023,119234, ISSN 1359-6454, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2023.119234.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359645423005645)
Abstract: Mechanistic understanding of hydrogen embrittlement is critical to the transport and storage of hydrogen as a sustainable fuel. Experimental observation of dynamic fracture processes in hydrogen environments has been challenging. Here, in-situ transmission X-ray microscopy is used to image polycrystalline iron foils that are concurrently strained and electrochemically charged with hydrogen. Using this technique, voids and microcracks down to ~30 nm in size are identified at or near the crack tip and tracked as strain is increased. We observe both hydrogen-induced transgranular failure and hydrogen-induced intergranular failure with distinct fracture processes. We find that transgranular fracture occurs through the formation of sharp branched structures at the main crack tip that are reminiscent of slip band formation. This is followed by void growth and coalescence, and interaction with secondary cracks that lead to propagation of the main crack. Intergranular fracture is found to occur through void coalescence along grain boundaries, along with significant secondary cracking near the crack tip. The crack growth rate is greater for void-mediated intergranular failure than for slip-mediated transgranular failure. Additionally, the removal of hydrogen results in recovered ductility for a crack initially propagated under hydrogen charging.
A COST COMPARISON OF VARIOUS HOURLY-RELIABLE AND NET-ZERO
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION PATHWAYS IN THE UNITED STATES
Justin Bracci, Graduate Student, Stanford University, Department of Energy Resources Engineering
Author: Bracci, J.M., Sherwin, E.D., Boness, N.L. et al. A cost comparison of various hourly-reliable and net-zero hydrogen production pathways in the United States. Nat Commun 14, 7391 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43137-x
Abstract: Hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier may play a role in various hard-to-abate subsectors, but to maximize emission reductions, supplied hydrogen must be reliable, low-emission, and low-cost. Here, we build a model that enables direct comparison of the cost of producing net-zero, hourly-reliable hydrogen from various pathways. To reach net-zero targets, we assume upstream and residual facility emissions are mitigated using negative emission technologies. For the United States (California, Texas, and New York), model results indicate next-decade hybrid electricity-based solutions are lower cost ($2.02-$2.88/kg) than fossil-based pathways with natural gas leakage greater than 4% ($2.73-$5.94/kg). These results also apply to regions outside of the U.S. with a similar climate and electric grid. However, when omitting the net-zero emission constraint and considering the U.S. regulatory environment, electricity-based production only achieves cost-competitiveness with fossil-based pathways if embodied emissions of electricity inputs are not counted under U.S. Tax Code Section 45V guidance.
Justin Bracci earned his bachelor’s degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2019, majoring in Environmental Engineering and minoring in Geology. He then attended Stanford University and received a master’s degree in Energy Resources Engineering. From 2019 through 2022 he worked as a research assistant under Dr. Sally Benson and Dr. Adam Brandt, conducting research on hydrogen energy systems techno-economics and life cycle emissions. He is currently a research analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where he continues to work on hydrogen energy infrastructure questions.
ENERGY FOR GROWTH HUB POLICY MEMO:
“BEST PRACTICES” ARE NOT ALWAYS FOR EMERGING ENERGY MARKETS
Mark Thurber, Associate Director, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development
Author: Mark Thurber, Associate Director, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development Stanford University.
Regulations built for mature economies are often ill-suited to emerging markets. Policymakers should embrace situationally appropriate regulatory designs rather than copying so-called “best practices.”
Why it matters: Regulators in emerging markets must improve energy reliability, grow supply, and add large quantities of wind and solar in an environment characterized by limited financial and institutional resources. And yet proponents of development and reform tend to prescribe regulatory strategies from rich countries that aren’t facing the same challenges, with generally poor outcomes.
ANDREW LEE - RECEIVES ADVANCED LIGHT SOURCE USER MEETING POSTER AWARD
Student poster competition winners presenting their slams. Clockwise, from top left: Aleksandr Rasumtcev, Isaac Zakaria, Andrew Lee, and Alaina Hartnett. (Credit: Paul Mueller/Berkeley Lab)
Andrew Lee, Graduate Researcher in Wendy Gu's Lab, receives a poster award at the Advanced Light Source User Meeting for his work on investigating dynamic failure of metals exposed to hydrogen using high-resolution X-ray imaging
The annual poster slam—one component of the student poster competition—rounded out the morning session. It was once again emceed by Staff Scientist Dula Parkinson and featured 13 undergraduate and graduate student contestants. Before the main event, three warm-up acts took the stage: the second annual “poetry slam,” this year featuring synchrotron-related haikus, a mini-quiz show with Parkinson probing Argyriou’s expertise on such topics as “light source or lightning strike?”, and a rendition of Amos Lee’s “Little Light” set to synchrotron lyrics performed by Senior Administrator Andrea Taylor.
The poster slam itself included expertly delivered scientific short talks, some with creative spins such as a unicorn analogy with matching headgear by Isaac Zakaria (UC Berkeley) and a “murder mystery” about how a uniaxial strain field “killed” an iron-based material’s superconductivity as told by Yucheng Guo (Rice University). The poster session followed after lunch, with both student competition and general participants. First prize was awarded to Aleksandr Razumtcev (Purdue University) for “Broadband Chemical Imaging by Synchrotron Photothermal Microscopy.” Second prize went to Zakaria, third place to Andrew Lee (Stanford University), and Alaina Hartnett (Harvard University) was selected as a runner up.
NGI in the News
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION HOSTS WHITE HOUSE METHANE SUMMIT
JULY 26, 2023 - Dr. Adam Brandt, Associate Professor, Energy Science & Engineering and Director, Natural Gas Initiative participated with a panel of experts at the White House Methane Summit.
The Biden-Harris Administration convened for the first ever White House Methane Summit around the urgent need to dramatically reduce methane emissions, especially from leaks in the oil and gas sector, as a way to protect public health, create good-paying jobs, save consumers money, and advance President Biden’s ambitious climate agenda. The President’s Investing in America agenda is accelerating adoption of technologies and tools to address methane emissions and helping the U.S. unlock a win-win opportunity for communities and the economy.
12th ANNUAL C3E WOMEN IN CLEAN ENERGY SYMPOSIUM AND AWARDS
Dr. Naomi Boness, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative; Co-Managing Director, Stanford Hydrogen Initiative; C3E Ambassador
September 27-28, 2023 - Dr. Naomi Boness delivered the closing remarks at the 12th Annual C3E Women In Clean Energy Symposium and Awards, "Clearing Hurdles to Achieve Net-Zero by 2050: Moving Quickly, Eliminating Risks and Leaving No One Behind" at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Hosted by the MIT Energy Initiative, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy, and Texas A&M Energy Institute. To achieve a rapid transition to an affordable and sustainable net-zero world, we must strategically increase momentum and address challenges. We will discuss how to preserve and strengthen policies to enable clean energy, address energy system inequities, speed up the technology journey from lab to market, and overcome present and future supply chain vulnerabilities to achieve net zero by 2050. Visit 2023 C3E Symposium and Award for the videos of the recorded sessions. We look forward to hosting the 2024 C3E Symposium at Stanford next November.
2023 NORTH AMERICAN GAS FORUM
Dr. Naomi Boness and Ambassador Geoffrey Pratt
"Fast-evolving energy geopolitics - what will US energy mean for the world?"
October 23-25, 2023 - Naomi Boness, Managing Director, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative; Co-Managing Director, Stanford Hydrogen Initiative represented Stanford University to speak at the 2023 North American Gas Forum in Washington D.C.
Dr. Boness sat down with Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State for a fireside chat to discuss "Fast-evolving energy geopolitics - what will US energy mean for the world?" And how are energy dynamics likely to shape up between OPEC, US and the rest of the world? How have the powers shifted since the Ukraine invasion and what does it mean for energy supply and demand going forward? And what are geopolitical implications and how important are allies in a changing world?
Victor Awosiji Jr, a PhD student in geological sciences, was selected for a student scholarship to attend NAGF and participated in a student roundtable discussing the role of the next generation in the energy transition.
2023 NEXT GEN ENERGY FELLOWS
October 25-26, 2023 - Naomi Boness, Managing Director, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative, Daniela Huerta Marin, a PhD student in chemical engineering and Ainee Athar, an energy-focused MBA student, attended the OpenMinds Next Generation Energy workshop hosted at MIT in Boston, MA.
OpenMinds is dedicated to solving the dual energy challenge - providing energy to increase the quality of life for billions of people while mitigating climate change and reducing emissions.
NEW YORK ENERGY DIALOGUES
November 14, 2023 - Naomi Boness, Managing Director, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative participated in the New York Energy Dialogues, in New York City for high-level conversations on European and U.S. short and mid-term energy security strategies with the people tasked with making it happen.
Save the Dates
Methane Emissions Technology Alliance Seminars
Bi-Weekly
Senior Leaders Real Decarbonization Roundtable
February & September 2024
Energy Dialogue
June 20
Energy Solutions Week
April 29 - May 2
NGI Annual Meeting
October 8-9
NGI Board Meeting
Oct 7
Global Energy Forum
November
NGI
Stanford Natural Gas Initiative
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